A Contract in the Alley

A wave of cheers swept through the crowd as a stunning red-haired woman in a revealing bikini took the stage. Smiling, she scanned the audience, seemingly inviting every eye to rest upon her.

I feel like I’ve seen that beautiful woman somewhere before, Liyahiss mused.

Are you serious? Belzebub, who is she to you?

I’m sure I’ve never met her, so why does her magic feel so familiar? Belzebub thought back.

Liyahiss wanted to inspect the red-haired woman’s information directly, but she was too far away to use her ability.

“Wow! She looked at me! She even smiled! Could she be into me?!” someone in the crowd exclaimed.

“Keep dreaming. Who’d be interested in a washboard like you? Pfft!” another sneered.

“You’re not much better off than me! I won’t accept this!”

“Oh yeah? You wanna go?”

“Bring it on! I’m not afraid of anything!”

“Silence! Next!” the proctor roared.

Just as Liyahiss was debating whether to trail the woman after her turn, a black-robed figure with their hood drawn low slowly ascended the stage.

Could that be the same person I saw at the city gate? Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Let’s just see how she performs.

When the black-robed figure placed their hand on the crystal ball… nothing happened.

“Is this crystal ball broken, meow?”

“Not a single spark of light. It’s like every element rejects her!”

“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. A once-in-a-century failure!”

“Where did this loser come from? Get off the stage! Don’t waste everyone’s time, there are people waiting!”

“Get down!”

“Get down!”

“Get down!”

The robed figure stood there, stunned into inaction, unable to accept the outcome. Then, the woman next in line for the test strode forward and kicked them right off the stage. The surrounding people recoiled as if failure were a contagion.

Seething with unspoken rage, the black-robed figure scrambled to their feet and fled. The tests continued, but Liyahiss had lost interest. She had found something far more fascinating.

“Hillisa, you and Belzebub go find us a place to stay. I need to be alone for a bit.”

In the corner of a secluded alley, a black-robed figure sat on the ground, knees drawn together, sobbing and trembling. It was impossible to tell if she was shivering from the cold or from fury.

“Why… why am I so useless, meow? I want to learn powerful magic, too, meow! Sister… I miss you so much… I want to avenge you, meow! But… I can’t do anything…”

“Why are you crying?” a voice echoed in the alley.

“?!”

“Are you lamenting your own weakness?”

“…”

“Do you desire power? Then form a contract with me and become a magical girl.”

Liyahiss casually demonstrated some basic magic from all six elements, easily winning the black-robed girl’s trust.

“I’ll do it, meow!”

The master-servant contract she signed was identical to the one Belzebub had.

“This is amazing, meow! Now I can use magic from all six elements, meow! Sister… did you see that, meow? Just you wait, I’ll make them all pay! Oh-hohoho!”

Liyahiss hadn’t helped the weak girl on a whim. She had been curious, following her until she was close enough to inspect her information. The results were truly unexpected:

{
Name: An Jiu
Race: Orange Cat
Height: 1.50m
Bust: C
Elemental Affinity: 0
Combat Magic: None
Strength: C
Agility: B
Constitution: C
Endurance: C
Conviction: A
Exclusive Talent: [Absolute Magic Seal]
}