After learning the specific situation regarding Utaha Kasumigaoka, although Yukino Yukinoshita understood Leon's approach, she was still feeling somewhat disgruntled.
"Does Sacred Gear have a characteristic that makes it prefer selecting females? Or perhaps just pretty females?"
Yukino Yukinoshita was clearly still suspicious that all of Leon's subordinates were beautiful girls.
This made Leon's expression one of a subtle, knowing smile.
"So, you think it would be better for me to recruit some males as subordinates?"
Hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita spoke without hesitation.
"It's best not to. I don't want this place to become tainted and chaotic."
The implication of her words was that if any males were to join, they would definitely cause relationship chaos.
Yukino Yukinoshita already had a tendency toward self-admiration in front of outsiders, believing herself to be cute—and indeed she was. Thus, she had received numerous confessions from boys since childhood, which had led to quite a few incidents.
Asuna Yuuki, on the other hand, was unknown in terms of similar experiences, but even Yukino Yukinoshita had to admit that Asuna's cuteness was no less than her own and that she was definitely a top candidate for many boys' ideal girlfriends.
If they were to add Utaha Kasumigaoka, who was the most popular girl at Sobu High and whose support group was the largest, Yukino Yukinoshita could easily imagine what the future would look like if males were to join.
Therefore, Yukino Yukinoshita belonged to the faction that strongly opposed the inclusion of males.
"Then why are you complaining?"
Leon rolled his eyes at Yukino Yukinoshita.
"It's understandable for me to think that, but for you, the master, to only recruit pretty female subordinates makes one inevitably suspect your ulterior motives," Yukino Yukinoshita pointed out bluntly. Then, as if thinking of something, she suddenly asked, "Speaking of which, I'd like to ask: besides me and Kasumigaoka-senpai, is there a third Sacred Gear user at Sobu High?"
"Do you think Sacred Gear users are as common as cabbages?" Leon curled his lip. "It's rare for humans to be chosen by a Sacred Gear. For Sobu High to have you and Kasumigaoka as Sacred Gear users is already considered a wealth of talent."
The unspoken meaning was clear: Leon had not sensed the existence of a Sacred Gear on anyone other than Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka.
This meant either that someone's Sacred Gear was very special and deeply hidden, to the point where even the highly perceptive Leon could not detect its presence, or that there truly was no third Sacred Gear user.
Of course, it was also possible that someone was deliberately concealing themselves. Like Leon, Yukino Yukinoshita, and Asuna Yuuki, all three of them had been able to consciously control the power and fluctuations of their Sacred Gear after its awakening, thus hiding their identity as Sacred Gear users, making them difficult to detect.
But this would imply that someone's Sacred Gear had awakened without Leon's knowledge and that the person was already able to consciously control the Sacred Gear's power to conceal themselves.
Leon found this unlikely. After all, Sobu High was his territory, and he had paid close attention to this small area, secretly using his sensing abilities. If a suspicious individual who had already stepped into the supernatural world appeared, he should have detected their existence long ago.
Given this, Leon was more inclined to believe that there were no other Sacred Gear users left at Sobu High, and Yukino Yukinoshita and Utaha Kasumigaoka were the only two remaining.
"However, Sacred Gears are not always innate. Some Sacred Gears might seek a new host after the original one passes away, thus lodging in someone at Sobu High,"
Leon informed Yukino Yukinoshita of this, causing her to fall into contemplation.
"In other words, there are no Sacred Gear users besides us now, but there's no guarantee there won't be in the future, right?"
Yukino Yukinoshita sought confirmation.
"Exactly," Leon nodded. "Or, perhaps a new Sacred Gear user might transfer in later, just like Asuna did."
This would require luck.
And even if he encountered one, Leon might not necessarily take an interest.
Most Sacred Gears were ultimately unremarkable, possessing only some minor special ability. Only a small number of Sacred Gears were truly powerful, but the stronger the Sacred Gear, the rarer it naturally was, and the rarer the Sacred Gear, the less likely it was to appear suddenly. Such reliance on luck was somewhat unreliable, and Leon didn't count on it.
The last time he went on a mission to eliminate a stray Devil, he stumbled upon Asuna Yuuki, who possessed the rare and powerful Sacred Gear Holy Sword Creation. In Leon's opinion, that was already hitting the jackpot. He didn't expect to have such good luck again.
"In short, excellent subordinates are rare. We should seize every opportunity we get. It would truly be a pity to let one slip away."
Although Leon couldn't yet confirm what Sacred Gear Utaha Kasumigaoka housed, based on his sensing over the past two years, he could be certain that it was definitely not some dime-a-dozen item.
