When the frightening pink tentacles manifested from the girl's body, Eu raised an eyebrow. Laffey, after taking a closer look at the pink things on Haruna, sensed the aura of her own commander emanating from them.
"So the thing you gave me can actually forcibly control my body?"
Haruna's expression was sour. Being unable to move freely and being manipulated like a doll felt awful. She glared angrily at Raize, clearly wanting a satisfactory explanation.
She had already gained plenty of benefits from Raize, but what exactly was this strange thing inside her body?
A magical girl paired with tentacles—no matter how you looked at it, it just didn't fit.
"Heh. You could say it's a way to rein in that fidgety habit of yours. As long as you don't do anything that causes me trouble, the symbiote inside you is entirely at your disposal. The power I gave you is far stronger than any so-called magical girl power."
Raize picked up the juice on the table and took a sip, glancing sideways at the pouting Haruna on the sofa with a smile playing at the corners of his mouth and in his eyes.
Inside her room upstairs, Haruna—now wielding her new power—had clearly tested out strength far more terrifying than before. Just her raw physical power alone was already beyond what her former self could compare to.
Raize had explained to her the nature of the power he granted, only leaving out the fact that the symbiote itself was still subject to his direct control.
Marking Haruna with his own imprint also ensured that, should a certain unwilling-to-give-up Ariel ever try to scheme against her, it would be pointless.
As long as Haruna remained in his hands, Ariel's so-called rebellion plan would be nothing but a joke.
"Hmph. Who knows whether you'll suddenly let your beastly instincts run wild and control me to do something indecent."
Haruna's face reddened as she recalled how forcefully Raize had held her earlier. She didn't actually dislike the symbiote inside her that much; it was just her personality driving her to instinctively snap back at him, venting the lingering embarrassment and fluster she felt.
Lowering her head, she raised both hands. The strange presence within her body became active at her will. A long pink tentacle extended from her arm, snatching fruit from a plate on the table and bringing it to her hand.
Seeing how convenient Haruna's pink tentacle was, Laffey's crimson eyes lit up. Wasn't this basically a perfect tool for slacking off?
"Mm-hmm. Pretty amazing. Compared to magical weapons, this really is much stronger."
Haruna deftly manipulated the pink symbiote on her body again, wrapping it around herself and reshaping it into the form of her former magical armor. She looked at herself with satisfaction. Vast magical reactions surged within her body, and her petite frame brimmed with explosive power.
"Hu—!"
Looking down at her hands, she flexed her fingers. Crisp crackling sounds rang out as she clenched them, and when she suddenly closed her fist, the air was instantly forced aside, stirring a light gust through the living room.
(Did Haruna… receive your power?)
Turning her notebook toward Raize, Eu felt increasingly familiar with the pink substance on Haruna's body. From it, she sensed Raize's power—it seemed to operate on a principle similar to how she herself shared her blood with others.
"You could say Haruna is now my retainer. I gave her part of my power so she has some means of self-protection."
As he answered Eu's question with a slight smile, black-and-red intertwined tentacles extended from Raize's back. They stretched into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, and nimbly retrieved a pudding, placing it in front of Eu.
Eu happily accepted the pudding and, without the slightest fear, reached out to touch the tentacle. The texture was soft and comfortable.
Seeing this, Raize smiled faintly, a mischievous thought rising in his mind. The tentacle Eu was touching immediately transformed, morphing into a figurine-sized version of Eu herself.
This made Eu cover her mouth in mild surprise as she looked at the miniature version of herself on the tentacle—wearing the same relaxed, unrestrained smile—and teasingly beckoning to her.
Eu shot Raize, who wore the same smile, an annoyed glance. She knew he was just teasing her. Still, seeing a shrunken version of herself was admittedly quite interesting.
The figurine-sized Eu separated from the tentacle and stepped through the air toward the real Eu, who extended her hand to let it land gently in her palm.
(Raize, you're not allowed to use my appearance to do anything indecent in the future, okay~)
Lightly tapping the miniature version of herself with her finger, Eu suddenly seemed to remember something. She cast a dark look at Raize and raised her notebook toward him.
Seeing what Eu had written, Raize's face darkened. The miniature Eu in her palm also wore an equally sour expression. Raize felt that his character was being seriously questioned, which left him both wounded and displeased.
The figurine-sized Eu immediately dissolved back into the still-extended tentacle. That black-and-red tentacle then transformed into Raize's hand, swiftly moving in front of Eu to lightly pinch her small nose and flick her forehead.
"Eu, I feel like my integrity has been severely attacked and questioned by you. In your eyes, do I really look like that kind of pervert? And what exactly do you mean by those 'indecent things'? Do you dare say it to my face?"
Raize withdrew the tentacle-hand with a sulky expression, staring at the delicate girl in front of him as she rubbed her nose, clearly protesting strongly.
What he transformed into was still fundamentally himself. Doing indecent things to himself—what was that supposed to mean?
"Hmph!"
Eu rubbed her nose and forehead, her face slightly flushed. With a girlishly petulant air, she turned her head away and refused to look at Raize, leaving only a scribbled "I'm angry, I'm ignoring you" expression in her notebook.
Watching Eu happily eat her pudding while ignoring him, Raize's mouth twitched.
Others might not know, but did he not know her well? Despite being unable to speak due to her condition, Eu's inner world was incredibly lively—and quite mischievous.
Ding-dong~
The sudden sound of the doorbell rang out. Haruna, who had still been experimenting with her powers, immediately used the symbiote to revert her body to normal. She shot Raize a tsundere glance and then casually sat cross-legged on the sofa.
Who would come looking for him on a day off? Though he hadn't extended his senses, Raize already had an answer in mind.
He patted Laffey on the head, signaling that there was a guest and she shouldn't laze about—it would be impolite.
Raize quickly walked to the entryway and opened the door. What met his eyes were three female figures standing outside.