My Classmate Became My Familiar - Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1 – Fujiwara’s first (errand) challenge Part 1

“The test results… It seems that Fujiwara-kun and the demon fused on a spiritual level.”

In the room of a certain laboratory, a man in a white coat sitting in front of me said plainly.

“You’ve been very reckless. It’s a wonder you’re still alive.”

“It’s true. So, doctor, is it possible to separate Fujiwara from the demon?”

When I asked, the man in white—the doctor— nodded back.

“No. It’s too tough for us to separate them with our current level of magic engineering. It’s a shame that it makes me disqualified as a researcher to say this, but I can only ask you to give up. After all, there is no precedent for the fusion between demons and humans. I haven’t completely caught up with the idea or the technology. That’s why it’s worth researching. But Fujiwara-kun’s position makes it impossible.”

“How come?”

“Fujiwara-kun is one of the leading figures of the East Japan Branch, and there are a lot of problems with inspecting someone in such a position. That’s why, from now on, you’ll have to work hard in your new life as a summoner and familiar.”

Fujiwara (who looked like a demon), who had been silently listening to the doctor next to me, snorted.

“Are you saying that I can’t get back to normal?”

“Unfortunately, no. You can’t separate the two colours of paint once they’re mixed, can you? That’s what I mean when you can’t be separated. You acquired the body of a demon of the best talent and quality by accident. You’re probably the strongest human in history now. What’s wrong with that?”

“How can I not be dissatisfied when I’m no longer myself?”

The doctor tilted his head at Fujiwara’s protest.

“I don’t understand. I know it’s a matter of taste, but your appearance has improved. I mean, of course, you were always beautiful, but you’re in a different league now. It’s like a piece of art. There’s no reason to go back. Consider yourself lucky.”

You’re too rational. Don’t you have any delicacy at all?

But alas, such is the nature of mages. In particular, people like him, who tend to throw away their ethics and decency for the development of magic as if it were a matter of fact.

“I’ve got a lot to say, but the main problem is that I’ve become Ashiya-kun’s familiar! I can’t go back to school like this! It’s a disgrace! Can’t you at least remove the mark of the obedience?”

Fujiwara complained.

The doctor flipped through the medical records as if he didn’t care.

“From what I’ve been told, the way you made your contract was irregular, so you can’t regularly break the spell. But you dare not to break the contract with the demon, or you might die. I understand that it’s bad publicity because it’s as if my daughter became a slave to a man her age. But shouldn’t we be happy for the miracle that you didn’t die after such a reckless act in the first place?”

Fujiwara choked out a ‘gulp’ as if she had no words to reply.

The doctor nodded and moved his gaze to me.

“Do you have any other questions?”

“Well, uh, I mean… I have a question, or rather… Fujiwara’s magic power consumption is too high… Is there anything we could do about it?”

Due to an unfortunate incident the other day, Fujiwara had become my familiar. That’s right. It wasn’t good at all, but it is what it is, and there’s nothing I can do about it. So, I gave up.

But, I couldn’t overlook her magic power consumption rate.

It’s not like I couldn’t provide her magic power, but it’s too much for me to handle.

I’m not a talented magician, to begin with. My magic power is below average, my bloodline isn’t good, and my knowledge is limited because I never study. If I were to use a high-ranking demon, it would be more than just a challenge.

I was now like a freelancer who forced himself to buy a supercar and couldn’t even afford the maintenance fee. I’m just an idiot.

“The best way to deal with it is for you to train yourself to increase your magic power capacity. Or you could use a magic device like the magic tank.”

“Oh. Then, can we at least reinforce the magic link and bypass…?”

“Impossible. If you forcefully tamper with it from the outside, the circuits may collapse. Are you blind?”

A sigh escaped from my lips at the merciless denial.

The magic link established between Fujiwara and me was incredibly fragile compared to a regular one.

It was not a surprise since the contract was created in such a reckless manner.

First of all, the effective distance was extremely short. Experiments had shown that Fujiwara would not be able to receive magic power from me if we were more than ten meters apart. Furthermore, there was a tremendous loss in magic power transmission. Even if I sent 100% of my magic power, Fujiwara would only receive about 20%.