Judging from the Sacred Gear fluctuations he could occasionally detect, it was at the very least a Sacred Gear that could be used in actual combat, and it might even be a top-tier Sacred Gear, second only to a Longinus, like Asuna Yuuki's Holy Sword Creation.
As for whether it was a Longinus... Leon couldn't be certain, but he believed the possibility was very small.
Because the strongest fluctuation of that Sacred Gear was only at the level of a top-tier Sacred Gear, still a distance away from the Longinus level.
Unless a large portion of the Sacred Gear's fluctuation was deeply hidden and undetectable to him, the possibility of Utaha Kasumigaoka being a Longinus holder was virtually zero, or very close to it.
Leon didn't dare hope to win the grand prize of a Longinus holder. He only hoped to win a first prize that wasn't too much worse than Asuna Yuuki.
This hope was much greater, especially after his Evil Pieces reacted to Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Which pieces reacted to Senpai?"
Yukino Yukinoshita seemed to have guessed Leon's thoughts and couldn't help but ask.
Leon did not hide the information.
"The Rook, the Bishop, the Pawn, and... the Queen."
Upon hearing this, Yukino Yukinoshita's expression subtly changed.
"Even the Queen piece reacted?"
Didn't that mean Utaha Kasumigaoka had the potential to become Leon's second-in-command, commanding all of them?
"It was only a faint reaction," Leon saw Yukino Yukinoshita's slight change in expression and laughed. "You also caused the Queen piece to react back then, didn't you?"
In terms of triggering the Evil Pieces' reaction, Yukino Yukinoshita was the truly exaggerated one, as she had caused all the Evil Pieces to react at the time.
"Then which one had the strongest reaction?"
Yukino Yukinoshita relaxed her expression and continued to inquire.
Leon uttered a single word.
"The Rook."
After Utaha Kasumigaoka finished touring the manor, Yukino Yukinoshita stepped forward, taking her senpai to execute a Devil mission.
Asuna Yuuki was also just a novice in this area, so Leon had Yukino Yukinoshita take Utaha Kasumigaoka to observe her work.
Yukino Yukinoshita had initially seemed strongly opposed to Utaha Kasumigaoka joining, but after understanding the full situation from Leon, she tacitly accepted his decision and was willing to cooperate.
Thus, under Yukino Yukinoshita's guidance, Utaha Kasumigaoka experienced the magic circle jump for the first time, traveling to the summoner's home and observing Yukino Yukinoshita's Devil work throughout the entire process.
The observation lasted until the middle of the night.
By the time Yukino Yukinoshita returned to the manor with Utaha Kasumigaoka, the latter's eyes were filled with exhaustion and sleepiness, yet not without satisfaction.
"It was quite interesting, Devil work."
As soon as Utaha Kasumigaoka returned, she shared her thoughts with Leon.
"I thought the work of a Devil would be more evil and terrifying, as depicted in movies and TV shows, but... it feels almost like an Odd Jobs business?"
Yukino Yukinoshita had taken Utaha Kasumigaoka to fulfill three wishes: helping someone repair a broken roof, driving away harmful wild animals, and treating a sickness in the client's child.
This was indeed much more normal than Utaha Kasumigaoka had imagined, at least not as terrifying as the general public believed, where making a deal with a Devil was seen as utterly wicked and unforgivable.
"Some people also complete the kind of evil and terrifying wishes you mentioned without any hesitation," Leon had Asuna Yuuki pour Utaha Kasumigaoka a cup of tea to refresh herself, then smiled. "Devils and humans are essentially not very different. Some humans honestly perform work that contributes to society, while others secretly do heinous deeds."
"The same goes for Devils. Some don't care about the nature of the work for the sake of performance and status. As long as someone makes a wish and the payment is affordable, they will complete it without reservation."
"But others, like us, are very particular about the content of the wish and the character of the person making it. If a morally corrupt person summons us, we not only won't grant their wish but might even step in to punish them on behalf of heaven."
"Of course, this kind of thing is not highly encouraged in the Devil world."
Leon explained the pros and cons, causing Utaha Kasumigaoka to look deeply at him.
"You're quite honest, Devil-kun."
Utaha Kasumigaoka smiled playfully.
"It's just the truth; I wouldn't call it honesty."
Leon looked unconcerned.
"In that case, I have no reason to hesitate," Utaha Kasumigaoka seemed to have made up her mind. She looked directly at Leon and said, "Reincarnating as a Devil—I agree to this."
Hearing this, Leon smiled and extended one hand towards Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Welcome to the team."