"The Idea of a Woman Stealing Someone Else's Partner is Ridiculous," I laughed. But After Being Reborn, I Became a Victim of Such a Woman. However, My New Fiancée was Absolutely Amazing. - Episode 18

I didn’t expect any kind of fateful encounter like the ones you see in “Zama Man” manga from my past life, but thanks to Kouga-san, I feel like I’m finally being accepted for the person I’ve been trying to be—something I had given up on recently.

“Even from a distance, I can send my thoughts. And without having to speak. This would be useful in fighting cursed youkai that react to sound, or for dealing with youkai targeting crowded places.”

“Are there such cursed youkai?”

“Yes. With this talisman…”

I stop speaking for a moment.

Kouga-san closes his eyes, his lips pressed together in a look of either prayer or regret. I don’t fully understand, but considering he’s fighting these cursed youkai at the risk of his life, I can imagine that dangerous situations and the loss of people he knows are part of the deal.

If this talisman, based on a mobile phone, can help with fighting cursed youkai, should I mass-produce them and give them out?

“Um, should I make more and give them to you?”

“If you have them, I’d like to try, but today is fine.”

He shakes his head, but I’m still wearing the “Thought Sharing” talisman.

I try talking to him in my mind: “So, how is it? How does it feel?”

Kouga-san’s eyes widen in surprise.

“Can simply thinking make it reach the other person?”

“Yes. Right now, I’m the only one receiving it since I’m the only one with the talisman, but if we want to send and receive thoughts from multiple people, we’ll need to add a feature to specify the recipient. But it’s not difficult to do.”

“When transferring complicated instructions, the required spiritual energy will increase, right? Is it possible to create multiple talismans with such complex content?”

“Huh? Is that so? Ah, you’re right. When transferring complicated words to the washi paper, it does consume more spiritual energy. But I think that’s why my spiritual energy has increased—I’ve been using it regularly.”

“Wasn’t it naturally high?”

“It seems like it was. But when I measured it the other day, it was much higher than when I measured it as a child. When I was younger, it was third-level, but the last time I measured, it was above first-level, in the top rank.”

Just as I thought, Kouga-san talks a lot in his mind if he doesn’t speak out loud. He probably has a lot of thoughts that he struggles to express.

But, enough about me.

“Mai, why are you suddenly quiet? Is something wrong?”

“Ah, sorry, I was talking with the ‘Thought Sharing’ talisman.”

“Thought sharing… Can you really do such a thing?”

“To be precise, I’m sharing the words in my mind through the talisman. Since the talisman activates through spiritual energy, it’s possible to specify the person who will receive it by registering their unique spiritual energy.”

“I see…”

Maybe this was too difficult for my father to understand. Well, it’s not simple, but it’s possible.

“Well, I see.”

“Yes. But, since it can be used for bad purposes too, it’s fine to make them, but I’d prefer them to be used only by your team, Kouga-sama, as a trial.”

“Of course.”

Mobile phones were used for crime in my past life too.

If it can be used to fight cursed youkai, I want it to be used for good purposes.

Lately, I’ve started thinking about the “danger” of talismans, something I didn’t consider much before.

What Sayuri-san said has really affected me.

“Kouga-sama, if you have more time, how about talking to my daughter about things other than talismans—like after marriage? My daughter hasn’t been educated to marry into a prestigious family, so you may want to discuss guidance on that.”

Kouga-san looks blankly, with his mouth half open.

I can’t help but look at my father too.

Oh, I had been thinking casually about marrying into the Ichijou family… But if I marry, that means I’ll be the legitimate wife of the Ichijou family… Aaaah!?

I’ve taken lessons on becoming a bride at school, but honestly, I wasn’t planning to be a real bride, so my grades in that subject were not great!

To be honest, I’ve been too focused on studying spiritual arts and talismans, so I neglected my bride lessons!

Still, becoming a bride is serious business, and there’s a lot to learn—so even though my grades weren’t the best, I’ve taken those lessons seriously. But Kouga-san is from the top family, the Ichijou family, and not just any branch, but the main branch!

“Well, I heard that if the bride’s spiritual power doesn’t match the family’s status, they can take a concubine and divide the household duties.”

“That’s one way… but…”

Kouga-san hesitates.

In the “Thought Sharing” link, I hear, “Financially, it’s not an issue, but I’m not skilled enough to manage relationships with multiple women. Besides, all my previous fiancées left because of my mother. If it would burden you, I thought I could leave the household duties to my sister.”

So, this is what he’s been thinking?

I mean, if I’m going to marry into the family, I can’t just abandon my responsibilities as a wife.

Marriage is often called a lifelong job, so I can’t just refuse to work at it.

At least I need to try to learn!