Having secured the troublemaker, Rei Ao turned his gaze toward the stunned Mafuyu Kirisu.
With one hand, he gave her a firm squeeze.
"KYAA!!"
Mafuyu yelped in a mix of embarrassment and outrage, staring at him in disbelief.
"Y-you... how could you treat a teacher like this?!"
Rei Ao rolled his eyes.
"I did just save your life, and I'm dealing with the situation here. Don't you think maybe you should get down and put some clothes on so we can talk properly?"
"Of course, if you insist on talking like this, I won't mind—but once I get fired up, it might be hard to stop."
"!!!"
Only then did Mafuyu fully realize her mortifying situation.
"Ugh…"
She instinctively tightened her hold on Rei Ao, covering herself so he wouldn't see everything below.
"C-can you carry me to my room first…?"
"…Eh?"
Rei Ao raised an eyebrow.
He chuckled. "I figured I'd just close my eyes and set you down."
"E-Eh?"
Mafuyu froze.
Right, that… would've worked too.
"Well, then—"
Just as she tried to backpedal, he gave her another squeeze.
"KYAA!!"
"Haha, I'll be a gentleman and carry you to your room then."
He didn't give her a chance to protest.
…
A while later…
After yet another round of squealing, Mafuyu finally got dressed.
Now fully clothed but dying of embarrassment, she sat on the edge of her bed, fidgeting.
"I-I'm ready…"
Having been touched and seen completely, she couldn't even bring herself to look at Rei Ao.
"I don't think you need to be that shy, Ms. Mafuyu. Aren't I technically your online boyfriend?"
"!!!"
She glared at him, flustered.
"That relationship was fake! How can you mix that up?! And even if it were real, a boyfriend still shouldn't…"
She trailed off. She couldn't say it.
She'd already been completely taken advantage of!
Rei Ao shrugged.
"Then how about this—I won't take advantage of you for free. Be my wife instead."
"Huh?!"
Mafuyu looked like she'd just heard the most outrageous thing in the world.
"How can you say something so flippant?!"
"Why not? That's what I said to Mai and the others too."
"…"
That shut her up instantly.
After a long silence, she sighed and steadied her expression.
"Let's put that topic aside. For now—let's talk about this."
She pointed at the creature calmly perched on Rei Ao's shoulder: the water spirit.
She couldn't ignore it.
Compared to being touched and seen naked, this was far more serious.
"Rei Ao-kun, can you explain what that thing is? And how did you suddenly appear in my house? And how did you freeze the pipe?!"
Her eyes locked on him—intense and unblinking.
It was all just too far outside her understanding.
She couldn't even tell if this was still reality or a dream.
"It's something called a water spirit—a special creature from another world."
Rei Ao extended a hand.
The water spirit obediently hopped into his palm. He had already soothed it with magic, and after confirming it was safe, it was now quite attached to him.
"Water spirit… another world?"
Those two utterly abnormal words came from Rei Ao's mouth.
Strangely, Mafuyu didn't disbelieve him.
Maybe her earlier near-death experience had mentally prepared her.
"This water spirit is timid. After arriving here from another world, it panicked. Then it saw you, and instinctively reacted—it nearly killed you."
Rei Ao stared at Mafuyu with a calm yet serious look.
"If you want revenge, I can end it for you."
The water spirit, not understanding his words, simply wiggled its lips.
"!!!"
Mafuyu froze.
Thinking back to nearly drowning just moments ago, her whole body went cold again.
She couldn't believe something this cute and innocent-looking had almost killed her.
For a brief moment, she really did want the creature gone.
But… she listened to every word Rei Ao said—and she believed him.
Maybe, as he said, it had simply been a scared little creature acting out of fear and confusion.
Looking at the small lifeform now trembling in Rei Ao's hand, she couldn't bring herself to be cruel…
"Sigh…"
She let out a deep breath.
"…Can you send it back? Or at least somewhere without humans?"
She couldn't kill it—but she couldn't let it stay here, either.
"You're sure?"
Rei Ao asked again.
Mafuyu: "Yes."
"…All right."
Rei Ao smiled.
"Ms. Mafuyu, you really are beautiful—and kind."
"D-don't praise me out of nowhere like that!"
Her cheeks turned red.
For some reason, being complimented by Rei Ao made her heart race.
"Sending it back isn't a problem."
The water spirit was from the Dragon Realm—Rei Ao could return it anytime.
"But I have a better idea."
He stood up and walked to her.
"Hold out your hand."
Even though it was just a simple instruction, Mafuyu obeyed on instinct, lifting her hand.
Then she saw Rei Ao place the water spirit into her palm.
Its cool, soft body settled in her hand—and then a blue magic circle appeared beneath it.
Suddenly, Mafuyu felt a bond form between her and the spirit, as if they were deeply connected.
"Rather than sending it away, I think letting it become your contracted partner is more interesting."
Rei Ao grinned.
[Name]: Mafuyu Kirisu
[Level]: 33
[Ability]: "One-Body Contract · Water Spirit"
One-Body Contract—a unique bond created by Rei Ao, where the contractor and their contracted being become one. Mafuyu could now use the water spirit's powers freely.
"To meet in such an absurd way… maybe it's fate, don't you think?"
"Eh?"
Mafuyu still didn't fully understand what had just happened.
She only knew she could now communicate with the water spirit—and the little thing, like a child, clung affectionately to her.
This strange new bond left her shocked, curious, and deeply shaken.
After some time, she finally looked up at Rei Ao with a complicated expression.
Her lips trembled slightly.
"…Rei Ao… what are you, really?"
~~~
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