Utaha was stunned when she heard this. "That's it? So simple?"
She found it unbelievable that something troubling her for days could be solved so easily.
Kael nodded. "What else did you expect? It was never complicated."
"But isn't this too simple?" Utaha still felt it was unreal, like a dream.
"Some things are simple. You just overthink them."
He paused, then pulled a jade pendant from his pocket. "Here, take this."
"What is it?" Utaha asked curiously.
"A talisman," Kael said calmly. "I've removed the cat demon's mark from your body. If nothing goes wrong, the cat demon will sense it and may come for you. This pendant contains my power. If he does come, you can use it to drive him away."
Removing the cat demon's power had been effortless for Kael. That alone showed the demon was weak, likely just a minor spirit. The power sealed in the pendant wasn't much, but it was pure—enough to handle a cat demon.
Utaha carefully accepted the pendant and whispered thanks.
Marin asked nervously: "Renjou-kun, are you sure this pendant will work? Can it really repel a cat demon? That's a yokai."
"It should be fine. If there's a problem, call me," Kael replied, directing the last part to Utaha.
Utaha hesitated, then agreed, exchanging phone numbers with him.
Kael added her as a contact. Marin suddenly suggested: "Why don't we make a group chat? It'll be easier to stay in touch."
Kael didn't refuse, and everyone agreed. The group was created.
He then added Sakurajima Mai, Okino Yoko, and Kirisu Mafuyu. They were all his friends, so including them allowed better communication.
After everyone joined, Kael declared in the chat: "If you can't reach me directly, leave a message here."
Mai was surprised. "This group seems to be all girls."
"So what?" Kael countered.
Mai asked suspiciously: "You're not planning anything improper with the girls here, are you?"
Kael looked exasperated. She always tried to cause trouble. "You're overthinking. If I had such intentions, I wouldn't put you all in one group. Besides, Marin and Saki are my girlfriends. The rest are just friends."
Mafuyu commented: "Kael, having two girlfriends is the behavior of a scumbag."
"I know," Kael replied calmly. "But my bloodline is single-inheritance. If I die, it ends. My power is strong—ordinary women have less than a one percent chance of conceiving. And as my power grows, I may become incompatible with human women entirely. So to continue my lineage, I must cast a wide net. Sensei, you wouldn't want my family line to vanish, would you?"
Mai sent a speechless emoji. "Please stop. This is too much."
Everyone else agreed.
Utaha was dumbfounded. She had once argued with Kael about reproductive isolation, thinking it was a lie to fool children. Who would have thought it was real?
Mafuyu sighed, unsure how to advise him. After all, he was trying to preserve his family line. She couldn't tell him to let it die out.
"Enough for today. We'll talk later," Kael said, closing the chat.
He then bid Utaha farewell and left the school with Marin and Saki. Utaha's ordeal reminded him that this crossover world, though peaceful on the surface, was dangerous. Ordinary people could face crises at any time. So he decided to teach Marin and Saki some exorcism techniques.
He brought them home. At the door, they found a gentle-looking woman in elegant kimono waiting. "Welcome back, Lord Kael. I am Kure Yakusha."
Kael realized immediately. "So it's you. Come in."
He opened the door and led them inside. Marin and Saki exchanged puzzled looks, wondering where Yakusha had come from.
"Renjou-kun, who is she?" Marin asked curiously.
"This is Kure Yakusha, a member of the Kure Clan," Kael explained.
"The Kure Clan?" Marin said, surprised. She had never heard of such a family among the great conglomerates.
"The Kure Clan is an ancient family over 1,300 years old, specializing in assassination. Not long ago, they tried to kill me."
Marin and Saki gasped. "Are you alright?"
"Look at me. Do I look harmed?" Kael grinned.
"Then why is she here?"
They couldn't understand why someone from a clan that tried to kill him now treated him with such respect.
Kael explained: "After the assassination attempt, I went to their base and defeated the entire clan. To survive, they submitted to me. Yakusha was sent as their caretaker."
Marin and Saki finally understood. So Kael had faced such an ordeal. But was Yakusha really just a caretaker?