After that, I investigated further because I found out that touching the sword was not harmful, but all I found out was that only me and Rin could pull the sword out of its scabbard.
　Does this mean that only me and Rin are allowed to be on the sword? After all, I had no idea what kind of power it held or who had made it.

　By the way, the mysterious sword was to be displayed in the living room. It's not a good idea to keep it out of sight in case something happens, so we decided to leave it where we can all watch it.

'Good. There was something unexpected, but that's the end of the cleaning process for now.

　Let's put the sword aside for now and have a more important discussion.

'Urgent family ka-gi!
Mm, it's been a while.
Kakaaka.
"Family Feud!

　It's been a while since I've had an emergency family meeting. I have a serious agenda item to discuss today.

Kinkykazoku Kaigi?
'Oh, my God! Fun stuff?

　Nia and Uru are tilting their heads. Come to think of it, the two of them weren't there at the last family meeting.

'An emergency family meeting is just a family meeting, as the name implies. Also, it's not fun. We're going to have a serious discussion today.
Oh, I had to run some errands. I'm going out for a bit!
Activate 'Toy'. Capture Ur.

　He invoked the 'toy' variant on the cushions. The fuzzy zabuton doll that he created made made Uru clasp his wings.

'Gee! It's not fuzzy and sore, but just my back is warm! I'm steaming at the base of my wings!
'Then we'll get back on track and have an emergency family meeting. The topic of this meeting is money.

　I ignore Ur's screams and proceed with the conversation.

'Are you out of money?'
To be exact, I'm running out of money (...). It's not a serious situation yet, but if things continue as they are, I'm sure my parents' money won't be enough to cover it.

　I've been cutting back on my hobbies and saving as much as I can, but we're still barely in the red.
　For all of Black and the others, it would be more than enough for one person, so it's almost two people's worth of food for me and him.
　I also have to pay more for gas and electricity than I did when I was alone, and while I'm at school, Black and the others are watching TV and the Internet.
　And I had to spend 25,000 yen for a set of uniforms and 5,000 yen for a new set of bags after a battle with an alien organization (a toy alien). This was also a big expense.

Therefore, let's try to be as conservative as possible. If we all make a conscious effort to cut back, I think we can just barely make a profit.
We don't need to eat. We can easily cut down on food expenses.
''What?!''

　At Black's words, Lin and Uru have turned blue. It's true that Kuro and the others are fine with the spiritual power in the air, but Lin and Uru are enjoying their meal, so I feel sorry for them. And I don't feel comfortable eating alone in front of everyone.

'I won't do that because I'll miss eating alone. I'm not going to cut back on food expenses.
Master is so excited!
'Master! I love you!

　Lin and Uru lifted up here and there. They must have been really happy. They have a huge appetite.

Therefore, let's try to cut back on everything except food costs.
Yes, I understand.
Caw!
I'm going to be in charge!
I don't want you to have to manage your electric bill.
Maybe I should cut back on the snacks.

　They've all graciously agreed to it, but the sky's going to be the limit eventually. I want to make sure I buy Lynn's clothes, not just a hand-me-down, and there will be unexpected expenses at some point. With winter coming up, the heating bill will be a big problem.

I'm a strong man, maybe I should look for a part-time job...

　Muttering about such things, the night passed quietly.



◇



Is this Junkan-chan's parents' house?
Oh, snap!
Dude. This is not a house. It's a temple.

　On the day Kosuke was cleaning up his house. Shizuku, Akari and Soji were invited to Junkanai's parents' house.
　The reason for this is that Junkanai's father, Ryukai, who heard the report from a sorcerer in Asahikawa that the three of them had been fighting using their "otherness", invited them to his house to talk to him in person.
　You will be able to find out what kind of a person you are.

I'm sorry to call you out suddenly. I'm sorry that we had to call you out suddenly, but you don't have to say anything you don't want to say. If your father tries to force you to listen to him, we'll do our best to stop him, so don't worry.
That's right. Originally it was just us exchanging information, and then your father forced us to get involved later. If anything happens, I'll do my best to protect you.
'I will help. If anything happens to the seniors, you will do your best to protect them!

　Since the battle with Io, in which the heart of the Evil God was implanted, there was a camaraderie between the six of them, who had fought across the line of death together.
　Therefore, Junkanai, Junna, and Aru had intended to protect Shizuku and the others, even if it meant going against the will of the Dragon Sea.

'It's nice of you to protect us, but you don't have to worry about us that much. We can fight in our own way too, you know.
'Yes! If it comes down to it, I'll have Sorge 'grant' it to you and run away with it, and you'll be fine.
My burden!

　While thanking Junkanai and the others, Soji and Akari walked through the grounds, loosening their guard slightly.
　In the midst of all this, Shizuku casually mentioned the question she was feeling.

''Come to think of it, why didn't you call Yuki-kun?''
It was your father who...
''It's because I told Junkanai and the others not to invite him. I wanted to talk to you guys about him.
"!

　Soji, Akari and Shizuku looked around as a voice came out of nowhere, and a blue owl landed in front of them.

'I'm sorry to have startled you. I couldn't stay and let the shikigami fly. It's not every day that you get the chance to talk to a different kind of person. I'll greet you properly again, but I'm Mizukami Ryukai. I'm the head of the Mizukami family and the father of Junkanai and Junna.
Hi, I'm Soshi Kasai.
I'm Akari Tsukino.
This is Tsukino Shizuku.

　Puzzled by the presence of the fluent-speaking owl, Soji and the others exchanged greetings with the blue owl.

''Don't be alarmed, I don't intend to force you to listen to me from the start, so don't worry. You don't have to say anything you don't want to say, you don't have to say anything you don't want to say at all. Well then, let's talk about it first, shall we?
'Dad, let's at least wait until we're in the house...'

　After realizing that it was still outside at Junkanai's words, Ryukai invited Soji and the others into the mansion.