"Spare me… please..."
Those words have made all the boiling rage inside me instantly fades away as my breathing slows. The kraken doesn't move to strike again, but I still have to find an answer for this.
"Why did you attack us?"
Its response comes after a pause, with the same rumbling, feminine voice.
"You sailed above the garden... I was protecting. One movement from the surface... could disturb their lives..."
Garden?
Then, I glance down at the water beneath us, and for the first time, I actually see what's underneath, which are vibrant sea anemones, sea lilies, sea fans, sea whips, and sea pebs swaying in the currents.
This spot is not the same place where we saw the corals earlier. And we didn't even notice it until now because we were so caught up in the sudden attack that we didn't see what was beneath us.
Then, if those sea anemones really are important to this kraken... maybe this is some kind of protected zone, and we just drifted into it without knowing.
So, I ask the kraken again.
"But the merfolk didn't mention any off-limit places, though."
"Because these creatures... only bloom once... every hundred years. Perhaps even the merfolk didn't know about it..."
I see.
So we're the ones at fault here, aren't we?
Then, the kraken continues.
"I did not intend... to harm you. I only meant to drive you away... from this place..."
Drive us away?
Seriously?
Look at yourself and those tentacles, do you even know how big you are?
And the kraken continues speaking.
"But I don't understand... why you attacked me…"
Yeah, of course we were.
You slammed your tentacle down on us, obliterating our boat and almost killing us like that, so how could we not retaliate?
Then, I exhale slowly and apologize.
"We're the ones at fault here. We didn't know about this place, but we still disturbed it. I'm sorry."
The kraken lowers its tentacles slightly, almost like a nod.
"It is all right. You did not understand the significance… I do not resent you."
"I appreciate that."
But then, I shift my gaze to the floating fragments of our destroyed boat scattered across the waves.
"Actually, the boat wasn't even ours, though. We rented it. So now we have no clue how we're getting back or how we're supposed to explain this to the person who owns it."
I'm not trying to joke or guilt-trip the kraken. I know that I can use a Restore spell to bring the boat in one piece, but I think that won't help. In Japan, if you make mistake, even unintentionally, you take responsibility. That was something drilled into me since I was a kid.
But at the same time… how am I supposed to bring a giant cephalopod to shore and casually say, "Sorry about the boat, this humble kraken would like to apologize"?
People would panic before I even finished the sentence.
The kraken seems to consider my words.
"I see. The destruction of the vessel… was indeed my doing. And I nearly took lives... for my mistake. A simple apology is not enough."
Then, it suddenly proposes something to me.
"Form a contract with me, human. If you do… I shall be yours… from this moment forward."
"Wait, wait, don't you have to keep protecting your garden?"
"My severed tentacles… will grow into new krakens. The duty will continue… even if I leave this place."
"Seriously?"
"Yes."
I stare down at them, stunned.
A contract with a familiar. Stuff like this exists in games, manga, and fantasy novels. Not in the everyday routine of a guy who runs a storefront, cooks meals, takes baths, and has sex with his girlfriends. And yet here I am, in the middle of the ocean, floating above a kraken that wants to bond with me for life.
I silently turn to the girls below for confirmation as Yomogi smiles back at me.
"I'll support whatever you choose, Motegi-chan."
Chantal grins and gives me a thumbs-up.
"Go for it, Motegi-kun. And hey, if you make a contract, it definitely won't attack us later."
Kimberly also approves.
"Forming... a contract… with a beast... of this scale… especially... for a human… is exceedingly rare. Motegi-sama… it may be... wise… to accept…"
And even Pinna's analysis is convincing.
"Analysis: establishing the bond provides major advantages, and risks are negligible. Recommendation: Accept, Master."
With that, I turn back to the kraken.
"Alright, I'll do it. What should I do?"
"Place your hand upon my body. Anywhere will suffice. Then transfer your magic power… to me."
I descend lower and reach out to touch its head.
"Okay, how do I... whoa!"
But before I finish the sentence, light begins to glow and spreads across the kraken's body, causing me to jerk as I turn to the girls below again.
"H-Hey, is this okay?"
Kimberly answers immediately.
"Yes… Motegi-sama. This is… how a contract… forms…"
"O-Okay. Okay…"
It's working, right?
I'm actually doing this, aren't I?
When the glow intensifies, I ask Kimberly again.
"Kimberly, can I let go now?"
"Yes… Motegi-sama. You may step back…"
With that, I release my hand and descend to rejoin the girls. And then, the massive cephalopod begins shrinking, folding inward, and spiraling its limbs until the glow fades.
