A Pinky Swear and the Dragon's Pact
Truly, the older a dragon grew, the more numb they became to “stimulation.” It made sense. When one lived for thousands of years, they inevitably experienced every possible thrill and emotion the world had to offer. At first they would laugh, cry, rage, and rejoice with each new sensation, but as the centuries piled up, everything gradually lost its edge. Once a dragon left its hatchling years behind, life itself started to feel tedious. A life without stimulation was torment. Living not for a hundred years, but for ten thousand—without fresh excitement, one could easily go mad. That was why younger dragons chased stimulation so desperately, even becoming obsessed over something as simple as a single dessert.
Yet chasing only the grandest thrills eventually led to burnout. Dragons were the first to feel weary of existence itself. Some sought new sensations by taking human form and indulging in playful diversions; others simply entered hibernation and slept for thousands of years. Hatchlings, however, were in the prime of their curiosity. They wanted to experience everything firsthand, learning and growing through direct trial and error. At that age they were no different from human children—especially the youngest ones, who threw themselves into every challenge without fear. After all, beings blessed by the gods rarely got hurt, so most of them brimmed with confidence.
“Haaah…!”
Just like the hatchling who casually brought the mint cream to her own mouth. Even after being disappointed by the mint tea earlier, the unusual color had sparked her curiosity. All she wanted was to satisfy that curiosity and feel a new stimulus.
“Ah, no……!!!”
I couldn’t hide my shock. Both Derke and our favorability were at stake. She had already lost favorability just from tasting the mint tea—now she was about to eat an entire spoonful of mint cream? The cream was sweetened, but the sharp mint flavor remained. The odds of disappointment were extremely high. I thrust my hand out to stop her, desperate to prevent another drop in favorability. But Derke swallowed it anyway.
—Gulp!
She downed the mint cream before I could intervene. By the time I grabbed her wrist, it was already too late. The mint cream had slid down her throat.
I was at my wits’ end. She wasn’t a child anymore—she was over two hundred years old, yet she had zero sense of caution. It reminded me of the helpless feeling parents get when watching a toddler shove everything within reach straight into their mouth.
“H-hiik……?!!!”
Derke’s expression darkened in an instant. Her body stiffened, shadows falling across her face. She looked as though the Death Dragon had briefly visited the underworld and returned.
“…Hweeeeh? W-water……!!!”
“Good grief. Here, drink this.”
I had already poured water, expecting exactly this reaction.
—Gulp, gulp, gulp…!
Derke snatched the cup and frantically rinsed her mouth. She had only taken a tiny bite, yet she was making such a fuss. And there wasn’t even any chocolate on it. Did she simply hate mint that much?
‘Well, I’m hardly in a position to criticize anyone for disliking mint chocolate…’
At least our favorability hadn’t dropped again. Derke was the only one feeling regret and disappointment; no status window appeared. Probably because I hadn’t been the one to offer it this time.
—Lick…!
While Derke drank, I tasted the mint cream myself. I wanted to check whether I had actually made it wrong, regardless of personal taste.
‘Hmm? Maybe it’s been so long that it actually tastes pretty good.’
A cool, refreshing mint aroma filled my mouth, balanced by the bright tang of blueberry. A touch of cream cheese gave the filling a pleasantly rich texture. It was a modern flavor I hadn’t tasted in ages, nostalgic in the best way—even though I had no fond memories of mint itself. If I ever made it back home, I could probably eat nothing but mint chocolate all day. The cream itself was a success. It simply didn’t suit Derke’s palate. I felt satisfied that I had managed to recreate the taste I’d been aiming for.
“Haaah…?! O-oppa, you can eat something like that and be fine, desu-yong-?”
“Huh?”
“You even poured water for me, desu-yong-?!”
“Nah, I’m fine. It turned out pretty well, actually.”
Derke fell silent for a long moment, staring at me with a completely baffled expression. She simply tilted her head left and right without a word.
“D-Derke felt like she was eating toothpaste, so it wasn’t good at all, desu-yong……”
She gave her honest review, bluntly declaring it bad. It was the most merciless evaluation I had ever heard from her. To a young hatchling’s taste buds, the flavor must have seemed far too avant-garde.
“I get it. Honestly, I didn’t make this for myself.”
