The Death Beam's Aftermath
The training grounds fortunately had auto-repair magic cast over them, so the ugly scar carved across the floor was gradually returning to its original state.
".....Arthur. Come talk with me for a moment."
"Professor.... what about her?"
When I pointed at Lilith, the professor hesitated for a moment before telling me to bring her along. Students stared in disbelief as Lilith continued to growl at them, and I hurried after the professor with my head bowed low.
Once we were alone in the professor's office—well, two people and one cat—the professor let out a long sigh.
"Haa....."
After glancing at Lilith, the professor sighed again, as if the ground itself might swallow him up.
".....When did you form the contract?"
"The day before yesterday."
"Why didn't you report it immediately?"
"I still haven't fully processed it myself..."
".......I see."
After rubbing his face, the professor collapsed into his chair and gestured for me to take the seat across from him. I carefully set Lilith down on the chair beside me, but—
"Meow!"
She leaped over the chair as if to say that was out of the question, landed on my lap, and curled up into a ball. Both the professor and I stared at her, utterly dumbfounded by how thoroughly cat-like she was acting.
"......I may not claim to know everything, but I've never heard of a cat that wields that kind of power."
"Me neither...."
"Do you know how durable the floor of that training ground is?"
It was a place the headmaster himself had enchanted with magic. Of course it would be sturdy—
"Even if a meteor fell on it, that training ground wouldn't break."
.....It was far more insane than I'd imagined. The headmaster who created it was impressive, but Lilith, who had split it in half, was on another level entirely.
"Does that cat actually listen to your commands?"
"Uh... probably?"
"Probably won't cut it. It has to be certain. Right now, you're essentially carrying around a portable strategic weapon. Depending on the situation...."
At that moment, a chill ran down my spine and my legs went weak.
"We may have to deal with you."
The headmaster was just that overwhelmingly powerful. In truth, every professor working at the academy was an elite in their own right. Especially Professor Raycard, who was considered a genius among geniuses, the next great archmage. When someone like that released killing intent, the thought that I might actually die made my blood run cold.
"Hiss!"
At that moment, Lilith shot up, tail bristling, and confronted the professor. Surprisingly, the moment she stepped in, the pressure bearing down on me seemed to lessen.
"......She has loyalty, at least."
The killing intent vanished, and the atmosphere returned to normal. Lilith lay back down, only poking her face out as if to keep watch.
"Do you know the limits of her output?"
"No... this was the first time I actually gave her an attack command...."
After a moment of thought, the professor produced a key from thin air and held it out to me. I accepted it in a daze and looked back and forth between the key and the professor.
"It's the key to the training grounds. Go in whenever there are no people around—night or otherwise—and figure out everything you can about that cat. The nature of her power, her output, her limits. All of it."
If I just asked her, she'd probably tell me....
"Yes, I understand."
"I'll report this to the dean and the headmaster myself."
As the professor stood up, I picked Lilith up as well. On the way back to the training grounds, something suddenly occurred to me.
"Um.... Professor...?"
"What is it?"
"Is it possible they might confiscate my familiar?"
I focused on the professor, who was deep in thought while I tried to ignore the squirming Lilith in my arms.
"Hmm.... Normally, no, because a familiar and their contractor share an inseparable bond. However, your cat possesses far too much power. I don't know what measures will be taken."
"Who makes the final decision?"
"The headmaster holds the final authority."
...At least it wasn't the dean. That was something.
When we were almost back at the training grounds, Professor Raycard stepped in front of me.
"This goes without saying, but if that beam from earlier is ever directed at the students, I will do everything in my power to kill you. Make sure you don't get any student's blood on my hands."
"Yes, sir. Understood."
"Nyaak!"
Lilith protested as if to say, "Who do you think you're threatening?"
"......Just out of personal curiosity. Is that cat female?"
"Yes."
"Consider getting her neutered. There are no male cats at the academy, but you never know."
"!!!!!"
I had never known a cat's face could look so utterly devastated.
When we returned to the training grounds, the students' attention immediately focused on us again. It was probably because of the overwhelming display of power Lilith had shown earlier.
