“Professor, are you here!!??”

She burst into my room, her pale green hair swaying.

There was damp soil stuck to her face.

Honestly, is she such a child she can’t even wipe it off herself?

“You should learn to calm down a little…”

I tried to scold her, but she forced the conversation along.

“Professor!! Hurry and heal Karua-chan!!”

With a desperate look, she grabbed my shoulders and dragged me.

How stubborn.

“Good grief…”

Since this is officially part of my job, I’ll do what I’m supposed to, so I let her pull me along to where the patient was.

On the back of her bird partner were the kouhai (junior) girl and one more unfamiliar face.

Since it isn’t Moe, that must be the person she called Karua.

I see.

She really gives off a sickly, almost fragile impression.

There’s blood, but it already looks like it’s stopped.

Then where is she hurt?

“Her eye, Karua-chan’s eye is…”

Her eye?

“Both of them look perfectly fine to me.”

I shine a penlight into both eyes to check, but there’s nothing abnormal.

When I tell her that, Kaede suddenly starts acting suspiciously.

“No way, but I saw that black light earlier… eh…”

Black light?

No one uses that these days.

It’s completely unproductive.

“You made a mistake. No idiot uses self-regeneration nowadays. It was dark so it just looked that way and anyway, it’s probably just that this girl’s monster had that kind of ability, right?”

Thinking back, Kaede’s panic had been strange, but I hadn’t bothered to look too deeply.

Still, I watch her drop to her knees crying, murmuring, “But… then Karua-chan would…”

She needs time to cool her head.

“Then it’s decided. We’ll keep this girl here for a while and watch her. As for you… yes, come back to my room in about five hours.”

With that, I hoist the silver-haired girl onto my back.

“…Hup! Here we go… huh?”

Light.

So light.

Even with this body that’s been slacking off and not exercising at all, I can lift her with ease.

* * *

My left eye feels kind of itchy, but it’s a clear blue morning.

Yet again, I’m in the protagonist’s bed… but this isn’t the guest one.

Wrapped in Kaede-chan’s soft scent, I’m in an absurdly good mood.

Or rather…

“Mm…”

Why is Kaede-chan sleeping next to me?

I give her a little shake.

She lets out sleepy breathing, swaying with a faintly annoyed look.

What is this, she’s too cute!!!!!

Isn’t this situation insane!!!!!

Well, I guess I have no choice but to enjoy it.

This time, I poke her cheek.

Ah, she woke up.

“Mmm? Karua-chan, you’re awake… awake!?”

She went from a sleepy voice to shouting and my ears rang, so I reflexively pulled my hand back.

Seeing me like that, the protagonist girl panicked, kicked off the blanket and moved her hands at high speed.

“S-sorry, Karua-chan!! Also, you’re awake… thank god…”

As she said that, she stroked my cheek.

Emotional whiplash.

Also why does everyone keep touching my face?

It’s totally a reward so I’ll gratefully accept it though.

After a while, I savor the protagonist’s headpat event and then, maybe she got tired, because she fell asleep again.

A little later, the door to the room slammed open and the kouhai girl came flying in.

“Karua-chan!!!!”

Heard that one earlier too.

Then, with that momentum, she hugged me and we fell back onto the bed again.

Wait, could it be—

“…Thank god… Karua-cha… I-I thought it was my fault you died…”

She spoke in little broken bits behind my head, crying, her throat twitching.

Hey, your way of speaking is coming back.

I put that meaning into it as I pat Moe-chan’s back.

Moe-chan pulls away once and we end up facing each other.

Um… with me on the bottom, that’s kind of… well…

I nearly started feeling something I shouldn’t, but when I really look at Moe-chan’s face, she has faint dark circles.

Maybe she felt responsible because she watched me almost die?

Cute.

I’d like to see more, if possible.

When Moe-chan climbs on top of me again—

“Gweh.”

A sudden impact hit my stomach and my voice slipped out.

She presses that thin but faintly present body against me, then whispers right into my ear.

“I’m never letting you go again. I’ll protect you.”

The light wasn’t shining in her eyes, but that was probably just the way the sunlight was hitting her.

Huh… she got heavier than I expected?

Well, it’s fine!!!

* * *

After Kaede-chan woke up.

Those two started getting ready.

They already hit A-rate, right?

They beat the giant frog, apparently.

“Then how about this one? [The Saint’s Lost Item]”

“Sounds good, as a starting dash let’s try it.”

[The Saint’s Lost Item]… which means—

In anime terms, season 2 has already started.

It’s about time Misora-chan reappears too.

Wait for me ♥

Thinking that, I try to follow them, but—

“Karua-chan, you can’t leave here.”

Why not?

“It’s not why or how, okay! I want you to understand how we feel too!”

She said she doesn’t want to see me get hurt.

If anything, I want to see that though…

But yeah, going along here would feel unnatural… sigh…

So, yeah.

I’m stuck at home alone.

‘…I’m here too, though.’

Oh right.

Aruka-chan comes out and hugs me from behind.

It’s pressing… thanks.

Come to think of it, she tasted it, didn’t she?

How was it?

“Was my eye tasty?”

That’s right, I didn’t miss it!!!

For a moment, I hear her inhale, then there’s a loooong silence.

‘…It… was… tasty.’

Sad.

With a back hug like this, I can’t see her face.

Woe is me…

While I’m sitting there with that one regret, I hear a sound from the front door.

Huh?

Is that job supposed to end this early?

I try to pry Aruka’s arms off… pry… whatever, this is fine.

We walk to the entryway together.

I open the door.

Someone I’ve never seen before is standing there.

“Hey! Sorry about the other day, about the old man. I’ll apologize for him.”

Hair that’s orange at the roots, then turns wavy and translucent toward the tips.

About my height.

And a bokukko, (meaning a girl who uses “boku” as her first-person pronoun, which tends to give a cocky or boyish vibe depending on the character.)

You can tell she’s a lot.

“You probably don’t know me, so let me introduce myself. I’m Kuneria. Just a normal girl you can find anywhere♪”

She stood in front of me and said it with a smug face.

I’ve seen this one before.

This one is single-digit on the strength ranking.

This is bad.

* * *

[Eryugrin]

The evolved form of the protagonist Kazeno Kaede’s contract monster Griffin (individual name Guri-chan), shown in episode 12 of season 1 of the Contracted Elyujine anime.

Its green fur gains more yellow ornamentation toward the tips and the wind it creates exceeds instantaneous wind speeds of 180 m/s.

It can also be condensed into a single blade of air.

In the original route, it resonated with the ability of Moe Shinozaki’s contract monster Fumail and, with a firm resolve to protect its master, it achieved revival right at the brink of death and used that power to subjugate Flops—.