Today marks the anniversary of the first kiss with the Maid Leader (First update, please vote) : Originally, this chapter was scheduled as a bonus update for reaching 250 votes, but I was too exhausted yesterday, so that bonus will be postponed. Today, I'm planning for five updates, so I hope your monthly votes don't stop—let the sisterly affection come even more fiercely... Oops, I mean, monthly votes!

... Even though she knew most of what she was supposed to know, Sakuya still found it difficult to fully accept. Common sense dictates a resistance to the truly unconventional; similarly, those living in the unconventional instinctively doubt what lies beyond their comprehension—this is an inescapable aspect of humanity, regardless of time or place.

For Sakuya, being chosen for the God War felt as fantastical as an ordinary person learning that magic existed in the world—equally exaggerated, equally a fairy tale. Of course, despite her doubts, Sakuya would not deny the reality of the situation. After all, she wasn't an ordinary person; she understood that the world was vast and contained powers beyond her ken, making her capacity to accept the incomprehensible far greater than the average individual.

Furthermore, due to the World Heart, she possessed an intuition, a sixth sense, that subconsciously urged her to believe this was true. If this were true, however, things became complicated... Sakuya felt a headache coming on.

Based on the information gleaned from the documents, it seemed there was no way for her to return to Gensokyo other than by forming a contract with Lin Luo. If she didn't return, and other Walkers arrived in this world, she would be in considerable danger. Sakuya was not someone who cared about needing many people; her desires were significantly lower than those of most.

Perhaps initially, like any ordinary person, she had held various ambitions, but after entering the Scarlet Devil Mansion, simply having her needs met daily, living a life neither overly busy nor excessively idle, was sufficient contentment. As for becoming a god, conquering the world, or unifying Gensokyo—setting aside the fact that she lacked the power—even if she possessed it, she would likely be too lazy to bother. For someone as content as her, a simple, tranquil life was the best scenario.

Now, being dragged into this inexplicable God War meant that tranquility seemed impossible to maintain. She didn't harbor grand ambitions, but even those without great desires wouldn't willingly accept being killed! After much consideration, signing a contract with Lin Luo seemed to be the only viable path.

Whether it was returning to Gensokyo or ensuring her own survival, this was the sole option... even if it felt somewhat frustrating. "I only have one question for you," Sakuya said, pausing her contemplation before looking up at Lin Luo with sincere gravity.

"If I possessed none of my current abilities, held no power, and were just an ordinary person, would you still form a contract with me?" "Hmm..." Lin Luo paused briefly, acknowledging this was a serious query. No one had ever asked him this before. Though it seemed peripheral, a wrong answer might lead to undesirable consequences.

How should he respond? "Well, this question is rather difficult to answer..." After thinking it over, Lin Luo decided honesty was best. "Firstly, without your current capabilities, you might not even possess the World Heart, and without the World Heart, it's debatable whether I would have ever met you, so that hypothetical doesn't hold up.

Furthermore, anything that doesn't exist can be anything you claim it to be; truth and falsehood lose their distinction. However, I can give you this one assurance: I already held feelings for you even before we met. I swear that is the truth." "Eh!" Sakuya froze.

When she posed that question, she had anticipated many possible responses from Lin Luo, and she had resolved to choose her path based on his answer. But she had genuinely not expected such a reply. Liking her before they met—this, this was utterly...

Could the Covenant Book perhaps reveal the extent of her capabilities to him beforehand? Sakuya was skeptical, yet she believed the truth in Lin Luo's words because she could perceive the high degree of his favor toward her—so high it was almost unbelievable. In fact, there was something Lin Luo remained unaware of: the mutual awareness of Favorability Ratings.

Before the Covenant Book underwent its revision, she could see the Favorability Ratings the Contractors held for him. Though she could no longer see them now, his Contractors could. Whether it was Misaka Mikoto, the first contractor, Mugino Shokuhou, the secondary host, Konoka, who recently signed, or even Sakuya and Hei Yan, who had yet to contract—the moment they learned of the God War, their Favorability System activated, allowing them to clearly see the high or low standing Lin Luo held for each of them.

This was logical, as the Heart Pact was a dual, equal contract, not a master-servant bond or one based on inherent superiority. Before the revision, if the Host's Favorability toward Lin Luo exceeded 90, while Lin Luo’s toward the Host dropped below 90, or even showed dislike or hatred, the contract could not be established. Even with the revision now, where mutual consent suffices, how could one consent to someone they disliked or even hated?

Take Konoka, for instance. Her personality meant she was easily satisfied. Earning her affection for someone was relatively simple.

