Is It Tough Being A Friend - Volume 5

Illustrations
Prologue
Hinomori Ryuuga’s “Story of Supernatural Battles” is currently in the midst

of its third part.
In part one, Ryuuga’s younger sister, Hinomori Kyouka, was a vessel of the
revived “Evil Spirit” Hundun.
In part two, Ryuuga’s best friend, Kobayashi Ichirou, was a vessel of the
revived “Evil Spirit” Taotie.
After some fierce battles, Ryuuga finally defeated them with the help of some
friends. Up until now, things were proceeding smoothly, but…recently, the
plot development’s been a bit slow.
The next opponent, the “Evil Spirit” Qiongqi, has not shown up on stage yet.
Furthermore, he said “I don’t think you can play the supporting role,
Kobayashi boy,” and “You’ve taken the position of the protagonist away.
Away from Hinomori Ryuuga,” to me.
That has greatly disturbed me. A foe with such a meta view of the world was
beyond my expectations.
(Qiongqi…what are you scheming? You know that changing the protagonist
in the middle of the story is a risky move, right?)
Even if she’s actually a girl, Ryuuga splendidly carries out the role of a
“protagonist.”
It would be inexcusable for a friend character to abandon her and usurp her
position. Who would want to watch Mitsuhiko, rather than the great
detective, corner a criminal? TLNReference to Detective Conan. Mitsuhiko is
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one of the friend characters in the series
Doing such a thing would go against the point of Kobayashi Ichirou’s

existence. I will continue carrying out my duties as a friend character. That’s
how it should be. Wouldn’t you agree, Mitsuhiko?
(Anyways, it seems I’ll need to make contact with Qiongqi somehow.)
“Ah…ngh…”
(If he perceives this world as a ‘story’, then there should be a possibility for
us to discuss. Qiongqi should realize that he’s an enemy character who will
suffer defeat in the end.)
“No, not there…”
(The problem is that I have no means to approach him. There’s no way I

would be able to contact him…)
“Aah, no~.”
While sitting on a stool inside the school infirmary, I crossed my arms and
legs, contemplating.
A seductive voice, coming from the bed beside me, served as background
noise.
(However, Qiongqi isn’t the only problem on my hands.)
“Jyuri, stop…at this rate, I’ll…”
“Oh my. You need to call me Hebizuka at school, don’t you? Time to punish
a bad child.”
(Recently, I’ve been dragged into the main episodes with Aogasaki and
Elmira.)
“Aah, that feels good. So good!”

“Hahaha. In the end, it seems you’re that kind of person. The kind who says
no while actually enjoying it, aren’t you?”
(Given this trend, would Yukimiya be denied her own episode? Does such
character discrimination exist…? That’s impossible. Yukimiya Shiori’s turn
is coming. Wouldn’t you agree, Mitsuhiko?)
“It’s frustrating to say it…but it feels so good…I can’t hold back against this
feeling…”
“That’s fine. Now then, let’s finish this.”
(Among the heroine candidates, Yukimiya is the most regal one. Even now, I
still think of her as a core heroine. I don’t believe she would miss out on
something like this. Mitsuhiko would have the same opinion. Genta would
have the same──) TLNGenta is another friend character in Detective Conan
“Aaaaaah! Something’s happening!”
“Zip it, protagonist! You’re distracting me!”
I finally stuck it to Hinomori Ryuuga, who kept raising her voice.
Getting up from my seat in anger, I opened the curtains to the bed. Sure
enough, Hebizuka was giving a massage to a girl dressed as a boy.
“Oh my, you can’t do that, Ichirou. You can’t storm into a girls’ haven all of
a sudden.”
Hebizuka grinded her elbow against the back of her patient while scolding
me.
Each time she did that, Ryuuga let out a groan in response. She carried an
expression of ecstasy.
“Ichirou…it’s amazing…Jyuri’s technique is amazing…”
“Leave those things for the doujins!”

There’s a limit to how close the protagonist and leading opponents should be.
Can’t they understand that? It’s the second time this has happened already!
“Ryuga. I’m don’t want to complain, but you’ve recently been becoming
more goofy. This is supposed to be the school infirmary, you know?”
“But thanks to Jyuri, my body’s been feeling light recently. It’s important to
be in top shape for a battle, right?”
With a carefree smile, Ryuuga put on her blazer. Once she finished speaking,
she turned pigeon-toed.
──It’s already been a week since Shizuma’s departure.
It’s now October, well into autumn.
Everyone’s in a hurry due to our school, Oumei High School, hosting a

festival in a few weeks. Our class is planning to do a maid cafe.
“Good grief…by the way, Ryuga. How’s Kyouka’s condition after

everything that happened?”
“Hmm. After Hundun switched hosts, she’s gotten much better. She’s already
attending school again.”
That’s wonderful, but I don’t feel compelled to smile.
…In addition to hosting the “Evil Spirit” Taotie, I now also host the “Evil
Spirit” Hundun. I never thought that I would carry two “Evil Spirits” despite
being a mere friend character.
Though I did it to save Kyouka’s life, I ended up getting the short end of the
stick. It seems that I’ve turned into an “Evil Spirit” collector at some point.
“She said that she wants to apologize to you. Can you come over to our house
at some point?”
“Sure. Uncle Hundun keeps blabbering on about ‘needing to see Kyouka’

each day.”

When I unintentionally let out a sigh, Ryuuga did the same for some reason.
“Now I’m more concerned about Shiori than Kyouka.”
“Huh?”
I reacted to her mentioning Yukimiya’s name out of the blue. What? What
happened to the “Shrine Maiden of Life”?
“Ichirou, did you hear? Shiori’s absent from school today.”
Is that so? Indeed, she’s also been absent for the past two days. Is it a cold?
Or perhaps…
“When I met with her yesterday, she looked quite pale. I’m a bit worried.”
I’m quite worried as well. Could this be leading up to something bigger? Isn’t
this a sign of trouble to come?
(First a marriage interview, then a baby, now what?)
Is the Yukimiya Group going bankrupt? Is she debuting as a star? Or perhaps

she turned into an elementary schooler by the hands of a mysterious
organization?TLNThat last one is the premise of Detective Conan
At any rate, I shouldn’t drop my guard…and as I braced myself, the king

cobra apostle then sighed.
“Yukimiya Shiori still doesn’t seem to accept me as a school nurse. I wonder

if she hates me.”
Jyuri grumbled while folding her arms. Thereupon, she lifted up her
voluptuous I-cups.
…I believe those enormous breasts are the biggest reason why the “Shrine
Maiden of Life” hates her. As the daughter of a large company, the only
things Yukimiya lacks are──a bust and cooking skills.
“Well then, let’s go home, Ichirou. Jyuri, I’ll see you next week.”

Once Ryuuga unfortunately reserved another massage appointment, we left
the school infirmary.
I really hope that I don’t get dragged into Yukimiya’s episode…if anyone
should get dragged into it, it needs to be Ryuuga.

Chapter 1: Yukimiya’s Long Build-
Up

Part 1
Yukimiya Shiori, second year class C.
There’s hardly anyone who doesn’t know her in Oumei High School.
She has an attractive figure, an honest personality, and furthermore, she’s the
daughter of the president owning the worldwide company Yukimiya Group…
she’s the idol of the school with a perfect background to the point of being
overly cliche. That is who Yukimiya Shiori is.
However, she has another side that ordinary students don’t know of.
Holding one of four gods, she’s a companion character of the protagonist

Hinomori Ryuuga. Responsible for the “White Tiger”, she is the “Shrine
Maiden of Life” who specializes in supernatural healing──that is Yukimiya
Shiori’s true identity.
(Thinking about it, it’s not strange that Yukimiya has been in the main
episodes since the very beginning. I even heard that she was the first one to
become Ryuga’s companion…is her modest nature to blame for her being
neglected?)
The righteous, orthodox heroine tends be overshadowed by the other

companion characters.
It’s inevitable in this kind of story, but characters added later on tend to be
more fleshed out.
The four gods members are no exception. The “Azure Dragon” Aogasaki Rei,
“Vermilion Bird” Elmira McCartney, and the “Black Tortoise” Kurogame
Rina…looking at the order they joined the crew, the newer characters are the
deeper ones. They’ve gotten stranger and stranger.

Yukimiya, the first companion and the orthodox one, has the short end of the
stick. I always found that pitiful.
(Though I wouldn’t want to get involved in it, Yukimiya should have her
own main episode. She must have a chance to make herself known, even if
just once.)
Of course, without my involvement. I can’t afford to make the same mistake

thrice now.
With that in mind, should I do some investigating…? While pondering about

it, Ryuuga and I went our separate ways, and my legs took me to Aogasaki’s
swordsmanship dojo.
For the first order of business, I’ll see what the other members have to say
about Yukimiya.
Has anything changed? Did she say anything interesting recently? Has she
gotten involved with any strange characters…? It would be nice if I could
find answers to at least those questions.
(Well, it would be best if it was just a common cold though.)
Before long, I approached the Aogasaki residence and spotted a group of

walking elementary school students ahead of me.
Each of the kids carried a bamboo sword in a pouch. I recognized the group.
They were the Aogasaki dojo’s pupils. I once stayed with them while they
were training.
“Oh, Ichirou.”
Before I could call out to them, a young boy noticed me, waved his hands,
and rushed over.
He was Kobayashi Keita, a second grader. Since our family names were the
same, he called me by my first name. Quite bluntly as well.
“Hey Keita. Are you guys done with practice?”

“Yep. Ichirou, come to practice sometime. Let me hit you again.”
When Keita said that, the other kids energetically raised their hands and said
“I also want to hit Ichirou!” or “I want to strike Ichirou too!” At some point
in the past, everyone decided to address me casually.
It seems I’m popular with the children. However, I’d like to avoid being their
punching bag. Since they’re pupils of the Aogasaki style, their slashes would
be quite painful. Also, children show no mercy.
“Well, I’ll show up when I have the free time. Is Rei in the dojo?”
“She is! She’s still practicing with Chizuru!”
“Chizuru…”
Hearing that name gave me a shock.
Miyamoto Chizuru’s training in the Aogasaki dojo for a short period.
She’s the vice president of the student council, excels in both academia and
sports, and is a talented woman who’s sure to be the next president. She and
Aogasaki are the two major swordswomen at Oumei High School with their
swordsmanship at a national level.
(Oh boy, so Miyamoto’s there as well…? Perhaps I’ll come back some other
day.)
Miyamoto’s originally from a swordsmanship dojo named Getsushiyoukan.

However, after the battle between dojos a while back, she came to study
under Aogasaki Rei, who she was a long-time fan of.
That’s fine and all, but I have a reason to avoid contact with her whenever
possible. It seems that I’ve raised a flag with Miyamoto due to the battle.
(In the first place, I’ve also raised a flag with Aogasaki. If I show up while
the two are together, then in a worst case scenario, there will be a fight. A
clash between two major swordswomen.)

To be honest though, I’m concerned about what kind of conversation those
two are having.
In particular, I’m worried about Aogasaki speaking fondly of me in front of

Miyamoto.
(Should I take a quick peek?)
So, I parted with the group of kids and…snuck into the Aogasaki residence,
approaching the dojo while removing all traces of my presence.
I didn’t hear the sounds of clashing blows from inside. Instead, I heard some
music playing. It was a pop song that didn’t suit the serious dojo.
(What’s going on? What in the world are those two doing…?)
Clinging to the wall, I peeked through a latticed window. Thereupon──
I found that Aogasaki and Miyamoto were both dancing to the music.
Furthermore, they weren’t wearing martial arts uniforms, but gym suits.
“One, two! One, two! Now raise your arms! Now eight phases! Pay attention
to your sides!”
Led by Miyamoto, the “Swordswoman of the Beheading Dance”

rhythmically swung her sword. Her G cup bounced up, down, and all around.
…Could this be swordbics? The rumored swordsmanship exercise devised by

Getsushiyoukan that eighty percent of its pupils take?
“T, this is a pretty good workout. It seems this can help with weight loss.”
“Right. Because of my position in Getsushiyoukan, I can’t do this in public…

so I’ve been doing it in my home.”
Miyamoto Chizuru took light steps while adjusting her glasses. She went
from here to there with vigor, causing her chest to jiggle as well. E…no, an F
cup?

“Still, I never would have guessed that this audio’s made in-house.”
“Asao made this. Getsushiyoukan even sells CDs of it.”
“That’s surprising. To think that Asao has this much talent…”
I’m also surprised by that. To think that Yamanashi Asao still has some tricks
up his sleeve.
Anyways, I really shouldn’t show my face there now. With that in mind, I
quietly left the wall and decided to leave the Aogasaki dojo.
“Maybe I should teach Ryuu about this next time. I’m worried about her arms
getting flabby.”
“Huh? Who’s that?”
“Oh err, nobody.”
“Now, swing down! Now an upwards diagonal! As expected, your

swordsmanship is nimble, Aogasaki!”
While hearing such voices, I left the gates.
The “Ryuu” Aogasaki referred to was Ryuuga. That’s what she calls Ryuuga
when they’re alone. And when that happens, Hinomori Ryuuga will be in her
girl version.
(Perhaps Ryuga will end up adding a leotard to her cosplay selection.)
I made a deep sigh while thinking about the protagonist dancing to

swordbics.

Part 2
“Oh, you’re late, Kobayashi Ichirou.”
I arrived home and took off my shoes at the entryway.
The “Three Princesses of Hell” weren’t there to greet me, but rather the
“Blood-kin of Eternal Darkness.”
Elmira wore an apron over her school uniform and had a pair of slippers on.
Judging by the fact that she didn’t change into casual clothes, she went
straight to my house after school.
“What are you here for…? I thought you weren’t staying in this house
anymore.”
“I thought I told you. I’ll come here whenever I feel like having a good time.
Mion’s cooking is really good.”
Indeed, she did say something like that before. However, she’s been coming
over too many times.
Elmira spends half of the week here. Furthermore, she’s just here for dinner.
The amount of money we have to spend on food is no different from when
she took refuge here with Shizuma.
“In what world does a main character get along with three princesses…and
spend almost every evening eating with the enemies?”
“I don’t see the three princesses as enemies anymore. Besides, today is a big
day, right?”
“Big day?”

When I raised my eyebrows in confusion, Elmira immediately flared up.
“Are you still half-asleep?! Today’s the day Taotie will head to the spirit
world! The day he’ll check on Shizuma’s safety!”
…Oh right. I planned on asking Taotie to check on the spirit world today.
According to Taotie, the “Evil Spirits” have the ability to move to the spirit
world. Even though most of them can’t open doors to the human world, they
can still enter and exit alone.
That’s why we decided to have Taotie travel to the spirit world and contact
Shizuma about once a week.
Truthfully, I’d really like to check up on him everyday, or actually, every few
hours. Shizuma is a young child who only looks like a two-year-old.
Furthermore, he’s actually just a little over three months old.
However, that would interfere with Shizuma’s mission to “regulate the spirit
world.”
Having an “Evil Spirit” visit is enough. Shizuma needs to just come to the
meeting place that Taotie tells him in advance. We can’t risk revealing
ourselves.
“Now then, go through with it! Come out, ‘Evil Spirit’ Taotie!”
The vampire pulled on my ear and shouted.
Immediately after, a young man with my likeness fell out from inside me
while shouting “Whoa!” It was Taotie, of course.
“D, don’t yell at me so suddenly! You made me spill my juice! Carpet stains
aren’t easy to remove!”
The “Evil Spirit” complained to Elmira while droplets of juice trickled down
his head.
What way was he drinking his juice for that to happen? Is there really a

carpet inside me?
“This isn’t the time to leisurely drink juice! Go to the spirit world at once!”
“I’m meeting Shizuma at seven o’clock! If I go there right now, I’ll be

wasting time! I can only stay in the spirit world for ten minutes!”
Looking at the clock, it was five minutes until seven. In order to make the
most of his limited time, it would be best to arrive there right on the hour.
“Then head there immediately once it’s seven o’clock! Get into a crouch start
until then!”
“I’m not sprinting there! I’m TPing!”
“Stop speaking like a hoodlum! Say teleportation, no abbreviation!”
“Hoodlums don’t even talk about teleportation!”
The two didn’t force themselves to act polite in front of the other. Having
lived under the same roof for a few days, it seems they’re familiar with each
other now. I wonder if that’s okay…?
Once it became seven o’clock, Taotie departed.
When his figure disappeared, there was a scream coming from the kitchen.
(Good grief, what a noisy house…what now?)
When I rushed into the kitchen, there stood the three daughters who seemed
to be preparing dinner.
They were the freeloading apostle generals who boasted top class strength,
the “Three Princesses of Hell.” The heron Mion, king cobra Jyuri, and
Hokkaido wolf Kiki.
For some reason, they were holding onto each other while trembling. As soon
as they saw me, they firmly clung onto me as well. The three had tear-stained
faces.

“This is serious, Ichirou! It’s here! It’s finally here!”
“Oh, this can’t be happening…”
“Official state of emergency!”
Based on what they’re saying, it seems that a cockroach appeared. We may

not see them all the time, but they’re always lurking.
“Are you guys really generals? Get a hold of yourselves.”
“We’re girls before we’re generals!”
“The enemy seems to have escaped to the back of the refrigerator…Ichirou,

you’re our only hope!”
“Don’t let it escape! Find it and kill it!”
When I turned around, I couldn’t find Elmira despite her being behind me
earlier. It appears that she’s not good with cockroaches either.
“It seems I don’t have a choice. You can just hit the cockroach with a spray
and then it’ll be over.”
I grabbed some insecticide and approached the refrigerator. The three

princesses watched me from a distance while yelling “Do your best!”
I stuck the spray nozzle into the back of the refrigerator and squirted the
bottle’s contents.
Sure enough, a tiny cockroach scuttled out. Then for some reason, it made a
beeline towards the three princesses.
“Aaaaaaah!”
The generals ran while screaming. They were in a state of total panic.
However, the cockroach soon laid on its back and died. I picked it up with a
tissue and tossed it into the trash.

Mion was unable to stand up from the fear. Jyuri was on the verge of fainting.
Kiki was crying.
…I wonder if cockroach apostles don’t exist? If they did, perhaps they could
single-handedly defeat the three princesses.
“Gahaha. That’s a nice reaction from you all. Even Kyouka wouldn’t be
scared by a mere cockroach, you know?”
A voice suddenly came out from behind me.
When I turned around──the upper half of a large, bandit-like man

manifested and recorded the three princesses with a video camera.
It was the “Evil Spirit” Hundun. One of the four fiends and the one I’m
temporarily looking after on Kyouka’s behalf.
Like Taotie, he’s one of the “Apostles of Hell’s” rulers, and he also served as
the final boss of part one. Also, that video camera is my father’s property.
“I need to show this to the other apostles.”
Aware that they were being filmed, the three princesses came to their senses.
Then, they fiercely drew near Hundun.
“Hundun! Don’t record!”
“We’ll lose face! We’ll have no authority!”
“To think my first screen performance would end up like this!”
I watched sadly as they repeatedly punched the ruler’s head, tugged on his
ears, and kicked his back.
Has there ever been an evil organization with members this close to each
other? No, there hasn’t (that was a rhetorical question).

Part 3
After that event with the cockroach, Taotie came back from the spirit world
right when dinner was almost ready.
“I’m back, Boss. I met with Shizuma.”
Elmira, the three princesses, Hundun, and I all stopped what we were doing
and gathered in front of Taotie.
Hundun was attached to my back. It seems that when “Evil Spirits” share the
same host, only one of them can completely manifest at a time.
“So how’s Shizuma?! Is he okay?! He’s not injured, is he?!”
“Is he crying from loneliness?! Does he want to see me?!”
Elmira and Kiki both shared their worries. That’s understandable. Those two
took special care of Shizuma as temporary mother and sister.
It happened one night about a week ago. Shizuma said the following while
departing. “My sisters the ‘Three Princesses of Hell’, who are tasked with
regulating the spirit world…are currently in the human world. With the three
princesses gone, the spirit world is likely close to a state of anarchy. Someone
needs to restore order.”
Though he holds the power of a general, his mission is not an easy task. The
spirit world is the stronghold of the apostles. I’ve heard that currently, there
are around two thousand of them standing by.
Having a two-year-old face them all would be too much…I’m still worried
about him to this day.
“Though he wants to meet everyone again, he’s not lonely. He already has

two subordinates.”
“S, subordinates?”
“A giraffe apostle named Gaigo and a hornet apostle named Yagujya. I think
Jyuri and Kiki know more about them than me, right?”
The two in question widened their eyes upon hearing Taotie’s words.
“Indeed, Gaigo’s my commanding officer. In terms of physical strength, he’s

the strongest in my unit.”
“Yagujya is also my commanding officer. I had Yagujya do all the hard

jobs.”
He already gained two commanding officers as allies? I already knew he was

a serious person, but he’s turning out to be quite the capable child. He’s
making his father proud.
“They’re with Shizuma since he told them about how Hundun, the three
princesses, and I are supporting him. It seems that his companions will
continue to increase.”
“Good job, Baron Taotie! Here, I’ll give you some tonkatsu!”
Kiki picked up a small cut of tonkatsu with her chopsticks and offered it to
Taotie.
That’s not much of a reward. That tonkatsu was from Taotie’s own portion.
“Ichirou, don’t worry. Gaigo is a loyal apostle who adores me and calls me
‘Queen.’ He even likes it when I step on him.”
“Yagujya is a playful apostle. He’s what people call effeminate.”
Are they strong…? Though I’m a tad bit worried, I have no choice other than
to trust them for now. Gaigo, Yagujya, take good care of my son. I’ll give
you two a box of cakes sometime.

“Oh right, Shizuma left a letter. It’s addressed to everyone.”
“You should have said that first!”
“Hand it over! Baron Taotie!”
When Taotie pulled out a letter from a pocket in his uniform, Elmira and Kiki
immediately snatched it. Everyone huddled up while reading it.
…The letter had words of deep affection addressed to each of us and said
things like “Don’t worry about me,” and “Thank you for the sentiments.”
At the end, he wrote “Every week, I’ll send a report of the current situation”
to us. His handwriting was remarkable. When did he have the time to master
writing…? He’s a frightening two-year-old.
“Phew, that’s a relief…it seems he’s safe and full of energy.”
Elmira held the letter to her chest, as if deeply moved, and uttered that in a
tone of relief.
“I’m writing a response! Mion, where’s the stationery?!”
“Calm down, Kiki. Is it really okay to send a reply that’s one week late? As
an older sister, you shouldn’t bother Shizuma.”
“I’ll draw the underground monster Berberon! Shizuma loves Berberon! Oh,
I’ll tell him about each week’s Spectacle Man!”
The eldest daughter and second daughter made a forced smile in response to
the giddy third daughter.
I’ll also write a reply. While I’m at it, I’ll give Taotie the video camera next
week. I’m curious about Gaigo and Yagujya.
Once dinner was ready, we feasted on our tonkatsu.

Kiki was more preoccupied with talking about Shizuma than eating.
Mion and Jyuri earnestly listened to her chatter and nodded along.
Taotie tilted his head to the side while saying “Huh? There’s a small piece
missing on mine.”
…Such liveliness at the dining table was a common sight in the Kobayashi
household. Hundun, who couldn’t manifest, has now become accustomed to
the depressing act of reaching for his food from behind me.
“By the way, Elmira. Are you aware of Yukimiya’s recent absence from
school?”
I decided to start a conversation with the vampire girl.
I’m going to collect information about Yukimiya from the other members of
the four gods…at least, that’s my current plan.
“Yeah, of course I’m aware. Her body’s been unwell for the past several
days…and it’s making me a bit worried. Kobayashi Ichirou, is there
something you know about her?”
She ended up asking me about Yukimiya instead. It seems that Elmira

doesn’t know anything about the situation.
I was disappointed that I didn’t get any results, but then she said something.
“Come to think of it──I’ve heard a worrying rumor.”
“Worrying rumor? What is it? Tell me.”
While shaking off the gloomy Hundun’s arm, I drew near Elmira. Hundun
said “Hey Sonny, what are you doing?” while elbowing me in the head, but
that didn’t matter.
“This is only something I heard from Shiori’s classmates, but…they’ve been

saying that Yukimiya’s recently been strange during certain moments.”

“Strange?”
“Yeah. As if she’s an entirely different person. Unfortunately, I don’t know

what they mean by strange.”
Yukimiya’s being strange sometimes…what in the world could that mean?
Being quick to use a helicopter to go somewhere? Staring at large breasts

with a hateful gaze? Putting jewels in her cooking? If they mean any of those,
then that’s just the usual Yukimiya.
(That one sentence, ‘As if she’s an entirely different person,’ has caught my
attention. Is it her personality or her appearance that changes…? Could it be
that she and Sebastian swapped bodies?)
I don’t know what this is leading up to, but this definitely seems like the start
of something. The start of Yukimiya Shiori’s main episode.
Anyhow, this is precious information. Tomorrow, I’ll see if Ryuuga knows

about this as well…and while I was thinking about such things, Elmira
suddenly switched topics.
“By the way, Kobayashi Ichirou. How long are you going to hide this from
Ryuuga and the others? Living together with the three princesses, I mean.”
“What?”
“Since you brought up Shiori, I figured I should tell you this. Some time ago,
she told me something. ‘When I followed Jyuri as she was leaving school,
she went into Kobayashi’s house,’ were her words.”
My eyes immediately widened upon hearing that. What the hell! She stalked
Hebizuka!
“Next, she said ‘After waiting for a bit, Mion then showed up holding a
shopping bag. They really are entering Kobayashi’s house.’ She went on to
say ‘Kiki then showed up and entered the house. She even said ‘I’m home!’
energetically.'”

She saw them all. She saw all three princesses come home.
While I turned pale, the vampire girl fiddled with her wavy scarlet hair and
continued.
“For now, I was able to cover it up. I told her that since the three princesses
were Taotie and Hundun’s subordinates, they would occasionally show up.”
Thank god. This may very well be the first time I’ve been thankful to the
‘Blood-kin of Eternal Darkness’ since meeting her.
Nevertheless, the main characters have recently been sharing secrets.
Aogasaki and Kurogame know that Ryuuga’s a girl, Elmira knows about the
three princesses living with me…at this rate, I might end up confusing myself
and accidentally forget which people know what secret. Perhaps I should start
keeping a memo.
While I was suffering internally, Elmira held her teacup in one hand while
growing further agitated.
“I think the three princesses should just get a new house. When a man and
woman sleep together in the same house…it’s only a matter of time before
something happens.”
“It’s fine. Tie and Hundun are here too.”
“I’m still worried! What you say may be true, but I will not tolerate adultery!
If Shizuma ends up having a little brother, I will cremate you!”
A small will-o’-the-wisp emerged from Elmira’s shoulder. Hundun and I

screamed “Hot!” and jumped aside.
“Elmira. Unfortunately, we have no intention to leave.”
“Right. This is my home.”
“Having Ichirou’s child is on a first come, first serve basis, okay?”

When the three princesses repeated the word “Okay?” in unison, Elmira fired
a second will-o’-the-wisp. Hundun and I once again yelled “Hot!” and
jumped away.
“Stop monopolizing Kobayashi Ichirou! In the first place, Shizuma went to

the spirit world because you all are lazing around in the human world!”
“It’s fine. That masochist Gaigo and effeminate Yagujya are with him.”
“How is that supposed to reassure me?! They only seem suspicious to me!”
“An apostles suspicion is their worth.”
“Can you not be so defiant?!”
“If you want, I can step on Ichirou too.”
“Snake woman! Isn’t it your fault that your subordinate’s a masochist?!”
“Isn’t my share the only one with a piece missing?”
“Shut up, ‘Tonkatsu Evil Spirit!'”
The vampire was on her knees, panting. It seems she got tired from all the
retorts she made.
Seeing Elmira like that, Mion made a bitter smile while calming her.
“Now now, calm down, Elmira. We have Kyoho grapes for dessert. You’ll
join us, right?”
“I’ll eat them!”
…I have nothing to say anymore about how familiar they are with each other.
Yukimiya, Qiongqi, anyone, hurry up and start something. Please move the
plot forward.

Part 4
A day had passed.
Hearing that Yukimiya was at school, Ryuuga and I went to see her the
moment first period was over.
We asked Elmira if she wanted to come along, but she was lying down at her
desk and didn’t seem to be waking up anytime soon. Apparently, she had
been writing a reply to Shizuma until late at night.
“Elle really cares about Shizuma, doesn’t she?”
“Yeah. She was even trying to send him money. That would have caused
trouble for the one delivering our letters, so we managed to stop her though.”
“Does the spirit world even use money?”
While speaking with Ryuuga, we peeked into second year class C──and
found Yukimiya slumped over her desk.
She noticed us approaching and got up, but her complexion was obviously
bad. It seems that it was considerably hard for her to even come to school.
I’m worried that she’ll be absent from this episode.
“Shiori, are you alright? You should visit the infirmary…”
When Ryuuga said that with concern, Yukimiya made an unsteady smile.
“No, I’m fine. My fever has gone down and I feel a lot less tired today…”
“But…”
“Besides, I want to avoid owing Jyuri anything…I still don’t accept her as the

school nurse.”
In response, Ryuuga faltered while saying “Uh…” Perhaps she was feeling
guilty for trying to lead her into one of Hebizuka’s massages.
“Since the season’s changing, it’s probably just a cold. Sorry for causing you
all any──”
Yukimiya’s head plopped down onto the desk. Thereupon…
“Kobayashi, Hinomori. Do you have a moment?”
Hebizuka entered the room and immediately started a conversation.
The blonde woman, who was once again dressed in a white gown with a tight
skirt and high heels today, walked briskly towards us. The boys couldn’t take
their eyes off her alluring I-cup as it bounced with each step she took.
“W, what are you doing here? You’re the school nurse.”
Despite her weak condition, Yukimiya immediately put up her guard.
Ignoring the “Shrine Maiden of Life,” Jyuri whispered to us. She made sure
that nobody else could overhear us.
“Ichirou. I’ve decided to visit you to relay some information.”
“Information?”
“Yes. In a place not far from the school, perhaps about six hundred meters
southeast…I feel an ill will.”
“Ill will? In other words, an ‘Apostle of Hell’?”
While my eyes widened, Hebizuka grimaced and made a strange expression.

She couldn’t confirm it for whatever reason, causing Ryuuga and me to
exchange looks.
“I’d like to say it’s an apostle, but…there’s something odd about it. It’s like a

chaotic mixture of ordinary ill wills.”
Upon hearing that information, the unidentified monster I fought at the

riverbank came to mind.
It was a strange monster that attacked Elmira and Shizuma. If I were to take a
guess──I’d say that it was an amalgamation of many apostles.
I told the three princesses about it just last night, but they were all puzzled by
it as well.
──Qiongqi’s power is ‘resurrecting apostles that have been transformed into

souls.’
──I’ve never heard of Qiongqi having any other abilities.
──Of course, there’s no ability that can combine numerous apostles. If you
mean combining in a lewd way, I can show you tonight if you want.
Those were the three princesses’ responses. That last remark came from the
immoral female staff member in front of me.
──It’s not like it matters all that much, Sonny. If push comes to shove,
wallop the sucker. That’s all you need to do.
──My tonkatsu…definitely had a tiny piece missing, didn’t it?
While I was recalling the comments the “Evil Spirits” made, Ryuuga
suddenly made a brave expression and spoke. It seems she entered her
protagonist mode.
“I’ll head over to the site. Ichirou, could you go back to the classroom and
wake Elmira? I’ll contact Rei and Rina.”
“I, I’ll also go.”
When the “Shrine Maiden of Life” vigorously got up from her seat, Hebizuka
immediately responded.

“You’re in no condition to do that. Come to the school infirmary. You look
deathly pale, you know?”
“I’m fine. I know my own body the most.”
Though she said that, Ryuuga and I both showed signs of disapproval.
She was clearly in poor condition. She should honestly leave school early and
rest at home…battling would be too much for her.

“Shiori. You shouldn’t overexert yourself. Leave this to us for today.”
“No. I won’t allow myself to just lay around at home while everyone else is
fighting. I am the ‘Shrine of Maiden of Life’…the successor to one of the
four gods, the ‘White Tiger.'”
Yukimiya stubbornly refused to yield, causing Ryuuga to reluctantly nod.
I believe that’s a result of her calmly judging that she didn’t have the time to
argue, and her naturally being weak to pressure. As usual, she’s a protagonist
who can be both reliable and helpless.
“…Ichirou. Take care of Yukimiya Shiori. Of course, this is not my request

as one of the ‘Three Princesses of Hell,’ but as a school nurse.”
When Jyuri whispered that, I nonchalantly nodded my head.
…Or rather, am I going as well…? I’m just a powerless citizen though (I

hope).
Following the ill will, we came to an abandoned factory at the corner of an

alley.
It was a spacious and dreary place that had been the site of several battles. In
the concrete wall, there was a large hole from when Ryuuga sent an apostle
flying.
(Come to think of it, wasn’t this also where I first met Mion?)
At that time, I didn’t think she would end up making miso soup for me
everyday. Furthermore, I didn’t think she would bring the eldest daughter and
third daughter with her.
(Living together with them isn’t all that bad now, but…now’s not the time to
be thinking about this.)
Setting my thoughts aside for now, I stared ahead.

