The next day, at the Yotsuya residence.
Standing at the door, Miko looked at her front door with a hesitant expression. Her hand rested on the doorknob, somewhat afraid to open it.
Besides her, her master, Abel, was also present.
They had agreed to find a familiar, so why were they at her house?
Did this count as bringing a boyfriend to meet the parents?
How embarrassing.
Abel smiled as he watched Miko lost in her thoughts.
This indeed counted as meeting the mother-in-law. After all, he had turned her daughter into a devil, and besides her first time, he had taken basically everything else.
Touko was standing behind them. She looked at Miko and Abel beside her, paused slightly, then her expression became somewhat complex. However, she still composed herself and walked forward.
"Miko, you're back."
Hearing the voice, Miko was startled. She turned around and saw her mother walking over, a gentle smile on her face.
"Mom, long time no see."
Seeing her mother whom she hadn't seen in a long time, Miko rushed over and hugged her.
"Alright, you're a big girl now."
Touko patted her daughter's back, then her gaze fell on Abel, a curious expression appearing on her face.
"Who is this?"
Miko's face turned red, and she became even more hesitant.
Seeing Miko like this, Abel smiled and politely said, "Hello, auntie. My name is Abel, and I am Miko's boyfriend."
Touko scrutinized Abel from head to toe. He had a good appearance and was polite, very good. She hadn't expected her daughter to find such a good match.
Then, Touko also said with a smile, "Come on in, standing at the door isn't good."
"Okay, auntie."
As the door opened, Miko pulled Abel inside.
At the same time, at the dining table in the living room.
A middle-aged man wearing glasses was reading a newspaper. Behind him, a terrifying spirit lay on the ground resting, this was their family dog.
And on the sofa, a small child was saying, "The first month of missing sister."
As the door opened.
"You've worked hard, honey. Do we have guests?" Mamoru, sitting at the table, also spoke to himself.
But when he saw his daughter walking in, holding a boy's hand, Mamoru was somewhat surprised.
When Abel stepped into the house, the dog, which had been resting, instantly sprang up, looking at Abel with a wary expression.
The next second, it rushed towards Abel.
"Abel..."
Miko hadn't finished speaking when Abel narrowed his eyes as he looked at the canine spirit pouncing on him. All the aura on his body pressed down on the dog.
The next second, the dog cowered, standing rooted to the spot and not daring to move, afraid that it would turn to ashes in the next moment.
Touko asked, "Miko, what did you just say?"
"Nothing, mom."
"Is that so? You go and entertain Abel. I'll go prepare some fruit."
"Okay, mom."
Miko pulled Abel to sit on the sofa.
Seeing that Abel ignored it, the canine spirit quickly returned to Mamoru's side. However, Mamoru didn't notice this scene. He put down his newspaper and then stood up, coming over to the two of them.
Mamoru said with a smile, "It seems Miko has grown up. She has a boyfriend now."
Kyousuke next to him expressed his opposition and bristled, "What?! No! Sister can only be mine!"
Father and Kyosuke...
What are they saying?
It's too embarrassing.
As soon as they sat down, Touko enthusiastically brought out fruit. Then, she pulled Abel into conversation, chatting about everyday things.
"By the way, Abel, how did you and Miko meet?"
"Miko and I met at a bus stop. It was raining at the time."
Just like that, Abel and Touko started chatting.
Mamoru sat beside Touko, listening silently, and was also very satisfied with Abel.
Regarding the content, Abel did not lie. The two of them indeed met at a bus stop.
Time passed bit by bit and it was almost dinner time.
Touko said, "Time passes so quickly. Abel, what do you want for dinner tonight? Auntie will make it for you."
Abel replied, "Anything is fine, I'm not picky."
"Alright then, Miko, you keep Abel company. I'm going to cook."
"Okay, mom."
After instructing everything, Touko went to the kitchen to cook.
Miko, who was beside them, leaned on Abel's shoulder but her gaze was fixed on her father.
At this moment, Kyousuke, who was already a spirit, ran over angrily, standing in front of Abel with his hands on his hips.
"You bad guy, you're not allowed to steal sister. I'm the one who loves sister the most."
Watching the troublesome Kyousuke, Mamoru walked over to comfort him, "Alright, Kyosuke, it's a good thing that Miko has someone she likes. He can also protect her when she's out, can't he?"
After a while. Mamoru sat down in front of Abel. "So you're Abel. From our conversation just now, I know you're a very good child. Since Miko has chosen you, I won't say much more. However, as a father, I hope you can protect her well."
Listening to Mamoru's words, Abel answered seriously, "No problem, uncle."
"No problem then... Eh!?"
Hearing Abel's words, Mamoru, who hadn't finished speaking, instantly reacted.
"Boy, you can see me?"
"That's right. Not only can I see you, but Miko can too."
Facing Mamoru's confusion, Abel explained to him. He fully recounted what happened to Miko at the bus stop that day, and also explained about Miko's eyes, even mentioning her turning into a devil.
Mamoru looked at Miko, feeling both heartache and relief.
His child had grown up.
Seeing this scene, Abel wisely retreated. The next matter was for the father and daughter to open their hearts to each other.
"Auntie, I'm here to help."
"You child."
"It's fine, auntie."
"Alright, then, could you please wash the vegetables?"
"No problem."
Abel went to the kitchen to build a good relationship with his mother-in-law.
Now, the living room only had Mamoru, Miko, the dog, and Kyousuke.
Looking at the man in front of her, Miko's eyes reddened. Now, she could finally utter that phrase.
"Father."
"Miko."
As time went on, Miko and Mamoru chatted for a long time.
With the misunderstanding resolved, it was considered a perfect situation.
Similarly, the aroma from the kitchen spread throughout the house.
Touko now completely approved of her son-in-law in front of her. It was very rare for a man to be good at cooking.
As all the delicious food was finished and placed on the table, the three of them began to eat dinner.
As dinner ended, the time came to evening.
In the bathroom, Abel removed his bath towel and began to soak in the tub.
Abel had some thoughts about today's events.
Why didn't Mamoru, the dog and Kyousuke turn into the same state as those spirits outside?
That was because offerings were made to them.
If there were no surprises, it was probably formed by Touko offering incense to Mamoru and Kyousuke every day.
This allowed them to exist in human form, and similarly, it transformed them from a localized spirit into a guardian spirit and household deity for this home.
And thanks to their presence, that dog also received some power, preventing it from becoming a true evil spirit. However, they still had some limitations. It seemed they couldn't casually make a move, as doing so could easily lead to them being assimilated by evil spirits.
But in this situation, they also protected this home well, which meant that the evil spirits inside the house were basically very weak.
"Forget it, I won't think about it anymore. Just enjoy a good bath."
Abel closed his eyes and submerged himself in the bathtub, enjoying the bathing culture.
After a while, the bathroom door opened and closed again.
Miko walked in, her body covered with a towel. Even though they were almost like an old married couple, Miko's face was still a little red.
Hearing the movement, Abel opened his eyes. Seeing that it was Miko, his lips curved into a smile.
Seeing her walk closer, Abel sat up, making some space. Miko also stepped into the bathtub. Then, she hugged Abel from behind, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Thank you."
Listening to her words, Abel smiled.
Abel knew what she meant. Being able to talk properly with her deceased family and say what she wanted to say was very satisfying.
"Thanks for what? I am your master."
"Yes, Master, would you like a back scrub?"
"Come on."
Abel turned around, and Miko picked up the scrubbing towel. Then she began to help Abel scrub his back.
Feeling the gentle touches on his back, Abel began to enjoy it. But gradually, things became more and more amiss.
Abel gasped.
This girl was quite bold now.