"Welcome to your new living environment. Since you guys are the Spirit Team, I call this the Spirit Mansion."
Mio said that as she spread her arms, showing off a newly built house. Mansion was a bit much, but it was certainly a nice-looking house.
To properly understand what was happening here, it's necessary to go back in time a bit.
It was the day after Shido and the girls returned from the Neighboring World, the day Mio was supposed to give her answer regarding the Beelzebub rescue operation.
After training, everyone gathered in Mio's office to hear her answer, but then she said that they would do something different. She shoved everyone in a car, barely giving them a chance to change out of their plugsuits, and now they were in front of the so-called Spirit Mansion.
"D-did you have this built overnight?"
"Of course not, Shin, that would have been impossible. I was already planning on putting everyone here anyway, so I just hurried it up."
Shido and the girls weren't exactly sure how to react.
The house was certainly beautiful, an upgrade from where most of them currently lived, and it was a fair distance from all of their schools, meaning it shouldn't have any negative impact on their daily lives. Not to mention that it wasn't rented or anything, it was theirs to be used. And they already had some small experience living together due to the week they spent in the Neighboring World, so overall there was nothing to complain about.
"Hm… but still, isn't this a bit sudden?"
"Are you curious, Tohka? Well you see, it has come to my attention that you girls don't really have an equal opportunity to spend time with Shin, so I figured I'd help up by putting you all to live together."
Shido hadn't really realized it before, but that was certainly true. There were some girls he only saw in the NWET headquarters, and they usually had something to do then, so it made it really hard for him to use his ability.
They all understood what Mio said, but they still didn't really get what that had to do with the Beelzebub rescue mission. But Mio simply said that it would make sense at the end and invited them in.
Once everyone was in, Mio decided to show them around the Spirit Mansion. Of course, they began by the entrance.
Despite being called a mansion, the Spirit Mansion was located in a residential area. It boasted a larger area than the neighboring houses, but it was still taller than it was big to the sides.
The first thing one would see upon entering the Spirit Mansion were the stairs leading up and an entrance to each side. Mio first headed towards the entrance to their right.
"This is the living room."
She opened the door and Shido and the girls entered the living room.
It was a very good-looking living room. It had a few sofas which were enough to seat everyone, it also had a big TV everyone could watch together, and it was so spacious that, should anyone want a bit of distance, they could easily get it without leaving the living room.
"Ara, this is a very nice place."
"I-is it really fine for us to live here?"
"We, um, could never pay for this…"
"It's fine. The Spirit Mansion is where the Spirit Team lives. There's no need to worry about anything."
Kurumi was simply admiring the house without a care in the world, while Natsumi and Yoshino seemed a bit worried by how extravagant it was. Mio reassured them everything was fine.
For the next few minutes, Mio explained about the items in the living room and how they were arranged, though she told them it was fine to change anything. There was a lot that Mio talked about that Shido and the girls didn't understand, but it was nice to have her permission to change things if needed.
Once Mio finished her explanation, she moved on to the next room. Rather than taking the door to the entrance, she took the other exit of the living room, leading to a room that was located at the back of the house.
"This is the kitchen."
It was a well-lit room with a lot of natural lighting. It contained all the things you'd expect to find in a kitchen, a stove, a refrigerator and a freezer, places to store things, and such. However, Mio had truly gone all out in this Spirit Mansion.
Not only did it contain everything a normal kitchen would have, it had more. It had both an electric and gas stove, even some machines that allowed people to make some homemade stuff. The kitchen also had an exit to the backyard, which was not only a nice open area, it also had the items needed to make a barbecue and even a stone stove, like you'd see in some pizza places and similar.
"Wow, I think we can do some really good things here."
"Ooh, this looks amazing!"
"Hehe, I can't wait to taste all the cute girls' homemade cooking~"
"Kaka, between the kitchen and the backyard, I guess I'll be able to show everyone who is the superior Yamai."
"Surprise. Yuzuru didn't know Kaguya enjoyed public humiliation. If that's what you want, Yuzuru will be more than happy to oblige."
Shido and Tohka continued to be impressed by how nice everything looked. Miku had a somewhat lewd look on her face. Kaguya and Yuzuru seemed to be getting heated up for no reason.
Although he knew enough to be able to handle himself, Shido had never really done many house chores such as cooking. Whenever someone came to clean Mio's apartment and he asked to help, they always looked at him as if he was doing something weird. The only place where he was really able to do it was in Kotori's house, but even then only occasionally.
Now that they would be living together, Shido was hoping to not only improve his skills, but maybe even show off a bit of his charm. Of course, he was also looking forward to seeing what the girls would do.
