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Dark sky.
Shiho Miyano's eyes widened, a flash of fear darting through them.
Edgar... actually pushed her out as a human shield—for a bullet?
What a monster.
Wait.
He literally is a monster... a demon.
Still.
She really wanted to cuss him out.
But with the bullet flying closer and closer, she didn't have time to think.
What do I do?
How do I survive this?
Wait...
I'm a demon now.
I've got magic powers!
She stretched out her hand, a flash of confidence in her eyes.
And then...
Her face turned from determined to utterly frustrated.
How the hell do you use magic powers, anyway?!
She'd just become a demon! She didn't know how to do anything yet!
Zing! Zing! Zing!
The bullets zoomed in, growing bigger in her vision by the second.
"Damn it—I don't want to die here!"
Almost instinctively, Shiho flailed her arms wildly in panic.
Clang! Clink!
To the shock of the men in black, her arms moved so fast they left afterimages—and somehow, she caught the bullets with her bare hands.
"What... the...?"
"How did she do that?!"
Except for Edgar, every single person's eyes went wide, their jaws practically dropping to the floor.
Shiho blinked, finally processing what just happened. She stared at the bullets in her hands in disbelief.
"I... actually managed to do this?"
"That's why I keep telling you—don't use human logic to measure what we're capable of," Edgar said casually, with a shrug.
Shiho shot him a look. Her voice low and annoyed, "That still doesn't give you the right to shove me into the line of fire."
"What? You're my familiar now. You expect to hide behind your master?"
Edgar sounded totally justified, like this was common sense.
Familiars had to toughen up, so the master could live easy.
Besides, those bullets weren't strong enough to even scratch her now.
"Alright, enough small talk. Those guys are trying to run."
Shiho quickly gathered herself and noticed the movement among the men in black.
A hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.
Edgar warned her: "Don't go soft on your enemies."
"The organization isn't gone yet. If word gets out, it could put your loved ones in danger."
Shiho froze for a moment, then her eyes hardened with resolve.
Right. She still had her sister.
No more hesitation.
She flung the bullets from her hands.
Even though it was a throw...
The speed was way faster than the original shots.
Splat! Splat!
Blood splashed.
Several of the men in black hit the ground without even having time to scream.
"How's your first time killing someone feel?"
Shiho went quiet, then shook her head. "Not great."
"You used to be human. That's normal," Edgar said, giving her a light pat on the shoulder. "But don't worry—you get used to it after a while."
"Oh, and take care of everyone back at the research facility too, would ya?"
"..."
Shiho just stared at him.
Edgar laughed, "Relax! I'm just messing with you."
"Edgar... Could you not joke about that stuff?" she muttered.
"Hm?" Edgar blinked, then grinned. "Shouldn't you be calling me something else now?"
Shiho froze, then her cheeks turned slightly red. In a tiny voice, she mumbled, "M-Master..."
God, that felt so embarrassing to say.
Edgar smacked his lips.Hmm.Being called "Master" for the first time... not bad at all.
Then—without warning—
Edgar casually waved his hand toward the research facility.
Buzz.
A magic circle lit up under the ground.
And in the next second—
A roaring inferno shot into the sky.
"Alright, all done here. Let's head home."
"???"
"Don't get me wrong," Edgar clarified. "I'm just doing my duty to look after my familiar."
"You're a demon now. You didn't seriously think angels and exorcists weren't real, right?"
Shiho had nearly reached mid-level demon rank...
But she still didn't even know how to control magic, so yeah—he wasn't wrong to be worried.
"O-okay..."
Shiho hesitated, then nodded.
Edgar did make sense.
And with the research facility gone, she really didn't want to stay in a hotel.
If she did...
The Black Organization might find her trail.
She wasn't scared of them anymore—but she still had to make sure her sister was safe.
"Just so you know—nothing pervy allowed."
"I'll try my best."
Edgar held his hands up.
"..."
Shiho's mouth twitched.
Great.
Is it too late to regret this now?
Did she just throw herself to the wolves?
Ten minutes later
In front of a suburban villa—
Edgar checked the address and looked at the house.
"Master, this is really your place?" Shiho gave him a doubtful glance.
She was half-worried he'd bust in, kick out the actual owner, and declare, "This is demon territory now."
"What kind of crap are you imagining?"
Edgar rolled his eyes and unlocked the door. "Of course it's my place. I've just never been here before—I only just came to the human world."
Shiho let out a breath of relief.
Random murder and home invasion?
Yeah, that was a bit beyond her.
Inside the house, the appliances were all set up and working.
"Not bad—the fridge is stocked. And the ingredients are fresh too."
Opening the fridge brought a rare moment of warmth to Edgar's eyes.
No doubt—this was all Fia's doing.
He pulled out some ingredients, then noticed Shiho staring at him in disbelief.
"What, is there something on my face?"
"No, it's just... kinda surprising," she said, shaking her head. "You're a demon—and you cook?"
While rinsing vegetables in the sink, Edgar replied without turning around, "Feeding yourself is a basic survival skill—even for demons, alright?"
In both past and present lives, Edgar knew how to cook.
This time, he'd learned for Fia.
In his last life, it was just to save money.
Either way...
He was craving some good Eastern food lately.
Shiho sat on the couch and took out her phone, dialing Akemi Miyano's number.
"Shiho? Calling at this hour—missed your big sis already?" came a warm voice through the speaker.
"Big sis... um..."
On the other end, Akemi put down what she was doing, frowning slightly at Shiho's hesitation.
"Shiho, what's wrong? Did something happen?"
Shiho was silent for a moment, then finally said, "It's hard to explain over the phone. Can you come to Komaou Town?"
"Alright, I'll head there right away."
"Okay—be careful, sis."
"..."
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