Aika, curious as ever, stepped up to Asia, eyes twinkling with mischief and fascination as she reached out to touch the small blue lightning dragon curled around Asia's shoulder.
"Whoa~ Lemme try touching it—"
ZZZT!
A flash of lightning snapped through the air and zapped her fingers before she could even make contact.
"OW—!" Aika yelped, jerking back with her hair puffed up from static. "Okay, rude."
I chuckled under my breath, but Issei, of course, couldn't resist. He stomped forward like he was about to prove something.
"Let the master of dragons show you how it's done!"
The dragon's eyes narrowed.
"Here, girl! C'mere and lemme—"
ZZZAAAAP!
Issei was launched backward mid-sentence, screaming as electricity surged through him.
He hit the dirt with a thud, smoke wafting from his hair. The slime girl he'd just proudly summoned didn't even blink, lazily jiggling beside him like she couldn't care less. Harsh.
I exhaled and stepped forward. "Alright, let's see what you're about, little spark plug."
The dragon's eyes met mine—sharp, assessing.
The air shimmered as she began building up static, lightning crackling through the space between us.
I casually raised a hand and activated my Sacred Gear, generating a magical lightning rod in the air beside me. The incoming arcs of electricity bent toward the rod, harmlessly grounding themselves in a dazzling display of sparks.
The dragon paused.
I stayed still, giving her space.
Then, slowly, I extended my hand toward her snout.
She watched me. Then nudged her head against my palm.
The electricity stopped.
Everyone went silent—except Issei, who groaned somewhere in the grass, probably seeing stars.
"She's a she," I confirmed, gently stroking the scales along her head. "Beautiful temperament, high magic density. She's yours, Asia."
I crafted something special—a small sapphire necklace imbued with mana flow regulation and bonding resonance. I handed it to Asia.
Her eyes sparkled as she accepted it, carefully placing it around the dragon's neck. The moment the necklace clicked into place, magic burst outward in a swirl of wind and light.
The dragon shimmered. Her form shifted, growing slightly, changing shape—
When the light faded, standing beside Asia was a small, elegant girl with long sky-blue hair and radiant golden eyes. She looked about the same height as Koneko, dressed in a flowing robe of shimmering blue mist and crackling lightning.
Everyone stared.
"Amazing…" Asia whispered, holding the girl's hand gently.
"She's… adorable," Momo said, blinking.
Aika, rubbing her still-zapped hand, muttered, "Cheater. Got a dragon girl and didn't even get electrocuted."
I grinned.
Issei sat up, dazed, looking between the dragon girl and his slime girl.
"Life… is so unfair."
I patted his shoulder as I walked by. "Hey, at least yours jiggles."
He sighed in despair.
———
Malrik's POV
We'd been walking deeper into the familiar forest for over half an hour now. Aika was chatting excitedly with her newly-transformed Undine girl, who hovered beside her like an elegant water guardian.
Asia walked just behind me, the little lightning dragon—now in her humanoid form—clinging shyly to her arm, golden eyes scanning everything with curious innocence.
Issei and Saji? They were trailing behind us, still sulking in solidarity.
"I still can't believe she turned into a slime girl," Saji muttered to Issei.
Issei gave him a deadpan look. "She's genderless. It still haunts me."
Aika snorted ahead of us, clearly listening in.
I glanced over at the Familiar Master—Towji. He looked far more impressed than he let on. "You know," he said, arms folded behind his back, "we've already secured three familiars today. That's no small feat. Most groups are lucky to get one… if that."
Saji, who'd been holding on to a thread of hope, visibly deflated.
"Does that mean… I'm not getting one?"
Sona, walking slightly ahead, turned back to him with a calm but honest expression. "To be fair, Saji, our luck has been abnormally good today. Even I didn't expect this many results."
He looked down, scratching the back of his head. "Tch… man. And I was really hoping to get a cool monster girl too…"
"That's what you took from this?" Tsubaki asked dryly.
Aika shot him a grin. "Don't worry, Saji-kun. Maybe you'll get a boy familiar. Think of all the new experiences~"
Saji turned pail immediately. "T-That's not funny!"
I chuckled but kept my senses alert. The forest was dense here, and I could feel something... something stirring.
And then—
A distant roar.
Low. Deep. Earth-shaking.
The ground vibrated beneath our feet. Birds scattered from the trees. Even the wind paused.
Everyone stopped walking.
"…What was that?" Issei whispered, eyes wide.
"It's coming from that way," I said, pointing toward a break in the trees where the light shimmered unnaturally—like the very air was rippling.
The Towji turned serious for the first time since we met him. "It's a wild one."
Rias narrowed her eyes. "A stray?"
"No," Sona replied, adjusting her glasses. "I think it's… one of the older ones."
"Something powerful," I added, already walking ahead. "Might be exactly what we're looking for."
Saji blinked. "Wait, you're not serious—wait, are you saying that roar might be my familiar?"
I grinned over my shoulder.
"Only one way to find out."