The night at Mahoraba Academy, along the deserted Sakura Avenue, a young girl walked and sang her way toward the girls' dormitory. The girl's name was Miyazaki Kazuka, a third-year A-class student, who possessed a certain degree of gynophobia… wait, an ability.

"Ah, it's Sakura Avenue." For some reason, she had to return to the girls' dormitory alone. That usually wasn't a big deal; Mahoraba Academy never had any gropers, so while she was a bit timid, she wasn't exactly terrified. But halfway there, she suddenly remembered the terrifying rumors circulating on Sakura Avenue recently.

"Such a strong wind, I should walk faster... Not scared, not scared, not scared, I'm not scared at all of octopuses, vampires, or ghosts. Hehe, how could things like that even exist? That's obviously impossible, so..."

"Human, you stop right there!" Just as the girl was trying to console herself, a voice suddenly sounded right next to her ear.

"Waaah, don't eat me!" The girl instantly reacted like a rabbit whose tail had been caught, a look of utter terror spreading across her face as she bolted away with unprecedented speed, tears streaming down her face.

"Human, stop!" The voice closely pursued the fleeing girl.

"Waaah, I don't taste good, and my blood isn't tasty either. I don't want to go to the Sanzu River, go find someone else to be your friend!" The girl ran even faster without looking back.

"Fool, who wants to eat your flesh? I don't drink human blood! I am the strongest Servant in this world! A mere human is not worthy of being someone's friend!" The voice sounded somewhat angry, filled with arrogance.

"Eh?" Miyazaki Kazuka paused, momentarily startled. Though fear still gnawed at her heart, hearing that statement made her glance back. When she saw the "person" chasing her, she froze.

It wasn't a vampire, nor a ghost, and certainly not the legendary octopus. Standing before her was a tiny girl, barely thirty centimeters tall. This girl had golden hair, wore silver-white armor, and possessed an air of heroic spirit between her brows. She seemed to be holding a sword, standing proudly in mid-air... If one ignored her diminutive size, she was undoubtedly a dashing female knight.

"So... so cute." Miyazaki Kazuka was instantly captivated. The previous fear vanished in an instant, and she lunged forward, cupping the girl in her arms and rubbing her face against the small body.

"Let go, let go immediately, you idiotic human!" The tiny girl looked furious, struggling powerfully in Kazuka's embrace, but given her size, she simply couldn't break free.

"So cute, so cute..."

"Ngh, let go of me!"

"So cute..."

"Idiotic human, let go!"

"Incredibly cute..."

"Waaah... MASTER, save me..."

In just this short span, the original power dynamic had been completely reversed.

...

"That idiot, is her IQ only 9?" Watching the scene unfold on Sakura Avenue from not far away, Lin Luo couldn't help but rub his forehead in frustration. The tiny girl being held and smothered by Miyazaki Kazuka was, of course, little Saber.

For Lin Luo to summon his contractor, he needed to remain in this world for a certain amount of time to analyze the summoning system, much like analyzing the world's rules. Although this system wasn't as difficult as world rules, it required accumulating a large amount of experience points, and the stronger the Overman, the harder they were to summon.

Currently, Lin Luo could only manage to summon one, and he couldn't summon anyone above the Spirit Rank. Among all his contractors, only little Saber fit this criterion. Of course, this wasn't a problem for Lin Luo, as he had intended to summon little Saber anyway; her reconnaissance and stealth-breaking abilities were quite useful for his current situation.

So, Lin Luo had summoned little Saber in the evening.

However, he was slightly surprised that little Saber, perhaps influenced by some anime, had become even more arrogant than her naturally proud and haughty self, barely acknowledging him, her Master, and constantly calling him "Human, human, human."

Fine, Lin Luo could overlook all that; he never expected little Saber to turn into a sweet girl anyway. But what truly made his blood run cold was that little Saber’s intelligence seemed inversely proportional to her pride; after some time apart, her IQ had dropped to less than 9.

He had assigned the task of scaring Miyazaki Kazuka to Aisaka Sayo, while little Saber's job was merely close-range surveillance—to signal when Negi appeared nearby. But... damn it, why did you have to run out and mess with the bookstore girl? Did you think this appearance could scare someone unconscious? At best, it could cause a 'moe-kill,' and even that was executed poorly.

"Um, Teacher, what should we do now?" Aisaka Sayo poked her head out from behind Lin Luo and asked worriedly.

Even a ghost would feel lonely if she didn't talk to people for a long time. Since she could only converse with Lin Luo, she had become uncharacteristically clingy, almost like Lin Luo's personal background spirit... Sometimes Lin Luo felt a chill down his spine.

"What to do? Just let it be," Lin Luo replied curtly. The plan had been completely ruined by little Saber. Even if he sent Sayo to scare the bookstore girl now, it wouldn't have the intended effect. And as for Negi, if he wasn't nearby, it was useless. It seemed the night was a write-off.

"Huh, wait a minute." As Lin Luo thought this, he suddenly sensed something was off. Logically, Negi cared deeply for his students. If Asue had been frightened, he should have come to Sakura Avenue to investigate. If he had come, he should have appeared immediately after the bookstore girl's scream, but there was no reaction whatsoever?

