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"That... that thing... is that really a ghost?"
The girl's teeth were chattering. It was her first time seeing an actual ghost.
Just moments ago, she had watched with her own eyes as one of them charged straight at her.
And this wasn't a movie, or some horror game. It was real.
Real—and about ten thousand times scarier than anything on a screen.
Don't be fooled by how laid-back Yuri Wakasa usually acted. Deep down, she was even more terrified of ghosts than Miko Yotsuya.
Every time they watched a horror movie together, Yuri was always the one screaming the loudest.
"Yes," Miko nodded. "That's what I wanted you to see—the truth. I've been able to see them for a long time now."
"Ahh, no wonder!" Yuri's eyes widened as everything suddenly clicked. "That explains all the weird stuff you used to do—the sweating, the sudden changes of direction when we were out shopping. I thought you were just on your period!"
"Now that you've seen them yourself, you understand what I've been going through, right? That time we rode the bus home, one of those things was on board too. If Lord Rosen hadn't helped me, I don't even know what would've happened."
"That sounds awful..."
"You have no idea how I survived those months, with no one I could even talk to about it," Miko said, her voice trembling as if she might cry.
"Don't cry, Miko!" Yuri reached out, then suddenly her eyes lit up. "I get it now—Rosen is a messenger from the dark world. He came here to protect the living! And you're the chosen one, Miko, fighting ghosts by his side. Then in the end, you'll defeat the Ghost Beast and bring peace to the world!"
"...What are you even talking about?"
Miko blinked, speechless.
Wait a second. "Chosen ones" and "Ghost Beasts"?
That... sounded suspiciously familiar.
Wasn't that the plot of Digimon?
Although, now that she thought about it, what she was doing wasn't that far off...
"So, Yuri, you—"
Before Miko could finish, Yuri suddenly stepped right up to Rosen, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, and stared up at him with shining eyes.
"Lord Rosen, please let me be a chosen one too! I want to protect this world!"
Her whole body radiated excitement, though her trembling lips suggested that if he turned her down, she might burst into tears any second.
Rosen was tempted to tease her, but when it came to taking on a follower, he never joked around.
"I could accept you," he said calmly, "but you need to understand the price of becoming my follower."
As soon as he finished, Mai Sakurajima chimed in.
"The price is simple. Once you accept him, you'll never be able to disobey Rosen again. Whatever he commands, you'll have to do."
"Eh? Anything?" Yuri froze.
Then, for some reason, her brain took a sharp turn.
"Does that... also include, um, you know... sexy stuff?"
The question stunned Mai into silence.
She wanted to deny it—but then her thoughts flicked to her own awakened bunny-girl powers.
Weren't those pretty much designed to please men?
Looking at Yuri's innocent, wide-eyed expression, Mai found she just couldn't lie.
But with Rosen standing right there, she couldn't exactly admit it either. Especially since, in truth, he hadn't actually done anything to her yet.
"What about Miko?" Yuri turned toward her friend.
"I-I don't really mind..." Miko muttered, face burning red as she avoided eye contact.
Seeing her friend like that, Yuri gave a sharp little nod. "Got it! Then I'll join too. If Miko approves of him, then so do I!"
"So... how do I become your follower?"
She wasn't dumb—she knew there had to be more to it. But looking at Miko's expression, Yuri could tell this man had definitely changed her.
And since she had promised to be Miko's best friend for life, there was no way she could just leave her behind.
Miko felt a wave of warmth at those words.
"Let's head to my place first," Rosen said. "It's not convenient to do this outside. And I'll update your abilities while we're at it."
With that, he activated his divine step technique.
In the blink of an eye, he had whisked all three girls back to his home.
"Where is this?" Yuri asked, looking around curiously.
"My house."
"Eh? It looks so small and normal! I was expecting, like, a floating palace in the clouds or something."
She sounded honestly disappointed.
"That won't be hard to arrange later. As for this house, I'm planning to move soon anyway," Rosen replied.
After all, with thousands of tons of gold at his disposal, what kind of idiot wouldn't want to live in comfort?
"..."
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