— — — — — —
Supernatural Research Clubroom
Lynn locked the door with a bit of magic, then patted Himari's head and said, "Alright, let's do it."
The moment those words left his mouth, a bright blush crept up Himari's neck. Her cat ears popped up instinctively.
"Y-Yes, Master!"
Her voice trembled slightly.
She hadn't expected that after just pledging herself to a master, something this intense would happen right away.
But Lynn had already explained it— the reincarnation ceremony required a blessing to be engraved. So...
She took a few deep breaths, then turned her back to him and slipped her kimono halfway down, revealing her smooth back.
W-Well, she was his now anyway...
Blushing furiously, Himari tried to comfort herself with that thought.
Then she stammered out, "P-Please, Master... mark me!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she felt something cool touch her back— like a gentle pressure slowly sinking in.
Himari tilted her head back, eyes fluttering shut, and couldn't help letting out a soft moan.
At that exact moment—
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You've gained a new familia: Himari!]
[Notification: Familia "Himari" successfully reincarnated as a Special Devil.]
A flash of light lit up her back, and the system sent Lynn all the info about her newly engraved blessing.
---
[Noihara Himari]
→Rank: Mid-Class Devil
→Race: Devil
→Master: Lynn Valifer
→Stats:
•Strength: I0 •Agility: I0 •Endurance: I0 •Magic: I0
→Unique Skills: [Cat Gaze], [Yokai Resonance] & [Cat Guardian Devil]
—[Cat Gaze]—
•She automatically locks onto an enemy's weak spot.
•The next attack is a guaranteed crit after using this skill.
—[Yokai Resonance]—
•Absorbs energy from the land to slowly heal light wounds, but temporarily causes beast-like transformations.
—[Cat Guardian Devil]—
•Cat Swarm: Summons 3 spectral cats to circle a designated ally. Each cat absorbs one hit and explodes upon destruction, stunning nearby enemies for 1 second.
•Fate Intercept: When an ally is on the brink of death, Himari sacrifices one of her own "nine lives" to shift their fatal damage to the nearest enemy and heals them by 40%.
•Devil Form: Nine Lives Cat
---
After reading through her abilities, Lynn couldn't help but be impressed.
"Now that's what I call a guardian catgirl."
"…Huh?"
Himari tilted her head, confused.
Lynn smiled, then copied her blessing info onto a page and handed it to her.
When Himari saw the skill set under "Cat Guardian Dvil," her eyes lit up and she finally understood what he meant.
"Guardian... I like it!"She grinned proudly.
Himari had always wanted to protect others.
Looking up at Lynn, she said seriously, "Master, I promise I'll protect you and all our familia with everything I've got!"
Lynn nodded, hand on his chin. Then his gaze slowly dropped lower, and he chuckled.
"I can definitely feel your determination… So... maybe start by putting your clothes back on?"
Himari froze—then her face lit up like a firecracker.
In the blink of an eye, she shifted back into her white-furred cat form and curled into a ball on the table, letting out soft, embarrassed whimpers.
Lynn chuckled quietly to himself.
— — —
Familia Chat Group
[Ding!]
[Guardian Catgirl Himari has joined the chat!]
[Noble Doggy Girl: "?!?"]
Meanwhile, 500 years in the past, the Sengoku Era, Ryougetsu Senhime stared blankly at the notification.
She goes on one mission… and comes back to find her turf stolen again?
"Another damn cat?!"
A sense of crisis welled up in her chest.
"This can't keep happening. The balance of power in Master's harem is tilting too far toward the kittens!"
"This means war!!"
Her eyes sharpened. She had made up her mind.
She needed reinforcements.
Where's the doggy girl corps when you need them?!
— — —
Back in the group chat, the chatter kept going.
[Kasumigaoka Utaha: "Congrats on the new addition, Master."]
[Koneko: "Welcome."]
[Kuroka: "Welcome, welcome! Another strong believer joins the Cat cult! Nya~"]
— — —
Tokyo – A Certain Café
Kasumigaoka Utaha put her phone down with a small sigh.
After the Demon Slayer arc wrapped up, she decided to take a break.
And just like that, she got roped into a meeting with Machida Sonoko, her editor.
"An illustrator, huh?" Utaha waved it off. "Just grab whoever. Doesn't matter."
Money wasn't exactly a concern anymore.
Ever since Yukinoshita Haruno took over managing the harem's finances, each of them got a healthy monthly allowance.
Novel royalties? Chump change.
These days, she wrote purely out of passion.
Though... speaking of illustrators, someone did come to mind.
"What about Shiina Mashiro?" Utaha asked.
Sonoko nearly dropped her drink.
"Are you serious?! She's world-famous! We're just publishing light novel— no way we could get someone like her!"
Utaha didn't say it out loud, but thought: "We're in the same harem. Why not?"
But whatever, she let it slide.
Sonoko patted her chest confidently."Don't worry, I've already arranged someone for you. I promise you'll be satisfied."
"…Alright then."
Utaha lazily stirred her coffee, totally unbothered.
A moment later, a blonde girl with twin tails came rushing in, slightly out of breath and bowing in apology.
"Sorry! Traffic was a nightmare—I'm a little late!"
Utaha raised an eyebrow when she saw her.
