Kasumigaoka Utaha's eyes suddenly widened, a flash of disbelief crossing her pupils.
Lynn, that devil!
He actually pushed a beautiful girl like her out without hesitation, forcing her to face a Curse Spirit alone?!
She wanted to curse at him.
But seeing the Curse Spirit approaching, Kasumigaoka Utaha's heart tightened; there was no time left to condemn Lynn.
What should she do?
How was she supposed to handle this?
That's it!
The Demon Book!
She was a Secretary Demon!
A mere Curse Spirit better not underestimate her!
She snapped the Demon Book open, preparing for a hearty battle!
Clap!
Kasumigaoka Utaha slammed the Demon Book shut with force.
The clean, white pages filled her with despair.
She had only just become a 'Secretary Demon'; she hadn't recorded any abilities at all!
"You can see me!!"
The Curse Spirit's rasping roar drew near.
A rancid breath washed over her, blowing through her long black hair and leaving her mind a total blank.
"Don't come any closer!!"
Driven by pure instinct, Kasumigaoka Utaha swung the Demon Book in her hand right at it!
Boom!
A powerful gust of air whistled through the alleyway.
It was a Swing Strike!
The Shiyu Beast used the skill 'Swing Strike'; it's super effective!
"Aaaagh!!"
Struck by the Demon Book, the Curse Spirit only had time to let out a miserable shriek before it began to dissipate.
Kasumigaoka Utaha cautiously opened one eye. Seeing the Curse Spirit vanish, she said in disbelief, "Did... I do that?"
"Good job, Shiyu Beast."
Lynn walked up beside her and offered a word of encouragement.
Seeing Lynn, Kasumigaoka Utaha breathed a sigh of relief, then looked at him with a resentful gaze.
Lynn didn't feel the slightest bit of guilt.
What a joke. As a familiar, if she didn't hurry up and level up to support him, her master, was she expecting him to do it?
Besides, Lynn wouldn't have actually watched Kasumigaoka Utaha die right in front of him.
This kind of Curse Spirit was incredibly weak; even if Kasumigaoka Utaha stood perfectly still, it probably couldn't even break through her defenses.
She was an Inferior Demon, after all.
"How does it feel?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha gave him a sharp glare, took a deep breath to calm her nerves, and regained her composed manner. "Not bad," she said.
Lynn let out a light chuckle. If he hadn't witnessed her panic just now with his own eyes, he might have believed her.
"Since it's not bad, shall we continue?"
"Huh?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha was completely dumbfounded.
"Just kidding."
Kasumigaoka Utaha said speechlessly, "I didn't hear a hint of a joke in that."
Lynn ignored her complaints and said, "Just get used to it a bit today. Starting tomorrow, we'll officially begin hunting monsters to level up."
Kasumigaoka Utaha's face twitched slightly, and she remained silent.
Seeing this, Lynn began walking out of the alley.
Kasumigaoka Utaha subconsciously followed him.
Once they were out of the alley, Lynn tilted his head slightly, pointing forward with his chin. "Don't you want to become stronger?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha looked in that direction. Curse Spirits were visible everywhere on the street—standing, crouching, in all sorts of poses.
What they had in common was that every one of them was asking the same question to the people passing by.
"Can you see me?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha opened her mouth, remaining silent for a long time before saying, "...Has Japan... fallen?"
Curse Spirits!
So many Curse Spirits!
"These Curse Spirits, and the one you just destroyed, are nothing more than low-level trash."
Low-level trash...
Kasumigaoka Utaha's hands tightened.
She understood what Lynn meant.
Low-level meant there were even stronger Curse Spirits out there.
Furthermore, she didn't actually have a choice anymore.
She was already a demon now, and one with a 'Master' at that.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and when she opened them again, they were filled with determination.
"I understand."
"Please make me stronger, Lynn."
"Hmm?" Lynn suddenly remembered something and said with amusement, "What should you be calling me right now?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha froze, then looked at Lynn as if he were a creep. "Perverted Master."
Lynn savored the words for a moment, feeling they weren't too bad.
Even though she added 'perverted,' it had its own unique charm.
Lynn took out his phone and said, "Let's add each other on Line. It'll be easier to stay in touch."
"Sigma Man?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha gave Lynn a strange look.
'Kashizu Shiwa has entered the group chat.'
Seeing the notification on Line, Kasumigaoka Utaha asked in surprise, "What's this?"
"Our familiar group chat."
"I get that, but what the hell is this group name?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha waved her phone.
The words 'Linn's Familiars Harem Group' were quite eyesores.
Lynn asked in confusion, "Is something wrong with it?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha was powerless to argue. How could he act so natural about this?
Seeing her speechless expression, Lynn realized, "Don't worry, you're my first familiar. For now, I belong solely to you. Consider it a benefit of being the first."
"Who needs that kind of benefit!"
Kasumigaoka Utaha felt like her capacity for snark was going to be exhausted today.
However, Lynn wasn't wrong about one thing: she was indeed his first familiar.
If there were other familiars in the future, she could at least claim the status of a senior.
Even if there were a battle for favor in a harem, she would be the undisputed primary mistress!
Thinking of this, the corners of Kasumigaoka Utaha's mouth curled up slightly.
Wait!
Why would she think of such a thing!
Kasumigaoka Utaha quickly shook her head, tossing those strange thoughts aside.
It was all the fault of that group chat name!
After adding each other, Lynn said, "OK, it's getting late. Let's head home."
Kasumigaoka Utaha snapped back to reality, then looked at the Curse Spirits on the street and said hesitantly, "Are these... going to be okay?"
She was worried she might die on the way back.
"Don't worry. As long as you pretend you can't see them, they won't attack you."
Kasumigaoka Utaha realized, "So ordinary people can't see Curse Spirits?"
No wonder there were so many, yet the people on the street weren't being attacked.
Thinking back, it seemed she couldn't see these Curse Spirits before she became a demon either.
However, even though she couldn't see them before, the thought that her life was surrounded by Curse Spirits gave her the chills.
Especially since some of those evil spirits were crawling on people's heads!
"If you're still scared, I can walk you back. Consider it a benefit for the first familiar."
Lynn thought about it and realized he wasn't comfortable letting Kasumigaoka Utaha go back alone either.
Even though she had the strength of an Inferior Demon and was a special demon reincarnated as a 'Secretary Demon,'
it was still her first day encountering the supernatural. Her mindset hadn't shifted from being human yet, and she lacked experience; anything could happen.
"No need."
Kasumigaoka Utaha flatly rejected Lynn's proposal.
Before Lynn could be surprised, Kasumigaoka Utaha said directly, "Let's go to your house."
Lynn: "?"