"That's exactly what I was guarding against!" Kalego complained.
"Honestly, some people just won't learn until they're staring death in the face," Opera sighed, then stretched his body.
"Alright then, this is much simpler and more direct," Opera said, striking a battle pose.
"Hmph..." Cerberus picked up Iruma and stood behind Kalego.
"I won't let you get close to him."
"Oh, my, my, that line sounds very much like a familiar," Opera teased.
Opera finished speaking and charged directly at Kalego.
Kalego's eyes narrowed.
"Woof!"
Cerberus opened its mouth wide, and a massive energy wave shot towards Opera.
"Opera-san!" Iruma immediately shouted, wanting to warn Opera, but Opera reacted even faster, dodging to the side, then using Cerberus's claws to leap again into the air, stomping heavily on Cerberus's head. While Cerberus was stunned from the kick, Opera immediately ran to Iruma's side.
"Iruma-sama, please give me your hand..." Before Iruma could react, he was immediately pulled away.
"Claw Cage!"
A massive lightning cage trapped Opera. Kalego kept shrinking it, trying to confine Opera, but Opera still broke free.
"Tsk, brute force," Kalego said, rubbing his wrist.
"Hmph, insidious magic," Opera retorted, not to be outdone.
"Watch me make you run away with your tail between your legs!" x2
"Finishing Move: Punch!"
"Cerberus: Claw!"
Just as the two were about to clash, Balam appeared between them.
"Protection Cocoon!"
Balam blocked both of their attacks.
"Alright, stop~ Both of you, that's enough!"
Balam swallowed hard, looking at the arms and claws that had already pierced through both sides of his Protection Cocoon. If it weren't for the fact that neither of them was truly serious in school, he wouldn't have been able to block their attacks.
"You're both adults, for crying out loud, still fighting in school... what exactly are you doing...?"
Opera looked at Balam.
"I have the Chairman's permission, you know."
"That's Opera-senpai secretly stamping it, isn't it?" Balam retorted.
"Shh shh shh~" Opera, exposed, pretended to whistle.
"While I apologize, on this matter, I will not back down. Don't try to stop me, Shichiro."
"No, no, no, ultimately, shouldn't we first hear the opinion of the person concerned?" Balam moved aside, releasing Iruma, who was protected by the Protection Cocoon.
The group went into a room.
Balam looked at Iruma.
"Alright then, Iruma-kun, I'd like to hear your opinion on whether or not to extend the contract."
Iruma looked across the room.
Opera: Extend extend extend extend extend extend
Kalego: Don't extend don't extend don't extend don't extend don't extend
"Um... I, because of that accident, summoned Kalego-sensei as my familiar, and I've caused sensei a lot of trouble, so... if possible, I'd like to terminate it..."
Balam saw Iruma looking a bit lost and continued to ask.
"Mhm, and then?"
"...Sensei said he felt a little uneasy. Just like everyone has powerful and cool familiars, I have Kalego-sensei. Having him makes me full of courage. If I'm left alone afterward, will I really... be okay? These thoughts fill my mind."
"I'm sorry..."
Balam looked at Kalego.
"I know. Please leave for a moment," Kalego looked at the two.
Only after both had left did he look at Iruma.
"Iruma, listen carefully, I don't have a familiar."
Iruma:!
"The Naberius family's ability is different from ordinary family abilities. Cerberus is the magic itself contained within the Naberius blood. From a young age, its form must be determined and then 'nurtured'. If it doesn't recognize its master, it will bare its fangs and claws, a fierce beast. Therefore, I don't have a familiar."
Kalego continued.
"Even if I summoned one, this fellow would intimidate it and scare it away. The reason I'm in charge of the familiar summoning ceremony is also because Cerberus has a deterrent effect on the familiars that are summoned."
Iruma looked at him.
"That's amazing..."
Hearing this, Kalego continued.
"'Familiars' are important'shields' for us to survive in the demon world. Therefore, it's natural to want a stronger familiar. However, a familiar doesn't represent the essence of a demon."
"Babyls refines students, imparting survival skills to them. You, too, must have learned many things at Babyls. Even if you lose me, your 'familiar,' you still have the strength you've cultivated until now."
Hearing this, Iruma recalled his growth since coming to Babyls: "Kuwankuwan," "Kerori Change," and many, many other spells.
"Iruma, nothing will change. Your surroundings will still be noisy, you'll continue doing foolish things with those idiotic friends, making me both angry and headache-inducing. So... don't be scared or worried, Iruma," Kalego said, looking at Iruma across from him.
At this moment, Shesi, Opera, and Balam were eavesdropping outside the door.
"9 points, super cool."
"6 points, barely passable as a familiar."
"9 points, Kalego-kun spoke so well. Babyls teaches students survival skills, and all of their growth proves this."
..."Agreed."
"Agreed."
..."Okay!"
Finally, as the clock swayed, the time finally reached 11 PM.
Suddenly, two lights appeared on Kalego's chest and Iruma's hand.
Contract terminated.
"Phew, it's over," Kalego finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Iruma turned around and bowed deeply.
"Kalego-sensei, thank you very much for this past year!"
Kalego showed no expression.
"Ah, I'm sorry, for you, Sensei, it must have been a very unhappy year... But I'll work even harder in my second year!"
While Iruma was still apologizing, Kalego directly pulled Iruma to walk in another direction.
"Huh? Sensei?"
"Follow me."
Kalego led Iruma to the summoning ceremony.
"Starting now, we will conduct Iruma's 'Familiar Re-summoning Ceremony,'" Kalego took out a blank summoning paper he had already prepared (engraved with his own mark).
"Huh!? Re-summoning? What's re-summoning?" Iruma was a bit flustered.
"Don't misunderstand. It's a ceremony to summon your new familiar. As the person in charge, I need to confirm what kind of familiar you summon."
"But..."
"Don't worry, a familiar that was previously summoned and had its contract terminated will not be summoned again."
Kalego explained.
Iruma smiled.
"Yes!"
Iruma went to the center of the ceremony.
My new familiar... Thank you, Sensei, please bear witness! My familiar after a year of growth!
"Summon!"
Iruma looked at the summoning ceremony magic circle appearing before him. It's coming out! It's coming out, the familiar that has grown with him for a year! It's coming out...
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