"I'm back〜…"
"Oh, you're back!"
When I returned home safely from the underworld, Kuuya-san greeted me.
"Umu, umu. I know what went on over there, thanks to my main body in the underworld. And that girl is…"
"My name is Meiko. I'm… very sorry for the trouble I've caused you…"
Meiko had met the main body of Kuuya-san in the underworld and had informed her in advance that the Kuuya-san, who was now in front of her, was a thought body in this world.
And Meiko had apologized to many people, including me, for the trouble she had caused in the underworld with her power.
…Even though I told her that we didn't mind, it's probably not the case from her own point of view.
"Good, good. I've already received your apology. Above all, there was nothing you could do about it. As for me, I'm just happy that you're safe and sound."
"…Thank you very much."
With the warm words of Kuuya-san, Meiko bowed her head deeply.
As we had this exchange, Night and the others came over and jumped into my chest.
"Woof! Woof, woof!"
"Buhi!"
"Pii!"
"Oops… everyone, I'm home."
"Woof!"
As I petted Night, who was licking my face, Ouma-san came in next.
"Hmph, it seems that the problems of the underworld have been taken care of. However, it seems that you are bringing a strange being with you…"
"Oh, let me introduce you. This girl is…"
"──My name is Meiko, and I will be staying with Master. We are connected through a soul contract, and I hope that we will be able to live together in this house from now on…"
After saying this, Meiko bowed deeply.
"I don't have the right to decide whether or not you live here… but a soul contract? What does that mean?"
"Well… you know there was a problem in the underworld, right?"
"That is. I don't know the reason, but…"
"…The reason for that is me."
Meiko explained about herself while lowering her voice.
That she had been sealed in the underworld, and that she was the crystallization of the malice of the great sinners of the underworld…
"I had no desire to destroy the underworld or anything like that. However, regardless of my intention, the spiritual power that resides in my body had gone out of control… My spiritual power contains heinous malice condensed from the great sinners of the underworld… so if left unchecked, it would have a great impact not only on the underworld but also on this present world."
"Mmm… I still don't understand what you mean by 'spiritual power,' but is it safe?"
"I think you are right to be concerned about that. But thanks to Master… all the spiritual power that was in my body was absorbed into his body."
"What are you doing?"
After listening to Meiko's story, Ouma-san looked at me with a look of astonishment.
"That spiritual power or whatever it is that originally resides in your body must be dangerous to some extent. And that, too, there is enough spiritual power of Meiko to cause problems in the entire underworld, and it includes the malice of the great sinners, right? How can you take that on yourself…!?"
"T-that… was the only thing I could think of at the time…"
"Even if that's the case, think a little about your own safety! What if something happens to you?"
"I-I'm sorry…"
"Woof."
Ouma-san was worried and angry at me. Besides, Night also gently patted my hand as if to reprimand me a little.
Then Kuro, who was inside my body, muttered in dismay.
"You really are reckless, aren't you? Just like you were when you took me in from Yuti."
"Speaking of which, I put the spiritual power inside my body without your permission, but is Kuro okay with that?"
At that time, I was in such a hurry to absorb the spiritual power that I didn't have time to think about Kuro living inside my body.
"Yeah, I'm fine on that point. From the start, Meiko is close to the origin of our Evil. The wave of incredible power that's swirling around inside of you right now is, from my point of view, quite comfortable."
"I-I see. I'm glad to hear that."
"If anything, it's more amazing that you can take in so much malicious power into your body while it has no effect on you."
"As far as sorcery is concerned, Yuuya still has a long way to go, but when it comes to just manipulating spiritual power, Yuuya has become quite skilled. Besides, combined with the power that Yuuya had originally acquired, that malicious intent does not seem to affect Yuuya."
It was probably because I had acquired the power of Evil like Kuro that I am able to control the malicious intent, and the other powers such as [Divine Authority] and [Holy King Authority] must have helped keep it under control.
Whatever the case, it was comfortable for Kuro, it helped Meiko, so it was probably a good result. …I'm going to keep quiet though because I'm afraid that if I say it out loud, they'll get angry that I'm not reflecting on my actions.
"…Going back to the story, all the spiritual power that resided in my body was absorbed by Master, and I, who was originally a mass of spiritual power, became a part of him in a sense."
"So that leads to a soul contract, huh…?"
"The underworld is a place where souls drift. This contract is more profound than anything else. As Meiko said, it is safe to say that Meiko is now a part of Yuuya."
"Yes. If Master calls for me, I can fly to wherever he wishes."
"Can you do that?"
I was surprised at the information I had never heard before.
I was only aware that Meiko's spiritual power was just an addition to my spiritual power, but I had no idea that she had such a different ability…!
"Yes. When I was in the underworld, I was so busy suppressing my own power that I could not wield it as I wished. However, after Master took in my spiritual power, I was able to handle it with all my might without worrying about it going out of control. However, in that case, I will be allowed to use a little bit of the spiritual power that has been absorbed into Master's body…"
"T-that's fine, but… for now, I'm just glad that there's no problem with Meiko."
