Hiro moved through the forest with a practiced ease, his gaze flickering across the ground in search of any herbs that glowed with his storage tracking ability. The soft crunch of leaves beneath his feet mixed with the distant sounds of birds and rustling foliage. Overhead, Chūta soared between the trees, gliding effortlessly from branch to branch before swooping down to pass pyfully by Hiro’s face.

  Hiro let out a small chuckle. "You’re enjoying yourself, huh?"

  Chūta chittered in response, spiraling upward again as Hiro bent down to inspect a patch of greenery. He reached out to pluck a promising herb when suddenly, Chūta’s sharp, distressed cries rang out through the forest.

  Hiro’s head snapped up. Chūta wriggled frantically, his small body tangled in an intricate web strung between two sturdy trees. His limbs filed as he struggled, the sticky silk clinging to his fur.

  Hiro approached, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Really? Again?"

  Chūta’s squeaks became more desperate as he squirmed harder, his tail flicking about in frustration.

  "Alright, alright, hold still." Hiro unsheathed a kunai and carefully cut away the webbing, pulling Chūta free. As the squirrel nded on his shoulder, he furiously pawed at his fur, shaking off the st bits of silk.

  "That web’s pretty strong," Hiro mused, running his fingers over the remaining strands. "Not bad for catching something as fast as you."

  A sharp hissing noise snapped his attention to the side.

  Perched on a broad leaf, a rge spider with sleek bck chitin and vibrant purple markings gred at him with gleaming, multi-faceted eyes. Its long, slender legs twitched in irritation, and its two front limbs were raised in a clear warning posture.

  Hiro slowly stood up, watching the spider warily. "You must be the one behind these webs."

  The spider remained motionless, save for the slight twitch of its fangs.

  Hiro rubbed his chin, considering. "Alright, fair enough. You worked hard on this web. I guess I did just mess up your catch for the day."

  Reaching into his storage, Hiro summoned two plump Demon Moth caterpilrs. The wriggling insects squirmed in his palm, their soft green bodies glistening in the dim forest light.

  "Here. Compensation." He carefully pced them into the untouched portion of the web and stepped back.

  The spider hesitated for only a moment before darting forward, its long legs skittering effortlessly over the silk. It wrapped the caterpilrs in tight strands, securing them with deft precision.

  Hiro smirked. "Looks like we’ve got a deal."

  Chūta squeaked indignantly, still trying to shake off the remaining bits of webbing. Hiro ughed and turned away, leaving the spider to its meal.

  Over the next few days, Chūta somehow managed to get caught in the webs again.

  The first time, Hiro assumed it was bad luck. The second time, he noticed the webs were positioned exactly where Chūta liked to glide.

  By the third time, Hiro was sure the spider was setting traps specifically for Chūta.

  "You’ve got to be kidding me," Hiro muttered as he freed Chūta yet again.

  Unlike their first meeting, the spider no longer hissed when Hiro approached. Instead, it simply watched, motionless and expectant, as if awaiting its due payment.

  "You’re a smart one," Hiro admitted, pcing two more caterpilrs onto the web.

  The spider swiftly wrapped them up, then settled back onto its perch, completely unbothered by Hiro’s presence.

  Chūta, on the other hand, was anything but unbothered.

  On the fourth day, something changed.

  As Hiro pced the caterpilrs onto the web, the spider scuttled forward, wrapping its meal as usual. But instead of retreating to its usual hiding spot, it moved closer.

  Hiro watched as it lifted its front legs and began to perform an eerie, rhythmic movement—a slow, deliberate dance.

  Hiro furrowed his brows, staring in confusion. "What… are you doing?"

  As he watched, a familiar orange glow surrounded the spider, pulsing faintly.

  A voice echoed in his mind.

  “Add Yamiha as your summon?”

  Hiro’s lips parted in surprise before he let out a low chuckle. "So that’s your name?" He nodded. "Yeah."

  The glow fred, then faded as Hiro felt a faint tug on his chakra. It wasn’t painful—just an odd, subtle pull that linked him to the spider.

  Chūta, who had been watching the exchange, suddenly stiffened. His beady bck eyes darted between Hiro and the spider.

  Then, as if realizing what had just happened, he let out a furious chittering screech.

  "Oh no," Hiro muttered, immediately sensing the incoming tantrum.

  Chūta leaped onto Hiro’s shoulder, chattering angrily, his limbs spreading wide in a furious dispy of protest. Before Hiro could react, Yamiha hopped onto his opposite shoulder and curled up into a tight ball, completely ignoring Chūta’s outrage.

  The flying squirrel stared in horror, then turned to Hiro, letting out a sharp series of chirps as if demanding an expnation.

  Hiro sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You two are going to be a handful, aren’t you?"

  Chūta spread his limbs aggressively, swatting at Yamiha with his small paws, who remained completely unfazed, as if she hadn’t even noticed.

  Hiro exhaled, already sensing the chaos that was about to become his daily life.

  As he walked back toward the orphanage, Chūta sulked on one shoulder, gring daggers at Yamiha, while the spider simply rested, seemingly indifferent to her new pce in the team.

  Hiro shook his head and chuckled. "Guess I have two summons now."

  With that, he stepped out of the forest, already wondering what other surprises his summoning ability had in store.