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And so, the girls actually went to find a hotel.
The exact sequence went something like this:
First, they pulled out their phones, located a nearby upscale hotel on the map, then followed the GPS directions straight there. Next, Maria casually approached the front desk, activated her succubus–well, rather, her dream-demon hypnotic abilities, and smoothly performed a classic "zero-cost shopping," effortlessly securing an unlimited-duration access keycard for a luxury suite.
The entire process took less than twenty minutes, performed in one fluid, uninterrupted flow.
A few moments later, the trio—who were just seated around Bokue's apartment coffee table twenty minutes earlier—found themselves standing inside the lavish hotel suite.
Outside, the sky had already turned fully dark, city lights brilliantly illuminating Tokyo beneath the large suite windows. Under the bright glow of a round, silver moon, the city remained as vibrantly lit as always.
Pulling his gaze back from the window view, Bokue turned toward the two girls who had comfortably settled themselves on the suite's plush sofa, already pouring tea as if they owned the place. He exhaled lightly, finally raising the matter of his departure:
"Since you two have found a suitable place to stay, I suppose we're done here. I'll head out now. Since you've made clear you don't want to go to the Demon Realm, whatever you do from now on is up to you…"
"Ahhhh, please hold on a moment!"
Maria, who was leisurely sipping tea mere seconds ago, practically sprang up from the sofa in panic. Hurriedly setting down her teacup, she dashed forward, attempting to grab his sleeve:
"Bokue-sama, don't rush off yet! You've gone through all the trouble helping us find this nice place—at the very least, please stay a bit and have some tea?"
"That wasn't me. Didn't happen. Don't put words in my mouth."
Sidestepping Maria's desperate reach, Bokue immediately issued a threefold denial combo without even blinking.
"Let's make this perfectly clear—I did not 'help' you get this room. All I did was suggest that a hotel could be an option. This whole 'zero-cost shopping' method you're employing was absolutely not my idea either. If the hotel's security system notices something off and comes knocking, you two better not rat me out. I have absolutely nothing to do with this."
"Ahaha, that part won't be an issue at all…" Maria sheepishly retracted her hand, rubbing her head awkwardly.
Truthfully, she was a proud dream demon—why would a little thing like that ever become an actual problem for her? Even if the hotel eventually realized discrepancies, she'd just have to reapply her hypnosis and handle things easily.
Goodness, wasn't he overthinking such trivialities?
"Actually," Maria suddenly turned shy and demure, interlacing her fingers in front of her, swaying nervously. "I do have one more tiny little request, Bokue-sama…"
Bokue gave her a suspicious sideways glance:
"Helping you was generosity on my part, not obligation. But fine—say what you have to say."
Maria fidgeted even more, her tone turning sweet and coquettish as she slowly made her point:
"Well…since Bokue-sama is so incredibly strong, and Mio-sama and I are currently in great danger—and there's also the Demon Realm's intention to protect Mio-sama, yet she herself doesn't want to return there—I was thinking, perhaps Mio-sama and Bokue-sama could form a master-servant contract…?"
Maria cautiously lowered her gaze, nervously glancing up to read Bokue's reaction.
Bokue immediately returned a profoundly skeptical gaze, straightforwardly implying:
Are you completely out of your mind?
He'd already clearly stated he was helping purely out of goodwill, with no obligation whatsoever. Yet here she was, boldly suggesting a master-servant pact?
Just who gave this girl such audacity—was it courage or stupidity?
Catching the clear implication in Bokue's eyes, Maria frantically waved her hands, quickly clarifying:
"No, no, it's not what you think! I mean Bokue-sama would be the master, and Mio-sama would be the servant. This way, if Mio-sama ever finds herself in danger, she can immediately be summoned and teleported safely back to your side…"
"Maria!?" Mio abruptly shot up from her spot on the sofa, utterly aghast.
What was this nonsense about making her form a master-servant pact with Bokue, and even worse—her being the servant?!
Sure, she was grateful for Bokue saving them, but a master-servant pact was absolutely not something casually entered into. A servant would have practically zero freedom or autonomy before their master, even their life potentially being ended with nothing more than a simple thought.