I was behind the five main characters, Ryuuga and the members of the four
gods. They were already prepared for battle and automatically got into a
vanguard, middle guard, rearguard formation.
In front of them was──sure enough, another monster.
Its entire body had numerous faces, it wasn’t based on another living thing,
and was a grotesque giant.
Its numerous eyeballs jerked around, its many mouths uttered groans of
resentment, and it emitted a suffocating ill will. It didn’t seem to speak any
words and couldn’t communicate.
(There are definitely multiple ill wills coming from this thing. So that means
it is an amalgamation of apostles, right? Numerous apostles gathered and
transformed through super electromagnetic fusion, right?) TLN I believe this is
a reference to Super Sentai since Googling the term “super electromagnetic
fusion” points to a mecha in the show that forms through two other mechas
combining
However, the monster this time was smaller in scale than the previous one.
First of all, there were fewer faces. Its size was clearly smaller as well. It still
spans four meters, but the previous one was larger. If the last one was a
heavyweight fighter, this one’s lightweight.
Of course, it would still be a formidable enemy, but nothing that would beat
Ryuuga and the crew. Kurogame’s here from the beginning as well. All
members are present.
(Naturally, I’ll just watch. I’ll do my best by providing commentary!)
…However, things didn’t go that way.
It wasn’t long after the battle began that something arose. Yukimiya, who
slowed down the enemy’s movements with the ring of her Kagura suzu,
suddenly fell down.

“Shiori?!”
The sounds of her bells vanished and the monster regained its original
movements. Furthermore, several new arms grew from its body and it swung
them around recklessly.
“Guh, to think my body was this bad…”
Yukimiya tried to quickly get up, but she soon lost her strength. We tried to
warm you! You should have listened and stayed home!
“Ichirou! Take care of Shiori! Bring her a safe distance away!”
“O, okay.”
As requested by the protagonist, I carried Yukimiya in my arms and fled to a

corner.
Well, I ended up getting involved in a battle once again…nobody seems to

question my presence here either. They even said “Huh, you’re not going to
be part of the formation?” to me.
(Though if anyone should be at home right now other than Yukimiya, it

would be me. Don’t you all realize that? I am a friend character, okay?
Someone from the daily life part of the story, you know?)
Well, what’s done is done. Come to think of it, Hebizuka also asked me to
take care of Yukimiya. I suppose this degree of care is within tolerable limits.
For now, I’ll comply and watch over the battle.
Though Yukimiya was absent, the members were experienced at fighting.

They could immediately react to an accident and overwhelmed their opponent
through amazing teamwork.
“Rina, keep it surrounded! Attract the opponent’s attention!”
“Okey-dokey!”

The vanguard, Aogasaki and Kurogame, spread out and disturbed the
monster.
I think just the tortoise would be enough for the vanguard, right? Didn’t she
call herself “Ryuuga’s shield” or something?
“Let me incinerate those annoying arms! Ryuuga, it’ll be your turn once the
chance arises!”
The middle guard, Elmira, commanded a swarm of will-o’-the-wisps and

spoke while standing beside the protagonist.
Ryuuga nodded and unleashed a golden aura from her whole body.
Perhaps she’s going to launch her deadly “Dragon Fang (that’s what I’m
calling it).” That skill grows in power the longer she charges it. That’s why
those three heroines are buying time for her.
The protagonist is the one who finishes off the opponent…the heroines seem
to know that as well.
So until then, I’ll play my role!
“A, as expected of your teamwork! You have that monster in the palm of
your hands! I see, its numerous eyeballs are backfiring! Since it can see
everyone, it can’t decide on a target!”
Making sure to speak smoothly and clearly, I commentated on the situation.

Each time Yukimiya lifted her head, wanting to get back into the battle, I
forcefully pushed her back down.
“──Now! Go, Ryuuga!”
“Do it, Ryu!”
“Finish it, Ryuuga!”
At that moment, the heroines succeeded in throwing the monster off balance
and shouted.

“Unleashing divine might! ‘Dragon King,’ become one with my body and
slay the enemy!”
Golden bullets of light soared right towards the enemy──piercing through its
big body.
“…I’m sorry everyone. I got in your way…”
After safely dealing with the monster, everyone gathered.
Yukimiya dejectedly bowed down while saying that. She bit her lip in regret.
“Don’t feel so down, Shiori. If someone’s in a bad state, we’ll cover for
them…that’s what friends are for.”
Ryuuga gave a refreshing smile and patted her head.
Legend says that a protagonist’s head pats have the power to stir a girl’s
heart. If sub-characters like me did it, we would be accused of sexual
harassment.
“You always help us out, Shiori. This time, you should focus on your health.”
“Even I caused you all trouble when I was taking care of Shizuma. I’ll cover
your part this time.”
“I’m always late, so you can skip out from time to time, Shio!”
When her companions encouraged her, Yukimiya finally gave a small smile.
Then, Kurogame remembered something, saying “Oh right,” and presented

her left fist to Yukimiya. Looking closely, there was a small cut on the back
of her hand.
“I got it when I punched the enemy a bit ago. Shio, could you heal it?”
“S, sure. Leave it to me.”

That’s the kind of wound that would be fine after a bit of spit on it.
However, perhaps that’s Kurogame’s way of showing appreciation. She

probably wants to cheer her up by relying on her for something.
(Ryuga can also do some healing, but she can only use it on herself. The
‘Shrine Maiden of Life’ Yukimiya is the only one who can heal others. To
think that the tortoise could be this thoughtful…)
I was quite impressed. However, Kurogame’s actions ended up backfiring

unexpectedly.
“Huh…?”
Yukimiya held her hand over Kurogame’s wound, just as usual.

However──nothing happened. Her healing ability didn’t activate.
“W, what, why…?”
She frantically tried again and again, but the same result happened. The
wound didn’t heal.
When Yukimiya was dumbfounded, Ryuuga hastily comforted her.
“You must be tired. You better not force yourself. Your current condition is
more important than Rina’s wound.”
Yukimiya became gloomier and once again said “Sorry…” while bowing her
head.
Though victory had been achieved, the atmosphere was quite heavy.

Part 5
Starting from the day after the battle with the monster, Yukimiya took an
actual break from school.
I wondered if she was going to force herself to attend, but it seems that
wasn’t the case. Perhaps it’s due to the mental shock she got from her
supernatural ability fizzling out.
(Would a mere cold disable her supernatural ability? There’s also that rumor
from her classmates about her being ‘an entirely different person’…
something’s definitely happening with Yukimiya.)
I spent the past three days waiting in anticipation, but nothing seemed to
happen with Yukimiya.
Isn’t the build-up for this taking too long…? If this doesn’t lead to a
spectacular episode, then it could end up being a let-down. Perhaps it could
even negatively affect merchandising.
(What does Ryuga think of this? Perhaps I should hear her thoughts on the
matter.)
Thinking as such, I decided to visit the Hinomori household on a Sunday. In

the first place, I already planned on visiting since Kyouka’s condition got
better and Hundun wanted to see her as well.
“──I don’t think Shiori has a simple cold.”
Upon entering Ryuuga’s room, which was as large as a school classroom, she
spoke without giving me a chance to start the conversation.
Today, she was wearing a long-sleeved jersey cloth shirt and a pink pleated

skirt, making her appear quite girlish. She tied her long hair with a pretty
yellow ribbon instead of the usual black string.
“The successor of the ‘White Tiger’ seems to have the strongest life force
among the four gods. Given that they specialize in healing magic, it appears
that their own life force is magnitudes higher.”
“Really…? So Yukimiya’s actually quite sturdy?”
“Perhaps sturdy wouldn’t be the right word. There are regular people with the
same constitution, you know? People who may seem frail, but don’t get sick
at all. Those kinds of people have a strong life force.”
While speaking, Ryuuga’s expression grew gloomier. She clenched her fists
while they rested above her knees.
“There must be a reason for why Shiori is that weak…”
Yukimiya has been absent for three consecutive days. Even now, she’s
resting in her bed.
Of course, Ryuuga’s team and I send her messages each day, and she’s been
replying so far.
She’s been eating as well and she isn’t in pain. Yesterday, she sent a message
saying “I’m getting better, so I think I’m thinking of going to school next
week.”
“…Shiori was my first ‘companion.’ She was the first person I met who
holds the same fate as me.”
While staring down at the floor, Ryuuga spoke as if remembering something.
She’s probably recalling the past. Perhaps there would be a flashback scene
right here. I decided to take this time to drink the green tea she gave me.
“Before Shiori and I met each other, we were both fighting the ‘Apostles of
Hell’ alone. She knew about Rei, but the Yukimiya household and Aogasaki
household were hostile towards each other during that time, so they avoided

being together.”
“Is that so? It seems that even the four gods have their circumstances.”
“Yeah. Rei’s supernatural abilities specialize in offense, but…Shiori’s

specializes in support, so I believe that caused some tension. It’s quite
disheartening. Shiori is──a stronger girl than we think.”
Ryuuga’s probably referring to emotional strength.
Yukimiya now has her “Tree Binding Execution,” which allows her to
manipulate vegetation to restrain the enemy, but back then, she only had her
“healing” and “movement-slowing Kagura suzu.” It would be quite nerve-
wracking for her to fight alone.
Nevertheless, she continued to fight. Then, she fell in love with the young
boy who suddenly appeared with overwhelming power…Hinomori Ryuuga.
If she didn’t fall in love, she wouldn’t have been a heroine.
“Ryuga. I understand your worries about Yukimiya, but for now, let’s just
keep an eye on her condition. The next plot point should soon unfold. All we
can do is wait for it.”
“The next plot point?”
“As I’ve said before, there’s been talk in class C about ‘Yukimiya being
strange sometimes.’ I believe the protagonist’s screentime will come after
that kind of foreshadowing.”
“Protagonist?”
Ryuuga tilted her head to the side.
Naturally, she isn’t aware of her status as the “protagonist of the story.” The
only ones with a meta view of this world are probably the “Evil Spirit”
Qiongqi and me.
“Ichirou, sometimes you say things I don’t understand. Like, when you talk
about being a friend character or something.”

“W, well, don’t worry too much about it. Just accept that I’m like this.”
She quickly accepted, saying “Alright then,” and then began thinking about
something.
She seemed to be thinking about the rumors regarding Yukimiya. She placed
her index finger to her chin in a girl-like manner. If Yukimiya saw her like
this, her condition would probably worsen.
“Leaving those rumors aside, seeing Shiori in this state…makes me recall

something unpleasant.”
“Something unpleasant?”
“Look, something similar to this happened before, right? When Hundun

revived, Kyouka suddenly became ill──”
Something happened immediately after the mention of Hundun’s name.
The man himself appeared from within me. The upper half of the wild-
looking, unkempt-bearded, large uncle manifested from my back.
“You guys, how long are you going to keep talking? Let me see Kyouka.”
It seems he was impatiently waiting to see his previous host. And it appears
that he grew tired of waiting.
Hundun hasn’t been in the Hinomori residence ever since he switched

vessels. In other words, it’s been over two weeks since he’s seen Kyouka.
Perhaps that was pure torture for him. That is, perhaps this “Evil Spirit” is a
bigger lolicon than I thought.
“It’s been a while, Hundun. Did you want to see Kyouka that badly?”
“That’s obvious. Once I regain my power and stop rapidly draining my host’s
life force, I’ll immediately return to Kyouka. That’s my plan.”
When Hundun proudly declared that, Ryuuga squinted her eyes and said

“Hmm.”
She was glaring at him with a scornful look. Her eyes were full of disdain.
“Hey, Hinomori Ryuuga. Where’s Kyouka? Today’s a Sunday, so she should

be at home.”
“Kyouka’s getting dressed in her room. She’s going on a date.”
“Date…!”
The middle-aged man froze in place upon hearing that shocking information.
His eyes widened, his mouth was agape, and he stared blankly with a pale
face. His giant body trembled as if he was a phone set to vibrate.
“Da..te…date…”
“Ahaha. I kid, I kid. She actually is getting dressed right now, but
Kyouka’s──”
“Nooooo! Kyoukaaaaa!”
The “Evil Spirit” immediately roared. His voice echoed throughout the
residence as if he was letting out a death cry. There was a thunder-like
rumbling outside the windows.
“Nooooo! Why?! Why, God?!”
I’ve never seen a guy as old as him cry like that. Also, aren’t “Evil Spirits”
more or less divine beings? What god is he calling out to?
“Kyouka’s going to hold hands with some unknown boy! They’ll sit at a park
bench and chat with each other! Then it’ll rain and they’ll share an
umbrella!”
Hundun tried to leave the room with only his upper body present, dragging
me with him. Though, even if his entire body did manifest, he wouldn’t be
able to travel far from his host.

“Oh, you’re like one of those guys in Western movies who gets dragged by a
rope tied to a horse, Ichirou!”
Despite the commotion, Ryuuga calmly described the situation. Her

description wasn’t wrong though.
“Ow, ow, ow! Calm down, Hundun! Ryuga already said that she was joking!
Also, your view of a date is on the level of a grade-schooler’s!”
“Just you wait! I’ll send that boy into the abyss!”
Hundun spoke as if he was about to get into a fight. I wasn’t getting through
to him. He’s lost his marbles. This stand’s going crazy, ignoring its host’s
control! TLNReference to Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure. In the series, stands are
figures hovering over/near the user and possesses supernatural abilities.
“Hey, Tie! Stop this uncle!”
While my face was scraping against the floor, I turned to Taotie for help. I
soon got a reply.
“Alright! Hey, Hundun! You shouldn’t go on a rampage in someone else’s…

oh, Ryuuga! You’re dressed like a girl today! Too cute!”
However, my second stand also went wild as soon as it came out. Taotie tried
to run towards Ryuuga in delight, pulling my body in the other direction.
“No! Don’t get in my way! I’m going to see Kyouka!”
“You’re the one who shouldn’t get in my way! I’m going to have a chat with
Ryuuga!”
The two “Evil Spirits” were trying to head towards either the younger sister
or the older sister. However, since they couldn’t fully manifest at the same
time, only their upper bodies appeared. And now I’m in the middle of this tug
of war.
They were both pulling as hard as they could, making me feel as if I was
going to split apart.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow! You’re going to tear me apart! You’re splitting me right in
half!”
I can’t bear this any longer. At this rate, my guts are going to splatter inside
someone’s home. We might need an age-restriction warning that states “This
work contains graphic content.”
“That’s enough, you two! I don’t want to exit the story like this──”
Something happened the moment I screamed in terror.
“──Sister, what’s the commotion?”
Kyouka opened the door and entered the room. For some reason, she was
wearing a maid outfit.
“Wha?! M, maid?!”
Seeing her, Hundun finally stopped. With the sudden loss of resistance,
Taotie had too much momentum and fell over.
“Oh, long time no see, Hundun. How are you doing?”
Seeing the maid girl sweetly smile, Hundun went “Agh!” and clutched his
chest while leaning backwards. Her trademark twintails matched her costume
quite well.
“Sorry for making you worry. I’m completely fine now.”
“K, Kyouka, what’s with…that outfit?”
With an embarrassed smile, Kyouka said “I borrowed it from my sister,” to

Hundun, who returned to his usual self. She then bowed towards me.
“Kobayashi, sorry for the trouble I caused. Things ended up this way because
of me…is your body alright? You must be in a lot of pain…”
“No, it’s nothing painful. I was about to be torn in half just now, but that’s
it.”

“If you think you’re reaching your limit, tell me right away. Hosting two
‘Evil Spirits’ is really an impossible task.”
Afterwards, I regained control over my own body and sat on a floor cushion
facing the Hinomori sisters. Of course, behind me were the two “Evil Spirits”
carrying faces of content.
“Kyouka, how’s the costume? Since it’s mine, the size might be a bit too
big.”
“It is, but cosplay is surprisingly fun. I think I understand why you like it.”
“I know, right? If you want to, you could start cosplaying! We can share
costumes!”
The two smiled together. Just the usual sisterly love.
It seems that Kyouka dressed in a maid uniform for Hundun. She wanted to
surprise him with it as an apology for the worry she caused.
Upon hearing that, the middle-aged man sobbed. Above all, he was glad that
Kyouka didn’t have a boyfriend. Can someone remind me why he’s an “Evil
Spirit”?
“Oh, I would give anything to return to Kyouka at once…anything to be with

her again…”
I overheard Hundun speak to himself from behind me, but his wishes won’t
come true anytime soon. Only thirty percent of his power has returned.
Until he regains his full strength, he will continue sucking away at his host’s
life force. It seems I’m able to withstand that. There’s no reason I should be
able to though.
(I hope Kyouka will take back Hundun once he fully recovers…or rather, is
my life force stronger than the ‘Shrine Maiden of Life’s’?)
While I was grimacing, the Hinomori sisters continued speaking with the
“Evil Spirits.”

“So you two don’t know about them either? Those monsters with multiple
faces and arms?”
“Well, I don’t remember every single apostle there is, but…I definitely don’t
recognize such strange things. Among the conflicting reactions I felt, I sensed
something greater than a general though.”
“But the arm you tore off when you fought that one monster turned into
Gazari, right? Couldn’t that thing be as Boss says, a combination of
apostles?”
“So even the rulers of apostles, Hundun and Taotie, don’t know about
them…what strange monsters.”
The mysterious monsters were the topic of discussion.
Since two of them have already appeared, it’s possible that there will be
more. It’s fine when they’re smaller, but if one of the monsters ends up being
larger than the first one we faced, that will be a big problem. If that happens,
I will definitely be sent into the battlefield.
(I’ve been ignoring this matter recently because of all the things Yukimiya’s
been going through, but…I guess I really should find a way to set up an
appointment with Qiongqi one day.)
I feel like he would know about those monsters.
In the first place, that lizard apostle named Gazari was one of Qiongqi’s
subordinates. He was an apostle Elmira defeated when he was attacking
Shizuma’s mother, Reida.
When the atmosphere turned serious, Ryuuga suddenly struck her palm with
her fist and switched topics.
“There’s no use racking our brains over these monsters. So how about we
celebrate Kyouka’s recovery, as originally planned?”
“Yeah! That’s why I came here!”

“Doing what? What are we doing, Ryuuga?!”
Ryuuga smirked at the “Evil Spirits” who showed interest. She then stood up.
“Of course, a cosplay show! Today, Kyouka and I will put on plenty of
outfits!”
Hundun and Taotie raised a shout of joy. They placed an arm around each
other’s shoulders, raised a fist, and were greatly excited. It’s only during
moments like these that they unite…
“Do you have any requests?”
“I want to see Kyouka in a qipao!”
“Nurse! Ryuuga in a nurse outfit!”
“I’d also like to see her as a shrine maiden! I want her to tie her hair into a
ponytail!”
“Kunoichi! Ryuuga in a kunoichi outfit!”
…These guys are more or less supposed to be longstanding foes.
They’re enemies who have been fighting humanity’s guardians since ancient
times. They’re not supposed to join humans for a cosplay party.
(Is the story really going to be okay…? Can I go back to being a friend
character…?)
Everybody’s been getting closer to me, forcing me further into the battle part
of the story. Yukimiya and Qiongqi, can’t you hurry up with your stories?
(Can I no longer have a minor role? Is being a friend character a pipe dream
at this point? Is the man named Kobayashi Ichirou…suited for being one of
the main characters?)
While everyone else was filled with excitement, I was filled with grief.

However──there was something I didn’t know of at this point.
Before long, the story would progress in unexpected ways. My smoldering

“friend character spirit” would be set ablaze once more.
Yukimiya. Those monsters. The “Evil Spirit” Qiongqi.
An encounter with a shocking character would overshadow all of those

worries.

Part 6
It was the next day, Monday. There was a sudden event that arose during this
morning’s homeroom.
The homeroom teacher, Minegishi, placed his hands on his desk and reported
some surprising information.
“Err…this may be sudden, but starting from today, we have an additional

member of the class.”
It seems that for some reason, a student would transfer to class B. Following
Elmira, this would make it the second time someone transferred here in the
middle of a school year.
Though I pondered why it was this class of all places…there was no point
trying to figure it out.
After all, Ryuuga is in class B. That’s where the protagonist is.
If there’s a transfer student, they must be in the protagonist’s class. That’s

how this world works.
Under that same theory, if a group of terrorists were to ever attack the school,
they must occupy the protagonist’s classroom. Once again, that’s how the
world works.
(At any rate, we’re doing the transfer student cliche again…? Unfortunately,
it won’t have the same impact as Elmira. They would need to have rainbow
hair and possess the lower half of a horse…)
While worrying about such things, Minegishi said “Now then, come in,” and
faced the door.

The door soon opened with a rattle, and a student walked towards the
teacher’s desk. The student had a gallant, well-ordered stride.
The classroom suddenly clamored upon seeing the person. I did too.
(W, who is this…?)
Naturally, the new student’s hair color and lower half were normal.
Furthermore, they were unfortunately a guy.
However, he definitely──had a presence that could grab the attention of

those around him.
First of all, he was an extreme ikemen.
His long bangs nearly covered his eyes, but he was definitely a beauty. He
was tall, had long legs, and even seemed to have an athletic body.
The next thing to catch my eye was his unusual white school uniform.
It’s probably from his previous school, but I knew what school that uniform
belonged to. It was an elite school in the area, Hakubou Private High
School…could it be that he transferred from there to here?
Furthermore, he had a distinctive jet black leather glove on his left hand.
It was the type with exposed digits that motorcyclists often used. It stood out
against his white uniform. It seemed to have no real purpose other than
making him look cool.
However, most importantly──he had it.
Even if someone wasn’t an expert like me, they would still recognize that “he
was no ordinary person.” He had the power to attract the gazes of onlookers.
(I never thought that there would be someone other than Ryuga with these
kinds of characteristics…!)
My heartbeat grew faster. I stared at the transfer student more passionately

than the girls around me did.
However, my excitement and amazement didn’t end there.
“Pleased to meet you all. My name is Tenryouin Agito.”

…What?
Tenryouin Agito? Was that what he said? That’s his real name?
He didn’t accidentally give out his professional name? He didn’t reveal that
he got kicked out from Hakubou Private because he worked in a host club?
“Minegishi, where’s my seat?”
Prompted by Tenryouin, Minegishi hurriedly pointed to a seat. It was next to

the hallway.
I suppose I should mention that the window seat in the back is Ryuuga’s seat.
Mine is in the middle row, the fourth seat from the front. Diagonally behind
me was Elmira, who was still sleeping. She ignored the transfer student.
“Could you use that empty desk there? Or do you prefer one that’s near the
front?”
“I have no qualms.”
While saying that in a business-like manner, Tenryouin Agito turned towards

his seat. Minegishi looked at him with a look of confusion.
“W, wait, Tenryouin. Since today’s your first day, how about answering
some questions from everyone? We still have five minutes to spare.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not one to speak in public. When I want to open up to

someone, I will. I value…having one friend rather than many acquaintances.”
With those cold words, Tenryouin Agito went to his seat.
One of the guys said “Tsk, so he’s one of those pretentious guys,” but the
girls kept staring at him. I also kept staring.
(This cold attitude on the first day…it’s as if he’s saying ‘don’t get involved
with me,’ while forming a wall around himself…this is how Ryuga acted
before.)

His looks, his aura, his name.
There’s no doubt about it. This guy──has the characteristics of a protagonist.
I immediately tried getting in touch with Tenryouin Agito each time a class
ended.
However, I failed each time. Girl always surrounded him, forming an

impenetrable defense.
Even when I tried to force my way through, their arms, elbows, and rears
would push me away. Eventually, they would say “Kobayashi, you’re in the
way!” and spray me with deodorant. Now I know what it feels like to be a
cockroach.
“Damn those fangirls…”
When I turned to Ryuuga in bitter defeat, she shrugged her shoulders and
forced a smile.
As expected, the original protagonist had a hospitable attitude. Since she’s a

pioneer who’s already made a name for herself, I could sense her experience
and style.
“Tenryouin is quite popular. It seems you won’t be able to talk to him today,
huh?”
“I wish he would start handing out numbered tickets.”
“Ahaha. You’re as sociable as ever. I’ve thinking about this before, but
you’re like a Shiba Inu, Ichirou.”
How rude. As if I would be a Shiba Inu, the quiet yet violent dog.
Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to aim for when he goes to
the restroom. There shouldn’t be any girls with him then. Only guys get to
talk to each other when they’re taking care of their business.

“All things considered, what a name, Tenryouin Agito…I couldn’t believe
my ears.”
While folding her arms, the protagonist gave her thoughts. Look who’s
talking. You’re the one with the name Hinomori Ryuuga.
“Sure, Hakubou Private High School isn’t too far from here. Though, why
would he transfer here? I feel like there must be some reason.”
Once again, you’re one to talk. You’re the one with a heap of special
circumstances. You’re the one who’s both a girl and the “Successor of the
Dragon King.”
(Can’t I at least greet him today…? Of course, he’ll probably push me away.
I only need to have him remember my face and name.)
Not noticing my gaze, Tenryouin Agito responded to the girls’ questions by

saying “Yeah,” or “Okay,” while holding a blank expression.
It seems that he’s established as a cool, ostentatious character. That’s good

for me. I don’t need to alter my established character. I can remain a pervert
who gets carried away easily.
(Tenryouin, go to the restroom. Give me a chance to approach you!)
“Hey, Ichirou.”
(I know already. I know that going to the toilet doesn’t suit your character.
However, please heed my request!)
“Come on, Ichirou.”
(I won’t look at it! I’ll make sure to be respectful of what’s down there! So
please, please go to the restroom! Nature calls!)
“Look at me!”
While I was preoccupied with Tenryouin’s bladder, Ryuuga suddenly pulled

on my ear.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow!”
“Enough with Tenryouin! You’re talking with me right now, okay?”
Before I knew it, Ryuuga had pouted. Though, she almost revealed herself as
a girl just now. She reverted to her girl version for a moment
there.TLNRyuuga almost said “watashi” instead of “ore”
“Hey, you’re getting careless. Be careful of what you’re saying at school.”
“This is your fault, you know? Seriously, you’ve only been looking at
Tenryouin for a while…”
While puffing up like a blowfish, Ryuuga suddenly turned the other way.
Could it be that she’s jealous? Does she suspect me of being disloyal?
“Don’t be angry. It’s only natural that I would be drawn to protagonist-like

people. Know that this is part of my abilities as a friend character.”
“I don’t get what you’re saying. Ichirou, are you going to be like that with
everyone? Are you willing to be friends with just about anyone? Hmph, I see.
So it’s like that.”
What is she angry with me about? Is she criticizing me as a guy or as a girl?
Of course, I don’t think Tenryouin Agito is more protagonist-like than

Ryuuga.
Furthermore, Kobayashi Ichirou is a character in “Hinomori Ryuuga’s Story

of Battles”…that position will not change. After all, I have two “Evil Spirits”
dwelling within me.
Though, perhaps it would be worthwhile taking a business trip to another

story. Just to take a brief breather. I’m not going to really get involved.
My position in “Ryuuga’s story” has strayed off course a fair bit. Honestly
speaking, I’m reaching my limits.

I don’t plan to abandon my position, but there’s a guy in front of me who I
could be a friend character of. Is a bit of rehabilitation so bad?
(Now’s the time, I want to be a normal friend character! I’m starving for a
minor role! Mitsuhiko, you’d understand my feelings, right?!)
While I was shouting internally, it seems that I accidentally blurted out

“Mitsuhiko.”
Ryuuga immediately glared at me. She asked “Mitsuhiko…?”
“Who’s Mitsuhiko? Could it be that you really did become close friends with
someone else?”
“Y, you’ve got it wrong! That’s not it! You’re my only close friend!”
“You probably said the same thing to this Mitsuhiko kid!”
Ryuuga kept flicking my head without listening to me. As expected, the

“Successor of the Dragon King” aimed at the center of my head.
“Why! Are you! So! Unfaithful?!”
“You’ve got it wrong! It’s Mitsuhiko! He’s part of the Detective Boys! That
Mitsuhiko!”TLNIn Detective Conan, the Detective Boys is the name of the
MC’s friend group.
I tried my hardest to explain while she kept flicking the back of my head.
Around me, I heard classmates saying “Hey, Koba and Hinomori are messing
around again,” and “They really are close.”
…At that moment, I felt as if Tenryouin Agito suddenly glanced this way for
just a brief moment.
I don’t know if he was looking at me or Ryuuga. Or perhaps I was

misunderstanding and he was just a Conan fan reacting to the name
Mitsuhiko.
I wanted to find out, but Tenryouin already shifted his attention back to the

girls. He kept his usual poker face, making it hard to read him.
(Logically, it would probably be Ryuga he was looking at…perhaps it was

resonance? As a protagonist himself, perhaps he caught the scent of a
fellowman?)
However, Ryuuga didn’t seem to notice it and once more turned the other
way while folding her arms. She’s definitely pouting.
“I don’t really like Tenryouin. Not one bit.”
“Hey, you’re acting childish. Please, cheer up.”
“I am Ichirou’s best friend. I won’t lose to some fresh-off-the-farm kid.”
Sorry, Tenryouin Agito.
You’ve garnered the animosity of your senior protagonist because of me.

Despite you not doing anything, she hates you now.
“H, how’s this, Ryuga? Next Sunday, let’s go to the cake restaurant in the
mall that’s in front of the station. Then we can go bowling afterwards.”
“You’re paying.”
“Huh?”
“You’re paying for the both of us.”
When Ryuuga said that in an unusually sharp tone, I reluctantly nodded my

head and said “Sure.” I wanted to at least argue for a compromise on seventy
percent, but opposing her probably isn’t an option right now. Complaining
here would be unwise.
I wonder if Mion will give me my allowance in advance…

Chapter 2: New Protagonist, New
Evil Spirit

Part 1
The entry of transfer student Tenryouin Agito greatly rustled my “friend

character spirit.”
Can’t I get to know him somehow? Can I get us to exchange email

addresses? Could I call him by Agito…? Day by day, such thoughts grew
stronger.
Despite knowing about Yukimiya’s poor condition, it was very hard to

control my excitement.
(Though, if I get too absorbed in Tenryouin, my protagonist will flip out

again…I feel like I’m caught in a play of Romeo and Juliet…)
On the first day and the next, I couldn’t even speak to him because of the
fangirls.
However, things turned around on the third day. A chance appeared during
PE class. The PE teacher, Higaki, ordered us to group into pairs and do
stretches.
“Tenryouin! Work with me! Let’s stretch those muscles together!”
Fortunately, I was the only one trying to pair up with Tenryouin. Due to his
pretentious attitude and popularity with the girls, the boys kept a distance
from him. That was extremely convenient for me.
“You are…Kobayashi Ichirou, I believe.”
Tenryouin muttered that while inspecting me.
Surprisingly, he knew my name. He knew I existed.

“Y, yeah! I don’t think I introduced myself to you, but I’m glad you know
me! Let’s get along, Tenryouin! On that note, can I call you Agito?”
After saying “Do as you please,” in a monotone voice, Agito formed a pair
with me.
Now that I’ve seized the chance, he is mine. There aren’t any annoying girls
to get in our way either. As usual, Ryuuga didn’t participate and was studying
by herself in a classroom.
(No obstacle stands between Agito and me…I’ll shorten the distance between
us at once!)
While doing stretches, I spoke with Agito.
I was the one talking ninety percent of the time, but he did respond with short
replies like “Yeah,” “I guess,” and “Are you an idiot?” to me.
…I can do it. I see a glimmer of hope. Agito said it himself. He claimed that
he “values having one friend rather than many acquaintances.” I will take that
position for myself! I won’t let anyone else have it!
“Say, Agito. You’re not even going to take that glove off during PE? Is there
a reason why?”
Agito was still wearing the jet black glove over his left hand. He’s never
taken it off, not even during classes or lunch.
Is it there to seal a power of darkness? Is there an emblem with an engraving

on it?
Perhaps Agito is also a “supernatural battle protagonist”…though a different

genre would have been fine. Maybe like a sports or mystery story.
Agito bluntly responded to my question while doing stretches by himself.
“Don’t worry about it. I tell people that I play the bass guitar as just a hobby,
but that’s just to maintain my dignity. As of now, I can’t calm down if I don’t
play it.”

I see, so his hobby is the bass.
“Is that so? Then why don’t you try performing at the upcoming school
festival?”
“I don’t plan on entering the school’s music club. That being said, I already
have people to call my group members. I only want to play with ‘Apostle.'”
I see, so his band name is Apostle.TLNApostle here is not the same word used
for the Apostles of Hell, so a connection between the two is not as obvious.
The band name is in Gairaigo AKA Japanified-English (アポストロ =
Aposutoro) while the actual apostles themselves are referred to using the
regular Japanese noun (使徒 = Shito).
In other words, he’s the protagonist of a band story? If that’s the case, I
would have preferred him being the vocalist. Though I’m biased in saying
this, I believe the bass is plain. That would be the kind of instrument I would
play.
(No, it’s not final yet. I can’t jump to conclusions on my first meeting.)
…Afterwards, there was a game of mini soccer, but Agito and I barely
participated and spent most of the time chatting. Though, I was the one doing
most of the talking.
By the time the bell rang, my throat was dry. However, I got better results
than I expected. I reached a superb outcome for my first contact with him.
(If there’s anything I’m concerned about, it’s that Agito never smiled.
Though I played the role of the fool quite well, he kept a straight face…it
seems he has a particular sense of humor.)
While analyzing my interactions with him, I returned to the main school

building.
“──Kobayashi. Are you close with Hinomori Ryuuga?”
Agito called out to me for some reason. Surprisingly, he brought up Ryuuga’s

name.
“Yeah. We only met in high school, but we hang out everyday. Why do you
ask, Agito? Are you interested in Ryuga?”
“…No. Don’t worry about it.”
While saying that, Agito turned his back to me. Due to his long bangs, I
couldn’t quite see what facial expression he was making. He’s like the type
of protagonist you would see in a dating sim.
(Could it actually be resonance? It seems this really is about Hinomori

Ryuuga…this is definitely the first time I’ve ever seen equally protagonist-
like people encounter each other.)
At any rate, I managed to establish a foothold. What’s left is for him to

gradually open up.
Now I regret throwing away my “list of cute girls in the school.”
That thing had detailed profiles of the girls’ three sizes and even the color of
their underwear. It might have been useful here.
…Perhaps I’ll start another one.
Since then, I’ve had a relatively easy time developing a connection with
Agito.
By the middle of the week, the girls swarming him threw up their hands and
stopped approaching him. As a result, Agito was more free.
Though, I still didn’t have many opportunities to talk with him.
Agito still hasn’t opened his heart to me yet. When I walk up to him, he’ll
basically make an annoyed expression. Ryuuga’s mood would worsen as
well.

