Peter yelped as he scrambled backward, his back smming into the wooden wall of his dorm with a dull thud. “D-DEMON! I—! I DIDN’T—PLEASE DON’T EAT ME!!”

  His legs tangled in the folds of his own bnket as he tried to stand and failed miserably, sliding halfway into a pile of crumpled notes. Chalk dust burst into the air like smoke. His heart was pounding so hard he could barely hear his own voice.

  The woman blinked. “Eat you?” she said, tilting her head. “Mmm… tempting.”

  She started toward him, soft footsteps with a jingle from her bare feet and anklets . Her tails swayed behind her like they were enjoying the panic too, curling and flicking with zy grace. Her red eyes gleamed, fixed on him like a cat watching a cornered mouse.

  Peter gasped and tried to press himself further into the wall. “I—I didn’t mean to summon you! I was just experimenting! You can go back! R-Really, it’s fine!”

  Katja stopped right in front of him, then leaned in close, a bit too close. One hand rested on the wall beside his head, the other brushing lightly against his chin, lifting it ever so slightly. Her chest was almost touching him, and the candlelight danced across the gold jewelry on her neck and ears. “Mmhm… you’re adorable,” she murmured, her voice like velvet. “But I’m not here to hurt you. You summoned me, didn’t you?”

  Peter froze after seeing it.. The magic circle, the same one that he had drawn, glowed faintly in front of him. It was etched right into the skin of Katja’s chest, just above her heart. “…You’re… my familiar?”

  The woman then leaned back just a little, still smiling, still way too close. “Katja,” she purred. “I am a djinn-type spirit, in case you’re wondering. And yes… I’m yours now.”

  Peter blinked. “I-I’m… Peter.”

  “Hello, Peter” Kayja giggled, “Or should I call you Master, now?”

  “It’s okay, y-you can call me Pe—”

  Suddenly, Katja leaned back, pced a hand over her chest and gave him the most dramatic pout he’d ever seen. “To think the Master would think that I’m a demon…?!” she gasped, voice dripping with fake offense. “Really? After everything I went through to make an entrance…and you call me a demon?”

  “Wha—No! I-I didn’t mean—I just—!”

  Katja turned slightly, giving him her shoulder with a mock sniff, her tails flicking in unison behind her like a wall of fluff. “Unbelievable. I finally get summoned again after centuries, and my Master’s first words are ‘Don’t eat me, demon!’”

  Peter sat up straighter, hands in the air like he was surrendering. “I’m sorry! Really! I just—I panicked! You’re just… so… tall! I thought you were…well..you know” She peeked at him from the corner of her eye, clearly enjoying the squirming. Peter tried again. “If you’re not a demon… then… what are you?”

  She tilted her head again, brushing some loose hair over her shoulder. “You really don’t know?”

  Peter shook his head. “I…don’t”

  Katja looked genuinely surprised for once. Her smirk faded a little as she stared at him, then past him, at the magical books scattered all over his bed. “…Huh. So it’s really been that long.” Her voice was softer now. “I’m a Djinn,” she finally said, folding her arms under her chest. “We used to be known across every continent. Summoners would fight over contracts with us, but” She gave a small shrug. “I guess time has a way of erasing things.”

  Peter blinked. “Djinn…? But that’s not in any of the familiar encyclopedias….”

  Katja smirked again, a little proud now. “I guess you have found yourself a lost page, Master.” But as she eyed her Master, her eyes narrowed in amusement. Peter had been staring. Not intentionally, but his gaze had definitely lingered a bit too long on her curves and tails. “Enjoying the view, Master?” she purred, her voice low and teasing.

  “N-NO! I wasn’t—I mean, I wasn’t looking at you—I mean, I was but not like that! I was just!!”

  Katja leaned forward again slightly, biting her lip with innocence. “Just what, hmm?”

  Peter threw his hands up in defense, nearly tripping over a chalk stick. “I’m just… I’m just in awe, okay?! I finally have a familiar! After months of being the only one without one! Everyone else has with their summons and I—I just felt stuck! It’s not like I was trying to summon someone like you!” he blurted.

