STOM 03

STOM

Chapter 3 The Contract Spirit

— What… should I do now?

It’s human nature to question the uncertain.

Since morning, he had faintly sensed that strange, indescribable energy flowing within his body—but aside from that, nothing particularly special had happened.

What Adele had described as “dramatic” in that dream felt… far too exaggerated.

During lunch break.
Second-year Class 3 of Fuukai High School.

At the window seat, Mio rested his cheek on one hand, fiddling idly with the badge engraved with the word “Hina.”

“Magic… that concept actually exists? What a ridiculous era to be living in… haaa…”

He muttered softly to himself, followed by a big yawn.

“But man, thank god! I can use magic without having to go to another world. No dragon-slaying, no demon lord hunting—no thanks! I couldn’t live without smartphones and the internet anyway.”

Between Bersow and Sylphas, Mio was naturally more attached to the latter—the world he’d lived in since childhood.
For a tech-dependent youth, leaving modern society to live in a world of magic sounded like pure hardship.

“But that woman did say that mages live in Bersow… so that means I’m the only mage in Sylphas? Whoa, that’s kinda awesome, I’m basically—”

“What are you mumbling about, Mi-o-kun?”

A finger poked him in the left cheek.

He didn’t even need to look to know who it was—the soft touch of her skin, the gentle, melodic voice, and the faint fragrance of that familiar shampoo she always used in the bath.

There was only one person who fit all three perfectly.

“I-it’s from a game! I wasn’t saying anything weird, Arisu-san!”

He turned around quickly, scrambling for an excuse.

Standing there was a girl with a sweet smile—her soft, cherry-colored hair brushed her shoulders, and her large eyes seemed to sparkle.

Even in her simple white blouse and navy skirt, her beauty couldn’t be hidden.

That girl—Tsukinagi Luna Arisu—was Mio’s childhood friend and, truthfully, someone he wouldn’t mind dating.
The only thing that stopped him from confessing was that he didn’t feel worthy of her. After all, Luna was top of the class and had dominated the “Most Wanted Girlfriend” ranking for years.

“You’re acting all nervous again—that just makes it more suspicious. Besides, I’ve told you before…”

Luna put a hand on her hip, pouted, and flicked his forehead with her finger.

“Call me Luna. Lu-na.”

“That’s… embarrassing. I mean, it’s not like we’re that close or anything…”

“Gah! So disappointing! Ten years of childhood friendship, and you can’t grant me one tiny little wish? So mean!”

Her exaggerated pout made Mio chuckle softly.

“Sorry, sorry,” he whispered, smiling gently. He could tell this was one of her playful acts—fake tears and all.

When her little trick was exposed, Luna simply grabbed his hand and looked at him warmly.

“You haven’t changed at all.”

“You either, Arisu-san… I mean, Luna.”

“Hehehe. Alright, enough teasing for today! Anyway, come on—he’s waiting.”

“Oh, right… him.”

Mio had known “him” for about eleven years—same as Luna.

His habits, personality, and, most notably, his ridiculous hobbies all came to mind whenever Mio thought of him.

“Ah, that time already, huh…”

Mio grimaced slightly.

Sure enough, his second childhood friend, Akikaze Yamaki, leaned against the classroom doorway, brushing his light brown hair aside and grinning mischievously as he watched them.

“Seriously, those two never make any progress… and they’re mutually in love, too.”

The words slipped out of Akikaze’s mouth as he walked up to them, putting on a mock-serious face and pulling the two closer by the shoulders.

“Alright, listen up, both of you! You should get married. Right now. This classroom is your wedding hall, and I’ll be the MC! Behold—the birth of Fuukai High’s strongest couple!”

“Wha—?! What are you saying, Yamaki-san?!”

“Ahhh, lucky bastard! The top-ranked girl in the whole school’s into you—I’m dying of envy!”

“N-no! No way, no way, no way! Someone like Arisu-san would never like a guy like me! I-I’m totally, completely—”

Seeing Mio stammer and fluster so hard, Akikaze couldn’t help but smirk.

“Heh… if love stories ended that quickly, they wouldn’t be any fun. Anyway, cafeteria time—let’s go grab lunch. You free?”

Mio shook his head, pulling a jelly cup out of his bag.

“Sorry. Maybe next time.”

“Again with that nutrient-less junk?! Mio-kun, if you told me, I’d make you a proper bento!”

“Th-that’s embarrassing, Luna…”

The two fell silent for a moment, both blushing. Akikaze sighed dramatically.

“You’re bold, Luna-chan. I respect that. But yeah, if he said yes, it wouldn’t be very Mio-like. Anyway, let’s go before the cafeteria fills up.”

“But… Mio-kun…”

“Leave the cold-hearted guy behind. Let’s go, Luna.”

“O-okay…”

With a tug, Akikaze led Luna out of the room, leaving Mio behind with an envious aura.

“Hey, Mio. Join us next time. Lunch is better with all three of us.”

