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Not only that.
As the one who made the wish, it was supposed to be Miko Yotsuya who received divine protection. But the offering chosen by the god wasn't her—it was Hana Yurikawa Hana, the girl who accompanied her in the original story.
Why Hana? Because she carried an unusually strong life force.
Gods, to maintain their power, require regular offerings—fuel for their existence.
But with Rosen stepping in, Miko and Hana no longer had to go crawling to a shrine for protection. Now, if they needed anything, they could just pray to him.
Still, even if they never set foot there again, the shrine remained.
And this time, it was Yuki Suou who had become the "wish-maker."The one who would bear the cost, however, was—
Rosen's gaze shifted toward the gray-haired girl, Ayano Kunishima.
Yuki's childhood friend, the Suou family's loyal servant through generations.
She was the one the god had marked as the sacrifice.
"...Ayano, sorry. I kinda spaced out just now."
Yuki rubbed her throbbing temple, unsure if she should even explain what she'd just seen.
But before Ayano could respond, Yuki noticed a presence behind her.
"Huh? Oh! It's that mysterious big shot! You're into haunted houses too, sir?"
Almost instantly, the fear and headache were forgotten. Her mood spiked as she called out.
Rosen, however, didn't answer.
Only then did Yuki realize—he wasn't alone. Two stunning girls she didn't recognize stood by his side, both staring at her with strange expressions.
"Uh... do I have flowers growing out of my face or something?"
She touched her cheek nervously, then glanced at Ayano.
The servant gave a small nod. "Miss Yuki, I already told this gentleman what happened to you just now."
At that, Yuki perked up.
"Oh! Then you're really my lucky star, huh? Ever since I bumped into you that day, I think I awakened some kinda superpower! I can see spirits way clearer now, and whenever I'm in danger, I can even summon a little fox spirit to help me!"
"Just earlier, one ghost tried to attack me, but my two foxes chased it right off!"
"Wait, don't tell me—you sent those foxes to protect me, right?"
She rattled on excitedly, but as she noticed the heavy atmosphere, her voice trailed into a mumble.
After all, she had once received an invitation from this very man:If she could accept the price of never being able to defy his commands, she could transcend her ordinary life and step into the supernatural.
Could it be... that he'd secretly been protecting her all along?
Heh.
Maybe she really was special after all!
Otherwise, how could she deserve such rare treatment?
Thinking about it that way... it was kind of exciting.
But Rosen's next words hit her like a bucket of ice water.
"Those foxes aren't my familiars. Let me be blunt—the foxes guarding you aren't blessings. They're omens. Only by praying at the shrine can one receive their protection, and you only ever get three chances."
"Wait—what? But I haven't been to any shrine recently!"
Yuki blinked, baffled.
"And why only three? What happens when they run out? Do they just... vanish?"
"The answer's simple," Rosen said flatly. "When a god answers your wish, you have to pay them back. Once all three blessings are used up, the foxes come to collect what you promised in return."
As he spoke, his eyes slid toward the quiet Ayano.
"The god who offered you protection seems to have set its sights on your servant. When the debt comes due, those foxes will reappear—to take her."
Yuki froze.
Rosen's words lined up with the original story:Sacrifices given to the gods lost not only their lives, but their freedom in death as well. They became slaves bound to the deity's will.
The two masked fox-women who once fought off spirits in the tale? They had once been human sacrifices too. Twisted, enslaved, reshaped into what they were now.
The thought made Yuki's stomach churn.
Hana, standing behind Rosen, broke the silence. "Then... how many times have the foxes appeared for you already?"
At that, sweat beaded on Yuki's forehead. "I... I think... all three."
Realization hit her like a hammer.
"But—but I never went to any shrine! I never prayed to a god at all!"
She had convinced herself this was either Rosen secretly assigning her a bodyguard, or maybe she'd awakened some protagonist-tier cheat ability like in manga.
But the truth was painfully cruel.
"Think carefully," Rosen said. "The person who prayed on your behalf wouldn't have been a stranger."
"Right. If someone really wanted to hurt you, they wouldn't have prayed for protection at all," Miko added. "So it must've been someone close to you."
Yuki's eyes flicked immediately to Ayano.
No one knew her better. No one cared for her more.
But Ayano shook her head. "I know nothing about this."
"...Figures."
Yuki sighed, but her mind spun uselessly. Who else could it have been?
It was one thing to protect her.
But to do it in such a twisted way?
Three chances, and then death.
That was no different from being hunted by spirits.
And with her blessings spent, it meant she and Ayano could be claimed by the foxes at any moment.
If Ayano had chosen it, at least that would make sense.
But she hadn't even seen the god's face, yet she was being forced to pay the price? Who on earth could accept that?
Clutching at her last thread of hope, Yuki looked to Rosen.
"Lord Rosen... about what you said before. About becoming your familiar. Does that offer still stand?"
She lifted her gaze just enough to meet his.
"It still stands," he replied. "But are you sure you've thought it through? Once the contract is made, there's no turning back."
A faint, amused smile tugged at his lips.
"In fact, becoming my familiar isn't so different from becoming that god's servant. If I ever chose to order you around, you wouldn't be able to resist. So... do you still want to go through with it?"
Anyone watching could see it plainly—Yuki Suou was a drowning girl desperate for something, anything, to keep her afloat.
And in moments like these, most people would agree to anything just to survive.
"..."
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