V2C4

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<hr class="wp-block-separator is-style-wide">\n{Chapter 4} The Night Before Departure\n

　The evening of the day after the match for the house.\n

　At this time, Hiroto felt that new anxiety had arisen …….\n

　Now, with his apron still on, Hiroto was sitting in front of the large tea table that had originally been placed in his tattered living room.\n

　In the center of the table, a large plate of stir-fried vegetables he had made on a platter that he had bought at a recycle store.\n

　Rice and miso soup for seven people were placed at equal intervals, and underneath the side of the table, there was a bowl for Ugaron, which was filled with rice and miso soup, commonly known as Nekomanma. (TN: Nekomanma is cat food or a dish of leftovers on rice)\n

　A cheerful voice echoed from all the people sitting in the room.\n

“””””” Itadakimasu!”””””” “Uga!”\n

“Hahaha, …… please.”\n

“Delicious!　It’s so good. Sally’s cheeks are going to fall off.”\n

“It’s really good. I only materialize when I drink. I haven’t had a meal in decades.”\n

“You’re such a good cook!　Gen!　You’re taking too much!”\n

“It’s …… delicious to have our Lord cook meals. My Lord. …… (tears)”\n

“I like this miso soup …….”\n

“Aniki!　It is the best. I’m impressed.”\n

” This meal is so good, I didn’t know rice could be so good. I could eat this every day!”\n

“Everyday….you say?　AHa-ha-ha. ……”\n

“Really. I think I’d like to materialize all the time to eat this.”\n

“…… I want to eat.”\n

“I’m looking forward to eating when I come to visit.”\n

“Uragon can eat it everyday, I envy him!”\n

“”””” Yeah, yeah “””””\n

　Suddenly, the non-human in the appearance of a dog known as Ugaron responded happily.\n

“Uga!”\n

“Haha, the food will be fun ……. Hahaha …… I’m going to have to work hard at this. Work …….”\n

　Hiroto was serving food to his fellow non-human who had half-heartedly become his roommates.\n

　The kitchen, which had been completely unusable in this house, had somehow become usable.\n

　To his surprise, Gen had actually started digging in the courtyard and reached the water source, creating an improvised well. Using the well, he drew clean water, stored it in a plastic bottle, and brought it to the kitchen.\n

　Susan and Kiyoko came over and made a small flame out of their palms, and the heat was perfect, so they were able to cook at a minimum. These things really surprised Hiroto.\n

Although the rest of the kitchen was still in shambles, he was very grateful to be able to use it.\n

　He was grateful, but …….\n

Now, the stir-fry vegetables were disappearing at breakneck speed before his eyes.\n

　Hiroto looks at it with a drawn-out smile.\n

　After the game of betting on the house, the six of them, Shiro, Kiyoko, Susan, Sally, Gen, and Gokou, stayed behind, while the others went back somewhere, looking regretful.\n

　It seemed that the current six were not always at this house, but they usually stayed here for a while during this season.\n

　As the person who made the …… meal, he was happy that everyone was so happy, but at the same time, this was completely unaccounted for.\n

(If this becomes a frequent event, the cost of food, the cost of living!)\n

　Hiroto’s face was pale. Why did this happen? …… It all started a few hours ago.\n

　On Saturday, he left home early in the morning to go to school, although he was still very tired both physically and mentally because of the sloppy battle for the house. Tomorrow at noon, he had to leave for Miramar, so he had to start preparing for it in the afternoon when he was free.\n

　Ichigo was the only one who knew that Hiroto had decided to go to Miramar. He was the only friend who knew that Hiroto was an ability user, but he didn’t seem any different from usual after meeting him this morning.\n

　For the next week, Hiroto was going to take a leave of absence due to his health condition, and during that time, Ichigo was going to visit him and report back to the school to buy time.\n

“I’ll do my best to follow up on your absence from school, but you’re dealing with the Mirei-sensei, after all. Don’t expect too much.”\n

　However, Hiroto was grateful for that and thanked Ichigo.\n

　Since the rank examinations, the other classmates had forgotten about Hiroto, and since he had only recently started to be recognized again, he thought that his influence on them would be surprisingly small.\n