“…Got it.”

“And maybe fix your diet, yeah? Ah wait—forget I said that. Even the holy spirits from your games couldn’t save you, haha!”

As the two disappeared down the hallway, Mio’s expression suddenly changed—eyes wide, realization dawning.

Adele’s words echoed faintly in his mind.

Spirit summoning… was that it?

Yeah, something like that.

He stood by the window, gazing out at the bright spring scenery.
If he had a reliable partner, he could solve problems about magic and information much faster.

Only one problem remained: how to summon one.

“Summoning… must require some kind of ritual, right? Would’ve been nice if she left a manual or something…”

He muttered irritably about Adele’s lack of explanations while glancing around the classroom.

Most students were gone for lunch, but there were still a few left—too many to start chanting spells without looking insane.

“Yeah, no way I can do this here… I’ll have to go there.”

At the far end of the fourth-floor hallway, where boxes were piled high to the doorway, was the school’s storage room.

“Perfect. No one’ll bother me here. Time to focus!”

He’d thought long and hard about the words to use on the way.
If he treated it like a game, he’d manage—games were, after all, his specialty.

Standing in the middle of the cluttered room, Mio straightened his wrinkled uniform and raised his palm ceremoniously.

“Legendary Holy Spirit! By the ancient bond with the Scarlet Clan—grant me your power!”

The sensation of using magic for the first time was indescribable—only Mio himself could understand it.

A warm current surged through his veins, spreading through his body before concentrating in his right arm.

As the final syllable left his lips, a jarring sound filled the room—and something extraordinary happened.

“Whoa—!”

A deep crimson magic circle appeared above his palm, blazing with scarlet energy.

The shockwave made the floor tremble, scattering dust and cardboard boxes into the air.

If he hadn’t met Adele and learned that magic was real, he would never have believed what he was seeing.

After about twenty seconds, the circle faded.
Silence returned, save for his faint breathing.

“Ugh… I’m at my limit… my mana must be so low…”

Reckless use of magic consumed both physical and magical energy.

Even so, the exhaustion didn’t stop his focus from catching what had just happened.

In that instant, Mio knew—the summoning had worked.

“I… I did it…”

About thirty centimeters above his head, a flame of deep crimson floated gently, as if something was sleeping inside it.

When he reached out, it wasn’t hot—not even warm. It felt… like it had no temperature at all.

The moment he touched it, the flame scattered—and from within, a shape emerged.

It wasn’t exactly human, though at first glance she looked like one.
There was one clear difference.

She had scarlet wings.

And she was tiny—no larger than a doll—a small, fairy-like girl.

“Wow… a real spirit…”

She was just as he’d imagined—long, delicate ears, a red-violet ponytail that gleamed vividly even in the dim room.

She wore a simple butterfly-patterned dress and pale green sandals—nothing fancy, yet utterly charming.

“Fwaaah~”

Apparently sensing another’s presence, she yawned and stretched, blinking her little bean-sized eyes as she looked up at the giant before her—Mio, who was easily ten times her size.

Normally, such a size difference would terrify anyone.
But she stayed calm, already recognizing him as her new partner, her new master.

The two stared at each other in silence for a while.
Then, to break the awkward tension, the girl fluttered her wings and spoke first.

“Nice to meet you… Master.”

Her soft voice made Mio blush a little.

“D-don’t call me that.”

“Hm? Don’t call you… Master?”

She tilted her head, blinking innocently.

“Yeah. Sounds bad. People might misunderstand.”

“Then what should I call you? …‘My lord’? ‘Sir’?”

“That’s even worse! Uh, just call me Mio. And… maybe drop the polite tone too.”

“Okay, got it, Mio.”

“Thanks. And, uh—you? What should I call you?”

At that, the tiny girl clasped her hands together as if in prayer.

“From today onward, I am your contracted spirit. I have neither memories nor a name. So… please give me one.”

“Any name’s fine?”

“Hmm… yeah! But make it cute! No—mature! Wait, no, cute again! Something that sounds foreign and pretty, maybe—”

Her excitement made her words tumble faster and faster, and Mio couldn’t help but laugh softly.

“Then… how about Reina?”

“Reina…? My name is Reina…”

“Ah—if you don’t like it, I can change—”

But he didn’t need to finish. Her actions spoke louder than words.

She smiled faintly, her wings fluttering faster—a clear sign that she loved it.

“I like it… but, how do you write it?”

“Uh… there’s nothing to write with, but here, watch my finger.”

Mio traced the characters for “Reina” (澪奈) in the air.

She nodded, lifted her tiny hand, and mimicked the motion—but to his amazement, faint red light followed her fingertips, forming glowing letters that floated in the air.

“Like this…?”

“Whoa, that’s awesome. And it’s a pretty name. Has a nice ring to it. And, hey, it kinda sounds like mine, doesn’t it? Wait… did you do that on purpo—”