'Haha... by tomorrow, the rumors will be everywhere.'
When I glanced at Lewis, his face was flushed red and blue. That was a little satisfying.
After that, class couldn't continue. Even with the auto-repair magic, there was a limit to its speed. The training ground floor was still bubbling ominously, and there was no way to hold class in that environment. In the end, Professor Raycard had no choice but to end class early.
As I headed to my final morning class, I felt countless eyes on me.
'Has the rumor already spread? That was fast.'
Well, it would be strange if people didn't notice after that kind of explosion. Students and professors alike whispered as they passed me, staring at both me and Lilith. The same thing happened when I entered the lecture hall, and in the cramped space, the murmurs became clearly audible.
"So he's the one behind that sound?"
"Apparently it was the cat. His familiar, they say?"
"The cat's cute!"
"If you get on his bad side, he'll split you in half with a meow-meow death beam?"
....It seemed some strange rumors had started spreading. The first time I was receiving this kind of proper(?) attention, I felt dazed, but also—
'This is going to be pretty burdensome, isn't it?'
With so many eyes on me, I became conscious of every little action. The weight of everyone's attention pressed down on me.
When the professor entered, the whispering finally stopped, though the stares remained. The professor also scanned the room upon entering and stared straight at me—more precisely, at Lilith, who was curled up on my desk yawning. Whether he'd received word from Professor Raycard or not, he didn't comment on the cat being on the desk.
"Then let's begin class."
----
Regardless of everyone else's stares, I couldn't take my eyes off Lilith either. I was even prepared to scoop her up and bolt if she made any noise during class. Fortunately, my worries proved unnecessary. Lilith remained well-behaved, grooming her fur or kneading her paws.
-Ding dong dang dong
"Then everyone, enjoy your lunch—"
The moment class ended, I shoved my textbook into my bag, scooped up Lilith, and bolted out of the lecture hall. Through the hallway, across the park, through another hallway—I went straight to my dorm room.
"Huff.... huff....."
Only after locking the door did I finally catch my breath.
"Nyaa~"
When I let Lilith down from my arms, she jumped to the floor and instantly transformed back into her human form.
"Hnnng! I guess human form really suits me best~"
Lilith stretched languidly, rolling her joints this way and that.
"How was that, Arthur? I think I did pretty well."
"......You think that was good?"
"Wasn't it? The humans around us had such interesting expressions."
"Lilith...."
I covered my face with both hands and slowly sank to the floor.
"That was way too much...."
"Oh my, really? I thought this much was necessary so the other humans wouldn't look down on you."
"That's true, but.... Professor Raycard was right. Showing off that much power is also a problem, you know?"
"Hmm... In other places, doing this wouldn't get you ignored. This place must be different."
She wouldn't be ignored. Anyone who could see something that overwhelming and still look down on me would have to be an idiot. The real problem was the dean and the headmaster. Especially the dean, who already didn't get along with me—now that I'd shown that kind of power....
'I can only hope the headmaster is fair...'
I really hoped they wouldn't decide to confiscate Lilith.
"Don't worry too much. If they try to separate us...."
"If they do?"
"I'll just destroy everything and go somewhere else. How about a quiet uninhabited planet? We can live there together, just the two of us, happily."
...An uninhabited 'planet'? Not an island, but a planet? As expected of an Outer God, the scale was ridiculous.
"Lilith..."
"Ah, I won't kill the humans. If I just drop the entire academy into a sinkhole..."
When I looked at her, Lilith's eyes had gone slightly dead. This wouldn't do. She clearly had no intention of listening. The thought of being separated from me had driven her over the edge.
".....What? Neutering? How dare they say something so outrageous to me! That human, I'll definitely...."
Maybe there was another reason....
"Lilith."
"Or maybe..."
"Lilith!"
Lilith, who had been rattling off academy-destroying scenarios, turned to look at me.
"Come here."
I stood up and spread my arms wide, facing her. Lilith's eyes regained their light, and she leaped into my embrace. As I gently stroked her back, I whispered.
"I don't want to be separated from Lilith either, even if it kills me."
I bent my knees slightly to match her height and whispered softly to this adorable Outer God, soothing her.
