TL-Cosmo
PR - Badboy
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A Second Encounter, Part Four
“Sorry, I… I was just overwhelmed. It’s been a while, Eni.”
“Uh, well… if you’ve calmed down, I guess it’s fine.”
Eni had been on the verge of slugging him, but his somewhat lonely smile and direct gaze drained all the fight out of her.
The air wasn’t right for questions, leaving her with no choice but to let it go. Still, his odd phrasing—
“it’s been a while”
—stuck with her.
While they spoke, the contracting ritual continued, so Zeke sent Eni on her way and went to Rau’s side.
“Sorry for losing my composure like that.”
“It’s my fault too. I didn’t know what to say…”
Rau scratched his head sheepishly.
Zeke, having cried himself out, felt refreshed and clear-headed. But one look at his swollen, red-rimmed eyes and no one would have guessed he was feeling anything of the sort.
He might have felt refreshed, but now a wave of embarrassment washed over him.
He’d burst into tears in front of everyone, then—overcome with emotion— thrown his arms around a girl.
Knowing Eni’s personality, he’d expected her to shove him off or maybe even land a punch, but she had done and said nothing.
If she had just hit him, he could’ve moved on. The lack of any reaction left only a lingering awkwardness.
“H-Hey, I’m sure I’ll be able to get a good job now. So I’ll earn a ton of money and take care of you too! I’ll make sure everyone in the slums can live a little better, so… cheer up, okay?”
Listening now, Rau’s words could almost be mistaken for a confession, or even a marriage proposal.
Long ago, in his memories of that first life, Zeke had heard those same words and rejected them, interpreting them as pity and condescension.
Rau simply wanted to repay a debt. His clumsy, childish phrasing was just his way of trying to cheer up his best friend. He truly had supported Zeke, but Zeke hadn’t been able to accept it.
Looking at it with clear eyes now, Zeke could see Rau desperately choosing his words, doing his best to comfort his friend.
That desperation was endearing, and Zeke was so grateful for it that a smile bloomed on his face naturally.
“I’ll be counting on you, Rau.”
This time was different from the past. This time, he could face his friend’s pure goodwill head-on.
“O-Oh! Yeah!”
Rau, on the other hand, flinched, taken aback by the ready acceptance.
He hadn’t meant to lie, but he was aware he’d said something strange.
To have it met with a smile and a “I’ll be counting on you” made him realize he’d just made a very peculiar promise.
In the past, Rau had given him so much. But it felt wrong to always be on the receiving end.
He had to change, too.
Zeke made a silent vow to himself: he would work hard so that he, too, could give something back to Rau.
“Wh-What is that light?!”
The greatest magical beast of the day was one that could only be called divine—a crimson phoenix, emerging from a blinding corona of light.
The radiance was so brilliant it spilled out from the Contracting Hall, and in the center of the magic circle, the creature sat enthroned.
Broadly classified, it was the pinnacle of bird-types. The Ōtori—a phoenix possessing the powers of regeneration and flame.
It was both a magical beast and a sacred one—a truly majestic being.
It was no exaggeration to say it was likely the most powerful beast not just of the day, but in the entire kingdom.
The soldiers simply stared, forgetting even to ready their spears.
“Um, ehehe… amazing, right?!”
And the one who had summoned it was Eni, a troubled smile on her face.
As the phoenix moved, embers scattered from its wings.
It dipped its head low, then gently pressed its beak to Eni’s cheek, nuzzling her in a clear sign of submission.
Eni stroked its beak in return.
Everyone had forgotten that there were still more children waiting their turn.
The phoenix was beautiful, no matter how many times he saw it.
Even seeing it for a second time, the presence of a creature verging on legend felt unreal.
“S-So? Pretty amazing, right?!”
Finding herself the center of attention and with no guidance from the soldiers, Eni scurried over to Zeke and Rau in a half-joking attempt to escape the spotlight.
Naturally, the phoenix followed her.
A new circle formed around them, even wider than the one for the Thunderlight Tiger.
