“—Karua-chan!!”

Karua-chan collapsed.

This time, unlike before, blood was overflowing, staining her silver hair red.

I hurriedly caught her fallen body and desperately checked where she was injured.

Her limbs… I couldn’t check the parts hidden by her clothes, but they seemed fine.

“...Where?”

Then I looked at the beautiful face I was supporting.

Her expression was twisted by a pain slightly different from when she had been fighting.

I gently stroked her face from the side, trying to ease even a little of that pain.

Slurp.

The sensation was wrong.

This wasn’t skin.

“…No way.”

My hand was smeared thickly with red.

Trembling, I brushed her hair aside and looked at the spot I had touched and—

Her ear was gone.

This time, it was left exactly as the injury was.

The flesh was exposed and blood was pouring out from that spot.

“W-why…”

If her mana ran out, shouldn’t it regenerate?

Why was she badly injured again in the first place?

Questions filled my head.

As I stood there in a daze, I saw the silhouette of someone shoving me away.

“—Ow!”

After rolling two or three times and regaining my footing, I looked at who had shoved me.

“…Karua-chan… there are two of her?”

There stood Karua-chan lying collapsed—and another Karua-chan, her appearance darkened like it was during the fight.

‘…..’

The other Karua-chan said nothing and lifted the fallen Karua-chan into her arms.

“Hey!?”

I shouted without thinking.

“…You’re noisy…”

Her tone and attitude were nothing like Karua-chan’s at all.

“Who… are you?”

‘Watch out! That thing isn’t human!!’

Guri-chan appeared behind me, shouting a warning.

Not human?

As if Guri-chan had hit the mark, that thing spoke in a voice full of sheer annoyance.

“Such a pain… a mere bird…”

At the very least, Karua-chan would never say something like that.

Our connection might still be shallow, but even I knew that much.

‘This presence… why is it masquerading as a human?’

“...You’re a monster?”

I remembered something I’d heard at church when I was little.

Once a monster completed a contract, it gained power and became violent and we called it “extermination” when we hunted them down.

No way.

“Karua-chan’s…”

“Correct. You’re strangely sharp in the weirdest places.”

I couldn’t tell whether that was praise or mockery.

Come to think of it, when we first met, something like a fish-shaped shadow covered Karua-chan’s right hand and after that, it was gone as if it had been bitten off.

“Karua-chan keeps getting hurt every time she uses her power… is that because of you?”

I wanted her to deny it.

Clinging to that tiny hope, I asked—

“…Haa… that’s the contract.”

She answered in a voice completely devoid of feeling.

The instant I heard that, I summoned my weapons and took an attack stance.

Twin blades shaped like Guri-chan’s wings.

I threw one and charged in with the other toward the not-Karua-chan.

But—

‘Hey! Stop! Get back!!!!!’

My body froze for just an instant at the shout.

In that moment, the not-Karua-chan slammed her massive tail fin into the ground.

An instant later, a shockwave that shook the air struck me.

“—Hh! Guhhhh!!”

The sword floating in the air was pinched effortlessly between her index and middle fingers and the sword I was holding was blown far away when I tried to defend.

The remaining force I couldn’t fully deflect slammed into me, sending me flying into the outer wall of the house.

My breath was forcibly driven out of me and pain flared across my back.

“Don’t follow me. You’re weak.”

Leaving those words behind, Karua-chan was taken away by that monster.

‘…Kaede. That thing’s not an opponent we can handle. You felt it, didn’t you?’

“But that’s not a reason to do nothing.”

‘Yeah… I figured. …Alright.’

We’d only known each other a few months, but Guri-chan understood what I wanted to say.

The blood flowing from where Karua-chan’s ear had been pointed clearly in the direction she was taken.

I mounted Guri-chan and gave my order.

“Guri-chan, full speed to the target. We’re going to save her.”

Right now, my anger was stronger than being crushed by weakness.

If possible, so that Karua-chan wouldn’t have to be hurt anymore.

So that she’d never suffer in front of me again.

We chased after that monster, guided by the trail of blood.

* * *

Good morning.

When I wake up, the pain is always gone.

It makes things easier, so I don’t mind.

This time, instead of Kaede-chan’s ceiling, a brilliantly clear sky greeted me as I woke.

It felt nice, but the position of my head bothered me, so I rolled over.

Then—

‘…Nn.’

I heard a sound from above.

Huh?

Come to think of it, there shouldn’t be a pillow in the middle of a blue sky, right?

Thinking that, I stayed on my back and shifted my gaze slightly to the side.

Beautiful amber-colored eyes met mine.

‘…You’re awake?’

Uhh—so this means… a lap pillow!?

Lucky me——!!! …Wait, something feels off.

When I looked down, my head was resting on something large and black.

A fin pillow!!!!?????

Hey, seriously?

I don’t know this kind of situation at all.

Still excited, I tried to sit up, but my stomach was pressed down and I was pushed back.

‘No. Stay and enjoy my pillow a bit longer. It’s a special model, you know?’

That’s what she said.

Well… if you say so, I guess it can’t be helped!

I’ll enjoy it to my heart’s content.

It wasn’t too hard, more on the soft side, damp but not unpleasantly so, providing a comfortable space.

Every so often she stroked my head or stomach and it felt so good that my face was probably slackening.

After a while—

‘…Sorry. I didn’t want to eat you, but m-me, the me I don’t know, moved on its own…’

She started confessing again.

Moved on its own?

Is it like she gets forced to act by some power if she doesn’t try to fulfill the contract?

For now, I felt way too comfortable in this situation to move, so—

“It’s fine. Did I taste good?”

I asked.

‘Taste… t-taste… huh, I don’t know… before I realized it, I’d swallowed it and then—’

I see. Up to that point, it’s automatic, huh.

Eh———?

I want you to do it of your own will!!!

“…I see…”

I said in a sad voice.

“If you’re going to do it anyway, I’d like you to eat me deliciously…”

I nudged her, hoping she’d do it with intent.

With an expression like she’d bitten into something bitter, she said—

‘…Got it…’

I’m counting on you!

Bite down while regretting it, okay!!!!!

As the sun was starting to set, while we were still relaxing, a voice I really didn’t want to hear reached us from a few meters behind.

“Well, well! If it isn’t that twisted little girl from before!! If you were just going to get hurt, you should’ve handed over that prey to me from the start and given me that brat!! Oh, how pitiful!!!”

That grating voice echoed.

Aruka didn’t even try to hide her irritation.

It’s my fault too—things were going so well until then!!

“But no matter. This time, I’ll capture you and make you my loyal servant! Be honored!!!!!!!!!”

It was Rubius—the creepy noble who was supposed to trouble the protagonist in the original story.

Even though he spouted lines like some third-rate villain, he was actually stronger than most of the enemy forces.