I sat quietly on the table and let out a small sigh.
“Kkiing…….”
Of course, what came out of my mouth was more of a drained whine than a sigh.
At first, I had thought to somehow pretend to be an ordinary baby fox.
I had no mana reaction, my body was small, and I looked like a cute ball of fur on the outside.
But the spirits were the problem.
The light spirit shouted “Small and lofty” the moment it saw me,
and the water spirit said things like “Moon of the ancient waters” and “An exalted one.”
At that point, I had no choice but to give up.
‘Right. Living quietly was impossible.’
It was a fact I realized just one day after coming to this world.
Professor Marcella gazed at me like that for a while, then soon began the full examination.
“First, let’s check the basic biological reactions.”
She placed a small crystal plate in front of me.
“Put your front paw up.”
I looked up at Elishia once.
Elishia quietly nodded.
“It’s okay, Haku.”
Hearing those words, I cautiously placed my front paw on the crystal plate.
The crystal plate showed no reaction for a moment.
Then it emitted a faint, clear light.
Professor Marcella’s eyes narrowed.
“No toxicity reaction. Aggression reaction…… almost none.”
‘Of course. I’m a pacifist.’
I muttered inwardly.
The next examination was fur.
The professor very carefully plucked a single strand of fur from my back.
“I’ll pluck just a little.”
“Kkiik?”
You’re going to pluck it?
What about my permission?
But before I could protest, the professor really did very carefully pluck a single strand of fur.
It hurt less than I thought.
The professor placed the fur into a small glass tube and set it on a magical device glowing with blue light.
The magical device emitted a low hum.
Wrrrm.
At that moment, something inside me churned slightly along with it.
‘Ah, I hate this feeling.’
I flattened my ears.
Perhaps realizing it right away, Elishia reached her hand toward me.
“Uncomfortable?”
“Kkiing…….”
A little.
Professor Marcella lowered the device’s output.
“You’re sensitive to magical instrument reactions. Could it be a rejection reaction to mana circuits…….”
She quickly recorded something.
The examinations continued after that too.
Pupillary response.
Paw pad pressure.
Body temperature.
Heart rate.
Mana sensitivity.
Spirit reaction.
Familiar adaptability.
I grew more tired by the moment.
‘Am I getting a health checkup right now?’
Health checkups were annoying even when I was human; I never thought I’d be examined even after becoming a fox.
Especially the paw examination was humiliating.
When the professor lifted my front paw to examine it with a small tool, the assistant beside her couldn’t hold back a mutter.
“The pads…… are pink.”
I pinned my ears flat.
‘Don’t look.’
But the professor was serious.
“The paw pads are unusual too. They have more fur than typical vulpine familiars and high shock absorption.
It’s possible they’re adapted for mountainous or snowy terrain.”
‘No, did you think it’d be fine just because you said it academically?’
I wanted to pull my paw away, but I endured quietly because Elishia was watching.
The examination took longer than expected.
During that time, the spirits in the lab kept stealing glances at me.
The water spirit tried to roll small droplets toward me,
and the light spirit looked down at me, twinkling near the ceiling.
Even the small grass spirit in the flowerpot by the window swayed its leaves and bowed its body toward me.
They weren’t afraid.
Rather, they seemed to be showing respect.
The problem was that respect was far too conspicuous.
Professor Marcella didn’t miss that either.
After finishing her final note, she was silent for a while.
Then she slowly adjusted her glasses.
“I’ll get straight to the conclusion.”
Elishia’s expression hardened slightly.
I instinctively perked my ears up too.
“This child is not dangerous.”
Elishia’s shoulders dropped slightly.
I also let out a sigh of relief inwardly.
What a relief.
But the professor’s words didn’t end there.
“Rather…… strangely pure.”
“Pure, you say?”
Elishia asked back.
“Yes. The turbid energy felt from typical magical beasts or wild familiars is almost completely absent.
Her mana reaction is faint, but her vital energy is very stable, and the attitude shown by the spirits is closer to courtesy than hostility.”
Professor Marcella looked at me.
Those eyes were still the eyes of a researcher.
But they had softened compared to before.
“To be honest, this is the first time I’ve seen such a pure magical beast.”
‘I’m not a magical beast.’
I retorted inwardly, but it didn’t leave my mouth.
“It’s ambiguous to classify as a regular familiar. But at least by current standards, not a dangerous entity.
Her aggression is low, and she reacts stably toward her guardian.”
“Guardian, you say……”
“Young Lady Vallerion, that’s you.”
Elishia looked down at me for a moment.
I averted my gaze for no reason.
Guardian.
If you added up my age from my previous life, I should be the guardian, but reality was that I was a baby fox.
Professor Marcella opened a desk drawer.
And took out a small collar.
Attached to a thin silver chain was a metal tag about the size of a fingernail.