... Perhaps things had taken a turn.

Lin Luo pondered, unable to pinpoint the nature of the change. This feeling left him in an awkward spot where he didn't know where to start.

"Sayo, wait here. I'll go check," Lin Luo told her. Then, for safety, he once again transformed into a flat-chested girl and quietly headed towards the bookstore and little Saber.

Meanwhile, little Saber was still unable to escape Miyazaki Kazuka’s embrace, while Kazuka's face was alight with excitement. She nuzzled the small body and asked, "What's your name, you adorable little thing?"

"Idiotic human, my name is SABER, the strongest and greatest Servant!" little Saber declared loudly.

"So your name is SABER. What a cute name."

Strange? Listening to their conversation from a distance, Lin Luo felt something deeply odd, though he couldn't quite articulate what it was—it just felt too incongruous.

Miyazaki Kazuka was naturally timid, especially after the incident with Asue fainting. Being alone on Sakura Avenue now, she shouldn't be unafraid. Even if little Saber was a cute creature, Kazuka shouldn't be so overwhelmed by 'moe' that she forgot everything else. Furthermore, faced with such a strange little being, as a normal person relying on common sense, why wasn't she surprised in the least?

No matter how little common sense she had, she should at least ask: "Hey, what kind of creature are you? Why are you so small? Why are you floating in the air? Why are you at Mahoraba?"—these basic questions any person would ask first. Instead, she immediately asked little Saber's name, which, while a basic question, was strangely prioritized.

"Is this bookstore girl... not the bookstore girl?" No, no, Lin Luo immediately dismissed that idea. If the bookstore girl were someone else in disguise, his True Sight would have seen through it instantly, but there wasn't a single flaw; the bookstore girl was genuinely the bookstore girl... this was getting confusing.

"Then what is happening? This sense of incongruity..."

Bang! As Lin Luo pondered, he suddenly heard a gunshot from the cherry blossom bushes not far from him. The sound wasn't loud, but Lin Luo heard it with extreme clarity, and the target was himself.

Swish! Lin Luo instinctively dodged backward. The bullet grazed past his cheek. What shocked Lin Luo was that the bullet was imbued with spiritual power—it was a demon-warding bullet.

As far as Lin Luo knew, within Mahoraba School, only one person possessed such precise marksmanship and used demon-warding bullets... the student from Class 2-A, one of the Martial Arts Four Heavenly Kings—the half-demon, Kuonji Mana.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Before Lin Luo could fully react, three more demon-warding bullets flew at him, one from the front and two from behind, simultaneously attacking him and blocking his paths of retreat. Unbelievable marksmanship.

It had to be Kuonji Mana.

Although Kuonji Mana’s sudden appearance truly startled him, this level of attack wasn't enough to throw him off balance. As he dodged the first bullet, Lin Luo utilized the magnetism within his body, completely disrupting the trajectory of the other two bullets, thus evading a fatal shot.

"Horse Hoof... Collapse Fist!"

But it wasn't over yet. Just then, a sharp voice rang out from behind him, accompanied by an immensely powerful burst of chi. Lin Luo instinctively looked back to see a girl with short twintails throwing a punch toward him.

What the—why is this person here too?

Lin Luo's expression changed. This girl was none other than another student from Class 2-A, another of the Martial Arts Four Heavenly Kings, the Chinese exchange student who practiced Chinese Kenpo—Kou Fu.

Kou Fu's strength could not be underestimated. For her, an ordinary person from the world of light, to be ranked alongside three other freaks as one of the Martial Arts Four Heavenly Kings was proof enough of her extraordinary talent and skill. However, Lin Luo had studied close-combat fighting with Evangeline for some time, combined with the stimulation from bio-electricity, dealing with her wasn't difficult.

He sidestepped, grabbed her attacking fist, twisted her shoulder, and the girl went flying backward.

"Kouga Chunin reporting, Clone Technique: Oboro Cross!" The moment the voice sounded, Lin Luo saw four identical girls appear around him. The girl was quite tall, squinting one eye, and all four figures attacked Lin Luo simultaneously.

This girl was also a student from Class 2-A, another of the Martial Arts Four Heavenly Kings, a ninja who had trained in the mountains since childhood—Nagase Kaede. Thus, three of the Martial Arts Four Heavenly Kings were now present.

Gah—I just came here to supervise Negi and Asuna on behalf of Evangeline so they could successfully form their contracts. Why are you all showing up, you freaks? Your entrance cue hasn't arrived yet!

"I..." Lin Luo didn't know how to vent his frustration.

Fortunately, although Nagase Kaede was strong, she was only on par with Kuonji Mana before she transformed into a half-demon. Even with the advantage of numbers, she wouldn't be too hard to handle. Using both Reinforcement Magic and bio-electricity, Lin Luo dodged the four ninjas' fierce assault with speed that absolutely surpassed theirs.

"Rastamaster Magic Shooter, Eleven Light Arrows!"

