Chapter 2: Adorable Noel-chan

“Help——!! Is anyone there! A hero! Anyone will do (๑˃ಐ˂৭)”

“There’s a pervy big sister kidnapping a loli! She’s gonna kill me!”

Noel curled up in the corner, screaming.

However, Vien simply sat elegantly on a nearby chair, holding a cup of tea that had suddenly appeared, gently blowing on the steam.

“Save your energy, little Noel.” Vien took a sip of tea.

“Even if you scream your throat raw, no one’s coming to save you.”

“Y-you… you witch!” Noel sniffled.

“I am one, you know.” Vien tilted her head.

“Ugh… whatever! I’m jumping out the window! I’m calling the cops!”

She scrambled to her feet, her bare feet cold against the floor, and rushed to the window, pushing it open with effort.

“Waaah——?!”

But the expected street view, traffic, and lights from the opposite building never appeared.

Outside the window was a mind-bending, sanity-draining fantasy spectacle.

A gigantic purple moon hung in the sky, countless floating islands drifted through the clouds, each bearing glowing, ancient trees. In the distance, several winged, unidentified creatures spewed flames, and even farther away, a towering black castle stood at the world’s edge, with vaguely visible hordes of bizarre beings roaming about.

Noel: (°口°๑)

Where the hell did I end up… Is this even Earth anymore?

“Welcome to the ‘Otherworld’.” Vien appeared beside Noel, arms crossed.

“Let me give you the short version. This is a habitat for all fantasy creatures, and a playground for the ‘Players’.”

Noel’s legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

As a hardcore otaku, she’d read countless isekai novels.

Reincarnated as a Slime, Re:Zero… but actually experiencing it herself was kind of suffocating.

And seriously, why did it have to be from talking shit online?!

Getting hit by a truck would’ve been fine too (annoyed).

“Here, everyone who arrives is called a ‘Player’.” Vien continued explaining the world’s rules, walking to the window to look down at the bizarre landscape.

“Players earn ‘Points’ by clearing dungeons, participating in games, and completing quests. The more points you have, the more power you get… Well, a shut-in gamer like you should understand easily.”

At that, Vien suddenly turned her head, her dark violet eyes staring intently at Noel. She waved her staff.

Shing!

A translucent light blue system panel materialized in front of Noel.

[Player Panel]

Name: Noel

Race: Witch’s Creation (Eternally a Loli)

Level: 1

Talent: None

Bound Relationship: Isabella Vien (Master)

Noel: M-Master?!

“Hmm?” Vien frowned at the data on the panel, looking a bit surprised. “Strange, you didn’t awaken any talent? Usually, otherworlders bring at least some passive skill, like ‘Lucky Hand’ or ‘Mana Affinity’.”

Unlike Vien, who was examining the talents, Noel was staring at the line that said “Bound Relationship,” feeling like her world was collapsing.

Familiar? Master? What is this, a master-servant roleplay?!

“Are you done messing around?! Change me back!” Noel pointed at Vien, shouting like an angry kitten trying to hiss.

“Right now! Immediately! Turn me back to my original body and send me home! Otherwise… otherwise, I’ll DDoS you (˵>ㅿ<˵)!”

Noel tried to sound threatening with her kitten-like tone.

“You want to go back?” Vien laughed like she’d heard a joke. “Sure you can. But this is your punishment for talking shit to me online. Why should the punishment be over before it even starts?”

She extended her slender finger and tapped the air. Golden text appeared before Noel.

[Transaction Contract]

Noel’s Promise: Earn 1000 Points.

Vien’s Promise: Return to Original World.

“If you behave and help big sister earn 1000 points, I’ll be generous and let you go home. Not a bad deal, right?” Vien squinted her eyes, coaxing like she was luring a loli.

“What does this mean… Huh?”

Just then, Noel’s vision blurred, and two massive option boxes popped up, blocking Vien’s face.

[A. Agree]

[B. Refuse]

Noel: (°ー°〃)

What the heck is this?

A Galgame selection screen?

Noel froze for a moment. As a veteran otaku who’d consumed countless media, she was way too familiar with this.

But it seemed like Vien couldn’t see these options.

…Whatever, who cares!

“I’m not gonna work for you for free, hmph (ﾟﾍﾟ)”

Noel roared and chose [B. Refuse] without hesitation.

But the moment she made her choice, a cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind.

[Vien Affection -50]

[Current Affection: -50 (Murderous Intent)]

Noel: ? What just happened.

“Oh dear, it seems my familiar still has too much of her own will.”

Vien shook her head, her smile instantly turning cold.

