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...
"Ahh! It really came out!"
Takumi looked at Hakari, who was rubbing her cheek against his knee with a blissful face, and quickly warned, "You're such a pervert!"
Karane immediately grabbed Hakari and pulled her away.
After a moment of separation, Hakari finally regained her senses. She let out an embarrassed laugh and used Takumi's handkerchief to wipe herself clean.
"Phew~ it's already late. Let's talk about the rest tomorrow. But before you leave—Karane, Hakari, will you form a contract with me?"
He extended his hand, and both girls instantly placed theirs atop his palm.
"Takumi-kun~ please, go ahead!"
"I-I'm not doing it because I want to, okay? I just… want to see what it's like."
Ignoring Karane's tsundere tone, a magic circle appeared beneath their feet, glowing brightly. Both girls gasped as pink collar patterns formed around their necks.
[Name: Karane Inda]
[Class: Student]
[Level: 1]
[Traits: Tsundere Factor (Purple), Fortune's Favored (Blue)…]
[Tsundere Factor (Purple): A special constitution that amplifies power proportionally to one's level of tsundere behavior.]
[Name: Hanazono Hakari]
[Class: Student]
[Level: 1]
[Entries: Financial Conglomerate (Blue), Fortune's Favored (Blue)… Sensitive Body (White), Romantic Mind (White)]
[Financial Conglomerate (Blue): Descendant of a wealthy multi-generational landlord family.]
Reading their panels, Takumi was speechless.
Karane's [Tsundere Factor] was absurdly overpowered—if she fully unleashed it, she could probably stop a truck barehanded.
Hakari's stats were more normal—though some details were… best ignored.
While Takumi checked their entries, both girls also felt the change within themselves.
The moment their [Master–Servant Contract] was sealed, they could clearly sense his presence.
"Mmm~ it's like Takumi-kun is hugging me all the time~ it feels sooo good~"
"You really are a pervert!!!" Karane snapped, face burning red. Still, her own flustered expression betrayed how much she enjoyed the same warm connection through the bond.
Takumi coughed lightly. "Ahem, you two should take some time to get used to the feeling. Don't overthink it."
He didn't explain further—if they kept arguing, night would fall completely. Realizing how late it was, the two girls quickly left the academy to head home.
On the way back, Takumi checked the World-Crossing Gate progress.
[141%]
"It's rising fast. Just forming contracts with Karane and Hakari boosted it by nearly ten percent."
"Let's try upgrading one of my entries."
He browsed through his long list of entries. Most of them were blue or purple tier—he rarely kept white ones.
"White entries used to be useless, but if I can upgrade them now, they'll finally serve a purpose."
After some thought, he selected [Great Strength] and poured 100% luck progress into it.
A brilliant blue light flared.
[Brute Strength (Blue): Your power exceeds human limits, allowing you to lift objects dozens of times your own weight with ease.]
A surge of raw energy coursed through him. Every muscle fiber in his body tightened as if hammered by countless microscopic blows. His muscle lines became lean and solid—no excess, no bulk—only honed power like tempered steel.
"Phew~ not just strength—my whole physique feels tougher."
The increase was enormous. His combat ability had likely doubled. If before he could overpower a High-Class Devil, now he could match even an Ultimate-Class one.
Taking a step forward, he felt the asphalt beneath his foot crack like tofu.
"My power's spiking too fast… hard to control."
He exhaled slowly, suppressing his magic. Layer after layer of gravity pressure surrounded him—x25 external pressure, x15 internal pressure!
Dual compression forced him to stabilize again.
…
"I'm back~ sorry, I'm a little late."
Entering the house naturally, Takumi spotted Maria and Mio silently sitting at the dining table.
Sitting down as usual, he glanced between them. Don't tell me Mio already found out about my new girlfriends?No way, it's too soon for that… right?
"What's going on? You two look like you're waiting for a confession."
Maria nudged Mio playfully, smiling. "Takumi-nii, I heard from Mio-sama about what happened at school today. She's just feeling uneasy… afraid you'll abandon her."
"M-Maria!" Mio blushed furiously, scolding her, but Maria's teasing only grew stronger.
Realizing it wasn't about the girls, Takumi relaxed. "There's no need to worry. I just met with Rias and Sona to discuss something…"
He explained everything about the marriage alliance with Sona's family. When Mio heard the word "engagement," she shot up from her chair.
"H-how can that be!? Marriage… you can't…" Her eyes welled with tears.
"It's not a real marriage, just a formality," Takumi quickly assured her.
But Maria added fuel to the fire with a grin. "With Takumi-nii's charm, fake or not, it might just become real~"
That comment made Mio's emotions explode. But her anger wasn't about jealousy—it was guilt.
"It's all because of me… because of me that you have to do this! I keep causing you trouble. I don't want that anymore!"
Seeing her blaming herself, Maria jumped in immediately, her tone playful yet sly. "In that case, Mio-sama, I have an idea. Something that'll let you make it up to him… and deepen your bond."
"…"
Takumi's eyes narrowed. You succubus… what are you plotting now?Our bond is already deep enough as it is… unless—
He sighed, realizing that with Maria, deepening the bond always came with very specific methods.
...
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