Listening to Takumi's guidance, a bright light flickered in Miko Yotsuya's eyes. Before, whenever she faced Cursed Spirits, she was scared to death. Now she finally had power that could deal with them! Too precious! That time I almost got pregnant… suddenly feels worth it.
Hana Yurikawa stepped up, clasped Miko's small hand, and asked with concern, "Miko, that monster just now was so scary—are you okay?!"
From Hana's perspective, that cat wraith had suddenly appeared and attacked the auntie. Then, out of nowhere, it turned into a ball of light and flew into the book in Miko's hands.
As for the just-arrived Yukino, she was already stunned. A Cursed Spirit appearing out of thin air; the auntie being killed; Takumi burning the corpse to ash. These were all her classmates, and yet they felt so mysterious—so unfamiliar.
"Takumi-nii, there's an outsider here. Should we modify her memory?" Maria noticed Yukino inching backward and asked, in a cute voice, a truly terrifying question.
"Outsider? Modify memory!?" Yukino realized at once that Maria meant her. Imagining what might happen, she bit her lip and looked to Takumi. She understood too—her fate was in Takumi's hands.
"T-Takumi… I think we can talk."
"Oh? Talk, Yukinoshita-san? And what exactly is there to talk about?" Takumi looked at her with interest, curious to hear what she could say.
Yukino suddenly choked. Her words were only the instinct to survive. If they were really going to "talk," she honestly didn't know about what. Before this, they weren't in the same class, they had no interactions at all. Even the most basic classmate bond was just that they attended the same school.
After a few seconds of mental storm, Yukino looked to Miko Yotsuya and Hana Yurikawa. From Maria's mouth she'd learned she was the outsider—but those two weren't!
"Hana-san, Miko-san… I hope you can help me."
"Ah… Yukinoshita-san… Takumi-kun, um…" Hana truly was soft-hearted; she immediately wanted to plead for Yukino.
Takumi waved a hand. "Relax, I'm not planning to do anything to her. But for safety—so you don't go blabbing everywhere. Tch… Maria, take out the cat-ear headband."
At his order, Maria moved first, whipping a black cat-ear headband out from her bosom.
"Why would anyone carry that around?!" Yukino couldn't help blurting at the sight.
To this, Takumi could only say Yukino's horizons were still too narrow. Maria was a dream demon—forget a headband, Takumi suspected she might be carrying a whip.
"Ahem. Don't sweat the small stuff. Yukinoshita-san, put on this cat-ear headband."
"…" Yukino locked eyes with Takumi's playful gaze and finally lost the standoff. She accepted the headband in humiliation and put it on; her cheeks flushed as she turned away. "There. Happy now?"
Seeing the normally cool, expressionless face turn so shy, even Hana couldn't help squealing "so cute." Takumi seized the chance, pulled out his phone, and directed, "Make a V with both hands."
"…Why do I have to do that!!" Yukino felt this was getting more and more ridiculous. She might not hate cat ears, but the man in front of her was clearly humiliating her!
Facing her protest, Takumi only murmured, "Yukinoshita-san, you don't want your memory modified, do you?"
"…" One line from Takumi left her speechless on the spot. She shot him a secret glare, cheeks burning, and raised both hands to make the V-sign.
Click, click, click!
Takumi snapped shots from the optimal angle at lightning speed. Maria, not to be outdone, started taking pictures too.
Watching these two lecherous wolves toy with Yukino, Mio was about to explode.
"Perfect. Yukinoshita-san is adorable. Now do a kitty pose and meow." Takumi gave a thumbs-up while issuing another command.
Yukino's eyes went wide; her face turned beet red. "D-don't go too far, you—"
Maybe she remembered Takumi incinerating a corpse moments ago; after stammering for ages, she never finished the sentence. Takumi just patted his camera. "Yukinoshita-san, you also wouldn't want me to share these photos online for hundreds of millions to see, right?"
"…" Hearing that all-too-familiar tone of threat, Yukino went numb. She felt trapped—no way to break free. After a long inner struggle, she shyly pressed her lips together, her blush blooming like an evening cloud, and trembled into a kitty pose.
"Meow~ meow~"
With those two light sounds, Yukino felt her dignity evaporate with them.
"Uu-uu~ too cute, Yukinoshita-san!!!" Even Hana couldn't help giving a big thumbs-up. Mio was equally slain by the cuteness, momentarily forgetting they were being hunted.
"Enough! If you make me do stuff like this again, I'd rather die!!" Driven past the limit by shame and anger, Yukino glared at Takumi, abandoning her earlier meekness.
"Yukinoshita-san's temper still isn't steady enough. I'm only taking some leverage, not indulging in pure bad taste." Takumi tucked his phone away, and—while he was at it—checked Maria's camcorder.
Yukino was completely broken by this—how was this not pure bad taste?!
"Anyhow, Yukinoshita-san, please take the cat." Takumi passed the kitten from Hana's arms to Yukino. "And the cat-ear headband is yours too. By the way, it really suits you… Yukino-kitty."
"…" Cradling the kitten, Yukino stared in surprise at Takumi… letting her go just like that. Hearing the last pet-name, she was still embarrassed, but not exactly disgusted either.
"Meow~~" The kitten's soft cry in her arms brought her back to herself. Stroking the little thing, she hesitated a few seconds, then bowed to Takumi. "You're a man of terrible taste, but… thank you for saving this little one—and giving her to me."
"Hearing you say that… now I almost feel bad not adding the final safeguard."
"The final safeguard?" As Yukino looked up in confusion, a magic circle unfurled. Takumi's magic flowed into her body, concentrating at her neck into a pink heart-shaped collar pattern. Before Yukino even realized what had happened, the [Master–Servant Contract] ritual was complete.
Maria could tell as well—the inherited Master–Servant Contract she knew had already been improved and reinforced by Takumi…
...
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