　However, to his surprise, his homeroom teacher, Takano Mirei, seemed to remember him. Honestly, he thought that there must be some mistake and that it only looked that way because she is a teacher who frequently looks over and compiles student lists and documents for her job.\n

　It was hard to tell because she was usually so calm and her expression was hard to read. However, from Hiroto’s experience, when he broke the seal and wielded that power, no one remembered him.\n

　The only exceptions are two people outside of his family so far. They were Matsuri and Liserotte, the girl he met in the demon world.\n

　And this time …… there were more, including Ichigo, his best friend, and Shizuka, with whom he had become friends since high school.\n

　He decided not to worry about it, after all, it was probably just his imagination.\n

　After school, Matsuri came to pick up Shizuka, who is also a member of the kendo club and approached Hiroto.\n

　Hiroto didn’t tell Matsuri and the others that he was going to Miramar, so for a moment he was nervous, but Matsuri was concerned about something else.\n

“You should do some kind of club activity too, Hiroto. ……”\n

“Oh, um, I’ll think about it when my life is a little more stable.”\n

“Yeah……, it can’t be helped for now. You must tell me when you settle down. I don’t want you to be the only one who can’t do high school things, and I want to help you.”\n

“Matsuri. If we don’t go now, the club activities will start.”\n

“Ah, yes. Okay, Hiroto. We’ll go now.”\n

“Yes, thank you, Matsuri-chan. Bye.”\n

　Hiroto felt a little guilty about Matsuri’s concern for him, but he just thanked her and left the school building immediately.\n

　As Hiroto walked along, pondering his preparations for leaving Miramar, he noticed a crowd of students leaving school ahead of him.\n

　What is it?　As he approached them, he saw two girls leaning against the wall of the school gate, looking bored.\n

　They were dressed in contrasting outfits: the bright-eyed girl was dressed in white, while the red-haired girl with the clear expression on her face was dressed in the same red color as her hair.\n

　Both of them have stunningly beautiful looks that stand out on their own, but their contrasting outfits make them stand out even more.\n

　When the two girls spotted Hiroto, they rushed over to him with big smiles on their faces as if they were competing with each other.\n

“Hiroto!　You’ve finally come out. We’re here to pick you up!”\n

“Welcome back …….”\n

“Shiro!　Susan!　Wawa!”\n

　The two of them pulled on each of Hiroto’s hands as if they were playing. The students around them were smiling at the scene, thinking that they were probably brother and sister, and their mouths relaxed.\n

　Although there were some with black emotions in their gaze, …………especially the boys.\n

　Also, some male students began to ask around who Hiroto was as if they were calculated to get close to these two girls somehow.[TN: FBI!!!!]\n

　In response to this unsettling atmosphere, Hiroto hurriedly withdrew his hands from the two girls who were pulling on his hands.\n

“I told you both not to come to school!　Come here!”\n

　Just this morning, he had desperately warned them not to come to school when his roommates, except for Kiyoko, were going with him.\n

“Huh?　That’s why we didn’t go inside the school. Right, Susan.”\n

“I kept my …… word.”\n

　He walked the squirming pair to a small park nearby where not many students pass on their way out of school and faced them.\n

“Okay?　From now on, you don’t have to come to school to pick me up.”\n

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><noscript></noscript></figure>\n“Ehh?　Why?”\n

“Why you say…..you see, it’s not good if others know about your identity.”\n

“Don’t worry. We materialize in human form, so even highly sensitive people won’t be able to recognize us. Even if we look like this, we are amazing!:\n

　Hiroto looks troubled at the two who are proudly showing off their chests.\n

“Well, you know. I am supposed to be living on my own, and it would be bad if people found out that I was letting everyone stay over. You know there this …… thing called “public image”?　”\n

“Public Image?”\n

“Yes!　Public Image. We have this kind of invisible rule that it’s not a good idea for a man and a woman to stay together if they are strangers.”\n

“We are not strangers. You are our contractor. And also our Master.”\n

“(Nods) ……. Master”\n

“Eh—~?　What’s that?”\n

“You won the game against us yesterday, right?　After that, you gave us a favor. It was a simple, but formal contract. That’s why we’ll help Hiroto whenever he has a problem. Anytime, anywhere, no matter what. We’ll do anything if you order us to. All of us who were participating in that time. They all went home, but I’m sure they can come back anytime if you want to call them.”\n

