"Wait?"
"Well, yeah. The dough needs time to rise, after all."
Both Miach and Naaza knew this, but they had been so absorbed in watching Ren that they lost track of time.
"So, what are you going to do in the meantime?"
"I'll clean up first, then I'll walk you to the colosseum."
"You don't have to."
"I want to."
Miach smiled as he watched Ren methodically cleaning the tabletop. The boy was a bit enigmatic, but his intentions seemed sincere.
Though Ren was genuinely offering to accompany Miach, his real purpose was to see if he could catch Bell's fight with the minotaur. Not only would it be interesting to watch, but it would also give Ren a chance to gauge how far behind Bell he really was.
Ren quickly finished cleaning up, preparing the bread tins before wiping his hands and cleaning himself off. Miach and Naaza observed him silently. It was almost like a ritual, performed with careful precision.
"All done."
"Ah, then let me go get ready."
Everyone proceeded to change and met in the store's reception area.
"Is there anything you want to bring along?"
Naaza and Ren both shook their heads, but Miach noticed Ren had his sword with him.
"Is there a reason you're bringing that?"
Ren shrugged. Honestly, there was no good reason for it, but his intuition told him it might be useful.
"Okay then. Let's go."
Miach locked the door, and they headed toward the colosseum. The streets were busier than usual, filled with people heading in the same direction.
"Maybe we should grab a snack first?" Miach suggested. Naaza nodded in agreement, but Ren seemed lost in thought.
"Is something the matter, Ren?"
"Hmm? Ah, nope. Nothing at all."
Ren had been preoccupied. He had been curious about Bell's fight, but now he realized he didn't even know where or when it was happening.
Did the monster breakout happen before or after the show?
The events in Danmachi happened close together. The story was planned to unfold over less than a year, but that made the timeline incredibly short for someone like Ren, who wasn't familiar with every detail.
How do I even find him?
"Ren?"
"Hmm?"
Ren looked up, realizing they had stopped in front of a jagamarukun stall.
"How many do you want?"
"Just one, thanks."
"Okay, I'll take three," Miach said with a smile.
"Coming right up!"
As Ren stared at the stall, an odd thought crossed his mind.
Hestia works at a Jagamarukun stall.
This gave him a clearer idea of where to look for her, but then another thought hit him.
She wanted to go on a date with Bell today. Wait, isn't this the day Bell gets the Hestia Knife?
Details began to flood Ren's mind. It was getting complicated. If he followed them around Daedalus Street without drawing attention, he might disrupt the events of the story, or worse, run into Freya
I shouldn't bother.
There were too many variables for someone like Ren to track. It was better to leave Bell to his own journey. Though Freya constantly pushed Bell into challenges, those were the very things helping him grow. All Ren had to do was keep up.
"Here you go." Miach handed Ren his jagamarukun.
"Are you sure nothing's wrong?"
"Yeah," Ren said, forcing a smile. "Just thinking about some stuff, but it's fine."
He pushed the thoughts out of his mind for now. There was no point in dwelling on things beyond his control.
The trio continued on, reaching the colosseum. Ren noticed the crowd's heightened excitement. It wasn't surprising, considering how rare events like this were in Orario.
Miach bought Ren a ticket, despite his protests. "It's a thank you for walking us here," he said with a grin. "Besides, it's technically our first outing together."
Ren agreed to watch at least part of the show. He thought it might be entertaining for a while, but it quickly lost his interest. The spectacle might captivate commoners, but most adventurers, especially experienced ones, would find it dull.
Rather than stay, Ren decided to leave. He'd rather finish baking and leave something for his familia when they returned.
On his way out, Ren wandered through the graveyard again. For some reason, the place always brought him an odd sense of peace, almost like a reaffirmation of his purpose.
As he walked through the streets, however, he was startled by a sudden commotion behind him, screams, heavy footsteps. The unmistakable sound of something large moving.
Ren's mind raced, and a cold feeling of dread settled in.
The monster breakout happened during the show. And it was caused by someone in a cloak.
He turned around and spotted it, a monstrous creature, its yellow-brown scales glistening in the dimming light. It was scanning the crowd, and soon its eyes locked onto Ren as it roared and charged.
Ren's expression grew grim as he readied himself for a fight, but another thought struck him with a chill.
Freya is interested in me!