Chapter 4: The Unbreakable Contract

“Yes! Xiaojin agreed!”

Lin Wan cheered, her arms, like pliant vines, instantly coiling around Xiaojin’s slender waist.

She nuzzled her head affectionately into the crook of Xiaojin’s neck, her warm breath caressing the sensitive skin and sending a shiver through Xiaojin.

“I knew you were the best, Xiaojin! From this day forward, you are officially my exclusive cuddle pillow, number one!”

‘An exclusive cuddle pillow… and *number one* at that?! Did that imply there would be a number two and three?’

Xiaojin’s entire body went rigid, as if she had turned to stone, her blood seemingly congealing in an instant.

Her hands hovered awkwardly in mid-air, unable to push away, yet even more terrified to respond.

The fresh citrus notes of Lin Wan’s shower gel, usually so pleasant, now seemed to Xiaojin like a potent nerve agent, setting off a clamor of alarm bells and fueling an overwhelming urge to flee.

“Lin Wan, temper your excitement; you’ll frighten Xiaojin.”

Xia Yue’s voice, cool and collected as always, cut through the tension like an icy spring flowing over scorching flagstones.

Yet, deep within her sapphire-like eyes, an unmistakable flicker of dark, possessive intensity briefly surfaced.

Stepping forward, Xia Yue’s movements appeared gentle, yet possessed an undeniable strength as she “ peeled” Lin Wan away from Xiaojin.

Her fingertips, in a seemingly accidental gesture, brushed the inside of Xiaojin’s arm, eliciting a thrilling jolt of tingling sensation that made Xiaojin’s heart pound.

Lin Wan pouted in dissatisfaction, but released her grip nonetheless.

She turned to tightly embrace the Rilakkuma bear that had been discarded nearby, her eyes wide and pleading as she stared at Xiaojin, resembling a small, vulnerable animal terrified of abandonment.

Yet, the fleeting glint of slyness that flashed in her eyes pierced Xiaojin’s heart like a needle.

Xia Yue, seizing the opportunity, seamlessly took Lin Wan’s spot, positioning herself directly in front of Xiaojin.

The proximity was such that Xiaojin could feel their breaths intertwining, creating an invisible, suffocating pressure.

Extending a hand, Xia Yue’s fingertips gently grazed Xiaojin’s cheeks, which had flushed faintly red from a mix of tension and bashfulness.

The touch was subtly cool, yet it made Xiaojin feel as though she had been scalded.

“Don’t be afraid,” Xia Yue’s voice lowered, imbued with a unique, almost seductive magnetism that nevertheless hinted at a deeper threat.

“We won’t harm you. It’s simply that… we require certain assurances to sustain this… rather special and delicate relationship we share.”

‘Assurances? What assurances?’

Xiaojin’s heart hammered a frantic drumbeat against her ribs.

She regarded Xia Yue with extreme caution, much like a startled rabbit confronting a patient hunter.

“You see, we are now, in essence, ‘accomplices,’ wouldn’t you agree?”

Xia Yue’s lips curved into the faintest of smiles, though her eyes remained devoid of warmth, holding instead a profound, almost consuming intensity.

“We have concealed your existence, and in turn, you require our protection. This particular dynamic, however, necessitates a more robust bond.”

From her uniform pocket, she retrieved her phone—a mundane object, certainly not the magic wand or ancient contract scroll Xiaojin had half-dreaded, yet it filled her with a terror far more profound than any magical artifact could inspire.

With practiced ease, she unlocked the device, opening the camera function.

The cold lens honed in precisely on Kazami Jin, whose uniform was slightly disheveled, eyes faintly red, and lips, bitten lightly from anxiety, trembled.

“Come now, Xiaojin, look into the lens and repeat after me—”

Xia Yue’s voice, unsettlingly gentle, coaxed her towards an unseen abyss.

“‘I, Kazami Jin, voluntarily enter into an intimate relationship with Xia Yue and Lin Wan that transcends mere friendship, and I pledge… to sincerely respond to and fulfill their reasonable requests for intimacy.’”

“Be sure to add ‘sincerely’!”

Lin Wan interjected softly from the side, her eyes gleaming with an astonishing brightness, imbued with a naive, almost innocent cruelty.

“You can’t just go through the motions!”

*Boom—!* Kazami Jin felt a sudden, violent rush of blood to her head, only for it to recede just as swiftly, leaving behind an icy, bone-deep chill.

‘A video recording?! And I have to utter *those* words?! This isn’t an assurance; it’s a deed of sale! A veritable sword suspended precariously above my head!’

“No… I can’t…”

She instinctively recoiled, only for her back to abruptly collide with the cold shoe cabinet.

With no further retreat possible, she felt like a trembling prey animal driven to the brink.