(Yukimiya is still absent from school. If I can’t get Agito to open up now…
I’ll have to focus on Yukimiya’s episode once that eventually starts.)
With that worry in mind, I continued making contact with Agito. Of course, I
did so while Ryuuga wasn’t looking.
My chance to take off would appear whenever Ryuuga went to the restroom
and Aogasaki or Elmira kept her busy. During that interval, I would
nonchalantly approach Agito and start a causal conversation.
“Hey, Agito. Are you getting used to school?”
“I have no qualms.”
“Aren’t the classes easier and less thorough compared to Hakubou Private?”
“For me, it’s the same everywhere. I already know the course content.”
“Let me tell you something nice. I’ve got the color of school nurse
Hebizuka’s panties for today!”
“I have no interest in such things. Grow up, Kobayashi.”
The way he referred to himself made him sound like a Showa-era Kamen
Rider.TLNKobayashi is specifically referring to the fact that Agito used the
“watashi” pronoun to refer to himself. This is actually the first time Agito
used a pronoun (you can get away with not using pronouns in Japanese when
you wouldn’t in English). Also, Kamen Rider is a series featuring
motorcycle-riding superheroes named Kamen Riders. “Showa-era Kamen
Rider” typically refers to the Kamen Rider series/characters from the 1970s-
1990s.
(This guy definitely has the aura of a protagonist. After observing him for
this long, I’ve come to realize that Agito is a greater gem than I expected. It’ll
be dangerous for me to get deeply involved with him…)
──Since Agito is a talented student, he often skips classes.
When I asked where he would go, he responded with “Up at the rooftop to

take a nap.” That’s quite suspicious, but I couldn’t sneak out to confirm it.
Ryuuga would scold me.
──He usually reads somewhat difficult books during break time.
He had been reading a book as thick as a dictionary, labeled “Lemegeton.”

Was that a book about X-rays? Perhaps he wants to be a doctor.
──Furthermore, he speaks to himself in rare cases.
Just once, I caught him apparently speaking to someone, saying things like “I
know what you want to say,” and “However, I want you to wait.” Perhaps
there’s something dwelling within his left hand.
(The homeroom teacher Minegishi doesn’t seem to know why he transferred

schools either…it’s clear that Agito is no ordinary guy. Yesterday, I saw him
jump over a fence four meters tall and walk home.)
That was a big shock. Seeing it confirmed that he was no ordinary high
schooler.
Only Ryuuga and the other main characters could do such feats. Even I
couldn’t do that. My feet got caught by the fence.
Not discouraged, I stalked Agito as he returned to his home. Thereupon, I

witnessed an even more shocking scene.
When he passed by the construction site for a multi-floor building, a steel

beam fell above his head.
Right when I gasped──I couldn’t believe it, but Agito caught the steel beam.
He caught it easily with one hand. Just like a Showa-era Kamen Rider.
(After seeing that, I can only think of him as a battle story protagonist. So…is
Agito a supernatural ability user?)
It definitely seems that way. Like Ryuuga, perhaps he’s another hero who
secretly protects the world. Though his genre overlaps with Ryuuga’s, I have
no choice but to accept that.

In the first place, I don’t plan on getting involved with Agito other than
during the daily life part. It doesn’t matter to me whether he’s a rider, a saint,
or a super-robot lifeform.
I’m just doing this for rehabilitation. After all, my heart is with Hinomori
Ryuuga.
My worry is that the stories will clash with each other. If that happens, things
would get very complicated.
If Ryuuga and Agito appear together at some point, it would be material for a
movie…or perhaps a special spin-off volume. Perhaps yet more protagonists
will gather.
(If I met Agito before Ryuga…and became his exclusive friend character
instead…what would happen to me?)
I pondered about such a hypothetical question.
However, I think it’ll be the same either way. As long as Taotie dwells within
me, I will stay involved in Ryuuga’s story.
(I should stop prying into Agito’s secrets. I should only be involved with him
at school. I’m a character in Ryuga’s story…I don’t need to bring ‘Evil
Spirits’ into Agito’s story.)
──By the time I cooled my head down, it was already Friday morning.
Since I have PE later today, I should be able to speak with Agito without
worrying about Ryuuga. However, I think I’ll keep it to small talk. That is, as
a pervert who gets easily carried away.
(If I can make Agito smile, that’ll be enough. If I handle this poorly and get
involved in his story, that’ll be a problem.)
I was thinking about such things while biting into my breakfast toast.
Mion, who was sitting at the other end of the table, glanced at the clock and
spoke.

“Ichirou, don’t you have to go to school soon? It’s already eight.”
“Whoops, it’s already time?”
Quickly wolfing down my toast, I reached for a fried egg with my chopsticks.
Thereupon…
I found that the fried egg had no yolk. It was a hollowed out egg white.
“Carelessness is your greatest enemy, Baron Ichirou.”
Kiki smirked next to me. In her mouth was the egg yolk.
She got me. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice at all.

Part 2
Shortly after leaving the house, I walked to school while practicing what I
would say to Agito.
There was a four-lane road beside me and cars constantly passed by. Inside a
passing bus, I saw other students.
(I’ll make Agito smile today. No matter how unique his sense of humor may
be, there must be something that’ll make anyone laugh. Whether it’s a bitter
smile or a snicker…if he smiles, it’s my win.)
My preparations are perfect. I’ve practiced with Taotie many times. The
“Evil Spirit” even told me “Are you planning to perform a skit at the school
festival?”
(I didn’t expect to spend all week focusing on Agito. That’s fine though. This
is all I can do for him.)
Thereupon…
I heard the sound of footsteps from behind and then someone stood beside
me.
“Ichirou, if you’d like, how about we go to school together?”
I already knew it was Jyuri without having to see her face.
The tall, blonde, model-like woman gave me a sweet smile. Today, she
wasn’t wearing a white gown, making her enormous breasts even more
prominent, seeming ready to burst out of her blouse.
“Didn’t we agree not to make contact outside of school whenever possible?

Aren’t you getting too lax? You even let Yukimiya follow you.”

Naturally, Hebizuka and I living together is a top -secret matter. We always
leave the house at different times, and when coming home, Jyuri makes sure
to take a detour.
“It’s fine every once in a while, isn’t it? We can just say that we come across
each other on rare occasions. I’ve accompanied other students before, you
know?”
“Stop speaking like a hostess. Teachers are supposed to be free of urges.”
“Right, I let my urges free. That’s why we should make contact outside of
school. Like this.”TLNThe original did some wordplay with “seishokusha,”
which can mean either clergy or sex worker. I can’t come up with an English
equivalent, so I’m going with this.
While saying that, Hebizuka linked arms with me, of all things. Shockingly,
she buried my right arm in her cleavage. What huge tracts of land they were!
“Stop! It’s hard to walk like this! What if the main characters see us?!”
“Recently, you’ve been denying me from coming onto you during the night.
So I’ve decided to come onto you during the day.”
“Watch what you’re saying! Release me from the clutches of your chest!”
With a playful grin, Jyuri soon let me go. Though it became easier to walk, it
became difficult to move my body in a different sense now. Mainly the lower
area.
In order to sheathe my sword, I imagined my mother’s face.
Suddenly, a car came up from behind and passed us. As it approached, I

could see that its hazard lights were blinking.
It was a luxury car not commonly seen, one with a black body…and I knew
who it belonged to.
“That’s definitely Yukimiya’s…”

Right. It was the car she would normally ride to school with. I’ve been on it a
few times before.
So why was it coming to school today? While I was thinking about it, the
door to the driver’s seat opened and an aging man in a tailcoat appeared.
His hair was graying, but solidified with pomade. He had a tidy, well-ordered
mustache. Furthermore, he had un-Japanese, finely chiseled looks.
As expected, it was Sebastian.
Yukimiya’s caretaker and watchdog, a dandy butler.
“Kobayashi, good morning. You seem to be in good condition.”
Politely bowing his head, Sebastian greeted me with his deep voice. He was
probably in his fifties, but he remained slim. Rather, he was probably
muscular.
“Good morning, Sebastian. Is Yukimiya returning to school today?”
“No. Young Lady Shiori will still be absent…she’s still resting in her house
as of today.”
So why’s Sebastian here then?
It takes around thirty minutes to get here from Yukimiya’s house. There’s no
reason for him to be here except if he’s bringing Yukimiya to or from school.
“Kobayashi. Could you come with me today?”
“Huh?”
“This may be rude of me to ask, but could you accompany me to the

Yukimiya residence? Then, could you meet with the young lady?”
I was a bit daunted by the sudden request. Next to me, Jyuri stared blankly.
…This is bad. If I accept the invitation, I may not make it in time for PE

during second period. The “plan to make Agito smile” that I worked all night
on would all be for nothing.
No wait, there’s a bigger problem than that. There’s no doubt about

it──Yukimiya’s episode is beginning. I’m about to get involved in it right
off the bat.
(If possible, I’d like to refuse. I’d rather have Ryuga go than me. Though, I
don’t think…I can refuse.)
Sebastian seemed to be at his wits’ end. It’s hard to tell from his calm
demeanor, but it seems that he’s really stressed.
“Please, Kobayashi. This is──something that I can ask only you for.”
“If Kobayashi is going, then I will accompany him. Is that alright?”
Jyuri took a step forward and spoke to Sebastian.
The aging butler’s eyes looked at her for the first time. Surprisingly, he gave
her a cold stare, perhaps from being interrupted.
“…And you are?”
“The school nurse of Oumei High School, Hebizuka. I am also worried about
Yukimiya. I’d like to check her condition and I won’t take no for an answer.”
“Hebizuka…”
Perhaps it’s just my imagination, but I could sense some tension between the
two. For a brief moment, they both looked at each other with suspicion as if
they were cautious. Their behavior was clearly “unusual.”
However, a moment later, Sebastian yielded.
“…It seems I have no choice. I do not have the time to argue. So Hebizuka,
come to the vehicle as well.”
As such, we decided to head towards the Yukimiya residence.

(Ugh, so it really is going in this direction…though, I suppose delaying
Yukimiya’s episode any further would be bad…)
Accepting my fate, I went to the back seat. Suddenly, I overheard Jyuri

whisper.
“That man…”
The king cobra apostle kept a stern expression while staring at Sebastian as
he returned to the driver’s seat. It was as if she stared at an enemy.
Why did she hate him so much? Are old men to her disliking?
Around thirty minutes passed.
The car arrived at the Yukimiya residence after passing through their private
property, which was like a nature park.
We went up to the absurdly large Western house. It might even be larger than
the school. If I was a resident, my first order of business would be to
purchase a bicycle.
(Unlike my house, no matter how many apostles there are here, there would
still be extra room. As expected of the world-famous Yukimiya Group…)
In addition to the nervousness I usually feel when coming here, now I was
feeling terrified as well.
Jyuri and Sebastian were to blame for that. Even while driving here, there
was a sense of tension between the two.
We drove without a single conversation, just heavy silence. However,

sometimes the two would stare at each other in the rearview mirror. It’s as if
they were keeping each other in check.
(Seriously, what’s going on…? Is this how adults treat each other when they
first meet? I was so nervous, I think I got car sick.)

Under this terrible condition I’m in, if I have to eat Yukimiya’s cooking…
I’m definitely going to throw up. The contents of my breakfast, toast and egg
whites, will make their way back up.
No. Perhaps it would be better if that would happen.
It would mean that Yukimiya’s in a good enough condition to cook. If that’s

the case, I would only be here to taste her food. Well, there’s no reason for
such a convenient development to happen though.
“Now then, right this way.”
With Sebastian leading, Jyuri and I entered a room──but Yukimiya wasn’t

there.
In the center of the room, there was a sofa and a long table as if this was a
drawing room. All the furniture seemed European and quite expensive. There
was another door in the back, from which I could catch a glimpse of a
bedroom.
It seems that this is Sebastian’s personal room.
So even butlers of the Yukimiya Group have this lavish of a room.
“Young Lady Shiori’s room is in here. However, before that, I’d like to state
some conditions.”
As soon as we entered, Sebastian spoke to us. He spoke with a forceful tone.
“Only Kobayashi may pass through. Unfortunately, Hebizuka will have to

wait here.”
“Why is that? I came here to see her condition.”
“I did not receive any orders to bring Hebizuka to the room.”
“So you think I will comply?”
The two once again seemed agitated. Or rather, they already seemed riled.

Even now, they looked ready to lunge at each other’s throats.
Again, why are they so hostile towards each other?! Did they kill each other
in their previous lives or something?!
“…I have another reason for dragging you here.”
Thereupon, Sebastian changed the way he spoke.
I saw a part of him I’d never seen before.
“Genshou Jyuri. Stay still. That is, if you don’t want to die.”
──In a split second, Sebastian released a terrifying ill will. It was a strong
and brutal ill will, as if it was a turbulent current that could suck anyone in.
“What?! What?!”
What does this mean? Why is Sebastian releasing an ill will?! Furthermore,
how did he know Hebizuka’s real identity?!
(Um, could it be that he’s one of them? An apostle? The guy with the cliche
name wasn’t a butler?! He wasn’t someone to accompany the rich daughter
character?!)
While I was falling into confusion, Jyuri warded off the ill will without even
making a slight movement. Now I understand why she was staring at him
with caution.
Right. Jyuri noticed it. She found out Sebastian’s true identity.
He was──one of their kind.
“So it really is you, Renie. I didn’t recognize you at first since this is the first
time I’ve seen your human form.”

The king cobra apostle’s long, blonde hair rustled as she stared at her
opponent. She then gave me a warning.
“Ichirou, be careful. This man is Rikushou Renie…an apostle general who’s

known as the strongest of ‘Hell’s Top Eight.'”
The strongest of the top eight? So in other words, the strongest apostle?
Sebastian? This man with gray hair?
“Renie. Why are you Yukimiya Shiori’s butler? I heard you went missing
hundreds of years ago.”
“My actions revolve around one philosophy. Given that you’re an apostle
general, you should know.”
“Right. Rikushou Renie will always serve the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu…so if
you’re serving Yukimiya Shiori, that means──”
“That’s how it is. Therefore, I cannot let you pass. Since you follow Taotie,
you are Taowu’s enemy.”
Wait a minute. Hold on.
This may be a tight moment, but let me unpack the situation.
The “Evil Spirit” Taowu. One of the four fiends, a ruler of the “Apostles of
Hell.” One of the final bosses in this story.
Hundun, Taotie, Qiongqi, and Taowu──they are the fearsome “Evil Spirits”
who wield the strength to destroy humanity and have been terrorizing
mankind since ancient times, even if they have to do it alone.
Taowu was the last one. The “Evil Spirit” who’s supposed to be the final boss
of part four. The one with a name that could get confused with Taotie’s.
That Taowu has already revived? We haven’t even dealt with Qiongqi yet.
(This is bad…the series’ organization is turning into a mess…what part are

we on right now? Wasn’t this supposed to be part three, the Qiongqi arc? We

need to maintain order!)
…No wait. That’s not it.
There’s something more worrying.
Sebastian, or Renie, is an apostle general who swears loyalty to the “Evil

Spirit” Taowu. Now, he brought me here. He said “I want you to meet with
the young lady,” to me.
Recently, Yukimiya has been extremely weak. To the point where she can’t
use her supernatural abilities.
(So in other words, she’s the vessel of the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu…)
The words Ryuuga said the other day flashed into my mind.
──Seeing Shiori in this state…makes me recall something unpleasant.
──Look, something similar to this happened before, right? When Hundun

revived, Kyouka suddenly became ill──
While my entire body began to break into a cold sweat, Rikushou Renie
spoke. He had an arrogant and intimidating attitude that was completely
different to his previous self.
“Jyuri. You are not an attendant, but a hostage. So Kobayashi, head into the
next room alone. My lord is waiting for you there.”
“……”
“I do hope you refrain from any dubious behavior. Anything

suspicious──and I cannot guarantee the well-being of this hostage.”
This is bad. An outrageous development unfolded within Yukimiya’s

episode.
Not only did one of the four gods, the “White Tiger,” dwell inside her body,
but so did an “Evil Spirit.” In a sense, she was like me, “someone who held

two divine beings.”
What a last-minute reveal.

Part 3
Yukimiya Shiori was the vessel of the “Evil Spirit” Taowu──
Sebastian was one of “Hell’s Top Eight” and serves Taowu──
The sudden realization made me freeze in place. I was like a marble statue in
the corner of the room.
(To think that there would be someone other than me who hosted two
beings…)
Furthermore, such a person was one of the main characters, someone of the
four gods.
Indeed, the successor of the “White Tiger” and the one who specializes in
healing abilities would have a much higher life force than the rest. A heroine
being the vessel of an “Evil Spirit” could work.
However, that might not be as effective for this story. This kind of
development is a little predictable.
Kyouka and I have been revealed as vessels of “Evil Spirits.”
That is, “the protagonist’s sister” and “the protagonist’s best friend” have
been vessels.
If the next one is “the protagonist’s companion,” then the only people who
have been final bosses are those close to the protagonist. The audience would
think that the author’s lacking originality.
(Furthermore, if Yukimiya ends up being their enemy, Ryuga and the others
won’t have their ultimate technique available.)

They won’t be able to use the technique which requires the five guardian
deities to combine, the “Everyone’s Kaboom (I really hope that name gets
changed)” that finished off Hundun in part one and Taotie in part two.
I mean, not everyone needs to be present for the “Everyone’s Kaboom” to

activate. In part one, they succeeded in defeating Hundun without Kurogame.
However…
(Who wants to see an incomplete ‘Everyone’s Kaboom’ at this point?

Usually, the ultimate techniques scale up as the series goes on, right?)
This may require some significant rescheduling.
We might need to change the final boss of part three from Qiongqi to Taowu.
We would also need Yukimiya to come back to our side quickly.
(To think that Elmira won’t be the one betraying the team, but Yukimiya…)
While shaken, I racked my brains trying to adjust my plans.
Nearby, Jyuri let out an intense ill will.
“Whoa! You too?!”
It was an ominous ill will that rivaled Sebastian’s, or should I say Renie’s.
The wind pressure blew me to the corner of the room, causing me to
reflexively latch onto a marble statue.
The two ill wills were like ocean currents inside the room. A whirlpool of
blatant hostility, malice, and killing intent swirled around.
“Me, a hostage? Don’t make light of me. You think someone from the top
eight can stop the eldest daughter among the three princesses?”
“I can, Jyuri. You cannot beat me. A prideless apostle like you is no match
for me.”
“Prideless? Quite bold words.”

“I mean what I say. You apostles change lords according to which ‘Evil
Spirit’ has revived during a given era…that tells me that you lack pride.”
“It’s natural for apostles to serve whichever ‘Evil Spirit’ has revived.”
“Not for me. I, Rikushou Renie, will always serve Taowu──that is my

pride.”
“Doesn’t that just make you a stubborn old geezer? You’re more of a stalker
than a subordinate.”
Talking it out wasn’t working and the two were getting ready to lunge at each
other from the floor.
I used what little time I had to barge in and stop any battle from happening.
“Wait! Don’t fight here! You two are a school nurse and a butler!”
The two generals stared at one another, telling each other that they weren’t
finished yet. I believe there are around thirty servants living in this mansion.
If they made a fuss, someone would probably come running here.
So, Yukimiya, or rather the “Evil Spirit” Taowu, wants to meet me. I don’t
know what to expect, but it’s too quick to jump to conclusions about who is
and isn’t an enemy.
Really though, why can’t Ryuga take this role right now? Does it really have
to be an “Evil Spirit” vessel like me?
“Jyuri, please just wait patiently. I’m going to meet with Yukimiya either
way.”
“But, Ichirou…”
“That’s what you want, right Renie? So in exchange, how about serving Jyuri
some tea?”
After a brief moment, Renie retracted his ill will.

He glanced at Jyuri for a split second and then politely nodded towards me.
“…Certainly. If it means granting my lord’s request, then I will oblige.”
His lord.
I had an eerie suspicion that he wasn’t referring to Yukimiya Shiori when he

said that.
I soon took off to head towards Yukimiya’s room.
Though it was the next room over, this was no ordinary house. It took about
ten seconds to even reach the door.
(Yukimiya’s in that room right now, but at the same time, she isn’t. It’s the
‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu.)
As a host, Yukimiya certainly has a large life force and force of will.
However, Renie has already confirmed that it isn’t enough to “convert” the
“Evil Spirit” inside.
In other words, Yukimiya’s consciousness has been hijacked right now.
It seems that those rumors of her being “an entirely different person” were
true. Taowu is likely the cause of it.
(I don’t know what my involvement in this is, but…now that we’re here, I’d
like to talk with Taowu as well.)
First of all, I’d like to ask why Taowu’s so eager to resurrect. Next, I’d like to
know what this means for the future. Then, I’d like to see if we can get the
“Evil Spirit” to support Ryuuga’s side upon losing to her.
(If Yukimiya’s poor condition is a sign of the ‘Evil Spirit’ resurrecting…then

that means Taowu has just woken up. I’m going to make demands to Taowu
until Yukimiya gets better!)

For caution’s sake, I called out to Taotie and Hundun inside me, but it seems
that they’re sleeping.
Why are they so careless at a critical moment like this…? Well, whatever. If
we end up battling, I’ll get them on their feet against their will. Probably.
(Alright, it’s go time.)
With a somewhat nervous expression, I knocked on the door.
I soon heard someone say “Come in,” from the other side. It was Yukimiya’s
voice, but it was likely the “Evil Spirit” Taowu saying that.
Nervously opening the door, I stepped inside…and just as I imagined, the

room was shockingly spacious and gaudy. It looked like the room of an oil
tycoon.
There were three chandeliers above that each seemed like their own town.
The king-size bed had a canopy. The TV was nearly twice as big as the
blackboards used in classrooms and the desk was large enough for not just
studying, but also managing the affairs of the state.
(I’ve been to this mansion many times, but this is the first time I’ve been in
Yukimiya’s private room. She was this wealthy…? There’s even a water
fountain and pond in the room…)
Though I was already overwhelmed, I did notice the person three meters in
front of me.
In the very center of the room stood Yukimiya. She was wearing her school
uniform while seeming to look downwards.
I waited for a while, but there was no reaction. When I closed the door, I
prepared myself and took a few steps towards her.
“Um, Taowu, is it? Or perhaps…it’s you, Yukimiya?”
I ended up asking that since the one in front of me didn’t seem like an “Evil
Spirit” at all.

To be honest, this is kind of anticlimactic. I was ready for Yukimiya to grab
me by the collar and shout “I am the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu! Are you
Kobayashi?! Answer me!” Deep down, I was hoping that would happen.
However, the girl in front of me seemed to be as gentle as ever at first glance.
She held her hands together in front of her and frequently fidgeted. She
seemed a bit blushed for some reason while looking downwards.
“Which one…are you?”
When I asked again, Yukimiya finally raised her head.
However, her eyes darted around without making contact with mine. Her
fidgeting worsened and she bit her lip.
Am I really looking at an “Evil Spirit” right now? I sense no ill will, vigor, or
energy. No wait, I shouldn’t be careless. Perhaps this is a trap to lure me in.
“Then I’ll introduce myself first. I’m Kobayashi──”
“H, howdy…I’m the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu.”
…What?
While Yukimiya politely bowed, I remained frozen. It seems I’m indeed

speaking with Taowu, but something’s off. I think I hear some kind of
dialect.
“Pleased to meet ya. Feel free to call me ‘Tao.'”
That wasn’t my imagination. I definitely hear some kind of dialect. I was

really hoping that I was just hearing things.
(I have a bad feeling about this, but for a different reason now…)
It seems that Taowu is a female “Evil Spirit.” Perhaps she’s the sole female
among the four fiends?

That itself would be fine, but this isn’t what I expected. I would have
preferred a more domineering “Female Evil Spirit.” The kind who feels
ecstatic about destruction and slaughter.
“I felt two ill wills in the room over yonder…did Renie do something rude?
Was the other ill will Jyuri’s?”
Again, this isn’t what I expected. I mean, Taotie and Hundun weren’t entirely
within my predictions either, but this is taking it to a whole other level.
I felt a cold sweat travel down my back…This isn’t what you would hear
from an “Evil Spirit.” For an “Evil Spirit,” the way she referred to Jyuri was a
bit odd as well.TLNSome Googling seems to point to Taowu speaking with a
Tohoku/countryside dialect. Also, Taowu referred to Jyuri as Jyuri-chan.
This is the last “Evil Spirit”? This rustic, cow-raising girl? I entrusted this
person to be the final boss of part four?
I remembered what I came here for and with a dry throat, I asked a question.
“Err…Tao?”
“Yup?”
“You’re…the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu?”
“Yup.”
“Where are you from?”
“The Spirit World.”
The “Evil Spirit” bowed her head each time. Don’t reply so inelegantly with
Yukimiya’s appearance! Her popularity will go down!
“You’re one of the four fiends? Someone who wields the strength to destroy
humanity and has been terrorizing mankind since ancient times, even if you
have to do it alone?”

“Right. But I’ve long since grown past that. I ain’t fightin’ humans no more.”
“……”
“I plan to live quietly with humans. Ya approve of that, right Ichirou? So let’s
be pals.”
…This is bad. This is a huge problem.
The last “Evil Spirit” is the weakest one.
Furthermore, she’s the least motivated.
(This is a difficult situation…this can’t be good. This really can’t be good…)
Feeling a bit dizzy, I staggered a little.
Suddenly, Taotie and Hundun manifested from my back. As usual, since they
both appeared, only their upper halves manifested though.
Unexpectedly, three “Evil Spirits” met together. The rulers stared at each
other blankly for a while.
“Oh? Is that you, Tao?”
After several seconds, Taotie spoke. Then, Hundun nodded while stroking his
stubble.
“There’s no doubt about it. I recognize a familiar face when I see one. It
seems that all four fiends are here in this era.”
Taowu looked at the “middle-aged man” with her round, cute eyes and an
expression of astonishment. Since she was doing this with Yukimiya’s
appearance, it was quite confusing.
“Um, Dun?! Whatcha doin’ in a place like this?! Ain’t Ichirou Tie’s vessel?!”
“Some circumstances popped up and now I’m sharing with Tie. This sonny’s
quite something, you know? Hosting two ‘Evil Spirits’ is unheard of. He’s

the first and probably the last to do this.”
“Huh~…yer full of surprises, Ichirou…”
“Things have been going fine for me. Tao, do you want to try joining in with
us?”
“N, no way! I can’t live together with the two of ya!”
“Gahahaha. You’re as shy as ever.”
I was a bit worried about what would happen, but this doesn’t really seem
like a conversation between “Evil Spirits.” It’s a big difference from the
bloodthirsty subordinates in the other room.
I mean, these guys were calling each other by their nicknames, right? Also,
I’d like it if Taowu, or Tao, would adjust the way she says my
name.TLNTaowu calls Ichirou “Ichirou-don.” I believe the -don honorific is a
countryside version of -san.
“So Dun and Tie, have ya really reconciled? Maybe yer pals with Qiong
too?”
Taotie bluntly gave Tao an answer.
“That’s a different matter. That rascal is after Shizuma and even attacked our
house.”
“I’m not good with fights. Why don’t ya try askin’ Qiong to move in with ya
instead of me? Ichirou can host three of y’all.”
What an outrageous suggestion this “Inelegant Evil Spirit” made. Stop that!
Don’t just say reckless things about someone else’s problem! Also, don’t
give Qiongqi the same name as a pickle!TLNThere’s a brand of pickles in
Japan by the name of Kyu-chan. It sounds similar to Qiongqi’s nickname in
the original text because of the way the Chinese names are pronounced in
Japanese (if you didn’t already realize, the four fiends’ names are Chinese).

Then, Taotie stared at Tao and returned to the main topic by saying
“Anyways.”
“Tao, why are you possessing Yukimiya? Do you know how terrible her
cooking is?”
“That doesn’t matter. I have a big reason for doin’ this. One as big as a
manure tank. In the beginning, I didn’t have Shiori as my vessel──”
At that moment, the entire mansion shook.
I thought it was an earthquake at first, but that wasn’t the case. The place
only shook once. Furthermore──it was obvious that the source came from
the next room.
Tao and I were both taken aback. I didn’t need to guess what happened. It
was obvious from the ferocious ill wills in the air.
“Jyuri and Sebastian are at it again…!”
“W, we should stop ’em.”
We paused our conversation for the time being and hurried to the next room.
“Dagnabbit, Renie should get along with ’em other apostles…”
Yukimiya Tao, who puffed her cheeks, still didn’t seem like an “Evil Spirit”
when angry.

Part 4
Not even ten seconds had passed.
Just as I thought, when we leapt into the adjacent room, Jyuri and Renie were
about to battle.
“Disappear, arrogant butler. I’ll take the title of the strongest apostle.”
“You’re the one who’ll disappear, obscene teacher. Then I’ll have Mion and
Kiki join you soon.”
The two generals already shifted into their apostle forms, giving us only a
moment to intervene.
While Jyuri’s lower body turned into that of a serpent’s, making her look like
a lamia, Renie turned into a six-armed creature. This is something I learned
later on, but he’s an orb-weaving spider apostle. Counting his legs, he would
have eight limbs, I suppose.
“Hey Jyuri, stop! You’re doing it again! You promised not to let your sense
of duty get the better of you!”
“Renie, ya gotta stop too. Bad kids get taken away by the
namahage.”TLNNamahage are youkai who like to scare bad-behaving
children.
Seeing not just Tao, but Taotie and Hundun as well, the two soon returned to
their human forms. They immediately kneeled down and silently bowed their
heads.
“I, I’m terribly sorry. I, Jyuri, showed such disgraceful behavior in front of
‘Evil Spirits’…”

“I, Renie, have gotten a little carried away as well. I will accept any
punishment.”
Once everything settled down, we decided to resume speaking with Tao in

the drawing room.
Once Tao and I sat on opposite ends of the table, Renie soon brought some
tea. He then stood beside Tao and kept silent. When Jyuri similarly stood
beside me, the two glared at each other once again.
“Now then, Tao. Shall we continue our conversation?”
While I sipped on my tea, Tao nodded and said “Alrighty then.”
It was a response unbefitting of the school’s idol and the righteous heroine,
Yukimiya Shiori. It’s obvious that her behavior would create rumors.
“I’ll ask again, of all people, why did you choose Yukimiya as a vessel? You
said something about having a ‘big reason.'”
“…I possessed Shiori right about six months ago. I ain’t been dwelling inside
her for long.”
Half a year ago? That recently? In other words, she was with another human
vessel before then?
(Perhaps she changed hosts after learning that Sebastian was the butler of the
Yukimiya household? If I remember correctly, he’s been serving the
Yukimiya Group for over twenty years…)
After Renie and I exchanged glances for a brief moment, he answered as if he

predicted my thoughts. He asked Tao “Please give me permission to speak,”
and spoke with his usual tone of voice.
“Before we talk about my lord, let me first explain how I came to the
Yukimiya family. I believe it will be easier for you to understand that way…
is that alright?”
When I nodded, the spider butler cleared his throat.

“As I said earlier, I serve only the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu. However, three
hundred years ago, when my lord lost a battle with a Hinomori member and
fell asleep…I had no idea who the next vessel would be.”
“……”
“So, some remaining subordinates and I decided to temporarily hide in

Europe. Though, the successor of the ‘Vermilion Bird’ pursued us and
defeated all of those subordinates.”
Oh, he was related to that?
I heard that Elmira’s ancestor left Japan to pursue the apostles who fled to
Europe, where they then mingled in with a vampire clan.
In other words, Elmira’s a vampire because of Sebastian.
“As the months and years passed, I judged that the situation had calmed, and
so I decided to return to Japan, pretending to be a Frenchman. Then──”
“You took the name Sebastian and slipped into the Yukimiya family?”
“Indeed. I had two reasons for doing so. First, I could monitor the Yukimiya
family, the ones who passed down the ‘White Tiger’…I intended to grasp the
movements of the Hinomori family and the other four gods.”
“What about the other reason?”
“Of course, I was searching for the one who became Taowu’s vessel. I hoped
to use the Yukimiya Group’s information network, but…things didn’t go as I
planned. After twenty years, I still couldn’t find Taowu.”
“So, you and Tao reuniting was…”
“Yes, it was entirely by coincidence. I suppose I was half-delighted and half-

confused.”
I guess that in the end, Renie made the right call being the Yukimiya
household’s butler.