It was because of the poor magic power efficiency of the demon, so it was no wonder I was on the verge of crying. It was a curse.

I mean, the hardest part was that we had to be together all the time because of the effective distance. You see, a man and a woman of our age should not be eating and sleeping together, right?

It wasn’t like she looked bad. It’s just…

There were many problems we had to face, and there was nothing we could do about it.

“It’s just that we can’t modify the magic links, but we can minimize the loss of magic power that is transmitted.”

“For real?”

“In other words, you can transfer the magic directly without relying on the links. By physical contact.”

“Erm… What’s that?”

I had a bad premonition, but I asked fearfully.

The doctor looked at Fujiwara and me as if he were observing lab rats.

“In early days, when there were few means of transmitting magic power, magicians used to transfer magic power through physical contact or with the mucous exchange. Learn from your predecessors. If your link is too weak to be of use, you can solve the circuitry problem by taking such measures.”

Hoo hah!

“No matter what you say, for a man and a woman who aren’t together to do something like that…”

“If you are not comfortable with mating, kissing is fine, or even just hugging each other half-naked will work. However, it goes without saying that mucous transmits more magic power than skin. And also, the larger the area of contact, the better transfer. Body fluids are also an excellent medium, but it’s ultimately your problem. You can do whatever you want.”

He told me that he was sincerely not interested. He was too disinterested in the subtleties of gender.

“Ugh, this can’t be true… I must be dreaming.”

Fujiwara looked up at the ceiling, seemingly about to faint. She looked like she had eaten a grasshopper.

But I think I had a similar expression.

“And, you know, this is not of my interest, but with that figure…”

The doctor’s gaze turned to Fujiwara, whose beautiful appearance was not only foreign but even inhuman. It wasn’t too much to say that her beauty was breathtaking. She was like a queen from a fairy tale…

I mean, her beauty was way beyond the boundary of common sense. It was like the saying, “Too much is too much.” If anything, she was so dazzling that I felt like I couldn’t walk alongside her.

“I suppose we could use magic to restore her appearance.”

“Is that so?”

Fujiwara, who had been in a state of self-doubt, asked. It was as if she regained some of her energy from a faint glimmer of light.

The doctor nodded as he looked at the medical records.

“First of all, it seems that there are currently two consciousnesses residing in this body. I don’t need to bother to state it explicitly, but they’re the consciousness of Fujiwara-kun and that of the demon. Can you feel her?”

When he asked, Fujiwara nodded vaguely.

“Yeah, I feel that there is someone else inside me. I’m sure it’s her. Sometimes I can even hear her voice.”

“Heh!? What kind of voice is it, by the way? Does it sound like words? Or does it not make sense?”

“I’m not sure. But at the very least, I know she doesn’t have good feelings for me.”

The doctor continued, “I see, so she’s also aware of you, Fujiwara-kun,” and wrote something on the paper.

“In other words, even though it appears that only Fujiwara-Kun’s consciousness remains at first glance, the demon’s consciousness is still there. It’s mutual. The current form is that of a demon, but Fujiwara-Kun’s body is still there.”

To be honest, I wondered how it was possible, but if the doctor, who was much smarter than me, said so, then I guess that’s how it was.

The doctor pointed the nib of his pen to the center of Fujiwara’s chest.

“What I’m trying to say is that if you can suppress the demon element, you might be able to switch forms. Oh, and of course, the same can be said about consciousness. It wouldn’t be surprising if the demon took over your consciousness at any moment. Be careful, though. So, let’s see, if you become as skilled as Fujiwara-kun in handling magic, she’ll be able to switch bodies just fine.”

“So that’s how it goes.”

Fujiwara nodded as if she was impressed.

Oi! Oi!

“You said it as if it were simple, but it requires a ridiculous amount of magic power, right?”

The doctor nodded in response to my concern. “Yes, it does.”

“Once she’s able to change her appearance, she needs a certain amount of magic power. Though, the first change itself requires an enormous amount of magic power. It is something that can’t be helped.”