Lin Wan, meanwhile, nodded vigorously from the side, her soft coaxing words feeling like shackles.

“Just say it, Xiaojin, go on! If you do, we’ll truly be ‘one-of-a-kind’ intimate partners! A-Yue and I will take such good ‘care’ of you from now on!”

Xia Yue held her phone aloft, waiting with unnerving patience, like a hunter poised for its prey to fall into a snare, emanating a suffocating sense of oppression.

Her gaze, unmistakably, conveyed a silent warning: ‘Refuse, and you shall bear the unbearable consequences.’

Gazing at the two “friends” before her—one whose gentle, water-like smile concealed a sharp cunning, the other outwardly innocent yet relentlessly pressing in—Xiaojin was overcome by a profound wave of helplessness and despair.

Together, they had meticulously woven a web from which she had no hope of escape.

‘Survive… I must at least survive first… Where there’s life, there’s hope!’

In the end, her desperate will to live utterly crushed her rapidly crumbling dignity.

She closed her eyes, drawing a deep, despairing breath.

When they fluttered open once more, only a desolate, resigned grayness remained within their depths.

Averting her gaze from the cold, unyielding lens, she repeated the declaration that felt like a heavy shackle, her voice a trembling whisper, thin as a wisp of silk, yet agonizingly clear.

“…I, Kazami Jin, voluntarily… sincerely respond… reasonable intimate requests.”

Each word, a sharp needle, pricked her very soul.

“Good girl.”

Xia Yue’s lips curved into a satisfied arc, much like a master bestowing a reward upon an obedient pet.

She ceased the recording, meticulously saved the file, and then tucked her phone away.

“Then, the contract is established. From this day forward, you are ours.”

The final words, light as a sigh, yet possessing the weight of iron, struck Xiaojin’s heart with devastating force.

****

Once the so-called “contract” was established, Kazami Jin’s daily life plummeted into a sweet yet terrifying abyss.

This was first evident on their walk home from school.

Previously, their trio had walked in parallel friendship; now, it had become a sandwich, with Xiaojin as the helpless filling in the middle.

“Xiaojin, your hands are so cold; let me warm them for you!”

Lin Wan declared, stuffing Xiaojin’s hand into her own jacket pocket without preamble.

Her warm palm tightly enveloped Xiaojin’s cool fingertips, the grip too firm to escape.

Xiaojin stiffened, attempting to pull away, but it was like a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

Lin Wan naturally claimed Xiaojin’s right hand, their fingers tightly intertwined, her fingertips playfully scratching Xiaojin’s palm now and then, sending shivers of both ticklishness and apprehension through her.

“Don’t move,” Lin Wan whispered close to her ear, her warm breath caressing Xiaojin’s earlobe.

Her tone, though sweet, was laced with menace in a voice only they could hear.

“Otherwise, I’ll show the video to everyone in school, so they all know Xiaojin is our most ‘special,’ most ‘obedient’ person, okay~”

Xiaojin: “!!!”

All thoughts of resistance vanished instantly, her cheeks burning crimson with shame and fear.

She could only allow Lin Wan to lead her.

To her left, Xia Yue seemed to sense the cloying atmosphere.

She cast a faint glance over, saying nothing, but naturally reached out and gently tucked a strand of Xiaojin’s hair, blown by the wind, behind her ear.

Her fingertips brushed Xiaojin’s sensitive earlobe almost imperceptibly, causing a slight tremor.

Then, her hand slid down, resting gently on Xiaojin’s other shoulder with an undeniable possessiveness, forming a tender restraint.

“Come to my house tonight,” Xia Yue murmured softly to Xiaojin, turning her head.

Her warm breath brushed Xiaojin’s temple, yet her tone was unmistakably a command.

“The student council has a document that needs your ‘help.’ Also… I’ve expended a lot of energy today; I need you… by my side.”

That phrase, “I need you,” was uttered so plainly, yet it sent a chill creeping up Xiaojin’s spine.

This pink-tinged abduction drew numerous stares and whispers of envy from fellow students along the way.

Only Xiaojin herself knew that she was merely prey, held captive by two beautiful yet dangerous predators, each step she took fraught with trepidation, as if treading on thin ice.

****

During the break, Xiaojin was buried in her notes, earnestly trying to make sense of the math formulas she hadn’t understood in the previous class, seeking a sliver of rational refuge amid the chaos.

Suddenly, a warm, soft body pressed against her from behind.

Lin Wan wrapped her arms around Xiaojin’s neck from behind, resting her chin intimately on the crown of Xiaojin’s head, the close contact making her entire body stiffen.

“Xiaojin~ I’m so bored; let’s do something fun!”

Lin Wan’s voice, a playful whine, echoed in Xiaojin’s ear like an enchanting spell.

