"Eep! Master is so scary QAQ!"
Nikorimu trembled violently under Shirona's overwhelming aura.
"Don't chicken out at a critical moment! Keep your armor up!" Flo reminded Nikorimu.
But just as Nikorimu regained her composure—
Shirona's tentacle lashed out at blinding speed, instantly binding Flo tight.
"Ugh... this hurts X﹏X..."
Flo couldn't move an inch.
Flo: "Hey hey hey, seriously?! Am I getting one-shot right at the start?! That's not fair, waaah..."
But Flo was mistaken.
"It's too easy to break the furniture here. Let's move somewhere else," Shirona chuckled lightly, then snapped her fingers.
Scene Shift!
The surroundings instantly transformed—the living room vanished, replaced by a vast, open training field.
Flo: "This... it's the exact same teleportation magic I used when summoning my sister!"
Shirona released Flo, then stood calmly in place—her left hand behind her back, her right hand cradling a tiny golden tentacle.
"Alright then, little Flo. Now we can officially begin," Shirona said with a gentle smile.
As soon as those words left her lips, a system prompt chimed:
[Victory Condition: Seize the golden tentacle from Shirona's hand.]
[Time Limit: None]
[Friendly Reminder: Avoid direct confrontation with Shirona at all costs. Please value your life.]
Flo: "Wow, they even added 'value your life'?!"
But Flo didn't waste time complaining. She dusted off her clothes, stood up straight, and her expression turned serious.
"Nini, execute the plan!"
"Understood, Master!"
A layer of slime armor enveloped Flo once more, drastically increasing her sliding speed.
"Oh? Is that your slime familiar?" Shirona watched with interest as Flo circled around her.
"Sister! Can you take one palm strike from me?!" Flo shouted, charging forward and slamming her palm straight at Shirona.
Shirona casually caught the blow without flinching—even Flo's full-power strike couldn't budge Shirona's feet an inch.
"You still lack strength training, little Flo," Shirona remarked calmly.
Flo didn't dare talk back—because her real attack was already on its way.
Behind Shirona, Flo's hidden tentacle silently lunged toward the golden tentacle in Shirona's hand.
But suddenly, a larger, crimson tentacle shot out and blocked Flo's sneak attack.
"And your technique is still too rigid. That won't do at all," Shirona shook her head, pressing harder into Flo's palm and shoving her away.
"Aaah!"
Flo flew backward twenty meters before skidding to a halt—only the slime armor saved her from passing out.
But that wasn't important... what mattered was that the attack had worked.
"Hm? What's this?"
Shirona looked down in surprise at her own tentacle.
After blocking Flo's strike, strange, colorful crystals began spreading across it—quickly creeping upward as if trying to encase the entire limb.
"Phew... good job, Nini."
Before the fight even began, Flo had instructed Nikorimu to coat her tentacle with slime. The moment it touched Shirona's body, it would activate crystallization magic.
Flo had initially tried applying the crystallization directly through her palm strike, but Shirona's frontal defenses were too solid—the magic couldn't take hold.
However, this rear sneak attack succeeded.
Knowing her sister's overwhelming power all too well, Flo never intended to win through brute force or expected this simple trick to actually snatch the golden tentacle. But with Nikorimu's support, she could still create plenty of unexpected openings.
"Fascinating... I can feel the crystallization spreading inward too."
Nikorimu's crystallization magic worked from the outside in—not just restraining, but slowly petrifying the interior.
"Pity."
Shirona shook her head, then flicked the crystallized tentacle with a finger.
The crystals shattered instantly, and her tentacle returned to full flexibility.
"The spread was far too slow, and your concealment wasn't subtle enough. Though this magic is potent, it's only effective against mindless beasts."
"Got any other tricks up your sleeve? Show your sister something more surprising," Shirona said, eyes gleaming with anticipation.
"She just flicked it and broke the crystallization? No wonder she's Sister... Nini, can you push it any harder?"
"Master... I've already maxed out the crystallization speed, but it's useless against her."
"No big deal. We'll switch tactics."
Flo exhaled sharply and accelerated again.
Shirona remained relaxed, defending herself with just a single tentacle.
Flo's goal was crystal clear: get that golden tentacle.
Since sneak attacks failed, she'd try something else.
While sliding, Flo had Nikorimu shape slime gel into throwing darts.
Nikorimu worked faster than expected—Flo could hurl darts mid-slide.
"What's this now?"
Shirona easily deflected every dart, but noticed they turned into soft, squishy blobs upon sticking to her tentacles.
Soon, Shirona felt her tentacles growing heavier.
"I see—you're trying to slow down my tentacles. How childish," Shirona chuckled wryly.
Truth was, she'd already slowed herself down just to match Flo's pace. This minor extra weight meant nothing.
"Not done yet!"
Flo chanted a spell—and the slime darts stuck on Shirona's tentacles instantly transformed into ropes, tightly binding Shirona's body.
Seizing the opening, Flo lunged forward to grab the golden tentacle.
But the bindings lasted less than a second. Shirona broke free effortlessly and smacked Flo away with a tentacle.
"Hehe..." Flo, flying through the air, smirked.
The slime still clinging to Shirona's tentacles suddenly reshaped into dozens of adorable mini-slimes, leaping toward Shirona's left hand.
Shirona: ?!
This time, Shirona truly didn't react in time—but she yanked her hand back just before the slimes could grab the golden tentacle, then swiftly flicked them away with her other hand.
The surviving slimes melted back into liquid, coating Shirona's entire body.
Now thoroughly drenched in slime goo, Shirona stood there dripping wet.
"Sorry, Sister—gotta get your clothes a little damp~" Flo teased playfully.
"These slime secretions can't be destroyed physically," she added pointedly.
Her implication was clear: the slime could reform into slimes at any moment to snatch the golden tentacle. Now Shirona had to split her focus—guarding herself while watching out for Flo's next move.
"I see... not a bad strategy," Shirona admitted. "But little Flo, isn't this tactic a bit... underhanded?"
"Huh? Slimes are sneaky?!"
"That's not quite what I meant. From start to finish, hasn't all the work been done by your slime pet?"
Flo: "...?"
Shirona: "Can't you use a bit of your *own* power, little Flo?"
Flo: (^～^)
I'm a tentacle girl who deals exactly 1 point of damage—what "own power" are you talking about?!
Flo: Do I even *have* any strength to speak of?!(╬◣д◢)