79. The Slime Girl Caught in the Contract!

[Hing, I prepared this whole thing as a surprise, but how did it get found out… I’m really disappointed.]

“Ha. How on earth did you even get in here… No, forget it. Asking won’t do anything but give me a headache.”

I let out a deep sigh while glaring at Ulthar, who was complaining in that shameless tone. This wasn’t the first time, but the cat’s entrances were always absurdly sudden. Appearing in places that defied all common sense made me wonder if I was hallucinating.

With a fluid motion, Ulthar slipped out of my hands, lightly leaped, and landed on a nearby desk chair. Then, right in front of me, the cat lounged comfortably, tail swaying as it spoke.

[By the way, this is a really nice room. I’d say it’s filled with affection and care for you. The interior’s lovely, the atmosphere is cozy… and it suits your current appearance perfectly! ]

The black cat grinned with an ambiguous smile, its voice dripping with meaning. It especially emphasized the last sentence, sending a sly wink. Clearly, the room pleased it greatly.

…Or rather, it was enjoying the sight of me suffering in the middle of it. The way it deliberately picked out the most undeniable parts felt malicious. If this were any other time, I would’ve blushed and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠snapped back, but I’d already reached a state of enlightenment regarding that particular topic. In the end, I simply shot it a light glare and crossed my arms with a blank expression.

“Well, compared to the places I used to stay… this is definitely better. So? Get to the point. The fact that you showed up here at this exact moment means you have something to say, right? Am I wrong?”

[Hmm, you’re surprisingly calm. That’s not bad, but it’s a little disappointing that I can’t see your cute side… Anyway! You’re correct. We’ve passed the immediate crisis, so now we need to discuss what comes next. You haven’t forgotten our contract… have you?]

Ulthar showed a hint of disappointment on the surface before flashing a sly smile and asking. The suspicious contract we’d made inside that cave-type dungeon right before death. I hadn’t forgotten it. I just felt a bit annoyed that the timing was so soon. I’d only just arrived at my new home and was starting to settle in…

Well, the time spent underground could count as rest too. All I’d done there was fiddle with my phone and live lazily. Still, these thoughts probably came from the special training I’d undergone in that dream-like state rather than reality. Of course, that was my problem alone. Given the clear master-servant nature of the contract, I had no right to complain.

So I voiced my displeasure in the least obvious way possible, speaking curtly.

“I know. It’s about that magical girl thing, right? Seriously, I’m going insane just saying it. Hey. Let me ask one more time. Are you actually serious about ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this?”

[You’re still saying that now? We’ve already prepared the costume and concept! I put so much effort into this moment, so please just accept reality.]

I tried to resist the unacceptable reality, but the answer that came back was despairingly firm. Even I knew, deep down, that this crazy cat was genuinely serious about it. After all, it had saved someone on the brink of death, changed their gender, and turned them into a strange monster. There was clearly a screw loose somewhere.

Thinking that the moment had finally come, I hypnotized myself in my head. The title of magical girl… was just something to match the cat’s twisted tastes. I was simply helping people. The essence of helping others was the same whether you were a hero or a magical girl, right? It was just a difference in what you called it.

Once I reached that conclusion internally, my mind felt clearer. Facing reality calmly, I finished my mental preparations and waited for the cat’s next words.

Ulthar, who had been quietly watching me from nearby, spoke with that same ambiguous smile.

[Good thinking. Now then… let’s get to the main topic. First, take out the mask you used during the special training. I’ve added it to your transformation list, so you should be able to summon it in reality too.]

Following the instruction, I reached out with one hand and recalled the pure white mask I’d worn before. A small lump rose from my palm and naturally formed into a mask that perfectly fit my face. It was a simple smiling mask with no excessive decorations or patterns. I’d worn it every time ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I climbed the dungeon in the dream, yet the eerie feeling it gave me never faded. I didn’t particularly like it, but the fact that it could hide my face made it very useful.

At Ulthar’s suggestion to try it on, I slowly brought the mask to my face. A familiar voice echoed in my mind for the first time in a while.

[“Welcome” Please come in, Master. It’s been a long time.]

The intellectual female voice that had become all too familiar belonged to Nabi. I wondered why she, who only existed in the dream, was here now, until I remembered what Ulthar had said before. Come to think of it, after the special training ended, some functions were supposed to remain usable even in a limited state… I’d forgotten because so much time had passed. Feeling slightly apologetic, I responded normally, and she immediately continued.

