As of now, we have agreed to have a Friendship Contract. We prepared the things we need, placed the contract paper in between of us in the small round table in the basement. She stand in the small chair as a compensation of her small height, and I did it too because the table almost taller than us. We stand in a equal height.

I tried to persuade her that we will do it tomorrow because it’s really late at night now, we took a lot of time talking than actually preparing for what we need to do, but she didn’t agree and said that we will do it today. 

Anastasia that is in from of me cut her right palm using a dagger in without hesitation and a blood burst out a little. The dagger looks like somehow what they normally use to kill a sacrifice in rituals. Can I really trust her now? We just met a few hours ago though. 

“Ouch!” 

“Should I do that to? It looks like it will hurt, and I don’t have a palm though.” I asked. 

“Of course you should, how would a blood contract work if not? You should just cut the part of your right feet palm or something!” 

“Why it has to be a blood contract? There’s many other way to do it!”

Blood contract is a method of contract that needs to cut a wound in palm of participants. It is used to make the participants have stronger bond, and is effective especially when the contract is for friendships, brotherhood, and marriage but it’s not advisable. Their dripped mixture of their blood from their palm in a contract paper as a medium is a proof. After a contract is done, they will have an unseen strong connection between them, it is slightly portrayed string of fate depending on the duration, conditions and type of contract. 

“No, this is better and more effective if we do a permanent contract. I won’t let you go without having a contract with me, and stop complaining already!”

Why permanent? Is she planning to take me into her grave even after she’s dead or something? 

After that, she handed me the dagger then I did cuy myself in my palm or something too. I’m surprised myself that I can grip the dagger without any problem, maybe sword weilding isn’t too far to reach. I hesitated at first but, after I got the guts and did it too, and a blood comes out . Let’s say even if I have the『Pain Null』skill or not, who would want to cut themselves without hesitating aside from this, girl? 

“ I’m a little surprised, I didn’t know we have the same color of blood.” 

“Whatever, just give me your hand or feet something where you cut yourself.” 

I handed out my right hand or feet where I cut. We held each other on something like this “^” form, or something like posture when doing arm wrestling. Our mixed blood started dripping little by little in the contract paper’s  with a lot of ancient runes written on it between us.  I adjusted a little as I have longer limbs than her, she will struggle to reach if not. As our blood drips in the paper, the runes slowly lighting up. 

“Are you sure you really want to do this  with a monster like me that you just met? “ I asked her in the last minute. 

Well, if this is normal in this world, I think there won’t be an issue. However, I still feel like she’s rushing, but I want to learn magic from her too, I mean witches are good at that. I’m just hoping she won’t curse me. 

“Yes, of course! Why would I let go of the opportunity to have a friend monster that I can converse with! In addition, you’re around SS+ class monster, you’re strong and your species is near extinct! “

No, you are mistaken lady, I’m just a low class monster as stated in my status bar. 

“But, I’m just a low class monster as stated in my status bar.” I replied. 

“That’s just in your perspective!”

She’s so optimistic. Well, I feel like there’s no stopping her now.

“Okay, let’s get over with it. “

“ehe.. “ 

Anastasia made a biggest and the most beautiful smile in her face and then giggled. 

SO CUTEE!  

After seeing her smile, I blushed in my cheeks a little. 

“What are you blushing for!?”

Oh no! I’m blushing!?

“N-nothing ma’am! “

If my first friend in this world is this cute then I don’t have to hesitate anymore! I have to protect her smile even if it costs my life! Her mental age may be 300 years old in a body of a young girl, but at least now, I will have a so called friend now. In my previous world, I don’t really have someone like that, I can’t call them that as they are only leeching  and doing something rude behind my back.

“Listen, no matter what happens! Don’t interrupt or say anything else other than what is in the book during the citation, or else a very bad thing will happend if it got interrupted okay?” 

“O-okay! Let’s start already, our blood will run dry if we talk more.” 

My thoughts got interrupted by her sudden sudden shift of mood. That sounds serious.

“When I look at you in the eyes, you say the lines too, after that we both cite the next following lines until end. Is that clear?” 

Somehow, she’s like my teacher in lower elementary level. 

“Understood.” I replied. 

“Yosh! All set! I’m starting.”

She placed the book in the table where we can both see it, and in the page where the following lines is written. I adjusted the book closer to her than mine, because I have a better eyesight than her, I can see even the smallest details even if it’s far from me. Well it also has a limit in range but, as of the current situation I can read with no problem. 

“O God and Spirit of Contracts,

Hear our words,

As we vow to thy greatest one’s. 

A permanent contact,

Within this contract paper we have,

Dripped by our combined blood in our held hands as our signature. 

Betrayal will be unforgiven, 

Punishment will be equal to thy life.”

She cited the first phase of contract activation as she said, a magic circle appeared below us, and it suddenly turned bright around us, the wind blows getting slightly stronger, it should not be windy as we are in closed room, but it’s maybe a part of what it makes to be magical. Then she looked at me in the eye with a visible happines as she stated the next sentence. 

“I Anastasia Astra, take thee to be thy other half.”

