But no matter how hard he tried, the anxiety never disappeared, and he hated how he was always the one being protected.

His Mama could do everything.

The Mama he loved.

He had worked hard in his own way so that one day he could be praised by him.

"And I told you before, did I not? As long as Cari does not say he does not need Mama, we will always be together. You said you would never say that. You said we would always be together, right?"

"...sniff... yeah... together..."

He would never say he did not need his Mama.

As long as his Mama did not say he did not need him, they would always be together.

Remembering how happy that had made him before, he held onto that feeling once more.

"I love you, Mama."

"I love Cari too. Of course, I love Albe as well."

"...I see."

Even though Qiong Xing had just reassured them so gently, Albe’s response toward him was oddly curt, which made Cari tilt his head in confusion.

...

"That helped. I thank you, human."

"...?"

A voice was heard.

And it came from right in front of them.

But the only one there was the wolf they had just saved.

"Where are you looking? Over here."

Qiong Xing looked around, wondering where the voice was coming from, but then the large tongue licked his face as if telling him to look properly.

"Could it be that you were the one speaking?"

Though he found it hard to believe, he asked anyway, and the wolf nodded in confirmation.

Wow. That was amazing.

"You could not speak earlier, could you? Were you too hungry to have the strength?"

"That is not the case. It is because we formed a contract as familiars. I thank you for saving us."

"I see. I am glad I could help. Is your body alright now?"

Since Albe had said that magic power was like food, Qiong Xing had given some, but he still asked in case there were any issues.

"There are no problems at all. In fact, I feel better than ever. Your magic power is very delicious."

Just like how humans have preferences in food, it seemed magical beasts also found some magic power more appealing than others.

If it tasted bad, that would be a problem, but since it was delicious, there was nothing to worry about.

"It seems I have not introduced myself yet. My name is Qiong Xing."

"Qiong Xing, is it. I look forward to working with you. I have no name, but humans call me Fenrisúlfr."

When Qiong Xing asked what he should call him, he was told to choose whatever he liked.

"In that case, would Fenrir be alright?"

"Fenrir, is it. I do not mind."

The way his tail wagged vigorously showed that he seemed to like it.

Encouraged by that, Qiong Xing boldly hugged him, and his body was met with soft fluffy fur.

"Hehe. Ah, this feels so nice. So fluffy." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"It is thanks to you. That said, is it not a bit reckless to cling to me like this without any caution?"

"There is no need to be cautious, is there? From now on, Fenrir is family too. There is nothing wrong with hugging family."

Qiong Xing liked Mayo’s smooth skin, but Fenrisúlfr’s fluffy fur was just as appealing.

Leandrr and the others also had fluffy fur, but he avoided touching them since he had no idea what they might do in return.

He had once told his parents that he wanted a pet, but since his father had allergies, he was never able to have one, and had always longed for it.

"...Family."

"...Could it be that you do not like that?"

Before they formed the contract, they had not been able to properly communicate, so Qiong Xing wondered if calling him family might have been a bother and was about to apologize.

But for some reason, Fenrisúlfr pushed his head forward as if asking to be petted.

"If you insist that much, then I shall become your family. Go on, you may touch me as much as you like."

So cute.

Qiong Xing continued petting him to his heart’s content, and before long, the twins woke up as well, so they all ate together.

"Even so, Fenrir looks cool when he is big, but if he is that large, can he even fit inside the house?"

"That is impossible."

What should they do?

It would be fine to let him live in the forest as he was, but since a contractor had to regularly provide magic power to their familiar, Qiong Xing wanted to live together if possible.

"Is being large a problem? If so, there is no need to worry. I can change my size to some extent."

"...What?"

Before Qiong Xing could ask what he meant, Fenrisúlfr spun around once, and in the next moment, he had shrunk down to the size of a puppy.

...What just happened?

"F-Fenrir?"

When Qiong Xing called out to confirm, the small puppy tilted his head as if to say what was wrong.

"He got so small..."

What kind of trick was that?

For now, Qiong Xing calmed himself by thoroughly petting the now adorable puppy version of Fenrisúlfr.

Once he had settled down, he asked what had just happened, and it seemed this was also one of the abilities granted by the familiar contract.

"It would be somewhat troublesome to remain by your side and move around at that size. Unless we are in a wide open place like this, I would only get in the way."

Amazing. Truly amazing.

At this size, he looked almost identical to the wolf pup, making them seem more like siblings than parent and child.

"H-hey, this guy suddenly got tiny..."

Albe and the others stared in shock, and when Qiong Xing tilted his head, wondering if they had not heard the earlier conversation, Fenrisúlfr explained that only the contractor could hear a familiar’s voice.

After Qiong Xing properly explained everything to them, they were surprised but accepted it.