— — — — — —
"Something important? Like what?"
Kazuma thought about it. He barely had any interaction with those Celestial Spirits—what business could they possibly have with him? Were they trying to hire him or something?
Had his reputation already reached the Celestial Spirit World?
"The important matter is… everyone signed a contract the moment you collected their keys," Virgo said seriously.
"But you never summon any of us. So everyone's really frustrated and confused. We have no idea what we did wrong."
"Because of the world's restrictions, we can't come over unless we're summoned. So no one ever got the chance to tell you."
"This time I happened to form a contract with you in person, so everyone pushed me to come tell you."
"Please summon us every now and then when you're free. Okay, report complete."
So the so-called "important matter" turned out to be the spirits' collective complaints—contract signed, never summoned.
They all thought Kazuma had something against them. Otherwise, why not call them even once?
"Summon you for what? I don't need anything. I'm just collecting keys. Celestial Spirits… whatever."
"Honestly, I don't need your help at all."
Kazuma really couldn't think of a single thing these spirits could do for him. Even cleaning was covered—his Shadow Legion handled all that.
"Oh, is this one of those 'abandoned and despised play' things? Should I be clinging to your thigh right now, begging you not to cast me aside?"
"You would keep humiliating and beating me while I beg to stay by your side, and even though it hurts, I endure it for you…"
Virgo's face flushed slightly as she imagined the scenario. Her eyes lit up with a weird mix of excitement and anticipation as she looked at Kazuma.
"Lucy, how do I throw this one back?"
Expression blank, Kazuma glanced at the obvious masochist and turned to Lucy for help.
"Just force-close the gate… though she's one of the spirits strong enough to come on their own, so it might not work."
"And can you not look so disgusted? That's one of the super rare Gold Zodiac keys! If it were mine, I'd be smiling in my sleep!"
"Also, I've been wondering… Virgo, why are you wearing handcuffs and chains?"
Lucy, having regained her composure, walked over and asked.
"I told you, I'm into rough s—mmph—!"
"Alright, that's enough. There are kids in the guild. Some things shouldn't be said out loud so carelessly."
Kazuma stepped forward and clamped a hand over her mouth. If he didn't keep an eye on her, she'd probably do something insane.
"Mmh."
Virgo obediently nodded and glanced at him, signaling if she could be released now.
"Huh?"
Kazuma let go, honestly a little surprised. He thought she'd get even more excited by that.
Unexpectedly, she was being… normal. One moment she burns up, the next she goes cold—try to sleep with her and she'd probably refuse.
"Virgo, what kind of contract did you and Kazuma sign?"
Lucy asked curiously. When it came to Celestial Spirit contracts, she was basically a professional. Every spirit had different preferences.
Like her Aquarius, Aquarius insisted there must be water present when summoned and despised being called for no reason.
Others had specific time slots—days they could or couldn't be summoned.
…Wait. Thinking about it, even though Aquarius said not to summon her casually, she never actually specified a time limit, did she?
"Because Master is very strong, there was no negotiation. The contract was just directly established."
"It's a very forceful one, but I don't dislike it. Though if possible, I'd like not to be summoned on Sundays."
"That's my day off."
Normally, spirits like Virgo only worked six days a week. Summon her outside that and she simply wouldn't respond.
But with Kazuma, the contract didn't include any of that. If he called, she had to show up. In Celestial Magic terms, that was a pretty tyrannical contract—more so because the contractor himself didn't even know.
He hadn't even considered summoning them.
"Celestial Magic is such a hassle. And Virgo, stop talking or Lucy won't be sulking in a corner—she'll dig a hole and bury herself."
Kazuma glanced at Lucy, who had already crouched in a corner like some gloomy mushroom, drawing circles on the floor as she cursed him under her breath.
"Understood, Master."
Virgo nodded, then asked, "So… is there anything you need me to do?"
"I can do bondage, training, light beating, verbal humiliation. Oh, and cleaning, laundry, cooking, serving tea, shoulder massages, evening warming—I can do all that too."
She was completely expressionless as she listed her "functions."
"Virgo-chan, I know it's your habit, but as a girl, you shouldn't say those things to a guy so casually."
"And Kazuma, if you don't need her help, then give her to me. I actually need an extra hand for my work," Mira said with a smile, hugging Virgo from behind.
"Do whatever. She may be my spirit, but I don't plan on ordering her around. If you want her help, talk to her yourself."
Kazuma had no intention of commanding Virgo. Unlike the shadow soldiers, Celestial Spirits had emotions—they were independent lives.
"Then, Virgo-chan, would you like to stay at the guild and help out?" Mira asked warmly.
"Mhm."
Virgo looked at Kazuma. She was starting to get a sense of what kind of person her new master was. His magic might be domineering—but as a person, he seemed… decent.
She had fully prepared herself to be ordered around harshly. She didn't expect him to say something like that. Even someone who liked being bound felt a little happy at that.
"Oi, oi, what are you all doing over here? Don't all crowd around Kazuma, come hang with m—sorry, wrong place, bye."
Loke came trotting over to join the fun. The moment he spotted Virgo, he froze, turned around, and bolted like his life depended on it.
"Huh? That guy looked kinda familiar…"
Virgo tilted her head. Where had she seen that man before? He looked a lot like her old friend from the Spirit World…
But no way—why would Leo of the Lion Gate be here?
"If Virgo starts helping at the guild from today, Loke probably won't even dare step inside."
"So today, I gained a Celestial Spirit, Lucy gained emotional damage, and Mira gained a helper."
"Only Loke lost his place in the guild."
Kazuma shook his head. What a peaceful world. The real casualty today was random bystander Loke.
And just as he sighed over that, the guild doors were kicked open. The falling door landed perfectly on Loke, who was just trying to sneak outside.
Today is definitely not a lucky day for the Lion Zodiac. Absolutely cursed.
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