Perhaps due to some sort of suspension bridge effect, I’d grown quite attached to Yuki-san and Mitsuki as well. Thus I had no reservation in my heart in siding with Mitsuki on the issue between us, as I saw it as a win-win. From what I saw last night, she was a capable and reliable fighter, and it wasn’t like she was going to fight demons every night. Considering what's needed for spirits to turn malevolent like that, it wasn’t like there’s a lot of them about.

“Say, Yuki-san, what did you mean by that whole fingerprint thing?” I asked.

It was the night after my meeting with Mitsuki at the shrine. In between then and now, nothing had really happened other than me awkwardly sending her a message saying “Looking forward to wroking with you”. Yes, with a typo that I hurriedly amended, resulting in yet another typo. She replied with nothing but a “Yeah”.

“A person’s spell is his own. That applies to the magical bonds between master and familiar as well. Of course, this bond is breakable. It would be quite troublesome if that were not the case. However, the magic that binds us is not yours, but rather that of your father. Thus, it would require his magic to undo the spell between us. Much like the fingerprint lock on your mobile phone, it cannot be opened by anyone else.”

“Huh, I think I get it.”

“That is why I think Mitsuki’s efforts are a complete waste of time. What will she do, alter her form to become that of your father’s? Hogwash.” My ring berated.

As she spoke, there was a knock on the door.

I went over to check who it was, as my uncle was busy in the kitchen preparing dinner. I called out to the person on the other side, to which a voice replied that she was Mitsuki.

I opened the door and welcomed the gray sweatshirt-clad girl on the other side.

She had gauze on her left cheek and a band-aid just under her right. In her hand was a plastic bag.

“Hey, Mitsuki... You alright?” I asked, scanning her body for other signs of injury.

“I’m fine. Here.” She produced a lunchbox covered in talismans from the bag and handed it over to me.

“This is...”

“Yuki-san’s dinner. Make sure to absorb it right after you peel the talismans off... Well, I’ll be going then.” She waved.

“W-wait, those injuries-“

“I’m alright. Just a couple of workplace accidents.” She said as she walked off into the night.

“Who was it, So-kun?” my uncle called out from the kitchen.

“Mitsuki. She brought over some snacks.”

I went back up to my room and inspected the box.

“That girl really meant it... She will only end up with more and more injuries.”

“Well, she said she just had a few accidents.” I said as I peeled the talismans off one by one.

I had no idea what was going to happen when I pulled these off, but I had to stone my will.

As I pulled the lid off, a black miasma leaked out of the box.

“That... That is a demon’s spiritual energy. Quite a powerful one... Nothing like the one the lass fought before.”

There was shock in Yuki-san’s voice.

“A demon...” I gulped.

Nonetheless, I opened up the box. Within it was a pitch-black ball of smoke, twisting and turning in place. The object let out a hissing noise as well as, from deep within it, faint whispers of a being that sounded not quite human.

I placed my hand over it, a chill running down my spine even though it emitted no cold. There was just something dreadful about it.

Like usual, the magic flowed from the object into my hand. The demon’s essence crawled onto and then beneath my skin, like an army of ants marching through my blood vessels. It spread throughout my body, the sensation of which caused me to collapse onto the creaky wooden floor.

“Are you alright, young Kumagawa-sama?!” Yuki-san cried.

“Y-yeah... Just caught me off guard. What’s with that thing?” I said through chattering teeth.

My entire body was shivering, pale, and cold. Fitting that the remnants of a creature born out of cold hatred would be as frigid as the vacuum of space.

“Your reaction only confirms it... That demon was powerful. It is likely that it had consumed many humans before it was struck down... That child, she is seriously trying to get herself killed!” Yuki-san shouted.

I could’ve only imagined what such a creature would look like. What a demon more terrifying than the one that almost killed me would look like.

“The next time I see that lass, I will give her a stern piece of my mind!”

However, one thing for certain was that Mitsuki slew it. If her injuries were nothing more than little accidents as she said, then the demon was a cakewalk.