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After saying goodbye to Hana Yurikawa, the last stop was Miko Yotsuya's house.
Compared to last time, the heavy aura inside her home hadn't lessened.
It made Rosen think of Miko's father.
A spirit bound to the house… with a powerful evil spirit lingering at his side.
He had no idea why that combination existed, but in a world this strange, just about anything was possible.
Standing in front of the doorway, the girl lingered, reluctant to go inside.
After hesitating for a long while, she finally asked:"Lord Rosen, in this world… is there really no cycle of reincarnation?"
A simple yes or no wasn't enough.
It wasn't that Rosen wanted to sound dramatic—he genuinely believed something was broken in this world.
The original anime never gave a straight answer, but it hinted at three possible outcomes after death.
The first was complete disappearance.The second was turning into a spirit. These spirits were usually harmless so long as no one disturbed them. Some even retained their human consciousness, lingering only until their final wish was fulfilled—then they vanished.
The anime called it "ascending to heaven," but Rosen knew better. There was no heaven here. He figured those souls simply dissolved into nothing.
And the third? Evil spirits—dangerous, hostile, and all too common. Most people couldn't see them, but that didn't mean they weren't a threat.
Miko's father belonged to the second kind.
"Then… if he's a harmless spirit, could I… could I see my father again?"
Her voice trembled with urgency.
She'd thought about this countless times, but always pushed it down. Now, hearing Rosen's words, she nearly bolted inside to embrace her father on the spot.
But Rosen shook his head."For now, you shouldn't. Spirits of the second kind might be harmless, but once they're recognized, it's impossible to know what might happen. Worst case, they could turn into an evil spirit. And then there's the problem of that thing lingering beside your father."
"If you really want to see him, I'll need to deal with it first."
"…And if it isn't what we think?" she whispered.
Rosen gave another small shake of his head."Then you already know the answer. For now, as long as it stays harmless, it's best to leave it alone. Later, maybe I'll find a better way."
"…Alright. I'll just let things stay the way they are."
Miko's excitement faded quickly.
But she didn't want to seem rude, so she forced a bright smile."Then… see you tomorrow at school, Lord Rosen."
"Yeah."
Back at the villa, Rosen showered, lay down in bed, and let the day's events settle in his mind.
A lot had happened, but all of it was still under control.
Even if he knew pieces of the "original plot," with new people involved, things could change in completely unexpected ways.
Take Yuri Suou—without him, she would've been dead for sure.
Lying in silence, he thought of the girls he'd made contracts with. Their fates had already veered far off track, but that was a good thing. As long as it was mutual, he got plenty of positive returns out of it too.
If he found time… maybe he should look for more candidates.
Before sleeping, he habitually glanced at the group chat.
Surprisingly, even this late at night, it was still buzzing.
[Shepherd]: What's everyone talking about?
[Shut-in Angel]: Huh? Look who finally showed up—the poser!
[Shepherd]: ???
Rosen blinked at the screen. What did he do to deserve that?
[Shut-in Angel]: Still gonna deny it? You're ridiculously strong but kept us all in the dark. Some friend you are!
[Shepherd]: I never tried to hide it on purpose.
[Shut-in Angel]: Oh, so it's just that no one here can even compare, right?
[Shepherd]: …That's true, actually.
[Shut-in Angel]: ???
[Shepherd]: Anyway, forget that. What were you all talking about earlier? I haven't been following the chat.
[Femme Fatale]: Honestly, it's still about you, Mr. Rosen.
[Busujima]: After watching that fight this afternoon, we started wondering… if it had been us, how long would we have lasted?
[Busujima]: If evil spirits came after me, I'd have no way of handling them.
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]: Yeah, physical attacks don't work on the dead. But magic does.
[Old Mage]: That fox-headed spirit you fought—it felt stronger than some of the Seven Disasters under the Demon King in my world.
[Fubuki from Hell]: I used to think I didn't have many weaknesses. But after joining this group, I realized… against monsters with high resistance to physical attacks, my psychic powers can be pretty useless.
[Fubuki from Hell]: Watching Rosen fight those spirits made it even clearer. So I've decided—I'm going to learn magic.
In her world, ghosts didn't exist. But what if she crossed into another member's world one day? If she ran into undead enemies, she'd be helpless.
[Fubuki from Hell]: I've still got some unused points, so I'll try my luck with the lottery.
[Shepherd]: Did you roll yet?
[Fubuki from Hell]: Not yet.
[Shut-in Angel]: Afraid of bricking it, huh?
[I Don't Want to Eat Monsters]: Gabriel, you're being too harsh. Let's just hope Fubuki gets something useful.
[Shut-in Angel]: Just kidding. Want me to say a prayer for you?
[Fubuki from Hell]: Please don't. I don't want outside interference. Besides… there's something else. My sister's been keeping a really close eye on me lately. I think she might have noticed something.
[Fubuki from Hell]: So if I roll and end up with something that shouldn't exist in our world, she'll come storming over for answers.
[Shut-in Angel]:Tatsumaki: just a sister showing love for her little Fubuki.
[Fubuki from Hell]: I'd rather not… I don't want to spend my whole life in her shadow.
"..."
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