ROLL CALL!!!
YOU KNOW THE DRILL, EVERY 250 PS = 1 EXTRA CHAPTER!
I DONT HAVE A PATREON SO IF YOU WANT TO SUPPORT READ MY OTHER STORY: MY SCUMBAG SYSTEM
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The digital clock flipped from 4:29 AM to 4:30 AM with a soft click. Isaiah's eyes snapped open instantly, his mind transitioning from sleep to full alertness without the foggy intermediate state most people required.
Aries lay curled there, her pink hair spilling across his blanket like cotton candy. One small horn poked through the fluffy mass, catching the faint moonlight from his window. Her chest rose and fell with each breath, a rhythm so peaceful it seemed impossible she could be the same magical being who had appeared in his room mere hours ago.
Isaiah sat up slowly, careful not to disturb her. The previous night had been a ridiculous standoff. She refused his bed with tearful apologies. He refused to let his new familiar sleep on the hard floor. He'd finally broken the stalemate with one sentence: "It would make me happy if you slept there." Those words had worked like a key turning in a lock.
Now, watching her sleep, Isaiah considered his options. The "adopted sister" plan he'd proposed last night seemed increasingly problematic in the harsh light of morning logic. It created unnecessary complications. A thousand variables he couldn't control.
"I could just unsummon her," he whispered to himself, rolling the idea around in his mind. "Keep her in the System's inventory until she's needed."
『So you're already throwing away your rare pull?』
"I'm weighing options," Isaiah replied under his breath. "This complicates things."
As he continued watching Aries sleep, her face peaceful and trusting even in unconsciousness, a colder and more strategic thought took root. A weapon didn't have loyalty. A tool didn't have devotion. Her greatest value wasn't her wool magic—it was her complete belief in him. An asset that wanted to be used was infinitely more valuable than one you had to force.
The most useful servant was one who didn't know they were a servant.
Decision made, Isaiah began his morning push-ups, the wooden floorboards creaked softly beneath his weight.
Behind him, Aries stirred. The gentle rustling of blankets announced her waking. Isaiah continued his exercise, counting silently in his head.
"Master?" Her voice came soft and sleep-touched. "Good morning! Are you training already?"
The bed creaked as she scrambled off it. In his peripheral vision, he saw her kneeling beside him, her fluffy dress pooling around her like a cloud.
"Can I help? Should I get you water? Or a towel? Is there anything I can do for you, Master?"
Isaiah completed his current set before responding. "Just Izuku with other people around, remember?"
"Yes, Izuku-sama! I remember." Her head bobbed enthusiastically. "But we're alone now, so..."
"Fair enough." He sat up, studying her face. Time for a test. "Aries, do you like being out here? In this world? Or would you prefer to rest in the familiar space when I don't need you?"
Her back straightened instantly, shoulders squaring as if preparing for inspection. "I exist only to serve you, Master! Your wish is my reality!"
Her fingers twisted together anxiously in her lap. Her gaze kept darting around the room, drinking in every mundane detail as if each poster and lamp represented some marvelous treasure.
The raw joy she took from simply existing in this world radiated from her like heat from a furnace.
"I see," Isaiah said, hiding his satisfaction. His hypothesis confirmed. Her desire to be "real" created leverage he could exploit. An inconvenience, yes. A complication to his carefully managed life, absolutely. But the potential return on investment was too significant to ignore.
He couldn't just unsummon her. It would break his new, valuable asset.
Isaiah rose to his feet. "I need to finish my morning routine. One hundred fifty sit-ups, then we're going on a morning run. Get ready."
Aries beamed, practically glowing with happiness at being included. Then her expression faltered, confusion crossing her features. "Get ready? How?"
"Do you have a change of clothes?" he asked, eyeing her fluffy white wool dress. "That outfit will draw attention."
She glanced down at herself, then back up at him with innocent confusion. "This is... all I have, Master." To demonstrate, she tugged slightly at the collar of her woolly sweater dress.
The motion revealed the pale, smooth skin of her stomach and the unmistakable curve beneath. It became immediately, startlingly clear she wore nothing underneath the wool creation.
"Right. That's a problem we'll fix later." He walked to his closet and pulled out a pair of black basketball shorts and a white t-shirt—the one with "PANTS" printed across the chest in bold letters.
He held them out to her. "These should work for now."
Aries accepted the clothes with reverent hands. She held up the shirt against her torso, measuring it against her frame. The oversized garment would hang like a dress on her smaller body, ending high on her thighs and threatening to slip off one shoulder.
"Th-thank you, Master!" Her face bloomed into a deep crimson as she clutched the clothes to her chest. "Could... could you please turn around while I change?"
Isaiah didn't move. Instead, he leaned against the doorframe, crossed his arms, and looked her up and down with deliberate slowness.
