White and Fluffy

The white beast closed its massive jaws and began moving them with a rhythmic, squelching munyu-munyu sound. It seemed that earlier display... had just been a yawn.

What was going on?

This wasn’t exactly what I’d expected.

When I instinctively tilted my head, the beast mimicked me, cocking its own head to the side. What is this?

"So cute!" Halfa let out a high-pitched squeal.

Between the fluffy fur and the adorable gestures, it certainly was cute—provided you ignored the fact that it was a massive creature I had to crane my neck to see.

Come to think of it, the beast’s expression, which had seemed so fierce before, looked quite peaceful now. Maybe it had just been a little grumpy from being woken up?

Regardless, we’d missed our chance to run, and I no longer felt much of a need to escape anyway. It seemed the white beast had no intention of being hostile toward us.

"So, what should we do about this?" I asked.

Even if we could avoid a fight, there was still a problem: the door wouldn't budge. At this rate, we were stuck in the room. We had the Return Crystal, of course, but if we weren’t in immediate danger, I wanted to avoid using such a rare item.

"Wafu~?" the beast let out a relaxed yip.

It didn't stop there. Right before our eyes, its body began to shrink, rapidly whittling down until it was the size of a small dog.

"Wow, it got tiny!"

"How adorable~"

"I-I suppose so," Rei added tentatively.

Our gazes were glued to the creature as it rushed toward us, wagging its tail. The women, in particular, were completely enamored. I intended to remain on guard just in case, but seeing it running with all its might at the size of a puppy, my vigilance couldn't help but waver.

The white beast kept rushing toward us without slowing down.

Wait. Its target wasn't the group; it was me!

"Whoa! Wait—!"

The moment I realized its intent, the white beast leaped at me. The impact wasn't heavy, which was a relief; it seemed its weight had decreased along with its size. Even so, the surprise was enough to knock me off balance.

The white beast didn't care at all that I’d fallen on my backside and immediately started licking my face. It wagged its tail vigorously, looking quite pleased with itself.

There didn't seem to be any danger, but I couldn't fathom why this was happening. My face was getting soaked...

"Phew...! It's so fluffy!"

"It really is. Mil, you should try touching it too."

"A-As for me, well..."

Even though I was in a bind, Sally and Halfa were busy petting the fluffy white beast. Mil seemed interested as well, tentatively reaching out a hand with a bashful expression. Only Rei gave me a sympathetic look and a wry smile, though she didn't actually do anything to help.

In the end, this continued until the white beast was finally satisfied. By then, not only my face but even my Cloak of Grace was dripping with drool. I was incredibly grateful for the <Clean> magic.

Once I was presentable again, I looked over at the beast.

"From today on, your name is Shiroru!" Halfa declared.

She’d just gone ahead and named it. Since the beast in question looked happy about the choice, Shiroru it was.

Now that Shiroru had practically become a pet, the danger was truly gone, but we still couldn't leave the room. The entrance door remained stubbornly shut.

"Shiroru, do you know how we can get out?" I asked, mostly as a joke.

"Wafu!"

To my surprise, Shiroru suddenly stood up on its hind legs and thumped its chest with a front paw.

Wait, what? Is it saying, "Leave it to me"?

"Wafu-wafu!"

Shiroru pointed a paw sharply at me, then made a gesture as if tracing a square in the air.

"Speaking of square things associated with Tort-kun, maybe it means a Pandora Gift?" Sally muttered.

I wondered about that reputation, but given my track record, I could hardly deny the association.

Shiroru made an "O" shape with its paws, suggesting that was the correct answer.

I didn't quite understand why, but I pulled one out from my Storage Ring. The moment I showed it, Shiroru began tapping the Pandora Gift repeatedly, as if urging me to open it.

After a previous discussion with the party, I’d been given permission to open Pandora Gifts as long as I was with someone and the fatal-damage-avoidance effect of my [Destiny God's Smile] hadn't been triggered yet. They were worried I might use one in secret and collapse from a bad effect. I felt bad for making them worry.

The problem was that my [Destiny God's Smile] had probably already triggered today—specifically when I found the hidden passage after the Gambler’s Staff exploded. I felt a legitimate hesitation about opening a Pandora Gift without that safety net.

"Ah!"

Before I could make up my mind, Shiroru lost its patience. With a flash of movement, the creature opened the Pandora Gift itself. It was a feat of swiftness that gave me no time to stop it.

What came out was... a bracelet?

I peered at it through the Appraisal Loupe. The item name was 'Bracelet of Bonds (Provisional).' No, really—that was the name. The description read: Demonstrates its true value when a bond is formed with a Holy Beast.

"What kind of effect does it have?" Sally asked, her face full of excitement.

"Hmm? I'm not really sure."

She’d probably guessed it was a magic tool, but I couldn't tell for certain. Even after reading the description, I didn't understand how it worked.

And what exactly was a 'Holy Beast'? Based on the situation, I assumed Shiroru was the one. After asking for a moment, I used my skill to appraise Shiroru directly.

Name: Shiroru Race: Holy Beast Age: 0 Level: 5

Vitality: 44/44 Mana: 35/35 Strength: 28 Stamina: 26 Agility: 33 Dexterity: 22 Magic Power: 26 Spirit: 26 Luck: 69

Skills: [Thought Transmission] [Scratch Lv5] [Bite Lv5] [Lightning Magic Lv2] [Telekinesis Lv5]

Traits: [Kin of the Destiny God]

Magic: <Lightning Clad> <Lightning Strike>

It turned out Shiroru really was a Holy Beast. On top of that, it was a [Kin of the Destiny God]. Perhaps that explained why it was so attached to me? Since I possessed [Destiny God's Smile], it might feel a sense of kinship.

What concerned me, however, were Shiroru's stats. They weren't high at all—in fact, they were quite low. Its age was listed as zero, too. I wondered if this was a different entity from that giant beast we first saw? But it had shrunk right in front of us...

Still confused, I equipped the Bracelet of Bonds (Provisional). Since my Storage Ring was on my left hand, I slid the bracelet onto my right.

Nothing happened at first. The change only occurred when Shiroru reached out and touched the metal. For a brief moment, the bracelet glowed with a faint, pale light.

"Hmm? Did we just form a bond?"

『That's right, Tort. Nice to meet you!』

"Whaaa!?"

I jumped in shock. Somehow, I could perfectly understand Shiroru's barks, even though they still sounded like nothing more than a series of wafu-wafus to my ears.