It was then.
I felt a familiar gaze from the direction of the cafeteria entrance.
My ears perked up.
It was Richard.
He was entering the cafeteria with several other students.
Perhaps because he had lost during the morning training, an awkward atmosphere hung around him.
He was pretending to be calm on the outside, but his expression was far stiffer than usual.
And his gaze turned straight this way.
Elysia, and me.
I looked at him while chewing a piece of fruit.
‘We meet again.’
For a moment, Richard’s eyes met mine.
Displeasure flashed across his face.
I deliberately blinked very slowly.
Then I turned my head and accepted the next piece of fruit Elysia offered me.
‘It’s lunchtime right now.’
Fight later.
I’m eating.
I could sense Richard gritting his teeth, but this time he didn’t approach.
He had already suffered a major humiliation once during the morning training,
so it would be difficult for him to pick another fight in the middle of the cafeteria.
At least for now.
Elysia also saw Richard.
But she soon withdrew her gaze.
She no longer wavered like she had earlier.
It seemed the victory just now had given her a small bit of confidence.
Still very small.
A fragile confidence that would shake easily if touched.
But it was definitely there.
‘Good.’
I closed my eyes in satisfaction.
Lunch passed peacefully.
Of course, there were far too many gazes around us to call it completely peaceful,
but it was still better than the morning.
No one threw an eraser,
no magic came flying,
and no sword grazed over my head.
That was enough to qualify as a peaceful lunch.
After Elysia had nearly finished her meal, she took a sip of water.
I curled up beside her.
My belly was slightly warm.
The fruit was decent, and the chicken wasn’t bad either.
‘Academy cafeteria, approved.’
Of course, I’d be put on display every time I came here.
But there was nothing to be done about that now.
“Haku, shall we go back now?”
Elysia asked.
I slowly rose to my feet.
Then I naturally climbed up her arm,
and once again settled on top of her head from her shoulder.
Small exclamations came from the surroundings again.
“He went up.”
“He climbs up like that’s his own spot.”
“He must like the top of Lady Valerion’s head.”
‘Correct.’
Strangely enough, that was hard to deny.
The top of Elysia’s head was warm, had a good view,
and above all, allowed me to observe the flow of her aura up close.
That was excuse enough.
Therefore, I was simply here for the sake of observation.
Absolutely not because it was comfortable.
Probably.
Elysia carefully stood from her seat.
Then, after tidying up her tray, she left the cafeteria.
From atop her head, I swished my tail once.
The students’ gazes still clung to our backs.
“That familiar’s name was Haku, right?”
“Yeah. Lady Valerion called him that.”
“He’s really cute.”
“But did you hear about what happened at the training grounds earlier?”
“What happened?”
“They say magic disappeared right in front of their eyes.”
“No way.”
Rumors were spreading.
Very quickly.
I closed my eyes.
I was still lying on top of her head.
To be precise, I was half-buried among Elysia’s blond hair, balancing myself with my tail.
By now, I had grown somewhat used to the students’ gazes.
That didn’t mean I was comfortable with them.
“Look over there. It’s that fox from earlier.”
“Lady Valerion’s familiar?”
“I saw him during lunchtime too. He was eating out of her hand.”
“He was really well-behaved.”
Information spread faster in the academy than I had expected.
I ate.
I stretched.
I didn’t get off Elysia’s head.
Even the story of Richard losing at the training ground already seemed to be spreading in several different versions.
Of course, more than half of them had probably been strangely exaggerated.
While I was thinking about this and that,
I felt a small magical reaction once again, and when I came to my senses,
Elysia had already moved to another faculty building and was standing in front of a classroom.
The name of the class was written above the door.
Basics of Familiar Resonance.
Seeing those words, I lowered my ears slightly.
‘The name alone sounds ominous.’
Familiar.
Resonance.
Basics.
Not a single word sounded comforting.
Elysia checked the sign and quietly said,
“This class checks the state of communion with familiars or spirits.”
It was an explanation I did not want to hear.
“Usually, students bring their own familiars,
or summon contracted spirits to measure their resonance.
Students who don’t have a contracted entity yet check their resonance response using practice spirit stones.”
‘That really is an explanation I don’t want to hear.’
I half-closed my eyes.
The demonic energy I had been flowing into Elysia until now.
The sensation that seemed to have formed a connection between us because of it.
And Elysia’s reactions, as if she could faintly perceive my emotions.
Thinking about it, this class was the worst possible match for us.
‘Can we get through this quietly?’
