Raylin's Blazing Pact
Raylin’s pact—flickering flames! Fire dances within Raylin’s irises. Her crimson eyes sweep slowly across my face, from the crown of my head down to the tip of my chin. My dazed expression is reflected in her pupils, like a gray-furred mouse cornered in its hole. In contrast, Raylin wears the face of an apex predator, occasionally licking her lips with clear anticipation.
“Hey, sis? Mind if I ask what this pact is about?”
—Grin! At my question, Raylin’s lips curl upward, baring her sharp shark-like teeth. Every little reaction of mine seems to amuse her endlessly. She doesn’t even answer, instead murmuring in satisfaction, “Hohwawa… that flustered look on Whitey’s face… isn’t it just precious~?”
“…Raylin? Could you just tell me already?”
“Ah, right! Of course! It’s really nothing big! More importantly, you’re not going to refuse, are you~?!”
When I ask seriously, she pulls back slightly and checks my intentions again, practically begging me not to reject her.
‘This is exactly why I feel uneasy. Even if I wanted to refuse, I couldn’t anyway…’
Of course, I couldn’t simply turn down a dragon’s pact. Doing so would trigger a massive drop in favorability and earn me a dragon’s eternal hatred as penalties.
“Of course. As long as it’s not too unreasonable. You’re someone precious to me, after all.”
“H-Hohwaaaah—?!”
“Huh? Sis, are you okay?”
—Fwoooosh…! I only spoke from the heart, yet Raylin suddenly sprays nosebleed everywhere. Her face and body flush bright red in an instant. She really does get nosebleeds at the most unexpected moments. Maybe I should stop calling her “sis”?
“I-I’m fine……!”
“That’s a lot of blood for someone who’s ‘fine.’ Should I stop saying ‘sis’ from now on?”
“K-Khm…! Absolutely not—! Never!”
“But every time you—”
“T-That’s only because you suddenly said something so hot…! Anyway—! I don’t have any other requests for you……”
—Swish…! Wiping the blood with the back of her hand, Raylin suddenly steps right up to me.
“Ah? Sis……?”
Her eyes meet mine again, calm and steady. The usual playful expression has vanished, replaced by genuine seriousness for the first time.
“…I want to stay with you forever, Whitey. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you. It’s not just because you resemble my little brother— the more I look at you, the more I like you for who you are!”
“Huh? Don’t tell me this is……?”
“Yep, that’s it—! That’s my entire pact! Even if Detronos comes, I’ll protect you to the very end! How about it? Aren’t you moved~?!”
Raylin puffs out her chest proudly, clearly pleased with her own dramatic line. She must think it’s the perfect pact. Thanks to her sudden closeness, I nearly got my face buried between her flame pouches—like a waffle. Still, the content was simple and straightforward. Yet something was missing. Rather than a mutual contract, it felt more like a one-sided declaration. Precisely speaking, the conditions required to establish a pact were absent.
……
That explained why no system message had appeared. Complete silence. Normally, a “Ding—!” sound would have rung out with overlapping status windows.
“Hohwawa…? Whitey? Why aren’t you reacting? Don’t tell me you’re so moved you forgot how to speak~?”
Raylin beams innocently.
“Hey, sis? I’m really grateful you feel this way about me, but……”
“Yeah? But~? Is this not enough?”
“I understand how you feel about me, but a pact isn’t supposed to be this one-sided.”
“Hohwaat—? What do you mean……?”
“Well, while you’re offering to do everything for me, you haven’t told me what I should do for you in return. Without that, the contract can’t be established.”
That was the issue. Raylin’s proposed pact was a one-way street. To form a proper pact, the contractor’s obligations were also necessary—a simple give-and-take structure. Yet Raylin intended to give everything without asking for anything back. She truly saw me as a little brother.
‘Honestly, I never thought I’d be the one explaining dragon pacts to a dragon…… No wonder the system message isn’t showing up.’
Thanks to my previous two experiences, I now understood pacts better than Raylin did.
“Hmm~! So that’s how it works……?”
Raylin hums, trailing off. She looks like she’s hearing this for the first time, pondering what condition to set.
—Swoosh…! She furrows her brows and leans down, studying my face intently. Just what is she planning to ask of me? Her breath is scorching. The chilly dawn air feels warm. And yet…… how long does she plan to stay this close?
‘Uh-oh? At this rate, our lips are going to touch……?’
I’m backed against the wall of the night-duty room, with no way to dodge. Cornered, I can’t even slip away. I tilt my head slightly, but Raylin presses straight toward my lips. Then, finally……
—Smooch♡ Raylin’s hot, moist lips meet mine for an instant before pulling away.
“Huh? S-Sis……?!”
“Hehe♡ Was it too hot?”
“N-No, not really…… B-But what was that just now?”
“What do you mean? That’s my condition.”
Raylin shrugs casually, looking thoroughly satisfied with herself.
“What? That’s the pact condition?”
“Yep—! Whitey, I’ll stay by your side and protect you for the rest of your life. In return, you just need to give me a light kiss like this every now and then!”
“Just a kiss as the condition……?”
“Well, of course, if you want more…… I wouldn’t mind something hotter and more passionate either…? Ahem!”
Raylin blushes as she finally presents what she considers a proper condition, clearly imagining far more intense rewards in her head. And yet, in exchange for lifelong protection, all I have to do is kiss her occasionally……? Derke and Sofia had at least set formal conditions to establish their pacts, but Raylin’s was practically nonexistent.
A target who has reached the Worship stage has proposed a Dragon’s Pact.
Do you accept?
Upon acceptance, the target will faithfully fulfill the Dragon’s Pact!
The target’s abilities and privileges will become available for use at any time.
Upon refusal, favorability will reset and the slot will be cleared.
At last, the system messages appear. All I have to do now is accept. This makes three already.
“Sure. No reason to refuse. Keep being my reliable big sis from now on!”
“Hohwaaaah—?! I knew Whitey was the best……?!”
You have accepted the Dragon’s Pact!
Please finalize the contract with the target immediately!
—Swoosh……. The moment I accept, Raylin’s face—now as red as spicy soup—turns toward me again. Her eyes are closed, her cherry-red lips puckered forward.
‘Huh? So the earlier kiss didn’t count as finalizing it?’
A Dragon’s Pact requires a proper lip seal to be complete.
‘Surely I won’t have to go through this with male dragons too, right? Well, they’re almost extinct anyway……’
—Swoosh…! While I’m thinking this, Raylin slowly leans in again, urging me to finish the pact. My reflection gleams on her glossy lips.
—Smooch♥ I press my lips to Raylin’s without hesitation. Hers are warm, but not unbearably so. If I had to compare, they feel like freshly steamed rice cakes—hot and soft. There’s no reason to hesitate kissing her. Having another dragon on my side can only help. Whether it’s sealed pacts or my body’s true nature…… none of that matters right now. My original goal was simply to escape the academy with SSR-rank assistance.
Yet something feels off.
‘Last time, just touching her skin gave me burns, but now it doesn’t bother me at all? What’s going on?’
I mull it over while feeling Raylin’s fiery lips. Back then I’d even healed myself somehow. This time it’s as if I’ve developed complete resistance.
‘Ah, maybe it’s thanks to the Dragon Heart I received from Sofia earlier?’
Just as I arrive at that conclusion—
—Slurp…♡ Raylin’s tongue slowly slips between my lips. She still doesn’t seem to know how to draw out her Dragon Heart. So she’s simply trying to kiss me more deeply, just like Sofia once did.
—Creaaak…! But things don’t go the way Raylin wants. “……?!” Just as our tongues are about to entwine, someone pushes the door open without knocking.