Starting from Zero to Build a Demon Family
Chapter 16 - Yotsuya Miko Eager to Try

Chapter 16: Yotsuya Miko Eager to Try

Lynn opened his panel.

[Lynn Waliver]

[Race: Demon]

[Level: Upper Demon]

[Powers: None]

[Retainers: Kasumigaoka Utaha, Yotsuya Miko]

[Skills: Demon Chesspiece, Demon Contract, Magic Release, Secretary Demon, Yin-Yang Eyes, Spirit-Communing Demon]

Nothing had changed much, aside from the addition of Yotsuya Miko under the retainer section and two new skills—Yin-Yang Eyes and Spirit-Communing Demon.

Yin-Yang Eyes… Aside from his vision feeling a little crisper, Lynn didn’t notice any real difference. As a demon, he could already see spiritual entities with ease. Still, the presence of this skill helped him realize just how potent Miko’s own Yin-Yang Eyes must be.

His gaze shifted down to the Spirit-Communing Demon skill. That one—now that was a real threat to cursed spirits. Just looking at it, Lynn could sense how deeply Miko must have resented those creatures.

As for his level, it remained unchanged—still Upper Demon. The system had prompted an increase in power, sure, but Miko was just a Lesser Demon, so the effect wasn’t too dramatic. Back when Utaha had reincarnated, it was different. Lynn’s level had already been right at the brink of advancing to mid-tier, and her arrival had pushed him past the threshold. Gaining another level would take more work.

Still, he wondered—if he took Nayuki as a retainer, what would happen?

The blessing system granted by his Demon Chesspiece skill was similar in form to the DanMachi-style framework, but ultimately, they were entirely separate systems. Levels were one example. In DanMachi, levels were numeric: Lv1, Lv2, and so on. In his case, it was Lesser Demon, Mid Demon, Upper Demon… entirely different class designations and scaling.

Though everyone began with ability stats at i0, his blessings didn’t necessarily start a person off as a Lesser Demon. If he were to take Nayuki in, he had a strong hunch her level would begin at Upper Demon—maybe even something higher.

That would be a huge boost to his own strength.

But recruiting her wouldn’t be easy. He’d have to take his time and proceed gradually. Besides, even if Utaha and Miko were starting at lower tiers now, they’d climb steadily under his blessing. That much, he was sure of.

Setting those thoughts aside for the moment, he turned to Miko, who had just finished straightening her clothes. “So, how do you feel?”

“Better than ever!” Miko’s eyes gleamed.

Ever since she’d reincarnated as a demon, her body felt amazing. Her mind was clear. Even her confidence had grown stronger.

Right now, she was itching to find an evil spirit and try out her strength.

Seeing her enthusiasm, Lynn handed over a printed document. Miko blinked, puzzled.

“What’s this?”

“Your blessing data,” he explained briefly, giving her a rundown of how the blessing worked.

Once she understood, she reviewed the sheet with genuine focus.

Lesser Demon, huh? That had to be the lowest level… but at least that meant there was plenty of room to grow.

She had a good mindset about it. Strength and stats all started at i0 anyway, so there wasn’t much worth nitpicking. Then her eyes slid down the page—and landed on the Yin-Yang Eyes skill.

“So this… this is the reason I’ve been seeing evil spirits all this time.”

Miko stared at the description with a complicated expression. That one skill had dragged her through an incredibly intense and nerve-racking phase of her life. If she hadn’t been reincarnated, who knows how long that kind of torment would have lasted?

Shaking her head, she continued reading—and when she saw the next skill, her eyes lit up like headlights.

“Spirit-Communing Demon!” she exclaimed. “I love this skill!”

Her urge to go hunt cursed spirits intensified.

“Lynn-sama, when do we go level up?”

Her tone was bright, hopeful, and energetic as she looked up at him with wide, sparkling eyes. She practically radiated feline eagerness, and somewhere along the way, her way of addressing him had shifted from “Lynn-kun” to “Lynn-sama.”

Well… that was quick.

Lynn reached out and gave her a head pat. Then he nodded toward the still-setting sun outside the window. “Anytime—so long as you’re not worried about humans spotting you in your demon form.”

“Ugh…” The warmth on her scalp made her ears flush. Her excitement ebbed, just a little.

“T-then let’s wait until night, when there’s no one around.”

Off to the side, Kasumigaoka Utaha had been writing something into the Demon Book, but paused when she noticed the affectionate scene unfolding between master and servant. Her hand stilled for a moment, then resumed scribbling as if unaffected.

Only this time, her strokes were firmer—more forceful.

The Demon Book: …“Failed.”

When she finished writing, Utaha calmly slipped between the two and handed the Demon Book to Lynn.

Inside, she had recorded Miko’s two skills.

Lynn had wanted to test whether Utaha’s Secretary Demon skill could copy or document them. The result was clear. It couldn’t.

“As expected,” he murmured, not disappointed. Utaha didn’t look surprised either.

The description for Secretary Demon made it clear—it could record learned abilities, things like magic or celestial arts, but not innate traits. Skills like Yin-Yang Eyes or Spirit-Communing Demon were awakened upon demon reincarnation and didn’t fall within that recordable scope.

Still, Lynn gave her a gentle head pat. “Don’t worry. Secretary Demon is already plenty strong.”

“I don’t need your pity…” she muttered, but didn’t pull away from his hand.

She was clearly enjoying it.

Meanwhile, Miko hadn’t been paying attention to them. Instead, she glanced at the Demon Book with curiosity.

“What’s this?”

“My awakened skill,” Utaha replied evenly. “Secretary Demon.”

Since she’d seen Miko’s skills, she had no reason to hide her own.

“That’s amazing…” Miko said with wide eyes.

Utaha said nothing in response, but didn’t deny it either.

Secretary Demon really was impressive.

After that, Miko took a moment to fill out the application form for the Supernatural Investigation Club. Once that was done, she exchanged contact info with both Lynn and Utaha.

Later, when Lynn added her to the retainer group chat, she stared at the group’s rather… glaring name, her expression turning a little strange.

So she was officially part of the “harem.”

What surprised her more was that, aside from Lynn himself, the only two people in the group were her and Kasumigaoka-senpai. Which meant—if the retainer team grew in the future—she’d be considered a founding member?

Not bad.

As she continued to daydream about various things, she casually joined the conversation with Lynn-sama and Kasumigaoka-senpai, making plans to test her skills later that evening.

Still…

“I feel like I’m forgetting something…” Miko muttered aloud.

Back at the main school entrance, Hyakurikawa Hana frowned, looking around.

“Where’s Miko?”