While I was thus explaining about Meiko and marveling at her abilities, Lexia-san and the others, who had gone shopping, returned.
"We're back! As expected, this world is so interesting!"
"I'm tired…"
"Affirmative. Shopping with Lexia made me tired…"
There, Lexia-san was in good spirits, and in contrast, Luna and Yuti looked exhausted.
Then, Lexia-san noticed Meiko, and her eyes widened.
"Who…"
"Who?"
"──Who's that woman!"
"That way of speaking!"
I couldn't help but retort to Lexia-san's shouts.
But Lexia-san didn't care; she just kept coming at me.
"Who in the world is that woman over there, Yuuya-sama?"
"U-uh…"
"Yuuya. Could you please tell me as well?"
"Even Luna?"
Luna, who must have been exhausted just a few minutes ago, was just as close to me as Lexia-san was.
When I was panicking at the sight of these two, Meiko bowed gracefully.
"I'm Meiko, and I've come to serve Master."
"Meiko?"
I explained to Lexia-san and the others, who looked at me suspiciously, what had happened in the underworld.
"Such a thing happened while we were shopping… or rather, Yuuya is always involved in something, isn't he?"
"You're right…"
As for me, I just want to have a peaceful day, though…
As I was thinking this, I noticed Yuti with her face downcast.
"Master…"
It was because I also told her about Archer-san, Yuti's master… the Bow Saint, whom I met in the underworld.
I looked straight at Yuti, who had a sad expression on her face.
"Yuti. Archer-san was always thinking about you. And… I may not be as dependable as Archer-san, but I'm here for you too. So…"
"──It's okay."
Yuti interrupted me and smiled slightly, though she looked a little sad.
"Gratitude. Yuuya, thank you."
"Yes! Don't worry; we're here now too!"
"Hindrance. I want you to leave us alone."
"What do you mean by hindrance?"
When Lexia-san said this while holding Yuti, Yuti instantly returned to her usual mood.
"Well, it's okay. After all, it means that Yuuya-sama was active as usual!"
"T-that's not such a light thing to talk about…"
"More importantly, Meiko!"
"Y-yes?"
While Meiko was puzzled by the sudden pointing of a finger, Lexia-san continued without concern.
"I understand that you were saved by Yuuya-sama and became Yuuya-sama's maid as a favor to him. Therefore! You should also serve me, the future wife of Yuuya-sama!"
"Fu…future wife!?"
"Lexia-san?"
While everyone was surprised by the unexpected statement, Meiko was shocked that Lexia-san's words seemed to have been taken seriously.
"I apologize, I'm terribly rude…!"
"No, it's not! I don't have that kind of relationship with Lexia-san──"
"That's right. Lexia just keeps saying it unilaterally."
"What? It's going to happen someday."
"Where does your confidence come from…?"
After I managed to clear up the misunderstanding with Meiko and finished introducing Lexia-san and the others once again, Lexia-san and the others accepted Meiko somehow.
"I thought about it when we went shopping today, but I figured I wanted a maid! I may have to ask Meiko to do a lot of things for me from now on!"
"Don't bother her too much, okay? Unlike us, Meiko is new to this world…"
"I-I'll do my best!"
"Support. Don't worry; we'll support you too."
Meiko breathed a sigh of relief at Yuti and Luna's words.
Then, Lexia-san seemed to have thought of something.
"Right! Meiko is a maid, a maid in this world, isn't she? If that's the case, I'll see if she has maid power!"
"M-maid power?"
What is that power?
As I tilted my head at the unfamiliar words, Luna retorted in exasperation.
"Lexia… What are you talking about?"
"Is there something wrong with that? She is going to work as a maid in this house, right? Then, don't you think it's necessary to find out if she really has the ability to work as a maid?"
"N-no, Lexia-san. You don't have to go that far…"
"No, Master. I will accept this challenge!"
"Meiko?"
When I was surprised that Meiko would accept Lexia-san's challenge, Ouma-san, who was also watching the proceedings, let out a sigh.
"Hah… Is the important talk over for the time being? If so, I'm going to go now."
"W-woof."
"Buhi."
"Pii."
"Y-yes. I guess I'll be leaving now."
"Eehh?"
Night and the others, including Kuuya-san, were a little taken aback by Lexia-san and Meiko's situation and went to another room with Ouma-san to keep their distance.
"Ara, I thought I'd let you all do the judging since you're here…"
"Judging? What are you going to do?"
"First of all, the food! I want to show you the results of my training as a bride, and we'll see who's a better cook."
"…Oops, I want to get out of here, too…"
"I won't let you go! And neither will you, Yuti!"
"Failure. Lexia, so sharp."
Lexia-san caught Luna, who was about to leave the place and gave Yuti a sharp look as well.
W-will it be okay? Lexia-san's cooking is… Oh, I want to head to the room where Ouma-san and the others are too…!
Meiko was also sealed in the underworld until now, so I wonder if she can cook…
Despite these concerns, Meiko shows a willingness to do it.
"That is fine. I will show you my power as a maid!"
"Then let the cooking competition begin!"
"Why are you even doing this…?"
Thus began the cooking duel between Meiko and Lexia-san.