“Wh-what fun thing?”

Xiaojin’s voice was dry, a sense of foreboding clouding over her.

“Like… teaching you to play this!”

Lin Wan, as if by magic, pulled out a handheld game console.

“The loser has to face a penalty!”

The inevitable outcome was Xiaojin’s crushing defeat, given her ordinary athletic ability and reaction speed (a mere grunt witch).

“The penalty is—” Lin Wan’s eyes gleamed with frightening intensity as she leaned her fair, delicate cheek close to Xiaojin’s, so near that Xiaojin could feel the warmth of her skin.

“Kiss here! Make it loud!”

Other classmates were still around!

Xiaojin was so mortified, she wished she could disappear into a crack in the floor.

“Lin Wan! Not here…”

“The contract, remember~” Lin Wan wiggled their still-intertwined fingers, her smile sweet yet cruel as she silently mouthed two words: “The video~”

Then, she immediately adopted a wronged expression.

“You don’t want to make me sad, do you?”

Ultimately, under this double coercion, Xiaojin could only humiliatingly close her eyes and swiftly plant a light kiss on that smooth cheek, emitting a faint “chu” sound.

In that moment, she felt a part of her dignity shatter.

Lin Wan instantly looked satisfied, touching the spot where she’d been kissed, and even went a step further, returning a kiss to Xiaojin’s crimson, burning cheek.

“This is your reward!”

Xiaojin buried her blazing red face deep into her arms, not daring to meet anyone’s gaze.

She could distinctly feel Xia Yue’s gaze, like a cold probe, resting on her back from a short distance away, filled with scrutiny and displeasure, making her feel as if she had thorns in her flesh.

****

Sure enough, after school, when it was time to go to Xia Yue’s house for “help with organizing documents,” Xiaojin experienced the top student’s silent “reckoning” and possessiveness.

Xia Yue’s room was impeccably clean, carrying her unique cool gardenia scent, yet it made Xiaojin feel suffocated.

The documents were quickly “organized.”

Xia Yue put down the last book, then turned to look at Xiaojin, who stood somewhat awkwardly in the center of the room, her gaze calm but intensely oppressive.

“I’m tired,” she stated, then walked to the bed and sat down, patting the space beside her.

Her tone brooked no argument: “Come here, Xiaojin.”

Xiaojin nervously walked over.

No sooner had she sat down than Xia Yue naturally leaned against her, resting her head gently on Xiaojin’s shoulder.

Xia Yue’s soft blue hair brushed against Xiaojin’s neck, sending a subtly ticklish shiver through her.

“Don’t move; let me lean for a while.”

Xia Yue closed her eyes, her voice carrying a hint of genuine fatigue, yet the arm wrapped around Xiaojin’s waist held an undeniable strength, pinning her firmly to her side, as if Xiaojin were her exclusive calming pillow.

Xiaojin’s body was rigid as a plank of wood; even her breathing grew shallow.

Xia Yue’s hair was soft, her breathing even, but the underlying control hidden within this tranquility terrified her more than Lin Wan’s overt demands.

She felt like she was beside a fierce tiger, daring not to move, fearing that one wrong step would lead to unforeseeable consequences.

After a long while, just as Xiaojin thought Xia Yue had fallen asleep and relaxed her guard slightly, Xia Yue suddenly spoke in a soft voice, so close, laced with a cold warning: “From now on, don’t just casually kiss Lin Wan.”

“Ah?” Xiaojin froze, not quite processing it.

“The contract states ‘respond to *us*,’” Xia Yue lifted her head, her icy blue eyes gazing deeply into Xiaojin’s, swirling with dark, inscrutable emotions.

“It doesn’t mean letting her do whatever she wants. Your ‘sincere’ response should be more selective, more… precious.”

Her fingertips stroked Xiaojin’s cheek, the one Lin Wan had just kissed, coolly caressing it as if wiping away an impure mark, or perhaps, asserting ownership.

“Next time she makes such an unreasonable request, you can refuse, or… come to me.”

Xiaojin parted her lips, looking at Xia Yue’s close, subtly possessive lips, her mind a complete blank.

Refuse Lin Wan? Come to Xia Yue? That was merely escaping a wolf’s den only to enter a tiger’s lair!

Kazami Jin sat there, utterly devoid of life, her physical exhaustion far outweighed by her mental torment.

Her school life, her everyday existence, had completely veered off its expected course, hurtling down a strange yuri path filled with pink bubbles (which, to her, were a despairing abyss).

And all of this was merely the beginning.

She thought with despair, under this humiliating “contract,” what other “reasonable intimate requests” awaited her tomorrow, the day after, and in the foreseeable future?

Watching the setting sun outside the window, Kazami Jin felt a deep dread for “tomorrow” for the very first time.