"No Gate?"
Rikuto stared blankly at Puck, a troubled expression creeping across his face.
After all the lectures from Puck and Emilia, he'd gained a decent understanding of how this world's supernatural system worked.
Mages in this world channeled the mana within their bodies to cast magic, using something called a "Gate" as the conduit for releasing it.
And if he didn't have a Gate, that meant… no magic. At all.
"Don't be too discouraged, Rikuto," Puck said comfortingly.
"Even without a Gate, you could still become a Spirit Arts User."
"You might not be able to cast magic yourself, but with spirit contracts, you can borrow their power. Grow strong through them."
"And hey, I am a Great Spirit. I could pull some strings and get a few minor spirits to sign contracts with you."
The grey-furred feline spirit thumped his tiny chest with pride, sounding incredibly confident.
Puck, after all, was hoping to find someone who could accompany and protect the often-lonely Emilia.
And Rikuto, who showed no fear or prejudice toward her appearance, seemed like a perfect candidate.
Helping him grow stronger? That felt like a worthy investment.
But as Puck cheerfully summoned a few blue-glowing wisps toward Rikuto, preparing to initiate spirit contracts...
Rikuto felt it—that subtle pulse deep inside his body, coming from the metallic ring embedded in his soul.
A bad feeling was brewing.
And sure enough...
The moment the minor spirits approached and began the ritual—
REJECTION!
REJECTION. REJECTION. REJECTION. REJECTION…
FEAR!
FEAR. FEAR. FEAR. FEAR…
Clear and unambiguous panic radiated from the small spirits, who began frantically zipping around the air like terrified bugs.
Even Puck, the one guiding them, was stunned.
Rikuto, surrounded by chaos, could practically hear the tiny voices in his head screaming:
"No! Stay away from me!!"
Hovering midair, Puck let out a helpless sigh and shrugged.
"Rikuto, I think your… body might be a bit too domineering."
After observing the behavior of the spirits, he finally found the right word.
It seemed that when the spirits attempted to form contracts with Rikuto, something within him—some higher force—rejected them outright.
An overwhelming presence deep within him had sent a decisive message:
> "If you wish to sign a contract with him, you must submit completely."
"Surrender everything."
"Become a tool. Obey in full. Be completely and utterly under his control."
"Otherwise—no deal."
Minor spirits were instinct-driven beings.
There was no way they'd willingly surrender their entire essence like that. It would be no different than dying.
Even with a Great Spirit like Puck guiding them… they refused. Without hesitation. Without question.
"..."
Rikuto looked up at the ceiling and let out a resigned sigh.
"…Eighteen years I've lived with you, and I'm just now realizing—
You're a total yandere."
He was, of course, talking to the thing inside him—the strange metallic ring lodged deep within his soul.
Unlike the terrifying command it sent to the spirits, the emotion it conveyed to Rikuto himself was far more… possessive.
If it had a voice, it would've said:
> "You already have me. You already have me. You already have me."
"You can only have me. Only me. Only me. Only me."
"No one else. No one else. No one else."
"You are mine, and I don't share."
The thing within him couldn't tolerate the presence of others.
In this world, signing a spirit contract involved mutual soul exchange.
The spirit would open a portion of its soul space to host the bond, and the contractor would do the same.
It was a balanced, shared relationship—both sides equally bound, equally vulnerable.
But in Rikuto's case, that soul space had already been entirely consumed.
The ring had taken it all.
There was no room left for anyone else.
If a spirit did want to bond with him now, there was only one path:
They'd have to give everything.
Rikuto would give nothing.
They'd be completely at his mercy.
That wasn't a contract—it was domination.
"So… I'm allowed to bind others, but no one's allowed to bind me?"
> "The only one allowed to shackle me… is you."
"Honestly, you're like a jealous wife who insists on an open marriage—only she gets to be the spouse."
"…Fine. I'm officially calling you the 'Yandere Wheel' from now on."
He muttered the nickname to the metallic ring inside him—the thing that might've been his cheat skill, his divine artifact, or just some obsessive soul parasite.
But it was loyal. That much he could say.
"So, Rikuto, what's your plan now?"
Puck floated nearby, watching Rikuto's conflicted expression shift from defeated to sarcastically amused.
"Going to bulk up and become a knight instead?"
In this world, knights were the alternative to mages.
Instead of channeling magic through a Gate, they absorbed ambient mana into their bodies through sheer physical training and gradually grew stronger.
"No more flashy magic…" Rikuto groaned. "Is there even another choice besides working out?"
His expression said it all: reluctantly resigned.
Still—one way or another—he needed power.
But just as he started weighing his options…
The Yandere Wheel stirred again.
This time, it was practically bouncing with excitement:
> "Talent. Talent. Talent. Talent."
"Go check it out! I activated your BEST thing!"
"That's our power. Real power."
It sounded like an overexcited puppy trying to show off its new trick.
Rikuto could practically feel it wagging its metaphorical tail, begging for praise.
Come to think of it… ever since he'd crossed into this world, the Wheel had been much more active.
It had given him:
A universal language skill,
A "self-destruct" contingency,
And… a talent
That talent had even been named by the Wheel itself.
What was it again…?
Ah, right.
[Process Simplification]