Souta pulled out his system phone and waved it in front of Kiss-Shot.
"The system lets me return to my original world whenever I want. My plan was to give you my blood and then leave immediately. Even if you had the vampire instinct to devour me, you wouldn't have been able to reach me. After some time, the urge should have passed, and at the very least, I would've done you a favor."
"Unfortunately, I miscalculated. I didn't expect the transformation into a vampire to be so violent—I passed out before I could escape..."
As Souta spoke, he suddenly felt a wave of realization wash over him.
"Good thing you drank my blood with the intent of making me a familiar... ahem!"
He immediately stopped himself from finishing that thought.
After all, creating a familiar was essentially equivalent to... that sort of act.
Saying it out loud in front of Kiss-Shot was basically stepping on a landmine.
However, he was overthinking things.
Kiss-Shot showed no signs of embarrassment or anger.
In fact, she was utterly unfazed.
As a vampire, she also carried elements of a succubus, which meant that she was completely unbothered by sexual topics.
Despite her strong sense of chastity—essentially treating her purity as sacred—she had zero discomfort discussing such matters.
She wouldn't even blink!
"You really are an idiot."
Kiss-Shot's sharp gaze softened slightly, carrying a hint of acknowledgment.
"Most people in your situation would have run without hesitation. Yet, you chose to stay behind and offer your blood to me... you truly are..."
Though she called him an idiot, she didn't dislike people like him.
In fact, she rather appreciated it.
As a vampire who had lived for over 500 years, she had an unimaginable amount of life experience.
Telling whether someone was lying was child's play for her.
And she could tell—Souta wasn't lying.
"It's not a big deal," Souta shrugged.
"Unlike normal people, I can't die from losing blood. That makes my situation different."
For him, this wasn't some grand sacrifice.
He had multiple ways to resolve his own situation.
If nothing had gone wrong, he'd probably already be back in his apartment, chatting with Rias Gremory after using the invitation to summon her.
Once she agreed to turn him into a devil, his blood loss problem would've been solved.
"Servant, stop standing there. Kneel down."
Kiss-Shot's sudden weird request snapped Souta out of his thoughts.
He didn't refuse and obediently crouched down.
Kiss-Shot nodded in satisfaction, then reached out—
And ruffled his hair.
Kiss-Shot then spoke,
"Servant, you have a flaw."
"You are too humble."
"You are too fixated on the idea that you are just an ordinary human."
"From my perspective, there are very few people who would do what you did—unless they held special feelings for me."
Kiss-Shot might actually have some kind of mind-reading ability!
As a hardcore otaku, Souta did have a natural affinity for fictional characters.
When it came to helping them, his motivation was way higher than it would be for ordinary people.
If Kiss-Shot had been some hideous tentacle monster instead... Well... If he had the ability to save them, he'd probably still consider it.
"As my familiar, there's no need for you to act so humble in front of me. I've already acknowledged your character—if you deny it, wouldn't that be an insult to me? That would be very displeasing."
"...Saving your pride, huh?"
Souta glanced at Kiss-Shot's tiny arms and short little legs...
"Fine, fine. I promise I won't be humble anymore. I'm just a naturally kind person, okay?"
For some reason, he felt like he was humoring a child—his tone was almost fond.
She immediately clenched her teeth in frustration.
"Servant! You are being extremely disrespectful! It seems I must properly establish our hierarchy!"
She withdrew her hand from Souta's head.
Then, she lifted her chin proudly and puffed out her chest—
Her chest was completely flat.
Still, the attitude was there.
She definitely had that vibe.
"Servant! Do not be fooled by my current form—I am a vampire who has lived for over five hundred years—"
"Ah," Souta cut her off. "I know. It's actually 598 years, to be precise."
"Oh? Right... Your world has information about me. I almost forgot that."
Kiss-Shot maintained her dignified stance and continued,
"Then you should understand—setting aside our master-servant relationship, as a newly turned vampire, you are not my equal. In terms of hierarchy, I am above you."
"Oh." Souta nodded indifferently.
"...What is with that half-hearted response?" Kiss-Shot frowned. "Do you truly comprehend my noble status?"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it."
"If you really understand, then prove it."
Kiss-Shot smirked, lifting her chin even higher.
"As a symbol of your submission, pat my head."
Because she was currently in a childlike form, her puffed-up stance just made her look adorable.
Her request was... a bit unusual.
"Patting your head... is a sign of submission?"
Souta found it unbelievable.
Did vampires really have such a weird social structure?!
He knew the general plot of Kizumonogatari, but it wasn't like his brain was a database.
There was no way he could remember every little detail.
"Of course!" Kiss-Shot scoffed. "How can you claim to understand my history when you don't even know this?!"
Souta frowned. "But didn't you just pat my head earlier?"
"That was different. That was me acknowledging your commendable character. It was not an act of submission."
Souta stopped questioning it.
He simply raised his hand, placed it on Kiss-Shot's golden hair—
And gently patted her head.
Her hair was incredibly soft.
Smooth, silky, and pleasant to touch.
Souta got carried away.
Then rubbed her hair.
It just felt so nice.
Meanwhile, Kiss-Shot's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
"Hmph. Servant, don't let this get to your head."
"As my familiar, it is only natural that you serve me. If I command you to pat my head, you must be available at any time, no matter where we are."
She puffed up her chest again—
...Even though she had nothing there.
The patting session lasted for several minutes.
By the end, Kiss-Shot's pride was fully restored.
Her elegant face carried a content smile.
It was obvious to anyone—
She was in a really good mood.
At that moment, Souta finally realized—
This was actually a real vampire tradition.