Translator: LynneSuzuran——

  Currently, a very surreal scene was developing right in front of my eyes.

  The evil spirit who dwelled in the tree was stretching his leaves and branches, attacking us as I felt like he was an octopus or sea anemone this way. Kuon-sensei and Mikoto-san’s walls of light protected us against the attack, and Alica-san and the others who were inside the walls were cutting off the branches, though.

  [Sorry for coming late, Honey.] [What, I believed you’d come, Darling.]

  One party who was making a wall of light, Mikoto-san was in the middle of being lovey dovey with the reinforcement who finally came—which was her husband, Koyata-san—without minding their surroundings. Nah really, what’s up with this?

  Alica-san snapped the branches that came flying at her, before shrugging off her shoulders lightly. Nah, she wasn’t shrugging her shoulders in regards of the evil spirit.

  “Seiren-sama. That, uhm, the ancestors…”


  “Please don’t say it…”


  “Unexpectedly, they still managed to attack very well…”


  It was just as Kaya-san said. Even while they were being lovey dovey, Koyata-san and Mikoto-san were attacking the evil spirit by using light attack, fully repelling them. …Or rather, they were like counterbalancing each other. What’s with that, they were broadly grinning, and meanwhile, we looked miserable.

  Nah, I was just being protected, though.

  [Well, putting that aside.]

  Perhaps being satisfied after being lovey dovey for some time, Koyata-san turned to face the evil spirit. However, he was still hugging Mikoto-san’s waist with one of his hand, though.

  …It was said that the house of Shikino was Shiiya family’s relative, but I thought that Taiga-san might have inherited Koyata-san’s flow instead. It was just as this example showed, and it seemed that I was in the middle of escaping from the reality.

  [You did such things to my and Honey’s descendants and their servants, right, small fry evil spirit? It seemed that you had grown large due to eating your same kind, but you only get a little bit bigger, and yet you are so proud.]

  As expected, there was still no change in his tone. However, the eyes that looked at the tree where the evil spirit dwelled were really cold. Or rather, if you looked at him from the front, you could say that he was looking down on the tree, and that was extremely easy to understand. Perhaps. I was glad that I could only see his back.

  [D-don’t mess around… As long as I have this power, you’re all going down… if only this wall didn’t exist!] [If it’s a wall you don’t want, then you can just destroy it. Haven’t you been able to do so until not too long ago?]

  Yup, it was as Mikoto-san said. Even so, the evil spirit received some damage in the trunk from the attack that Koyata-san fired by borrowing my arm. It seemed like that attack damaged the evil spirit himself who was inside the tree.

  While I was thinking about it, Koyata-san turned to face this way. Ah, he was smiling, but his eyes weren’t smiling. Those were the eyes that felt as if they were saying, “I’m being serious.”


  [Seiren, and the servants. Would you lend me your power?] “Of course, Koyata-sama.”


  “Well, that’s as a matter of course.”


  “Eh, me, too?”


  Seriously? Nah, I won’t say no if he asked me to lend my power. He was someone who did an amazing thing to help me and these people who were precious to me, after all.

  But well, I could understand if he asked it to the maids and Kuon-sensei, as they possessed incredible magic ability or combat ability. However, as for me…


  “I don’t have much power, you know?”


  [I know. That’s why, Honey.] [Umu, leave it to me.]

  Being called by Koyata-san, Mikoto-san smiled as she seemed to be very happy. Could it be that I was making the same face as her when I was with Taiga-san? Whoa-, that would be very embarrassing.

  As she was still with her full smile, Mikoto-san left Koyata-san, softly went down and stood at my back. Although she was supposed to not be able to touch me, I felt a sensation that was similar to a wind blowing when she swooped down upon me.

  [Do you understand why the evil spirits possessed people or misled them, and why they specially dwelled in the tree?]

  ‘Do you understand,’ she asked me. Or rather, come to think of it, why?

  [Well, in short, it was because they could give a strong influence that way. For evil spirits that don’t have any parasitic plant, if they plan to have a go, they’d just be exorcised by the glittering stars over there.] “…That was why he was using the tree, and then Saryuu and the others through the tree?”


  By the glittering stars, was she referring to the star ornaments that fell on the floor? The ornaments are really effective in eliminating the evil spirits, huh? However, it was only restricted to the so-called wandering ghosts and the likes of them.

