After lunch ended, Elysia did not head straight to her next class.
Instead, she made her way toward the lecture hall where familiar resonance class had taken place.
I asked, still curled up on top of her head.
‘Where are you going?’
After checking her surroundings once, Elysia answered in a small voice.
“To the professor who taught yesterday’s familiar class.”
‘Why?’
“I want to check my resonance level again.”
My ears twitched.
‘Do you have to?’
“Yes.”
Elysia’s answer was quiet but firm.
“After all, I could hear your thoughts starting this morning. I want to check whether it was a mistake or not.”
‘Can’t you just assume it was a mistake?’
Elysia smiled very slightly.
“I think that might be a little difficult.”
‘I figured.’
I sighed inwardly.
Actually, I was curious too.
Yesterday the resonance level was 86.
But from this morning, Elysia had started understanding even my brief thoughts.
If a resonance level approaching 100 made conversation possible,
it was quite possible the number had changed.
The problem was.
‘It’ll be troublesome if it comes out too high.’
Rumors had already spread with just 86.
If it came out in the late 90s here, it would cause an even bigger fuss.
And what if a number close to 100 appeared?
‘No way.’
I forced myself to deny it.
No matter how I looked at it, there was no way it could jump that much in just one day.
Probably around 88 or 90.
Even if it had risen, it would be around there.
Thinking so, when we arrived at the resonance practice room, yesterday’s professor was there.
She had been organizing the crystal orb and spirit stone on her desk, but raised her head upon seeing Elysia.
“Student Valerion?”
“Excuse me, Professor.”
Elysia bowed her head politely.
“Do you have a moment?”
“Of course. What is it?”
The professor’s gaze naturally turned toward me.
I cried out obediently.
“Squeak.”
It was an ordinary greeting.
Probably.
After hesitating briefly, Elysia spoke.
“I would like to check yesterday’s resonance level with Haku again.”
The professor’s eyebrows rose slightly.
“Again?”
“Yes.”
“Was there some abnormality?”
Elysia didn’t answer right away.
She seemed to be worrying about whether it was okay to say that we could converse.
I sent my thoughts carefully.
‘It’s fine to say it. The professor said it was possible yesterday.’
Elysia nodded her head very slightly.
“From this morning, Haku’s intentions feel much clearer than before.”
The professor’s expression grew serious.
“To what extent?”
“Short thoughts…… feel like they’re being transmitted as meaning. It’s not an exact voice, but answers or emotions are clearly felt.”
“Hmm.”
The professor alternated looking between me and Elysia.
“Yesterday it was 86. Though it was a high number, if thought transmission has begun after just one day, that’s quite fast.”
‘It doesn’t seem like it’s just fast.’
I muttered only inwardly.
Elysia glanced at me.
She must have heard.
The professor reactivated the central magic circle.
The same crystal orb from yesterday was placed on the pedestal, and magical formulas appeared on the metal plate beside it.
“Then let’s check again. Student Valerion, place your hand on the crystal orb, and Haku, sit inside the resonance formation.”
I descended from atop Elysia’s head.
And carefully sat in the center of the magic circle.
The same sensation from yesterday crept up from my feet.
Thin threads of mana examined the area around my body.
I reflexively suppressed my yoryeok.
‘Low. Very low.’
This time I really had to be careful.
Even if 86 came out like yesterday, it was a problem.
Since there was a reason we were measuring again today, the professor would immediately notice even a slight change.
I shrouded my energy to appear as ordinary a familiar as possible.
Elysia placed her hand on the crystal orb.
At that moment.
Light flared up inside the crystal orb.
Silver.
Pink.
And a gold resembling Elysia’s aura.
It was much clearer than yesterday.
‘Huh?’
I pricked up my ears.
‘Wait.’
The light began to spin too quickly.
If yesterday the three lights had mixed slowly,
this time they meshed as naturally as if they had known each other from the start.
A small ring formed inside the crystal orb.
And the moment that ring rotated once, the number on the metal plate began to rise.
‘Stop.’
‘I said stop.’
I hurriedly suppressed my yoryeok further.
But this time it strangely didn’t work well.
The more I tried to hide my power, the clearer the emotions flowing from Elysia became.
Worry.
Trust.
And a heart that wanted to understand me.
That emotion reacted directly through the resonance formation.
The number flickered once.
The professor’s eyes widened.
Elysia’s fingertips also stopped.
I froze stiff.
‘I’m doomed.’
But that wasn’t the end.
The number on the metal plate shook once more.
The magical formula blinked briefly.
And.
Silence.
The practice room fell completely silent.
The professor, Elysia, and I couldn’t say anything for a while.
‘……101?’
I slowly looked at the metal plate.
No, that made no sense.