"Oh? Are you embarrassed for your Master to see you, Aries?"
Her blush deepened impossibly, spreading down her neck and to the tips of her ears. "I-I... that is..." Her voice trailed off into flustered stammering.
Isaiah savored her reaction for a moment longer before relenting. "Fine. I'll turn around. But hurry up—we've got work to do."
He faced the door, listening to the rustle of fabric behind him.
"I'm finished, Master," Aries said softly.
Isaiah turned to find her standing awkwardly in his borrowed clothes. The shirt hung loosely off one shoulder as predicted, revealing a pale collarbone. The basketball shorts barely clung to her hips, cinched tight with the drawstring.
"Will this be acceptable?" She tugged nervously at the hem of the shirt.
"It'll do for now." Isaiah nodded, grabbing his running shoes. "We'll need to get you your own clothes soon."
"You would buy me clothes?" Her eyes widened with disbelief, as if he'd offered her the moon.
"Can't have you running around in my shirt forever." Isaiah shrugged. "Besides, if you're going to be here you'll need to look the part."
Aries clasped her hands together. "Thank you, Master! I'll wear whatever you choose!"
Isaiah paused, shoe half-tied. Her unquestioning acceptance triggered an unexpected thought. "What would you prefer to wear, if you could choose?"
The question clearly startled her. "Me? Choose?" She blinked rapidly. "I... I've never chosen before."
Something uncomfortable twisted in Isaiah's chest. He pushed it aside, focusing on the practical angle. "Well, think about it. You'll blend in better if you're comfortable in what you're wearing."
She nodded solemnly, treating his casual suggestion like a sacred mission. "I will consider this carefully, Master."
Isaiah finished tying his shoes and stood. "Time to go. We have a beach to clean and a quest to complete."
"A beach?" Aries perked up, following him to the window.
"Takoba Beach. It's a junkyard right now, but I'm cleaning it up for the AP rewards." He slid the window open. "We'll go this way to avoid waking my mother."
Aries peered down at the five-story drop with visible concern. "Is this... safe?"
Isaiah smirked. "Not really, but I've done it before. I'll go first and catch you."
Without waiting for her response, he slipped through the window and landed on the narrow ledge below. From there, he quickly navigated the familiar path down the building's exterior, using drain pipes and window ledges as handholds until he reached the ground.
"Your turn," he called up softly. "Just follow the same path."
Aries stuck her head out the window, her face pale with terror. "I... I don't think I can do that, Master."
Isaiah sighed. This was taking too long. "Can your wool do anything useful here? Make a rope or something?"
Her expression brightened instantly. "Oh! Yes, I can help!"
She extended her arms, and pink wool poured from her fingertips, spiraling downward like cotton candy being spun. Within seconds, she'd created a thick, fluffy slide that extended from the window all the way to the ground.
"Is this acceptable, Master?" She looked down anxiously, seeking his approval.
Isaiah stared at the bizarre woolen structure now attached to the side of the apartment building. "That's... not exactly subtle."
"I can make it disappear when we're done," she assured him.
"Fine. Come down."
Aries climbed onto the windowsill and pushed off, sliding down the wool creation. She landed at his feet, beaming with pride.
"How was that, Master?"
Isaiah glanced up at the massive pink wool slide connected to his bedroom window. In the early morning darkness, it glowed faintly like some alien structure. "A bit flashy. Can you make it disappear now?"
She nodded and snapped her fingers. The wool disintegrated into sparkles that faded into nothingness.
"Useful," Isaiah admitted, genuinely impressed. "Let's go. We've got six kilometers to run before we reach the beach."
As they jogged through the empty pre-dawn streets, Isaiah couldn't help noticing how easily Aries kept pace beside him. Her movements were light and springy, without any sign of fatigue or strain. Another advantage of having a familiar rather than a human companion.
"Master," Aries said between breaths as they ran, "may I ask what we're doing at this beach?"
"I'm working on a quest to clean up twenty-five percent of the garbage there. The rewards are a thousand attribute points, a rare gacha token, and a unique title."
"And I can help you!" she exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy at the prospect.
"That's the idea." Isaiah nodded.
They continued in companionable silence for several minutes before Aries spoke again, her voice softer now.
"Master... thank you for keeping me out here with you." She kept her eyes forward as she ran. "I know I'm just a tool, but I—"
"You're not a tool," Isaiah interrupted, surprising himself with the force behind his words. "You're an asset."
"What's the difference?"
Isaiah considered his answer carefully. "A tool is something you use and discard. An asset is something you invest in, maintain, and grow."
Her eyes widened, processing this information. "And I'm... an asset?"
"Yes." Isaiah nodded firmly. "A valuable one."
The smile that blossomed across her face was radiant enough to illuminate the darkened street around them.