A soft voice sounded from beside him .
"Seiji-sama . . . Seiji-sama . . . Please wake up . . . It’s time . . . "
Seiji slowly opened his eyes .
He saw Shika Kagura standing before him smiling gently and alluringly .
‘Hmm? Wait a moment . ’
Shika-chan’s hair wasn’t supposed to be blue colored!
And her smile seemed somewhat strange .
"Shika-chan . . . "
"Yes, I’m your Snow Girl, Shika-chan! I’m the retainer that loves Master the most, the retainer that wishes to make love to Master the most!"
The blue-haired beauty’s smile seemed to grow even sultrier . The light in her eyes showed the full depth of her love towards him .
Seiji was rendered speechless at this situation .
Yep, he was 100% certain that something was wrong here, since Shika-chan would never say something like this! Nor would she have such an expression!!
He was too stunned by how many things he could possibly comment on here .
"Hey, Snow Girl, don’t get too close to Master! What if you cause our Master to catch a cold!?"
"I won’t! My heart is filled with love for Seiji-sama! Ahh, it’s burning up!"
"If it really was burning up, you would have melted long ago!!"
A hand appeared in his field of vision and yanked away the blue-haired girl that was clinging on to him .
"Eek! Let go of me, stinky Zombie!"
"Who’s stinky!? I shower every day! Stop calling me stinky!!"
She was a beauty with twin dark red ponytails, and a blueish-purple-colored face . Her expression was currently seething with rage .
‘It’s Mika . . . No, it’s someone that looks almost exactly like Mika!’ he realized after observing her closely .
She was wearing a dark golden robe, and her skin was blueish-purple hue . She had a yellow talisman stuck to the right side of her face, and she seemed a little short .
Apart from that, her facial features were exactly identical to Mika Uehara’s .
But she definitely wasn’t Mika Uehara .
Who was she?
Who was this blue-haired girl?
Where was this?
Seiji’s head felt heavy when he tried to think about these questions .
"Ah . . . Master! What’s the matter!?"
"Seiji-sama!?"
A number of panicked and anxious voices filled with concern sounded out around him .
"Nothing . . . I just . . . still feel a little woozy from waking up," Seiji said, rubbing his temples .
"Master, your complexion doesn’t seem too good . Is it because this idiot Snow Girl accidentally froze you?"
"I can control my powers properly! Don’t treat me like a little child that can’t control herself, hmph!"
"Master, should I call Firefly Grass over?"
"I’m already here . . . Honestly, stop arguing in front of Master; it’s unseemly . "
Another girl appeared .
She had light green long hair and was wearing a green-colored wide-sleeved outfit, which revealed her beautiful long legs . She wore white socks with green grass sandals . This was a beautiful girl that looked exactly like Chiaki Wakaba .
"Let me through, let me through! I’ll come help out Master . "
After making her way past the girl with twin ponytails and the blue-haired girl, the green-haired girl placed both her hands on Seiji’s shoulders .
"May the plant spirits cleanse our Master . . . " she said in a gentle voice .
A cool sensation flowed into his body from his shoulders . The energy enveloped his entire body, dissipating his fatigue and cleansing his heart .
Then Seiji finally remembered .
He was the Yin Yang Master, Seiji Kamijou .
He was the Yin Yang Master, Seiji Kamijou .
The three girls before him were all his Spirit-branded Retainers .
Snow Girl, Zombie, and Firefly Grass spirit . . . he gave them the names of Shika-chan, Mika, and Chiaki .
He smiled gently at Chiaki . "Thank you, Chiaki, I feel much better now . "
"This is my job, Master . " Firefly Grass Chiaki smiled at him . "No matter when or where, healing Master and our companions is what I live for . "
"I know, but I still want to thank you . " Seiji reached out and patted her head . "You’ve always been working hard . Thank you for your efforts . "
Chiaki’s face flushed slightly red .
"Ahh, Seiji-sama, I want to be treated like that too~"
Snow Girl Shika-chan opened her hands and attempted to hug him, but she was forcefully dragged away by Zombie Mika .
"Stop clinging on to Master, you idiot Snow Girl!"
"Let go of me, stinky Zombie!"
"I’m not stinky!"
Seiji sighed .
‘These two are always fighting,’ he thought, mentally shaking his head .
"Master, have you woken up?"
A beautiful girl with black hair and a red robe . . . no wait, a beautiful boy appeared at the door and bowed towards him while greeting him politely .
This was a Zashiki-warashi spirit . Seiji had given him the name of Hoshi .
"I’m awake . . . has everyone gathered?"
