Hearing my answer, her eyes shoot open in surprise. After a moment she starts smiling gratefully, then she springs toward me and knocks me on my back with another hug. She buries her face in my chest and laughs appreciatively.
"Oh, that's great, Mizuki! I'm so happy, I promise you won't regret it! We're going to have so much fun together!" (Nina)
I can't help but grin a little at how excited she is. She gets off me and pulls me back up into a sitting position in front of her. I'm looking at her face up close now, and her green eyes are sparkling with excitement. I was trying not to notice before, but…Nina's insanely attractive.
"Yeah, yeah, we'll see about that! What now? I can't stay much longer, so if we want to do this we need to get started." (Mizuki)
I shoot her a good-natured smirk as I say this, and she smiles back and nods.
"Okay, I need you to close your eyes and let your magic power spill out and surround both of us, and you need to imagine yourself being open to me. Just visualize us hugging or something. I'll be doing the same, and I can take care of the rest from there. Just leave it to me!" (Nina)
She declares the last part with a confident smile. Then, her expression changes, and she looks me over with…something between a smirk and anticipation? I guess it's time for me to do my part.
I close my eyes and will my magic power to surround both of us. I try imagining myself accepting Nina, like warmly embracing her with my magic. After a few moments, I feel a heat radiating through my body. Eventually, a faint earthy smell hits my nose, and I feel a sudden soft pressure on my lips.
I open my eyes in surprise, and see Nina leaned over with her eyes closed and lips pressed against mine firmly. I'm in a state of shock, unsure of what to do, and I'm feeling a foreign urge to not pull away. Before I can sort out the rush of thoughts in my head, the heat that washed over me a moment ago fades, and Nina pulls away from the kiss.
She opens her eyes and smiles knowingly at me. This dragon was planning that sneak attack from the start, wasn't she!?
"Nina, what the hell was that about!?" (Mizuki)
I'm still reeling from the experience, and my voice breaks a little bit. Hearing my question, she looks around innocently, like 'who me?', then waves her hand dismissively.
"That was just to make sure the contract was effective! I told you a feeling of trusting and accepting the other person was important, and I was just helping with that a little." (Nina)
She is putting on an innocent expression still, but I can see traces of a smirk on her face. I narrow my eyes at her suspiciously. I'm not sure if I believe that it was necessary to kiss me, but she seems to be sticking to her story.
I let out a deep sigh.
"Even if that's true, why didn't you at least warn me beforehand?" (Mizuki)
Nina averts her gaze and makes a 'hmm' sound like she's thinking, then shrugs. I hear her voice echo in my head with a coy undertone.
[Fufufu…I guess because I thought you'd object.] (Nina)
What the hell, Nina!? You're damn right, and that's even more reason to tell me!
I'm feeling a bit annoyed at her blatant handling of me. However, there's also another sensation, more mild and somehow separated…amusement? No, I'm not amused, so why do I sense that?
I study Nina intently for the first time since the contract. She's just smiling softly towards me, and she looks pleased with herself. It almost feels like the amusement is coming from her.
Oh right, Nina said I might be able to sense her emotions. I guess she's feeling amused with her little stunt. I try and direct my annoyance back at her, willing her to sense it. Her eyes open in surprise, and then she starts chuckling out loud. I guess that means it worked. Looking at her, I also feel like there is a change in my attitude towards her.
Is it the emotional link? No, it's more like…she seems more relatable now, like we have something in common that we didn't before. I feel a lot more inclined towards her company, but I don't mind that being the case.
Remembering the other consequences of the contract, I snap out of my introspective mood. Thought communication, can I do it now!? I'm so excited by the realization that I completely forget about the situation with Nina. Seeming to sense my excitement, Nina smiles.
I look at her and focus in my mind on the words I want to say, then will them to reach her without my speaking.
[Hey, Nina, can you hear me? Am I doing this right?] (Mizuki)
Nina nods approvingly. Success! This was totally worth it. I lean my head back in satisfaction, basking in the warmth of the sun with my eyes closed.
When I open my eyes, I can see the sun starting to disappear behind the tree line. I let out a deep sigh.
[Alright, Nina. I've got that meeting with the elves in a little over an hour, and I honestly need to do a few things beforehand, like take a bath. I'm sorry, but I've got to go now.] (Mizuki)
In parallel with the thought communication, I try and push a feeling of sympathy towards her, so she knows I'm sincere.
She grins and shakes her head gently.
[No need to apologize, Mizuki. You kept up your end of the deal, so no hard feelings. Go ahead, I'll be fine. Plus, I can talk to you anytime I want now.] (Nina)
[Alright then, Nina, thanks for everything. I'll be in touch later about the details of meeting the elves, okay? In the meantime, let me know if you discover any cool new powers that you got from me!] (Mizuki)
With that, I stand up and grab my things, give Nina one last grin and a wave, then teleport back to Elmesia. It's time to set my grand production with Ilina and Klaus in motion.