Perhaps she's overthinking it?

Even those who usually spend the most time with me didn't raise similar concerns, which should be her way of expressing concern in a roundabout way.

As I was analyzing this, Yao's second question came at me:

"Master of the Small Garden, in your opinion, what position do we occupy within this Master of the Small Garden?"

Both eyes turned to me simultaneously.

This makes me feel a little pressured.

Fortunately, I had already pondered the answer to this question several times when I was alone, so I answered without hesitation: "At first, they were just troublesome new tenants, but as we got to know each other better, they became friends I could entrust with my life, people I could consult when I was confused, companions I could rely on, and..."

I forced myself to swallow the last words and barely managed to keep my gaze from turning to the side.

Now is not the time to say these things.

Yao nodded in satisfaction and closed his eyes: "In that case, it seems that our usual care and reliance on each other has not been in vain."

"Like you, Master of the Little Garden, although my initial impression of you wasn't very good, you are still a promising young man. However, as we've interacted more, our opinion of you has been changing. Of course, I've also heard about your many achievements from Hikari. Your wisdom and logic are admirable, and your courage and attitude in dealing with extraordinary matters are worthy of respect and praise. However, please be sure to take care of your health from time to time; that's our top priority."

"On behalf of all members of [Dawn], I acknowledge you as our eternal ally, and..."

She also pursed her lips, not uttering the rest of her words.

However, judging from my awareness that I had not yet left the room and that she must have noticed it, those closed pupils seemed to be staring at Hikari, who had suddenly buried her face behind me for some reason.

No, I was just playing riddles because I felt the time wasn't right yet, so I decided to keep something in reserve to avoid making things awkward for both of us. Why are you suddenly playing riddles?

"Wait, why is it suddenly so formal!" I paused for a moment before getting my thoughts back on track.

Although it was only a slight change, I clearly saw Yao suddenly curl one corner of his mouth and answer gently: "Because this was originally a formal matter, but we delayed it for a long time, and it is only now that it has been truly completed."

As her voice fell, a rainbow-colored light suddenly shone from beneath her body, which was wrapped in layers of clothing. Then, it instantly pierced through the clothing, circled in mid-air, and flew swiftly toward me, transforming into a sheepskin scroll that emitted a mesmerizing rainbow of colors.

"It's an alliance!"

Anne, who had been watching from the sidelines, suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "How do you know this skill!"

“Yes, this is a covenant.” Yao affirmed Annie’s words. “As a symbol of trust that we will do our best to assist each other in the future, I request to sign an eternal covenant with this small garden, Yumi. If the other party has any necessary needs, we [Dawn] will do everything we can to arrive as soon as possible and do our best to assist them.”

"...This offer sounds too good to be true for me."

I was a little wary: "Besides, it's said that if one side needs help, the other side must do everything in its power to assist them... In comparison, don't you have more people than me? If we really do that, wouldn't I be at a disadvantage?"

“A covenant is a fair and equal agreement, a far more advanced form of contract than a pact,” Yao said. “And this is only a request we have made; you can confirm it in the covenant and make your own requests.”

I took a look, and it was indeed as she said.

“But even so, I cannot easily believe it.” I hesitated for a moment. “Can this proposed treaty be supplemented later? Or can the existing one be modified?”

“Either is fine.” Yao nodded. “However, whether it is in the future or now, any newly proposed treaty must be agreed upon by both parties in order to be successfully completed.”

Then I can rest assured a little.

I tried nodding in agreement, and the parchment, enveloped in iridescent light, suddenly split into two pieces like carbon paper stacked together. One piece fell into my hand, and the other into Yao's hand. Yao was the first to turn it over and show me their consistency.

At Yao's suggestion, I tried to use a bit of magic to write some meaningless patterns on the parchment. At the same time, similar patterns appeared on another covenant, and disappeared from the paper after Yao shook his head in rejection.

Similarly, I later tried to reject Yao's suggestion once, and only accepted it after confirming that it was correct.

No wonder it's said that a special contract must be signed and mutually agreed upon by both parties in order to successfully complete the copying process.

At least as far as I know, contracts inherently involve a degree of enforceability and hierarchy, rather than the current situation where all parties are on equal footing.

"However, you still haven't explained the reasons for your previous actions, or why you suddenly announced your departure." I steered the conversation back to the main point. "Is there something you're having trouble saying?"

“Yeah, yeah, why do I have to come too!” Hikari chimed in from the side.

Yao paused noticeably for a second before retracting the scroll and fell silent again.

"Oh dear, there's no need for so many fussy, mother-in-law-like things! I'm getting impatient just watching!"

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