Wasn’t 100 the maximum?
If the resonance level was 100, it meant perfect synchronization.
Then what was 101?
Exceeded synchronization?
Machine malfunction?
Or could this crystal orb not calculate?
‘It’s broken.’
I reached a firm conclusion.
Elysia looked down at me.
“Haku, you just thought it was broken, didn’t you?”
I closed my mouth.
No, my mouth had been closed already.
The professor’s gaze sharply moved back and forth between the two of us.
“Just now…… did you two converse?”
Elysia swallowed her breath as if flustered.
I immediately tilted my head.
“Squeak?”
I don’t know anything.
But this act was gradually losing its persuasiveness.
The professor checked the crystal orb and metal plate again.
“How strange.”
Good.
Those words.
It’s strange.
So it’s broken.
Let’s handle it that way.
But the professor’s next words weren’t in the direction I wished.
“It isn’t a device error. The resonance formation is normal.”
‘Why is it normal.’
I despaired inwardly.
The professor lightly tapped the metal plate with her finger and said,
“Generally, a resonance level of 100 signifies perfect synchronization. However, this number is less of an absolute upper limit and closer to a measurable benchmark for ordinary familiar contracts.”
Elysia carefully asked.
“Then 101 is…….”
“A reaction beyond the benchmark.”
The professor’s voice lowered.
“It’s not a common case. No, it’s even less common for a student-level familiar contract.”
‘This got more troublesome.’
I sat still inside the magic circle.
I wanted to run away.
Very much.
The professor looked at me.
“Haku’s energy is still different from ordinary mana. It’s clearer than yesterday, but still difficult to classify.”
I quickly put my front paws together.
A small, obedient posture.
“Squeak.”
The professor’s expression grew subtle.
“Cute, but…….”
‘Please stop there.’
The professor looked at Elysia again.
“Student Valerion. You said you felt Haku’s intentions since this morning?”
“Yes.”
“Then did you feel it just now too?”
Elysia hesitated briefly.
I thought quietly.
‘I think she’ll find out even if we hide it.’
Elysia very slightly lowered her eyes.
“Yes. Just now, Haku…… thought the crystal orb seemed to be broken.”
The professor’s gaze fixed on me.
I turned my head away.
‘You didn’t have to say that.’
“Sorry.”
Elysia muttered softly.
The professor took a deep breath upon seeing that.
“It’s certain. It’s not simple emotional transmission. Thought exchange has begun.”
“Thought exchange…….”
“Literally, the meaning of thoughts going back and forth. It’s different from complete verbal conversation, but it’s an extremely high level of resonance.”
The professor looked at the number 101 on the metal plate again.
“Normally, this is a phenomenon observed only in contracts with high-ranking familiars or high-tier spirits that have spent a long time together. Going from 86 on the first day to 101 the next…… it’s not a normal rate of increase.”
I felt a prick inside.
‘I guess I helped her too much yesterday.’
Elysia looked at me.
She heard, huh.
Stop listening.
The professor didn’t miss that subtle reaction either.
“Is Haku providing some kind of help to Student Valerion?”
I froze.
Elysia froze too.
Silence flowed through the practice room again.
The professor raised her hand to calm us.
“I’m not trying to interrogate you. However, there is a reason when resonance rises quickly. Having gone through a crisis together, or one side stabilizing the other’s mana or energy, or a very strong trust relationship having formed.”
They all applied, at least a little.
To be exact, I had touched Elysia’s aura flow with my yoryeok.
And there had been the Richard incident.
In that process, Elysia began to trust me, and I came to trust her to some extent.
‘So this is how it turns out.’
I curled my tail awkwardly.
The professor spoke to Elysia.
“Student Valerion. A resonance level of 101 is a very special result. It can be a good thing, but it can also be dangerous.”
Elysia’s expression grew serious.
“By dangerous, do you mean they affect each other greatly?”
“Correct. Emotions, fatigue, pain, mana flow. One side’s state has a high chance of being transmitted to the other side.”
The professor’s gaze reached me.
“Especially if Haku is a high-ranking familiar, that influence could reach Student Valerion’s body and aura.”
I wanted to pretend I didn’t know.
But now it was hard to get by with just pretending.
Elysia seemed to have the same thought.
She quietly nodded.
“Yesterday during training, my body felt light.”
The professor’s eyes changed.
“When you were with Haku?”
“Yes.”
“And today?”
“I haven’t trained yet, so I’m not certain. But…… when Haku is close, my mind is a bit calmer.”
I slightly averted my gaze.
‘That’s a bit embarrassing.’
The tips of Elysia’s ears faintly reddened.
“Haku also just thought…… that it’s embarrassing.”
‘Don’t say that.’
“Sorry.”
