The Second Companion

The man who had left behind the solid gold bean trespassed into her territory again the very next day. He was a mere creature with a minuscule trace of mana, yet none of her abilities worked on him in the slightest. The Siren remained deeply wary of this mysterious man, whose very arrival was anything but ordinary.

She stared at him coldly, keeping only her eyes above the water of the lake. Why are you here again? her gaze demanded. But seeing her like that, the man only offered a silly, carefree smile.

With calm, unhurried movements, the man sat down on a boulder. Yet, he didn't spare the Siren a single glance, simply going about his own business. He looked around, sketched the scenery on a piece of paper, and occasionally smiled whenever their eyes met. That was all. The man spent his time like that before eventually leaving.

...What was that? Why did he even bother coming if he was just going to leave like that? The Siren, who had been completely on edge, felt a sudden wave of deflation. Normally, such worldly worries would wash away the moment she swam in the Healing Lake. But the lake's power was currently compromised—all because of the 10-grade kaiju corpse that very man had thrown into it. The anger that flared up whenever she thought of her lake, and the inexplicable emotions left behind by the man's sudden visits... Unlike before, they were steadily piling up inside her. Yet, it didn't feel as bad as she thought it would.

The next day, the man returned without fail. This time, he brought a pebble that was as beautiful as a gemstone. It was a truly exquisite stone, the likes of which could never be found in the Siren's Realm. Embarrassingly, the Siren found herself completely captivated by it. Letting her guard down entirely, she ended up drawing closer to him. After handing her the stone, the man simply admired the scenery just like the day before and then left. Watching his retreating figure vanish into that bizarre portal, a sudden pang of regret washed over her. She wished he would stay just a little longer.

And another day passed. Deep down, the Siren found herself waiting for the man. Sitting by the water's edge, she kept looking back, endlessly waiting for that strange portal to appear. Fortunately, the man visited again today. But contrary to her inner wishes, she panicked and plunged back into the lake with a splash. Her face burned hot. Peeking out with only her eyes, she examined the man's hands. His hands held neither beautiful pebbles nor sparkling gems. Instead, he carried a strangely shaped instrument. She felt a tiny bit disappointed, but she was also curious about the instrument he held.

Noticing her puzzled expression, the man spoke. "I figured you liked music. This is called a violin..." Speaking in an unfamiliar tongue, the man sat down on the boulder. Then, in an awkward posture, he began to 'pretend' to play the violin. A beautiful melody resonated through the air. It didn't actually come from the instrument; rather, a tiny portal (gate) had opened just above the man, and the sound seemed to flow from there. Though she couldn't fully comprehend what was happening, it made her giggle.

But as she listened quietly, the sound of the instrument was truly exquisite. It possessed a power that drew her entirely into the melody. Swept away by the music, the Siren unconsciously began to sing along to the tune.

♬ Ἡ πρὸς σὲ φρουρὰ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὴ ἀλήθεια...

It was a song that meant her wariness from the previous days had not been genuine. The man gave up his pretense of playing and simply listened to her song. Though he likely didn't understand the meaning of the lyrics. Even though the Healing Lake had lost its power, it felt like a day spent floating peacefully within its waters.

After the man left, she caught sight of her reflection in the lake. The Siren, who had only ever sung sorrowful tunes, tilted her head in confusion at the sight of her lips curving upward. She was curious about this feeling. And so, she hoped the man would come again tomorrow. She hoped he would arrive a little earlier and stay a little longer.

But the next day, even as dusk fell, the man did not appear. He's late today. In just a few short days, the man had carved out a significant place in the Siren's heart. The boulder felt incredibly empty without him. If I wait, he'll come. She splashed the water, waiting endlessly. Yet, even after a long time had passed, the man did not show. It seemed he wasn't coming today after all. The Siren sank listlessly back into the lake. Though the lake's healing properties wouldn't be the same for a while, it was a habit of hers.

Why didn't he come today...? To soothe her troubled mind, she swam across the vast lake and spread her mana far and wide. It was a form of territorial marking, a warning to any kaijus that dared trespass into her domain. To kaijus of a similar grade, it was a message to avoid conflict. Any lower-grade kaijus would be charmed the moment they touched her mana, throwing themselves into the lake to drown. Of course, kaijus of similar strength did occasionally pick fights. But regardless, the past few days had simply been an anomaly; she had lived like this for hundreds of years. There was nothing particularly boring about it, and it should have felt like a natural, everyday routine. It certainly should have... but she couldn't bring herself to focus on those routine tasks.

