The day after Göndul's visit to the Hyoudou residence, I was in an upstairs spare room finalizing a contract with Le Fay.
Rayvel, who's been a lifesaver with the paperwork and magical setup, was overseeing the process. I owe her big time.
"Thanks to you, this went so smoothly," I said to Rayvel.
"No, it's because you found such a great contract partner," she replied.
Le Fay fidgeted, blushing at the praise.
The contract document, written in demonic script, required our signatures in blood. I pricked my finger with a knife and signed in demonic characters. Le Fay did the same in magical script. Paperwork done.
Next, we stepped into a magic circle drawn with animal blood and recited the contract incantations.
The circle began to glow eerily.
"In the name of Le Fay Pendragon, I beseech Issei Hyoudou, 'Pawn' of the Gremory household, to form a pact and become my ally," Le Fay said.
This contract wasn't as the Red Dragon Emperor's "King" but as Rias Gremory's "Pawn." Le Fay's pact is with Rias's household.
I recited my memorized lines. "In the name of Issei Hyoudou, 'Pawn' of Rias Gremory, I swear to form a pact with you, Le Fay Pendragon. Here's to working together!"
I grinned and extended my hand. Le Fay smiled cutely and shook it. "Yes, please take care of me."
The Gremory crest appeared on our foreheads, fading as the magic circle's glow dimmed.
"That's it?" I asked Rayvel, surprised at how quick it was.
"Yes, all done," she said. "You and Le Fay-san are now work partners."
The paperwork was a hassle, but sealing the deal was a breeze. Still…
"What do work partners actually do?" I asked.
Sure, we're contracted, but it's not like we're diving into magical research right away.
Rayvel explained, "That's up to Le Fay-san. If she wants to experiment now, you start today. If tomorrow, you join her then. It's a five-year contract. If you produce good results in that time, it'll be a huge win for you, Issei-sama."
"Got it," I said. So, we're officially partnered. Now I just need to help Le Fay with magical research over five years… but I barely use magic beyond blasting, and I'm clueless about spell formulas.
Guess we'll figure that out together.
The door was knocked and opened. "Contract's done? I brought tea," Miu said, carrying a tray.
We set up a folding table and sat around it as Miu poured tea. Sipping my cup, I said, "Perfect timing."
"I was waiting for about fifteen minutes," she teased.
"Seriously?!" I gasped.
"Kidding!" she giggled. "I checked the clock and figured it was time."
This little sister of mine, teasing her big brother! But she's so cute, I can't stay mad. Sister supremacy! Time to pat her head!
The conversation shifted to me, Rayvel, Le Fay, and Miu. Le Fay brought up Göndul. "I never imagined Rossweisse-san's grandmother was the renowned Göndul."
"She's a big deal, right?" I asked.
"Yes," Le Fay said. "She's famous in Norse magic for mastering runic, gandr, and seidr spells."
Rayvel added, "Rossweisse-san incorporates a Valkyrie-specific spell system into her runes, along with her own original formulas."
"I heard that too," Miu said. "I'm still learning this world's magic, and Rossweisse-san's been teaching me. Her spells have a lot of original tweaks."
"But you do original stuff too, right, Miu?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yeah. Most magicians here build on base formulas, improving or expanding them. But creating originals takes serious skill."
"How so?"
"Simple tweaks are one thing, but established spells are highly refined, built by brilliant minds over lifetimes. Improving them isn't easy—mess it up, and you could make it worse."
"Makes sense," I said. "Screw it up, and it's a downgrade."
"Exactly," Miu said. "Rossweisse-san's spells are more calculated and efficient than those in Norse magic texts. In simple terms, they're super low-cost."
Rayvel chimed in. "Kuroka-san said Rossweisse-san's spells minimize magic consumption while maximizing attack and defense efficiency. In game terms, it's like casting a 10 MP spell for 5 MP with full power."
Kuroka using an RPG analogy? Nice and clear.
So, Rossweisse's full-burst spells are meticulously calculated, proving she's a genius. Wait a sec…
"Miu, you've got fully original spells, right?" I asked.
"Yup, a few I built from scratch," she said. "They're powerful and efficient but take too long to cast. I'm working on that. Le Fay-san, any ideas?"
"I'm not sure I can read otherworldly spells, but I'll take a look," Le Fay replied.
They dove into magic talk—fourth clauses, spell tweaks—way over my head. Even Rayvel was lost, giving a wry smile. These two are genius magicians in their own right.
Then it hit me: Rossweisse doesn't use the same magic as Göndul, does she? She's into runes and spirits, but I've never seen her use seidr spells. Since she idolized her grandma and became a Valkyrie, I assumed she'd use the same magic.
As I pondered, Rayvel coughed and said, "By the way, Issei-sama, you're going out with Rossweisse-san later, right?"
Yup, after this, I'm "dating" Rossweisse. She's backed into a corner after yesterday, so we're rushing into it to show results while Göndul's in town. I don't mind—got no plans—but the other girls? That's another story.
Miu said, "The date's great, but don't forget Rias-san and Akeno-san. They're freaking out."
"Uh… yeah," I mumbled.
Miu, Alice, Rayna, and Rayvel… ever since I started getting close with other girls, Rias and Akeno have been off. Rayvel blushed, mumbling, "Looking back, maybe I was too bold, outshining Rias-sama and Akeno-san… I feel bad."
"But no regrets, right?" Miu asked.
"None!" Rayvel leaned forward. "I'm beyond happy! Issei-sama was so gentle then, treating me…" She trailed off, realizing what she was saying, deflating like a popped balloon. Her face turned red, and she glanced at me teary-eyed.
So cute. Gotta pat her head.
Miu smiled, and Le Fay gave a wry grin. Miu added, "Just look after Rias-san and Akeno-san. They act tough but crumble under pressure and miss their chances."
"You're observant," I said.
"Of course!" she chirped.
"Not sure why that's a given, but… got it. I'll take them out soon."
Maybe a hot spring trip—they wanted to ride Sleipnir. A tandem drive could work too. If it was Xenovia, she'd probably demand supersonic speed…
I'll plan something for Rias and Akeno. Looking up, I saw Le Fay raising her hand hesitantly, like she wanted to say something but couldn't.
I smiled and nodded. "I'll hang out with you too, Le Fay. Heck, let's all go shopping together. Year-end stuff's coming up, right?"
"Yay!" Le Fay cheered, her voice bright.
Girls probably need more stuff for the holidays than guys. Guess I won't have time to chill with Matsuda or Motohama. Maybe one day, though…
BAM!
"I'm shopping too!" Ophis burst out of the closet.
"Me too!" Ignis followed.
What are you guys doing?! How long were you in there?!
"We were playing hide-and-seek!" Ignis said, saluting energetically.
Hide-and-seek? They're the hiders, but who's the seeker?
Then a maid walked in. "Found you, Ophis and Ignis," Diarmuid said.
"Aw, caught!" Ignis pouted. "Diarmuid-chan wins!"
My shout echoed. "You're the seeker?! Since when do you play games like this?!"
"I was bored," Diarmuid said.
"Bored or not, this shatters your original image!"
"People change."
"Change too much!" Give me back the stoic Diarmuid!
He sat next to Miu. "Master, what's for dinner?"
"Buri teriyaki," she said. "You like that, right?"
"…Yay!" Diarmuid grinned, striking a victory pose.
I don't get this guy anymore…
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