After monitoring the successor of the ‘White Tiger’ for long enough, she
became his genuine lord. Furthermore, Taowu reviving half a year ago was a
lucky coincidence.
“Renie, you’ve got a lot of luck…”
After giving my thoughts, the aging butler shrugged his shoulders and replied
with a bitter smile.
“I wonder about that. The price to pay for it was spending twenty years as
Sebastian. In addition, once Taowu resurrected…”
Renie hesitated to continue speaking and looked at his lord for a brief
moment.
I think I see what’s going on. When he brought me to this mansion, he looked
like he was stressed──and this must be why.
Taowu had finally revived, but instead of enthusiastically saying “Now, let’s
destroy the human world,” she said “I ain’t fightin’ humans no more.”
I can imagine Renie feeling like his work didn’t pay off after hearing her say
that.
“Of course, there’s the matter regarding Taowu, but there’s something
equally shocking and confusing for me right now.”
When I blinked and said “Huh?”, he reluctantly stared at the two stands
behind me.
…Oh, he means them. I understand his feelings.
Yukimiya didn’t have any reason to tell Sebastian about my situation. As a

result, it seems that Renie didn’t know about me holding two “Evil Spirits.”
“I knew that Kobayashi was Taotie’s vessel, but I didn’t expect him to
become Hundun’s as well…furthermore, I didn’t think he could ‘convert’
him again…”

When Renie said that with admiration, Hundun immediately spoke in an
arrogant manner.
“Don’t misunderstand. I’m only here temporarily. Know this…the only one I
will follow is Kyouka.”
Contrary to his shameful words, Hundun folded his arms while seeming
proud.
On the other hand, Taotie restlessly looked around the room while muttering
“Wow,” and “I want to live here.” He didn’t seem too interested in Tao or
Renie.
After taking a glance at his fellowman acting that way, Hundun then glared at
Renie.
“Hey, Renie. I couldn’t care less about who you swear loyalty to. However, if
you lay a hand on Kyouka──you better prepare yourself. Your death won’t
be quick.”
Hearing that, Jyuri smirked and gave Hundun a thumbs up. Hundun
responded with a thumbs up of his own. What’s happening here?
“…I will keep your words in mind, Hundun. Though I am Taowu’s

subordinate, I respect and fear all ‘Evil Spirits’…I am not foolish enough to
rouse their anger.”
Renie gave a polite bow and then turned towards me. He spoke with a hand
on his chest.
“Kobayashi, that is all to my story. I’m truly grateful for your time.”
In any case, I now know how Renie became Sebastian.
The next important detail is how Tao moved to Yukimiya. While thinking
about such things, I turned towards her.
…And she’s asleep.

She dozed off while sitting on the sofa. Her mouth’s partially open.
“Hey, wake up! Don’t let Yukimiya make such a sloppy face! Also, don’t
drool! Get rid of that snot bubble!”
Aware of my criticism, Tao opened her eyes while saying “Wha?” In a panic,
she wiped her mouth and nose, put on a composed expression, and
straightened herself.
“I, I ain’t sleepin’, ya hear? I was just becomin’ one with my mind, ya hear?
I’m an ‘Evil Spirit.'”
Please stop referring to yourself in that way…you’re Yukimiya, you know?

Not Goku.TLNHe’s talking about how Taowu refers to herself using the “ora”
pronoun, something which Goku from Dragon Ball does as well.
“Now it’s your turn. Why did you purposely make the successor of the
‘White Tiger’ your vessel?”
“Actually, I ain’t even known that Shiori hosted the ‘White Tiger.’ All I
knew was that she was Aya’s niece…”
“Aya?”
“Yup. My previous landlord was a woman by the name of Asahina Aya. She
was a very lovely person.”
Upon asking for further information, it seems that she was an office worker
in her late thirties.
She was an unmarried woman, but had a younger sister named Tomoe who
seems married to the young son of a wealthy family. A gold digger, so to
speak.
“Aya…became ill half a year ago and passed away. Couldn’t even greet her
before I revived. I’m much obliged to her…”
When Tao slouched over in gloom, Hundun and Taotie showed her some
sympathy.

“I know how you feel, Tao. It felt like the end of the world when Kyouka was
about to die. For ‘Evil Spirits,’ our hosts are like a part of our bodies. We
have a lot of attachment to them.”
“If Ryuuga died, I guess I would be shocked too. I would definitely kill
myself to follow her.”
Why didn’t he mention me? I’m his vessel.
“It was mighty painful seein’ Aya like that…I couldn’t help but be sad. With
my landlord gone, I had to saddle up and find a new vessel.”
It seems that at first, she relied on Aya’s younger sister, Tomoe.
It’s the same for the Kobayashi family. Bloodline has a large effect on the
“potential of a vessel.” It seems that the Asahina family is one of the
qualifying family lineages. That’s why Tao had to rely on them. However…
“The younger sister, Tomoe, married a man by the name of Yukimiya

Fumihiro. The two already had a daughter in high school…and surprisingly,
that girl had an extremely high life force.”
Simply put, it was Yukimiya Shiori.
“I changed plans and decided to move into that girl rather than Tomoe. I
didn’t need permission to move to a new landlord, so I was able to settle
down without a hitch, but…there was already a fella there. Byatoran.”
“Byatoran…”
“Perhaps ya guessed it, but I’m talkin’ ’bout the ‘White Tiger.’ Shiori calls it
her guardian deity.”TLN“Byakko (白虎)” is the White Tiger in Japanese. The
kanji characters making it up are literally “white” and “tiger.” The “-kko”
part is tiger. Tiger by itself is “Tora” in Japanese. So, she basically just
swapped “-kko” for “tora” and added an “n” at the end. Byatoran.
I gave up on retorting to her names and decided to sort out the story for the
time being.

After losing her host Asahina Aya, Tao turned towards Tomoe, who shared
the same bloodline. She also didn’t think anything of the family name
“Yukimiya.”
She decided that the daughter, Shiori, was a better host and quickly changed
her destination. It’s been six months since.
By some bizarre chance, Renie also happened to be working there as a butler

and her new vessel was also the successor of the “White Tiger.”
“After a slew of effort, I was able to have Byatoran open up to me. At first,
the fella would bite me mighty hard, but now it’s only a light bite. It likes it
when I rub its belly.”
They were able to get along?
“I ain’t one for violence in the first place. I’m sorry for the trouble I caused to
my host Shiori. So Ichirou, I got somethin’ to ask.”
“……”
“I want ya to be my mediator when I reconcile with Hinomori Ryuuga.

That’s why I brought ya to this house today.”
…This can’t be good. Good, this can’t be (inverted sentence).TLNIn other

words, Ichirou’s doing some Yoda speech.
Just as I had feared, the “Evil Spirit” Taowu has already mended her ways.
She’s eager to become an ally without having to fight. She even calls her
hosts landlords.
Part three is no longer the Qiongqi arc, but the Taowu arc.
Normally, the fights would intensify…the enemies would get stronger and
craftier…things would get uglier than before. Now we’re turning towards a
comedy.
(I’m glad I came here. If Ryuga was here, she would have immediately
reconciled with her. Part three would be over in a flash.)

Even if it has to be fixed game, it needs to be done. I just need to have Tao
stand in the way of Ryuuga’s team somehow. We need to go through with the
pattern we’ve been following up until now. I’ll think of a script!
“S, say, Tao. I think pacifism is good and all, but…why don’t you try
fighting with Ryuga and the others just once? Then you can be allies after
that.”
“No way. I ain’t gonna get hurt. Don’t go around thinkin’ of me as some
tomboy.”
“Don’t say that! You’re troubling Renie!”
“No. I’mma live peacefully, even if I have to plow fields.”
Yukimiya turned the other way and of all things, picked her nose with her
pinky. Stop! Don’t do that here! Someone, blur this out!
…I desperately kept insisting, but the “Inelegant Evil Spirit” firmly refused.
Even Taotie seemed fed up and said “You should have more self-awareness
as an ‘Evil Spirit,'” to Tao. He did have a point, but he’s not in any position
to say that.
“Tie, you don’t have any self-awareness as an ‘Evil Spirit’ either. You’re
head over heels for the Hinomori household’s daughter.”
This time, Hundun retorted to Taotie. He’s not in any position to say that
though.
“So, let’s call it a day. I’ll be a bother to Shiori if I’m out here too long. I’m
an ‘Evil Spirit’ who’s kind towards ’em landlords.”
“……”
“Ichirou, I’ll ask ya for some more advice later on. Also, Jyuri.”
Jyuri responded with “Y, yes?” in a hurry. She was clearly confused since she
was talking to what looked like Yukimiya.

“Give Mion and Kiki my best regards. We should have a gals-only gatherin’
someday.”
“A, as you wish…”
With a complicated expression, Jyuri kneeled down.
One of the four fiends, the “Evil Spirit” Tao, had appeared and she was even
more of a burden than Qiongqi to an extent.
(At any rate, I have to persuade her to be the final boss of part three…I’ll
entrust Qiongqi with part four.)
Now that it’s come to this, I can only rely on him.
Qiongqi──you’ve got an important duty to carry.

Part 5
Afterwards, Jyuri and I rode Renie’s car once more to get home.
The spider butler asked “Is it alright not going to school?”, but I already
decided on being absent today. Even if I went now, I wouldn’t make it in
time for second period PE.
“You must be quite perplexed about my lord. I’m also at a bit of a loss as
well…”
While carefully driving, Renie complained as such. He didn’t seem to glare at

Jyuri anymore, perhaps because Tao reprimanded him for it.
“I’d like to motivate Taowu by any means…I agree with you in that she
should try fighting Hinomori Ryuuga at least once.”
“Do you oppose coexisting with humans?”
“It’s been a long time since I’ve come to the human world. From my
experience, it’s not impossible for humans and apostles to coexist.
However…this may sound a bit vague, but I wonder if ‘that’s really okay.'”
That’s natural. Given the ancient history of them fighting against humans, it
probably won’t be easy coming to a settlement.
Unlike Jyuri and the other princesses who’ve been in the spirit world the
entire time, Renie has been in the forefront of battles. That is, battles against
Ryuuga’s ancestor or Yukimiya’s ancestor.
(In that case, perhaps he should join Qiongqi’s faction since that team’s still
eager to fight…)
Though, that’s likely impossible.

Rikushou Renie is Tao’s trusted associate. He probably won’t ever serve any
“Evil Spirit” other than her. His pride as an apostle won’t allow him to be
disloyal and switch lords.
I sighed while thinking about how this has become quite the troublesome
story.
Suddenly, Hundun’s head appeared from my shoulder. Perhaps he had to do

that since the car was cramped, but it still felt unpleasant.
“Hey, Renie. I’ll just ask, is there anyone else in Tao’s faction other than
you? Since you’re a general, you should have around five hundred soldiers,
right?”
In response, Renie said “I’m in the middle of driving, so do forgive me for

responding while facing away from you.” What a well-mannered apostle.
“I’m afraid to say this, but I shouldn’t reveal my war potential. Well, that’s
what I would like to say, but…as of now, I’m alone.”
“So, you’re alone? What happened to your subordinates?”
“Pretty much all of them died in the battle three hundred years ago. They’ve
probably revived in the spirit world by now, but I don’t plan on calling them
yet. After all, I have no means to do so.”
“When I revived, I opened some doors though. Even before then, there were
tears in space-time as well.”
“My soldiers are Taowu’s soldiers. They cannot move without the permission
of their lord.”
“You’re serious to a fault…unfortunately, I can’t open doors anymore. Not

without this sonny’s orders.”
Once again, it seems that I’m being treated like an important person…
If I can mobilize a large number of apostles at my command, doesn’t that

make me a big leader of the enemy side? Let me say this, having the same

person be the final boss twice is out of the question. That would be the
pinnacle of reusing material.
“Hey, Renie. Despite your initial hesitance, aren’t you revealing a lot of
information? What’s going on?”
“If I must say, then take it as a sign of sincerity. My lord wishes to reconcile
with Hinomori Ryuuga and relies on Kobayashi as the middleman. That
being the case, hiding information would be an act of faithlessness, right?”
“Well, I’ll believe you for now. As long as Tie and I are together, we don’t
even have a one in a million chance of losing.”
That’s a big problem.
Since I have two “Evil Spirits,” the power balance in this story has obviously
collapsed. There’s Taotie, Hundun, the three princesses, and Shizuma…the
Kobayashi side is too powerful.
Furthermore, if Tao and the strongest of the top eight, Renie, become our
allies, then Qiongqi won’t have a fighting chance anymore.
It would clearly be a losing battle for him. That “Shota Evil Spirit” would be
in a pitiful state.
(Being a host of two is really lamenting…if I’m doing double duty, it should
be on being Ryuga’s and Agito’s ‘friend character.’)
…Better yet, how about having Tao and Qiongqi form an alliance?
If that happens, it’ll be two on two for “Evil Spirits.” As long as I’m not
caught in the act, there will be a struggle for supremacy. There would be a
feeling of tension once more.
(Apart from figuring how to implement this idea…there are at least two
issues that I need to solve right now.)
First of all, how do I make Tao’s character work?

She’s not fit for being the final boss at all. Or rather, not anymore. I wonder
what Ryuuga’s ancestor thought of her…
Second, I need to have Tao move out from Yukimiya.
Having the third “Evil Spirit” vessel in a row be someone close to the
protagonist is a problem. Ryuuga probably won’t react much to it. She
probably won’t be that surprised anymore.
(Sebastian’s dependable and one of ‘Hell’s Top Eight’…perhaps he will be

enough to form the basis of Yukimiya’s episode. Though, who else is suitable
for being the vessel of an ‘Evil Spirit’…?)
While looking out the window, I sighed once more.
…Actually, a certain individual popped up in my head.
That person would definitely look nice as an enemy and be popular among
the ladies──the mysterious transfer student.
Tenryouin Agito. I feel that he could be an “Evil Spirit’s” vessel. Perhaps

even ‘convert’ them. With a name like that, it must be the case. Even
Kobayashi Ichirou can do it.
(No no, that’s not good. Agito is probably the protagonist of another story. I
can’t drag him into this one. Furthermore, it would be insanely impolite to
have him be the bad guy.)
Agito has his own story to deal with.
Unlike a friend character, the protagonist shouldn’t do double duty. If

Ryuuga tries to get involved in his story, I would definitely stop her. That is,
unless we’re doing a movie.
(I need to find a different vessel than Agito. What about the homeroom
teacher, Minegishi? No, he wouldn’t be a good choice…Then, how about the
office worker who lives behind our house, Hirano? He wouldn’t cut it
either…In that case, how about going with King Arthur again? No, we would
just be reusing material.)

While I was thinking about it, the car arrived at my house.
“Kobayashi, thank you for today. I hope you’ll continue to work with my lord
in the future.”
When Renie said that and bowed his head once more, Jyuri and I got off the
car.
Just before we closed the car door, I asked something that was on my mind
the whole time.
“Say, Renie. I know you’re a very loyal apostle, but…now that Tao has
revived, what do you think of Yukimiya?”
“…Don’t worry. Young Lady Shiori is Taowu’s vessel. Just as the three
princesses serve you, I will continue to serve her like before.”
“Because Yukimiya is Tao’s vessel?”
The spider butler indifferently replied with “Of course,” which is something I
didn’t expect.
Given that Sebastian has been with Yukimiya Shiori this whole time, his
words seemed──too cruel.
“T, Taowu resurrected with Yukimiya Shiori as the vessel?”
That evening, at the dinner table, I told Mion and Kiki what happened today.
The sidetailed girl stared while picking up her udon noodles with chopsticks.
The bobbed haired girl also froze in place while a fork full of noodles was in
her mouth.
Before I could say my next words, the blonde woman nodded in anger.
“That’s right. Furthermore, her butler was Renie. I was trying to take care of

him since he was picking a fight, but Ichirou stopped me.”
I’m pretty sure they were both provoking each other, but I decided not to
comment on it and regained control over the conversation.
“It seems that Tao has no intention of fighting Ryuga and the others. So for
the time being, you all should watchfully wait. Don’t fight Renie.”
“Alright, I understand.”
“Okay.”
“Also, you’re doing a girls-only gathering with Tao at some point. It’s
something she wishes for.”
“I, I see. I’m not sure if I understand though.”
“This kind of friendliness has never happened before.”
While the second and third daughters gave their consent, the eldest daughter
was still in a bad mood. She continued to recklessly slurp her piping hot udon
without blowing on it to cool it down.
She’s probably still irritated from when Renie told her that she was a
prideless apostle.
She does have a larger sense of duty than most apostles…but, is there some
other reason as well?
“Hey, Kiki…did Jyuri and Renie get on bad terms in the past?”
I whispered into the ear of the Hokkaido wolf apostle next to me.
While blowing on her scalding udon, Kiki responded with a whisper.
“Those two had a big fight in the spirit world at some point. A skirmish
between their soldiers escalated into a big dispute between classes.”
“Classes…”

The top eight and three princesses are generals who have their own army.
Each army has around five hundred people. An army is split into five squads
of a hundred soldiers, each led by a commanding officer.
The general then oversees all commanding officers…Kiki compared that

organizational structure to “classes.” Though, knowing her, perhaps she
meant it in a “sunflower class” sense.TLNThis seems to be a reference to
Crayon Shin-chan. The sunflower class is a Kindergarten class that the main
character in the series attends, I think.
“If we didn’t stop them, people would have died. Killing is forbidden in the
spirit world. You cannot revive. That’s why I was strongly against Shizuma
going to the spirit world.”
“I, is that so…?”
In the human world, the “Apostles of Hell” don’t truly die when they’re taken
down. They transform in souls, return to the spirit world, and revive in
around two hundred years.
However, it seems that isn’t the case in their base, the spirit world. Death is
final.
“Renie is a seasoned veteran. At that time, Jyuri was more like a neophyte.
By the end, it turned into a mortal combat between the head honchos.”
“Where did you learn those words…?”
Probably from TV. This girl is turning into a couch potato.
“Miraculously, nobody died. Higaia helped me stop them, but he got minor
injuries that took two years to heal.”
Those aren’t minor injuries then. It sounds like he got involved in the mortal
combat.
Before we knew it, we ended up speaking at our normal volumes. Jyuri

noticed us and glared in our direction.

In a panic, Kiki and I shut our mouths and looked downwards. Taotie and
Hundun also looked away. The king cobra lady managed to even scare the
“Evil Spirits.”
“Those days don’t matter anymore. I just can’t accept Renie’s version of
‘pride.’ Even though Taowu has revived, he has served Yukimiya Shiori up
until now, right? Isn’t that the same thing as switching lords?”
Mion furrowed her brow and said “Well, I get what you’re saying…” while
slowly nodding her head, causing Jyuri to learn forward and go on a rant.
“Right? When I pointed that out, he immediately went into battle mode, you
know?! He said ‘Are you insulting me?’ out loud. Don’t you think he acted
childishly because I hit the mark?!”
Though Jyuri had an unusual gaze of resentment, I was actually a bit relieved.
Renie getting angry at that and seeing it as an insult means that he didn’t
throw away his identity as Sebastian.
Perhaps he didn’t “switch” lords, but just “added” another.
(Renie has been serving Yukimiya this whole time, probably since she was a
baby. He did it all while knowing that she was the successor of the ‘White
Tiger.’)
There’s no way he wouldn’t feel anything towards Yukimiya. Her being

Tao’s vessel isn’t everything.
He probably had countless opportunities to kill Yukimiya. Renie probably

didn’t do that because “he didn’t want to.”
Mion shrugged her shoulders while making a bitter smile, trying to change
the tense mood.
“A, at any rate, I didn’t expect Taowu to revive as well. I wonder why all the
‘Evil Spirits’ have come together.”
Kiki decided to join in, using her fork as a microphone to point at Taotie.

“Baron Taotie, what are your thoughts on this? Any deep emotions?”
“Oh, I feel like the player-of-the-game being interviewed. Um~, let’s see
here. I guess everyone’s a rival, so I can’t have them stealing my members…
ow, ow, ow! You’re pricking my mouth with your fork!”
“Next, Baron Hundun, who do you want to share this joy with?”
“Let me see. That would be my fiance I’m in a long-distance relationship

with, Kyouka…ow, ow, ow! You’re pricking my mouth with your fork!”
“Baron Ichirou, got something you want to say to anyone?”
“I’m not one of the four fiends. I’m a human. More importantly Kiki, don’t
stab me with your fork, okay? I’ve already seen you do it twice so…hot, hot,
hot! The udon! When did you stick your fork in it?!”
Seeing our banter, Jyuri suddenly burst into laughter. That’s a relief. It seems
her mood has improved.
Kiki gave Mion a thumbs up. Mion responded with a thumbs up of her own.
Is this kind of communication popular among apostles?
Now that the mood had lightened, I asked Hebizuka a question while cooling
my lips with a glass cup.
“By the way, Jyuri. Is it okay for you to be skipping school? You’re still a
faculty member.”
“That’s not a problem. I gave all the teachers and students a suggestion that if
I’m absent, they’re not to think anything of it. Doing such a thing is no
trouble for me, Genshou Jyuri.”
That reminds me, her second name is “Genshou,” isn’t it?
While I was thinking about how it wasn’t Inshou or Chishou…my phone

suddenly vibrated inside my pocket. I received a message.TLNThe “Gen” (幻)
in Genshou means illusion. The “In” (淫) in “Inshou” can mean “lewdness”
while the “Chi” (痴) in “Chishou” can mean “pervert,” both of which seem

more appropriate for Jyuri’s second name in Kobayashi’s opinion.
Upon checking it, the sender was Ryuuga. I’m pretty sure I know what it’s
about. She’s probably wondering why I was absent.
‘To Ichirou. Why were you absent today? Knowing you, it’s not a cold,
right?’
It was a rather impolite message. She didn’t even know what I had to suffer
through.
‘You made the homeroom teacher Minegishi mad, you know? For your
unexcused absence, he’s going to call on you for all of his questions next
class.’
My eyes widened upon reading that sentence. Jyuri gave me a sweet smile.
“By the way, that suggestion only applies to me. You still have to pay for
skipping school.”

Part 6
The last of the four fiends, the “Evil Spirit” Tao, resurrected ahead of
schedule.
As soon as she did, she waved a white surrender flag.
…It was Saturday, the morning after being confronted with such an
unforeseen situation. I walked along the road to school with depressed
strides.
Since Oumei High School is a public school, there would normally be no

class on the weekends. However, since it’s a school focused on preparing
students for university, in recent years, there have gradually been more
Saturday classes. Today is one of those days.
(Who was it that removed our free Saturdays…? Was it that greasy principal
whose name I don’t even know?)
I wanted to work out my future steps at home. However, I couldn’t afford to

be absent again, so I had no choice but to leave home. Of course, Hebizuka
and I left at different times.
(I guess I’ll have to wait until PE next Wednesday to talk to Agito again.
Man, I’d really like to be his friend character…I really want a chance to start
anew.)
If I continue being a key character as I am now, I’ll die from the stress. Come
to think of it, I feel that recently my cheeks are a bit sunken. Though, when
checked the scale, I actually gained a kilogram.
I want to be a normal friend character──

I want to be a powerless, carefree citizen who gets carried away easily──
I want to shout about things like “breasts” and “panties” with a pure heart──
I’ve noticed that such thoughts were constantly on my mind.
Not knowing what to do, last night, I phoned a late-night radio show during
their advice corner. When I consulted them by saying “I want to return to
having a minor role,” they responded with “What?”
(In the end, they mistakenly thought I was working in the theater industry…
damn it. They told me ‘That means you have what it takes to be the leading
actor. Why don’t you give it a shot?’)
With heavy steps, I mixed in with a crowd of students and crossed the school
gate.
“Ichirou, good morning.”
A slender student walked up beside me and slapped my shoulder. It was

Ryuuga.
In contrast to my gloomy expression, the protagonist gave a refreshing smile

for the morning. Her long hair was tied using black string and rustled with the
wind.
“Hey, Ryuga. You’re quite lively for school on a Saturday…”
“Ichirou, you seem to have aged a little while you were gone yesterday.
Could it be that you were telling the truth when you replied to my message
with ‘A vile phantom prevented me from attending’?”
“Yeah. An aging Frenchman and a country girl phantom found me.”
“S, stop that. You know I hate ghosts.”
While warning Ryuuga about the way she called herself, we walked into the
school building.TLNRyuuga used “watashi”

“Speaking of yesterday, everyone in class discussed the attraction we would
do for the school festival. Look, we’re doing a maid cafe, right? It’s very
difficult preparing matching maid outfits for──”
While listening to Ryuuga, we headed upstairs and soon stood before the
classroom.
Two students came out from class B and entered the hallway. A tall
swordswoman with a ponytail and a Westerner with deep crimson, wavy
hair…that is to say, they were Aogasaki and Elmira.
“Oh, Rei? Why were you in our class?”
While Ryuuga stared blankly, Rei greeted us by saying “Good morning,

Ryuuga. And, Kobayashi,” with a stern expression.
Beside her, the vampire with a low blood pressure yawned loudly. They were
as different as ever.
“Straighten yourself, Elmira. Aren’t you going to give your morning

greeting?”
The “Blood-kin of Eternal Darkness” only responded to Aogasaki’s

reprimand with another yawn.
She probably stayed up late writing her novel again. Or perhaps she was
writing a letter to Shizuma. The other day, she gave Taotie a thick envelope
about the size of a pocket book.
Not wanting to argue with her, the “Swordswoman of the Beheading Dance”
stated her reason for being in second year class B.
“Actually, a classmate told me that they ‘saw Yukimiya attending school.’ I

wanted to gather everyone before meeting her.”
“Huh, Shiori’s here?”
“Yeah. I was going to see her with Elmira since you two weren’t in the
classroom.”

The fact that she didn’t mention Kurogame’s name was pretty typical. That
‘Star-Wall Guardian’ really likes to come in late. She’s known for arriving
here right before the bell chimes.
“How about it? Do you two want to see Shiori as well?”
“Of course we do. Just give us some time to drop off our bags.”
After saying that in her boy version, Ryuuga happily headed towards her seat
in the classroom. I also followed suit.
I took a fleeting glance at Agito’s seat, but he wasn’t there. Actually, he also
comes in at the last moment.
So, the four of us headed to the adjacent class C.
Thereupon──sure enough, Yukimiya was sitting on her chair.
(Just yesterday, I saw Yukimiya acting inelegantly…this feels quite odd.)
Of course, I’m keeping yesterday a secret from Ryuuga and the others. At
least until I’ve finalized a plan for part three.
In the first place, Yukimiya herself doesn’t seem to realize that she’s hosting
an “Evil Spirit.” In other words, she won’t remember that Jyuri and I were at
her place yesterday.
──”Before I can reconcile with Hinomori Ryuuga, ya first gotta tell Shiori
’bout me. I wanna ask you ’bout when that should happen”──is what she
said.
Now I have yet another secret to keep. The need for a memo pad is growing
ever so stronger.
“Shiori, are you feeling better?”
“You should have messaged us if you were coming to school.”
“Anyhow, what’s most important is that you’re okay.”

The main characters surrounded Yukimiya while all speaking at the same
time.
For some reason, the “Shrine Maiden of Life” looked around with a
befuddled expression. She blinked while her mouth was partly agape. It was
as if she was meeting them for the first time.
(…Wait a minute. This reaction…could it be…?)
I’ve got a bad feeling about this. Today’s Yukimiya seems like the same one
from yesterday.
…When I quickly surveyed the classroom, I found that the class C students
were staring at us. Their eyes were saying “Is that the right Yukimiya?”
“Shiori. If you feel unwell, don’t hesitate to head into the school infirmary,
okay? Don’t push yourself.”
When Ryuuga said that while unsure, Yukimiya paused for a bit before
suddenly nodding. Then──
“I, I feel fit as a fiddle. Don’tcha worry.”
It’s Tao. There’s no doubt about it, it’s definitely Tao.
Why did you come to school?! At least try to act like Yukimiya! Aren’t you
just bothering your landlord?!
Tao’s response made Ryuuga and the others immediately knit their brows.
They exchanged glances and said “Fiddle? Don’tcha?” to each other.
As expected, the companions bound by fate had noticed right away. They
wouldn’t overlook even the slightest irregularity. Actually, this isn’t even
slight. Everyone in class C is suspicious of her.
“Shiori. On second thought, you should get some rest…”
“I’m tellin’ ya, I’m fine. Alive and kickin’.”

“Your personality seems a bit off, doesn’t it?”
“Y, ya must be pullin’ my leg. It’s me, Shiori, can’t ya see?”
“It’s like you’re possessed by a vile phantom…”
“W, whatcha tryin’ to say, sword gal?”
…At this rate, she’ll be caught in less than thirty seconds.
Tao looked over at me, pleading for help. Though, I already began speaking
in order to cover for her.
“Oh, Yukimiya! It seems you’re trying out the ‘dialect therapy’ I taught
you!”
Ryuuga, Elmira, and Aogasaki looked at me with faces that said “What is
that?” In fact, Tao did as well.

I don’t know either. Despite my own doubts about how convincing ‘dialect
therapy’ sounded…I smoothly spoke the necessary words to find my way out
of the situation. I did my best to act like a swindler. Don’t judge me.
“It’s a health ritual passed down the Kobayashi family with a positive effect.
My ancestor, Kobayashi Mankichi from the Heian period, devised that
through speaking with an accent, one can incorporate energy into the
atmosphere and fuse it with the body’s somas, stimulating the meridian
channel hidden points and so on──”TLN“Meridian channel hidden points”
seems to be a reference to Fist of the North Star. In the series, they’re
pressure points that can destroy a person.
Since the bell rang while I was speaking, Ryuuga and the others reluctantly
left class C. I’m not sure if they bought it, but for the time being, I’ve done
some damage control.
“Listen, Shiori. Take care of yourself. We’ll come back during break time.”
When Ryuuga said that, Tao nodded.
The moment that the three left the classroom, I quickly turned around and
rushed back to Yukimiya.
“Hey Tao, you can’t come to school. Think about Yukimiya’s position.”
“That’s why I’m here. If Shiori’s absent for a number of days ’cause of me,
she’ll get in trouble, ain’t that right?”
“Well your consideration for her has backfired. Avoid going outside your
home whenever possible. That’s my condition for being your middleman
with Ryuga.”
“Well, ya see…I kinda wanna get used to this ‘ere modern era. Been at least
three hundred years.”
Yukimiya pouted while twirling her hair around her finger.
It was a cute gesture, but when she tried to sit cross-legged on her chair, I

quickly stopped her. The school idol almost spread her skirt open.
“At any rate, don’t come to school. I’ll show you around the city next time.
Leave early for today.”
“Oh, ya can guide me ’round?”
Tao’s eyes immediately sparkled.
“That’ll be great. If it was Renie, he’d show me ’round a museum or library. I

wanna go to an arcade or bowlin’ alley though.”
Why is this “Evil Spirit” such a commoner?
“By the way, Ichirou. ‘Em three from before…”
“Oh. They were the protagonist and heroines…Yukimiya’s companions. The

one with the wooden sword is the ‘Azure Dragon,’ Aogasaki Rei. The
Westerner with the scarlet hair is the ‘Vermilion Bird,’ Elmira McCartney.
The pretty boy with the long hair is──the ‘Yellow Dragon,’ Hinomori
Ryuuga.”
“Oh~, so that fella’s the ‘Yellow Dragon’ of today, ya say? What a looker. I
wanna get an autograph.”
When the “Evil Spirit” said those words unbefitting of the final boss, I
decided to make a request. The bell already rang, but I planned on staying
until the teacher arrives.
“Say, Tao. Humans and the ‘Apostles of Hell’ have been fighting for
thousands of years. You know that, right?”
“Yup.”
“So, it’ll be difficult reconciling through talk alone. Even Hundun and Tie
had to battle before reconciliation. You need to have that kind of persuasive
power on your side.”
“But, I’ve realized that nothin’ can come from violence.”

“Yeah. You’re right. However, I want you to understand that by losing to
Ryuga. I want you to learn from the protagonist’s reprimanding.”
“There ain’t nothin’ for me to learn though.”
“Yes. I know. That may be the case, but it’s for the sake of the story.”
“I’m sure we can come to an understandin’ if we just talk it out.”
“Yeah, but like I said…”
This isn’t working. I’m not getting through to her.
Before I could continue, the homeroom teacher of class C arrived.

Unfortunately, I was out of time.
I urged Tao to leave school as soon as possible and rushed towards class B.
When I returned, Minegishi fortunately hadn’t arrived yet.
(Good grief, Renie even told her not to attend school…hmm?)
The moment I walked into the classroom, I stopped before I could take my
second step.
Since the teacher hadn’t arrived yet, classmates still scattered around,
chatting amongst each other. There was a great clamor of noise in the room.
Therein──near the window, at the corner of the classroom…
Two schoolboys faced each other at point-blank range.
They were the two protagonists I wanted to be friend characters of. Hinomori
Ryuuga and Tenryouin Agito.
(W, why are they together? Furthermore, doesn’t something seem strange?)
Though confused, I quickly rushed towards the two. I don’t know what’s
going on, but my intuition tells me that this is bad. They obviously weren’t
acting friendly with each other.

