Chapter 75
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 75
Chapter Title: Why Is This Child in the Abandoned Familiar Cage?
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"No way, why is a kid like this locked up in the abandoned familiar cage?!"
‘Wait a sec, three people...’
Right after the Subjugation Festival announcement went up.
Hisenna turned pale as a ghost when she saw that Team 1 had only three members.
Chayuri. Elrim. Ian. And me.
Somehow, we'd always been doing classes and meals together as a group of four.
If the Subjugation Festival teams were limited to three, one of us wouldn't be able to join.
Sure, skipping the festival altogether was an option.
But no cadet without some special circumstances ever sat out the Subjugation Festival.
‘What do I do? Everyone probably wants to participate...’
Hisenna quickly gauged the room.
She didn't want any hard feelings among her friends.
‘Should I just say I'm sitting it out? But I want to go with Ian. Though one of the other three might not want to...’
Kind-hearted Hisenna sank deep into thought.
The others had gone quiet too, so they were probably thinking the same thing.
Elrim would almost certainly skip if the rest of us didn't go.
She drew a lot of attention with her antics everywhere, but the only ones close enough to team up for the festival were us three.
Ian was in a similar boat.
Things were rough in class around Hera's clique.
Chayuri was a mystery, but he'd definitely want to team with Ian no matter what.
A situation where leaving anyone out felt totally awkward.
After agonizing, Hisenna made up her mind.
She scheduled a private chat with Ian.
Above all, she wanted to team up with him the most.
Her other friends were precious too, but Ian kept nagging at her thoughts.
The rumors about him hanging with the princess and student council president bugged her for some reason.
Maybe it didn't matter, but anyway.
She could talk to the other two later.
Ian was right there, after all. Hisenna made excuses in her head.
In truth, the Abandoned Familiars volunteer club allowed groups, but...
Hisenna lied to be alone with Ian.
***
“Ugh, why's Elrim clinging so much today?”
“H-Haha, yeah, right?”
On the way to the Abandoned Familiars club after classes ended.
For some reason, Elrim had been hanging around after class, making us late.
She didn't say anything outright but kept hovering and picking petty fights.
It took effort to shake her off.
Saying I was going alone with Hisenna felt weird, so it was a tough peel.
“Hello~”
Hisenna cheerfully greeted as she opened the clubroom door.
In the room, cadets were feeding the young abandoned familiars.
“These are my friends—mind if we join for a visit today?”
“Of course. Hisenna's trustworthy. That redhead's not here today? Have fun~”
The vice club president kindly approved with a warm smile.
Even here, Elrim's the redhead, huh.
Hisenna, a first-year, already had solid trust from her seniors.
I followed Hisenna to the pens next to the clubroom, where they kept the abandoned familiars safe.
-Kyuwoook- Kyuwoook-
-Kiiing... Kihiing...
-Byurup byurup- Byurup byurup-
All sorts of familiars were still there.
Same distinct smell as last time.
A bit musty, but not unbearable.
“Aren't they all so cute? Why do people abandon such adorable kids~?”
Hisenna said while feeding a three-eyed ostrich-like familiar.
The ostrich familiar lowered its long neck to gobble up the food from her hand.
“Y-Yeah. Cute.”
Hard to call those three eyes rolling in different directions cute, even as a white lie.
Guess I wasn't as open-hearted as Hisenna yet.
Like that, I followed her lead: tending familiars, feeding them, even brushing some.
That ostrich was scary, but plenty of cute ones too.
Come see these cute familiars~
(Photos of abandoned familiars munching food)
Hanging with Mamathong and checking out abandoned familiars
Pretty fun as long as it's not just poop scooping
Some scary ones occasionally, but lots of cute ones too
Uploading pics of the cuties, lmk if any look good for adoption
Hawawa, the familiars are so cute~ ( ˊ ᵕ ˋ )♡.°⑅
How could anyone abandon such cute kids?
So fluffy
Furry freak would love this
Does that lurker just lurk on this too?
Hard to judge familiars without one closely. I have one but know less than a tamer. My take: nothing useful here.
No vibes from any. Makes sense, they're rejects...
I'd posted pics to the gallery hoping someone might want to adopt, but...
No familiars caught the archmages' eyes, as expected.
Not dissing these cuties.
But if they were perfect familiars, their original owners wouldn't have ditched them.
Giving up on adopting here, I was just playing with the kids when...
Hisenna started sneaking glances at me.
“Got something to say?”
“Oh, uh, Ian. Um... what do you think about the Subjugation Festival?”
“Subjugation Festival? Sounds fun.”
“Really? So, uh, any plans for teams?”
Hisenna brought up the issue I'd forgotten amid familiar fun.
She'd been worrying about it too, huh.
“Yeah, what to do. Would be great if we could all go together.”