With the kitchen and garden introduced, Mio led them back to the living room and then the entrance. Rather than now checking out the entrance to the left, she decided to head upwards.
The Spirit Mansion had a total of 5 floors, the first being the ground floor, and then going up until the 4th floor. The first thing they saw on the 1st floor was a hallway with many doors leading to different rooms.
"This floor is basically where all the technological stuff is gathered. Computers, games. Ah, by the way, this house is also a smart house. Just ask Maria and Marina and they'll help out with what they can."
[Hello everyone. I hope we can all live together in harmony.]
[Looking forward to causing all sorts of mischief 24/7.]
Marina's comment was a bit worrying, but the only one who seemed worried about it was Shido.
"W-wow, these are gaming computers!"
"Ah, I always wanted to try playing those dancing games together, Natsumi-san…"
"That's nice, let's all play together!"
"Oh, there's also a reading room here. … This could be nice."
Natsumi seemed rather impressed by all the high tech equipment, Yoshino seemed interested in trying some party games, and Kotori was giving her incentive. Meanwhile, Maya had found a different use for this floor.
As she said, it was probably more accurate to call this a leisure floor rather than a tech or gaming floor. Along with the PCs and consoles, there was also a reading room and even an exercise room.
After they fully explored the 1st floor, they went up to the 2nd floor. Much like the floor below, the first thing they saw was a hallway with many doors.
"Starting from this floor are the bedrooms. You can choose the rooms you'll want to use once you've seen them all."
After Mio said that, they began exploring the bedrooms on this floor. There were 10 rooms on this floor, but it seems like they were projected to have at least 2 or 3 people sleeping in them, so taking that into consideration, they weren't too spacious.
Still, they were nice rooms. If nothing else, much better than what they had during their mission in the Neighboring World. Once they finished exploring, they went up another floor.
The next floor was similar to the previous two, but the bedrooms here were completely different to the previous. There were only 5 rooms on this floor, and they looked like they could easily accommodate 3-4 people. Even though only the basic furniture, like beds, tables and windows, were in, it already looked like these rooms could compete with rather pricey apartments.
"You girls can think over which rooms you'll want overnight. Also, while there are currently plenty of rooms available, do try to plan for the future. I plan to have Mildred live here as well, and Tohka, for example, should think of which room you'd like to share with Tenka once she's rescued."
It is certainly as Mio said. Currently, Shido and the girls could take a room each and there would still be left over. That would still be the case if they included Mildred. But then, if the Demon Kings also come live here after they're rescued, then space is going to start being a problem. In that case, it would be better to prepare right from the start.
The girls began to think about which room to pick. Some, like Kaguya and Yuzuru, were already teaming up. Tohka decided to follow Mio's advice. And so on.
However, Origami raised her hand. It seems she had a question. Much like a teacher in school, Mio pointed at her, giving her permission to speak.
"You said 'girls' so is Shido's room already determined?"
"Yes. In fact, we're going to see it now."
"Huh?"
Shido hadn't noticed it, but Mio did indeed tell the girls to choose their rooms, not him. He had even begun to think about which room he'd want.
They followed Mio out of the room and up the stairs. They arrived at the 4th floor.
This one was different from the previous two. As soon as you finished going up the stairs, you were greeted with a door leading to the entrance to a room.
"This is going to be Shin's room. Come on, let's take a look."
Needless to say, it was by far the best room in the house.
It was easily the biggest, taking up basically all of the top floor. There was a really spacious bed in the center of the room, and it had more furniture than the others, it even has a big TV that can be watched from the bed. It also had a balcony with a view to the backyard. On the right side seemed to be a walk-in closet and on the left a bathroom.
"Isn't this a bit too exaggerated for a single man?!"
"E-even I have to agree. It's a bit much."
It was a rare moment when Shido and Miku agreed, and it didn't even lead to some kind of fight. This was better than the room Shido had at Mio's apartment.
"You are correct that this is too much for one person. But, even though it's Shin's room, he won't be the only one using it."
"Ah."
It was then that Shido realized, this also had to do with his ability.
Certainly, there would hardly be any trouble with bringing one, or multiple girls to his room. And the room was so big that it wouldn't really impact Shido's private life even if he brought someone every day.
Shido was a bit surprised, but it seems Mio had been pretty considerate this time.
"It seems everyone has understood the purpose of this room. You girls can even leave some things like a toothbrush and spare clothes and Shin will barely notice them. Now that we're done with the bedrooms and we've worked up a bit more sweat, let's go to the last place on the ground floor."
Shido and the girls didn't understand Mio's comment at first, but they soon would.