As it drew near, the phoenix—for reasons Zeke couldn’t fathom—looked at him and lowered its head.
Flustered and confused, Zeke simply bowed his head in return.
The Thunderlight Tiger moved to stand in front of Rau.
It showed no fear in the face of the phoenix, ready to protect its contractor.
It was a courageous beast.
Zeke had no way of knowing how much experience the Thunderlight Tiger possessed. If it was a seasoned veteran and the phoenix was young, a fight between them wouldn't necessarily be a foregone conclusion.
“A-Amazing,”
Rau breathed, gazing at the phoenix in a daze.
“I know, right? Your tiger… well, it can’t even comp—”
In the heat of the moment, Eni had completely forgotten about Zeke’s magical beast. Her boastful words trailed off as she realized her blunder.
“A slime isn’t so bad, you know.”
“Kuruu.”
The phoenix cried out, its timing so perfect it was as if it were agreeing with him.
At the same time, Fios bounced in his arms.
What is he even saying with that tear-stained face?
Eni thought. He didn’t look the least bit satisfied with a slime.
Seeing her apologetic expression, Zeke scratched his cheek, troubled.
In terms of raw power and status as a magical beast, there was no comparing the phoenix to a slime.
But what truly mattered was how one deepened their relationship with their beast—and how they applied its abilities.
Although, even if Eni slacked off and Zeke worked his hardest, bridging that gap would be difficult.
After that, the results were largely unremarkable.
Rau and Eni had been such exceptional outliers that the others didn't stand out, though there were still a few decent summons.
Once the contracts for the assembled children were finished, they received a verbal lecture on the precautions and essential knowledge regarding magical beasts.
It was information they were supposed to study properly, but for a large group of children who couldn’t even read, a simple oral explanation had been the only option.
Rau, Eni, and a few others who had summoned powerful beasts were called aside by an official for a private discussion.
Zeke knew what it was about, so he wasn’t worried.
The rest of the children, Zeke included, had no other business there, so they were loaded back onto the cart and returned to the slums.
As they parted ways, everyone—knowing Zeke had contracted a slime—offered words of consolation.
Zeke just smiled and brushed them off.
Upon arriving in the slums, the children scattered to their homes, and Zeke made his way to his own.
Zeke’s home was a small, dilapidated house that could at least keep out the wind and rain, located in a part of the slums relatively close to the commoner’s district.
Long ago, this area had been a normal residential district, but it had become part of the slums after a great war.
The house had belonged to the old man who had looked after Zeke—and whom Zeke had looked after in turn.
The old man had no family, so when he passed away, Zeke had simply continued living there.
The house, though small, was too much for a child to manage alone, so Zeke had taken in Rau and Eni, who had been living on the streets nearby.
The two of them didn’t come back every day—sometimes they were out earning their keep or staying elsewhere—but Zeke’s house was their main base of operations.
Zeke threw himself onto the futon spread out on the floor.
There had been a bed once, but it had broken, and he’d used the wood to repair the walls. He’d been sleeping on the floor ever since.
The wait for the contract had been long, and now the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
They’d rounded up a bunch of poor kids; you’d think they could have at least given them a meal.
He needed to think about dinner, but he had no desire to move. Perhaps it was from crying so much, or maybe a child’s body simply had no stamina.
He moved his hand, stroking Fios, who rested beside him.
Just from that simple touch, a feeling of joy flowed from the slime—and Zeke felt happy, too.
“This isn’t a dream, is it?”
It wasn’t a deathbed vision, either.
His consciousness was far too clear. He pinched his cheek and felt a sharp pain.
For that matter, it had hurt when Rau had kicked him awake.
The flow of events was just as he remembered, and yet… he had no memory of a phoenix bowing to him.
He hadn’t cried his eyes out the first time, either, so that was different, too.
The reactions were all far too real for this to be a dream.
If it wasn’t a dream, then it seemed he had returned to his past—with all the memories of his long life intact.
But as for what had happened to cause this... he had no idea.