“R-Right. Same here. But four of us...”
Good, Mamathong wasn't ditching me.
Guess my worry about her not wanting to team was unfounded.
“Hey, Ian. So, about that...”
“Yeah?”
Hisenna fidgeted.
Her up-and-down glances were painfully cute.
Plus, her cadet uniform shirt buttons had come undone from tending familiars,
making it hard to know where to look with Mamathong's splendid cleavage on display.
That expression plus undone buttons. No, Mamathong.
Wait a minute.
That's when I realized something huge.
‘Those aren't undone—they're burst open...!!’
The buttons had popped off!
No wonder Hisenna, no exhibitionist like Chayuri, was like this.
She hadn't even noticed them flying off while handling familiars.
Oh no. Think pure thoughts.
I leaned back and squatted down.
Needed to stand, but with Mamathong right in my face, straightening up was tough.
No good. For mental peace... gallery time.
As I went to open it, Hisenna finally spat out her fidgety words.
“Um, I know it's selfish, but... could you promise to team with me?”
“...Huh?”
“I mean, with Elrim and Chayuri, that's four, right? Someone has to sit out, but I really want to go with you... Or we could each find one more to make teams of three—you two with someone, Elrim and Chayuri with someone else... Anyway...”
Hisenna trailed off.
So, she wanted to team with me specifically?
Music to my ears since I had no one else.
Preferring me over Elrim and Chayuri? No way...
Wait. What do I even say?
If I promise Hisenna right here,
I'll end up sidelining at least one of Elrim or Chayuri.
But those two might want in too. Too dicey to commit now.
What to say? Brain freeze.
In times like this...
Is "dilemma" the right word for this situation?
Volunteering familiars with Mamathong
Suddenly Mamathong asks if I can promise to team with her for Subjugation Festival?!
She's stressing the three-person limit too
But she wants to go with me—what do I say?!
Feels like redhead and top student will wanna join too
Something something awkward to commit right now
UOOOOOOOH YEAH!!!
GOOOOOOO-!
Byurrrrrrrr-!
These idiots going nuts on three letters
Whew, this is tough
What're you agonizing for ffs, charge at Mamathong!!
This is pure Mamathong yas angle, charge ffs!!!
Hold up, paused my paper for this—where's redhead?
Give redhead a shot too ffs!!!
Secretly calling you out like this ain't fair play!! Fair game!!
Nah, gotta wait—top melon is nuts
Redhead faction vs top faction fidgeting starts lol
Need to think this thru. Lock in Mamathong now and one of the other two might flip out hard.
Agreed. Instead of deciding now, take her to your room first. Then XXXX in cowgirl with XXX to XXXXX and blank her mind. Don't confirm yet, start with XX. Easier when you give women what they want.
That's exploiting pure feelings lol you're evil!
Crazy bastards.
One thing clear: committing now could make things awkward later.
Anyone's fine really, but isolating one feels bad.
So what do I say to stall? Need phrase recs
Needed to dodge somehow.
Pondering what to say when...
Gallery comment alert pinged.
But no new comments on this post.
Seemed like the familiar pics post.
Checked: new nick commenting.
But that nick made me do a double-take.
Zoom on the third pic, left corner kid ASAP!
Furrylike... furry lover? Furry fan?
Gallery mentioned Furry freak earlier.
Familiar bait was old news.
Gallery rolling with Hisenna response bait now.
Anyway, I zoomed where Furrylike said and posted a new thread.
Zoomed as requested
(Close-up pic of cute familiar crammed in corner)
Not zoomed, got close and snapped this one solo
What's special about it?
Wtf sudden what
Hurry and yas with Mamathong!!
But yeah it does have a vibe
Looks weak but something
Looks off, different vibe, but not a beast expert. Try meditation on it
Hisenna bait still hot, so gallery lukewarm on the sidetrack.
Till that nick commented again.
No way, why is a kid like this locked up in the abandoned familiar cage?!
Oh wtf furry what is it?
When'd this drop
Furry enters gallery lol but ain't it just a cute familiar?
Furry shows and it's a beast?
What's up, is it useful?
Lurker commenting means it's real?
That level in abandoned pen?
That's why everyone's jumping
Arrived last week, rejects human touch, won't eat—wtf is it
That kid is probably
Beast tamer. Unlike summoners who just take familiars, they train beasts into familiars themselves.
Beast taming needs insane beast knowledge beyond magic,
so pure mages can't cut it.
That's why other gallery folks treaded lightly on beasts.
If Furry freak... er, Furrylike popped up like this, then maybe.
“Hisenna. What's this one?”
“Y-Yes? Oh... that kid came last week. Won't eat much, rejects human touch, so we had to pen it here.”
Familiars are supposed to be conditioned to rely on summoners, right?
Definitely special, at least.