“Xing...” If there’d been a mirror nearby, Eve would’ve seen her little face glowing red in it.

“What is it?” Xing Hai asked.

“C-could you put me down? This is so embarrassing...” Eve was mortified at being seen in his arms like this. She couldn’t help covering her face with both hands.

“Okay.” Xing Hai crouched and set Eve down.

The exam instructor was so shocked he couldn’t even speak.

Summoning magic had been around for tens of thousands of years. They’d summoned every kind of creature imaginable, but this was the first time anyone had ever formed a contract with a human.

“You... really are Eve’s familiar?” he asked Xing Hai, testing the words.

Xing Hai ignored him, keeping his head lowered as he looked at Eve.

“Xing... the instructor’s talking to you.” Eve tugged at his white robe.

Xing Hai lifted his head but didn’t speak. He simply raised his right hand, showing the character “Star,” the same one marked on the back of Eve’s hand.

“Incredible. Just incredible.” The instructor still couldn’t hide his shock.

What happened today was enough to go down in the history books. Summoning magic had summoned a human for the very first time.

He might only get a brief mention, but he’d still go down in history. After all, it had happened at the exam site under his supervision.

“Eve, congratulations! You passed!” the instructor told her with a broad smile. At least one person had passed, so it wasn’t a total wipeout.

Eve leaped into the air, cheering with delight. She could already picture the day she became a Mage and repaid her village, giving the elders a chance to live better lives.

It was all because Xing had agreed to form a contract with her.

“Thank you, Xing.” Eve held out her hand, and Xing Hai reached out to shake it.

“It’s nothing, Eve.”

Eve excitedly said goodbye to the exam instructor, then left the exam site with Xing Hai.

The two lovestruck girls followed behind them.

“Congratulations again, Eve!” the two girls said.

“It’s really nothing~” Eve blushed and gave an embarrassed little smile. “It’s all thanks to Xing...”

But what the two girls did next left her stunned.

“Xing, it’s nice to meet you. Would you come explore the library with me later?”

“Ugh, the library sounds so boring. Xing, come have a meal with me instead!”

Alice and Lina didn’t spare a thought for Eve’s feelings. Right in front of her, they started flirting with Xing Hai.

“...I’m my master’s familiar. I do whatever my master says.” Xing Hai hadn’t wanted to answer, but since the two girls were Eve’s friends, he made the effort.

“No! You can’t!” Eve immediately wrapped her arms around Xing’s waist, looking at the girls as if they were trying to steal something.

“Xing is mine!”

“Oh my, you two got together that fast?” Alice and Lina teased with mischievous smiles.

“W-we didn’t!” Eve’s confidence immediately crumbled, and her little face turned as red as a ripe apple.

“All right, all right.” Lina patted her shoulder. “Let’s go back to the dorm and pack up, then we’ll part ways.”

“Part ways?” Eve froze.

“You silly thing~” Alice pinched Eve’s cheek. “Lina and I didn’t pass, so we can’t stay here!”

“But I want to stay with you. C-could I leave with you? I have Xing now, and the school you’re transferring to might even reduce my tuition...” They hadn’t known each other for very long, but Eve had grown fond of her two roommates, who’d always looked after her—even if they did love teasing her.

“You can’t!” Lina told her earnestly. “You’re a genius who’s summoned a familiar. A school like ours would only hold you back.”

“Listen to your big sis. Stay here and study hard. You’ll become an outstanding Mage one day.”

“And then maybe your big sis and second sis will have to rely on you!”

Eve nodded, her eyes growing red. The thought of parting with Lina and Alice that very day filled her with sadness.

The four of them returned to the dorm together and packed their things. The mood was a little somber.

“Well, see you again someday, Eve!” At the academy gates, Lina and Alice waved to Eve and Xing Hai. Before Eve could answer, they hurried away.

Eve waved desperately toward the room the two had left, sparkling tears sliding down from the corners of her eyes.

After this parting, who knew when they’d meet again?

With a thought, Xing Hai sent a clone to vanish into the air and follow the two girls out of Soto City.