This Can't Possibly Be Real

The room was thick with a strange tension. Leaving Leticia behind with that mysterious smile on her face, I tried my best to look composed. I casually wiped my still-damp lips with the back of my hand, as if nothing had happened. Sticky saliva stretched between my fingers like thin threads, but that wasn't what I was focused on.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

For that brief moment, the mana that had filled my mouth and then vanished was unmistakably Leticia's. Shockingly, the contract between us had been properly formed.

…It doesn't seem like a contract powerful enough to bind soul to soul.

Well, there was no real need for something that strong. Even so, it wasn't a weak binding by any means. It felt like chains made of appropriately strong—not too powerful, not too weak—mana were wrapped around my body. I could also sense that her mana and mine were now connected. Anyone else would probably call this nonsense, but to my eyes, it was crystal clear. The link between us. The contract terms seemed to have been fulfilled perfectly as well.

A quest visible only to me had appeared at some point, clearly listing the details of the contract I'd made with Leticia.

Both the reward and the failure condition were ridiculously extreme. Return to Narak? I had no idea what method would be used to send me back, but I doubted it would be a pleasant one.

Anyway, to summarize the contract I'd made with Leticia:

I would stay by Leticia's side for one year. In return, she would provide me with a room to stay in for that year and offer her blood whenever I needed it. Those were the compensation and price Leticia had demanded.

In a way, it was a contract that prioritized me more than the summoner, Leticia. Not that I was complaining. The request to stay by her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠side probably meant she intended to make use of me in some way or another, so at first glance, it seemed like a reasonable deal.

She must want the knowledge only demons possess, or since she said she'd make me her maid, she'll find some way to use me.

So there was no need to worry about Leticia just because the contract terms seemed light. She had quite a ruthless personality, whether she showed it or not, so she wasn't the type to make a contract that would put her at a disadvantage. She must have had some plan in mind to make a contract like this with someone she'd never met before—especially a demon.

There was no way she'd break the taboo of summoning a demon for no reason. The one who really needed to worry about the future was me.

Honestly, considering I'd been suddenly kissed by Leticia out of nowhere, it wasn't bad at all. No, it actually felt good. After everything we'd done together until the very end, there was no way I'd feel bad about anything we shared. Besides, we'd already gone as far as two people could go, so there was no point in making a fuss over a mere kiss.

The only surprising part was that Leticia had chosen to kiss me so readily. There were so many ways to form a contract, and she didn't have to use a kiss, yet she'd chosen to exchange saliva through a deep kiss. Was it because we were both the same gender now that there was no sense of reluctance?

Maybe she just didn't like the idea of forming a contract through blood. This was simply a contract, a healthy one without any personal demands…

"It tasted a little like peach, actually. Sweet. I might want to taste it again."

…Right?

"I said it so you'd hear. I'm probably going to be borrowing your lips a lot from now on, so consider this me calling dibs in advance."

"…What the hell."

Lips reservation system? I'd never heard of anything like that. Leticia, who had boldly declared that I was hers, wiped her glistening lips with the back of her hand and let out an enchanting smile that seemed to draw you in. It was so seductive that you'd believe she was the succubus, not me. This must be what it feels like to be bewitched by a nine-tailed fox.

"The contract is done, and since I'm the master, I can do whatever I want, can't I?"

"Master? What master? Stop talking nonsense."

A contract was a kind of business deal. Even if it created a master-servant relationship, that fact didn't change. Master and slave? The nuance was pretty terrible. And continuing a romantic relationship with Leticia in this form felt a bit off. I wasn't sure if I could accept it. Or maybe it was that I couldn't imagine doing that kind of thing with another woman. The truth was, I still felt some resistance.

I wasn't even used to being a woman yet, and she was already talking about taking things further. It was too soon for someone as unfamiliar with all this as I was.

"Why? If you're going to call yourself my maid, you should address me as Master. I prefer 'Master' over 'Miss' if possible."

She was even wearing a maid outfit. Seeing my rotting expression, Leticia laughed as if she found it hilarious and continued.

"Your face is full of reluctance. It's refreshing how honest you are, but I have no intention of changing it, so just give up."

"…The contract didn't say anything about…!"

"It did. Probably? Well, if you really don't want to wear the maid outfit, you don't have to."

"…?"

"Instead, I can just put a dog collar around that pale, slender neck of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠yours and drag you around. How about it? Wouldn't that be enough to make it clear you're mine?"

Her refusal of my refusal was absolute. Leticia's opinion was firm. It felt like dying at Leticia's hands and returning to Narak would be far more comfortable. Not that she'd let me go back easily in the first place.

Would I obediently wear the maid outfit, or would I wear a dog collar around my neck, endure the humiliation, and follow Leticia around like a loyal puppy? The answer was practically decided.

I clicked my tongue lightly so Leticia could hear and said,

"I'll wear the maid outfit."

"Smart choice."

Seeing Leticia smile with genuine satisfaction for the first time made me hate myself for feeling my sulky mood lift. Yeah. I should just think of it like a girlfriend doing cosplay for her boyfriend's birthday as a special event.

With her arms crossed, Leticia looked me up and down, muttering things like, "Your chest seems about the same as mine. Pretty big. So the maid outfit size should be around this much…" I stared at her with a thoroughly fed-up expression.

