— — — — — — —
Familia?
Yukinoshita Yukino's heart tightened. She had a bad feeling about this.
Hurriedly, she spoke up, "Well, since the request has been completed, Yui and I will be leaving now."
She lowered her head slightly, avoiding eye contact with Lynn. Then, grabbing a slightly dazed Yuigahama Yui, she quickly left the old school building.
She had the strong feeling that if she stayed any longer, she'd get caught up in something absolutely ridiculous.
Today had already been overwhelming. Not only had her worldview been shattered, but she had also begun questioning her own beliefs about life itself.
She needed time to process everything.
— — —
Inside the old school building—
"Ah... they left."
Kasumigaoka Utaha raised an eyebrow in mild surprise. "Master, do they not qualify?"
Aren't they beautiful girls?
Hmm.
That was the pattern Utaha had noticed.
Generally speaking, as long as someone was a beautiful girl, they had the potential to become Lynn's familia.
And Yukinoshita Yukino and Yuigahama Yui were obviously beautiful girls, weren't they?
Lynn shrugged. "Obviously, they qualify."
'As expected.'
A knowing glint flashed through Utaha's eyes before she tilted her head in confusion. "Then why?"
"Why let them leave?"
Lynn suddenly smiled. "Utaha, you're misunderstanding something."
"They need me. I don't need them."
His gaze was deep, and though his tone was calm, it carried weight.
Utaha was briefly taken aback before breaking into a smile. "That's true."
They had no idea what kind of opportunity they had just walked away from.
Nor did they realize what they had lost.
Lynn didn't care about their departure. Instead, his attention shifted to Kanoe Yuuko.
He was quite interested in the idea of a ghost reincarnating as a devil.
"So?"
"Want to come with me?"
Yuuko's eyes lit up, but the spark quickly dimmed.
She had finally met someone who could see her, and of course, she wanted to leave the old school building with him.
But—
"I can't," she said bitterly. "I'm a bound spirit—I can't leave this place."
Lynn smirked. "That's easy. Just become my familia."
"Familia? This word again?"
Kanoe Yuuko blinked in confusion.
Lynn had mentioned 'familia' earlier, but before she could ask about it, the conversation had been interrupted by that girl.
Now she was curious.
Noticing her reaction, Lynn's lips curled into a faint smirk. "Of course, I mean becoming a reincarnated devil."
As he spoke, he spread his devil wings.
Kanoe Yuuko's eyes widened. "Wait… you're serious about this whole 'devil' thing?"
Lynn shrugged. "One hundred percent real."
Kanoe Yuuko turned to look at Utaha and the others. "What about them?"
"They're all my familia."
"Which means... They're devils, too."
Utaha and the others exchanged glances, then, as if on cue, they spread their own devil wings.
"Whoa! Miko, you suddenly look so cool!"
Yurikawa Hana's eyes sparkled with excitement as she stared at Yotsuya Miko, looking as if she wanted to reach out and touch the wings.
Yotsuya Miko twitched at the corner of her eye.
Sometimes, she really admired how utterly oblivious Hana could be.
Meanwhile, Yuuko was still in a state of mental shock.
As an old ghost, she had truly seen some crazy things today.
"So devils… actually exist?"
Her expression was complicated.
She might be old, but she was terribly inexperienced.
Being bounded to the old school building meant she knew next to nothing about the world.
Lynn shrugged. "If ghosts can exist, why not devils?"
"Uh..."
"You know what? That actually makes sense."
Kanoe Yuuko thought about it.
Before she died, she never would've imagined she'd become a ghost. And now, she had been one for fifty or sixty years!
"Becoming a devil... actually sounds kinda fun."
Her eyes flickered with an indescribable emotion.
Then, just as suddenly, that light dimmed.
"Is this really possible?"
"Can you really take me away from here?"
Kanoe Yuuko was doubtful.
After all, in the past fifty to sixty years, she had tried countless times, but each attempt ended in failure.
"If you don't try, how will you ever know?" Lynn's tone was lighthearted.
As if the restrictions of a mere bound spirit could possibly surpass his [Devil's Piece].
"You're right!"
Kanoe Yuuko froze for a moment, then her gaze became firm.
She decided—she would become a devil!
Maybe then, she could finally leave this place?
And even if she still couldn't, at least she'd have a new identity. That didn't sound too bad, either.
Besides—
A sly smile appeared in her narrow eyes.
"If I still can't leave the old school building after becoming your familia, you better come visit me, okay?"
She pouted pitifully. "You wouldn't want your familia to be all lonely, would you?"
Ah...
As expected of a Japanese ghost. This level of emotional manipulation was spot-on.
Lynn's voice was firm. "Don't worry. I won't leave you behind."
Yuuko flinched.
For some reason, those words touched her.
At first, she had only thought of this as an amusing experience, but now… her reasons for becoming a devil were starting to change.
Following this guy… didn't seem like a bad idea at all.
"Then, this humble lady shall entrust everything to you…"
She flashed a teasing smile.
"My dear Devil-Sama."
Her gaze was full of conviction.
Lynn smiled. "You won't regret it."
Then, as if she had just realized something, Yuuko's face stiffened.
"Wait—can a ghost even reincarnate as a devil?"
She was, after all, already dead.
Lynn paused, glancing at the glowing Devil's Pieceon his system panel.
Then, with absolute certainty, he declared, "If I say it's possible, then it's possible."
Yep.
If the Devil's Piece said it could be done, then it could be done.
"Alright! Let's do it!"
"Uh… what do I need to do?"
Kanoe Yuuko looked a little confused.
Lynn summoned a Devil's Piece, then hesitated slightly before shifting his gaze toward the airheaded Yurikawa Hana.
There was still an outsider here.
He had considered recruiting her into his familia eventually…
But clearly, she wasn't one of them yet.
Normally, letting an outsider witness a devil reincarnation ritual wasn't a big deal.
But his ritual was unique—it also involved engraving a divine blessing (Falna).
Someone who wasn't part of his familia couldn't be trusted with that.
Kasumigaoka Utaha and the others quickly realized this.
Yotsuya Miko's expression also turned serious.
She trusted Hana, but when it came to her Master and their familia, she had to be cautious.
"Huh?"
Yurikawa Hana blinked, confused by everyone staring at her.
Feeling the pressure, she looked around, clueless.
Yotsuya Miko sighed and gave her a gentle nudge. "Hana, maybe you should step outside for a bit?"
Yurikawa Hana immediately pouted. "Miko, are you abandoning me again?"
Yotsuya Miko: "....."
'Why did she make it sound like I was some kind of heartless playboy?'
Seeing that Hana still wasn't getting it, Yotsuya Miko's expression became serious.
"Hana, this is an internal familia matter, you—"
"Then I'll just join you guys!"
Yotsuya Miko: ".....?"
.
.
.