**Episode 026: Bond with the Subservient Demon**

“Alright, I’ll put it on for you.”
“Nii!!”
I pick up Enjyu and put the Subservient Demon’s Proof around her neck. The proof is in the form of a collar. I thought it might be too big for Enjyu, who is only about 30 centimeters in size, but once I put it around her neck, it magically adjusted to a perfect size for her.

“Nii!!”
The moment the Subservient Demon’s Proof is attached, Enjyu faintly glows, and the light quickly subsides.

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Name: Enjyu
Species: Angel Cat
Gender: Female
Level: 3
Skill: Luck

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I checked the status, but even when equipped, there doesn’t seem to be any specific display, and it’s unclear whether the effect is working properly.

“Nii~”
Enjyu looks up at me and meows, as if trying to convey something.

“What? You’re feeling a surge of power?”
And somehow, I get the sense of what she’s trying to say.

“Huh? How come you understand Enjyu’s meows?”
“Now that you mention it, why is that?”
Shuji’s question makes me realize. Until a moment ago, I had no doubts about not understanding Enjyu’s meows unless there were actions or behaviors that could be guessed.

But suddenly, I can understand. I didn’t question it at all, but Shuji’s words made me aware.

“The Subservient Demon’s Proof has the effect of deepening the bond, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“And by deepening the bond, the connection between you and Enjyu somehow becomes clearer, right?”
As I answer the question, Satoshi offers an explanation.

As Satoshi says, Tamers are known for strengthening their Subservient Demons, enabling them to exert power or move as directed by deepening their bond. It’s not surprising that improved understanding comes with a deepened bond.

“Indeed. I can’t fully understand the current situation. I just have a vague sense that she’s saying something.”
“Wow. That’s convenient. If you can  communicate, cooperation becomes easier.”
Satoshi looks interested in my answer.

The benefits of being able to  communicate through intention are immeasurable. Although we are currently relying on tools, I hope to eventually communicate more clearly without them.

“Anyway, let’s have her move a bit. Let’s see if the Subservient Demon’s Proof is working properly.”
“Yeah. Enjyu, can you move around a bit for us?”
“Nii!!”
Since judgments can’t be made based on the status screen, we decided to test it practically. Enjyu flies around, scratches the trees around the house, and performs various movements.

“Nii!!”
As a result, it became clear that the effect is working properly.

“Nii~…”
“I see. Enjyu seems to be hungry.”
Despite defeating Shadows and verifying the Subservient Demon’s Proof’s power boost, it seems Enjyu hasn’t eaten yet, and hunger has caught up with her.

“I see, then let’s have a meal soon. Today, let’s have raw  meat and sashimi. After all, time hasn’t completely stopped, right?”
“It has an effect of slowing down time to about one-eighth with the better performance.”

The bag I obtained, with a capacity of about 24 tatami mats, has further slowed down the passage of time to about one-eighth the speed. If we put things inside, even perishables can be preserved reasonably well without a refrigerator.

“Considering the bag we put in earlier, it’s about a week if we think about it. It’s better to eat it while it’s delicious. Besides, we have some perspective on our lives. It won’t hurt to splurge a bit and celebrate.”

“Satoshi occasionally says something good. I’ve been getting tired of preserved food for a while now.”

Even though it’s only the second day, Satoshi seems to be fed up with preserved food. I’ve heard that current preserved food is quite delicious, but is it still not good enough?

“It’s only the second day. Don’t be such a pampered son.”

As Shuji points out, it is a rather spoiled response.

“But I’m a pampered kid, so what can you do?”

“Don’t just resign yourself!”

Satoshi, with a shoulder shrug, raises both hands in exasperation, prompting Shuji to grab him.

If I leave them alone, it seems like it will never end.

“We’re all hungry, so let’s eat.”

“Sigh… that’s true.”

I intervened, and Shuji gave up on restraining Satoshi, sighing.

“Enjyu, eat this.”

I offered a can.

“Hey, you can’t give a cat canned food, right?”

“Is that so?”

When I opened the canned mackerel in water that I had brought, I was stopped by Shuji.

Huh, what’s going on?

“Oh, right. It’s because it contains a fair amount of salt, so it’s bad to feed it to a cat.”

Seriously?

I haven’t thought about that at all, and I don’t have a countermeasure.

“Nii!”

However, Enjyu’s voice has been heard since before.

According to her, it seems she’s okay with eating canned mackerel.

“It seems to be okay? Apparently, she’s no longer an ordinary cat, so it’s not a problem.”

Certainly, Enjyu is an Angel Cat. If that’s the case, it should be fine.

“Then, you can eat this.”

“Nii!!”

We immediately felt the effects of telepathy. Enjyu began eating the canned mackerel happily.

We also used plenty of  meat and vegetables to cook, enjoying a more luxurious dinner than yesterday, and took turns resting.

The next day, Satoshi said something unexpected, surprising all of us.