"Still, we have to make sure we don't cause trouble for others. It would be unfair if innocent people suddenly got hurt."
".....Got it. I'll be careful."
"Thank you. It's not really a fair exchange, but...."
I pulled back slightly to face her.
"From now on, I'll always stay with Lilith during lunch breaks."
Lilith's expression brightened instantly.
"Really? You'll really stay with me?"
"Of course. I like being with Lilith the most, after all."
I meant it.
"Kyaa! Arthur's the best!"
I hugged Lilith tightly as she threw herself at me. Sometimes she was seductive and mature, sometimes playful like an older sister, and sometimes—like now—like an adorable little sister. Come to think of it, Lilith wasn't used to measuring distance in relationships either. Sometimes like a mature mother, sometimes like a mischievous older sister, and sometimes like a cute younger sister, just like now. Lilith was also inexperienced with the concept of family, just like me. Her constantly shifting sense of distance could be overwhelming at times, but I found that I liked every side of her.
"Found an opening!"
While I was lost in thought, Lilith kissed me.
-Smooch
"Hehe, I told you not to let your guard down~"
Returning to her older-sister mode as if she'd never been cute, Lilith smiled mischievously. Ah, seriously..... wasn't she too lovable? I held back my laughter at the sight and leaned in to kiss her myself—deeper and longer than the one she'd given me.
----
After solving lunch with the meal Lilith had prepared ("What kind of food is it this time?" / "Old One sashimi!"), I returned to class. Naturally, Lilith was nestled in my arms. When I suggested that maybe she didn't have to be carried around all the time because people's stares were bothering me—
"I'm still not used to walking on cat legs."
...She'd walked around just fine in the dream, though...?
'Well... it's warm, so it's nice, I guess.'
It felt a bit like treating her as a hot pack, which made me feel guilty, but good things were good.
Lilith continued following me to class, and as a result, people's stares followed us as well. Looking back on how I'd become able to ignore everyone's gazes within just a few hours, I once again marveled at human adaptability.
My final class of the day overlapped with Letia's schedule.
"Hi, Arthur~"
Letia plopped down next to me.
"Hiss!"
Lilith, who had been lying down, immediately raised her head and bared her teeth. But Letia paid no attention to Lilith's threat and rummaged through her pocket.
"Hello to you too, little kitty~ Want to try this?"
It was cat treats sold at the market.
"Pfft!"
I couldn't hold back my laughter at Lilith's dumbfounded expression as she stared at the treats. Lilith whipped her head around to glare at me, then curled back into a ball.
"Eh? Not interested? I went through a lot of trouble to get these.... You really don't want any, kitty?"
Lilith didn't move an inch.
"Hmm.... Is she on a diet? What's her name?"
After a brief hesitation, I answered.
"Lilim."
Lilith twitched at my answer.
"Oh my, what a pretty name! Is she female?"
"Yeah. She's probably full, so she can't eat. I fed her a lot during lunch."
"You have to be careful with portions. Cats gain weight in no time."
-Twitch.
Oh dear, Lilith. You really shouldn't react to that.
"Ah, right. I have something for you too, Arthur."
"Huh? What is it?"
I'd been so caught up in recent events that I'd forgotten an important fact. The person in front of me was none other than Letia, and this insane friend of mine regularly did things that defied common sense. What Letia pulled out after rummaging through her pocket was—
"Ta-da! 'Summer Vacation with Tentacles' Volume 1! You looked interested, so hehe."
"!!!"
The cover, depicting a purple tentacle wrapping around a girl, appeared before my eyes, making my head spin just looking at it. Startled, I snatched it away and immediately shoved it back into Letia's pocket.
"Are you crazy? Why would you pull that out here?"
"It's fine. This is a corner seat, no one can see."
As Letia said, this was a corner seat, and the students had finally stopped staring at me, distracted by the anticipation of the last class ending. But it wasn't the students I was afraid of. I glanced sideways at Lilith and—
At the worst possible timing, my eyes met Lilith's. Her red eyes alternated between me and the book half-stuffed into Letia's pocket.
Ah, I'm screwed—