Yotsuya Miko was on the verge of tears but couldn't bring herself to say that Hayashi's price was too steep.
She had heard before that some temple exorcisms could easily run into the millions.
And the ability Hayashi had just demonstrated—there was no doubt it was the real deal.
The only problem was… she was just an ordinary high school girl. She didn't have that kind of money.
Clutching the hem of her clothes, Yotsuya Miko softly said, "I-I don't have that much… but I'll definitely pay you back as best I can, Mister Exorcist…"
"I don't usually offer credit, but there are always exceptions.
Here's the deal: just sign this contract and temporarily become my subordinate. You can pay the rest back slowly."
Hayashi conjured a "Master-Servant Contract" formed from pure magic and handed it to Yotsuya Miko.
She looked at the contract, then at Hayashi, and suddenly felt like she was signing a deal with a Devil. Her heart trembled with anxiety.
"Miko~ you wouldn't want to face another evil spirit with no one to save you, right~~"
That casual remark from Hayashi immediately shattered her last bit of resistance.
If something like today happened again and Hayashi wasn't there, she'd be as good as dead.
She really didn't have any other options—only two roads lay ahead of her.
Die, or become Hayashi's subordinate.
Yotsuya Miko's eyes firmed up. She no longer hesitated and signed her name immediately.
In the next moment, magical chains materialized out of thin air, and a collar-shaped mark appeared on her neck.
As for the minor matter of kissing the magic circle, Hayashi used his authority as "Master" to cancel it.
Hitting her with the full effect right off the bat would be a bit impolite.
In any case, now that she was on board this pirate ship, he had all the time in the world to coax her into "climbing on deck."
What's more, Yotsuya Miko was clearly a "protagonist."
Just judging by her extraordinary spirit-sensing ability, it was clear she had a unique constitution.
Keeping her close not only helped charge the Crossing Gate—it might even make her a powerful asset if trained properly.
And if nothing else, she'd be warm in bed. No matter how he looked at it, this was a win-win.
When Raynare saw that Yotsuya Miko had also been taken in as a servant, a flash of jealousy crossed her eyes.
Just a regular human with some spirit vision, and even she was deemed worthy of Master's attention?
"Human. Now that you are also a slave to Master, you'd better know your place."
"S-Slave?"
Hearing Raynare speak up, Yotsuya Miko suddenly felt like she'd really walked into a den of wolves.
When did she become a slave?!
"Don't scare Miko. Give her something for self-defense."
Hayashi snorted coldly, correcting Raynare's tone.
He didn't want her bullying anyone behind his back.
Sensing her Master's displeasure, Raynare immediately lowered her head. "Apologies, Master. I overstepped."
After sincerely apologizing, she turned coldly to Yotsuya Miko.
"Your constitution seems to attract Cursed Spirits. Keep this with you."
Raynare condensed her light power into a small charm shaped like black wings.
The light energy within it was strong enough to fend off a Mid-Rank Devil for a short time—let alone Cursed Spirits.
Trembling, Yotsuya Miko accepted the Fallen Angel charm and secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Raynare might have a sharp tongue, but thankfully, Hayashi seemed pretty decent.
As for that "slave" part Raynare mentioned—she decided to just… ignore it for now.
First thing's first: stay alive. Everything else could wait!
"Alright, Miko. My office's address is on the card. Be sure to report in tomorrow."
Not planning to keep her, Hayashi gave a final instruction before standing up to leave.
Mio and Maria followed after him—they weren't planning to remain in the church either.
Raynare stayed behind. Under Hayashi's orders, she would be repairing the church and setting it up as a backup base.
Not to mention, the invitation she had previously sent out couldn't be revoked.
The nun she'd lured here was probably already on her way.
Hayashi had clearly taken interest in that one, even reminding Raynare to notify him when the girl arrived.
On the way back, Hayashi briefly separated from Mio and Maria.
He wanted to test out the [Devouring Spirit (Blue)] Trait he had just acquired by finding a few Cursed Spirits.
And the [Crossing Gate] charge had already risen to 99.8% after making Yotsuya Miko his servant.
At this rate, it wouldn't be long before he reached 100%.
Hayashi also wanted to find a secluded place and see what the Crossing Gate could really do.
"Cursed Spirits don't show up just anywhere. Without a constitution like Miko's that draws them in, it's actually hard to find one."
Walking along the street, Hayashi glanced around—but saw no sign of any Cursed Spirits.
They weren't exactly common. Cases like Yotsuya Miko were extremely rare.
As he wandered aimlessly, Hayashi recalled the time when he had just been exiled from the Hero's village.
Back then, he thought, The sky's the limit. Time to soar.
But from morning to night, he didn't run into a single monster, Devil, or Cursed Spirit—and ended up completely worn out.
When he finally had nowhere to stay, someone took him in.
It was a beautiful older woman… though a bit of a yandere.
He hadn't even been in her house for a few days before he got run over—again and again.
"Sigh~~ I used to run from that big truck in fear… but now I kind of miss it."
Hayashi sighed sentimentally. The only regret was that he didn't have her contact info.
Otherwise, if he could reach her now, no matter what, he'd make her taste what he was really capable of!
With that thought, and no spirits in sight, Hayashi decided to change tactics.
If he didn't have a spirit-attracting constitution—he'd find someone who did.
And now, he just so happened to have one right in his grasp!
Using the Master-Servant Contract, Hayashi sensed Yotsuya Miko's direction and set off toward her.
Meanwhile, Yotsuya Miko had just left the church and was heading home.
She passed through the shopping district and was now waiting for the next bus.
Her eyes were still a little vacant—today's events had left her dazed and exhausted.
She had just wanted to see if the church had any exorcism tools.
And somehow… she'd ended up as Hayashi's slave.
Also, this Fallen Angel charm—was it really going to work?
Looking down at the charm in her hand, Yotsuya Miko had a glimmer of hope in her eyes.
"Hey! If you're not getting on the bus, don't just stand there in the way!"
A voice shouted behind her, snapping her out of her thoughts.
She quickly apologized and instinctively stepped aside.
But she didn't watch her step—and stumbled backward.
The next moment, she felt herself falling into someone's arms.
Yotsuya Miko looked up—and met the eyes of a girl looking down at her.
A blonde girl gently helped her up and asked softly, "Are you alright? Did you trip?"
Yotsuya Miko bowed in gratitude. "Thank you! I wasn't paying attention and tripped. I'm really grateful!"
Seeing her so flustered, the blonde girl actually became a bit embarrassed.
She adjusted her thick-rimmed glasses and smiled gently as she shook her head.