So it wasn't a dream?

When the Junior before her showed no reaction after she finished speaking, she couldn't help putting on a stern expression.

"So, Junior, will you enter into a contract with me?"

"Huh? Yes, of course I will. Why wouldn't I?"

Coming back to his senses, Eros was overjoyed. She only wanted to observe him. What was the problem with that?

"But how do we do it?"

"Give me your hand!"

Eros obediently held out his hand. The Black-Haired Girl pressed her pale, slender hand against his, their fingers touching, and whispered:

"Let my body serve as your eye."

As she finished speaking, a faint glow enveloped her entire body. A moment later, Eros felt heat building in his left eye socket.

Then came a sharp pain. He jolted awake in bed and clapped a hand over his left eye.

Had anyone seen his left eye at that moment, they would have noticed that his once brilliant, sapphire-blue iris had turned pitch-black-a pure, fathomless black that not even light could penetrate.

The pain vanished as quickly as it had come. Soon, the pure, fathomless black in his left eye disappeared as well, and his brilliant, sapphire-blue iris returned.

At the same time, the Black-Haired Girl's clear, melodious voice rang out in his mind:

"I'm going to sleep for a while."

After that, she fell silent. Eros focused on his left eye. It did seem a little different.

But he didn't dare experiment recklessly again. After all, he could still feel how drained his body was.

It seemed he still hadn't recovered from the effects of blindly testing his skills earlier. There was no one in the room.

Eros glanced outside. The sun had already set, and the lingering glow of sunset fell on the potted plants by the window, dusting their leaves with gold.

It must be dinnertime. I'm so hungry. I want to go eat.

But his body felt as though it had been utterly hollowed out, and he didn't want to move at all.

So he lay back down. Forget it. I'll eat tomorrow.

Just then, the door gently swung open, and Estelle entered with two maids, who happened to be carrying beautifully prepared dishes.

At the sight, Eros's eyes lit up. His listlessness vanished, and he cried excitedly:

"I swear you're the best mom in the whole world!"

Estelle smiled. She was clearly long accustomed to her youngest son's occasional outlandish remarks.

That night, Eros lay in bed, looking at Estelle as she sat beside him, and said softly:

"Estelle, I had a dream earlier today. I thought I was going to leave you all forever."

This time, he hadn't even called her Mom, addressing her by name instead. Clearly, he really had been frightened.

He was, of course, talking about his dream of the Tentacle Monster that day. When he saw that tentacle, his heart had nearly stopped. For the first time, he had felt so close to death.

Mostly, it was because his first sight of the Tentacle Monster's true form had shaken him so deeply.

That colossal creature looming over the sea, those uncanny eyes, those twisted tentacles-it was hard not to be left with a lasting impression.

Although he later realized he had only frightened himself, the fear and terror of that first glimpse had been undeniably real. After all, he was still only an ordinary person.

Even if his ages across both lives added up to more than Estelle's, he had been nothing more than an ordinary human in his previous life.

In this life, he had only recently come into contact with the supernatural, only to find himself facing a monster capable of confronting a Deity. It was hard not to be afraid.

Estelle reached out and gently patted the back of Eros's hand, saying softly, "Don't be afraid. Mommy's right here."

As she continued patting his hand, Eros soon fell asleep. After all, forming the contract earlier really had drained far too much of his energy.