The Third Summon Is a Half-Demon Goth Loli?

The third summon was a half-human, half-demon gothic lolita?

A new window appeared, and the two soul stones in my hands were sucked in automatically.

Both summons, looking pleasantly full and content, turned their eyes toward me.

"Master. Are you making a summon right now?"

"As expected of my Guide. So diligent~ Ufufu~"

They sidled up from either side and pressed themselves flush against me. The soft, warm give of flesh through a tight black bodysuit—and even through golden armor—settled against my arms. It felt like the figures I'd crafted had come to life and built me a private harem.

I'd read light novels like that, but living it myself felt pretty good in its own way. I absently stroked both their heads.

"Awooo… that feels so good… Master's pets are the best."

"My Guide is handling me like a doll that can't move an inch… Ehehe…♡"

They were so effortlessly affectionate that I felt even more like the protagonist of some harem story. Summons this beautiful, this capable—and ones I'd created myself—I could trust one hundred percent.

"Looks like I can combine soul stones. I've only got two, but I should still be able to make something stronger."

I told them, of course, what I was trying to do and what kind of ability I had.

"I see~ As expected, Guide is amazing."

Iris immediately leaned into me with flattery. Luna simply purred under my hand, soaking up the attention. I was using both arms, but a glance alone was enough to move the status window.

Yeah. That was going to take longer than I'd hoped. Even so, I never stopped stroking the two of them while the fusion ran.

Then I glanced at Luna and saw her swishing tail and twitching ears droop flat.

"What's wrong, Luna?"

At my question she lifted her head and looked at me—with such a suddenly pitiful expression that I thought something had gone wrong.

"Then a summon stronger than me will come out. Master will keep the stronger summon. I will fall out of interest. In the end I won't get Master's attention, and…"

Luna had sunk into a sudden gloom. Maybe it was because she'd been the first to be born and had received my attention right away. Or maybe it was the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠wolf in her—she had a way of craving my touch and my notice more often than not.

"I made you. We eat together, we sleep together… You're precious family."

"Awoo…?"

I trusted my summons, of course. Words alone might not have been enough, so I pulled Luna into a firm hug and kept petting her.

"Once there are more summons, Luna's going to have to play the leader. That means I'll have to look after you first, right?"

"Awooo… Awooooooo! Master~"

Actions always beat words—and better still was doing both at once.

I watched her tail thrash with renewed vigor—then felt a heated stare and turned. My eyes met Iris's, who was watching with something like envy.

"Playing favorites with only one of us even though I'm right here… Aah… that actually makes me happier… Then you can just tie me up beside the bed…♡"

"……"

Her tastes were so specific that what I'd done had somehow become a reward. The fusion was going to take time anyway, both of them had worked hard today, and I was pretty tired myself… The real work would have to wait until tomorrow.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

A chime only I could hear lifted my eyelids. My body ached as I opened my eyes—and the first thing I saw was…

"Krrrrrr… Master… so tasty…"

"Mmnyaah… Guide… that hard… nhn…!"

"……"

Whatever dreams they were having, their sleep-talk was something else. At any rate, the two summons were wedged against me on either side, dead asleep. Come to think of it, I could have just reverse-summoned them and let them rest… but yesterday they'd wanted my attention so badly that I'd let them sleep with me.

And right in front of my nose… no—wait. At some point Iris had bound her arm to mine?

Come to think of it, she'd actually asked to be tied up beside the bed, and somehow she'd gotten free again already. Not that this was the time to interrogate that. I washed up first, then checked the status window floating in front of me as I came out.

As if it had read my mind, it was ready for me to start working at once. This wasn't nearly as time-consuming as building a real figure. I sat down at the chair and went straight to work.

Even at a glance, those quirks looked ominous. I had a feeling this summon was going to push back on me. And Mastermind, of all things?

What I needed right now, though, was a summon who could stand in for me—someone to play the part of an EX-rank powerhouse out in the open.

It felt like someone who would fit the role and, somehow, start causing incidents on their own. But the die was already cast. She was still my summon. Summon and reverse-summon answered to my command. So I decided to push through as I was.

Forms I'd never seen before. Not beast-human this time, but half-human half-demon—and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even full demon? That alone told me how dark-aspected and how strong this one was going to be.

I hesitated for a moment.

Demon is out. For raw firepower, S-rank Luna alone is enough. Defense ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠is fine as long as I have Iris.

That left human and half-human half-demon. Appearance didn't really matter with my skill, so I pictured the work ahead—clearing unconquered dungeons, running a brand-new guild—and the kind of figurehead who'd stand in for me.

All right. Half-human half-demon.

The instant I decided, a summon with a half-human, half-demon form took shape before me.

Honestly, I'd expected a strict older-sister type. What I got instead was, in a word, a gothic lolita—a girl leaning hard into that aesthetic. Making her the figurehead of a guild with a look like that was going to be a problem. I tried to change the appearance.

Just how strong was this ego that I couldn't even change her face?

A forcibly set look. Having come this far, I had no choice but to feed in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠materials the two summons had bought at the Black Market. I poured my full concentration into it, the same way I did when crafting a figure.

It had come together well again. At the finishing stage, the moment I gave my permission, a burst of light erupted—same as with the first two summons. A flash that felt like the reveal of a gacha pull.

"Awoooo! What is all this racket?!"

"Ahh…! My Guide was about to hit me… it was a dream…!"

The flash yanked both summons awake; they sat bolt upright. I only had a second to notice that before the black gothic-lolita beauty standing in front of me claimed my attention. Her eyes opened slowly, and deep black irises fixed straight on me—a cold blank face with a finicky young lady's temperament peeking through.

"Ohh? Master. You made a summon while I was asleep!"

"That makes her next in the pecking order~ She looks strong, though—if she turns it around on me…! Nnh…"

Both summons flicked tense looks between me and the new arrival—

"Papa~♡"

—and the gothic lolita girl suddenly called out to me in a cute little voice. Luna said Master. Iris said Guide. And this one… Papa? As in dad?

She scampered over and dove straight into my arms.

"Papa~ What's my name? Tell me!"

Completely against my expectations, she was an unbearably cute girl. The way she clung to my waist nearly made my heart skip. Either way, I had to name the new summon before I could see what the results really were.

"Liriz… Yeah. Let's go with Liriz."

"Papa? Don't tell me Master… already has a female he's that close with!"

"Nnh…! From principal wife to concubine… no… that actually makes me happier…♡"

The birth of a new summon drew completely different reactions from the ones I'd made first. Looking at the Intelligent and Mastermind quirks, she seemed perfect as a figurehead—but could I really hand her the reins?

"Papa~ I know what Papa wants. I just have to found a guild and run it, right?"

"U… uhh?"

The second that worry crossed my mind, Liriz piped up with cute, eager resolve.