What stands there is not a kraken anymore, but it's a woman.
She's shorter than Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly, and Pinna, but in terms of beauty and body, she stands on equal ground. She has large breasts held in place by a blue set of a strapless seashell bikini top and a tiny microskirt-style bikini bottom hugging curvy hips and a round butt. Her skin has a warm, sun-kissed glow without going tanned or dark.
But her most striking feature is her hair. It's blue, and it's made of tentacles, but they're not large or threatening either, just like long, fine tendrils that still have tiny suction cups on them. Aside from that, she looks fully human. No extra limbs, just a beautiful woman whose hair moves like it has a will of its own.
However, she stands motionless, and her eyes are still closed.
"Umm... Kimberly, why isn't she moving?"
"The contract… is not yet... complete… Motegi-sama. You haven't... given her… a name…"
"Ah, I see."
Honestly, that's the hardest part.
I've always been terrible at naming things because my mind always blanks. And now I have to think of a name for a stunningly beautiful, voluptuous woman with tentacle hair.
With that, I decide to focus on her hair, the one trait tying her to what she was. And I immediately remembered about a forgotten Roman sea god's wife, said to have flowing seaweed hair. Except this one is made from tentacles, not seaweed.
Then, I turn to Kimberly again.
"I've decided. What do I do now?"
"You must... touch her… in the same place... as before… and speak... the name…"
"Got it."
With that, I float forward until I'm in front of her. I reach out and place my hand on her head, caressing her soft tentacles a little as I speak.
"From now on, your name will be Salacia."
And then her eyes, when they slowly open, are luminous silver like polished moonstone touched by seawater.
However, I don't expect this thing to happen later...
"Darling!!!"
"Wah...!"
SPLASH!
She literally throws herself into my chest and knocks both of us downward to the water.
But thanks to my still-active Float spell, I don't actually sink. Instead, I just feel like my back is landing in a shallow puddle. It's obviously wet, but I still didn't expect this outcome.
"Darling~… darling~… darling~…"
She rubs her face against my chest with blissful obsession, and her arms are wrapped around me like she never intends to let go.
Just as I'm still processing what just happened, I hear Yomogi react with confusion.
"Umm… what's going on?"
Chantal is also confused.
"No clue, Yomogi..."
Kimberly is equally puzzled.
"This is… unexpected…"
And Pinna tries to analyze.
"The emotional resonance from the bonding appears to have triggered an accelerated response. Possibly permanent."
I look up at them, still floating helplessly in Salacia's embrace.
"Hey, you girls wanna… maybe help out here?"
And they're just putting on blank expressions, staring like I've sprouted a second head. Still hovering, but none of them move.
Yeah, thank you, girls.
Then, Salacia lifts her face to look at me with an expression full of devotion.
"Thank you… for sparing me. For giving me such a beautiful name… and for allowing me to stay by your side~."
"Oh, uh, sure. You're..."
Before I can ask her, she presses her face back into my chest again, arms tightening.
"I won't ever let you go, darling~. Hehe~... darling~... darling~..."
Hahaha, yeah.
Good job, Motegi.
You just recruit an extremely clingy, lovesick kraken.
"Hey, Salacia... can I get up?"
"Of course, darling~…"
Yeah, but you're still hugging me, so how am I supposed to get up like this?
After some careful, awkward maneuvering, I manage to stand up. And yet she's still clinging like her life depends on it.
Then, I look at her.
"Do you not want to meet my friends, Salacia?"
She silently turns her head toward the others, but one of her cheeks is still resting on my chest, and her arms stay locked around me.
I point a finger at the first one.
"She's Yomogi."
Yomogi smiles warmly and waves at her, and Salacia repeats with a murmur.
"Let's get along quickly, Salacia."
"Yomogi…"
Next up, I gesture to the taller woman beside Yomogi.
"She's Chantal."
Chantal chuckles proudly, putting her hands on her waist with a smug grin.
"Hahaha! Damn right I am!"
"Chantal…"
Then, I point a finger at the elf.
"She's Kimberly."
Kimberly smiles.
"It's… nice… to meet you..."
"Kimberly…"
And then, I gesture to the last one.
"And she's Pinna."
Pinna announces to herself.
"Log: uploading new kraken companion… complete. Designation: Salacia."
"Pinna…"
After that, I introduce myself.
"And I'm Motegi."
Salacia lifts her face at me again before she squeezes me even tighter and buries her face into my chest again, seemingly refusing my name.
"No. You're Darling."
