Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Zach had a surprisingly easy time finding the principal's office when he started looking for it after bringing Alzara and Soara along. It was almost like something or

someone

was guiding him to it since they couldn't wait any longer.

"Enter."

Zach didn't even have to knock before the principal's voice pierced the door. Zach sighed and grabbed the handle instead of knocking and pushed open the door.

"Hello," he casually greeted the principal and Instructor Kami.

"Zacharia Evandiel. It's been a while since you last came to visit me." The principal sat in his fancy leather armchair and rested his elbows on his desk as he looked at Zach with a smile that only barely reached his eyes. He quickly stopped looking at Zach and instead turned to look at Soara.

"I've been busy."

"So I've heard. It's important to rest every now and then, young man. Anyway, what brings you here this time, Zach? You usually don't visit unless you have a reason." The principal's eyes narrowed as he looked at Soara for several moments before turning back to Zach after his question.

"You mean I'm free to swing by whenever I want?"

"Of course! It's a special privilege reserved for the top student. That's why Kami is here all the time."

"I see. Well, the cookies here are greater than the ones in the cafeteria, so I guess you'll be seeing more of my face from now on. Feel free to express your gratitude."

"I won't." The principal smiled, silently urging Zach to get to the point.

"I have a question," Zach began.

The principal nodded encouragingly.

"How…—Familiars…—Is…" Zach only said one word before losing his ability to talk. Whenever he tried, he trailed off, unable to find the words to ask what he wanted to know. He dreaded the answer. Either talking familiars wasn't as uncommon as he thought, and he had worried over nothing for more than two years or they were extremely rare and the principal would cause trouble for him since it meant he wouldn't have known about it before.

It would be the only way to convince Zach that he hadn't eavesdropped when he was talking with his familiars.

"Yes…?" The principal asked. This was the first time he had seen Zach at such a loss for words. It had to be something incredible or serious for him to speak in a way that built so much anticipation.

Zach sighed.

"Talking familiars. Is that normal?" he eventually bit the bitter apple and asked.

The principal's eyes widened. He looked at Zach for a stunned moment.

"...Is that it?" He asked with disappointment. All that build-up for such a trivial question seemed meaningless.

The principal sighed and continued since Zach didn't look like he was going to say anything. He had not expected the principal's reaction.

"Of course, it's normal. You are a little ahead of the curve, but that's reasonable given what you've done so far. Eventually, most if not all summoners learn a method to talk with their familiars. At this Academy, the late third year or early fourth year is the norm. For you, early third year is honestly almost a little disappointing. I thought you did it in the second year or something. Depending on when, it wouldn't necessarily be a record, but it would be more in line with your other accomplishments."

The principal leaned back in his chair and rested the back of his hand against his forehead. He didn't usually give such lectures. But his disappointment in Zach had hit him harder than expected.

"Haven't your friends started doing the same?"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Until now, Zach had stood out like the sun compared to other summoners and students. Yet, here was, worried speechless about being able to talk with his familiars. It didn't make sense.

The principal's pupils shrank.

"That's…That's not the kind of talking I'm talking about, principal." Zach's words almost confirmed the principal's instinctual guess.

"...What kind of talking are you talking about?" the principal asked.

"This kind," Yanael said.

The principal's and Kami's eyes shot toward the blonde maid as soon as she opened her mouth.

"That kind," the principal confirmed, visibly surprised but not showing more expression than widened eyes and an intense stare.

"H-how long?" Kami managed to ask after somehow picking up his jaw.

"Since I summoned her."

The principal's and Kami's gazes shot toward Zach again. They stared at him trying to find any hint of deceit or lie. They didn't find anything.

Kami looked at the principal. Zach's question was a question he also wanted the answer to now.

The principal soon gathered himself under the weight of Zach's and Kami's gazes, as well as the three familiars' gazes.

He leaned back in his chair and stroked his hairless chin thoughtfully. He looked at Zach with a scrutinizing gaze.

After several tense minutes.

"...It's not unheard of. To be honest, one of my familiars could also converse normally from the moment they were summoned. However…

"They weren't very obedient at first. You haven't struggled with that, have you?"

Zach shook his head.

"And all three of your familiars are Battle Maid Variants, right?"

Zach nodded.

"Do they have Names? Not just nicknames or anything but real Names?"

Zach nodded. At this point, there was no need to hide details like that.

The principal looked at Zach without blinking and in complete silence for several minutes.

Eventually,

"Zacharia Evandiel, I appoint you as my successor and future principal of—"

"I refuse." Zach didn't even let the principal finish. He had heard everything he needed to hear to know that he did not want what the principal was selling. Of course, it would have been different if it was anyone but the principal.

Zach respected the principal. But he knew better than to get too close to the old monster.

"But why?!" the principal asked, this time so emotional he stood up and gently slammed his hands against the table.

"I could teach you so much! I could help you so much!" the principal exclaimed, shocking both Zach and Kami.

"..." They could only look at the principal in silence.