She swung her staff down, and several black ropes shot out from the void, instantly binding Noel’s hands and feet, hanging her in a spread-eagle position midair.

“Hey… tying me up… what are you going to do?”

Noel stared at the approaching witch in terror.

Vien didn’t speak. She just leaned in, her beautiful face enlarging in Noel’s view.

Then she did something that made Noel’s brain short-circuit—

She kissed Noel on the lips.

Mmph?!

Noel’s eyes shot open in shock.

First kiss?!

Even though her body was now a girl, her soul was still a pure young man!

And this kiss wasn’t a gentle caress; it was a forceful, magical plunder.

A wave of heat spread from her lips through her whole body, finally pooling in her lower abdomen.

The next second, Noel felt her vision change.

The fear in her eyes vanished, replaced by two pink hearts.

A strange heart-shaped crest formed in the magic pattern on her lower belly.

Her gaze grew vacant, and an uncontrollable, silly smile spread across her face.

“Mas…ter… oh hoh hoh…” Noel’s voice became syrupy and mechanical, like a soulless puppet.

“I am master’s dog… I love master the most… please use me as you wish…”

“That’s more like it 😋”

Vien stuck out her tongue and patted Noel’s head.

…

[Bad End: The Witch’s Puppet]

[…Completely losing yourself, becoming a mere plaything.]

The image froze at that moment, then shattered like a broken mirror.

The rewind began…

…

“YAAAAAAAAHHH Σ(ŎдŎ|||)ﾉﾉ”

Noel’s eyes snapped open, gasping for air, cold sweat soaking her clothes.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you? Is the deal really that hard to accept?” Vien looked at her, puzzled.

Noel clutched her chest, her heart still pounding wildly.

What was that? A hallucination? A life flashing before her eyes?

No!

Noel looked up. She was kneeling on the floor, facing the same smirking Vien. The same two massive option boxes were still there.

[A. Agree]

[B. Refuse]

Time… rewound?

Noel stared at her hands in disbelief.

“Wait a sec…” She said to Vien, then opened her own system panel.

Where the talent slot had been blank, there was now a faint, barely visible line of text.

[Innate Talent: Time Rewind]

[Description: When the host faces an irreversible death or bad ending, time forcibly rewinds to the critical decision point.]

[Restriction: Only you can know about this ability. You cannot tell anyone (including Vien), or an unknown penalty will be triggered.]

I see!

Noel gasped.

That so-called “Bad End” wasn’t a hallucination!

If she didn’t choose correctly, she would really become that mindless puppet just yelling “Master,” forever losing herself!

And this awakened talent… it seemed like a kind of save-and-load system?

What kind of terrifying survival game is this (*´Д`)

“Hey, made up your mind yet?” Vien tapped her staff impatiently. “My patience has limits.”

Noel looked at the options and swallowed hard.

Choosing B was a death sentence… no, worse than death!

Even though she didn’t want to, under the threat to her life (and chastity)…

There was only one answer!

“I… I agree!”

Noel tremblingly chose [A. Agree] .

The contract was established.

[Vien Affection +5]

[Current Affection: 5 (An amusing little toy)]

Vien nodded in satisfaction, the gloom on her face vanishing.

“That’s more like it. Wouldn’t it have been easier if you’d done this from the start?”

Vien: “Now that you’ve signed the contract… I mean, employment agreement, it’s time to get to work.”

Noel: “…Did you just let your true feelings slip?!”

Vien: “Don’t sweat the details~”

Vien turned and walked to the center of the room, drawing a circle in the air with her staff.

BZZZZ—!

The air vibrated violently as a massive purple vortex appeared out of nowhere.

From deep within the vortex came eerie, guttural roars, as if it led to some unknown abyss.

“Time for your first game, Noel-chan~”

“So soon?!” Noel shrank back in fear. “No tutorial? No weapon? Nothing?”

“A true warrior needs no preparation.” Vien turned back, flashing a devilish smile.

“I’ll ‘warrior’ your sister! What combat power does this loli body even have?! QAQ”

“If you come back alive, you’ll be worthy of being your big sister’s familiar. If you die, I’ll be a little sad, but I promise I won’t forget about you in a week.”

“That’s too harsh ( ๑ŏ ﹏ ŏ๑ )”

“Alright, the first game has already begun. Good luck, Noel-chan.”

Before Noel could react, a powerful suction force erupted from the vortex.

“AAAAHHHHHH X﹏X”

Noel screamed as she was ripped off the ground, diving headfirst into the bottomless purple vortex.

As her figure disappeared, the vortex slowly closed, and the room fell silent again.

Vien looked at the empty room, lightly licked her lips, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.

“Let’s see how long you can last in hell, my little familiar.”