Just as Lin Luo was briefly tied up by Nagase Kaede's four ninja clones, the Magic Teacher, Negi, finally appeared on the other side, unleashing the strongest spell he currently had available: Magic Shooter, Eleven Light Arrows!

Never underestimate any genius, especially a protagonist genius. Although Magic Shooter wasn't considered high-level magic, the power Negi unleashed was formidable; at least Lin Luo didn't want to endure that move.

He stopped fighting Nagase Kaede and quickly retreated from the immediate battle circle. However, just as he was about to break out, Kuonji Mana’s demon-warding bullets attacked again, forcing him to halt his rush.

"Don't try to escape, you are surrounded by us," Kou Fu said, stepping forward to block the path behind Lin Luo.

"Although you are strong, facing the four of us, you likely have no chance of victory," Nagase Kaede said, squinting her eyes to Lin Luo's right.

"It takes this many people just to pin her down. It seems I need to raise my fee this time," from within the cherry blossom bushes to Lin Luo’s left, a tall girl holding a sniper rifle emerged slowly—it was Kuonji Mana.

"You must be a magician too, I can sense the magic on you. Why are you attacking the schoolgirls here?" Negi stood in front of Lin Luo and asked sternly.

Now, Lin Luo was completely surrounded by the four.

"How frustrating. It seems I’ve walked into a trap," Lin Luo shrugged and sighed, speaking in a girl's voice, of course; modulating his vocal cords with electromagnetism was quite simple. He had even sung "Only My Railgun" using a female voice.

"Using Miyazaki Kazuka as bait to lure me out, and then the four of you surround me for an ambush. Indeed, this is quite a good strategy. Who came up with it?" Lin Luo asked unhurriedly. Although he appeared cornered, escaping was actually very easy for him. It was just that the situation escalating to this point was incredibly annoying—managing to draw out three of the Martial Arts Four Heavenly Kings at once... this was unbelievable.

"This was a plan we all devised together. I will not allow the culprit who harmed my students to escape justice," Negi stated firmly.

"That is certainly something you would say. But speaking of which, how did so many people find out about your identity as a magician so quickly?" Lin Luo teased.

"Uh, well..." Negi paused, seemingly unsure how to answer.

"You sound very familiar with us. Who exactly are you?" True to her battlefield experience, Kuonji Mana immediately picked up on the subtle implications in Lin Luo’s words.

"Don't forget to state your purpose either. Depending on the situation, we might go easier on you," Kou Fu added, sounding somewhat threatening.

"That won't do. I can't reveal my purpose," Lin Luo shrugged, looking utterly unyielding, like a quintessential villain.

"I knew you would say that, but I’m still a little disappointed..." Negi sighed and then spoke toward the bookstore girl on the other side, "Kazuka-san, please."

"Huh?" Lin Luo tilted his head. The bookstore girl... what was going on?

"Y-yes, Negi-sensei!" The bookstore girl nodded, slightly flustered, then released little Saber from her embrace, spreading her hands wide. "Adat Bongo Eito Nikki [Adat Self-Portrait Diary]!"

Pfft! Lin Luo nearly spat blood.

He finally understood why he felt that incongruity earlier. The bookstore girl had already signed a Contractor contract with Negi. She had shifted from the realm of common sense to the realm of the unconventional, which is why she wasn't surprised by little Saber’s appearance and didn't ask any questions other than her name.

But Asuna and Negi hadn't contracted yet. Why was the bookstore girl the first one?

In a flash, Lin Luo figured it out. The Colourful Ferret Kamo could gauge the affection level each girl had for Negi and find the most suitable Servant for him. At this stage, the most suitable was the bookstore girl. He had once used a small trick to bring the bookstore girl and Negi together, but the contract signing was ruined by Asuna.

However, judging by the current situation, that provisional contract hadn't been broken. Due to the butterfly effect caused by Lin Luo’s arrival, the bookstore girl had managed to contract with Negi before Asuna.

This explained everything. Lin Luo, having focused on the Book of the Root recently, hadn't paid attention to other matters.

Of course, this posed a huge crisis for Lin Luo. He could ignore the Martial Arts Four Heavenly Kings and Negi, but he absolutely could not ignore the bookstore girl. Her ability was terrifying: Adat Self-Portrait Diary. As long as she knew the target's name, she could forcibly read their thoughts; even someone at Evangeline's level couldn't block it... Not good.

Thinking of this, Lin Luo's expression abruptly changed.

"Saber, tell me, what is your objective?" It was too late. At this moment, the bookstore girl was already using the function of Adat Self-Portrait Diary on little Saber.

"Huh?" Having just left the bookstore girl’s embrace, little Saber quickly flew into the air. Hearing the question, she was momentarily stunned.

"Come back, little Saber!" Although it might have been a step too late, Lin Luo swiftly recalled little Saber into his Command Spell space. This sudden action stunned Negi and the other three.

Lin Luo ignored them and rushed toward the bookstore girl like lightning. He had to rip that paper away before she could see the diary's contents, or else... he would be exposed!

Damn it, this is too much to handle!

P.S.: Requesting monthly tickets and recommendation votes V