-----
-----
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Kirei's body twisted and weaved through the air, pulling off a series of feints to try and throw Minato off.
"Now's my chance!"
With a growl, he suddenly boosted his speed several times over, hand shooting toward Rin.
"Nice try."
Minato's voice cut through the air, tinged with a mocking sneer. "But still too naive."
As he spoke, he flicked his fingers a few times. A series of glowing mana bullets shot out and struck Kirei's limbs with surgical precision, piercing right through his joints.
"Argh!"
The pain was excruciating. Kirei screamed as his body crumpled to the ground, completely drained of strength.
The scent of blood—thick and metallic—quickly spread across the floor.
"What do you want to do?"
Minato turned toward Rin. "Do you want to do it yourself, or should I finish it for you?"
Rin shook her head and pulled out a sparkling gemstone from her pocket.
Ever since becoming a demon, her family's gemstone magic had grown way stronger.
Minato didn't stop her.
She was still young—but who could deny a daughter the right to avenge her father?
In the next second—
A flash of red light split the air. Kirei's body twitched twice, then fell completely still.
"Dad... I've avenged you."
Rin lowered her hand. Her eyes were red and brimming with tears.
"If you wanna cry, then go ahead."
Minato gently patted her head. "You're just a kid, after all."
"Sniff... wuaahhh!!"
Finally, Rin broke down and cried.
But soon after—
Feeling Minato's warm, comforting hand, a faint blush crept across her face.
So Sakura wasn't lying...
He really is warm... and gentle...
No wonder she said she wanted to marry him...
...Wait. Marry?!
Rin's big eyes went wide. She quickly ducked away from his hand like it was on fire.
"You perv! Stupid demon uncle!"
And with that, she bolted out of the church like a startled rabbit.
Minato "....."
What did I even do?
Seriously, what the hell did I do??
That little brat—did she just imagine something all on her own??
Matou Residence.
"Jenova... what are you wearing?"
Minato's gaze dropped to her maid outfit—then lingered.
Nice. Real nice.
After a moment of totally respectful and professional evaluation, he gave it a perfect score in his head.
Jenova stood there awkwardly, her face turning redder by the second. "I-I just..."
She opened and closed her mouth a few times, but no words came out.
Her eyes had a confused, panicked look.
Oh no!
What do I do now?! I forgot to ask Sister Shiyu for the next steps!
Think... think...
In her mind, scenes from certain books Minato had tried to stash away came flooding back.
Minato didn't say a word—he just kept watching her, clearly amused.
This version of Jenova was oddly... adorable.
"That's right. Just like that."
Suddenly, Jenova snapped out of it. Like a valiant general marching to war, she threw herself forward and clung tightly to Minato's arm.
In that instant, Minato felt his arm sink into a very... soft place.
He glanced at Jenova, curiosity flickering in his eyes.
So, what's this former Holy Sword wielder gonna do next?
"Master, I'm gonna begin now, okay?"
Jenova took a deep breath and tensed her body.
"???"
Minato blinked in confusion.
Even though she tried to hold back her strength, the force of it still pushed him back a few steps until he landed on the couch behind him.
Then—
Jenova stepped in front of him, her face getting redder and redder. One hand moved up, then hesitated, then went back down.
But every time, it froze in mid-air.
Damn it—what do I do next again??
Her brain was drawing a complete blank.
"You don't have to be so nervous," Minato said, trying not to laugh. "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Jenova mumbled shyly, "I... I want to fulfill my role as your familiar... and serve you."
"Ohhh, that's what this is about?"
Minato stopped pretending. He stood up, grinning, and reached around behind her...
Grabbing the tail she'd been hiding.
"Mmnn...!"
Genova's pupils shrank, and her skin suddenly felt scorching hot.
Outside the door!
Illyena froze in place, still holding her little notebook.
She'd just been planning to learn from Genova's experience—but this… this was a bit much.
Before she realized it, her skin had turned a faint pink.
No way, Illyena! You can't be this useless! This is a rare chance to learn something important!
Determined, she gave herself a pep talk and gripped her notebook tighter.
She was a former Holy Sword user—a real warrior! She'd seen all kinds of wild stuff before!
But as time ticked on, her precious notebook slipped from her hands and fell to the floor.
No one knew how much time passed before Illyena quietly picked it back up and tiptoed away… after wiping the floor.
In another room—
Utaha twitched her nose slightly and smiled, "Heh~ You're back early."
"N-nothing happened," Illyena mumbled, covering her face. "I just... didn't feel too well."
"Oh really?" Utaha smiled like a fox. "Don't worry. A little rest and you'll bounce back."
"E-either way, thanks for the advice, Utaha-senpai…"
Without waiting for a reply, Illyena bolted.
"Aww, what a pure-hearted girl."
Watching her leave, Utaha let out a long sigh.
Back in my day, I was dealing with bold maniacs all the time...
Before she even realized it, she started feeling a little jealous of Genova.
Things were going so smoothly for her.
Was this that whole "fools have all the luck" thing?
The next morning—
Soft morning light filtered in through the curtains.
Minato got up and stretched, working out the stiffness in his joints.
"Master…"
Sensing his movements, Genova rubbed her sleepy eyes and slowly sat up.
A second later, realization kicked in—and her face turned bright red.
"M-Master, I'll go get breakfast ready!"
Grabbing her maid outfit, she dashed off in a panic.
"…She's seriously something," Minato muttered with a chuckle.
She fought like a true Holy Sword user… and now she's acting like this?
He thought for a moment, then pulled out his phone and typed up a message to send out to the group.
It's still early in the game—can't go overboard.
So…
Time to ask for a little help from his other followers.
Yep!
He really was a good master. Never forgot to treat his followers well.
"....."