After spending some time with Kotonoha, Hayashi Maki went home and, as usual, went to bed.
That night, for the first time in a while, he dreamed.
Only, a demon like him doesn't dream so easily. Rather than a dream, it was more like an image from the future traveling through time and space and resonating with his magic.
When he woke the next morning, the memory was already blurry—except for one prayer that stuck with him:
[O servant who dwells in the depths of the cosmos, my sacred, beautiful, and mighty familiar—answer my call and come to my side!]
It sounded like a summoning incantation.
Who was summoning him, a demon? And using words like sacred, beautiful, and mighty—to describe him? Really?
Hayashi Maki didn't dwell on it. He hugged Mashiro Shiina a bit, enjoying the softness of her body, then woke her so they could wash up together.
It was the weekend—no school—and Hayashi Maki had a date on the schedule: a day out with Haruno Yukinoshita. Since Yukino had already awakened her ability, he couldn't neglect big sister Haruno.
With her arm wrapped around his, Haruno Yukinoshita walked down the street wearing a delighted smile. Her hair had grown long; at a glance you might mistake her for Yukino. But Yukino wouldn't cling to his arm and coo like that, nor smile so brightly—Second Miss was more reserved.
They spent the morning at an amusement park, then took purikura together. Basically, they did all the fun, typical couple things.
Time to unwind like this was precious for Haruno. She'd surely inherit the Yukinoshita family; even now, so young, she was CEO of Yukinoshita Construction. And with Hayashi Maki's investments she'd taken on other companies as well. Elegant in the hall, competent in the kitchen, beautiful and silver-tongued—that was Haruno Yukinoshita to a tee.
After the photo booth, Hayashi Maki took Haruno shopping. Since they were out together, they naturally picked out outfits as gifts for each other—money wasn't an issue.
But Haruno was just too busy. At six o'clock sharp, Mrs. Yukinoshita called to have her come in to work. Haruno gave Hayashi Maki a kiss and said, "Sorry, Maki-kun—your big sister Haruno has to go be a workhorse again. Being the Yukinoshita heir is no joke…"
Hayashi Maki gently stroked her long hair to comfort her.
"Make sure you rest. I'll come by tonight and help you relax."
"I'll be looking forward to it."
After a lingering hug, the family driver arrived and Haruno left.
At loose ends, Hayashi Maki strolled the streets—until he noticed a boy in a blue track suit standing before a glowing blue orb. The boy seemed fascinated; no one else could see the thing.
Hayashi Maki frowned. Seeing the boy reach to poke the orb, he flashed behind him, kicked the boy—whose name "Hiraga Saito" hovered above his head—and touched the blue light himself.
"Ow!"
Rubbing his rear on the ground, Saito looked up just in time to see the orb vanish. He scratched his head. "What the heck? Am I so tired I'm hallucinating? Forget it—going home." Still, he couldn't shake the feeling he'd lost something important.
…
The instant Hayashi Maki touched the glow, last night's prayer rang in his head again—a lovely girl's voice. It sounded familiar, like the famous "Rie Kugimiya tone."
In other words, whoever was speaking was definitely a tsundere.
[My servant who comes from the depths of the universe—sacred, beautiful, and mighty familiar—answer my expectations and descend!]
A flash of light.
Amid swirling smoke, Hayashi Maki found himself transported to a wide lawn. People surrounded him, and he sensed the breath of monsters; the people nearby all had different kinds of magic within them.
At the same time, his Demon Panel chimed:
[New World Anchor +1]
[When the player is active in the new world, time in the original world is frozen; when in the original world, time in the new world is frozen.]
His eyes lit up. Nice. That meant however he left this world was exactly how he'd find it on return—no worrying about mismatched time flows.
"Tch… Louise actually summoned a human male!"
"My god—can a familiar even be human? As expected of Louise the Zero—always something unexpected."
The voices around him were perfectly intelligible. And—
Louise the Zero? That name rang a bell.
Scanning the cloaked mages, he focused on the petite girl before him, crimson eyes wide. A flawless cute face, pink eyes, long wavy pink hair. A black mage cloak, white uniform beneath, black pleated skirt, and long, slender legs in black over-knee socks.
"Wow… that human is so handsome! Louise summoned him? No way! Is that even allowed?"
The speaker was a beauty with flame-red hair and tanned skin, her eyes fixed on Hayashi Maki; beside her crouched a red lizard with a flaming tail—likely her familiar.
Hayashi Maki felt the stares—no problem. He looked back to the petite girl called Louise the Zero, lips quirking.
"He smiled—so handsome!"
A blonde noble girl, Montmorency, stared with shining eyes; beside her, a blond boy with a rose in his mouth groaned, "My Montmorency! Damn it—how can you be drawn to that man?"
Hayashi Maki's mouth twitched. Seemed his looks were top-tier even in another world—or else the faint magic he gave off had caught the mage girls' notice.
"Um, are you… my familiar?"
Louise asked nervously, wand in hand.
He grinned. "A familiar? Not exactly. But you did summon me here."