The tag was engraved with the Exelia Academy’s coat of arms and small magic characters.
“It would be best to put this on.”
Elishia asked.
“What is that?”
“It’s a familiar registration mark.”
I looked at the collar.
‘A collar?’
The professor explained calmly.
“It hasn’t been confirmed whether this child is actually a contracted familiar.
But to let her move freely inside the Academy, identification is necessary.
Otherwise, security guards, teachers, and other students may feel uneasy.”
That made sense.
A mysterious silver-pink baby fox wandering around the Academy.
That alone was suspicious enough.
“The safest way is for Young Lady Vallerion to register as her guardian and report this child as a familiar.”
“A familiar……”
Elishia quietly repeated those words.
Then she looked toward me.
“Haku, is this okay?”
“Kkiing?”
Even if you ask if it’s okay.
It’s not like I can say no here.
I stared at the collar for a moment, then nodded my head slightly.
Elishia’s eyes softened slightly.
“Thank you.”
No, for what.
Professor Marcella reached her hand toward me.
“Stay still for a moment.”
I sat as quietly as I could.
Cold metal touched my neck.
Click.
The collar was fastened.
It wasn’t as heavy as I thought.
Rather, it was light, half-buried between my fur, and not very uncomfortable.
The tag swayed gently at my chest.
I lowered my head and looked at it.
‘……I’ve really become a familiar.’
To be exact, we didn’t actually contract.
But on the outside, I looked perfectly like Elishia’s familiar.
Haku, the baby fox familiar of Elishia von Vallerion.
And so my status was decided.
Professor Marcella said as she wrote something on the documents.
“With this tag, you can go around most areas inside the Academy.
Lecture halls, gardens, dining hall, and the outside reading areas of the library should be no problem.”
I perked up my ears.
‘Huh?’
More access than I thought.
“However, laboratories, barrier zones, high-rank magical beast pens, and professors’ private archives are off-limits without your guardian.”
‘Still, that’s plenty.’
If I can freely walk around the Academy, it’ll be much easier to gather information about this world.
The professor finally looked at Elishia.
“But be careful. This child is rare. Her fur color, reactions, and relationship with spirits are all unusual.
Rumors will be hard to avoid.”
Elishia was silent for a moment.
Then she answered calmly.
“I understand. I will take responsibility.”
I looked up at her.
It was the same thing I had heard in front of the Duke earlier.
I will take responsibility.
Those words didn’t seem to be light ones for this girl.
Professor Marcella nodded.
“Then the registration is complete. We’ll check again about the formal contract later.
For now, it’s best not to force a contract.
Because this child hasn’t completely let down her guard yet.”
‘Exactly, Professor.’
I clapped inwardly.
Professor Marcella extended her hand in front of me one last time.
“Let’s get along well, Haku.”
I looked at that hand for a moment.
The curiosity unique to a researcher was still there.
But there was no hostility.
I cautiously lifted my front paw and placed it on her fingertip.
The professor’s eyes sparkled very slightly.
“How clever.”
‘I messed up.’
I quickly withdrew my paw.
Elishia smiled softly at that sight.
“Haku seems smart.”
“That’s highly likely. No, certainly high.”
Professor Marcella immediately added something to her notes.
I decided not to do anything else anymore.
When the examination ended, Elishia tried to hold me again.
But I hesitated for a moment.
It was safe inside the bag.
But if spirits peeked inside the bag like before, things might get more suspicious.
Besides, I already had a collar on now.
‘It’s too late to hide now.’
I let out a small sigh and climbed up Elishia’s arm to her shoulder.
Elishia stopped in surprise.
“Haku?”
I didn’t stop there and cautiously climbed onto her head.
On top of her golden hair.
It was more stable than I thought.
It shook a little when Elishia moved, but I could balance with my tail.
I settled on top of her head and curled my body into a ball.
“Kkiing.”
This is good.
The view is better than inside the bag, and I can hide right away if needed.
Elishia stiffened for a moment, then spoke cautiously.
“……Is that comfortable?”
Instead of answering, I wagged my tail slightly.
Professor Marcella laughed softly at the sight.
“It seems she’s recognized her guardian’s head as a safe place.”
‘Don’t interpret it so plausibly.’
Elishia seemed a bit flustered, but soon smiled carefully.
“Then be careful not to fall.”
I curled my body tighter on top of her head.
It was warm.
And strangely comfortable.
Elishia opened the lab door and went outside.
Several students in the hallway paused when they saw us.
Their gazes locked onto Elishia’s head—that is, onto me.
“……A fox?”
“On top of Young Lady Vallerion’s head?”
“Is it her familiar?”
I subtly shook the tag hanging from my neck.
That’s right.
A familiar.
Officially.
I curled my body on Elishia’s head and half-closed my eyes.
This might not be so bad.
At least it was much better than a rain-soaked alley.