It wasn't just Ryuya who was intrigued—Rias and the others were also gazing expectantly at the small shimmering lake nestled deep within the forest.
None of them had ever seen a water spirit before.
As the group approached, the once-still surface of the lake began to ripple gently, spreading outward in widening circles.
Zatouji quickly raised his hand. "Everyone, get ready— the Undine is about to appear!"
A faint light glowed from the center of the lake. Moments later, a figure began to rise slowly from the water, hovering gracefully above its surface.
The figure's back was turned toward them—long golden hair cascading down like sunlight. From behind, she actually looked… pretty promising?
But just as that thought crossed Ryuya's mind, the Undine turned around.
And then—
"HUAAAHHH!!" she let out a thunderous battle cry.
Ryuya froze, his pupils shaking violently as if struck by lightning. His heart skipped a beat.
Thump!
W–What the hell was that?!
Before him stood a towering, muscle-bound woman with veins popping across her arms and a face carved from pure stone. Forget fair skin and delicate beauty—she looked like a heavyweight champion in the middle of a fighting tournament! Ryuya was absolutely certain she could punch a cow to death with one hand.
Zatouji beamed with pride. "That's her! The mighty Undine! You're in luck, kid—she's an extremely rare familiar!"
Expressionless, Ryuya replied flatly, "No. Please allow me to decline."
"Eh? You don't want her?"
"What happened to the fair-skinned, long-legged elf beauties from the legends? This one… forgive me, but I can't appreciate this kind of aesthetic."
He looked utterly defeated, as though his soul had just left his body. Where are those people who said elves were all stunning goddesses? Come out—I swear I won't use my King's Sword.
Zatouji tried again. "But this water spirit has exceptional healing powers! A combat familiar with both offense and recovery—very rare!"
"I'm afraid her appearance would kill me before her healing ever could."
Ryuya sighed weakly, muttering under his breath, "This kind of existence can't be described with words anymore. She's the embodiment of 'no birds in the sky, no souls on the road.'"
"...Huh??"
Was that even a metaphor for ugliness? Just how bad did she have to look for someone to say that?!
Rias chuckled softly. "Hehe, so you do have that side after all, Ryuya. I guess you're not so different from most boys."
At last, she seemed to understand his type.
Akeno and the others giggled as well, unable to hold back their amusement.
It was rare to see Ryuya so visibly shaken—he truly didn't dare accept this familiar.
"...Men may claim to love a woman's heart," Ryuya muttered gloomily, "but their eyes always betray them for her looks."
He let out another weary sigh. "I always thought I wasn't the kind of shallow guy who judges by appearances. But today… I realized I was wrong. My apologies."
Inwardly, he groaned. Guess I still have a long way to go before enlightenment.
The ridiculous encounter with the Undine came to an end soon after, and the group continued their exploration of the Familiar Forest in search of another candidate.
It had been about an hour since Ryuya and the others entered the Familiar Forest.
In that time, aside from the rather unflattering encounter with the muscular Undine, they had also come across a variety of strange creatures—Shadow Bats, Burrowing Worms, Wind Hawks, and more.
All of them were as ordinary as familiars could get, and neither Ryuya nor Asia showed much interest.
Fortunately, Zatouji was a patient man. Even if they didn't manage to catch anything tonight, he promised to return on the next full moon to help them again.
Suddenly, Zatouji halted mid-step. The others, noticing his movement, stopped as well.
"Shh!"
He motioned for silence, then pointed carefully toward the treetops above.
Everyone looked up—and gasped.
Perched high on a branch was a small, sky-blue dragon.
"Waaah! So cute!" Asia's eyes sparkled with delight the moment she saw it.
Zatouji's face lit up. "A Baby Sprite Dragon! A lightning dragon hatchling—it channels blue thunder through its scales!"
Rias and the others were astonished.
"This…! We've never even seen such a rare familiar before!"
"Mr. Zatouji, please help Asia catch that one," Ryuya said immediately.
Since Asia clearly liked it, he naturally wouldn't compete with her for it. And besides, familiars chose their masters as much as the other way around—only when the creature acknowledged the contract could it be bound.
Zatouji nodded and prepared to act—but the moment he moved, the little dragon's wings flared open and it shot into the sky.
"After it!"
Zatouji dashed ahead with startling speed.
Ryuya and the others followed, but this place was unfamiliar, and they couldn't keep up with the experienced familiar master's pace.
At that moment, Ryuya understood why Rias and the others always tried so hard to invite Zatouji. Without him, catching a familiar would have been nearly impossible.
He was just thinking that when he suddenly heard startled cries behind him.
"Ah—w-what's this?!" Asia yelped softly.
"Oh my, how unpleasant… so sticky…" That was Akeno Himejima's voice.
Ryuya turned around—and froze.
A thick, green, gelatinous liquid was dripping from the treetops, splattering onto Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Asia. The goo spread rapidly, covering all four girls in a sticky sheen.
And then—something truly terrifying happened.
Wherever the slime touched, their clothing dissolved. Within seconds, the magical garments woven from demonic energy melted away as if devoured or disintegrated entirely.
In mere moments, every stitch of fabric on the four girls had vanished, leaving behind only glistening skin slick with slime.
Ryuya stared silently for a long moment.
…Well.
"…Slimes. Of course." Rias sighed, clearly exasperated. "Ugh… even my magic won't activate."
Their clothes had been made from concentrated demonic power—and now, completely eaten away, they were left bare. It was, admittedly, quite a sight for Ryuya.
"These are slimes? Then why aren't they attacking me?" he asked, confused. He was standing right beside them, yet the creatures ignored him completely.
"Gross… these things only go after women's clothes…" Koneko muttered while swiping angrily at the slime clinging to her petite frame—completely exposed now.
"Ryuya, do something! It's so sticky and disgusting!" Asia cried, flustered and embarrassed.
"Oh dear~ I can't even use my magic like this," Akeno moaned softly, her tone both frustrated and teasing. Her voluptuous figure glistened under the moonlight, enough to make Ryuya's eyes wander for a second too long.
He tilted his head, the corner of his mouth curving into a grin.
"You know," he said, eyeing the scene in front of him, "these slimes aren't bad at all. Rias, what do you think? Maybe I should make them my familiar."
"…Huh?"
Ryuya pointed toward the slimy creatures still crawling over the four girls, his smile wickedly playful. "I mean, look at them—don't you think this view is… pretty amazing?"
Rias, Akeno, Koneko, and Asia all shouted in unison:
"Absolutely not!"
"…"
Ryuya sighed inwardly. Well, it was worth a shot.
----