"…First year? Eriri Spencer Sawamura, right?"
"Eh?"
Eiriri Froese froze for a second, then looked up. "You're… Utaha-senpai from second year?"
Kasumigaoka Utaha gave her a faint, knowing smile.
Inside her, the devil's piece that Lynn had unsealed quietly reacted. It was telling her that this Eriri girl also had the potential to join Lynn's growing harem.
While Eriri and Machida Sonoko were chatting away, Utaha casually dropped a message into the group chat.
[Utaha: "Oops~ I just stumbled upon another potential waifu candidate for our master 💋"]
[Yotsuya Miko: "..."]
[Noble Doggy Girl: "Another Catgirl?????? Please reply @KasumigaokaUtaha."]
That one line from Utaha was enough to instantly silence the entire group chat.
— — —
At Shuchiin Academy, in the Student Council room.
A refined girl with long chestnut hair sat regally in the student council president's chair.
On the sofa opposite her sat ShinomiyaKaguya, holding a cup of tea, her face unreadable.
Next to her was a certain pink-haired busty girl, sipping her tea with exaggerated grace.
But then she winced, stuck out her tongue and shut one eye. "Hot! So hot!"
Yuuki Asuna, sitting nearby, couldn't help but laugh at her reaction.
(A/N: Yeah, from Sword Art Online.)
Clack.
Suddenly, Kaguya placed her teacup on the table with a sharp clink, drawing Asuna's attention.
Kaguya spoke coldly. "What's your opinion on the Supernatural Research Club?"
Her icy tone instantly chilled the entire room.
Asuna blinked, a little caught off guard.
The Supernatural Research Club?
She'd heard of them before. Hard not to, considering that club was made up entirely of attractive girls. It got attention by default.
They even had a nickname. The Harem Club.
Just thinking about it made Asuna's expression shift slightly. But… she couldn't quite figure out why Kaguya suddenly brought it up.
After a moment, she gave a warm, diplomatic smile. "I've heard about them too, but… I don't really know much about their actual activities."
Her voice was like a gentle spring breeze, melting away the cold tension in the room.
Fujiwara Chika had just been mentally whiplashed between hot and cold, glanced between the two girls and suddenly had a bright idea:
In summer, cuddle with Kaguya for a cool breeze. In winter, snuggle up with the Asuna for warmth. Perfect!
Her eyes sparkled with inspiration.
She was Chika-chan, the girl who is capable of hijacking other people's animes and walking away with the heroine tag.
---
Meanwhile, Kaguya's tone remained frigid as she said, "You've probably heard the rumors about the Harem Club, haven't you?"
Asuna leaned her chin on her hand and nodded lightly.
Kaguya continued, her voice like steel, "They're not just rumors. Someone saw the members of that club getting a little too close with their club president!"
Her voice grew sharper with each word.
"That kind of club is clearly a bad influence on Shuchiin!"
"That club president—he should be exiled to Siberia to dig the snow!"
The force of her words hit like a hammer, making both Asuna and Chika sit up straight.
But…
Asuna and Chika, who were used to Kaguya's dramatic side, exchanged subtle glances. This had all the markings of a 'personal grudge'.
Someone from that club definitely ticked off the Shinomiya princess.
Asuna coughed lightly, then said gently, "So what you're saying is… you want the Student Council to shut down the Supernatural Research Club?"
She phrased it like a question, but Kaguya's expression said it all.
Asuna smiled softly."If what you said is true, then yes—this kind of club would be a bad look for Shuchiin."
Kaguya nodded in approval.
But then—
Asuna's expression shifted as she added, "Buuuut… no judgment without proper investigation."
As the president of the student council, she couldn't just shut down a club based on gossip.
"Here's what I'll do…" she said thoughtfully. "I'll go to the Supernatural Research Club myself tomorrow and take a good look at what they're up to."
"If I find out they really are acting inappropriately, Shuchiin won't let that kind of club continue. No question."
Kaguya pressed her lips together, but didn't argue.
Even if it wasn't a shutdown yet, this was good enough for now.
Meanwhile, Chika was furrowing her brows.
Supernatural Research Club… where have I heard that before?
Suddenly—
Bang!
The door to the student council room burst open.
A petite, long black-haired beauty walked in. Her presence was graceful but carried a quiet weight.
She paused as she felt the tense air in the room, then smiled slyly. "Looks like I missed something interesting while I was gone."
Suou Yuki cleared her throat dramatically to grab everyone's attention.
"Anyone wanna fill me in on what happened just now?"
Asuna gave her a helpless smile and recapped the whole conversation about the Supernatural Research Club.
Yuki's brows furrowed slightly when she heard the club president's name.
"The president of that club… is it someone named Lynn ?"
Asuna blinked in surprise. "You know him?"
Yuki chuckled like a noble lady and gave Kaguya a strange look. "Oh ho ho~ so it is him."
Then she patted Kaguya on the shoulder with admiration."Kaguya, you're bold."
Kaguya: "???"
She looked at Yuki with an annoyed expression."What the hell are you talking about?"
Suddenly—
"Ah!" Chika shouted."I remember now!"
"That incident at the old school building—wasn't it the Supernatural Research Club that solved it?"
.
.
.