_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
My name is Kanoe Yuuko.
I'm a high school girl.
Well… I've actually been dead for a few decades.
But I'm still a high school girl.
After all, I've been stuck in this dump all these years.
But today…
I ran into three exorcists, and I swear I'm really going to die this time.
All of that was exactly what Kanoe Yuuko was thinking deep down.
"Um, we're actually not bad people."
Ayase Momo looked at the trembling ghost girl and hurried to comfort her.
Right, exorcists aren't supposed to be bad people… right?
Kanoe Yuuko kept shaking, convinced she was seconds away from getting erased.
Edgar finally spoke up. "Really, you don't need to worry. If we wanted to get rid of you, we wouldn't be standing here talking this long."
Kanoe Yuuko froze.
Actually… that kind of made sense.
She asked timidly, "You really won't hurt me?"
"Of course," Edgar said with a smile. "In fact, I can even offer you something good."
"What… kind of good?"
She blinked.
"Become my familiar."
Edgar grinned. "Basically, you sign a contract and become someone who serves me for life."
"That doesn't sound like a good deal at all."
Yuuko muttered under her breath, then sighed.
"Though… your face is honestly my type."
"But it's useless. I'm a bound spirit. I literally can't leave this place."
Edgar replied, "That's not a problem. After the reincarnation ritual you'll be a demon, so the bindings won't hold you anymore."
"W-wait, did you say demon?"
On the side, Ayase Momo couldn't help cutting in.
She was pretty sure she'd just heard something insane.
Edgar didn't bother explaining. He simply unfurled his demon wings.
A gust of air blasted out along with a wave of eerie, oppressive energy.
"You-you-you… you're really a demon?"
Ayase Momo trembled all over, exactly like Yuuko a moment ago.
"One hundred percent genuine."
Edgar smiled and stuffed a demon contract into her hands. "Don't worry. I won't hurt you."
"And if you ever get into trouble, just call my name."
"…"
Ayase Momo stared at the summoning contract, practically in tears.
She just liked spooky stuff.
But this? This was high-tier supernatural nonsense right out of nowhere.
She swallowed hard. "So… if I take this… I can go now, right?"
"Of course."
Edgar made a polite gesture.
"A-ah, haha… nice meeting you."Not daring to look at him again, Ayase bowed her head and fled like her life depended on it.
"Uh… Master, you're just letting her go?"
Yukinoshita Yukino looked stunned.
If he let her walk away that easily… then what did her own choice back then even mean?
Edgar chuckled, voice meaningful. "Relax. She's already taken her first step into this world."
"And no one can refuse the call of the unknown."
Yukino blinked, then slowly nodded. "I see…"
She asked herself honestly:
If she had learned there was an entirely different, extraordinary world beyond reality, wouldn't she have stepped into it too?
And what her master gave her wasn't coercion.It just sped up the process a little.
More importantly…
Even though she hadn't been a demon for long, the tiny shred of regret she'd once felt had completely vanished.
If anything… this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
"Honestly, I thought being a cursed spirit was already pretty wild," Yuuko said, returning to her senses with a complicated expression. "But demons too? Seriously?"
"It's not just demons," Edgar said with a shrug. "Angels, fallen angels, gods… they're all real."
"So. What's your answer?"
Yuuko fell quiet for a moment, then smiled sweetly. "Becoming your familiar would be an honor."
As long as she could leave this place, becoming a demon was nothing.
Though…
She looked a bit nervous. "I'm a cursed spirit. I don't even have a body. Can I really become a demon?"
"Don't worry. Just trust me."
Edgar glanced at the glowing contract and let out a small smile.
"Okay…" Yuuko nodded eagerly. "So what do I do?"
The ritual for turning into a demon… she was definitely curious.
"First…"Edgar raised a finger, and golden blood welled up. "Take off your outer clothes."
"???"
Yuuko blinked, then let out a playful laugh. "My my… didn't expect demon reincarnation rituals to be this spicy."
She started unbuttoning her shirt one button at a time.
Watching her, Yukino muttered, "I thought ghosts didn't have clothes."
"A lot of cursed spirits' clothes are illusions," Yuuko explained. "But don't lump me in with them."
"I still consider myself a beautiful, living high school girl."
Soon she was down to a black underlayer.
She looked at Edgar shyly. "Any other preparations?"
Despite her near-century existence, this was the first time she'd ever presented herself like this in front of a man.
"That's enough."
Edgar nodded and let a drop of his blood fall onto her pale skin.
"So hot…"
The sensation made Yuuko's eyes brighten.It was… the first time she'd felt anything in centuries.
Then—
Her eyes widened as her entire form began to shift.
Flesh regrew. Skin formed.
She had a real body again.
And then…
She touched her back and felt an unfamiliar itch spreading fast.
"Feels like… something's coming out."
And with that—
A pair of long black wings burst out.
A heart-tipped tail slipped from beneath her new black dress, swaying restlessly in the air.
"I really became a demon…?"
Yuuko's face lit up with joy. She grabbed her tail curiously, and her whole body trembled.
Pink flushed across her skin instantly.
She sucked in a breath and hurriedly hid both her tail and wings.
She sneaked a glance at Edgar.
Hopefully… he didn't notice that reaction.
But then—
She felt someone's gaze.
She turned and met a pair of jewel-like eyes.
"A-ahaha… what's up?"
She laughed awkwardly.
"N-nothing."Yukino tugged at her lips, thinking,Seriously? Touching the tail does all that?
Edgar ignored their exchange.
His attention was entirely on the glowing text on Yuuko's new skin.
[Kanoe Yuuko]
[Race: Demon]
[Master: Edgar Lucifergus]
[Level: 11]
[Skills: Ghost Form, Phase Shift]
[Ghost Form: Transform into a ghost using demonic power. Retains all cursed spirit abilities.]
[Phase Shift: Allows the body to become intangible at will, immune to all physical attacks.]
"Well now…"
Edgar's eyes brightened.
He hadn't expected Yuuko to give him such an incredible surprise.
Ghost Form was expected.
But Phase Shift? That was a god-tier skill.
From now on, his defensive capability had just gone up another level.
"..."
_______________________________________________________________________________________________________