[“Notification” The program ‘The True Path of a Magical Girl’ exists. Requesting installation permission.]

“…”

I was startled by the sudden message. An unidentified program with a suspicious name from the start. Of course, I wanted to yell at it to delete it immediately, but I couldn’t ignore the intense gaze coming from the cat in front of me. If I refused here, I knew exactly what would happen next. It was obvious. As warned beforehand, violating the contract would cost me my life.

Even though I didn’t think I’d lose if we fought right now, the unknown lifeform before me couldn’t be judged by common sense. That cute appearance was a well-crafted mask—I had no proof, yet I instinctively knew it. In a situation where I couldn’t even guess what kind of power it was hiding, I had no intention of taking such a dangerous gamble. With a despairing sigh, I had no choice but to accept reality.

Permission granted… Installation starting. 10%… 30%… 50%… …100% Installation complete. Launching program.

Once I reached that point, Ulthar continued the explanation as if it had been waiting.

[Looks like you made it here safely. Now I’ll explain the functions in that list! First, successfully completing the given requests will increase your points and achievement rate! Points can be used to purchase useful items for your activities in the shop. And the achievement rate is, in a word, the final content! Once it reaches 100%, the contract will automatically terminate. In other words, you’ll be freed from the magical girl life!]

The moment I heard the word “freedom,” my eyes lit up and I immediately opened the list labeled Achievement Rate. A long bar graph appeared before me. At the top of the cylindrical graph marked in increments of ten was the word “Retirement” written clearly.

To think it would present such a clear way to escape this hellish contract. When I gave Ulthar a suspicious look, wondering if there was a trap, the cat denied it with an innocent expression.

[Why are you looking at me like that? I have no intention of making you work for me your whole life. Besides, having a goal will help keep your spirits up.]

At that sly voice carrying a strange laugh, I finally understood its intention. This was a classic carrot-and-stick approach. A sophisticated strategy to break down my rebellious spirit and make me accept reality. And that guess turned into certainty with its next words.

[Ah, and the achievement rate is a kind of evaluation system. It measures how excellently you performed as a magical girl in the given environment. In short, it includes your speech, behavior, outfit… everything~]

“Ugh!!……”

As expected, the declaration that drove the nail into my suspicions made a groan escape my lips. The reason for setting such conditions was obvious. If I wanted to be freed from the contract quickly, I had to faithfully fulfill the existing concept… the appearance of the Little Devil of Darkness. In other words, this achievement rate system didn’t forcibly demand my actions but naturally guided me so that I had no choice but to act that way.

My plan to at least pretend while following its will was completely blocked. Perhaps the cat in front of me expected that even if I forced myself to continue the act, I would eventually adapt to that appearance without realizing it. Even if I felt resistance at first, repeating it would gradually tame me until my original rebellious spirit disappeared. Contamination of reason through repetitive behavior—in other words, mental corruption.

Of course, giving up on filling the achievement rate was one option, but that would mean being trapped in this hell forever. No matter how I thought about it, that was too extreme, so the choices returned to their original place. A battle of whether I would corrupt first or endure to the end. Imagining myself eventually accepting reality under continuous mental damage made an instinctive sense of crisis fill my mind.

But even knowing that, it was an impossible situation to avoid. There was no other way to explain it than that I had been properly caught in the cat’s scheme, to the point where it could be called the price of carelessness.

Just as I was lost in agony, trapped in a deep swamp I couldn’t escape, Ulthar suddenly glanced toward the door and spoke with a disappointed reaction.

[Haa, the next part is about the most important request… but it looks like a guest has arrived? I’ll have to tell you the rest later.]

At that moment, my mind, which had been completely elsewhere, snapped up at the word “guest.” My first thought was that the person who had gone downstairs had come back up. But that didn’t make sense. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Right now, within the range of my presence-sensing ability, no living beings were detected. In other words, if someone had come right up to the door, I wouldn’t have missed it.

While I found the situation hard to believe and wondered if Ulthar was playing a prank, the sound that followed immediately erased that suspicion.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

A steady rhythm with no natural sound to it whatsoever. Right after, the firmly closed door began to slowly open, and the moment I confirmed the identity of the presence beyond it, my eyes widened.

The reason for my reaction was simple. The one staring at me from beyond the open door was a being that had a human appearance but was not human. The identity of the woman wearing a neatly arranged maid outfit was none other than an android in human form.