If, on top of that, a handsome prince figure suddenly appeared to rescue her in a moment of danger, for a girl still holding such romantic ideals, this was the ultimate way to capture her heart, possibly escalating to liking and adoration. But... even so, unless one were a true pervert, entrusting one's entire life to someone over a single incident would be impossible.

Konoka was certainly not a pervert; she was merely innocent and genuine. Thus, the fundamental reason for her rapid agreement to contract was... she could see Lin Luo's Favorability toward her was even higher than her own.

The Hosts trusted those Favorability Ratings with the same instinctive certainty that ordinary people trusted that humans would experience birth, aging, sickness, and death. So, for a girl like Konoka, who wasn't demanding of romantic ideals, when she already felt fondness and admiration for someone, and that person liked her even more than she liked him—what reason was there left to hesitate? The same applied to Sakuya.

Upon realizing Lin Luo's Favorability toward her was exceptionally high, and accepting that rating as fact, how could she doubt his spoken declaration of "liking her"? Of course, she wasn't Konoka; she didn't harbor the sentimental dreams of youth, and love was, for her, optional. Currently, her primary concern was the older sister figure.

Therefore, she couldn't simply entrust herself the way Konoka might. However, the only way back to Gensokyo required signing with him... and since he was deeply fond of her, and she didn't dislike him, acceptance didn't seem entirely out of the question.

Ultimately, environment played a crucial role. If the circumstances were normal—say, if she were currently in Gensokyo, and some man was utterly infatuated with her, even to the point of being unable to live without her... Alright, though slightly narcissistic, this was a hypothetical.

If such a thing truly occurred, even if she didn't despise the man, she absolutely would not agree to be with him. But the premise now was different; it was no longer just about whether the two of them returned each other's affections. It was decreed by fate.

You two have been bound together by supreme destiny; you are people meant to ride the same boat. If you weren't together, how could Fate bear it! Thus, there was nothing left to hesitate over.

Regardless of future choices, only one course of action remained open right now. "Fine, if that's the situation, I see no reason to object. I'll sign according to your wishes," Sakuya suddenly adopted an expression of 'what the heck, I'll roll with it.' She leaned forward slightly, tilted her head back, closed her eyes, and parted her lips slightly...

She was aware of the procedure for signing—it required a kiss, nothing major. "Ah!" Hearing Sakuya's words, Lin Luo was instantly ecstatic, but when he saw her posture, he froze. The Maid Leader's movement was unmistakably an invitation for a kiss!

Yet, the Heart Pact wasn't a kiss agreement; it was a chest contact agreement... Ah, she must have misunderstood, thinking the Heart Pact required the same rite as the servant contracts in this world. Lin Luo instantly understood, and in that moment of realization, he debated whether to tell Sakuya the truth.

But after only 0.3 seconds of thought, he decided to let the mistake stand. When a beautiful girl he liked was offering him a kiss, no man in his right mind would refuse. Was Lin Luo a man?

Of course he was! Though he could occasionally transform into a Hideyoshi, his core nature was that of a true man, and moreover, a man who had already conquered two beautiful girls! If he didn't press a hard kiss upon her now, not only would he not agree, but the readers wouldn't either!

As for what happened afterward, the worst that could happen was getting stabbed by a throwing knife; it wasn't a big deal. Thus, Lin Luo decisively wrapped his arms around Sakuya's waist, placed one hand on her back, leaned down, and pressed his lips firmly against hers. The instant their lips touched, Sakuya's delicate body trembled slightly.

She was clearly unaccustomed to such intimacy and lacked experience, seemingly intending to speak, instinctively parting her teeth. Lin Luo would not miss an opportunity. His tongue slipped in, easily seizing the Maid Leader's delicate tongue.

She seemed to try and retreat, but in the narrow confines of the mouth, where could she go? Lin Luo followed closely, and soon their tongues were intertwined. Why the tongue kiss?

Sakuya's eyes widened. She knew the servant contracts didn't require tongue contact, but perhaps the Heart Pact was more complicated... Fine, a tongue kiss it was; since they were already kissing, this small detail didn't matter.

But since this was her first kiss with a man, a flush of shyness still crept over her. Consequently, Sakuya next closed her eyes slightly, her face turning crimson, adopting an expression of blissful surrender. Seeing this, Lin Luo kissed with even greater fervor.

As his tongue entangled with hers, he took the chance to savor the girl's sweet nectar. Simultaneously, his hands roamed restlessly over her waist and back, as if attempting to melt her body into his embrace.