It seemed impossible.
But we had already come this far.
I couldn’t run away either.
Elysia opened the door and entered the classroom.
It was a little different from an ordinary classroom.
The desks had been pushed toward the walls, and several round magic circles were engraved in the center of the floor.
Small pedestals were placed around the magic circles,
and on top of them were transparent crystal orbs, thin metal plates,
and spirit stones of various colors neatly arranged.
Magic lamps emitting a soft glow floated near the ceiling.
Mana flowed gently through the air.
It was not a sharp energy like in the combat training grounds. Rather, it was stable and warm.
It seemed to be a space adjusted so that familiars and spirits would not be frightened.
‘The facilities aren’t bad.’
From atop her head, I looked around the classroom.
Some students had already arrived.
One had a small hawk perched on his shoulder,
and another had a demonic beast resembling a black cat at her feet.
Beside another student floated a low-rank water spirit that looked like a transparent droplet.
A small flame spirit.
A greenish vine fairy.
A blue-feathered bird.
A puppy-like demonic beast with short horns.
There were more varieties than I had expected.
And they.
Looked at me.
“……”
“……”
“……”
The familiars and spirits reacted before the human students did.
The small hawk folded its wings.
The black cat-type demonic beast had been raising its tail, but quietly lowered it.
The water spirit spun once in the air, then hid behind its owner’s shoulder.
The flame spirit reduced its blazing light to a tiny flicker.
‘Ah.’
I closed my eyes inwardly.
‘Here we go again.’
Spirits and familiars had sharper senses than humans.
Especially those that didn’t merely perceive mana,
but could sense the rank of one’s presence or the scent of ancientness.
I was definitely hiding myself as much as possible.
I had suppressed my demonic energy, hidden myself as though I had only one tail,
and made myself appear like nothing more than a baby fox.
But hiding myself completely was difficult.
No, to be precise, this body itself was the problem.
The body of an ancient nine-tailed fox.
No matter how small I had become, like a baby fox, the rank of my existence could not be completely erased.
“Huh?”
One student looked down at his familiar.
“Lumi, what’s wrong?”
The small flame spirit trembled on its owner’s palm.
Another student was flustered as well.
“Nero? Why did you suddenly get so quiet?”
Instead of answering, the black cat-type demonic beast pressed its belly to the floor.
As if lowering itself before a higher being.
I pretended not to know.
I really pretended not to know.
‘I merely walked in.’
I hadn’t done anything.
I hadn’t exerted any pressure.
I hadn’t even given them a look.
I had simply been lying on top of Elysia’s head.
But the atmosphere in the classroom had already become strange.
Perhaps Elysia sensed it too, because she carefully tried to look up at me.
Of course, since I was on top of her head, she couldn’t see me properly.
“Haku?”
“Kiing.”
I don’t know anything.
Elysia was silent for a moment.
She didn’t seem convinced.
Just then, the door at the front of the classroom opened.
“Has everyone gathered in their places?”
A woman who appeared to be the professor in charge of the Familiar Resonance class entered.
She looked to be in her late thirties, and her soft brown hair was neatly tied back.
A small white owl sat on her shoulder.
The owl looked around the classroom once, then immediately looked at me.
And then.
It bowed its head.
Very respectfully.
“……”
I narrowed my eyes.
‘Don’t do that.’
The professor paused for a moment when she saw the owl on her shoulder.
“Arwen?”
The owl did not answer.
It merely kept its wings quietly folded toward me.
The professor’s gaze naturally turned toward Elysia.
More precisely, to the top of Elysia’s head.
“Student Valerion.”
“Yes, Professor.”
“Is the child on your head the familiar you newly registered?”
Elysia answered calmly.
“Yes. His name is Haku. I completed his registration today.”
“Today?”
The professor’s eyes widened slightly.
“Then it hasn’t been long since you formed your contract.”
“Yes. In effect, it’s the first day.”
“Hmm.”
The professor looked at me.
I blinked meekly.
A baby fox that knew nothing.
It was important to maintain that setting.
The professor’s expression softened a little.
“He’s an adorable child.”
‘I’m used to that assessment now.’
“However, the familiars seem to be reacting a bit sensitively.
It may be because an unfamiliar entity has entered.
Everyone, please calm your familiars.”
The students began soothing their familiars and spirits one by one.
“It’s okay, Lumi.”
“Nero, what’s wrong? Stay calm.”
“It’s all right. Nothing’s happening.”
Nothing was happening.
Because I hadn’t done anything.