The silver seal gleamed in Ryuichi's palm, its surface engraved with several coiling silver dragons so finely detailed they looked alive. Though it was smaller than a clenched fist, its presence radiated raw, intimidating power.
And after the bold stunt it had just pulled on the girls, that power had made itself very clear—much to Ryuichi's headache.
Obviously, as its new master, the girls were all directing their glares squarely at him.
"Let's get one thing straight," Ryuichi said quickly, raising both hands in protest. "I didn't tell it to do that!"
Nobody looked convinced.
"Ara, ara~ there's no need to explain," Akeno said sweetly, smiling that mature, teasing smile of hers. "Boys your age are full of curiosity. It's only natural."
Koneko, ever blunt, crossed her arms. "Ryuichi… you're such a perv."
"...Come on," Ryuichi groaned. "This really isn't my fault."
He looked down at the silver seal fluttering before him like an innocent little bee. With a resigned sigh, he flicked it lightly with his finger. "Nice job causing trouble, partner."
Then he turned to Rias. "So… how do we undo it? Do they just have to wait it out?"
Rias frowned down at the glowing mark near the top of her thigh — the faintly pulsing crimson '正' character. Her expression was… complicated.
Why did this mark look so embarrassingly indecent…?
She tried channeling her magic to dispel it, but the mana in her body felt as heavy as a mountain — utterly locked down. Even when she forced a little through, the seal simply absorbed and erased it.
The girls' frustration mixed with amazement. For all its mischief, the seal's power was undeniably strong — the kind of ability that could completely change the flow of battle.
Ryuichi glanced around at them, lips tightening in a helpless half-smile. Beautiful girls, every one of them — soft skin, fair and flawless — but, well… it wouldn't be gentlemanly to stare any longer.
He reached out with his thoughts to communicate with his familiar. The method to undo the seal appeared in his mind almost immediately, and he let out an awkward cough.
"Uh… apparently, the seal can only be removed manually. By me."
The girls blinked.
Rias calculated quietly. "If we tried to dispel it ourselves… it'd take at least an hour, wouldn't it?"
"Pretty much," Ryuichi admitted.
"In that case, come on," Rias said, beckoning him forward. "This suppression is uncomfortable. Let's get it over with."
"R-Right."
Ryuichi approached as Rias elegantly propped one leg up on the couch, baring the marked spot for him to reach.
That pose… was way too tempting.
He swallowed hard and forced his focus back into line. Carefully, he placed his hand over the glowing mark and brushed his fingers across it. With a flash of light, the seal dissolved.
"Thank you, Ryuichi~" Akeno cooed as she stepped closer, her soft voice like velvet.
He took a deep breath, trying to stay composed as he repeated the same motion for her, all while keeping his eyes—mostly—where they were supposed to be. Still, temptation was… everywhere.
When it was Koneko's turn, she glared at him flatly. "Don't touch anywhere weird."
"Got it, got it. I'll buy you ice cream later as an apology," Ryuichi said with a sheepish grin as he erased her mark.
Koneko blinked, then nodded. "Deal."
Wow, that was easy.
Once all the seals were gone, the girls' magic returned, and they promptly reconstructed their clothing with fresh mana.
Rias crossed her arms, her mature aura returning in full. "Well then—now that Ryuichi and Asia have both found their familiars, I think that deserves a little celebration."
"Oh? Speaking of which," Akeno said with a teasing lilt, "have you two decided on names yet?"
Asia hugged her small blue lightning dragon tightly, smiling in delight. "Hmm~ Since this must be a blessing from Heaven, I'll name it Ryūze! 'Dragon Blessing' sounds perfect!"
Rias chuckled. "So it even shares Ryuichi's family name, huh?"
"Hehehe…" Asia blushed, glancing shyly at Ryuichi. "Is that… okay?"
"Of course," he said gently. "You don't need my permission for that."
His warm tone made her smile even brighter, and she nuzzled her forehead against her little dragon.
"Then it's settled, Ryūze~!" she said cheerfully.
The baby dragon flapped its tiny wings, chirping in approval. "Kyuu~!"
Ryuichi smiled as he raised his hand, and his own familiar—the silver seal—fluttered into his palm.
"I'm terrible at naming things," he said with a wry grin. "Do you… have a name already?"
Through their bond, he sensed the seal's simple reply: it was a natural being, one that had never needed a name.
Rias laughed lightly. "Then how about we name it based on what it does? Let's see… 'Sealing Sigil'? Or maybe 'Seal of Binding'? Hmm, that sounds so like something a middle-school chuunibyou would pick."
"I wasn't that kind of kid," Ryuichi protested.
"Oh really?" she shot back, smirking. "Then how do you explain all those mecha figures in your room?"
Ryuichi folded his arms. "Those aren't chuunibyou. Mecha are man's romance."
"Haha, sure they are. Fine then—why don't you pick a name yourself, Mr. 'Not Chuunibyou'?"
Ryuichi thought about it for a long moment… and gave up. "...You know what, 'Sealing Sigil' works fine. It's easy to remember."
Everyone just stared at him in silence.
So much for creativity.
Still, for both Ryuichi and his Spirit King familiar, a name was only a formality. The little seal flapped its wings happily, perfectly content with its new title.
Seeing everything settled, Rias clapped her hands lightly to draw everyone's attention.
"All right! Once we've finished celebrating, everyone should go make their contracts. From now on, our familiars will handle the job of distributing flyers."
Their "celebration" was mostly an excuse to eat—Rias had brought snacks, and, as usual, most of them ended up in Koneko's stomach.
After that, it was time for work. Ryuichi smiled at his seal familiar.
"First day on the job. Let's make it count, okay?"
The Sealing Sigil flitted excitedly around his head, clearly eager to go.
It was its first trip to the human world, after all—it couldn't wait to explore.
Familiars, like Devils and Angels, could use the power of common-sense alteration, so Ryuichi didn't need to worry about it causing too much chaos.
He handed out stacks of flyers to everyone's familiars, then watched as they flew out through the open window, scattering across the city.
Before long, the others headed off to handle their own contracts, leaving the clubroom quiet.
Ryuichi leaned back in his chair, exhaling softly. He already had a faith-based contract with Sakurajima Mai—one he needed to nurture carefully.
He just hoped his familiar could help him find another new contractor or two while he worked on strengthening that bond.
"Well then," he murmured, standing up. "Time to go see Mai and check in on her wish. Can't let that contract stagnate…"
And with that thought, Ryuichi headed out—ready to face whatever trouble (or temptation) awaited him next.
..
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