His face was getting so red and hot that it was a miracle Rin didnât burst into (normal, red) flames. It helped a little bit that his mother was drawing most of the attention, but he could still feel the eyes of his classmates on him, glancing back and forth between him and his mother. Whether they were trying to judge his reaction or look for similarities between the two of them, Rin couldnât tell, but he was not enjoying the attention. The half-demon had worked very hard to draw as little attention to himself as possible in Cram School, and to appear as normal and un-Satan-like as possibleâ and if the injury that had caused him to drop his glamour, burst into flames, and start writhing on the floor in front of everyone hadnât ruined that already, this definitely would.
Was this his motherâs way of getting revenge on him for his actions? Or was she just being a typical embarrassing mother, and Rin a typical self-conscious teenager? Rin couldnât tell.
For once, he was able to grab a summoning paper along with everyone else; usually, Neuhaus kept Rin far away from the magic circles, claiming that it was a safety concern to let someone with such powerful demonic blood anywhere near a summoning circle. After all, there had never been anyone quite like Rin before; nobody was entirely sure what Rin was capable of, not even Rin himself. Therefore, Rin wasnât all that surprised when his mother pulled the slip from his handâ only for his eyes to widen when she insisted he summon without using a magic circle.Â
He wasnât used to being trusted. Heâd started to forget what it felt like.
Just as his mother predicted, summoning was like second nature to Rin. Slicing open the pad of his thumb with a claw, he allowed a small amount of blood to drip onto his desk before the wound closed up on its own. Suddenly, Gehennan words were spilling from his lips before he could stop himself; his lips were moving, but it didnât feel like his conscious mind was the one speaking. It felt as if he had triggered some kind of deeply ingrained reflex, one he had no hope of suppressing entirely.
âI offer proof of my lineage to those who would aid me. Heed the call of your Prince,â he heard himself say, flushing at how archaic and commanding he sounded. Rin gave his mother a helpless, mortified look, feeling both self-conscious about this apparent reflex and thankful that this hadnât happened in front of Neuhausâ only for his summon to finally arrive in the form of a black and red speckled Salamander the size of a dog. The half-demonâs nervous expression was quickly replaced with a small smile; heâd always liked Salamanders. Before he knew it, the Salamander was rushing into his arms, and the half-demon reacted quickly, holding him like one would hold a hyperactive dog.
Young Prince! Thank for chose me! Rin heard telepathically in the broken, stilted Gehennan typical of mid to low-class demons. The Salamander wriggled in his arms excitedly like a fish out of water.
âYou, uhâ You donât have to call me that. J-Just Rin is fine,â he said softly, flushing. âI should be thanking you for choosing me.â Rin turned his attention away from his new friend and towards his mother again, all the while trying to keep a good grip on his surprisingly slippery familiar. âIs there, um⊠can I⊠how do I not say what I said whenever I summon? It just kind of⊠slipped out.â Rin remembered Neuhaus telling the others to say whatever felt natural to them when summoning, but Rin didnât think it was supposed to be like⊠whatever heâd just done.
Yuri and the rest of the class watched with bated breath as Rin summoned the Salamander. She managed to suppress a smile, though barely â still, she didnât want anyone to accuse her of favouritism. The rest of the kids were so stunned at the turn of events that none of them had actually moved forward with their own summoning, not even when Yuri turned to them and quirked a silent eyebrow.
âBut isnât⊠isnât this dangerous?â asked a small, bald boy wearing glasses. âSummoning without a circleâŠ? What if it⊠what if Rin loses control?â
âNo,â Yuri replied without missing a beat, not looking at her son. âIf you have the mental fortitude or the power to summon without a circle, you wonât lose control. Doubt will get you nowhereâŠâ She trailed away, fixing her gaze on the boy until he flushed a little and introduced himself.
âIâm Miwa Konekomaru, sensei.â
Yuriâs mouth quirked into a small smile again. âWell, Miwa-kun, in fact, we are safer doing this in Rinâs presence than we would be without. Since he doesnât need a circle, he would be able to take control of someone elseâs familiar, too, if need be â even if you canât split your paper quick enough.â Her gaze flicked to Rin, as if asking him to confirm.
Instead, Rin asked something else, and Yuriâs eyebrow rose, a look of open curiosity settling on her face. âWhy would you want to?â Then she shook her head, her gaze momentarily clouding over. She knew full well why Rin didnât want to be what he was. And she didnât want to talk about that in front of the whole class, so she decided to just answer his question. âIf this is whatâs comfortable, there is no point to forcing something else. Youâd either fail to summon, or the connection would be as shaky as your confidence. As I said a minute ago,â she added, a little reproachfully.
Then she turned to the rest of the children. âWell? Iâd like to see everyoneâs attempt, so please stop gawking.â