Before things could get any worse, I quickly covered Jayka's mouth.
Seriously, I never knew a familiar could be this much of a nuisance. One scream from him and we'd probably get arrested, exiled, and banned from existence.
"Sorry… I was just trying to help you guys," the girl said innocently.
"No, no, it's okay," I replied with a forced smile, still holding Jayka like my life depended on it. "He's just… like this today. Please don't worry."
And then—
ZAP.
A surge of electricity shot through my body.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
I looked down.
Jayka.
Again.
He was releasing that same electrical discharge.
I tried to let go—
Too late.
I was sent flying backward like a kicked ball.
"AHH!" the girl screamed as everything went dark again.
At this point, I'm starting to think I should stop waking up.
When I opened my eyes again, I was greeted by something unexpected.
A ceiling.
A very pretty ceiling.
It had colorful flower designs.
Soft colors.
Elegant patterns.
"…Okay," I muttered, sitting up. "This is definitely not a hospital."
I looked around.
Everything in the room screamed one thing:
Girl.
"Oh… you're awake."
I turned.
It was her.
The same girl from earlier.
"The doctor said you'd be fine," she said, walking in. "But for a second, I thought you were dead."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Why are you looking around like that? Don't you like my room?"
I immediately straightened up.
"No! I mean—yes! It's beautiful!"
Smooth.
Very smooth.
Then I got serious.
"What happened? And where's my familiar—Jayka?"
Her expression changed.
To something… not good.
"Well…" she said slowly, "after you got shocked by that thing, a control unit came and took him into custody."
…
"You were taken to the hospital," she continued. "But since you were fine, I brought you here."
My brain stopped working.
Completely.
Jayka… was gone.
My only guide in this world.
My only source of information.
My only—
…annoying companion.
Gone.
And worst of all…
My only chance of finding Sharon.
"…Sharon…" I muttered under my breath.
"…Wait."
She heard that.
"You said Sharon, didn't you?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "Don't tell me you're trying to find the lost girl of the Niles?"
…Caught.
I had no choice.
I nodded.
"Please," I said quickly. "Don't tell anyone. And help me get Jayka back. He's my only lead."
She sighed and sat beside me.
"Getting your familiar back isn't impossible," she said. "But it usually requires a court session… with your caretaker involved."
…Nope.
Not happening.
"And judging by your situation," she added, "I don't think you want that."
Correct.
"So your only options are…"
She paused.
"…bargain with them."
"…or break him out."
I thought about it.
Quickly.
"Can I bargain?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"No. They won't return a familiar that nearly killed its owner. Right now, he's classified as a dangerous, out-of-control familiar."
…Great.
I sat there, overwhelmed.
Stress.
Fear.
Confusion.
Everything hit at once.
Then—
She placed a hand on my shoulder.
"I'll help you," she said.
Hope.
"But on one condition."
…And there it is.
"You must take me with you to find Sharon."
I froze.
That was… unexpected.
But honestly?
I had no choice.
"…Deal."
She smiled slightly.
"I'm Ariam."
"A-Ah… I'm Yuji."
And just like that, introductions were done.
Except—
She didn't stop there.
She made me explain everything.
Where I came from.
What happened.
Even the memory loss.
I told her everything.
Because honestly?
At this point, hiding things would just make my life harder.
After that, we moved.
We climbed out through her window.
Snuck through a hidden passage in the wall—
(which, by the way, looked suspiciously like a cat door)
—and headed toward the control unit headquarters.
On the way, she explained the plan.
"Okay," she said, serious now. "We go in, request to see Jayka. While you talk to him, I distract the guard."
She handed me a small bottle filled with black liquid.
"You make him drink this."
"…That looks dangerous."
"It's an invisibility potion," she said. "Very rare. Used by black magic knights."
…Even better.
"After that," she continued, "he follows us out. The guard won't notice, since he'll be escorting us anyway. Then we run before they realize he's gone."
Simple.
Illegal.
Perfect.
"Understood?" she asked.
I nodded.
She kept glancing at me.
"…Why are you so quiet?"
…Because I'm bad at talking to girls.
But of course, I didn't say that.
"Just focused," I replied calmly.
Nice save.
Eventually, we reached the control unit.
Before entering, Ariam covered her face with a veil.
I looked at her.
"…Should I—?"
"No," she said immediately. "You need to be seen."
Right.
Because this is my life.
We went inside and requested a meeting with Jayka.
The officer looked at me.
"Stretch out your hand."
I did.
He scanned my palm with a device, checked a document, then smiled.
"You are indeed the owner of this familiar."
Yes!
"You may speak with it," he continued. "But be warned—it is considered dangerous. Familiars are meant to obey their owners, so your inability to control it is… concerning."
Wait.
"…They obey me?"
This changes everything.
I followed the guard.
And there he was.
Jayka.
Chained.
Locked in a cage.
They brought him out, but kept the chains.
Ariam moved in, distracting the guard as planned.
I stepped closer.
And smiled.
Evilly.
Jayka lowered his head in shame.
"Open your mouth," I said.
And to my surprise…
He did.
…Wow.
This "obedience" thing is amazing.
I pulled out the potion.
His eyes widened.
He tried to scream—
I covered his mouth.
"Be quiet," I whispered. "And follow us."
Then I made him drink it.
Done.
I stood up and turned to the guard.
"I'm done."
He glanced back—
But Ariam stepped in.
"We're in a hurry," she said smoothly. "No need to worry. He's still chained."
The guard hesitated…
Then nodded.
We were escorted out.
As soon as we got some distance—
"…So," a voice whispered.
I froze.
Jayka.
Invisible.
"…Why is this villain girl still with you?"
Ariam didn't even react.
She poured another potion onto the ground—
And suddenly—
Jayka appeared.
Still chained.
Still annoying.
She turned to him.
Calm.
Cold.
"I don't have time to answer a rodent who used his power to attack his own owner—"
WEEEEEEOOOOO!
A loud siren blasted through the air.
"…They found out," she said instantly. "Run!"
And just like that—
She dashed into an alley.
I followed.
Jayka followed too.
Chains and all.
This mission…
Just got real.