Inazuma City, Komore Teahouse.
After Nolan finished checking his newly acquired Affection Skill, Ayaka finished familiarizing herself with the two powerful abilities she had just gained—only to suddenly realize that she had also mastered another ability, Snow Sakura Dance.
She looked at Nolan with a puzzled expression.
"This is…?"
"I can gain abilities from girls' affection toward me. After I obtain an ability, it's reflected back to the other party as well—so this is probably proof that you like me."
Nolan explained with a smile.
"Ah—Mr. Adventurer, please don't joke around like that!"
With a whoosh, Ayaka's face turned completely red.
"Miss Ayaka…"
Kujou Sara looked at her calmly and spoke in a tone that said just as I thought.
"No, that's not it, I didn't—ugh…"
Ayaka's maidenly reserve and modesty made her instinctively want to find an excuse, but as the young lady of the Kamisato Clan, her refined upbringing wouldn't allow her to lie. For a rare moment, she fell into flustered confusion.
Nolan turned to Sara and continued,
"The same goes for you, Sara. I can already feel that I'm close to gaining an ability born from your affection as well. When that happens, you'll receive the same ability in return."
Kujou Sara's face reddened ever so slightly, almost imperceptibly, before she finally let out a soft snort.
"Hmph."
"Since I've already given you the abilities, then next comes my turn as the winner to make my request."
Nolan looked at the two of them as he spoke.
"A wager is a wager. Since we lost, as long as it's not an overly strange request, we'll naturally honor our promise."
Ayaka calmed herself a little and gradually regained the composure befitting a noble lady.
"Don't worry. Of course it won't be anything strange."
Nolan stood up, walked over, and sat down between the two of them. He wrapped his arms around their waists.
"How about giving me a kiss? That shouldn't count as a strange request, right?"
This was precisely why Nolan had given them the abilities first—so they would most likely feel too embarrassed to refuse.
"K-K-Kiss?!"
Both Ayaka and Sara cried out in shock and embarrassment at the same time.
"H-How could we possibly—!"
"You like me, and I like you too. So kissing isn't something strange for us at all. Come on—if you don't want to, I can kiss you instead."
Nolan said casually.
"P-Please don't say such strange things…"
Ayaka lowered her head, clutching the skirt on her thighs. Her face was flushed as she spoke in a voice as soft as a mosquito's buzz.
How could Mr. Adventurer make such an embarrassing request—and say things about liking her so directly… wuu!
"You—!"
Kujou Sara was also feeling embarrassed and annoyed.
"This is taking advantage of the situation!"
Knowing full well that they wouldn't go back on their promise, and then making such a mortifying request…
"Hehe, that's right, that's exactly it. Come on, hurry up and kiss me—otherwise I won't let go."
Nolan said shamelessly.
If he did something like this to a girl he wasn't familiar with, it would truly be harassment.
But when the targets were girls whose affection for him was already extremely high—
Then it was basically no different from public displays of affection.
At this moment, Ayaka and Sara realized that while Nolan was holding them, his hands were actually rubbing back and forth over their lower abdomens.
Either way, this guy was going to take advantage of them.
After thinking it over, with no better option in sight, they could only give him a light kiss. After all, being taken advantage of once was better than being taken advantage of continuously.
With that thought, Ayaka—her face bright red—gathered her courage. Looking at Nolan's profile, she slowly leaned closer.
In the end, her soft lips gently pressed against his cheek.
Seeing that Ayaka had already kissed him, Kujou Sara, as the general of the Tenryou Commission, naturally couldn't fall behind.
Feeling embarrassed? Then just don't look—problem solved. With that thought in mind, Kujou Sara gently closed her eyes and slowly leaned toward Nolan's cheek.
Noticing that Sara had actually closed her eyes, a small mischievous impulse stirred within Nolan.
He turned his head, facing her directly, and simply watched as her soft lips gradually drew closer—until they finally pressed against his own.
"...Mmph?"
With her eyes closed, Kujou Sara sensed that something was off. Kissing a cheek shouldn't involve bumping noses, should it?
She slowly opened her eyes, then widened them slightly, staring at Nolan in shock and embarrassment.
For a moment, she seemed unable to believe it—so stunned that she even forgot to pull her lips away.
"Y-you two..."
On Nolan's left, Ayaka stared at them in astonishment. She hadn't expected Kujou Sara to be so bold—to go straight for a kiss on the lips.
Watching the two of them kiss, Ayaka's emotions grew complicated. Her gaze gradually lost focus as faint ice-elemental energy began to spread uncontrollably.
She murmured unconsciously,
"She actually made the first move... she actually made the first move..."
Nolan suddenly felt a chill run through his body. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the milk tea on the table—still half full—rapidly freezing solid.
Startled, he turned back and realized that Ayaka had gone dark; cold air was continuously pouring off her body.
If this continued, the abnormality here would be noticed outside. If someone came in to check, it would be trouble.
After a moment's thought, Nolan tightened his arm around Ayaka's waist and suddenly leaned over to kiss her directly.
If watching him kiss Sara made her jealous, then sharing things evenly would solve it, right?
"Mmph!"
It was as if her casting had been interrupted. All the ice-elemental energy Ayaka was releasing vanished in an instant.
Feeling the soft touch of his lips, Ayaka blinked in a daze—then her cheeks visibly flushed red!
On the other side, Kujou Sara, breathing slightly unevenly, came back to her senses. She had originally wanted to scold Nolan, but seeing him kiss Ayaka made her feel inexplicably sour.
She pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, then leaned in and used her cheek to nudge Ayaka aside—before voluntary kissing Nolan herself.
Hm? Nolan was slightly surprised. Had this turned into a bout of jealousy?
Kujou Sara had always been strong-willed—cool on the outside, warm on the inside. Before either of them had kissed him, she still retained a maiden's reserve.
But once that first step had been taken—even if it was passive—that restraint naturally faded quite a bit.
And so, Sara's assertive side returned.
Seeing him kiss Ayaka, it was only natural she felt a bit jealous, so she simply leaned in and kissed him.
At that moment, Nolan saw a notification pop up on the character panel:
[Kujou Sara Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 620 Affection Points.
Current Affection Level: Lv.10 (MAX)]
As their relationship gradually became clear, Kujou Sara's affection for him rose once more—this time reaching max level as well.
[Through sincere feelings and unrelenting effort, a destiny that once had no intersection with yours has now become deeply entwined with you. From this moment on, the maiden's constellation shall shine alongside yours. Ability acquired: Crow Feathers Veil the Sun.]
The notification for obtaining an Affection Skill appeared. While feeling the warmth and softness of the girl's lips, Nolan opened it to check the skill's details:
[Crow Feathers Veil the Sun: The pitch-black wings of the crow tengu obscure one's past and future, granting independence from the dimensions of time and fate. You are immune to observation or interference of those categories. When using fate- or causality-based abilities, the final effect is additionally increased by "the sum of both parties' levels" percent. Any influence you exert is imbued with the effect "Crow Feathers Concealment," preventing backlash from causality or fate, and making you untraceable by fate, causality, or time-based methods below "the sum of both parties' levels."]
(End of Chapter)
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