"All our companions have gathered together and are awaiting our Master’s arrival . "
"Alright then, I’ll come out right away . "
Seiji walked over to the clothes rack and slipped into the traditional Japanese hunting robes hanging there .
Zashiki-warashi Hoshi retrieved Seiji’s hat for him, and Seiji placed it on his head .
After he finished putting on his clothes, Seiji walked out of his bedroom with Zashiki-warashi Hoshi following behind him .
"Stop messing around and follow Master!"
"Stop messing around and follow Master!"
"Okay . . . "
"Alright~"
Behind him, Seiji heard Firefly Grass Chiaki lecturing the other two spirits, and Zombie Mika and Snow Girl Shika-chan’s replies .
Seiji walked through his home’s hallway and out to the garden, only to see that many Spirit-branded Retainers were waiting for him there .
Mountain Kid Zankita Juumonji and Starving Ghoul Kazufuru Ooike .
Floorboard Spirit Tetsuo Sasaki and Ancient Fire Lantern Koji Hoshihara .
Crow Tengu Michirou Juumonji and Blue Priest Hisashi Juumonji .
Shadow Girl Haruka Shimizu, Fireball Spirit Shiina Shiho, and Long-haired Ghoul Anya Saigenji .
Demon Fox Rion Amami and Demon Fox Kotomi Amami .
Mermaid Shell Kaho Miyamoto and Rain Girl Saki Yoshizawa .
Maiden of the Bridge Rika Amami and Wisteria Spirit Nozomi Uehara .
Smoke Demon Mai Houjou and White Wolf Hitaka Shuho .
Flower Demon Rana Kirin and Blue Lantern Ghost Natsuya Yoruhana .
. . .
Seiji exchanged glances and nodded at all his trusted subordinates . To him, they were more than mere servants; they were his valued companions .
Blue Lantern Ghost Natsuya bowed to greet him . "Greetings to Master . "
With her leading the crowd, all the other Spirit-branded Retainers also began greeting Seiji .
"It’s been so long, Master . It’s wonderful that you remain healthy . "
"Kamijou-sama, I await your orders . "
"Seiji-sama, this one really missed you~~"
"Please give us your orders . No matter what they are, we’ll accomplish them . "
"Master, I . . . I’ll work hard this time as well!"
"Master, I heard that we’re going to fight against an incredibly powerful demon today? Haha, I can hardly wait!"
Various emotions such as concern, respect, and passion could be heard from his retainers’ greetings .
"Master, I heard that we’re going to fight against an incredibly powerful demon today? Haha, I can hardly wait!"
Various emotions such as concern, respect, and passion could be heard from his retainers’ greetings .
Seiji smiled gently upon hearing them all .
"Everyone," he began, the sound of his voice prompting the crowd to fall into silence, "I’m delighted to see that you’re all doing well . I meet frequently with some of you, yet there are also others that I haven’t seen in a long time .
"If it were possible, I would throw a party for everyone, so we can gossip idly and enjoy ourselves . But we don’t have the time for that right now .
"You’ve probably all heard the news already: there is an incredibly powerful evil demon currently rampaging east of here—and I suspect the demon is not alone . At a rough guess, more than a 100 people have already fallen victim to it .
"I’ve searched for every piece of information I can, but I’ve been unable to ascertain this demon’s true identity .
"However, we cannot remain idle for any longer; even as I speak, it draws closer to the city . If we do not make haste and defeat it, many more will fall prey to this evil monstrosity .
"Out of an abundance of caution, I summoned every single one of you here today in order to fight against this unknown demon or demons . We will crush whatever lies before us with our combined strength . "
Seiji swept his gaze across his retainers .
"All of you are mighty heroes .
"Many humans and spirits owe their lives to you .
"As long as we remain united, I believe no feat, task, or threat is an impossibility!"
Every retainer smiled upon being praised by their master . Some laughed heartily, and others smiled faintly . Yet more covered their mouths in embarrassment, while the rest let out light, somewhat shy chuckles .
"This time, we shall emerge victorious once more! But… what is of utmost importance is that…" Seiji paused, and his imposing manner rose to a crescendo . "Everyone! Not a single one of you is allowed to die!! This is the most important order!!! Do you hear me!?"
"We hear you—" every retainer cried in unison .
Saving people was important, victory was important, but the most important thing to Seiji was his companions’ lives .
As long as all his companions were still alive, even if they temporarily suffered a defeat, they could always come back for revenge at a later time!
On the other hand, even if they achieved victory at the price of a companion’s death, that still equaled defeat .
That was what Seiji Kamijou believed .
Up until now, he had never lost a single retainer before, nor had he ever been defeated in battle .
He was convinced that this time would be the same .
"Everyone, move out!"
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