Ryuuga stood, staring up at Agito with a gaze she rarely ever shows at
school. On the other hand, Agito looked down at Ryuuga with his usual poker
face.
…It seems that Agito approached Ryuuga and did something.
Though it’s not strange for Ryuuga to have a bad impression of Agito, she
wouldn’t normally make that kind of glare to a classmate. What happened?
Did he poke her rear or something?
“Hey Ryuga, Agito. Hold on, what’s going so early in the morning? You two
are putting up some pretty eerie faces, you know?”
When I tried to cut in with as cheerful of a voice as I could, Agito silently

glanced at me. He had a subtly hostile gaze that was sharp like a sword.
“…Now then, Hinomori. I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Before I could even ask about the situation, Agito immediately turned
around.
While he returned to his seat, Ryuuga stared at his back with the same stern
expression. She furrowed her brow and clenched her fists.
(This isn’t something trivial…well, perhaps Elmira knows something?)
When I turned towards her crimson head while thinking so, she was fast
asleep over her desk. What an unreliable vampire. Can’t you cover for me
when I’m not there!
“H, hey, Ryuga. What happened? Did Agito say something to you?”
When I reluctantly tried asking her, Ryuuga muttered something before long.
“…Ichirou, what should I do? This is bad.”
“Huh?”
“There is something that Tenryouin told me. He told me ‘I know you’re a

woman.’ Then, he went on to say ‘In exchange for keeping that a secret, I
have one request.'”
“What?”
Agito saw through her? He found out that Ryuuga’s a girl?
“H, how did you reply? Did you admit the truth?”
“Of course, I tried to dodge the question. Don’t be stupid. However, he didn’t
listen…he seems confident that I’m a woman.”
So Agito blackmailed her with that at stake? That’s not what a protagonist
does! What’s going on, Agito?! Are you one of those people?!
“Ryuga. What was Agito’s demand? It’s not money, is it? He wouldn’t stoop
that low, right?”
I pressed for further information. Thereupon, Ryuuga’s face became

frightened for the first time.
After some brief hesitation, she sat down on her chair while seeming
exhausted and spoke with a deep sigh.
“He said…he wanted a date tomorrow Sunday.”
“Date?”
“Yeah. He said that if I needed to act like a guy at school, we would meet in
private. He wants to speak with the real me.”
My eyes widened upon hearing that. My mouth was agape and my body
trembled like a phone on vibrate mode. Ironically, Hundun made that same
reaction before as well.
Now I understand what that uncle was feeling when he heard that Kyouka
was going on a date. It seems that people tremble like a vibrating phone when
they’re shocked.

“I’m sorry, Ichirou. He wouldn’t let me refuse, and so I ended up having to
say okay…but, don’t worry. I convinced him to let you come with me.”
I’m not sure how that’s supposed to relieve me.
“I don’t want to go on a date with anyone other than you…it would be so

nice if I could convince my boyfriend to accompany me.”
I’m not sure how this is supposed to convince me.
“In the first place, we promised to go on a date during Sunday. You were
going to treat me to a cake restaurant and bowling.”
Oh right. It’s my fault that she got into this sour situation with Agito in the
first place. This happened because of my ploy to do double duty as a friend
character.
(I already have a headache from dealing with Tao…)
While painfully realizing that my disloyalty came back to bite me, the
homeroom teacher Minegishi arrived.

Chapter 3: Co-Starring Date

Part 1
That same day, I was tired after going through those two troublesome events
in the morning.
──Tao’s sudden attendance.
──Agito contacing Ryuuga.
Just those two would have been fine, but like I had been warned, Minegishi
fired a barrage of questions onto me during English class. If today wasn’t a
Saturday, where classes ended at noon, my hair would be gray by now.
(Fortunately, it seems that Tao left early after first period. I’ll set that matter
aside for now…my current issue is tomorrow’s date.)
I didn’t think that Agito would make a move on Ryuuga.
I was even being careful to not intertwine their stories…what’s the meaning
of this? Should he even be Tao’s vessel?
(Perhaps Agito wasn’t the protagonist of a ‘supernatural battle story. For

example, perhaps this is a ‘romance story’? In that case, he chose Ryuga as
the heroine…)
What bothers me is that Agito has a high fighting capability though…well,

perhaps it’s a romance story that incorporates fighting. That’s not uncommon
these days.
However, that’s honestly a problem.
Unfortunately, a “love story” only encompasses a very small, private scope of

the world. On the other hand, a “supernatural battle story” involves the fate of
mankind. The stakes are far too different.

(Anyways, I’ll check again with Ryuga for the details.
While thinking as such, I decided to ask her again while walking home with
her.
Ryuuga explained dejectedly while sighing many times. The grim face she
made completely negated her refreshing smile from this morning.
“When I came back from Shiori’s classroom and tried to sit down, Tenryouin
called out to me. I had a bad feeling when he talked to me…”
She no longer addressed him in a polite way. On the contrary, she referred to
him in a rather rude way.TLNRyuuga no longer attached any honorifics to his
name and also referred to him using “aitsu (あいつ)”, both of which are
impolite things to do to someone who’s still unfamiliar.
“I’ve already told you what happened after that. He told me that I was a
woman and that he wanted a date in exchange for not revealing that matter…
he’s no ordinary person if he was able to see through me in just a week.”
I honestly beg to differ. Recently, Ryuuga’s been letting her identity as a

woman slip out, freaking me out in the process. However, I didn’t want to
interrupt her, so I nodded along.
“So, a date…well normally, that would mean he’s interested in you.”
“I think that’s the case. I mean, he said it with this absurd smile. That gave
me the creeps.”
“S, smile? Agito smiled?”
I can’t overlook that.
That Agito smiled? Even though I couldn’t get him to smile at me yet? Even
though he wouldn’t smile no matter how big of a fool I made out of myself?
Is this the difference between how the protagonist and the supporting
character are treated…? Now I’m envious of Ryuuga. I want to see it. Show
me Agito’s smile.

“Hey, Ryuga. Just asking, did you happen to take a picture of Agito’s
smile…?”
“Of course I didn’t. I don’t take pictures of any boy other than you.”
I suppose I should’ve expected that. I wanted to set an image of his smile to

my phone’s incoming call screen. I’ve been changing it everyday with a
picture of Shizuma.
“Furthermore, he didn’t smile until he asked for a date. When I said ‘If
Ichirou is there with me, we can meet. Sorry, but we’re not going alone,’ to
him, his usual sour look returned.”
That sounds right. Agito asked Ryuuga out under the assumption that she’s a
girl. Her bringing a man along is nothing more than an insult.
(This is definitely going to ruin his impression of me, isn’t it…?)
This is a troublesome situation I’ve found myself in. A protagonist fell in

love with another protagonist.
Still, the two stories have already crossed over at this point. A date event
between the two protagonists has occurred.
Certainly, Tenryouin Agito has the characteristics worthy of being Ryuuga’s

lover. Perhaps there isn’t a guy more well-suited for her than him.
However, I’d like to avoid any further interaction between them if possible. I
want them to be separate.
(I’m already busy enough anyways. If Ryuga becomes the heroine of a

separate ‘love story,’ things will devolve into chaos.)
While I was thinking about such things, Ryuuga suddenly shortened the
distance between us as we walked together.
It was a distance unthinkable for just two guy friends. Her girl form came out
again…

“Ichirou. If Tenryouin tries to do anything fishy to me, make sure to protect
me. Sternly say that you’re my boyfriend.”
“No, we can’t reveal the fact that you’re a girl…”
“Then we have no choice but to say ‘We’re boys, but we’re dating.’ It’s
better than admitting that I’m a girl.”
That’s just going to give Agito some further doubts. That’s also going to give
Elmira further material for her novel.
“Ugh. This was supposed to be our date, and yet…I had to give Tenryouin
my email address. This is the worst.”
According to Ryuuga, Agito already sent three emails to her since this
morning.
I didn’t ask what he specifically wrote, but Ryuuga said that they were “some
kind of poetic, pretentious writing.” It’s clear that he was trying to make a
move on her.
“At this rate, there will be many more by tomorrow…well, I will

acknowledge his literary talent though.”
“I, is that so?”
“Yeah. However, I can’t show them to you. They’re private messages.”
…What is this pressing feeling inside me?
Could it be that I’m jealous? Over Ryuuga’s messages with a boy?
(I, I’m not mad or anything. If we’re talking about poem-like messages,
haven’t I gotten them from Aogasaki too?)
If I remember correctly, I think she wrote “The sixteenth night with its gentle
evening breeze, are you looking at the same moon as me?” or something like
that. That was the first time I had trouble coming up with a reply to a
message.

Anyways, tomorrow I’ll have to convince Agito to give up on Ryuuga. I’d
like him to choose a different heroine and work hard on his “love story.”
“Say, Ichirou. Are you…jealous right now?”
“Huh?”
I immediately froze upon her apparently reading my mind.
“Are you angry at that fact that someone approached your girlfriend? That is,
as my boyfriend?”
Upon Ryuuga looking up at me with eyes full of expectation, I racked my

brain trying figure out how to respond.
…It’s true that I don’t find this enjoyable. I can’t deny that Agito asking her
to a date through this method has lowered my opinion of him.
Arrogant protagonists aren’t bad, but using threats is a big no. I need to have
him reflect on this in the future.
“Don’t worry, Ryuga. I’ll make sure Agito gives up on you.”
“Really? You can convince him?”
“Yeah. Though, rather than doing it as a boyfriend, I’m doing it as a story

planner of some──”
“Kyaah~! I’m so glad!”
With a girl-like scream, the protagonist clung to my arm. At first glance, it

looked like a rash action, but it seems she did it after confirming that nobody
was around.
“To be honest, I secretly wanted this to happen. I wanted Ichirou to bravely

drive away someone trying to approach my weak self. Then afterwards, we
would grow to become even more lovey-dovey!”

Isn’t that just a cliche “love story”? You’re the protagonist of a “battle story,”
you know? While I’m at it, I’m fairly certain that you’re far from weak.
“I guess that I’m thankful for Tenryouin in an odd kind of way. Thanks to
him, you’ve gotten jealous. Even now, you’re being this clingy.”
“You’re the one who’s being clingy! Hey, get off! Don’t link your arm with
mine! You don’t know who could be watching!”
The road we walked along was the one Sebastian’s car drove through just
yesterday.
We can’t be negligent just because there are no pedestrians. There’s also the
danger of being spotted by passing cars or buses. The people inside would
see two boys flirting with each other.
“Oh right, Ichirou, how about we wear matching straps tomorrow? We can
use that to further convince him that we’re a──”
Ryuuga suddenly stopped in the middle of her eager proposal. She then let go
of me and kept herself a normal distance away.
There was a pedestrian up ahead. The person seemed like a huge monk
wearing a kasaya.
(Is this person asking for donations? Should I donate a hundred yen?)
As the figure approached, he was larger than I expected.
I think he easily surpassed one hundred and ninety centimeters. I couldn’t see
his face since it was covered by the conical hat he wore, but he rang a bell
while muttering what seemed to be a sutra.
(He looks quite tough…I can tell that he’s muscular beneath his clothes.)
Ryuuga and I moved aside to make way for him. As he passed by us, he took
five steps, and then…
“──Excuse me. This is out of the blue, but can I ask something?”

He called out to us from behind. When we turned around, we found that the
muscular monk stopped and looked at us.
“S, sure. What is it?”
Despite his intimidating build overwhelming me, I replied.
As for Ryuuga, she stood behind me and made a rustling sound for some
reason. When I looked at her, I found that she was trying to find some change
in her wallet. Perhaps she wanted to give something to the monk.
“Did you see…someone who looked like the Buddha around here?”
“Huh?”
I didn’t understand what he meant.
Someone who looked like the Buddha? Someone with a dot on their
forehead? Someone with a halo? Or perhaps, a dead body?
“No…nothing comes to mind.”
When I answered while confused, the brawny monk said “I see. My

apologies,” made a slight bow, and walked off. All the while, he was still
ringing the bell.
(Are people supposed to search for the Buddha by asking people around…?)
While I tilted my head to the side and looked at the monk’s retreating figure,
Ryuuga also stared at him over my shoulder.
“He left before I could offer him anything…what a strange monk.”
“Yeah. Maybe he was talking about you? Your golden aura isn’t too different
from a halo.”
“Don’t make me out to be the Buddha. I’m just a youthful schoolgirl, you
know?”

“Schoolboy, you mean.”
When the monk eventually disappeared from sight, we turned back around
and resumed walking. That was certainly a weird monk, but there’s nothing
we can do other than moving on.
At any rate, I need to focus on tomorrow’s date right now. I need to come
home early and ask Mion for an early allowance. I need to beg for her
charity.
“Come to think of it, Ichirou. How’s Shizuma doing? Is he safe?”
“Yeah. Last time, I had Tie bring a video camera. It seems that his
companions are increasing in number.”
According to his second report, a falcon apostle named Zelva became his
follower. It seems that Zelva is Mion’s close associate, meaning that a
commanding officer from each of the three princesses are now his followers.
“Really…? He’s more capable than I thought. At this rate, he might gain
control over the spirit world in no time. Perhaps I should write a letter next
time. I can tell him ‘Do your best.'”
“That would be nice. He would like that.”
After all, Shizuma had a case of puppy love towards Ryuuga. Now that I
think about it, she’s really popular with the guys…she’s caught the attention
of Agito, Shizuma, and Taotie.
(That reminds me, didn’t Tao call her a ‘looker’ this morning too? Does she
know that Ryuga’s a woman?)
While dodging Ryuuga as she tried clinging to me once more, I held my

fingers over my brow.
It’s only noon, yet I already want this day to end. I’ve frayed my nerves.
However…
At that time, I didn’t realize that tomorrow’s date would be even more

exhausting.

Part 2
It was the next day, Sunday.
After meeting up, Ryuuga and I made out way towards the station where
Agito would be.
The time was eleven in the morning. We would meet with Agito in around
thirty minutes. It seems that Agito agreed on going to the cake restaurant for
lunch and for our discussion.
“Listen, Ryuga. Sorry to say this, but you and Agito will be doing most of the
talking. I’m going to stay as quiet as possible unless I need to intervene.”
“What? You’re not going to give him a stern talking-to?”
Ryuuga, who had a displeased face, wore her school uniform despite it being
Sunday. Though, I was the same.
It was a measure I reluctantly took after Ryuuga said “I want us to be

matching.” Even though this was still some sort of date, she wore her usual
boys’ uniform…that’ll probably disappoint Agito.
“Of course, I’ll tell him ‘Give up on Ryuuga,’ when I have the chance.
However, Agito clearly sees me as a nuisance. He won’t listen to me if I try
speaking with him right from the get-go.”
That was made clear after his sharp gaze from yesterday.
Come to think of it, Agito asked me one question back when we first made
contact during PE. “Are you close with Hinomori Ryuuga?” were his words.
Perhaps he was conscious of Ryuuga very early on. However, since I’m the
friend character constantly by her side, I’ve been monopolizing her. That’s

my best guess for why he’s annoyed with me.
(Furthermore, since I’ve been constantly pestering him by acting like a

fool…I have a feeling that I’ve rubbed him the wrong way.)
I have an indescribable feeling of guilt. After all, I couldn’t predict that this
would happen. I just wanted to be Agito’s friend character.
While caught in my dilemma, the square in front of the train station came into
view.
(Only on Sundays are there so many people here…I hope we don’t come
across any familiar faces.)
The nearest station is called “Oumei Station,” holding the same name as our
high school. There’s a mall, shopping district, and business district around
the station, making it a fairly crowded place. It’s mostly confined around the
rapid train.
Originally, this place had been the battlefield of conflict against the “Evil
Spirits” many times in the past. Ryuuga told me that this place has a close
connection with the spirit world.
A long time ago, the Hinomori family thought that the spirit world was the
“underworld,” and called this place “Oumei.” However, citizens thought that
name brought a bad omen and so it was tweaked.TLNThis is a kanji thing. The
original “Oumei” stood for “near underworld” (近冥) while the current one
stands for “center of light” (央明), but both are pronounced the same way.
(If I’m not mistaken, hell is associated with the underworld…I didn’t know
that was how this place got named.)
As we made our way through the people coming and going, we soon arrived
at the meeting place.
Thereupon, we found that Agito was already there. Unlike us, he wasn’t
wearing his school uniform, of course.

He wore a long leather coat and a pair of black leather pants. He also had a
scarf, which was black as well, around his neck. He had the same fingerless
glove over his left hand and most of his fingers wore rings. They had
unsettling designs like skulls or pentagrams.
(Come to think of it, Agito is in a band. Judging from his attire, I guess he’s
going for a kind of rock band aesthetic…it doesn’t seem like he’s the type
make ‘afterschool teatime’ songs.)
With his usual poker face, Agito walked up to us. He didn’t even take one
glance at me, perhaps trying to act like I’m not there.
“Hi, Hinomori. I suspected this would happen, but it seems that you’re still
dressing as a man.”
“Of course. I am a man.”
Agito didn’t seem offended by Ryuuga’s blunt manner of speaking. In fact,

he spoke more than usual.
“You wanted the cake restaurant, right? A more high-class establishment

would’ve been fine though. I can pay.”
“No thanks. Ichirou will cover everything for me today. I let only Ichirou, my
dear best friend, do this──”
Someone soon interrupted Ryuuga as she emphasized her close relationship

with me.
“You bastard!”
A roar of anger came from within me.
Of course, it wasn’t me. It was Taotie. This idiot…I thought I explained it to

him last night!
(Hey, Tie! Stop it!)
“Who’s this meddling kid?! Ryuuga is mine!”

Since Taotie didn’t stop, I reluctantly had to lip-sync his words. I ended up
looking odd by shouting words of fury while making apologetic motions.
In confusion, Agito looked at me for the first time. Onlookers also looked at
me with confusion.
(Hurry up and calm down! Someone will report us! A police officer will take
me away and then Ryuga and Agito will be alone!)
“Bring it on! If someone tries to apprehend me, I’ll just beat this kid to death!
Then the date will be over!”
(Then my life will be over!)
I desperately held down Taotie as he attempted to manifest.
Suddenly, Ryuuga chopped my head with her hand. She then got close to my
ear and reprimanded the “Evil Spirit” while whispering.
“Taotie, do as Ichirou says. If you comply, I’ll dress as a bunny girl and serve
some iced milk.”
“Uh, really?!”
“Yeah. So be quiet today. You’ll cause me trouble if your temper goes out of
control.”
With an immediate “Okay!”, Taotie silenced himself.
I immediately slapped my cheeks and apologized to Agito.
“My bad, Agito. It seems that a vile phantom possessed me for a moment. It’s
just been exorcized, so don’t worry and carry on with the date.”
“…I don’t really care. I’ve already gotten used to your oddities.”
That’s a relief. Nothing surprises him. Fortunately, he seemed to think that I

was just being my usual foolish self.

(That ‘Stupid Evil Spirit’…he just suddenly exclaimed ‘Ryuga is mine,’
didn’t he?)
I don’t want to make any more blunders. I don’t want Agito’s opinion of me
to lower.
Keeping my lips shut like a shellfish, I followed behind the two like an
attendant.
…Before long, we arrived at the cake restaurant and we secured a four-

person table by the window without having to wait.
Ryuuga obviously sat next to me, so Agito sat on the other side. While we got
the usual small cake served on a plate, Agito only had coffee in front of him.
(Perhaps he doesn’t like sweets that much. If he just said so, I would have
gotten something else for him.)
While I was hesitating on whether or not to offer something else…
“…Now then, Hinomori. First off, let me ask directly.”
Agito suddenly spoke. He stared right at Ryuuga.
“Why are you pretending to be a guy? What’s your reason?”
“You’re still going on about that? I’m not pretending. I’m a guy.”
Ryuuga gulped down her cake as she replied while irritated. She was eating
more crudely than usual, likely trying to act like a guy.
“Well, I will admit that my looks might be on the feminine side, but…let me
ask you, why do you so strongly think that I’m a woman?”
“Here’s the first thing. I checked your family register. The Hinomori family
has an eldest daughter and a second daughter…both women.”
Ryuuga and I were astonished when Agito shamelessly declared that.

Is it that easy to look at someone else’s family register? Or rather, do people
normally go that far?
“Second, you don’t attend PE class. You supposedly have been visiting the
hospital because you were born with a weak body, but there are no records of
such a thing. You probably cooperated with a doctor to create that medical
certificate you submitted to the school.”
Is this level of investigation normal?
Confidentially speaking, Ryuuga’s medical certificate is indeed fake. The

local Oumei General Hospital is run by a family who’ve been acquainted
with the Hinomori family for a long time, and have provided some assistance.
It’s not strange for them to have a relationship since in Oumei town, apostles
are frequent. I’ve been there twice and received an apostle discount.
“And third, this is the most important one.”
“……”
“I, Tenryouin Agito, will never lust for a man.”
That last reason is completely subjective. Now we’re bringing lust into this
conversation.
I took a glance at Ryuuga and sure enough, she was taken aback. She was
obviously shaken from the receiving a “lust” fastball right after a “family
register” and “medical certificate” curveball.
“T, T, Tenryouin! What are you trying to say…?!”
“In my opinion, it would be absurd to think of you as a man. This is the first
time in my life that I’ve thought ‘I want to embrace this guy.’ So most
importantly…I need confirmation that you’re a woman.”
“L, like I said, I’m a man! I have that thing in my pants!”
“No, you don’t.”

“I do!”
“You don’t. You having a member is absurd.”
“I have it! It’s a very fine one at that!”
“Then take it out. Show me your member.”
“I won’t!”
Two handsome boys continued their phallic conversation in a cake restaurant

mostly occupied by women. I remained still and quietly listened.
Onlookers stared at us and whispered, but Ryuuga didn’t seem to care.
“There’s something wrong about your investigations! Besides, even if I was a

woman, I wouldn’t like a guy who snoops around!”
“Human feelings can changes. Even if one’s first impression is poor, that can
easily be overridden with a small trigger. That’s how men and women work.”
…As expected from a “romance story” protagonist (I think). His theory is not
entirely out of the question.
There are heroines who shun the protagonist at first by saying things like
“Who are you?!” and “I hate you!”, but gradually grow attached to them…
such things are common in love stories.
Basically, a pushy approach may work with girls. After all, it’s a common
trope.
“Hinomori, One day, you’ll fall in love with me. Oh right, let me invite you
to a live concert next time. Listening to my rhythms will make your body
tingle. That’s how female instinct works.”

Perhaps there’s no use trying to get through to him. Ryuuga, on the verge of
tears, whispered to me.
“Ichirou, help…this guy is definitely crazy…why is he so confident? His talk

of female instinct…is absolutely disgusting.”
“Ryuga, don’t diss the other protagonist.”
“Hey, now that it’s come to this, we have to say it. We have to say that we’re
going out. Maybe I’ll even tell him that we’ll move to Canada, where gay
marriage is legal, after graduation.”
“Wait. Don’t be hasty. I’ll help you out, so don’t force me to move to
Canada.”
At any rate, now would be a good time to intervene.
I’m not giving Ryuuga to Agito. I’m not going to let their stories cross any
longer.
(I need Agito to give up on Ryuga. In exchange, I’ll have to give up on being

Agito’s friend character as well. It’s a bit of a shame, but I can’t let this go
on.)
With a cough, I straightened my posture. Then, I turned towards Agito and

was about to firmly make my statement.
──That is, until I looked out the window. I saw a girl walking alone about
ten meters away.
“!”
Ryuuga probably couldn’t see the girl from her angle. Agito didn’t seem to
notice either and was only staring at Ryuuga.
So, I was the only one who noticed the girl──Yukimiya Shiori.
(Y, Yukimiya? No, that’s not right. That’s…Tao?!)

My reasoning was simple.
Yukimiya wouldn’t carry a patterned furoshiki wrap on her back. She

wouldn’t restlessly look around the town like that. She wouldn’t say “Whoa
there~, them’s some big buildings,” either.TLNFuroshiki are a type of
traditional Japanese wrapping cloth normally used to carry items
(She went outside without permission again?! Of all times, she did it now?!)
I can’t leave this matter alone. I need to secure this situation.
“Sorry! Excuse me for five minutes!”
When I urgently got up, Ryuuga responded with “What? What?” in a

confused manner.
“W, wait, Ichirou. Don’t leave me alone with Tenryouin.”
“Your story’s in a state of emergency. If you don’t want to talk to him, order
some cake and stall for time. I’ll be back until then.”
I persuaded a teary-eyed Ryuuga with a whisper and patted her head to cheer
her up.
Seeing that, Agito showed an expression of displeasure, but I didn’t bother

with him and made a mad dash out of the restaurant.
(I don’t have much time. I need to catch Tao and tell her not to move until
Renie comes to pick her up. Then I’ll immediately run back to the
restaurant!)
──I hope we don’t come across any familiar faces──
I wanted to slap myself for raising such a flag by making that thought earlier.

Part 3
“You there! Stop, Tao!”
It was only a minute after I left the cake restaurant.
In the middle of a shopping district, I spotted Tao’s back while she made her
way through a crowd of people, and so I shouted towards her.
As Tao flinched and stopped walking, I dexterously slipped through the

pedestrians and rushed over to her. I then dragged her by the hand to the side
of the road.
“I, Ichirou? Oh~, ya scared me. I thought you were a kidnapper.”
“Is there anyone who would even abduct an ‘Evil Spirit’?! More importantly,
why are you out?! I thought I told you that I would guide you around next
time!”
“Shiori’s sleepin’, so I thought now’s my chance…it’s all good. Like I said, I

ain’t goin’ to the school anymore.”
“You shouldn’t come to a busy street either! Actually, what is Renie doing?!
He’s not even supervising you!”
“I slipped away from him. Look, I got here alone by train, ya hear? Ain’t that
great?”
I felt a slight headache upon seeing Tao puff up with pride.
After asking her, it seems that a map of the town, a first-aid kit, and a
telescope are in her furoshiki. She’s a complete country bumpkin.
“Anyways, have Renie pick you up. Do you have a cellphone? You should

call──”
“Don’t wanna. I’m takin’ a look at the town.”
Tao puffed her cheeks like a child and turned the other way. The nerve she
has to make things so difficult. What a heinous “Evil Spirit”.
“Don’t be so selfish! The city is a scary place! If anything happens, you’ll

end up causing trouble for Yukimiya!”
“Then I wanna go to the arcade, at least. I’ll just head on home after checkin’
the photo booth and claw machine.”
“Ugh, the arcade…? You’ll really go home after that?”
“Yup. When I get another chance, I’ll have you show me ’round, Ichirou.”
If I reject her request, she’ll probably get even fussier.
Unfortunately, it seems I have no choice but to go along. However, I can’t be

absent from the cake restaurant for too long.
(I’d like to avoid using this tactic whenever possible, but…I’ll have to bite
the bullet.)
With that, I spoke in my mind to Taotie.
Immediately, a plain boy in my likeness manifested next to me while wearing

a school uniform. Judging from the way he looked at me, it seemed that he
knew why I summoned him.
“Tie, how far away can we communicate remotely?”
“Let’s see, about two kilometers away, I suppose. Any further and there will
be some interference. There will also be some delay.”
I wanted to point out the similarity of that to an overseas satellite

transmission, but decided against it.

There’s a large arcade on the second floor of an entertainment facility within
the business district. It’s not even a kilometer away and should have photo
booths and claw machines.
“Listen, Tie. Go back to the cake buffet and keep an eye on Ryuga. You
don’t need to say anything. If you speak, Agito will suspect you.”
“Roger that!”
“Also, you must inform me in detail about what’s going on. If things are
getting really bad, I’ll rush over there.”
“You can count on me! Beating that bastard to death will have to wait until
next time. I made a promise with Ryuga, after all. I’ll be quiet today, just as
she asked me to.”
Despite my slight unease, I gave Taotie a 5,000 yen bill.
The cake buffet costs 1,500 yen per person for each hour. That should be
enough to cover even Agito’s share.
That leaves only 2,000 yen on my end, but I should be able to manage.
(I can’t dawdle around. We need to head to the arcade at once!)
Tao said “I ain’t sure what’s goin’ on, but good luck~,” while waving her
hand to Taotie, who was entrusted with the protagonists. I then took her with
me and power-walked.
I wonder if this date will end without any problems…
I wonder if Taotie will short-change me…
About ten minutes passed.
Finally arriving at the arcade, Tao’s excitement immediately soared.

“A, amazin’! It’s like a dreamland!”
Tao gazed at the vast floor of the arcade, letting out voices of amazement like
“Wow~” or “Gosh~”. Since she had the appearance of Yukimiya, she looked
like a rich young lady inexperienced with the world.
(We were supposed to get here in five minutes, but we ended taking more
time…)
As for why, it’s because this “Evil Spirit” tried to enter each store she saw in
the shopping district.
Furthermore, she began to beg by saying “I wanna eat this crepe,” and “I
wanna eat this soft serve,” resulting in me having only 1,000 yen left.
These would probably be trivial expenses for a rich girl like Yukimiya, but
we can’t afford to take anything out of her wallet. Even if she doesn’t notice,
we shouldn’t spend her money without permission.
“Ichirou! What’s that there taiko thing?! I wanna try it!”
“Wait. I don’t have that big of a budget, you know? We should just get the
photo booth and claw machine over with already!”
“Ichirou! I wanna play that there racing game too! It’s even got a seat!”
“No! That costs 200 yen! That’s too much for me right now!”
While I was chasing Tao as she travelled all over the floor in excitement, I
remotely asked Taotie about the situation. I decided to check every five
minutes.
(Tie, what’s going on over there?)
(Tenryouin keeps talking. Also, Ryuuga ended up finding out that it was me.
I told her ‘Boss has been having diarrhea since the morning, so he has to
constantly make trips to the toilet.’)
(I would have preferred a better reason…well, whatever.)

(Also, it’s amazing how much Ryuuga’s eating. I wonder if she’ll gain
weight from eating all of this…I wonder if it’ll show when she wears her
bunny girl outfit.
(Stop her if she eats more than ten. Let me know if anything happens.)
(There’s one more thing. This chocolate cake is a work of art.)
(Is that so? Eat as much as you want.)
Cutting off communications for the time being, I led Tao by the hand towards
the crane machine corner. It may look like we’re on a date to outsiders, but I
was actually just leading the way.
“I’m gonna nab that giant tuna cushion. Now, time to shine!”
“I’m begging you, get it on the first try…!”
Tao moved the claw arm while eyeing the angle with a stern expression.
However, the moment the arm grabbed the giant tuna, it unfortunately fell
off.
“Good gravy, that didn’t work. This arm’s got zero grip.”
“Instead of lifting it, wouldn’t it be better to hook it onto the claw and drag it
into the hole instead?”
“Gotcha. Ya sure are like Kuroda Kanbee, a strategist.”
“I get that a lot.”
“That’s a compliment.”
After spending 500 yen, Tao succeeded in getting the tuna cushion.
Seeing her hug the tuna and yell “I done did it~!” while jumping around was
pretty cute, if only because she had the appearance of a beautiful girl.
Come to think of it, I wonder what Tao actually looks like…?

(Boss! We’re leaving the restaurant!)
Taotie informed me of an emergency. Seriously?! That’s bad!
(It seems that we’re going bowling! Ryuuga judged that it would mean
talking to Tenryouin less!)
(Bowling…)
There’s only one bowling alley in this area.
It’s on the third floor of this very entertainment facility we’re in. Perhaps this
is a stroke of good luck.
(I see. I’m in the same building, so go ahead and head over there. Once we
arrive, let’s swap places. How much money do you have left?)
(Tenryouin paid for himself, so I have 2,000 yen on me!)
If I have to pay for Ryuga as well, then I won’t have enough for more than
one game. There’s not much I can do about it now, but I really regret that Tao
had to be here today.
(I suppose I’ll sit out and focus on livening things up. There shouldn’t be a
problem if the two protagonists compete in a game of bowling.)
While I was trying to work out a plan…
Taotie suddenly cried “Ah!”
(That Tenryouin bastard tried to put his arm around Ryuuga’s shoulder!
Ryuuga dodged him though! She’s like a claw machine prize!)
Funnily enough, I could easily picture that scene. I just saw a tuna do the
same thing.
What a coincidental parallel.

Part 4
Ryuuga and the others arrived at the entertainment facility in about five
minutes.
Ryuuga and Agito took an escalator to the third floor, unaware that I was
observing from a hidden spot in the second floor arcade. Taking advantage of
the gap, I switched places with Taotie and exchanged our cash.
“Alright, Tie. Sorry to do this, but take care of Tao for me.”
“There’s only have 500 yen left?”
“Yeah. She’s been to the claw machine, so there’s only the photo booth left.”
“Bummer…why is it like this for us ‘Evil Spirits’…?”
Telling the dejected Taotie “I’ll buy you a video game next time,” I rushed to
the bowling alley on the third floor. I grieved over my tightening financial
situation.
Once I got up the escalator, I soon found Ryuuga. Agito seemingly went to
the restroom, leaving her to stand alone by a wall.
Once I approached her with an innocent look, Ryuuga saw through my

identity in a moment.
“Oh, Ichirou. Is your stomach okay?”
“Y, yeah. Sorry for leaving you back there, Ryuga.”
“You should be sorry. I was so worried. I had to hear to him prattle on about
some incomprehensible music talk…Rei might like those metal songs
though.”

“I have another thing to apologize about, Ryuga. To tell the truth, due to
circumstances beyond my control, my wallet is awfully empty. Is it alright if
I just watch you guys bowl?”
“Is that so? Then, how about I cover the costs? You can pay for me when the
two of us go on a date next──”
Suddenly, Ryuuga stopped speaking. It seems that something popped into her
mind.
“Oh, let’s do this.”
“Do what?”
“Let’s have a game against Tenryouin with the both of us as a pair! If we do

that, we only take up the fee for one person!”
“No wait, you see…”
“We can drive away that nuisance through the bond of lovers! Let me check
with the reception if we can do it! While I’m at it, I’ll sign us up!”
Ryuuga rushed towards the reception desk with haste.
She also called Agito a nuisance.
Though, I can’t help but feel that I’m the nuisance here…
Ryuuga’s proposal was feasible, turning the bowling game into a two-on-one
match.
“I don’t consent. If we’re forming pairs, Hinomori and I should be on a team.