When are you coming...? All the strength had drained from her body. She floated listlessly on the calm surface of the lake. Before she knew it, the sun dipping below the horizon painted the land in a brilliant golden hue. It was a beautiful sight, but one she saw every single day. But today, there was a change in that scenery.

...He's here? From across the way, she felt the distinct energy of the portal the man used to travel. A sudden surge of vitality rushed through her. The Siren, who had been floating so lifelessly, shot toward the shore like an arrow. From the golden portal, the man's figure emerged. His hands were empty. The Siren pouted as she looked up at his face. But then, something caught her eye. The blue gemstone hanging around his neck as a necklace. ...It's beautiful. Is that why you were late?! Reaching the shore, the Siren could no longer hide her smile as she glided toward him.

"Oh... do you like this necklace that much?"

The Siren, who usually maintained a blank face after a brief smile, was now beaming with pure, unadulterated joy. I had no choice but to take off the necklace and hand it to her. Well, letting her wear it for a bit shouldn't hurt. The Siren put the necklace on slowly. So ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠slowly, as if she wanted to savor every single second of the moment. With the necklace on, she looked up at me. She seemed to be showing off, asking if it suited her.

"It... does look good on you."

I offered a dry compliment and shifted my gaze to the system screen. Once we formed a contract, the Siren would be able to understand my words. There was no reason to delay. I tapped my finger to open the Kaiju Illustrated Book in the corner of my status window. Next to the illustration of Xuanwu, an illustration of the Siren was now visible. And right beneath her picture, the [Contract] button was finally active. There was absolutely no reason not to do it. I tapped the [Contract] button. A mystical light flashed, and golden chains emerged, linking me to the Siren. *Clank.*

I stared at the system messages—familiar yet still somewhat foreign—and fell into deep thought. I had to give the Siren a pretty name, at least. I still felt incredibly guilty about accidentally naming Xuanwu 'Yugi' (Abandonment). Under the Siren's curiosity-filled gaze, I pondered for a long time. Siren, Iren...

And then, a name suddenly popped into my head. I opened my mouth.

"...Arin."

Reading the system text, I silently offered another deep, heartfelt apology to Yugi.

...

Dismissing the flurry of system windows, I looked at the Siren. The Siren who was now Arin. Did Arin have a system of her own? If she did, what kind of messages were popping up for her? Pushing aside my idle curiosity, I carefully chose my words and spoke.

"Hello?"

Arin's eyes widened in surprise. Her lips parted and closed as she struggled to find her bearings, before she finally managed to squeeze out a response.

"...H-hello."

Her pronunciation was perfectly natural. At first, I didn't feel any sense of incongruity. I was about to reply with a smile when my brain suddenly short-circuited. The words made me doubt my own ears. Did she just... speak?

"...Huh?!"

Returning home late at night, I fiddled with my phone. After getting my hunter rank evaluated, I had found an excellent source of dopamine over the past few days. It was the news. Normally, I might have browsed some of the shadier online communities. But there was no need for that now. The news articles alone provided more than enough dopamine. The only difference from online forums was that the news also gave me a massive ego boost.

"Hmm."

It was less sensational than the online forums, but seeing the mainstream media make ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠such a fuss made it crystal clear. I really had awakened an incredible ability. And to think, this rank was based on a clumsy ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠battle where I had only used Yugi's tail. If that was the case, what rank would I get if I summoned both Yugi and Arin at the same time...?

"Hmm."

Of course, it wasn't easy to estimate. My only experience with hunter combat was catching fleeting glimpses of it during my evacuation. Since I hadn't even known how their ranking system worked back then, I honestly had no idea how weak an F-class was, or how powerful an S-class truly could be. If the opportunity arose, I really wanted to watch another Awakened fight in person...

I was lost in these thoughts when my phone buzzed. A text message arrived from the contact saved as 'Creditor' on my phone. It was Kim Na-hyun, whom I had exchanged numbers with during our drinks earlier today. Since it was only polite to respond to a creditor's message promptly, I quickly opened it.

We had parted ways after drinking so much, and she was already on it? I read the messages, feeling a quiet sense of admiration. A party, huh... Well, doing it once shouldn't hurt.