"So what's your real reason for summoning me? There's no way the contract is really just this, right?"

Just stay by her side? As if I could believe a contract like that. I sat on the bed, crossed my legs, and pressed her with the question. Leticia answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Telling you to stay by my side means I want to borrow your head. There's a friend of mine who's been cursed with something that can't be fixed without the knowledge of a demon."

"…A curse?"

"Yes, a curse. It's mixed with something strange that a pure-blooded demon cast, so my magical knowledge has its limits."

When Leticia added that it was similar to the curse of an ancient artifact commonly found in fantasy novels, my pupils shook for a moment. I gritted my teeth.

"……Ha, if it's something serious enough to require the intervention of the esteemed Sage from the Hero's Party, it must be someone quite close to you?"

"We went through life and death together as comrades. Of course we're close."

Comrades who had gone through life and death together. From the moment she said "friend," I'd guessed it wasn't someone like the Emperor or a high-ranking noble. But comrades who had gone through life and death? The only people Leticia would call comrades were three, including me. The hero Leo, the saint Chloe, and the archer Irina—who wasn't exactly friendly and had a terrible personality, but was still trustworthy. Those three.

Leticia narrowed her eyes and looked at me with a subtle expression. My lips trembled as I asked,

"Comrades who went through life and death together, huh. There aren't many people the Sage would call comrades. Don't tell me one of the Hero's Party members got cursed?"

"Yep."

"…Man or woman?"

"That's a secret."

I'd asked thinking that if it was a man, it would be the hero, and if it was a woman, it would be either the saint or the archer. But Leticia chose to keep her mouth shut. I let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded by her decision to keep the most important detail a secret.

"We've even made a contract, and you're still hiding information about your comrade?"

"I do trust you, but the 'you' I know and the 'you' right now might be different. A contract and trust are separate things."

"…You'd need to at least tell me the gender so I can make a guess, right?"

"Aside from my comrades, only the Emperor, the Pope, and the Academy's headmaster know about this. It's top secret. And the person in question is coming here… Hmm, they should be arriving soon."

There wasn't even time to ask who. Knock, knock.

The light sound of someone knocking on the door came from outside. Seeing Leticia smile as if they had arrived right on time, I looked at her with an expression that clearly showed how fed up I was.

Don't tell me she called the person who was cursed all the way to the Academy?

My prediction was spot on.

"Leticia."

A soft, beautiful voice rang out. It was clearly a woman's voice, so I thought, At least it's not Leo, and stared at the door with a tense face. That meant it was either Chloe or Irina. The thought of seeing a comrade I'd gone through life-and-death battles with now cursed left a bitter taste in my mouth.

"I'll open it for you."

I hoped it wasn't a serious curse. From Leticia's light tone and behavior, it didn't seem that severe. But if it was a curse serious enough to require summoning a demon, then it couldn't be light…

While I was pacing around the room, lost in all sorts of wild speculations, I spotted a small envelope containing short black hair on Leticia's desk.

"This is…"

No matter how I looked at it, it was much closer to a man's hair than a woman's. It looked exactly like my hair back when I was Demian Radius. I picked up the small envelope, muttering that it looked familiar, when the sound of the door opening and approaching footsteps made me quickly put it back down on the desk.

When I turned my head to look forward, Leticia was standing side by side with a blonde woman I'd never seen before. I made a puzzled face. Unlike what Leticia had said about a comrade who'd gone through life and death with her being cursed, a woman I'd never met before was standing there.

"Who is this?"

"The comrade I mentioned, the one who went through life and death with me."

I wondered if it was someone I'd only fought alongside briefly, but the only person with hair like blazing gold was Leo. Since it couldn't possibly be Leo, I felt a little relieved and looked at the blonde woman with a crooked expression.

Apparently not liking my gaze, the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠woman furrowed one eyebrow and asked Leticia in an accusatory tone.

"What is this, Leticia? You really summoned one?"

"The contract was formed properly, so don't worry. She'll obey me absolutely. Right, Charlotte?"

When Leticia naturally called me by name and asked, I let out a sigh and nodded. Leticia smiled. Maybe my obedient behavior was interesting. The woman rested her hand on her chin with a look of fascination.

"A demon? No, you said it was a demon race, right? Amazing, Leticia. You've even tamed a demon now?"

"I'd appreciate it if you refrained from using the word 'tamed.' I'm not a pet."

"Wow, you speak the Imperial language so fluently. It seems you really did summon quite a high-level demon, Leticia."

"We just met, and you have no filter at all."

"Ah, now that I think about it, I haven't introduced myself."

Even the way she scratched her head with an awkward expression was beautiful, but it somehow annoyed me even more because it resembled Leo. That was only natural. I was seeing the friend I'd been closest to in this world overlapping with a woman I'd never met before. Because of that, I never dreamed this would be the case.

"Let me introduce you. This is someone commonly known as Lea, but her real name is Leo Starfield. Explaining that she's the (former) hero should make it easy to understand."

"I may look like this now, but I'm still the former hero."

As Leo smiled with a troubled expression, her red eyes curving gently, I barely managed to hold onto my sanity, which nearly blacked out for real this time.