This just kills my motivation.”
Agito was quite dissatisfied with the proposal. He wanted to pair up with
Ryuuga as badly as I wanted to pair up with him during PE class.

“I already signed us up, so no complaining. Now then, I’ll do the first turn!”
With neat movements, Ryuuga immediately got a strike.
I eagerly applauded and Agito also seemed impressed.
“Hmm, just as I expected from my promising woman.”
“I’m a guy.”
Ryuuga sat beside me while sticking her tongue out. Stop that, Ryuuga.
You’re making yourself look like a girl.
…After that, the game proceeded without a hitch.
(As expected of the protagonists. They’re faultless, even when it’s just a
recreational activity.)
I was astonished seeing Ryuuga and Agito get strikes each time. Yet at the
same time, I was constantly worried about the arcade on the second floor.
(I wonder if Tie and Tao are getting along well…? If I remember correctly,
when ‘Evil Spirits’ see each other, it would normally result in conflict.)
Well, the circumstances have changed since the old days. Taotie also
mentioned something the other day. He said that it was basically Hundun,
Qiongqi, and him who had a bad relationship. Tao wasn’t really part of it.
“…Tenryouin is putting up quite a fight. I originally wanted to beat him by

leaps and bounds.”
When Ryuuga whispered into my ear, our touching shoulders in the process, I
stopped zoning out and nodded along.
Agito was about to enter his seventh turn and still hasn’t missed once. In
other words, he scored six consecutive strikes…also known as a six pack.
Though, it was the same with us.
(Since it’s my turn next, I wonder if I should make a mistake soon…I feel

bad for Ryuga, but I am a friend character. A gutterball might be overdoing
it, so I’ll just knock down a single pin.)
That’s my special technique, a “hair trim.” Normally, I would have Ryuuga

win by even a single pin, but since I’m paired with her, I have no choice.
While I’m on this topic, knocking down three pins is called a “mohawk.” I
am a “bowling beautician” who can freely produce such results. During
middle school, I polished up my technique while making a pro bowler out of
a kid named Kisumoto.
(It’s not like there’s anything at stake with this game. I can just give this win
to Agito. That should cheer him up a bit.)
While I was forming my wicked scheme, I heard Taotie’s voice inside my

head.
(Boss! It’s an emergency! This is bad!)
(W, what happened, Tie?! Did you run out of cash?!)
(Not that! Yukimiya woke up! Yukimiya turned into Yukimiya and sent back
Tao!)
I didn’t understand what he meant for a second, but soon understood.
…Why now? Why did Yukimiya have to come out at this time?! She’s
definitely going to be confused! She won’t know why she’s in an arcade!
(I understand! I’ll head over there! Swap places with me again!)
After telling Ryuuga “My stomach’s getting worse again,” I made a beeline
for the arcade.
For some reason, my stomach actually started to hurt.
I passed by Taotie on the escalator, entrusting him with the third floor, and

headed towards the second floor myself.
Sure enough, Yukimiya stood in front of a racing game cabinet with a

dumbfounded look. She carried a furoshiki on her back and held a giant tuna
cushion in her arms.
“Y, Yukimiya! Are you alright?!”
“Kobayashi…?”
As I rushed over, the “Shrine Maiden of Life” stared at me and let out a
voice. Just as I thought, she didn’t seem to know what was going on.
“Um, where am I? Why am I here…?”
It would currently be unwise to tell her everything.
I’ll reveal Tao’s existence once the situation calms down.
Telling her the truth would also mean telling her about Sebastian’s true
identity. That being the case, I need to consult Renie in advance and get his
permission.
So, I reluctantly decided to bluff my way through for now.
“C, come on, Yukimiya. You came here to the arcade with me, didn’t you?
You said that you wanted to use the claw machine.”
“Arcade…? I said that? To you?”
Yukimiya, who naturally had no memory of such a thing, stared at the giant
tuna cushion she held to her chest. After about ten seconds, she looked up at
me while seeming to contemplate something.
“Kobayashi, Recently, I’ve been…strange.”
“S, strange?”
“I’ve frequently been having gaps in my memory, like you see now…This is

actually the main reason why I’ve been absent from school, it’s not just
sickness.”
So she also knew that something strange happened to her?
I suppose she can’t help but worry about that. Now that it’s come to this, I
should just tell her the truth as soon as possible. Keeping this up indefinitely
will only harm Yukimiya’s body and sanity.
“Kobayashi, I’m scared. I feel like someone I don’t know is inside me…”
Yukimiya clutched my sleeve tightly and spoke with a weak voice.
I tried to answer her in a calm tone to dispel her fear.
“Yukimiya. The truth is, I know. I know what’s happening to you.”
“Wha──”
“Of course, I planned on telling you when the time was right. However, that
requires a bit of preparation…so I’d like you to wait two or three days if
possible.”
“You know what’s happening to me…?”
Yukimiya sat on a chair nearby, repeating my words. I held the furoshiki and
tuna for her.
“Yeah. This is something Ryuga and the others don’t know yet. All I can say
now is that it’s nothing to be frightened about. I’ll take responsibility and
figure about how to handle the situation.”
“……”
“I will definitely solve your problem. So, can you place your trust in me?”
“…I understand. If that’s what you say, then I’ll comply. You are my
‘exclusive advisor,’ after all.”

Seeing Yukimiya nod, I felt relieved. She’s a much better girl than the “Evil
Spirit” dwelling within her.
For a moment, I was worried about what would happen, but perhaps it’s good
that Tao withdrew. Now I can give Sebastian a call and have him pick her
up…or at least I thought.
“Well, the gal sure gave me a scare. Shiori woke up out of nowhere.”
Yukimiya suddenly spoke in an inelegant way. Furthermore, she sat cross-

legged on top of the chair.
“Hey! Don’t come out!”
“Well, even if I do the switcheroo here, the most it’ll do is just confuse her. I
oughta take responsibility and send her home.”
“What are your true intentions?”
“We ain’t done the photo booth yet.”
Tao’s careless smile made me feel dizzy.
(Boss! Another serious matter!)
Tao informed me of another emergency, this time at the bowling alley.
(What now? Did Ryuga succeed even with the ‘hair trim’?)
(Not that! The four gods! Aogasaki, Elmira, and Kurogame happened to
come to the bowling alley! Tenryouin’s surrounded by women!)
(Wha…)
That’s definitely a serious matter. I didn’t think that the main characters on
Ryuuga’s side would gather here!
(Furthermore, they looked at me and said ‘Huh, Taotie?’ to my face! My

cover’s been blown completely! Ryuuga’s delighted to see everyone arrive!

Tenyrouin’s super-pissed!)
(I’ll head over there at once! Let’s swap places again!)
After telling Tao to stay still, I dashed towards the escalator once more.
I want to go home already.

Part 5
“Hey, Kobayashi. I didn’t expect to meet you in a place like this.”
“Didn’t you just head to the restroom? That was pretty quick.”
“Ii, let’s have a showdown! Us three against you three!”
Once I swapped with Taotie and came to the third floor, sure enough,
Aogasaki, Elmira, and Kurogame were there.
According to them, it seems that they arrived here about an hour earlier and
already did a game of bowling. While they were in the middle of discussing
whether they should continue, they spotted Ryuuga.
“Everyone, let me introduce this guy again. This is Tenryouin Agito, the one
who transferred into my class. Of course, you should know him already,
Elle.”
As Ryuuga spoke, Agito glanced at the heroines with a sour expression.
Yeah, it’s obvious that he’s displeased. That’s the face of someone
witnessing three nuisances enter the scene.
I know that they’re a troublesome bunch, but they are the proud heroines.
Don’t be so unfriendly.
“Oh, you’re the rumored transfer student? I am──”
Aogasaki was in the middle of her usual serious greeting until…
Agito cut her off.
“No need to introduce yourselves. Aogasaki Rei, Elmira McCartney,

Kurogame Rina…like it or not, there have been rumors about you all. That
includes Yukimiya Shiori as well.”
The heroines were perplexed for a moment, but exchanged glances and made
bitter smiles. They’re probably aware of their status as school celebrities.
Thereupon, Ryuga decided to take control of the conversation and struck her
palm with her fist. Taking advantage of the heroines appearing, she smiled
and made a proposal to everyone.
“Alright, how about we go with what Rina suggested, a three-on-three game?

Is that alright, Tenryouin? You and Ichirou will be my partners.”
Agito grudgingly nodded his head. It seems that he gave up on being able to
play a game with Ryuuga alone. I was there the whole time though.
…So with that, a new game began.
“Kurogame, stand your ground! This may be a game, but I will not accept
defeat!”
“Wow. You’re like a demon sergeant, Elle.”
Despite scratching her cheek in uncertainty, Kurogame got a strike. It was

like a fireball pulverized the pins.
Thereafter, Agito, Aogasaki, Ryuuga, and Elmira naturally scored straights as

well. It was definitely high-level bowling.
(This is going well. If I do it right, I should be able to play this for laughs.
After five ‘buzz cuts,’ a long-awaited ‘hair trim’ would make for a good
scene.)
Since this was a six-person game, there was a fee for me as well. In the end, I
had to rely on Ryuuga to cover me.
In return for the protagonist’s kindness, I must enliven this place!
“Alright, it’s my turn next. Now then, watch this. I’ll land a splendid strike.”

With a daring expression, I calmly reached towards a ball. The build-up was
perfect.
…However, another unfortunate event occurred.
(Boss! There’s more trouble!)
Taotie communicated with me while he was in the arcade. What an untimely

“Evil Spirit.”
(What?! I was just getting to the good part! Can’t it wait for a bit?!)
(Mion and Kiki came to the arcade! It seems they’re here to stay!)
Why is it today that everyone I know has to gather here?! Why this
building?!
(They know that Tao’s in control of Yukimiya’s body right now, and they’re
pretty shaken! They just took a picture at the photo booth, but their faces
seem pretty stiff!)

It seems that this color illustration doesn’t actually correspond to any specific
line of text. The quote above is taken from a previous section of the chapter
before Mion and Kiki even appear (“A, amazin’! It’s like a dreamland!”).
This illustration best fits here though.
(Ugh…I’ll head over there at once! Switch places again!)
Sadly giving up on my “hair trim,” I scored a strike. I have no time to play

the fool. I need to head to the second floor immediately.
“Oh. Not bad, Kobayashi. You landed a splendid strike, just like you said.”
“Wouldn’t this normally be the moment where you jinx yourself? I mean, the
circumstances pointed towards it.”
“That’s right, Ii! You need to go with the flow!”

The three heroines’ comments pained my ears.
Switching places with Taotie on the escalator, I rushed towards the arcade.
“…Oh, Ichirou! Where have you been?!”
“Baron Ichirou! You need to take care of the ‘Evil Spirit’!”
Mion and Kiki, both tired from dealing Tao, clung to me.
Tao herself was currently enjoying the racing game she showed interest in
before. It seems that Mion had to pay.
“Why is Taowu in the arcade alone? What’s Renie doing?”
“Leaving Taowu alone when she’s new to today’s times makes him a failure
as her associate!”
Once Tao got a game over, she got off of the arcade cabinet’s seat. She then
turned towards us with a smile and scratched her head.
“That was harder than I thought. I was way down yonder at last place…By
the way, Mion and Kiki, callin’ me ‘Taowu’ ain’t cute, so I hope y’all can
stop doin’ that. I want y’all to call me Tao. Makes us sound more familiar.”
“S, sure. My apologies, Tao…”
“Okay, Earl Tao.”
The Hokkaido wolf girl called her “Earl.”
Perhaps she felt uneasy calling a “female Evil Spirit” with the title “Baron.”
She probably doesn’t mean anything by doing that, but…that would put her
at a higher rank than Taotie and me.TLNThe word for baron (男爵) has the
character for man (男) in it.
“Mion, thanks for dishin’ out the cost for the game.”

“N, no, there’s no need to be so thankful.”
“By the way, where’s Jyuri at? It seems she ain’t here.”
“Jyuri has a beauty appointment to go through…I can summon her at once if

you wish.”
“That ain’t good. The three princesses are Tie’s subordinates. Enough of that
though, we still oughta have a good time with just you two! Let’s do that
taiko game next!”
Yukimiya Tao pulled Kiki by the hand. It wasn’t a scene the main characters
should see.
(Give me a break, it seems that this won’t end with just the photo booth and
claw machine…)
I reluctantly explained the situation to the heron girl beside me.
Once I told her that Ryuuga and the others were bowling on the floor above,
my excellent associate soon grasped the situation. She’s definitely bride
material.
“I see. Tao’s tour and the date with Hinomori Ryuuga you mentioned
yesterday are overlapping. So, you’ve been dealing with it by switching
places with Taotie.”
“That’s right. So Mion, could you keep Tao company for a bit? If you’re the
one handling this, I won’t have any worries.”
“Is it alright spending everything on games? Kiki’s here too, you know?”
“Yeah. Put this under our entertainment expenses. Also, could you lend me
some extra cash? I’m already flat broke.”
“That’s fine, but…you won’t get any allowance next month, okay?”
“Can’t you take it out from our entertainment expenses?!”

“No. This money is for your own leisure, isn’t it? Furthermore, you’re using
it for Hinomori Ryuuga’s crew.”
“……”
She’s definitely bride material. I’m once again reminded of that fact.
(Boss, bad news! There’s another problem!)
Taotie made an emergency call for the umpteenth time.
(Again…? What now?)
(Some crude human arrived and picked a fight with Tenryouin! ‘You’ve got
so many women around you, aren’t you lucky?’ is what the stranger said!)
What the hell. Don’t tell me a delinquent’s fighting Agito!
(I’ll head over right away! Listen, no matter what you do, don’t knock out the
delinquent! Do not go on a rampage!)
(I know. I don’t want to help Tenryouin anyways. Also, I’m starting to feel
pretty tired…)
(Me too! There’s nothing we can do though!)
I quickly took 2,000 yen from Mion and rushed to the third floor.
Ryuuga and Agito’s date has almost fallen apart.
I perfectly timed the moment and switched with Taotie as he travelled down
the escalator.
“Boss, Can’t I get some rest? Mion and Kiki are down below, aren’t they?”
“Mion says that she’s worried and wants you to be there. Hold out for just a
bit longer.”

“Ugh…today is a bad day.”
Sympathizing with Taotie, who complained as he went down to the second

floor, I ran up the escalator. I can’t slack off. Agito’s getting into a fight with
a delinquent…or so I thought.
Fortunately, the issue resolved itself quickly.
It seems that the supposed delinquent was Agito’s acquaintance.

Furthermore, there was only one person, a high school girl.
“Hey, lady-killer. Did you already make a harem right after transferring to
your new school? Karma’s going to strike you down soon.”
“I don’t recall ever making a harem before. They’re all here for other
reasons.”
The wild girl laughed loudly while putting her hand on Agito’s shoulder.
Judging from her over-familiar attitude, it seems that they know each other
well.
(C’mon, I got worked up over nothing…)
Well, it doesn’t seem that she’s a girl with a pure appearance. Her hair was
silver, her uniform was tampered with, and she had tan skin. Her neck, arms,
and legs were outfitted with jewelry.
She’s probably one of those kuro gyarus. Though upon closer inspection, she
seems quite beautiful and her figure is nice as well…what a shame.TLNA
gyaru is someone associated with popular Western fashion trends, tanned
skin, dyed hair, and/or excessive use of makeup. Kuro gyarus are a type of
gyaru who focus on dark tans.
(I’ve never seen that uniform before. What school does she go to? Does
Agito know her?)
Ryuuga’s team and I sent looks of confusion.
With a blank expression, Agito introduced the kuro gyaru in a businesslike

manner.
“This is Shima. She’s a guitarist in my band.”
“Nice to meet you. Don’t worry about me. I’m just here to ask Agito for
cash.”
With a wink, Shima smiled at Agito. I see, so she’s Agito’s band member?

Considering that Agito acknowledges her, she might be an insane guitarist
despite her appearances. What kind of band has its members extorting each
other for cash?
“Though this time, you’ve got more pretty ladies with you than ever. Also, is
that a guy?”
Ryuuga nodded in response to Shima.
I inadvertently glanced towards the “Swordswoman of the Beheading

Dance.” She also looked at me and slightly shrugged her shoulders. Aogasaki
is one of few people who know Ryuuga’s true gender.
(Come to think of it, I could have talked to Aogasaki about Agito. Together,
we could have brainstormed measures to make him give up on Ryuga…I
don’t think including Kurogame would add much to the discussion though.)
While thinking about how I would talk about this with Ryuuga later…Shima
continued speaking to Agito. She’s friendlier than I thought.
“Hey, you three. A word of advice, it would be better for you to give up on
this antisocial oaf. Aren’t those two guys over there good-looking?”
After saying that, Shima walked towards me for some reason.
I can understand it for Ryuuga, but I’d prefer if she didn’t call me “good-
looking.” I silently complained that her words were not a compliment for a
friend character.
Suddenly, Shima grabbed my shoulders.
“In particular, this guy here is my type. He might seem plain, but I think I can
get used to him…say, why don’t the two of us go somewhere?”
At that moment, Ryuuga, Aogasaki, and Elmira were irked.
Kurogame looked at her companions in confusion as they radiated with

anger.

“W, what are you doing?! You’re touching him! With your lumps of fat!”
“That’s right.”
“Stop that shameful act! If you don’t move away from him, I will consider
you an enemy!”
“Haha. Could it be that this guy’s your favorite?”
Elmira and Aogasaki both hesitated to say anything else.
This was a complicated situation for me as well. I don’t think the two
protagonists will like me for this…
“That’s enough, Shima. Leave already.”
Agito handed over two 10,000 yen bills while seeming annoyed. I’m grateful
for the help, but isn’t that too much?
Shima said “Thank you,” quickly turned around, and left. I guess she was just
teasing me. This is just an estimate, but I think they were a size
90F.TLNThat’s a size 40F in terms of US bra sizes
“Excuse my band member’s behavior. Now then, let’s continue our game.”
Agito switched topics as if nothing happened. Ryuuga and the others

reluctantly returned to their game.
(At the very least, I’m glad that nothing troublesome happened.)
I decided to focus my attention on bowling…but things didn’t go as planned.
I heard Taotie’s voice inside my head. He was about to cry.
(Boss, this is bad! Tao’s got an amazing score in the taiko game! The only
thing she’s super-good at is this taiko game!)
(What kind of news is that?! You don’t need to report that!)

(But people are gathering around her! There are even people taking videos!)
I immediately rushed towards the arcade to keep Tao under control. I also
broke up the crowd around her.
(Boss, this is bad! There’s this threatening aura between Tenryouin and
Aogasaki! They both like metal music, but it seems their hobbies conflict!)
I immediately rushed towards the bowling alley to calm down Aogasaki. I

apologized to Agito.
(Boss! Tao assembled an entire gathering through this rhythm game she’s
playing! There’s a crowd around her again!)
I immediately rushed towards the arcade to keep Tao under control. I then
banned her from playing rhythm games.
(Boss! Kurogame broke a bowling ball! It broke after she headbutted it as a

joke!)
I immediately rushed towards the bowling alley to keep the tortoise under
control. I then cleaned up the debris.
(Boss! Kiki’s shaking a claw machine! She can’t get a Spectacle Man
monster figure and she’s losing her temper!)
I immediately rushed towards the arcade to keep Kiki under control. I won
the figure for her.
(Boss! Panties! Elmira’s panties were visible for a brief moment when she
threw a ball! They were surprisingly polka-dotted!)
I immediately──didn’t rush to the bowling alley. That’s no emergency.
“…Ichirou, are you alright? You look like you’re at death’s door.”
Mion looked at me in worry while I was laying down on the arcade floor. I
can’t go on, I’m going to die from exhaustion.

However, it should be over soon.
Tao seems satisfied and the bowling game is already over…Ryuuga said she
had to return home by evening, so she didn’t plan on visiting any other place.
“I’m alright, Mion. I don’t think there will be any more──”
(Boss! The bill! I’m out of cash!)
I mustered the last of my strength to run towards the bowling alley.

Part 6
At any rate, despite the complications…my mission was over.
“Now then, Hinomori. I’ll see you again at school.”
Once we left the building, we parted with Agito. The heroines were checking
out a bookstore, so Ryuuga and I were the only ones returning home.
I asked Mion and Kiki to send Tao home prior. Taotie already withdrew back
into my body and was snoring. It seems he’s quite tired.
(Good grief, what a terrible day…)
After leaving the giant crowd in front of the station, Ryuuga and I walked
home. She was silent the entire time, perhaps tired as well. She’s been
looking down while lacking in energy.
…In the end, I couldn’t tell Agito to “Give up on Ryuuga.”
The truth is that I couldn’t find an opportunity to do it after leaving the cake
buffet, but that’s only going to come off as an excuse. I was ready to open my
mouth and apologize to Ryuuga.
However, Ryuuga mumbled something before I could speak.
“…Ichirou, you know how we split the bill among everyone back there?”
“Y, yeah.”
“At that time, Tenryouin said something to me. ‘I want you to be my lover,’
were his words.”
So he finally confessed? It seems that he doesn’t want to recognize Ryuuga

as a guy.
“Of course, I refused him right then and there. I replied with ‘I’m not going
out with a guy.’ I also told him ‘Even if I was interested in the same gender, I
would only consider Ichirou.'”
I think it would better if she didn’t say that second part…but I shouldn’t
criticize her.
Ryuuga was probably just trying desperately to make him give up on her.
“After that, Tenryouin said ‘Then I’ll settle this with Kobayashi.’ Sorry
Ichirou, I got you involved in this mess again.”
“No, that’s fine. That means Agito will be coming to me, not you. That’s
works in my favor.”
Prior to now, I was worried that if I tried doing anything, he would tell me
“This is a matter between Hinomori and me. Don’t interfere.” With this, I
now have a pretext to intervene.
(Actually, if this ends up turning into a confrontation…wouldn’t that make

me an important character in Agito’s story?)
Honestly, being a protagonist’s love rival is a heavy task.
Normally, that role would be for a stylish, high-spec ikemen who can
compete with the protagonist. Winning against a shabby guy like me would
yield no sense of accomplishment.
“Ichirou, you can’t lose, okay? Don’t let Tenryouin win.”
“Yeah. Leave it me.”
I don’t know what kind of competition Agito’s going to do, but I have to win.
Ryuuga’s fate depends on it.
Now that Yukimiya’s episode has begun, I can’t let Agito get involved
anymore. Anyhow, I need to at least deal with Ryuuga’s situation.

Thereupon, Ryuuga suddenly looked up at me.
“Say, Ichirou. I don’t really want to say this, but…”
“What?”
“When Tenryouin said ‘I want you to be my lover’…I felt my heart beat a bit
faster.”
“You what?!”
Upon my immediate shock, Ryuuga hurriedly shook her head and waved her
arms.
“I, I don’t mean that in a weird way, okay? I was just shaken since it was the
first time someone confessed to me! It would’ve been better if you were the
one who said that! It was just female instinct!”
“Don’t use Agito’s words.”
“I’m not going to be disloyal! You’re the only one for me! Even if you’re a
boyfriend who abandons his girlfriend after a case of diarrhea!”
It seems she didn’t like the fact that Taotie and I had to switch places.
“Here, we’re going on another date on Sunday, just the two of us. Make sure
your stomach’s okay this time!”
“Then can it wait until two months from now? I have zero allowance next
month…”
“I can’t wait that long~! Oh, one more thing! You let Shima cling to you in
front of your girlfriend, you know? Her chest even touched you!”
“Yeah. She had quite the assets.”
“Why are you so lecherous?! I’m the only one who gets to flirt with you!”
When Ryuuga said that and clung to my arm, I didn’t push her away.

After all the trouble today, I need some aftercare. Thanks to her, I can feel a
bit of my energy returning.
“Tenryouin should just go out with Shima. She seems pretty cute and
sociable. Isn’t she perfect for him?!”
“No, right now, kuro gyarus don’t really make for heroines…”
“You shouldn’t judge people by appearances. Girls have many sides they
keep hidden. Someone who looks like a charming guy may turn out to be a
very self-indulgent girl.”
“And she may also turn out to be a girl who mutters ‘Ahn, ahn’ from
Hebizuka’s pleasurable massages…”
“I, I don’t say ‘Ahn, ahn’!”
Ryuuga turned bright red and puffed her cheeks. Suddenly, a golden little
dragon appeared on her shoulder.
Apparently, it reacts whenever our fabled protagonist gets mad. It let out a
golden aura and growled at me.
“Hey, don’t let the’ Yellow Dragon’ out! You’ll look like the Buddha with a
halo!”
“I don’t say ‘Ahn, ahn’! Also, his name is Ron!”
I entered a narrow alley to avoid public attention and calm down an irate
Ryuuga while Ron gnawed on my head.
(At any rate, the highest priority right now is to tell Yukimiya about Tao. I
need Tao to reconcile with Yukimiya first before she can reconcile with
Ryuuga and the others.)
Tao gave me Renie’s mobile phone number before. I need to make

arrangements with him, even if I have to call him in the night.
Thereupon, I felt a trickle of blood drip down my forehead.

Then, I felt another trickle.
Hey, Ron. Don’t bite me that hard. Let’s not make a graphic scene.

Part 7
Yukimiya suddenly regained awareness and realized she that was on the bed
in her room.
As soon as she shook off her grogginess, her memory gradually came back to
her. She was certain that she was in the arcade at some point. She
remembered talking to Kobayashi Ichirou there.
(My consciousness faded again after that…did Kobayashi perhaps bring me

back? If not, did he call Sebastian over…?)
She straightened up and reached towards the telephone near her bedside so
that she could summon Sebastian. The phone had a direct line to his room
next door.
However, before she could pick up the handset…
There was a knock on her door. Then, she heard the familiar voice of her
butler saying “…Miss, are you awake?” to her.
“I just got up. Come in, Sebastian.”
“As you wish. Excuse me.”
After replying, Sebastian opened the door, bowed, and entered the room. He
then walked towards Shiori and politely bowed again.
Though he’d been with her for seventeen years, he never failed to maintain
his manners as a butler.
Though Shiori respected him for that, she felt it was a bit isolating at the
same time.

“Miss Shiori. Are you feeling well?”
“Yes, I’m fine. More importantly, there’s one question I’d like to ask,
Sebastian. What did I──”
“In that case, with all due respect, there is something I would like to tell
you.”
Shiori held her tongue in response to Sebastian’s calm, but imposing words.
She had a feeling that this was the first time he ever interrupted her.
“This may be sudden, but I, Sebastian Renie──am not actually a human.”
“…Huh?”
“Furthermore, depending on the situation, I may have to resign.”
Shiori couldn’t understand what he meant.
“Sebastian, what are you saying…?”
“Miss Shiori, this is hard to explain, but…it will be difficult for me to

continue as Sebastian.”
“Please, wait. Explain in a way I can understand.”
“I have──a lord more important that you. For my lord’s sake, I’m willing to
use you and perhaps even eliminate you.”
“Lord…?”
“Yes, I’ve been serving you for the sake of my lord. For that reason, I’ve
endured the humiliation of working under a human up until today.”
“……”
Shiori couldn’t understand. Was the person in front of her really the graceful
Sebastian?

“Sooner or later, Taowu’s longstanding grudges as an ‘Evil Spirit’ will
rekindle. She has only just woken up, so she hasn’t remembered yet. When
that time comes…you and I will battle. Our fates will be determined, then.”
Sebastian began to slowly speak.
He spoke about his true identity.
He spoke about the “individual” inside Shiori.

Chapter 4: Dear My Host Girl

Part 1
“Oh, did that really happen today? Must have been tough, Sonny.”
“In those kinds of situations, you could have asked me, Jyuri, to come over.”
I was at the dining table that day. I complained about today’s disastrous
events to the non-participants, Hundun and Jyuri.
It was already eight pm. Dinner took place a little later than usual. Since
Mion sent Tao home, cooking preparations were a bit delayed.
“It really was tough. Tao kept getting game overs immediately, squandering
more of our budget than I thought…”
“I had to praise her playing skills, and that was difficult.”
Mion sighed while Kiki chuckled. That’s probably because she got to play a
lot of games with Tao and also got a monster figure. It was the plant monster
Plantria.
(I’m dead tired. I’m going to bed after eating and taking a bath. Oh, before I
do that, I need to give Renie a call…)
The heron girl breathed a sigh of surrender while I ate up my meal.
Suddenly, the doorbell rang.
“Huh? What an odd time. Is there a delivery?”
“It’s okay Mion, I’ll answer the door. It might be a door-to-door salesman.”
The king cobra daughter stood up and held back the heron daughter, who was
about to head towards the door.

Indeed, if it’s a door-to-door salesman, Jyuri would be the best person to deal
with them. Mion would just kick the person out while shouting “You’re a
bother!” while Kiki would immediately say “We’ll buy it.”
Since Jyuri works as a school nurse, her communication skills are a cut above
the rest. Making good use of her conversation skills and charm, she even
managed to convince a salesman to clean out the drain in front of our house.
…However, an incident arose only a few seconds afterwards.
Jyuri suddenly let out a panicked voice from the front door.
“W, what did you come here for?!”
Hundun, Mion, Kiki, and I all exchanged glances at once.
Having a bad premonition, I promptly headed towards the front door. For
caution’s sake, I had Hundun withdraw back into me. Unlike Taotie, he can’t
be more than three meters away from me.
“Hey, Jyuri. What did──”
I halted my words the moment I arrived at the front door. It seems that my
gut feeling was right on the mark.
Standing outside the door was neither a door-to-door salesman, nor was it a
delivery man.
It was a beautiful girl who had long, straight, beige hair and wore an Oumei
High School uniform…Yukimiya Shiori.
“Y, Yukimiya…”
“Kobayashi, I apologize for coming her without warning…it seems the three
princesses are here with you today.”
“Huh? Oh, r, right! They happen to be here!”
Taking advantage of her misunderstanding, I had her enter the home.

Mion and Kiki stared at the “Shrine Maiden of Life” as she entered the living
room.
I offered Yukimiya a cushion to sit on and sat facing her on the opposite side
of the table. Mion brought some tea, but she only gave a slight bow and
placed her hands on the ground.
“What? I didn’t poison it, you know?”
“N, no. That’s not it.”
“I can also give you something to eat.”
“No thank you. It’s not that I’m wary, I just don’t think I can eat or drink
anything…”
For a while, Yukimiya kneeled down on the floor in silence.
…I have a rough idea as to why she came here.
It’s obvious from her intense stare. It seems that some sudden truth has come
to light for Yukimiya. Something about her condition.
“Yukimiya, if it’s hard to speak while the three princesses are here, do you
want to take this conversation somewhere else?”
Yukimiya glanced at the generals behind me, but shook her head.
“No, it’s fine. This might concern the three princesses as well.”
──From there, Yukimiya Shiori started telling us about the events that
transpired an hour prior.
Sebastian, or rather Rikushou Renie, told her everything.
“…Honestly, I still can’t process it all yet. The ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu is already
a shock for me, but I can’t even begin to believe that…Sebastian’s an
apostle.”

Yukimiya bit her lip while clutching her skirt. She looked worse than I had
ever seen her, and I could tell that she was exhausted.
(Renie, what in the world are you planning? Why did you reveal it all to
Yukimiya so quickly without consulting me?)
Such a hasty act goes against the well-being of both Tao and Yukimiya.
That’s not something a loyal subject would do. It’s not something befitting of
a butler either.
“Kobayashi, those frequent gaps in my memory are…because of Taowu,

right? I couldn’t ‘convert’ the ‘Evil Spirit’ like you did, and my
consciousness was taken over, just like with Kyouka in the past…”
“…Yeah, that’s correct.”
“Does Taowu plan on using me as a vessel to rule the human world?

Sebastian could be following orders as a subordinate…”
“No, that’s not it, Yukimiya. Tao…err, Taowu doesn’t intend to harm you or
even humanity. Didn’t Renie tell you that?”
“Sebastian only mentioned this briefly, but…he said that the longstanding
grudge of the ‘Evil Spirit’ will rekindle.”
Renie, what are you seriously planning?
Well, if he plans on making Tao the final boss, I’d be grateful of that.
However, Tao doesn’t want that. It’s quite troublesome for me since I can’t
force her into it.
“There’s another thing Sebastian told me. He wants me to decide between

abandoning my role as the successor of the ‘White Tiger’ or my role as
Taowu’s vessel. He’ll fight me depending on my answer.”
Tears welled up in Yukimiya’s eyes. She leaned forward, pleading for my

help through her eyes.
“Kobayashi, what should I do? I’m so confused and──”

At that moment, Yukimiya suddenly stopped speaking. Her crying suddenly
turned into anger as she stood up with a shout.
“Lemme get a word in! I ain’t forgivin’ Renie!”
Tao appeared. Judging from her words, it seems that it’s only now that she
knows the situation.
“What a crook, actin’ like a watermelon thief and makin’ my landlord cry!
I’ll hand him over to the namahage!”
“Hey, Tao. Withdraw for a bit. I need to speak with Yukimiya.”
“Ichirou! I also wanna speak with Shiori! I wanna undo this

misunderstandin’!”
“That might be hard to do…”
“I wanna get along with Shiori! I wanna have her know that! Shiori’s in such
a pitiful state right now!”
I folded my arms while trying to figure out what to do. Suddenly, a loud
voice arose from behind me.
“Hey, Sonny. If you want Tao and Yukimiya to have a conversation, I’ve got
a good method.”
When I turned around, there stood Hundun, a large middle-aged man with a
beard. He carried my father’s personal video camera.
“It should be simple with this thing, right? What a convenient invention by
humans.”
“…You mean we should record video messages?”
“Sure. It’s faster to watch Tao herself speak than to have bystanders relay
what she said secondhand, right? Seeing is believing.”
Before I could reply, Tao shouted “Let’s do it!” and cheerfully raised her

hand.
“If we use that, I oughta be able to talk with Shiori! Good goin’ there, Dun!
You’ve got the blue intellect of the ruler Dessler’!”TLNThis seems to be a
reference to Space Battleship Yamato. Dessler is the leader of an alien race
who launched an attack on Earth in the series. He has blue skin.
“I don’t think him being blue has anything to do with his intellect.”
…Well, it’s not a bad idea.
Tao can hear Yukimiya’s voice, but Yukimiya can’t hear Tao’s voice.
However, that problem goes away with video messages. The messages are
immediately accessible to Yukimiya as well.
I can’t leave Yukimiya in a state of panic and worry.
At any rate, Tao and Yukimiya reconciling is top priority right now. Since
Renie already revealed himself, there’s no need to arrange things with him.
When I sent a glance of approval, the “Middle-Aged Evil Spirit” nodded and
said “Okay.”
“Then it’s set. Hey Tao, sit here. Let’s start now.”
“H, hold up!”
Tao halted Hundun as he was setting up the camera. She quickly took out a
hand mirror and began to adjust her bangs.
“Aah, if I knew this would happen, I woulda put on some makeup. It’s
embarrassin’ sayin’ hello to Shiori with my bare face…”
“Um, isn’t she just going to see herself? You have the appearance of
Yukimiya, right?”
“I shoulda put on some chest pads. Oh, Mion, lemme borrow two bowls. I
oughta boost my chest!”