If she needs a large amount of magic power, this poor magic link will not keep up. Inevitably, I will have to supply magic power through physical contact… I didn’t like where it was going.

“Fujiwara, do you want to return to your original form?”

I was hoping for a denial, but she answered immediately. “Of course.”

“I absolutely hate looking like a lascivious woman. My shoulders are so stiff because of my ridiculously huge breasts. What is this? I’m so frustrated.”

“Oh, you can’t stand the discomfort?”

“Shut up. This triglyceride mass is just a distraction. It’s just a flaw in the body’s structure. Why do men even appreciate this stuff? I don’t understand. You idiot.”

“Stupid, right? But if men weren’t stupid, the human race would have died out long ago. Don’t underestimate the instinct of living beings.”

“That’s right. When he said that we have to suppress the demon element, I wondered if Ashiya-kun’s meagre magic power could handle it.”

Basically, a familiar can’t generate its own magic power. The reason is that summoners, fearing that their familiar will rebel against them, place restrictions on them when they are summoned.

Otherworldly creatures such as demons need magic power to sustain their life, and they inevitably have to rely on the magic power supplied by their summoners. In other words, if Fujiwara were to use her magic power, she would be able to control the demon both physically and mentally. But, the vast amount of magic power that she originally possessed was now useless.

What a waste.

“Well, you know. If you don’t give it a try, you’ll never know. If it doesn’t work, then give up.”

“I don’t want to… Oh my god, that really sucks…”

Fujiwara’s expression clouded with depression, but I was pretty sure that was my line.

When we were disheartened, the doctor said, “Don’t lose hope.”

“Magic engineering is evolving. Soon it will be possible to separate fused souls. Whether it’s a year, ten years, or a hundred years from now, one day you’ll be able to return to normal.”

“I can’t wait that long. If you want, dissect Fujiwara a little bit, I will allow it. But please free me from this monster as soon as possible…”

“Really?” The doctor narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure about that?”

“Of course not! Ashiya-kun, you have no heart!”

A shriek pierced my ears.

“Oi-Oi, You can’t be serious. That was just a joke, a joke.”

“A joke that isn’t funny is just gibberish! In general, Ashiya-kun, why are you so dissatisfied with the fact that I, a pretty girl with a lot of talent, became your familiar? It should be a great honour to you.”

“Do you understand that it was your overconfidence that triggered this tragedy?”

“I didn’t make any mistakes! Every step of the preparation and process was perfect! It was supposed to be, and then some mistake made it happen! How is that possible…? It’s unreasonable.”

It’s my situation that was unreasonable. I just got caught up in it, didn’t I?

I was too dumbfounded to say anything, and the doctor nodded, “That’s correct.”

“According to the test proctor, Fujiwara made no mistakes. The school had examined the grimoire and the magic formation beforehand. It was said that it would be able to handle the summoning smoothly. There’s no way it could have gone that far.”

“Yeah,” Fujiwara leaned forward. “That was weird.”

“That’s why, even though you failed the exam, you were allowed to advance as an exception. But I think it was also because Ashiya-kun, a summoner, is going to be promoted.”

“Advancement… Ah… Did the West say anything strange?” Fujiwara muttered.

I, too, was depressed at the thought that tomorrow was the start of a new school year, and I had to go to school with her.

It seemed that this incident had already been publicized.

It was a nightmare.

The Japanese branch of the International Mage Association was split into two major factions.

The eastern branch is controlled by the Fujiwara family, while the western branch is controlled by the Sanjo family.

As her name implies, Chikage Fujiwara is the daughter of the head Fujiwara family, and therefore, she reigns at the top of the East in the school. She may not look like it, but she is a member of the noblest bloodline.

Of course, the fact that I had such a big shot as a familiar me was definitely not good.

In the worst-case scenario, the East might kill me…

Why is this happening to me? I wonder if I did something horrible in my previous life.

“I want to be reincarnated as a Yakusugi cedar in Yakushima… I want to spend my time doing nothing but photosynthesis without thinking about anything else.”

“What kind of nonsense are you saying?”

She poked me on the shoulder.

***