“Haaaaaaaaah!?　W-When did …… become such a thing?”\n

　No way, with such a joke of a game, …….\n

　Moreover, having a contract with 30 of the non-humans at once was not something that has ever occurred in dreams.\n

　Rather, such a thing is absolutely not possible in normal circumstances.\n

　Contracts in this context are made in different ways, but usually, they are made by setting up an altar, following formal procedures, and solemnly summoning the desired divine spirits.\n

　Also, in this case, the more surprising part is the content of the contract.\n

　From Shiro’s description, Hiroto has entered into a master-slave relationship with nearly thirty other non-humans, including Shiro and her friends.\n

　The reason is that to have a strong relationship like a master-servant relationship, you have to be a very powerful person. Naturally, the higher the Spiritual Power of the person with whom you make a contract, the more difficult it is. If one were to focus only on the master-servant relationship, it would be practically impossible to make a contract with someone well-known non-humans.\n

　Because of this, it is usually only possible to borrow power from the contracted non-humans if they have a high spirituality. And it is also common that there is a considerable amount of “restriction” every time you use power.\n

“Restrictions” are things like the need for large amounts of spiritual power, and in some cases, there are even specific offerings or sacrifices that must be given each time the power is borrowed.\n

　Hiroto thinks that Susan’s Spiritual Power is quite high, based on his battle with her at that time.\n

(And maybe she hasn’t gotten serious yet?)\n

　He’s too scared to ask her who she is, but in fact, he doesn’t feel the need to ask.\n

　The same is true for the other non-humans who were there. First of all, they were able to hold a banquet in a place with such a high level of spiritual energy, had a high ability to communicate, and above all, were able to humanize themselves, which is a characteristic of high-ranking non-humans.\n

　If you think about it, they are not the kind of individual that you can easily make a master-servant contract with.\n

　Hiroto had heard about it from Tenzo before.\n

“In the past, a contract between a human being and a non-human being was made by the person who wished to make a contract with the non-human being by first demonstrating his or her power and then, after the non-human being recognized it, bestowing the non-human being with what he or she was wearing. It was a primitive, but strong contract.”\n

“Are these contractors, the ones with abilities?”\n

“Yes, Hiroto. Depending on the strength of the contract, some contracts with non-humans made in that era may be inherited and remain valid even after the generation passes. In the family of powerful contractors, these contracts made by the ancestors remain intact, and there are actually families that exercise powerful non-human powers.”\n

“……, hoh”\n

“But as time went on, some people began to see these contracts as inefficient. They began to look for ways to make contracts with powerful non-humans without having their power recognized.”\n

“Eh, ……, is there such a thing?”\n

“There is. That’s what ” restriction ” is. In exchange for borrowing power only at that time, you pay a reasonable price from time to time. Those who specialize in this kind of constrained contract are called summoners today. Humans have a lot to think about. Even though a master-slave contract is impossible, they tried to get the power of non-humans somehow. This is why there are so many different ways to make a contract with them. I think it was easier to understand in the past.”\n

　From this point of view, Hiroto’s contract was a primitive and prehistoric one. But it is also a very strong contract.\n

　However, what is unheard of is the fact that he did not want to have a contract that other ability users would envy,……, or perhaps he did not even think about it.\n

　And there is one more exception to the rule that no one knows about when it comes to making a contract with a non-human.\n

　Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, but they are few and far between.\n

　It is simply put, …….\n

　When the non-human themselves …….are great!　Very Great!　There’s no way around it!　That is, regardless of whether the non-humanlike it or …..not !　.\n

　As Hiroto was frozen with such thoughts, Shiro and Susan looked worriedly at him. They look up a bit.\n

“Hiroto …… do you not like to be our master?”\n

　Shiro, who has lost her usual cheerful expression, and Susan, who was staring at him afterward, strangely seeped into his heart. It was a strange feeling.\n

　He bent his knees down to their eye level, put his hand on their heads, and smiled reassuringly.\n

“Oh no, …… not at all. I just stuttered a little. Oh, maybe it’s because?　It’s only been a day, but I feel closer to everyone. ……”\n