“You don’t need to do that! You’ll worsen your relationship with her!”
After calming Tao down, we began her “video message recording.”

Part 2
“And action!”
Hundun turned the camera while the three princesses and I watched.
Now that I think about it, it seems that this uncle has taken a liking to video
cameras. The memory card contains footage of Shizuma in the spirit world
and of the three princesses’ struggle with the cockroach. I really hope he
doesn’t accidentally erase the card.
“Ah…um, let’s see ‘ere…”
Tao froze with fear in front of the camera. Her eyes darted around and she
mumbled.
(This won’t work. If Yukimiya sees this, she’ll be more worried.)
I immediately took a felt-tip pen to a sheet of paper, wrote “Start with an

introduction!”, and held it up. Next to me, Mion made a gesture telling her to
relax.
“I, it’s a pleasure to meet ya…I’m the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu. Call me Tao.
Today’s a fine day, the season’s calm as autumn passes, and it’s around this
‘ere time that the summer heat’s just a memory. The rice harvest is abundant
this year, a fruitful autumn──”
I immediately wrote down “Too long!” and showed it to her. Next to me,
Mion wrote down “Move on to the next subject!” to her.
“Umm…Shiori, I’m mighty sorry for usin’ your body without your
permission. I got excited after revivin’ for the first time in three hundred
years. So…oh, that’s gotta be the underground monster Berberon.”

Tao suddenly made an incomprehensible statement.
When I looked around, I found that Kiki was holding up a drawing of a

monster. It was a drawing for Shizuma and one that the bobbed-haired girl
was proud of.
“Hey, Kiki! Don’t show her anything weird!”
“What’s weird about it? It’s my work of art.”
“I know! I’m sure it’s great!”
After restraining the Hokkaido wolf apostle, who had shown off Berberon
with a grin, I lifted up a cue card with “Focus on your harmlessness!” written
on it.
This is the main subject. Yukimiya’s impression of Tao should change upon
seeing her as a pleasant character.
“Shiori, I dunno what Renie said to ya, but I ain’t gonna be bad in the human
world no more. Hopefully, we can be pals. Of course, that includes Hinomori
Ryuuga and the rest too.”
Mion, Jyuri, and I made the “OK” hand gesture.
“Shiori, ya must be havin’ trouble usin’ your supernatural abilities right now.
As for why, the ‘White Tiger’ Byatoran is emotionally unstable ’cause of me.
But it ain’t nothin’ to worry ’bout. Things should return to normal soon. So
look forward to Episode 11, ‘Spectacle Man’s Dilemma! The Glacier
Monster’s Assault!'”
She was doing fine up until she said another odd sentence.
I saw Kiki holding up a cue card with a notice of the next Spectacle Man
episode written on it. She often practices her writing by copying subtitles to a
sheet of paper.
“Hey, Kiki! I thought I said not to show her anything weird!”

“The glacier monster is Ujaranga, of course. It can spit out freezing gas.”
“I know! It’s sixty meters long and weighs twenty thousand tons!”
…For now, I should stop the camera and have Yukimiya watch the footage.
Once Tao withdrew, Yukimiya immediately looked around with a blank

stare. After briefly explaining the situation, I asked her to watch the video
message.
“A message for me from the ‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu…?”
“Yeah. She wants you to know that she’s not an enemy. She spoke her
thoughts to the camera. So why not take a look?”
“…I understand. If that’s what you say.”
“Much appreciated, Yukimiya. Also, don’t worry about the Spectacle Man
stuff in it.”
After receiving the video camera from Hundun, Yukimiya stared at the video
through the tiny screen, holding a stiff expression. She then played Tao’s
message.
“T, this is me…”
It was big shock to Yukimiya upon seeing herself speaking with a dialect.
Once the message was over, she kept silent for around twenty seconds before
looking at me with a serious face.
“Kobayashi, If I speak to Taowu right now, will she be able to hear me inside
my body?”
“Y, yeah. I think she can.”
Thereupon, Yukimiya straightened up, said “Well then,” and began quietly
speaking to herself.

“‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu…actually, I suppose I should call you Tao, shouldn’t I?
If you really do plan on co-existing with humanity──will you let me
‘convert’ you? Once that happens, we should be able to meet face-to-face,
like with Taotie and Hundun, right?”
…Yukimiya was taking the situation surprisingly well.
She has a point. Taotie and Hundun are able to manifest because I
“converted” them.
The ‘Evil Spirit’ has been taking over Yukimiya’s consciousness and body
because that hasn’t happened yet. Even Kyouka was only able to speak with
Hundun after he “converted.”
Tao reappeared after hearing Yukimiya’s words. Hundun once again pointed
the camera towards her.
“Shiori, thanks for the reply. About what ya said…unfortunately, ‘Evil

Spirits’ can’t ‘convert’ themselves. It depends on the landlord’s mental
strength.”
Tao bowed her head apologetically. I noticed Kiki in the frame as she walked
around in the background.
I showed the video to Yukimiya once she returned. Fortunately, she didn’t
mind the bobbed-hair girl walking around.
“Kobayashi, how did you ‘convert’ Taotie and Hundun?”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t really know myself. It seems that I automatically,
rather than deliberately, overpowered them…”
“Does that mean I don’t have the mental strength to overpower an ‘Evil
Spirit’…?”
Despite her slightly disappointed look, she still spoke to Tao with a firm
expression.
──So for a while, the host and “Evil Spirit” spoke to each other through this

odd method.
“Tao, I won’t give up on ‘converting’ you. I will definitely train my mind and
try to control you. Is that alright with you?”
“I ain’t gonna mind if it means staying with ya, Shiori.”
“I will continue fighting the ‘Apostles of Hell’ with my companions. Of

course, we’re aiming for reconciliation, but as long as the ‘Evil Spirit’
Qiongqi threatens people, we will interfere using brute force. Is that okay
with you?”
“Sure. If Qiong’s bein’ bad, I’ll help ya out, Shiori.”
“Then I have an answer for Sebastian. I will not abandon my role as the
successor of the ‘White Tiger.’ However, I will not abandon my role as Tao’s
vessel either. If you’re dissatisfied with that──then that makes us enemies.”
“So cool, Shiori! I knew you were fit for a landlord! Of course, I’ll be your
ally! Byatoran and I will help ya out!”
“…Thank you, Tao. Talking with you has relieved a bit of my stress. I’ve
made my decision.”
“I’m glad I could talk with ya too!”
“I thought you would a more terrifying ‘Evil Spirit,’ but…let’s take our time
and talk things out. Also, let’s discuss about when you should come out.”
“T, thank you! I love the arcade! There’s a tuna cushion in your room, right?
That’s my present to ya! Also──”
Yukimiya chuckled upon seeing the last message.
Things are looking good. It seems that the video letter tactic was a huge
success. I didn’t expect these two to reconcile so quickly…Hundun, I have to
give you credit where credit is due.
(I suppose this is also because of Yukimiya’s amnesty. Come to think of it,

every now and then, Yukimiya speaks like a cool guy…)
Perhaps she will eventually “covert” Tao and wield both her and the “White
Tiger” at the same time. That would be interesting.
“Say, Ichirou. There’s something on my mind.”
The heron girl suddenly nudged me with her elbow.
“What is it, Mion?”
“Couldn’t we have just let them talk in writing rather than through video?”
“……”
That completely slipped my mind. You should have said that sooner.
Despite Mion undermining Hundun’s achievement, Tao was still delighted.

She held Kiki into her arms and spun around.
At a glance, it was a surreal sight to see the “Shrine Maiden of Life” playing
around with the leading enemies. This scene should probably go to the
cutting room floor.
“I’m so glad! I’m gonna talk more and more with Shiori, then we’ll be pals!”
“Congratulations, Earl Tao. Let’s go to the arcade again.”
“Let’s go bowlin’ next time!”
“Good idea. I like making the ball roll.”
…Thereupon, Jyuri, who had disappeared before I even noticed, returned

carrying a dessert tray. It seems that she temporarily took on Mion’s role and
peeled an Asian pear in the kitchen.
“Tao, you’ve done plenty today. Now then, eat up.”
Jyuri smiled, but Tao seemed cautious. She immediately let go of Kiki and

carefully observed the Asian pear.
“You didn’t…poison this, did you?”
“It’s you, small-chested girl! When did you switch back?!”
“Just now! Who are you calling a small-chested girl?!”
“If you’re done with business here, then go home! Being in a boy’s house at
this time is a big problem, you know?!”
“You’re acting as Hebizuka at your own convenience again…driving me out

is the same as driving Tao out!”
“You’re the one acting as a host when it’s convenient for you! Have a bit
more self-awareness!”
As usual, the two didn’t get along well.

Part 3
A bit of time had passed.
Yukimiya was returning home for the day, so we both left my house. She was
going to take a taxi home and I decided to accompany her to a large roadway.
“Yukimiya, shouldn’t we have Renie pick you up? I don’t think Tao will let
him harm you.”
“It seems that Sebastian applied for a one week absence starting from today.
After telling me everything, he left the residence.”
“R, really?”
“Yes. Furthermore, I don’t know how to…face Sebastian. So, I’ll head home
myself.”
Even now, Yukimiya continued to refer to Rikushou Renie as Sebastian.
It seems that while she made up her mind about Tao, she hasn’t sorted out
Renie’s case yet. That’s understandable. She’s referred to Sebastian as “part
of the family” before.
“Kobayashi, thank you so much for today. I’m glad that I came to you instead
of thinking over this alone. I was even able to talk with Tao.”
“In retrospect, communicating through writing probably would have worked

too…but, perhaps it was the right decision to do it through video. You got to
know Tao’s nature, right?”
“Yes, I didn’t think she would be such a down-to-earth ‘Evil Spirit.'”
Yukimiya made a smile and shrugged her shoulders. Her face, illuminated by

the streetlights in the night, was breathtakingly pretty. Her complexion was
much better than when she came.
“As you’ve suggested, I think we’ll exchange notes starting tomorrow. It’s a
bit of an incredible feeling exchanging a diary with an ‘Evil Spirit.'”
“Is that so? I’m sure Tao will be happy too.”
There still are a lot of problems remaining, but it’s good that Yukimiya’s
smile returned.
Thinking that I should use this opportunity to make a request of my own, I

decided to start a new conversation.
“Say, Yukimiya. I have one more suggestion.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Once you get to know Tao a little better, I think you’ll eventually have to
tell Ryuga and the others. Though, that may not go so smoothly.”
“I suppose you’re right. Since Tao can take over my consciousness at any
time…the situation’s different from Taotie’s and Hundun’s.”
However, there’s no time to wait for Yukimiya to “convert” Tao. I’m worried
that at worst, it could take months or even years for her to get “converted.”
For that reason…I’ve been thinking about exhausting Tao’s power. Having a
battle take place will complete part three and will also align with Renie’s
interests.
“So how about this, Yukimiya? This may be a bit of a wild method──一but
how about Ryuga’s team and Tao fight just once?”
“Huh? W, why…?”
When the “Shrine Maiden of Life” halted and stared at me, I began to explain
in a hurry.

“No, I’m not trying to seal Tao. It’s just that I remembered something.
Kyouka was able to ‘convert’ Hundun because he lost a large amount of
power.”
“……”
“Using up strength in a battle will greatly weaken an ‘Evil Spirit.’ If the same
happens with Tao…wouldn’t you have a chance to ‘convert’ her?”
“You may be right, but…isn’t there a more peaceful method? Can’t we

explain the situation to Hinomori and the others, and then have a mock
battle?”
“What worries me is whether a sparring match can exhaust her energy.

Furthermore, would Ryuga and the others hold back after knowing that──”
We were in the midst of talking.
Suddenly, there was the sound of a bell.
Yukimiya seemed to hear it as well and we both looked around. Before we

knew it, we were in front of the cemetery.
“Am I hearing things? Was that a bell just now?”
There was another chime before Yukimiya finished her sentence.
This time, the source was clear. It came from five meters ahead, the cemetery
entrance.
(I’ve heard this bell before…)
A certain memory flashed into my mind. Just yesterday, Ryuuga and I came
across a large, muscular monk who was asking for donations.
He was a strange, imposing monk who asked if we saw someone who looked
like a Buddha.
As we listened carefully, the sound of the bell gradually grew louder.

Furthermore, we heard the sound of footsteps approaching from inside the
cemetery. Personally, I don’t have very fond memories of this cemetery.
(Even if we try to pass by now, we’ll come across each other in front of the
entrance. I suppose that all we can do is wait…)
Just in case, I had Yukimiya step back.
Sure enough, the giant monk suddenly appeared in front of us.
“!”
I had feeling this would happen, but my eyes still widened from it.
The reason was that the monk had a “companion.” That person was someone
I’ve seen before.
“S, Shima…?”
That’s right. It was the kuro gyaru I met at the bowling alley just today. The
guitarist in Agito’s band and the wild high-schooler who extorted money
from him.
“Hey, we meet again, Kobaichi. It seems we’ll be playing around this time.”
Shima smiled and closed one eye. She was quite calm while the monk stood
next to her in front of the cemetery.
“Actually, the one we have business with is the ‘White Tiger’ girl over there.
Though, perhaps we really are bound by fate, Kobaichi?”
“You have business with Yukimiya?”
With our brief exchange, I had an idea of what was going on. At the same
time, I felt dejected.
──What kind of pair was this mismatching “black gyaru and monk”?
──How does Shima know my name when I didn’t even introduce myself to

her?
──How do they know about Yukimiya’s guardian deity?
──Why is there an ill will coming from them?
The answer is that those two are “Apostles of Hell.” That explains it all.
“…Shima. Actually, is it alright to call you that?”
“That’s fine. I hate formalities.”
“You two are Qiongqi’s subordinates, right? Tell this to your boss, ‘You’re
now the final boss of part four, so withdraw for a bit.'”
“Haha. You’ve got some guts, Kobaichi. That’s something Qiongqi likes.”
In a split second, the kuro gyaru’s and monk’s bodies changed.
Shima’s entire body was suddenly covered with yellowish-brown fur and she
grew a tail from behind. She had a flexible, feline figure. Her fur also had
some black spots…was she a cheetah type?
As for the monk, his giant body grew even larger. He had black armor around
him, a short horn protruding from his forehead, and a long one on the top of
his head…it seems he’s a beetle type.
The two, who had turned into peculiarities, reintroduced themselves.
“I am one of ‘Hell’s Top Eight,’ Banshou Shima. Nice to meet you.”
“…I am Kaishou Saihiru. I am also one of the top eight.”
I already anticipated this after witnessing the strength of their ill wills, but it
seems they really are generals.
This is very problematic. Not only in terms of the present situation, but also
in regards to the story.

This cheetah apostle is…one of Agito’s band members. I thought she was a
character in the other story, but she turned out to be an “Apostle of Hell.”
(Another crossover…? Now that it’s come to this, I have to change my

understanding. That is, my understanding of Agito.)
Actually, I had this underlying feeling for a while.
──Could it be that there is no story with Tenryouin Agito as the protagonist?

Was he a character involved in this story from the start?
(In that case, I can understand his supernatural ability. Could Agito be one of
the top eight…? No, I shouldn’t focus on that right now. Right now, a battle
could start at any──)
At that moment, Yukimiya suddenly kicked the ground from behind me. She
nimbly jumped over a concrete wall nearby and landed into the cemetery.
“Kobayashi, let’s handle this in the cemetery! There shouldn’t be anyone in

there at this time!”
I immediately followed suit without responding.
I can’t afford to leave her. Right now, Yukimiya can’t use her supernatural
abilities.
(I have to hold out right now. This isn’t a situation befitting of a friend
character, but…I have to protect Yukimiya until Ryuga and the others
arrive!)
While following Yukimiya from behind, I took out my phone to contact

Ryuuga.
Suddenly, a black silhouette appeared next to me as I ran. It seemed to be

Shima.
“Wha?!”
“Haha. You’re too slow, Kobaichi. You can’t throw me, Shima, off you

know?”
As expected of a cheetah apostle, she was quick on her feet. Perhaps she
would be even faster if she didn’t have her jiggling (estimated) F-cups.
“I can win in a race, both in the spirit world and human world. Give up.”
“Guh, you!”
I tried to ram into her while running, but Shima dodged my charge. It seems I
can’t make her trip either.
“Heehahahaha! Nothing you do will work!”
“Then take this!”
When I reached for her breasts as a last resort, the cheetah apostle screamed
“Gah!” and took a big leap forward. I immediately ground to a halt and faced
Shima as she glared at me.
It seems that we already outran Yukimiya at some point. A pair of idiots, we

were.
“…Hey Kobaichi, that wasn’t cool. I’m still a girl, you know?”
Shima objected with a hateful glare while turning red up to her ears. That was
an unexpected reaction.
“It was bound to happen. In the first place, you were the one who pressed
them onto me at the bowling alley. Your breasts, that is.”
“It’s different if you’re trying to grab them!”
“I had to do it so that I could stop you. I’ll admit that you’re lightning fast.
I’ll also praise your chest for its elasticity.”
“Shut up! You better take responsibility by being my boyfriend!”
Shima shouted, revealing her fangs. Thereupon, Yukimiya finally caught up.

A little while later, Saihiru came as well.
At an intersection surrounded by tombstones, we faced the two generals. The

rhinoceros beetle apostle had quite the build, but seemed quite slow.
“Now, how about we split our shares? I’ll play with Kobaichi and then as
planned, you devour the main course, Yukimiya Shiori. What do you say,
Saihiru?”
“Shima, you ran too far. I advise against your thoughtlessness.”
Their aggressive ill wills continued to intensify.
In addition, I sensed many ill wills approaching from all sides. It seems that
they brought their troops.
(Even with a light estimate, there must be thirty of them…under normal

conditions, Yukimiya could seal the enemies’ movements with her Kagura
suzu.)
However, I can’t expect her to do that right now. Nor can I hope that she uses
her “Tree Binding Execution” on them either.
(Are we completely surrounded? It was a mistake coming to the cemetery…

no, with Shima here, escaping would be impossible anyways.)
Ordinarily, this situation would be an absolute crisis. If this were a dark story,
it may be possible that…Ryuuga would rush in to find two tragic corpses on
the floor.
However, that won’t be the case. Because Kobayashi Ichirou is here.
Though it was against my will, I have two “Evil Spirits” with me. In fact, it’s
the opposing side that will face an absolute crisis.
(Though, I want to avoid annihilating the enemy. I have to bring Ryuga here
as soon as possible…the problem is whether that quick-footed cheetah will
give me the chance to contact her.)

While I tightly grasped the phone in my pocket, Yukimiya stared at the two.
“You called me the main dish. Did Qiongqi order to…erase the successor of
one of the four gods, the ‘White Tiger’?”
Shima laughed loudly in response to Yukimiya’s question.
“Heehahaha! That’s not it, you know? You being Taowu’s vessel is more
important than being the host of the ‘White Tiger.'”
While Yukimiya and I gulped, Saihiru continued the conversation.
“Capture Taowu’s vessel, Yukimiya Shiori, or destroy her…those are our

orders. Taowu likely can’t use her full strength right after waking up. That’s a
prime opportunity.”
“Furthermore, Taowu’s quite the fool, isn’t she? So, the one who should
withdraw isn’t Qiongqi, but Taowu, don’t you think, Kobaichi?”
…What the hell. Qiongqi knew about Tao’s resurrection? Furthermore, he

even knew that she had no intentions of threatening humanity!
(How did he know? Only a small portion of people know this information.)
The ones who know about this are me, Taotie, Hundun, the three princesses,
Yukimiya herself, and──
(Was it Sebastian?)
He’s the only possible one who could leak this information. It has to be none
other than Rikushou Renie.
(Could it be that the orb-weaving spider butler turned Yukimiya over to

Qiongqi? In other words, he turned Tao over to Qiongqi?)
As if to confirm my suspicions, the rhinoceros apostle spoke with a deep

voice. Looking closely, there was a band of prayer beads hanging from his
neck. It seems he’s a monk character through and through.

“Taowu’s associate, Renie, grieved about the status of his lord. So──I lent
an ear to him.”
Saihiru’s words surprised me. I then remembered Sebastian’s false

nationality.
Could it be that the “Buddha-like person” the monk looked for was…Renie?
Did he mean to say a “French person”? There’s a limit to how far you can
confuse words!TLN“Buddha-like” and “France” kind of, but not really, sound
similar in Japanese.
(To think that he asked the protagonist about his companion’s whereabouts
out in the open…!)
While I was grinding my teeth, the apostles began to appear in succession

and surrounded us.
A beast-like one, an insect-like one, a fish-like one…with a gathering of

peculiarities at a cemetery night like this, an outsider might think that this
was a “youkai sports gathering.”
(Tie, you understand the situation, right? I’ll protect Yukimiya, so please take
care of Shima and Saihiru.)
When I spoke to Taotie using our remote communication, I immediately got a

reply. Good, I don’t know what I would do if he was still sleeping.
(Leave it to me! Still, that delinquent girl was Shima, huh? I’ve never seen
her human form at all, so it completely evaded me. She even got a tan.)
After the “Evil Spirit” made his carefree statement, another “Evil Spirit”
entered the conversation.
(Hey, Sonny. Let me fight instead of this useless guy. His body’s growing
dull.)
(W, what?! You’re butting in again, Hundun! Recently, I’ve been having
fewer opportunities to shine! Think about my fans!)

(You have no fans. Here, how about a fair game of rock, paper, scissors?)
(You’re on! I’m going to go with rock! If you pull out paper, you’ll lose,
okay?!)
The “Evil Spirits” began a game of rock, paper, scissors inside me. They had
no sense of tension.
(Alright, rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! Draw! Draw! Draw!
Guh, this obviously isn’t working…in that case, let’s settle this with a word-
chain game! Alright, apple!)
The “Evil Spirits” started a word-chain game inside me. I wanted to knock
some sense into them.
(Goal!)
(Roomba!)
(Bilingual!)
(R, Romania!)
(Thirties-Idol!)
(Unfair, Hundun! You keep using ‘ru’ words!)TLNThe words in Japanese

were Ringo – Gooru – Runba – Bairingaru – Ruumania – Arasaaaidoru
“Either of you, get out here now! If you guys keep this up, neither of you will
have fans!”
I shouted in a fit of anger.
Suddenly, Yukimiya soundlessly took a step ahead of me.
The “Shrine Maiden of Life” surveyed her surroundings and then finally
stared at Shima and Saihiru. The aura around her had obviously changed
from before. She even had a black aura around her. Could it be?

“…Ya’ll tryin’ to lay a hand on my landlord?”
She spoke with a dialect. It was Tao.
Shima’s and Saihiru’s expressions immediately changed. They immediately

exercised caution and were on guard.
The surrounding apostles also stepped back in a wave. Their faces were all
tinted with fear.
Before long, the silhouette of a woman appeared from Yukimiya’s back.
“In that case──I ain’t forgivin’ ya’ll.”
Tao declared war before I had a chance to do anything.

Part 4
Tao’s manifestation was the same as Hundun’s.
She was above Yukimiya’s head like a lamp, as if to look down at her
opponents. With the exception of Taotie, ‘Evil Spirits’ cannot operate
separately from their hosts.
(So this is Tao’s battle form…)
My first impression upon seeing her was “young ghost girl.”
Her face was hidden behind strange, long, and black hair. However, her eyes
peeked through the gaps in her hair, sending an ominous, glowing glare.
She had an abnormally slim body and wore a thin, black dress. Her arms,
long and narrow like dead branches, drooped down and swayed.

(That’s surprisingly scary! She looks more like Sadako than an ‘Evil
Spirit’!)TLNSadako is the girl from The Ring.
A giant, three meter tall Sadako at that. She’s not as large as Hundun, but she
was intimidating in her own way. Like the peculiarities around us, she fit in
with the cemetery.
Her usual graceless character completely deceived me. Now her dialect is
even more unfitting. Perhaps she would be better off not speaking.
“Shima, Saihiru. Ya’ll were such bad kids?”
Sadly, Tao spoke the same way as usual.
Below her, Yukimiya stood lifelessly as if her soul had escaped her body.
Perhaps it’s some kind of trance state, similar to how it was with Kyouka
before.
“With all due respect, Taowu. Our boss right now is Qiongqi.”
“When several ‘Evil Spirits’ awaken, apostles have to choose which lord to
serve…that’s our code. I hope you understand.”
Tao’s ill will amplified in response to the generals’ excuses.
“I see. Then, I oughta punish ya’ll.”
Immediately following, Tao’s long hair stretched and swooped down on

Shima and Saihiru as if it was alive.
While it narrowly missed the cheetah apostle, her hair bound the rhinoceros
beetle apostle’s body.
Having been caught, Saihiru’s body was lifted into the air before being
slammed into the ground with a tremendous force.
“Gah!”
“Haha. So that’s how it’s gonna go?! I didn’t think I’d see the day where

we’d face an ‘Evil Spirit’ in single combat!”
With a speed my eyes couldn’t keep up with, Shima rushed towards the host,
Yukimiya, in a suicide attack.
Tao seemed to have predicted the cheetah apostle’s action. Her long, right
arm acted like a lash that intercepted the charging opponent.
However, Shima also predicted the “Evil Spirit’s” move. She changed
directions in an instant and cut Tao’s black hair into pieces using her sharp
claws. She aimed for the strands of hair holding Saihiru down.
With the binds weakened, the rhinoceros beetle apostle tore off the remaining
strands himself and broke out. Despite the force of impact he took, he was
mostly uninjured. That’s some impressive armor.
“Hey, Saihiru? Are you alright?”
“No problems. It seems Taowu hasn’t completely regained her strength…and

it’s also possible that she isn’t fully accustomed to her vessel.”
“Haha. Then things should work out if we keep it up, right? I’m getting fired
up!”
“However, the difference in power is clear. I advise against negligence.”
“Who would be negligent against an ‘Evil Spirit’ for an opponent?! I could

die at any moment!”
“Also, you mentioned ‘single combat.’ That normally means a one-on-one

fight. Since there are two of us, this isn’t single combat. I advise against such
fallacies.”
“Always stuck up about the small details!”
Shima and Saihiru turned back to Tao.
…I know you guys are concentrating on Tao right now, but aren’t you
forgetting about me?

Just as the rhinoceros beetle apostle said, this isn’t a case of single combat.
I’ll be a little late to the party, but I should participate as well.
(I can’t bring Ryuga here anymore now that Tao has come out. If she meets
Tao in this situation, things will definitely get complicated.)
Unfortunately, we’ll have to take care of this matter ourselves. If I cooperate

with Tao, I should be able to repel fifty percent of the enemy forces.
(Chinese onion!)
(Kyouka! S, shit! That was the first thing that came to my mind when I
thought ‘kyo’!)
The “Evil Spirits” finished their word-chain game.
Hundun lost. It seems that his strong affection for Kyouka was his undoing.
Though technically speaking, he was supposed to respond with a word that
starts with ‘yo’, but he lost anyways, so it doesn’t matter.TLNThe words in
Japanese were Rakkyo -> Kyouka-tan. If a player says a word that ends with
-n, they lose. That’s why Hundun immediately regretted saying “Kyouka-tan”
“Okay, you’re done, right?! Come out, Tie!”
I immediately gave Taotie the order to manifest. However…
(N’Djamena!)
They ended up continuing their game. Taotie responded with the capital of
the Republic of Chad, a country in central Africa.TLNAs you can probably
guess, N’Djamena (ンジャメナ = njyamena) starts with an “n” in Japanese.
(S, shit! I accidentally blurted out what I learned on TV yesterday!)
(Gahaha! You fool! Though, it’s fine. Sonny’s getting tired of waiting, so I’ll
let you have this one for now. Nasi goreng…there, I lose──)TLNNasi goreng
(ナシゴレン = nashigoren) ends with an -n in Japanese. If you’re wondering,
it’s an Indonesian dish.

(N’Djamena!)
(I said that’s enough! Chinese citron! There, I lose──)TLNYou guessed it,

Chinese citron (夏みかん = natsumikan) ends with an -n in Japanese
(N’Djamena!)
(Do you just want to say N’Djamena?! If you say the same word twice, you
lose!)
(You should try saying it as well, Hundun. It’s kind of fun to say.
N’Djamena.)
(Oh? N’Djamena, N’Djamena.)
(N’Djamena! N’Djamena!)
(N’Djamena! N’Djamena!)
“How long are you guys going to take?! I’m in the middle of a battle right
now! Hey, listen to me! Don’t start an alto and soprano duet!”
It happened right when I yelled at the N’Djamena choir.
There was a sudden change among the surrounding apostles.
“Secret Sword! Slash Royale!”
With the shout of a gallant woman, a tornado engulfed the peculiarities.
“Secret Arts! Flamework Concerto!”
With the shout of a dazzling woman, a crowd of will-o’-the-wisps burnt

down the peculiarities.
“Secret Fist! Boneshell Knuckle!”
With the shout of a lively woman, the peculiarities were sent flying.

…Needless to say, the intruders were Aogasaki, Elmira, and Kurogame. It
goes without saying that they’re the heroines under the four gods.
(W, why are those three here?! Could it be that they can sense when one of
them is in a pinch?!)
While I was extremely confused, the apostles continued to get buried. Some
tried to fight back, others tried to flee…there was a sudden state of panic in
the cemetery, making it look just like a sports gathering.
Eventually, the thirty-ish apostles that once surrounded the area were now
eradicated.
A ponytailed swordswoman, a wavy-haired vampire, and a short-haired

kenpo girl appeared from my right, left, and behind.
Perhaps there would be some stylish background music playing right now.
However, only panicked background music played in my head.
I should be glad that reinforcements have arrived, but…honestly, that’s only

making this a bigger problem. Things only got worse.
“Kobayashi, are you alright?”
“Good grief, the cemetery again?”
“And I was just about to sleep.”
The heroines gathered while leaving their comments.
Still shaken, I simply stared at them.
(What the hell. Why are the heroines all here…? No wait, would it even be
possible for them to all gather without ‘her’ being here? Our trueborn
protagonist…?)
Sure enough, my fears were right on the mark. Suddenly, a figure leapt from
the sky, landing right in front of me.