After going up and down all these stairs, they all certainly worked up a sweat. Not to mention that Shido and the girls didn't even get to shower after training, so they really wanted to clean themselves.
Little did they notice Mio's smile.
Once they reached the ground floor, Mio opened the door they had ignored before. Then she showed them to the laundry room.
It was about what you'd expect of a laundry room. It had a few machines for cleaning and drying clothes, some storage for the products, and even had a place to iron them. Nothing too much.
But there was another door in that room. Mio explained that that was the bathing room. In fact, the only one in the house, something they only realized after it was said.
Since they were all sweaty, Mio said they should all take a bath together. Her tone was such that there was no way any of them could refuse her.
"This is quite a nice bath, isn't it? Everyone can get in at once and there's still some space. By the way, you girls should probably learn this."
Mio had made Shido sit down on a stool and then began to wash his back. But, she was using her breasts. This is what she's referring to that the girls should learn.
Again, Mio was speaking and acting in a way that made clear that refusal wasn't an option.
Everyone else was around Shido and Mio's side. Of course, the girls were using their hands to hide their chests and crotches. Well, except Origami and Kurumi, who seemed to not mind being seen.
Normally, Shido didn't mind letting his body react naturally, but there was no way he could do it now. Not only would it be embarrassing to be seen, but he'd never convince anyone that Mio had nothing to do with it. So Shido tried every method he could to control himself.
"Now that I think about it, I wonder what kind of effect Shin's ability would have on me. Want to give it a try?"
"Of course not!"
"I see. Still, you girls should pay proper attention. You'll need to learn all sorts of things now that you'll be living together."
Mio continued using her breasts to wash Shido's back. The girls seemed to be trying to avert their eyes in embarrassment, but also couldn't help but look. Shido wanted to escape, but the only way he could keep his dignity was to stay hunched over for a while.
"W-why are you doing this?"
"Ah, right, I almost forgot. About my answer in regards to the rescue mission… well, this is it."
Shido didn't understand what Mio meant, but that was within expectations, so she continued.
"I'll give everyone a test, and if you pass I'll greenlight the rescue mission. It's pretty simple, I want to be sure you're ready, both for combat and that Shin really will be able to use his ability at the critical moment. I was planning to put a number on how many Spirit CR-Units I wanted, but Ellen convinced me to let her make the judgement. As for Shin's ability… it's probably easier to show than to explain. Marina, take it away."
[Here comes the first perverted event in the Spirit Mansion! While everyone else washes off, Miku, why don't you try getting more used to men by giving Shido some help?]
"W-what?! I absolutely refuse!"
It seems that Maria and Marina were able to communicate with them even here, which was a bit scary, honestly.
Still, Miku seemed to have no intention of following Marina's command. The girls also seemed a bit hesitant to start washing themselves in front of Shido. Mio, who had already given her spot, shook her head to the sides and let out a sigh.
"That won't do, I plan to use these randomly generated perverted events to judge if Shin is up for the task of saving the Demon Kings or not, so it'll be hard if you girls don't cooperate. … Also, if anyone refuses too much, I might have to consider swapping them out of the Spirit Team."
That barely qualified as a veiled threat, all of them understood what Mio was saying, and so they had no choice but to obey.
Everyone started washing themselves, obviously within Shido's field of view. Miku still didn't seem happy, but she resigned herself and then began using her big breasts to wash Shido's back.
Shido was trying to be as considerate as possible, so he was trying to avoid looking at the girls directly, the ceiling was also very beautiful. As for Miku… well, Shido's excited state was going to be revealed at any moment, it might as well be now.
"Hm, I won't tell you how to do these events, just force you to take part in them. That said, do remember I'll be judging it all, so do try to get a passing grade. I don't need to explain what I mean, right? That said, it really has been a while since I've bathed with Shin, so let me wash you."
"W-wait."
Mio did not wait. She decided that, since Miku would be washing Shido's back, she would take care of his front. … At least she was a bit considerate with him, though it still made him pretty embarrassed.
Shido was also pretty sure he could feel Miku's disgust coming from behind him.
Still, Marina eventually finished the event, which allowed them all to just bathe normally. Mio still forced everyone to stay though, so not much changed.
Once that was over, they dried themselves and then put their clothes back on. Some were a bit worried about how future events would be, others seemed to be looking forward to them.
"Well, that's basically it for now. Go home and prepare your things, everyone starts living here tomorrow. And I'll give the test results for Beelzebub's rescue operation in a month, so remember to try your best."
It seemed that they would have to go through quite an ordeal if they were planning to save the Demon Kings.