　Hiroto said as if he understood.\n

“But what do you know ……, I don’t really want to be the master of Shiro, Susan, and the others. Yeah, that’s right. …… Yeah!　We’re friends. It’s not about who commands or obeys. So Suan and Shiro don’t have to worry about me, they can continue as before.”\n

　After saying that, he took his hands off Shiro and Susan’s heads and stood up.\n

“I don’t know everyone well yet, but I’m trying to get to know them little by little. So if there’s anything we think of each other, we’ll definitely talk about it.”\n

　The two of them stared back at Hiroto with wide eyes, and their ears and cheeks turned red as well.\n

“Okay!　Hiroto!　I’ll listen to anything you say as a friend!”\n

“(Nod Nod) …… You can tell me what to do.”\n

　They hugged him with their hands around his neck and rubbed their cheeks against his cheeks.\n

“Waah!　T-that’s not what…….”\n

　Although he panicked a little, Hiroto’s inner thoughts were that it was cute,……, as if he had a sister. While patting their heads with a bit of embarrassment, he gently let go of them.\n

“Well then, let’s go home. Ah, we have some shopping to do before that.”\n

“Shopping?”\n

“Yeah, I’m going to buy some tableware and food. Do you want to come with me?”\n

“Yes!　What are we going to eat?　Come to think of it, what kind of food do you eat these days?”\n

　This may sound like a strange question for a normal person to ask, but for these girls who are usually in spirit form, food is not necessary. They also use their power to materialize,…….hmm?　Hiroto had a question when he thought about it.\n

“By the way, is it okay for Shiro and Susan to be materializing all the time?　Wouldn’t you be weakened if you were forcing yourself to use your powers?”\n

“Oh, we’ll be fine. Actually, it’s thanks to Hiroto, you know?”\n

“……?　What do you mean by that…..”\n

“Hiroto has always been leaking out Spiritual Power, right?　You know, we all share it with each other. Thanks to that, even if I materialize all day long, I don’t get tired, in fact, my strength is actually accumulated.”\n

　Hiroto thought to himself, “So that’s how it works”. There was such a use for it.\n

“If …… you don’t like it, should we stop?”\n

“It’s not a problem at all. I don’t mind at all, because it’s out there on its own anyway. I’m glad that my peculiarity is useful in such a situation.”\n

　He replied with a wave of his hand. And in fact, he really thinks so.\n

“Yeah!　Shall we have a special dinner together today?　I’ll make it. It will also be a celebration for moving in. I can’t make much on a budget, but ……”\n

“Really?　I want to try it!　Right, Susan.”\n

“I haven’t eaten …… in decades.”\n

“Let’s go. First, we’ll go to a hundred-yen store, and then we’ll go to the supermarket. ……”\n

　The three of them walked outside by side, looking from the outside like a couple of close siblings.\n

　Some people have been watching the whole thing.\n

　From the rooftop of the high-rise apartment building a few kilometers away from Hiroto, Kiyoko stared at them with a smile and brushed her hair, which was swept by the wind.\n

“Ara ara, it seems everyone was curious to come here after all. Fufufu, everyone is crazy about him. This is the first time such a human had existed. Not saying that he’s our master ……, but our friend.\n

　She could see that Sally’s cheeks were flushed as she spread her pure white wings in the air, above the apartment building where she was standing.\n

　And as she saw it flying away towards the city, she was probably planning to join up with Hiroto and the others.\n

　In addition, Gen came out of the ground next to the fountain in the park where Hiroto’s group had left. Uragon was licking his dark face, tears welling up in his large eyes.\n

　Furthermore, behind a tree in that park, …… she could see the shoulders of what appeared to be a tall, long-haired man.\n

　And as she looked closely, she saw that his shoulders were trembling faintly.\n

　In the end, all of them except for Kiyoko returned home with Hiroto.\n

　As she came out to greet them at the door, Hiroto said that he had met everyone by chance.\n

　Hiroto immediately started to prepare dinner, and although it was only stir-fried vegetables due to budget limitations, everyone was very satisfied.\n

　The only thing that was a miscalculation for Hiroto was that ……\n

It was supposed to be a [ materialization dinner just for today ], but his friends were so impressed that they started requesting meals every time they came to visit.\n

