"...What should we do? What should we do to get rid of him...?"
I strategize while playing games in the bathroom, where no one can disturb me.
How can I get rid of that incompetent, devilish, murderous chef who's less than my little sister?
Simply locking them out of the house is not the right thing to do.
My mother knows I'm a "poor illegitimate child," so if I disappear without a reason, she'll probably try to find me.
So, should I explain the situation to my mother?
...It's impossible. No matter how much I explain about hell, demons, and runaway souls, people will just think it's some kind of game.
So, I'll just make up another reason... but before that...
"...As long as this 'collar' is around, there's no way to break the bond."
I'd love to sue this guy named Dokuro for one-click fraud, but he's a demon from hell, so Japanese laws, or rather, the laws of this world, don't apply to him.
Breaking the contract would be difficult.
To quickly cut ties, the best option is...
Pachinko
"Hmm, what is it?"
The lights suddenly went out. Was it a blackout?
For now, I'll adjust the window blinds to let in the moonlight.
"Oh, you can't make it bright!"
I heard Elsie's voice from very, very close by.
And then, right in front of me, was Elsie, almost completely naked...
"Waaaaaaaaaaaa!!!"
"Y-you! Wh-what are you doing?!"
I instinctively jumped back and hid myself with the bathtub lid.
"I-It's alright. I'm wearing my feathered robe."
I wondered, "Wrapping a feathered robe?", but it seems she's wrapping it around her body like a swimsuit.
It's made of a semi-transparent material and is submerged in bathwater, so it's really hard to see.
"God, I'm so sorry that you've got an upset stomach because of me, so I thought I'd at least flush your butt..."
"I don't want it!! I'm not a dog!!"
Even if you do all that, I'm not going to accept you as my little sister! You keep coming up with these forced "little sister" events!!
"...It's not like it's just been tacked on."
"yeah?"
What's going on? The atmosphere's changed? It's not the lighthearted feeling from before, but a serious one now.
...Maybe I should just listen to what he has to say in silence for a bit.
"I have an older sister."
My older sister was excellent at everything she did; she was truly the devil among devils.
...In contrast, I was cleaning day after day. I thought I'd probably be the cleaning person for the rest of my life.
That's why when I was chosen for the Soul Runners, I was so happy I felt like I could die happy!
Finally, finally, I can work as a demon!!
...I see. She's definitely not my sister, but she was like my sister in a way.
A younger sister who's a failure compared to her accomplished older sister, huh? That's a common character trope in games.
I think he said he'd been a cleaner for 300 years.
Judging from the way he's talking, it seems like the cleaning staff is a position only for underachievers.
After working tirelessly at the bottom, she finally landed a position that might allow her to catch up to her admired older sister... huh?
And with my active cooperation, I'm sure I can catch up to my sister. That's the idea.
In other words, the options I should choose are...
"How should I know that?"
Upon hearing that line, Elsie made a face that said, "Huh?" for a moment.
Hmph, did you really think I'd fall for such a cliché story?
I quickly got out of the bath and got dressed.
"...Uhh, uhhhh..."
It looks like he's sitting cross-legged in the bathtub, crying.
This is completely irrelevant, but won't they suffocate?
"I'm a person from the world of games. I won't be swayed by the atmosphere."
It must be more logically justified."
Elsie's circumstances are none of my business.
Yes, they're completely unrelated.
...That's precisely why...
"Thinking logically..."
"...I accept you as my sister."
"...Huh? R-Really?!"
"Unfortunately, this is the best we can do."
I want to cut ties with you as soon as possible.
But as long as you're wearing this dangerous collar, it's impossible for me to break ties with you."
It might be possible if you're dead... but then again, a demon might not let even a soul escape.
In any case, there's no way to escape in a normal way.
"In that case, I'll just drive out all the runaway souls and end the contract."
For that to happen, it's best if I spend as much time with you as possible.
That's why I'm staying with you as your little sister."
"Oh, God... thank you!!"
Elsie tried to hug me, so I quickly dodged her.
...Now that you mention it, Nakagawa did hug me once too. Is that some kind of trend?
By the way, Elsie is currently wearing her original outfit, not her feathered swimsuit. When did she change?
"Don't get the wrong idea. This is simply the best option for me."
Well, while you're at it, you should get good grades too, and your sister will praise you."
"God... I'll do my best!"
"Yes, please do."
This guy's smiling way too much it's annoying.
Oh well. Let's find the next runaway soul soon...
"...Hmm? Now that you mention it, Elsie."
"Yes? What is it?"
"How do you find the next runaway soul?"
"...Ahhh!! I forgot!!"
"...Hey, did you mess something up again?"
"Oh, no, it won't have that much of an impact... probably."
"...It looks like we have a tough road ahead."
Fine. Let's hear exactly what you did wrong.
"Um, well... this skull hair clip I'm wearing..."
A skull hair clip... I'd never really paid it much attention before, but she definitely always had one on.
I didn't wear it in the bathroom, though.
"This is actually a soul-running sensor."
"Is there really such a thing? Can it tell you where the runaway spirits in this town are?"
"No, it won't react unless you're close enough to pass it by."
"Another troublesome sensor... So, what's the point?"
"I had turned it off to conserve energy before coming from hell to the human world..."
"...So you've just left it as is until now?"
"Y-yes..."
I can understand that, though it's a bit silly.
"I wanted to avoid having to deal with two runaway spirits at the same time, even if another one appeared while I was trying to win over Ayumi, and not much time has passed since I finished her route, so the impact would probably be minimal."
I finished conquering Ayumi around Saturday evening, and now it's Monday night.
This means that the switch was not turned on for about two full days during the period when it should have been turned on.
That much is not a problem.
"Right, I thought so!"
"Whether or not to blame the failure itself is a different matter."
"Please be gentle..."
"So, did you turn it on?"
"W-wait a minute? Like this... Okay!"
Snap!
Gurgle g...
"...Hey, you look like a broken alarm clock."
"Th-this is a sensor! There's a runaway soul very close by!!"
"Very close...?"
"...Hey, no way..."
Just as I finished speaking, Nakagawa came down the stairs leading to the second floor.
"Keima, is something wrong? Did your kitchen timer or something break?"
"Elsie, please tell me it's not true."
"Um, well... there's a runaway soul lurking within the princess. The next target to conquer is the princess."
"......debt"
"debt?"
"Don't be ridiculous!! It's obviously impossible!!!"
My battle to sever ties with Elsie had already hit a major obstacle...