To sign such a pact with a stranger she'd barely met an hour ago…how could she possibly agree to something like that?!
"But Mio-sama, this is our only option left!" Maria pleaded helplessly.
"You refuse to go back to the Demon Realm. Yet, considering our current power levels, if those Northern Realm demons find us again, there's simply no way I can protect you completely on my own. But if you have this contract, at least it guarantees that you'll be immediately teleported to Bokue-sama's side the moment you're in danger. Are you honestly saying you'd rather risk being captured than form this contract?"
"B-but…even still, I just…"
Mio faltered instantly, recalling the horrible fate that awaited her if those Northern factions captured her.
As Bokue listened to their back-and-forth, he could barely suppress the urge to yawn aloud:
"Look, how about you two continue your little negotiation slowly on your own time? Maybe once you sort it out, I can come back and—"
"Nononono, absolutely not!" Maria swiftly interrupted, grabbing onto him once again.
"The dream demon's contract can only be established on the night of a full moon—and tonight just so happens to be exactly that. If we miss this chance, we'll have to wait an entire month before another opportunity! Who knows what might happen during that time! Please, Bokue-sama, just give me a bit more time—I promise I'll persuade Mio-sama immediately!"
Without even awaiting his response, Maria instantly pivoted toward Mio, imploring:
"Mio-sama, please don't hesitate anymore! I trust Bokue-sama wouldn't abuse the pact to make unreasonable demands of you. Besides, a dream demon's contract isn't permanent—you can always undo it during next month's full moon!"
"Like I said, tonight is our perfect chance to form this contract. Once it's formed, you can finally live worry-free in the Human World. Even if the Northern Realm demons locate you, all that happens is you'll safely return to Bokue-sama's side. I'm only trying my best to ensure you can enjoy a peaceful life here, Mio-sama!"
"…I…I…" Mio hesitated repeatedly, cheeks flushing slightly. Finally, shyly yet firmly, she nodded, "Fine… I'll do it."
"Yosha! Then there's no time to waste~!"
Maria clapped her hands excitedly, purple magic quickly enveloping her petite figure.
In moments, a glowing master-servant pact circle appeared under their feet, and a delicate magical crest signifying ownership blossomed into existence along the side of Bokue's neck.
Bokue instinctively reached up and touched his neck, slightly puzzled:
"Is my neck glowing now or something?"
He had no physical discomfort or anything unusual—only noticing from his peripheral vision a soft purple glow emanating from near his neck, giving him an odd RGB lighting effect.
Maria energetically confirmed:
"Exactly! Now, Mio-sama, to finalize the pact, please kiss the crest that appeared on Bokue-sama's neck!"
"K-k-k-kiss it!?" Mio utterly panicked, flustered beyond belief.
She never imagined forming the pact involved something so intimate. Already nervous, she immediately grabbed Maria by the shoulders, shaking her frantically.
"Why do I have to kiss it? And why is the crest there of all places!? Couldn't it have appeared somewhere else, like his hand!?"
"There's nothing I can do! The crest's placement is completely random!" Maria helplessly pleaded, still being shaken violently.
"Please hurry, Mio-sama! It's the last step, and the crest won't last forever. If you miss this chance, the entire pact process is wasted! You only have to touch your lips to it for a split second!"
"But…but…" Mio wavered, utterly embarrassed.
It would be one thing if the crest appeared elsewhere. But kissing his neck directly—that was practically something only couples did!
Impossible! She couldn't! Yet…
But before Mio's mind could even settle into a final decision, the crest's glow suddenly dimmed, fading completely away in seconds.
Huh? Did the process fail?
Mio blinked, slightly relieved:
"Wait, since it disappeared, can we maybe try forming the contract again? Maria, please pick somewhere better this time… Nnn!?"
Her sentence cut short as she abruptly stiffened, feeling a warm tingling sensation around her own neck. In that instant, a glowing heart-shaped collar-like magical emblem gently emerged, clearly visible upon Mio's slender throat.
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