  The guy who was dwelling in the tree as of now—since he was dwelling there, his influence was strong. Also, the evil spirit also used Kaya-san who came to the pharmacy who was next to the gardener shop in order to have me drink the narcotic drugs, and influenced Alica-san through the letter so that she’d assault me, huh?

  I see. Perhaps those were all due to the fact that the evil spirits couldn’t just enter my body so suddenly.

  [That’s right. Aah, even if the evil spirits weren’t eliminated, they still couldn’t recklessly possess your body all of a sudden. After all, you’re wearing a protective ring.] “Ring?”


  [A protective ring that a parent gave to their infant child. In addition, the prayer of the parent who brought you up was also there inside the ring.]

  Mikoto-san pointed out. And there is only one possibility that matches.

  It must be about the baby ring that Tou-san and Kaa-san gave to me who was just born at that time.

  As for the parent who brought me up… it refers to the orphanage director, right?

  I’m really well-protected, huh?

  [Now then. The airhead who dwelled in the parasitic plant, how do you want us to fight against you, I wonder?] “…I see. You’re planning to attack him through my body, right?”


  Once she said things up to this far, I could understand. It might be quite different than the way of an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth, but in short, it’s something like that.

  If the other party possesses a physical body, then we will just do the same thing over here.

  I’m Mikoto-san and Koyata-san’s descendant, so surely, this is the best method. Or rather, if we can beat him up by using my hands, then that’d be the best.

  [That’s right. And when you’re in the middle of yielding yourself to our power, the evil spirits can’t enter your body, too.] “Ah, is that so? Because you enter my body first, right?”


  [Uh huh. I’m glad that you’re quick to understand.]

  I wonder if it is “the first comes, the first serves” basis. No, well, I can’t really understand it because I have never been to the world of the ancestors, though. If I were to go there, then I’d like to go there after I become a very aged person. Nah, that’s not it.

  For the time being, my heart has decided.

  “I’ll entrust it to you. I’d also prefer to be of any help rather than not being able to do anything.”


  [Well said. Then, excuse me.]

  The next moment after hearing Mikoto-san’s words, there was a sensation of something entering from my back. Even if you ask me how it felt like, I have no way to express it quite well. It’s just that… after it, I seem to think that my whole body is floating on the water.

  “…For some reason, it feels strange. I feel like I’m lightly dreaming.”


  [It’s fine for you to lose your consciousness, but I still think that it’s better for you to be able to see the progress of the circumstances that are happening to you.] “I’m sorry.”


  If I fall asleep and wake up only to see that everything has ended, then that’d be not interesting at all, and I also want to see the progress of things until we reach the conclusion properly. Mikoto-san seems to understand those feelings of mine.

  [Then, let’s go!] [Yosh, here we go!]

  Mikoto-san and Koyata-san ran off at the first time. Obviously, Mikoto-san was still inside of me.

  The evil spirit’s tree’s branches had decreased considerably, and there only remained a few more branches. Or rather, he managed to preserve some of the branches.

  The cut-off branches were scattered around the floor, and amidst them, there were also some of the collapsed servants riding on the branches. There didn’t seem to be any oddly thick branch, so it should be fine, so I thought, but… I was a little bit worried.

  [Dam you, damn, damn damn, daaaaaamn!]

  The remaining branches were extended and being swung around, and it felt like a monster from a TV program that was made by special effects. Minoa-san captured one of those branches with both arms as if she was hugging it.

  “Alica!”


  “Yes!”


  Alica-san who rushed in then attacked the branches en route using her tonfa. Minoa-san who picked up the broken branches immediately then threw it like a spear while aiming at the main body of the tree.

  [As if I would let you pass through!] “That’s also fine!”


  The trunk of the evil spirit that knocked it down with its remaining branches was suddenly right in front of my eyes. Koyata-san was protecting me—or rather, Mikoto-san—as he used two small light shields from both sides, before running together with Kaya-san.

  As for Minoa-san’s attack, well, it was only a decoy.

  [First off, get the hell out of there!] [Cut it out, you can no longer use it, right?] “I’m going to have you taste this blow!”


  Our fists and Kaya-san’s whip slammed into the trunk’s dented section simultaneously. It gave off a sound of something tearing splendidly, then the pitiful tree was broken to pieces, before it rolled over.