"Ah. Ahaha... Sure. That's fine if you call me that."
Yeah, I already have Pinna, who calls me "Master" here. So if Salacia wants to call me "Darling," then it's fine, I guess.
Then, I glance down at her again.
"So, Salacia… you sure you don't wanna help us get back to shore? Also, can you explain to us how your tentacles regrow?"
She finally lets go and winks at me.
"Of course... anything for you, darling~."
With that, she lowers her hand to the surface of the sea, the same spot where her severed tentacles drowned.
And suddenly, the tentacles wriggle and expand, sprouting bulbous bodies and additional tendrils until they take form as a bunch of azure krakenlings about the size of humans that rise into the water.
Then, she turns back to me and brushes her hands together.
"All done, darling..."
I stare at the new creatures for a moment before I curiously turn into the sea garden again.
"Hey, these things you were protecting here… aside from blooming once a century, is there anything else special about them?"
"Yes! They're sacred to the sea. When marine creatures are hurt, from battles or accidents, those sea plants help heal their wounds. And they can even be harvested for potions and advanced medicine."
"Ah, I see."
And then, she continues.
"Darling, can you and the others still float?"
"Yeah."
With that, she glides her hand in front of her, and a moment later, the water below and around us begins to lift and rise upward, curling into a rolling wave.
Yomogi gasps in surprise as she floats along.
"Eh?! The water… it's rising!"
Kimberly also becomes cautious.
"Salacia… is this… truly safe…?"
"It's fine, I've got you all."
Once we're settled, Salacia turns back to us.
"Shall I take you to the shore now?"
Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly, Pinna, and I nod together, and just like that, the wave surges forward like we're surfing.
Chantal yells excitedly.
"Whoooaa! What is this?! This is awesome!"
Pinna studies the wave.
"Analysis: the water's curvature is providing lift with minimal turbulence. It is a strange but highly satisfactory sensation. Efficient and enjoyable."
It only takes a few minutes before we arrive at the coastline, right near the same boat rental dock where we started.
Just like I'd asked her to earlier, Salacia bows her head to the merfolk guy at the boat station and gives a full apology. And obviously, the guy's not happy about it because of the loss. But then she hands him the pouch of coins I gave her beforehand, and he accepts it with a sigh.
I also asked him again if he knew anything about rare sea plants or some kind of protected zone out there. Once again, he had no clue, and that seemed to be enough proof for Salacia. She understood now that we really hadn't meant any harm because the merfolk themselves had just been oblivious to that place.
And actually, despite how different and obvious Salacia's features look from the merfolk, they didn't pay attention to her, like she's from the same race as them.
Also, the merfolk guy mentioned something else about the most legendary kraken in all of Oserin's deep waters, only known as the Azure Kraken.
And I can't help but wonder... is Salacia actually that kraken?
At night, we had already returned to our resort and gathered around the table, enjoying dinner together. Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly, Pinna, I, and our newest addition, Salacia, sit close with steaming nabe in the center.
The portable stove, powered by Fire magic stone, keeps the stock simmering as we each reach in with our chopsticks, adding whatever we like — chunks of fresh fish, shrimps, crabs, scallops, mussels, squids, and all kinds of vegetables and Heiligeichen's mushrooms. Once they cook through, we fish them out, dip them into small bowls of sauce, and take our bites.
The moment I taste it, I pause.
"It's delicious..."
This dish is so close to the classic nabe I used to eat back in Japan. The rich broth is unmistakably from kombu, and while the dipping sauce isn't exactly ponzu because there are no mirin and rice vinegar, I still can taste the katsuobushi and kombu in there. And it excites me because those ingredients do exist here, so I definitely have to bring some back home later.
Yomogi's eyes brighten.
"Mmm! The shrimp is so sweet!"
Chantal already picks out another chunk of fish.
"This fish is so good! I'm getting more!"
Kimberly takes a bite and closes her eyes with a smile.
"The broth… and this sauce… truly… elevate the flavors…"
Pinna analyzes as usual.
"Excellent nutritional value. Simmering method maintains mineral density and maximizes absorption efficiency. Highly satisfactory."
And Salacia hums as she chews on squid rings.
"Hmmm... my own kin is so yummy…!"
As I keep eating, I quietly watch all of them. Yomogi, Chantal, Kimberly, and Pinna, each from such different backgrounds, welcomed Salacia, just as unique as them, like she's always been here. They laugh, share food, and chat like sisters.
It's only the second day of our seven-day vacation in Oserin, but it already feels like I've found a new kind of happiness that's more than I ever imagined.