Starting from Zero to Build a Demon Family
Chapter 5 - Utaha – Let’s Go to Your Place

Chapter 5: Utaha – Let’s Go to Your Place

Kasumigaoka Utaha’s eyes widened in disbelief. Lynn, that devil! He had just kicked her—a beautiful girl—out without hesitation, leaving her to face the cursed spirit alone?

She wanted to hurl insults at him. But as the cursed spirit advanced, its grotesque form looming closer, her heart clenched. There was no time to reprimand Lynn now.

What should I do? What should I do?

Right! The Demon Book!

She was the Demon Secretary! A mere cursed spirit shouldn’t underestimate her!

Utaha yanked the book open, ready to unleash its power—

Snap!

She slammed it shut just as quickly. The pristine white pages stared back at her, empty and useless. Despair sank in. She had only just become the “Demon Secretary”—she hadn’t recorded a single ability yet!

“You can see me!”

The cursed spirit’s guttural snarl was close, too close. Its foul breath swept over her, making her stomach churn, strands of her black hair whipping in the gust. Her mind went blank.

“Don’t come any closer!”

Acting on pure instinct, she swung the Demon Book with all her might.

Boom!

A violent gust ripped through the narrow alley.

It was a swing! The Utaha Beast had activated Swing! A critical hit!

“Arghhh!”

The cursed spirit barely had time to shriek before the force sent it scattering into nothingness.

Utaha hesitated, then cracked open one eye. Seeing the cursed spirit dissipate, she blinked.

“Did I… do that?”

“Well done, Utaha Beast.”

Lynn strolled over, offering a rare word of encouragement.

Relief washed over her, but as soon as she looked up and met his gaze, annoyance surged forward. She glared at him, the weight of his betrayal still fresh.

Lynn, on the other hand, looked completely unbothered.

As if! Wasn’t it her duty as a familiar to level up and support her master? Who else would he rely on?

Besides, there was no way he’d actually let her die in front of him. That cursed spirit had been weak. Even if she had stood there motionless, it probably wouldn’t have been able to break through her defenses. After all, she was a lower-level demon now.

“How do you feel?”

Utaha shot him another glare, then took a deep breath, regaining her usual composed demeanor.

“Not bad.”

Lynn chuckled. If he hadn’t seen her panic firsthand, he might have believed her.

“Since it wasn’t bad, how about we continue?”

“Huh?”

She stared at him, dumbfounded.

“Just kidding.”

“That didn’t sound like a joke at all,” she muttered, unimpressed.

Ignoring her complaints, Lynn continued, “Today was just an introduction. Tomorrow, we’ll start leveling up properly.”

Utaha’s face twitched slightly, but she said nothing.

Satisfied, Lynn turned and started walking toward the alley’s exit.

She followed instinctively.

Outside, the cityscape stretched before them, but something was off. Lynn tilted his chin toward the street.

“Don’t you want to get stronger?”

Utaha followed his gaze—and froze.

Cursed spirits littered the streets. Some stood idly, others crouched in unnatural positions. But all of them were whispering the same phrase to every passerby.

“Can you see me?”

Her mouth opened, but no words came. Silence stretched between them before she finally murmured, “Did… Neon fall?”

Cursed spirits. Everywhere.

“Those cursed spirits, including the one you just defeated, are nothing more than low-level trash.”

Low-level.

Utaha’s grip tightened. She understood the implication. If these were the weak ones, that meant there were stronger ones out there.

And really, she didn’t have a choice anymore.

She was already a demon. And not just any demon—she belonged to a master.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath. When she opened them again, they burned with determination.

“I understand.” She exhaled slowly before looking up at him. “Please make me stronger, Lynn.”

Lynn arched a brow. “Hmm? Now that I think about it, what should you call me?”

Utaha hesitated, then narrowed her eyes at him. “Perverted Master.”

Lynn mulled over the title. It had a nice ring to it. Even with the “perverted” part, it had its own charm.

He pulled out his phone. “Add me on Line. It’ll be easier to contact each other.”

Utaha gave him a dubious look. “Sigma male?”

A notification popped up.

Kasumi Shizuko has entered the group chat.

Seeing the message, Utaha frowned. “What’s this?”

“Our familiars’ group chat.”

“I get that, but…” She held up her phone, pointing at the group name. “‘Lynn’s Familiars Harem Group’? What the hell is this?”

Lynn looked completely unbothered. “Isn’t that accurate?”

She was speechless. How could he say that with a straight face?

He studied her reaction for a moment, then added, “Relax. You’re my first familiar. Right now, I’m still exclusively yours. Consider it a perk of being the first.”

Who needed that kind of perk?!

Utaha felt like she had exhausted her quota of retorts for the day.

Still, Lynn wasn’t wrong. She was his first familiar. If more joined later, she would naturally be the senior one. Even if it became a harem, she’d undeniably be the head.

Wait.

Why was she even thinking about this?!

Shaking her head, she shoved the ridiculous thoughts aside. It was all because of that stupid group chat name!

With their contact information exchanged, Lynn pocketed his phone.

“Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s head home.”

Utaha hesitated, glancing at the cursed spirits lingering around the streets.

“Are you sure it’s safe? What if I get attacked?”

“As long as you pretend you can’t see them, they won’t attack you.”

“So that’s why regular people don’t notice them?”

That explained a lot. No wonder so many cursed spirits roamed the streets while the pedestrians remained unaffected.

Thinking back, she hadn’t been able to see them before becoming a demon. But now that she could see them, the thought of these creatures always lurking nearby made her skin crawl. Some were even perched on people’s heads.

“If you’re still scared, I can escort you home. Consider it another perk of being my first familiar.”

Lynn actually didn’t feel comfortable letting her go alone. Even if she had some demon strength now, she was still new to all of this. Her mindset hadn’t fully shifted away from being human. Accidents could happen.

But Utaha didn’t even hesitate. “No need.”

Lynn blinked, surprised by her firm rejection.

Before he could say anything, she looked at him and said, “Let’s go to your place.”