“Heh-? Then who did you make it for, desu-yong-? Don’t tell me it was for all the fourth-year seniors……?”
“Of course not. I’d like to live a long life, thanks.”
“Th-then who in the world would want something like this……???”
“This is a secret, but Lady Sofia asked me to make it. She said she really wanted to try this dessert.”
“Is that true, desu-yong…?”
Derke tilted her head at my answer, then suddenly put on a serious face. She looked utterly unable to comprehend it. Still, she couldn’t bring herself to badmouth a senior, so she just frowned and grumbled to herself. She clearly had plenty to say about Sofia, but she swallowed every word. Gossiping about such a lofty senior was unthinkable.
“Oppa…? Can Derke tell you a secret too, desu-yong-?”
“Huh? All of a sudden?”
“You told Derke a secret, so now Derke will tell you one, desu-yong-!”
“Pfft, sure. What is it?”
“Lend me your ear for a second, desu-yong…!”
Derke suddenly leaned in close. I had a rough idea what she wanted to say, but the deadly serious look on her face made it hard not to laugh. My cheeks twitched.
“You absolutely can’t tell anyone else about this, desu-yong…?”
“Of course not. Come on, I’m dying to know.”
Derke tugged on my collar until our eyes were level, then pressed her lips right up to my ear.
“This is just my personal opinion, but… Senior’s taste in food is completely incomprehensible, desu-yong…! Honestly, Derke is disappointed in Lady Sofia, desu-yong-!”
“Huh? That’s it? You don’t have any other secrets besides Sofia’s taste—?”
“Shh, shh…! If any other dragon heard Derke say that, it would be a huge disaster, desu-yong-!”
When I tried to ask loudly, Derke frantically waved both arms up and down in a panic. She looked like a baby penguin flapping its wings—adorably flustered.
“…A-and more than anything, if the seniors end up disliking you, your academy life is over, desu-yong-!”
Her reaction made me smile like a proud father. Derke, however, remained deadly serious. With a grave look in her eyes, she placed her index finger against my lips, silently begging me to keep her words a secret no matter what.
“Pfft, got it. I’ll take the secret you just told me to my grave.”
“That’s a good answer, desu-yong-! Then will you keep all of Derke’s secrets from now on too, desu-yong-?”
“Of course. Don’t worry about that.”
“Then let’s make a promise, desu-yong-!”
—Swish!
With those words, she held out her little finger, her green eyes shining with solemn light. Derke was demanding that we link pinkies and swear to keep the secret forever. The more I looked at her, the cuter she seemed. For innocent little Derke, badmouthing a senior must have felt like a grave sin. I decided to play along and wrap things up quickly—the cake was probably done by now, and leaving it in the oven any longer would burn it.
—Slide…!
“There, like this?”
“Yes-! You have to press your thumb too, desu-yong-!”
—Press…!
We hooked our pinkies and pressed our thumbs together. Just as I tried to let go and head for the oven—
—Stop!
“…Huh? Derke?”
Our linked pinkies refused to come apart. More precisely, Derke wouldn’t release me. Even though I was heavier, no matter how hard I pulled, she stayed completely still. Like the legendary stone statue of a faithful wife, Derke remained frozen in place and only moved her lips.
“It’s not over yet, desu-yong…! Hurry up and match eye level again, desu-yong-!”
“Huh? There’s more?”
Apparently just pressing thumbs wasn’t enough. Did this world also have procedures like “sign, copy, scan”? Whatever the case, I was worried about the cake, so I quickly bent down again to finish the ritual. And the moment I lowered my head—
—Smooch♡
Something far softer than cake touched me. A warm, moist sensation. This wasn’t the light cheek kiss from yesterday. Our lips met directly.
“Derke will keep trusting and following Oppa from now on, desu-yong-! As the heir of the Death Dragon, Derke swears it, desu-yong-!”
After leaving behind the surprise kiss, Derke pulled away and declared the vow with all her might, as though chanting a spell. Then—
An empathy target that has reached the worship stage is proposing a Dragon's Pact.
Will you accept the Dragon's Pact?
Upon acceptance, the empathy target will faithfully fulfill the Dragon's Pact!
Upon acceptance, you may use the empathy target's abilities and perks at any time.
Upon rejection, favorability will be reset and the empathy target will be removed from the slot.