It seems like this is the part I should say it too, but wait, why other half? Isn’t this supposed to be friendship contract? Well, I’ll just ask later, who knows what will happen if the contract citation is interrupted.

“And  I Ares Astra, take thee to be thy other half.”

I noticed the page been flipped to other page for some unknown reasons without her noticing, but it’s still under a contract title and the same start as what she had read, so I just didn’t tell her. It didn’t turn to different page when the wind started to blow stronger, why just now!? Is this where Fate leading us? 

 Honestly, I slightly believe that somewhere, somehow, a person haves intertwined fate with other person. Fate will lead them to their Destiny. They’re Destined to meet each other. 

Wait. What am I thinking!? 

Although I don’t know what kind of contract is that. She said it herself that “NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, DON’T INTERRUPT THE CITATION! “ and, I don’t know what bad things might happen when a contract citation is really interrupted. Better careful than sorry. 

I started back at her with a frogish smile in my lips. Somehow I feel guilty about it, I’ll just go with the flow and regret later if something goes wrong with the sudden change of contact page. 

Together, we spouted loudly the next words written in the book she is holding.

“We vow to each other and to thy greatest one’s, 

To be one,

To have and hold, 

And  inseparable from this day forward, 

In hardships or in luxury…. “

As we are citing the lines, I’m thinking that something is off with the so called Friendship Contract citation, well the page is changed by the wind that she didn’t notice, so. Am I imagining things like it sounded like a marriage vow or something? I heard something like this in the past when I attended a wedding of some of my uncles and who knows who invited me. 

 There’s no way it is right? 

“In sickness or in good health….”

I looked at her while we are still citing, and she have the look of mixed confusion, regret and the look of “what the f*** am I saying?” in her face. But then, her eyes wide opened when she saw something. She looked like she wanted to stop. 

No way! Is it what I am thinking?  And she’s not really stopping, just how heavy is the weight of interrupted contract citation!? 

But still, we continued. 

“ In sickness or in good health, 

Here us O greatest one’s! 

As we pledge thee thy faith and feelings! “

The magic circle lit up brighter and illuminated the whole room, after a few seconds it disappeared. A chain with our initial of our name inside it is carved like a stigma in our right chest. The stigma can’t be removed even if you ripoff the flesh of where it is carved. The stigma is engraved from the flesh to soul. Wind also calm down, and everything gone silent. Except until Anastasia. 

“NOOOOOOOOOO!!” Anastasia shouted loudly, her face turned bit red. 

The whole room is like hit with an earthquake with a magnitude of 10. Also, I feel like eardrums nearly blown off.

“Shut upp What’s going on!?” I tried to stop her. 

I looked at Anastasia and she’s slightly shaking and blushing like crazy. She looks like about to breakdown and then dropped her knees in the floor. It’s not that she’s despairing or anything, I think it’s more like being bashful. 

“T-the contract.” Anastasia said with something like ‘unbelievable’ looks in her. 

“Y-yes,it was successful right? W-what are you worried for?”  I said hesitantly with a forced smile. 

I am pretending like I don’t know the meaning and content of the contract citation we did. 

“We just did a marriage contract you know! It’s also a permanent contact!” She answered as she stood up fast. “I just got married to a monster, that’s gross! Furthermore we got married in a weird way!”

I don’t know but, she really turned red and about to go something like poof. 

“Whattttt!????” I acted like surprised. “No wayyyy! We can cancel it and do another if you want? Yes, that’s right we’d just tear the contract paper and do another one. ” I just spouted some random things I came up. 

She checked the book and there she came to know that the page has been flipped to other page. 

“The wind during the citation wouldn’t been enough to be able to flip a single page, just why did that happen!?” She begun mourning. 

I just got married with a litte child that aged maybe less than 10 – 15 years physically, you can take me to jail now FBI-kun, I don’t have any explanation to tell. It maybe accidentally and not the normal method of wedding ceremony but the contract is already sealed and the content is the same as being married. 

Yep, I literally gave her a last name. 

She glared at me, and I flinched. 

“Are you an idiot? Once the contract is sealed, the contract medium will be indestructible until the contract duration is fulfilled, and we just did a permanent, means even afer death it’s still on going! In addition, if we try and forcefully destroy or end it, our stigma will cause a mana disaster and will obviously kill us both! That’s how the God’s and Spirits of contract made it!”

“Ah, well what’s done is done.” Anastasia continued and sighed. “Let’s just talk about things in other day.”

She calmed herself. 

She didn’t completely accept what just happened, it left big shock on her but she just swiftly put it aside for now. She’s quite a bit confused and regretting for not noticing the turns of moments. Well, she can’t do anything about it now as the contract is sealed already and the stigma of contract is also carved in us. 

I don’t know what to do in times like this, so I’ll just leap away and leave the scene. Sarabada! 

“So, it’s done now right? I head now to the river then my brothers are waiting for me.”

But as I tried to walk out, Anastasia stopped me. 

“No, you’ll stay here for the night. Something might happen to you outside, it’s already midnight.”

“Well, aren’t you forgetting that I’m a monster? I can take care of myself.”

“No more talking back okay, just stay here for the night!”

Sounds like she really want me to stay, she did really kidnapped me with my consent!