The professor covered her mouth with her hand upon seeing that short exchange.
She seemed to be holding back laughter.
‘Professor.’
Please don’t laugh.
This is a serious situation.
The professor soon returned to a serious expression.
“Very well. First, I will keep this result as my personal record only. In the official report, I’ll leave yesterday’s number of 86.”
Elysia asked in surprise.
“Is that alright?”
“It’s for student protection.”
The professor spoke calmly.
“If a resonance level of 101 becomes public, you’ll receive unnecessary attention. Especially with a rare familiar like Haku.”
‘She’s a good professor.’
I thought sincerely inwardly.
The professor smiled slightly while looking at me.
“Did you just praise me?”
My eyes widened.
‘Did the professor hear that too?’
Elysia quickly said.
“No, I think only I felt that.”
“I see.”
The professor looked slightly disappointed but didn’t press further.
If the professor starts hearing my thoughts too, it’s really over.
The professor informed Elysia of a few precautions.
“First, when your emotions fluctuate greatly, consciously lower your resonance with Haku.”
“How do I do that?”
“Calm your breathing and focus on your own aura flow. Don’t push Haku’s energy away, but establish your own center first.”
Elysia nodded seriously.
“Second, don’t give Haku excessive commands. When the resonance is this high, strong commands can become a burden to the familiar.”
“I have no such intention.”
Elysia’s answer was immediate.
The professor nodded in satisfaction.
“Third, if possible, establish a private signal between the two of you. Not to hide your conversations, but as a signal to stabilize each other when the resonance grows too deep.”
‘A signal.’
I looked at Elysia.
Elysia looked at me.
“How about tapping the back of your hand with my tail?”
‘We already do that.’
“Then let’s go with that.”
Elysia smiled softly.
“It means Haku is okay.”
‘I like it.’
I slightly wagged the tip of my tail.
The professor watched the scene and smiled quietly.
“A good sign.”
The examination ended there.
I slipped out of the magic circle and climbed back up Elysia’s arm to the top of her head.
It was a familiar position.
By now, it really felt like my place, which was a little troubling.
Elysia bowed her head to the professor.
“Thank you, Professor.”
“Come see me anytime if anything feels off. And Student Valerion.”
“Yes.”
The professor spoke in a slightly stern voice.
“It’s clear that Haku is not simply a cute familiar.
But that does not mean you should fear him, or try to force yourself to figure him out.
Resonance is founded on trust.”
Elysia answered quietly.
“I understand.”
There was no hesitation in her reply.
The professor looked at me one last time.
“The same goes for you, Haku.
Letting your energy flow into Student Valerion may not be a bad thing,
but if you deepen the bond too quickly, it may become difficult for both of you.”
I flattened my ears slightly.
Understood.
This time, Elysia conveyed my meaning.
“He says he understands.”
The professor smiled faintly.
“You really can communicate.”
‘Damn it.’
“Haku just said, ‘Damn it.’”
“Elysia.”
“Ah.”
Elysia covered her mouth.
This time, the professor finally let out a small laugh.
I gave up too.
Apparently, a resonance level of 101 was an even more troublesome number than I had thought.
After leaving the practice room, Elysia walked slowly down the corridor.
I stayed still atop her head.
For a while, there were no words between us.
More precisely, even without speaking, we could feel bits of each other.
Elysia’s relief.
My anxiety.
And the strange warmth caught between them.
‘101, huh.’
I muttered to myself.
‘I really have to be careful now.’
Elysia answered quietly.
“Yeah. But… I don’t think it’s entirely bad.”
‘You think so?’
“Yeah.”
She smiled softly.
“Because I can understand a little of what you’re thinking.”
‘That puts me in a difficult position.’
“Then I’ll try not to listen.”
‘Please do, if you can.’
“I’ll try.”
It was not an entirely reliable answer.
But, in a way that was very Elysia, it was sincere.
I let out a small sigh.
“Kiiing……”
Elysia laughed.
“You sighed.”
‘You heard that?’
“Yeah. That one was out loud.”
I had nothing to say.
After lunchtime.
The result of the resonance remeasurement: 101.
That number seemed to mean that the relationship between the two of us had already gone beyond that of an ordinary master and familiar.
Whether that was a good thing or a bad thing, I still did not know.
But one thing was certain.
From now on, I could not let my thoughts run careless in front of Elysia.
Especially.
‘About how pretty she is, or anything like that.’
Elysia flinched.
I immediately froze.
“Haku?”
‘It’s nothing.’
“Just now……”
‘I said it’s nothing.’
I curled myself even tighter atop her head.
The tips of Elysia’s ears turned slightly red.
At this point, perhaps she had already realized I was male.
The afternoon sunlight stretched long across the corridor.