  Katja was stunned at that statement. She then slowly looked down at the chalk-drawn circle still glowing faintly beneath her. “…So that’s why,” she murmured.

  “That’s why what?”

  She crouched down, dragging a finger lightly across the edge of the circle, inspecting the lines. “This circle… it’s the one to free a sealed being from an Alter Dimension. This one’s always been hard to get right—one tiny mistake, and you get nothing…or something worse.” She gnced back up at him with a raised brow. “And you did it alone?”

  Peter nodded. Yes, he did accidentally add that extra mark to turn that circle into the one that summoned Katja, but he can’t just tell her that. It’d make him look bad. “Y-Yeah…” he said, scratching the back of his head, “I just did some calcutions and followed the ws of mana theory…”

  Katja looked almost impressed. “Huh… no wonder you were able to do it,” she said. “My Master seems to be a genius~”

  “I—I wouldn’t call myself that.” Peter murmured, trying not to blush.

  Suddenly, Katja stretched her arms high over her head, arching her back. Her tails fanned out in a wave of glimmering red fur. Her outfit shifted just enough to make Peter stare again before violently yanking his eyes away. “Aaahhh~! I forgot how cramped I was in that Alter Dimension!” she sighed, swaying her hips. “Being bound like that for so long? Ugh. The things I would do for a good summoner.” She turned to him, “Thank you, Master,” she said, her voice suddenly soft and genuine. “For summoning me. Really.”

  Peter felt a weird flutter in his chest. “…Y-You’re welcome?”

  Katja winked. “I’m gonna be the best familiar you ever have.” Then she leaned in, whispering close to his ear. “Even if I’m your first.”

  Peter let out a long, groggy yawn without meaning to, rubbing at his eyes with chalk-dusted fingers. Katja smiled at her tired master. “Tired already? Humans and your weak little bodies.” Peter opened his mouth to argue, but before he could muster a reply, she snapped her fingers. A soft wave of heat passed through the room. All at once, the piles of crumpled notes on the floor and bed combusted into harmless ash, the fmes vanishing as fast as they came.

  “Wha—! Hey! I needed some of those!” Peter yelped.

  “No you didn’t,” Katja said ftly, already walking over to him. “You need this.” She then grabbed him by the colr, gentle but strong enough that he couldn’t stop her. With a fluid motion, she pulled him backward onto the bed with her, both of them nding in a soft bounce. Her arms were now wrapped around him. Her massive chest was now squished into his side.

  “H-H-H-Hey! Wait—this isn’t—!” Pater stammered, filing slightly, but she only grinned, her grip tightening like an affectionate predator. He tried scooting away. Didn’t move an inch. Her strength was terrifying.

  “Rex,” she said, voice a gentle coo now. “You summoned me. I’m yours. This is just part of the contract.”

  He gulped. “D-Don’t familiars usually go into their Master’s internal mana after being summoned?! I-I thought you were supposed to vanish into some ethereal dimension or something!”

  Katja’s smile faded ever so slightly. “I’m not going back to being trapped in a realm with nothing to do. Not after tasting freedom.” Her expression softened again, but her grip didn’t loosen. “Besides,” she added, tail flicking up to brush his leg, “I recover mana faster when I’m near my Master.” She gave him a teasing look.

  Without a word, she unfurled her thick, velvety tails and draped them over him like a heavy, fuzzy bnket. Peter flinched at first, but the moment the warmth sank in, he let out a deep sigh. Katja watched his face carefully, how he tensed under her hold, and then slowly began to settle.

  “You're…Warm…” he mumbled, barely conscious. He realized that he was too exhausted to continue doing anything, so he let body rex completely against her. Katja brushed a strand of his hair away from his forehead and exhaled through her nose. A second ter, Peter’s breathing slowed, and his head leaned slightly into her chest.

  “Good night, Master~” she whispered, fondly.