The figure turned around and stared ahead, ignoring me. Her long, tied hair
along her back fluttered with the wind.
(…So you really are here.)
Of course, it was Hinomori Ryuuga.
Our protagonist, who I really didn’t want to see right now.
“Ryuga…all of you, why are you here…?”
When I blurted out that question, Ryuuga answered mysteriously.
“I got a message around fifteen minutes ago. An unknown sender stated

‘There is a battle taking place in the cemetery. Contact everyone and head
there.'”
Fifteen minutes ago? That’s strange.
Isn’t that right when we came across Shima and her partner? Did the sender
know about “Shima and Saihiru’s attack” prior?
“I didn’t contact Shiori since I knew she wasn’t in good shape, but…I didn’t
think this would happen…”
Ryuuga muttered that while staring at Yukimiya being possessed by Tao.
The heroines also stared at the “Shrine Maiden of Life” with a ghastly
expression.
“It’s been on my mind this whole time. Shiori’s poor condition resembled
Kyouka’s case…I should have considered the possibility more deeply.”
When Ryuuga clenched her teeth with guilt, the heroines comforted her.
“The same goes for us. However, we have to accept the present situation.
Shiori’s a vessel of an ‘Evil Spirit.'”
“Could that be the ‘Evil Spirit’ Qiongqi? Or perhaps it’s the ‘Evil Spirit’

Taowu…?”
“It’s the same either way! Whether it’s Qiongqi or Taowu, there’s only one
thing we need to do! We beat that thing and save Shio! End of story!”
Ryuuga and the others nodded towards Kurogame, who spoke with elation.
…This can’t be good. As I thought, they perceived Tao as an enemy.
Indeed, I did propose “Ryuuga’s team fighting with Tao” to Yukimiya. Even
now, I still think that’s the best course for part three.
However, this rapid development is beyond my expectations.
I need Ryuuga and the others to step back for a moment. Rather than
accepting the situation so easily, they need to comprehend the conflict of
their important companion being the “Evil Spirit’s” vessel.
Then, I’d want that fact to sit in their minds over the course of a few days
before they make the decision to battle.
That’s when part three would be complete. This story needs some build-up.
(If it ends now, people won’t be able to digest the full-course meal. I want to
avoid the Tao arc being rushed to the point of being more like a summary…!)
Glancing forward, I saw that Shima and Saihiru turned towards Ryuuga and
the others. They looked like Tao’s servants trying to protect her.
“Taowu, could you step back? We’ll take care of them.”
“You’re all asking for death. Let’s offer your lives to the ‘Evil Spirit.'”
Tao was perplexed, muttering “What? What?” in response to the two

suddenly acting like they were allies. She looked at me in desperation, but I
didn’t know what to do either.
(Shima and Saihiru, what are you two planning? Are you planning to have
Ryuuga’s team defeat Tao for you? Is that why you’re pretending to be her

subordinates?)
At any rate, a battle’s about to begin.
What should I do? Should I tell them that Tao isn’t an enemy? Though, will
Ryuuga and the others listen to me?
“Shiori! We’ll save you right now!”
Upon Ryuuga’s cue, the main characters broke into a run. They rushed
towards Shima, Saihiru, and Tao.
“Haha. Bring it on, Hinomori Ryuuga!”
Aiming for the neck, Shima thrust her claws towards Ryuuga, initiating an
attack.
However, in the next moment… A tall, lean figure stood before the cheetah
apostle. Shima swiftly dodged a horizontal slash.
“Whoa!”
“I’ll be your opponent. I am the ‘Swordswoman of the Beheading Dance.'”
“Tsk…don’t regret your decision, ‘Azure Dragon’!”
Beside her, Saihiru’s movements were blocked by a flame sprouting from the
ground. The rhinoceros beetle apostle faced Elmira.
“Hmph. These are not…any ordinary flames.”
“These are the proud flames of the ‘Blood-kin of Eternal Darkness’ that dealt
with your brethren, Hunshou Higaia. Do you like them?”
“I see, so you are the ‘Vermilion Bird’? I advise against that pride of yours.”
Taking a glance at the two battles that were about to start, Ryuuga and
Kurogame fiercely approached Tao. Normally, this would be a moment
where I provide commentary by exclaiming “As expected, they have good

coordination!”, but now’s not the time for that.
“P, please wait a minute! I’m──”
“Hey ‘Evil Spirit’! Bring back Shio!”
Ryuuga and Kurogame mercilessly unleashed a storm of fierce punches and

kicks towards Tao. As expected of childhood friends, their coordination was
really good.
Tao somehow managed to endure the onslaught with her long hair. Hesitant
on fighting back, she gradually retreated.
I understand that Ryuuga and the others are desperate to get Yukimiya back.
However, they’re just bullying her at this point. Just as I thought, this battle
shouldn’t take place!
“Wait, Ryuga! Listen to what I have to──”
Making my decision, I tried to shout for them to stop.
However, a lightning quick, avian shadow suddenly attempted to attack

Ryuuga and Kurogame from the side.
“!”
Noticing the surprise attack, the two leapt backwards and narrowly dodged it.
As a result, they were about three meters away from Tao.
Just like Shima and Saihiru, the assailant, who swooped down, stood in front
of the “Evil Spirit” as if to protect her. Two more figures then entered the
scene and stood beside the newcomer.
“Tao, step back.”
With the swing of two wing-like arms, the heron apostle spoke to the “Evil
Spirit.”

“Us ‘Three Princesses of Hell’ will take care of this.”
The king cobra apostle, whose body was that of a snake’s from the navel and
below, raised her blonde hair.
“It’s time for work.”
The triangular-eared, fluffy Hokkaido wolf apostle licked the tip of her nose
with her tongue.
Needless to say, they were Mion, Jyuri, and Kiki.
The apostle generals who are freeloading in my home.
“Hinomori Ryuuga. If you intend to defeat Taowu──you will have to go

through us first.”
“Don’t misunderstand. The cheetah and beetle over there have nothing to do
with us.”
“We are Earl Tao’s allies.”
…What the hell. More reinforcements I never asked for. This situation just
got more complicated.
Recently, the main characters and three princesses had a sort of treaty.
Both sides came here unexpectedly…and now they’re back to being hostile.

Part 5
The cemetery night had grown tense.
Qiongqi’s subordinates, Shima and Saihiru, made an entry. Furthermore, an

angry Tao had appeared. Ryuuga and the heroines also entered after being
summoned by a mysterious person. On top of all that, the three princesses
also arrived.
Almost all of the story’s central figures have met. The only ones who haven’t
appeared yet are the two “Stupid Evil Spirits” of mine.
(How should I control this situation…?)
The Aogasaki vs. Shima and Elmira vs. Saihiru battles continued.
Meanwhile, Ryuuga and Kurogame were confronting the three princesses

protecting the “Evil Spirit.” She had a very confused expression on her face.
“Three princesses…what are you planning? Why are you allying with the
‘Evil Spirit’?”
“Oh, is it strange for the ‘Apostles of Hell’ to protect an ‘Evil Spirit’?”
When Mion calmly responded, Ryuuga continued asking questions.
“Wasn’t Taotie your lord? Do you have a reason to protect other ‘Evil
Spirits’?”
“Hinomori Ryuuga. Aren’t you misunderstanding? Us three princesses aren’t

your allies. There’s no reason for you to pry into our situation.”
“What we will say is that Taowu cannot be defeated here. That is the
consensus of us three princesses.”

“We will not let you bully Earl Tao.”
Ryuuga, noticing that the three princesses weren’t willing to surrender,

immediately took action. It seems that our trueborn protagonist decided to
prioritize “saving a companion” above all else.
Ryuuga knows about Yukimiya’s state. She wasn’t able to ‘convert’ Tao and
had her consciousness hijacked.
“Three princesses! If you plan on getting in the way, then I will not hold
back!”
“Don’t make light of Ranshou Mion!”
Once the heron apostle started attacking, a battle beyond comprehension

began. The Hokkaido wolf apostle also participated, forcing Ryuuga to deal
with two opponents at once.
“Guh…she’s fast!”
“Of course. No one can beat me in a race, whether in the spirit world or the
human world.”
“Oh, Hinomori Ryuuga! Should you really be so preoccupied with her

footsteps?!”
Mion swooped down from above, the protagonist avoiding her by a paper-
thin margin.
Ryuuga was having a hard time with two people. They weren’t generals just
for show.
With attacks coming from both the ground and the sky, Ryuuga could only
dodge, dodge, and dodge again. That alone was already a feat, but she also
looked for any openings to counterattack.
As expected, the protagonist was amazing. She was adept at multitasking.
“Ryu!”

Seeing that, Kurogame attempted to offer assistance, but faced an obstacle
before her.
“You’re as energetic as usual. How about we play?”
“Out of the way!”
Jyuri skillfully fended against Kurogame’s rapid fist strikes. Using her tail,
she knocked off any punch she couldn’t dodge. Surprisingly, she was an
equal match for the tortoise in close combat.
“Ngaaaaaah!”
“Kurogame Rina──look into my eyes.”
“Huh?”
The one-track-minded tortoise reflexively did what Jyuri said and made eye
contact. Immediately following, she fell down and started sleeping like a log.
“I think this is the first time that worked so easily.”
The king cobra apostle shrugged her shoulders at the anticlimactic moment. It
seems she used some kind of hypnosis.
Jyuri, also known as Genshou, was a bad opponent for the reckless
Kurogame…did they intentionally arrange this matchup? These guys are
pretty cunning!
(This isn’t the time to be impressed! I need to stop the fight! Shima and
Saihiru are bad enough already, but the three princesses battling Ryuga’s
team is even worse! Their odd friendship that took so long to form is
crumbling away!)
At any rate, I think the first step is to take care of Shima and Saihiru. As long
as they’re here, there won’t be any room for discussion. With that in mind, I
was about to move.
However, the rhinoceros beetle apostle facing Elmira suddenly spread his

wings and flew.
“Shima, we will retreat.”
“Huh? Retreat?!”
In response, the cheetah apostle on the ground roared in dissatisfaction.
“Stop kidding around, Saihiru! As if I’d return without killing this girl!”
Saihiru continued turning around in the sky while Shima bared her fangs and
glared at Aogasaki.
“We’ve already fulfilled our duty. We are not to stay any longer than
necessary.”
“Then you can just flee by yourself! I’ll deal with this sword girl…”
“No. Do you plan on disobeying the orders of our lord, Qiongqi?”
“Guh…”
After being reprimanded, Shima reluctantly leapt away. As soon as her figure
faded into the darkness, the rhinoceros beetle apostle flew away.
I’m surprised that they just suddenly retreated, but that relieves me. Now I
need to stop the battle between Ryuuga and the three princesses and have
everyone cool down…
“Elmira! No need to follow them! We need to assist Ryuuga!”
“Understood! Rina’s fast asleep!”
Aogasaki and Elmira immediately turned around and rushed towards Ryuuga
as the three princesses surrounded her. I chased after them in a hurry, but the
team battle had already started. Wait for me!
Aogasaki fiercely attempted to slash Mion.

“What’s the meaning of this, Mion?! Depending on your reply, I might
forgive you!”
“I don’t need your forgiveness! Though, it’s not a bad idea to settle this
immediately!”
With one hand, Elmira hurled orbs of fire at Kiki.
“Kiki! Why are you protecting Taowu?! You’ll make Shizuma sad if he
knows about this!”
“I have my reasons! That’s all I’ll say!”
Ryuuga unleashed a golden aura and struck Jyuri with a fist.
“Jyuri! Didn’t you open your heart to the school students as Hebizuka?!”
“That’s just my job! And this is my job as well!”
…This is getting worse. Now that it’s come to “the main characters vs. the
three princesses,” their alliance is collapsing.
I’m ninety percent sure that this is Qiongqi’s scheme. He must want
Ryuuga’s team to fight with Tao and exhaust them both. The fact that the
three princesses are here as well only solidifies that.
(So he brought Ryuga here while Shima and Saihiru initiated the fight…? He
probably looked up my home’s phone number through a phonebook, but how
did he know Ryuga’s email address?)
No, that’s not the problem I should be focusing on right now. At this rate,
someone will get injured.
I summoned Taotie in order to intervene. He’ll probably work something out.

For some reason, I regarded his fighting power highly.
“Come out, Tie! Stop everyone!”
(Roger that! Please transfer my remuneration to my Swiss bank account!)

“No remuneration! How does an ‘Evil Spirit’ open an account in the first
place?!”
(I just wanted to try saying that! Anyways, here comes Taotie!)
While shouting like Amuro, the silhouette of a jet black ‘Evil Spirit’ jumped
out of me. He was already in his battle form.TLNTaotie’s shout seems to be a
reference to Mobile Suit Gundam. The protagonist, Amuro, seems to have a
similar yell as a catchphrase.
“Guys, stop! You shouldn’t──”
The moment he tried to break in…
Someone charged towards him from the side and knocked him off his feet. It
was the “Black Tortoise,” Kurogame, who woke up at some point.
“Ouch!”
“Hey ‘Evil Spirit’! Give back Shio…huh? Tie?”
“That’s right! It’s me! Why did you punch me?!”
“Haha, I only just woke up, so I mistook you for someone else.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me, stupid tortoise! Are you only capable of
comedy?!”
“Same to you.”
Taotie stood up with tears in his eyes and headed towards Ryuuga and the
others while enduring the pain, something that I’ll commend him for.
“S, stop it already!”
However, before he could do anything, Tao screamed and retreated into

Yukimiya.
Funnily enough, thanks to her scream, the battle finally stopped.

Everyone paid close attention to Yukimiya as she fell down. It’s good that
she switched with Tao, but it seems she fainted. Was she affected by the
“Evil Spirit’s” violent emotion?
“S, Shiori!”
“Tao!”
The main characters and three princesses both rushed towards her at the same
time. However, neither of them reached her first.
Yukimiya’s body floated in the air and flung itself into the darkness behind
her. Looking closely, there were countless threads tangled around her.
(Spider threads?! Could that be…Renie?!)
Immediately realizing that, I chased after Yukimiya. I’ve got a lot of

questions for that spider butler. If possible, I’d like to talk to him away from
Ryuuga and the others.
“I, Ichirou?!”
“Leave Yukimiya to me! I’ll contact you later, so go home! Three princesses,
retreat! Tie, withdraw back into me!”
I ran through the dark cemetery while quickly speaking.
I jumped from tombstone to tombstone, leapt from tree branch to tree branch,
chasing Yukimiya like I was maneuvering an obstacle course. However…
In the end, I couldn’t rescue her.
Yukimiya’s presence suddenly ceased once I reached the exit of the

cemetery.
(Damn it, Renie…I even stepped out of my boundaries as a friend character

to chase after her…!)
However, with this, my suspicions have been proven. Renie is working with

Qiongqi’s faction.
(What if Renie’s goal is to have Qiongqi and Tao work together? It’s more
likely than him just betraying Tao.)
I thought about it before, the idea of a two-on-two power balance between

“Evil Spirits”…did that spider butler have the same vision?
With nothing else to lose, I tried to reach into my pocket and take out my
phone to call Renie.
──Suddenly, in an alley to the right of the graveyard, I saw someone hiding

in the corner about twenty meters away.
“!”
I immediately closed my phone and rushed towards the person.
However, nobody was there anymore. Just a road dimly illuminated by street
lights.
(Was I seeing things? Just now…)
In the darkness, I thought I spotted a white uniform belonging to Hakubou

Private high school. A glimpse of a model-like ikemen high schooler who
wore a glove in his left hand.
It was the mysterious transfer student, Tenryouin Agito…

Part 6
Shortly after, I decided to return home for the time being.
I originally planned on spending more time searching for Yukimiya, but I got
a call from the three princesses to return. They said “There’s a letter from
Renie in the mailbox.”
‘Don’t worry about Miss Shiori. I, Renie, will responsibly return her to the
residence.’
I put the letter back into the envelope and folded my arms in the living room.
Behind me, Taotie’s and Hundun’s upper bodies manifested and they
similarly folded their arms. On the other end of the table, the three princesses
sat together while sipping tea.
It was already ten pm. Tomorrow’s Monday, and it’s been a horrible
weekend for me.
“I thought that Renie was taking Yukimiya to Qiongqi’s location, but…he

took her back to the residence?”
What are his intentions? Was he really just there to rescue Yukimiya, like the
three princesses?
When I scratched my head, Mion gave her opinion.
“I’ll say one thing, Renie will never betray Tao. His loyalty towards Tao is
not ordinary.”
The “Evil Spirits” behind me nodded to the heron girl’s words.
“That’s right, Renie never became my subordinate whenever I revived.”

“Same here. He’s got some serious ‘Evil Spirit’ discrimination.”
The “Evil Spirits” complained while sipping their tea. It’s pretty sad that it’s
only during times like these that they actually agree on something.
Ryuuga and the others each returned home for the night.
Over the phone, I said to them, “Yukimiya is under Sebastian’s care. He

brought her back to the residence,” and “Let’s all visit her tomorrow
morning.”
I don’t know if Renie will allow our visit, but we’ll give it a try.
“By the way, Mion, Jyuri, Kiki. You appeared in the cemetery at quite a time.
Did someone call you guys over as well?”
In response to my question, Mion shook her head and said “That’s not it.”
Her sidetail swung as well.
“We sensed ill wills. Kiki was the first one to notice though.”
“My nose is first-rate.”
“I, Jyuri, also noticed immediately. The cemetery isn’t that far from our
home.”
…Perhaps Qiongqi anticipated the three princesses entering the scene.
Shima and Saihiru would start a fight in the cemetery and once the three
princesses arrive, it would turn into a three-way struggle…perhaps those
were his intentions.
In that case, everything is going according to Qiongqi’s plans. What a shrewd

“Shota Evil Spirit.”
(No, wait. Perhaps Renie was the one who planned this. In the first place,
Yukimiya came to my house because he told her everything.)
Of course, I would’ve been the first one Yukimiya would turn to in that

situation. She would’ve gone to the Kobayashi household to consult me.
It’s possible that Shima and Saihiru were waiting to ambush her on the way
back in order to craft tonight’s situation. When Renie revealed everything…
did he intend for this to happen?
While pondering about it, I continued listening to the three princesses’ words.
They had matching teacups with the zodiac writings for “bird,” “snake,” and
“dog” on them. I also had one, but for some reason “monkey” was on it.
“Looking at the situation, didn’t it seem like Hinomori Ryuuga’s team were
attacking Tao? That’s why we assisted her. Though I didn’t expect Renie to
appear in the end.”
“It’s alright, Baron Ichirou. As long as Renie is protecting Earl Tao, he won’t
hurt Yukimiya. If he does, he will be fired as a subordinate.”
“I’m not sure about that. Knowing him…if he thinks it’s for Tao’s own good,
he’ll be willing to make enemies or do some dirty work.”
In the end, Jyuri said that while seeming annoyed. As always, she was bitter
about the orb-weaving spider apostle.
“Renie’s estrangement plan ended up working out…I didn’t think you guys
would go against Ryuga’s team like that.”
However, I can’t blame the three princesses for rushing in.
They just wanted to protect Tao. Despite Tao’s wish to “reconcile with
Ryuuga’s team,” they ended up having to go against that. Sad, isn’t it?
While feeling astonished about the situation, Kiki blew on her cup of tea
while speaking with a nonchalant expression.
“I don’t know about estrangement. We can fix the misunderstanding quickly.

By tonight.”
“Huh? W, what do you mean?”

“Renie made one mistake. We have a strong mediator with the four gods. A
mediator we gained through Shizuma.”
I soon understood once the bobbed-haired girl said it.
Suddenly, we heard the sound of a key unlocking the front door. Then, with
the sounds of fierce footsteps approaching, the scarlet, wavy-haired mediator
herself stormed in.
“You guys! What were you thinking back there?!”
As soon as Elmira appeared, she furiously drew closer. Of course she would
resent the three princesses for not only defending the “Evil Spirit,” but baring
their fangs at Ryuuga.
“I need an explanation right now! Or are you all actually planning on

opposing humanity?! Are you just like the other apostles?! Are you like all
apostles?!”
“Now now, calm down, Elmira. Would you like some tea?”
“You can’t fool me, Mion!”
“If I remember correctly, we still have some Asian pears remaining. Should I
peel one?”
“You should explain yourselves first, Jyuri! I’ll take the Asian pear
afterwards!”
“Elmira, you’re sweaty. Have a towel.”
“Give that to me now, Kiki! Hey, isn’t this just an ordinary rag?!”
…Afterwards, I had no choice but to tell Elmira everything.
I told her about Tao wanting to reconcile.
I told her that Yukimiya knew about Tao.

I told her about how I wanted Tao to lose strength and subsequently get
“converted” by fighting Ryuuga.
I told her about the butler, Sebastian, being Rikushou Renie.
I also told her that Renie was acting a bit suspiciously.
I was a bit hesitant on revealing this all to Elmira, but it seemed that the three
princesses intended to do so from the start. After the incident with Shizuma,
she’s had a pretty good relationship with them.
(There’s no way Renie would think that the ‘Vermilion Bird’ would have this
kind of relationship with the three princesses. So that must be why they
fought Ryuga and the others without hesitation…they counted on Elmira to
patch things up.)
These three sisters are quite good at outwitting the enemy.
Indeed, taking Elmira into account, we should be able to calm Ryuuga and
the others. It’s much easier for us when we have a collaborator who’s also on
the protagonist’s side.
Now that it’s come to this, let’s have Elmira involved in this case as well.
I may be relying on a main character, but at least she’s a non-human.
“…I understand the situation for now. In short, you all wanted to prove the
‘Evil Spirit’ Taowu’s harmlessness by having Shiori ‘convert’ her, right? To
that end, you wanted Ryuuga to exhaust Taowu’s power through a fight.”
The vampire organized the information while sipping tea.
The teacup she used had the zodiac symbol for “sheep” on it. She often sleeps
in class, so we went with sheep. It’s become her exclusive teacup.
“That’s right. So I want you keep this a secret. Renie doesn’t know that
you’re a mediator.”
“Is Shiori herself really okay? That’s all I want to know.”

“It seems that Yukimiya will have Tao on her side and will regain her
abilities soon. The three princesses plan to take turns monitoring the situation
as well.”
Eventually, the vampire girl reluctantly decided to cooperate.
While being bribed with pears, we discussed our future actions. For the time
being, we decided to have Elmira smooth things out by saying “There must
be some reason for the three princesses’ actions. Leave their matter to me,” to
Ryuuga and the others.
(For now, this should calm things down. In the meantime, I’ve got a lot to
do…I guess I should start with contacting Renie. Or perhaps Qiongqi?
No──I start with ‘him’ first.)
At that moment, the home phone rang.
I left everyone in the living room and headed towards the kitchen to pick up
the handset. I had an idea of who it was. My parents wouldn’t call me during
this time.
In that case, it’s potentially the one who called me before, the “Evil Spirit”
Qiongqi. Or perhaps──
Right when his face came to mind, I got confirmation that it was “him.”
‘…Kobayashi. Do you recognize my voice?’
Just like I thought, once I placed the handset to my ear, I heard a digitized,
familiar voice.
“Hey, Agito. So you came home from the cemetery?”
So it really was him. Tenryouin Agito.
The superhuman ikemen transfer student who I once thought was the
protagonist of another story. However, my perception of him has changed
since.

“Come to think of it, I never did give you my mobile number or email
address, did I? What you do know──is Ryuga’s email address.”
I’m already convinced. The sender of the mysterious message telling Ryuuga
about “a battle taking place in the cemetery” was probably Agito.
In other words, he knew about tonight’s attack led by Shima and Saihiru.
Furthermore, that cheetah apostle is a member of Agito’s band named

“Apostle”…I looked that word up in a dictionary recently and it turns out that
it means “apostle” in languages like Italian or Portuguese.TLNA reminder that
the band name “Apostle” is not the same word used for the Apostles of Hell.
The band name is in Gairaigo (loan words) while the actual apostles
themselves are referred to using the regular Japanese noun.
“Agito, did you have an ulterior motive in getting close to Ryuga?

Transferring schools must have been a hassle.”
In response, I heard a sneering scoff come from the handset.
‘If you’ve already noticed, than that makes this easier to explain. Eight in the
morning, I’ll be waiting for you at the square in front of the station, just like
today. It’s about time that I let you know about──what will happen from
now on.’
Bring it on, bonehead.
You’re now a character in this story. You’re not the protagonist of another
story.
I don’t need to win your favor as a friend character anymore.

Part 7
──Sebastian, happy birthday. This is my present to you.──
How many years has it been since? She said that and gave me a gift while she
was still so young.
It was a handmade ring made of colorful beads. It was not more than a
childish, cheap toy, but I still have it on my right index finger.
One of the four gods, the “White Tiger.” An dangerous enemy I’ve fought
multiple times.
I’ve thought many times about getting rid of her, the successor. However, I
stopped myself each time.
Rikushou Renie only kills those who show aggression. That is my pride.
When I was a mere apostle, the “Evil Spirit” Taowu took me in and
prohibited me from acting otherwise──at least, that’s my excuse.
I know.
It’s not because I couldn’t kill Yukimiya Shiori. It’s because I wouldn’t.
I’ve known her since she was a baby. I was there when she performed the
role of “Princess Kaguya” at a kindergarten play. I was there when she was
worried about not making any friends in elementary and middle school. I was
there when she was a high schooler delightfully telling me that she made
friends…I couldn’t harm her after seeing all that.
I’ve definitely made a mistake.
I should not have become the Yukimiya household’s butler.

I now have two lords. Despite being Taowu’s associate, I ended up have
affection for my enemy, Yukimiya Shiori. I suppose I’m no longer fit for
being a servant, a general, and even an “Apostle of Hell.”
However, there’s no use regretting it now. Furthermore, I’ve thought up of

the best way to resolve this. Even if it means having my two lords relinquish
or leave me.
For that reason──I had an eye on the human named Tenryouin Agito.
A docile, petty boy who has the qualities of a vessel.
A puppet boy, the complete opposite of Kobayashi Ichirou.
If I can sacrifice him…
I can solve everything.

Epilogue
“Hey, Agito. Let’s get straight to the point. Are you──Qiongqi’s vessel?”
It was the next morning. As soon as I met Agito in front of the station, I
immediately asked that.
This was a bit of a long shot. It’s also possible that he’s one of “Hell’s Top
Eight.”
However, considering his superstar-like nature, it’s unlikely that he’s just a
mere apostle. Since he’s fairly involved with the protagonist, Hinomori
Ryuuga, he must have a more unique position…that’s my opinion.
“That’s how it is. In other words, you and I are alike. We both hold ‘Evil
Spirits’ and we both love Hinomori Ryuuga…this is a fated rivalry, so to
speak.”
Agito’s lips shifted slightly as he responded to my question without feigning

ignorance. I think that was the first time I saw him smile.
(So I was right. This guy is Qiongqi’s vessel…)
Despite being prepared, I couldn’t control my disappointment.
Now my relationship with Agito is all for nothing. Within this love triangle
between Agito, Ryuuga, and me, my initial affection towards Agito has
vanished.
“What are you so disappointed about, Kobayashi? You should be honored to

be my rival.”
“How can I not be disappointed? Do you know how big my hopes were for

you? It made my heart flutter when I thought that I could be a normal friend
character…”
“I don’t really understand your mindset. Well, it doesn’t matter, if you refuse
to be the protagonist, I’ll do it instead.”
“Hey, aren’t you getting quite cocky for a supporting character?”
I glared at him as he shamelessly declared himself as this story’s protagonist.

Even as a joke, that’s not funny.
Hinomori Ryuuga is undoubtedly the leading actor in this tale. That won’t
change unless something really dire happens.
“Listen, Agito. I know you’re Qiongqi’s vessel, but aren’t you getting too
arrogant for an ‘enemy character’? In the end, I’m sure that Ryuga is destined
to defeat Qiongqi.”
“I’ve changed my focus. The one I should settle my matters with isn’t
Hinomori, but you.”
“Why do you have to clash with a friend character?!”
I immediately shut my mouth after blurting that out.
We were at the square in front of the train station. Furthermore, since it’s the
morning rush hour, a large crowd of pedestrians passed by us. I’ll be publicly
shamed if I act too aggressively.
“Anyways, you should be thinking about what will happen after Ryuga
defeats you. You should transfer schools again, act like a victim manipulated
by Qiongqi, or change to a simple, cheerful classmate character…”
“Don’t give me your idiotic advice. I, Tenryouin Agito, will never lose to
another.”
“No, I assure you, Ryuga will win. You no longer have──the plot armor of a
protagonist.”

For a brief moment, Agito and I glared at each other.

I didn’t want it to end up like this. The sad part is that a friend character
shouldn’t be having this confrontation with one of the masterminds.
“…Sorry Kobayashi, but our conversation ends here. I’m not the one who’s
supposed to speak with you today.”
Thereupon, Agito turned around and immediately walked towards the station.
“We’re changing locations. It would be inconvenient for you to have Qiongqi

appear here, right? We’ll carry this over at my house.”
“Your house?”
“I’ll serve you some coffee. Or are you perhaps…afraid of entering an

enemy’s stronghold alone?”
“That coffee better not be instant.”
Indeed, there’s the risk of someone seeing us here.
If he’s inviting me, then I’ll take him up on the offer. I’ve got two “Evil
Spirits” with me, even if they’re here against my will. I’m confident that I can
push through any critical situation.
Agito and I took a train, got off at the fourth station, and walked together
without saying a word. It was a new residential area near the sea, with many
buildings under construction.
(I probably would have been excited about Agito inviting me to his home if
this had been earlier, but now I can only sigh.)
Furthermore, I was starting the week off by skipping school.
Though due to the circumstances, it seems that Jyuri’s helping me out with
that. She apparently gave my homeroom teacher Minegishi a subconscious
suggestion to act like I’m attending school.
“…This is my residence.”

While saying that, Agito entered a brand new, fifteen-story apartment.
Judging from the gate, it was clearly a luxury apartment meant for the upper-
class. The entrance was scattered with fancy sofas and there was even a water
fountain. It was like a hotel lobby.
“Don’t worry. This apartment is my property. There are no usual tenants.”
“Huh?”
“All floors have only one room. So, it’s quite spacious. I live on the top
floor.”
What a custom-built place. So if there are fifteen stories, does that mean only
fifteen people can live here? Even if they tried finding tenants, nobody would
rent such living spaces.
“I kind of knew you were rich, but…what were you thinking with this strange
arrangement? What will you do with the other fourteen floors?”
“Apostles live in them.”
……Huh?
“I’m sorry, what?”
“This apartment currently houses around one hundred and fifty apostles.
Those who pledge allegiance to the ‘Evil Spirit’ Qiongqi have zero rent.”
“So you do have tenants! A whole crowd of them!”
“I only said that there are ‘no usual tenants.’ According to reports, the ‘Three
Princesses of Hell’ are living in your home too, right? It’s much better being
here than being kept as your sexual playthings.”
“We don’t do any of that! Stop it with the dirty talk! It’s only the morning!”
“By the way, soldiers occupy the first floor through the sixth floor…they all
live together in the large rooms. Those who want their own private room will

need to raise their status and perform an achievement.”
What the hell. This apartment is an apostle hideout. A “Hell House.”
“In addition, there’s a soundproofed studio in the basement. It’s where my

band Apostle practices.”
“So your band is actually real…?”
“I’m the bassist. Shima is a guitarist. Saihiru is the drummer.”
“That monk’s a member too…?”
“I should also mention that our vocalist, a crow apostle named Hasuki, was
killed in the graveyard last night. That husky voice was our entire selling
point…the ‘Black Tortoise’ Kurogame Rina was the one who dealt the killing
blow.”
“So that tortoise is even interfering with Apostle…?”
…Thereafter, I took an elevator up to the top floor and entered Agito’s

house-sized room.
Before me was a giant room with glass walls that was twice the size of a
classroom.
Simply put, it was like the president’s office of a large company. In front of a
window was a huge desk, and in front of that desk were a sofa and table that
could fit ten people. The four corners of the room had decorative plants, and
on the ceiling was a large fan I couldn’t comprehend.
“Now then Kobayashi, help yourself to the sofa. I will summon Qiongqi.”
──Before long, I would meet Qiongqi.
However, the details of that will have to wait for another time.

Perhaps this is just a groundless fear, but…I feel as if I don’t have enough
time to explain it all here.

Is It Tough Being A Friend - Volume 5

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Illustrations

Hinomori Ryuuga’s “Story of Supernatural Battles” is currently in the midst

Page 1 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

Doing such a thing would go against the point of Kobayashi Ichirou’s

(Anyways, it seems I’ll need to make contact with Qiongqi somehow.)

“No, not there…”

(The problem is that I have no means to approach him. There’s no way I

(However, Qiongqi isn’t the only problem on my hands.)

“Jyuri, stop…at this rate, I’ll…”

“Aah, that feels good. So good!”

Page 2 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

“That’s fine. Now then, let’s finish this.”

“Aaaaaah! Something’s happening!”

“Zip it, protagonist! You’re distracting me!”

I finally stuck it to Hinomori Ryuuga, who kept raising her voice.

“Ichirou…it’s amazing…Jyuri’s technique is amazing…”

“Leave those things for the doujins!”

Page 3 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

──It’s already been a week since Shizuma’s departure.

It’s now October, well into autumn.

Everyone’s in a hurry due to our school, Oumei High School, hosting a

“Good grief…by the way, Ryuga. How’s Kyouka’s condition after

That’s wonderful, but I don’t feel compelled to smile.

“Sure. Uncle Hundun keeps blabbering on about ‘needing to see Kyouka’

Page 4 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

“Now I’m more concerned about Shiori than Kyouka.”

“Ichirou, did you hear? Shiori’s absent from school today.”

(First a marriage interview, then a baby, now what?)

Is the Yukimiya Group going bankrupt? Is she debuting as a star? Or perhaps

At any rate, I shouldn’t drop my guard…and as I braced myself, the king

“Yukimiya Shiori still doesn’t seem to accept me as a school nurse. I wonder

Page 5 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

Page 6 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

Page 7 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

Yukimiya Shiori, second year class C.

Holding one of four gods, she’s a companion character of the protagonist

The righteous, orthodox heroine tends be overshadowed by the other

Page 8 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

Of course, without my involvement. I can’t afford to make the same mistake

With that in mind, should I do some investigating…? While pondering about

(Well, it would be best if it was just a common cold though.)

Before long, I approached the Aogasaki residence and spotted a group of

“Hey Keita. Are you guys done with practice?”

Page 9 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

“She is! She’s still practicing with Chizuru!”

Hearing that name gave me a shock.

Miyamoto Chizuru’s training in the Aogasaki dojo for a short period.

Miyamoto’s originally from a swordsmanship dojo named Getsushiyoukan.

Page 10 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

In particular, I’m worried about Aogasaki speaking fondly of me in front of

(Should I take a quick peek?)

Clinging to the wall, I peeked through a latticed window. Thereupon──

Led by Miyamoto, the “Swordswoman of the Beheading Dance”

…Could this be swordbics? The rumored swordsmanship exercise devised by

“Right. Because of my position in Getsushiyoukan, I can’t do this in public…

Page 11 Goldenagato | mp4directs.com

“Asao made this. Getsushiyoukan even sells CDs of it.”

“That’s surprising. To think that Asao has this much talent…”

“Huh? Who’s that?”

“Oh err, nobody.”

“Now, swing down! Now an upwards diagonal! As expected, your

While hearing such voices, I left the gates.