　Now Hiroto had another reason to work besides restoring his house.\n

◆\n

　On Sunday morning, Hiroto called out to his friends who were relaxing in the living room, doing whatever they wanted.\n

“Listen, everyone. I’m going to be away from home for a few days, but don’t worry. I’ve got some work to do, so I’ll be going.”\n

“Eh?　Why?　I’ll go with you.”\n

“I’ll go with you. My Lord.”\n

“(Nods ………….)\n

“Me too!”\n

“No, you can’t. It’s only for 7 days. You can use the house as you like.”\n

　Even after 7 days, unless they materialize, they will not be hungry. So it was easy for Hiroto to not have to worry about that.\n

“Well, I guess I’ll go out and play somewhere then. When are you coming back?”\n

“Already ……, after all, everyone is soaking in.”\n

“But, Hiroto…”\n

“Hmm?　What is it?　Shiro.”\n

“If you have any problems, just call us!　We’ll be right there!”\n

“That’s right, Hiroto. If it’s for Hiroto’s sake, onee-chan will come right away. If there is anyone who annoys Hiroto, I will eradicate them from the family.”\n

“Kiyoko, don’t say scary things with a good smile. …… But thank you. Well, it will be a little difficult to come this time because it’s so far away.”\n

　When they heard this, they all looked at each other in shock.\n

　Then Gokou came forward and knelt down with a mysterious look on his face as he came to the front of Hiroto. He was not used to this kind of treatment, so he asked Gokou not to do it, but Gokou did not back down from this, so Hiroto gave up in the end.”\n

“Lord.”\n

“W-What is it?　Gokou.”\n

“Distance has nothing to do with it when you call us.”\n

“Eh?　Is that so?”\n

“Yes, if Lord strongly desires, we can come to you immediately. The same goes for those who are not here.”\n

“Eh?　Really?”\n

“Yes.”\n

“But this time it’s a foreign country, …… so.”\n

“It doesn’t matter. So, if you are in trouble, please call us. No, we want you to call us. Originally, we would like to be by your side, but if Lord says no, then we will obey him. However, we are very happy to be able to be relied on by you, Lord. Please don’t think of this as a nuisance.”\n

　As he said this, he looked up pleadingly at him.\n

　Hiroto’s face twitched at the seriousness of Gokou’s words.\n

(As usual, Gokou is stiff and heavy!)\n

　But when he looked around, he saw that Shiro, Susan, Sally, Gen, and Kiyoko were all looking at him with serious faces. It was as if this was the consensus of everyone.\n

　There was also Uragon at his feet, leaning his paw against him as if he were playing with him.\n

“Uga!”\n

　Seeing that, Hiroto let out a big breath.\n

“I understand. When I’m in trouble, I’ll rely on you guys. ……”\n

“Thank you so much!”\n

　As if touched, Gokou bowed his head to show his gratitude.\n

“But!”\n

“Yes!”\n

　Gokou raised his head at Hiroto’s stronger-than-expected voice. Hiroto looked around at his friends.\n

“Everyone can rely on me when they are in trouble, okay?　I don’t know what I can do, but I want to do the best I can. We’re friends, aren’t we?”\n

　Hiroto said and smiled.\n

“Y …… Yes!　Understood!”\n

　Gokou lowered his head and trembled.\n

　Hiroto smiled bitterly at the sight of him, amazed.\n

“Every single time you exaggerate. Why don’t you take it easy on me? Hey, you guys ……?”\n

　When he looked around, Hiroto stiffened.\n

　Kiyoko and Sally were looking at Hiroto with red cheeks. Also the same was for Shiro, Susan, and Gen.\n

　Feeling that something is disconcerting about the air, Hiroto retreated …….\n

“”””Hiroto–!!”””” “Boss-!” “Uga!”\n

“Waa!　This again!　Hey, don’t hug me!　Sally-san, Kiyoko-san!　Where are you touching!　Shiro and Susan, stop kissing, stop kissing!”\n

“””” I love you, Hiroto! “””” “Boss!” “Uga, Uga!”\n

“Hey!　Get off me!”\n

　Every time something happened, it was like this.\n

　Hiroto finally escaped the chaos, calmed everyone down, and left for the airport.\n

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