"...Is this what they call the divorce phase, Master?"
"For like the hundredth time, we're not married, Shihon."
"Ugh."
Finally forcing a reply out of Liohime after what felt like hours of silence (it was ten minutes), Shihon pouted as she continued to sit at the opposite end of the couch in the living room.
–He had used a Special Order on her to stay five feet away from him for the day.
***
After the previous 'movie night' mishap, Liohime was at his final straw.
Realising that this responsibility of a hyperfixated magical beast-girl was not going to be all sunshine and rainbows, he did some quick research on Magical Beasts after slipping away from her grasp while she was asleep in the early stages of the morning.
The first thing that he did was review the contract information about Shihon once again:
[ LIOHIME KITAGAMI'S MAGICAL BEAST CONTRACT INFORMATION (1 Available) :
Magical Beast: Unknown.
Name Given: Shihon.
Type: Unknown.
Abilities: Unknown.
Contract Information: Signed. As per the contract created by the Magical Beast, it is activated by a physical touch based on the close bond formed between the immense history of the two parties involved, both Magical Beast and Owner.
Contract Abilities: The Owner may receive distinct forms of the Magical Beast's abilities and summon the Magical Beast at any given time, as well as give out Special Orders that the Magical Beast must obey under any circumstance. Both the Magical Beast and Owner can both gain a mental link that confirms the location via how strong or faint the link is once both parties are within a one-thousand meter radius from each other.
Contract Termination: Contract becomes terminated through a slow process when a Special Order given to the Magical Beast by the Owner is rejected by the Magical Beast, causing it to lose its memories in the process. Contract also becomes instantaneously terminated by the death of one of the two existing parties involved, either the Magical Beast or the Owner. ]
First off, no Magical Beast should have a deep history or any history with the Owner before they were contracted. That was an anomaly, something that made no sense to Liohime.
Then again, her entire existence is an anomaly, he pondered. She is the first hybrid of a Magical Beast and a human ever. I still can't believe that was possible.
Despite a lengthy time being spent to look for instances of Magical Beast-Girl or Beast-Boy examples, he could clearly confirm that there were no such instances before Shihon, which made her exceptionally special.
It also raised the question of why an extremely rare type of Magical Beast was being transported within one of the district branches in the Magical Beast Cornerstone Company, but he decided not to dwell on that for now.
He instead decided to focus on the things that really stood out to him: The Special Order.
He was not familiar with Magical Beasts, and Shihon was the first of his nonexistent roster. Still, he did witness a few occasions where he noticed a Special Order being used by passers-by while at work.
The question that popped up in his mind was: Is a Special Order common in Magical Beasts? And after quick research on the internet, he did find out that it was one of the most common features in a contract.
He did feel a bit bad about wanting to use an ability that must be obeyed at all costs just for some space so that he could rest, but at this point he was completely drained and needed a foolproof assurance for his mental health.
Then there was the contract information of the Owner getting to share the abilities and mental link with the Magical Beast. On finding out that there were also no instances where contracted magical beasts had those abilities, he took a nervous gulp.
Shihon….just what are you?
***
Now after sleeping without worry for a bit more than eight hours, Liohime dutifully read an online book on his phone that discussed the basics of taking care of Magical Beasts, but from time to time, he took a peek at the seemingly depressed woman who was sitting at the opposite end of where he also sat.
Ugh, I still feel guilty, he lamented as he took a quick glance back at his phone. Should I really have imposed a Special Order for the entire day?
Still, I really need this, he convinced himself before taking another peek at Shihon.
Something was off, he could tell.
Was she this close before?
It was as if her body had moved about an inch closer to his own, but she was now leaning on her side and kept her head laying on the armrest.
I'm probably imagining it, he concluded.
***
Oookay, I'm definitely not imagining it.
Everytime that Liohime had stopped reading from his phone and glanced over at Shihon, she had moved one inch closer to him in many different positions like pretending to sleep, whistling a tune, and simply waving back at him with an awkward smile.
He exhaled and finally decided to speak up.
"Hey, Shihon. You've been inching up pretty close to the five foot limit, aren't you…?"
"Guh! How did-hk!"
She quickly covered her mouth, but the damage was pretty much done, so she decided to pout again.
"Hmph…"
Liohime then averted his eyes back to the mobile screen in front of him.
He had been reading a section where it mentioned giving Magical Beasts rules since they can understand the human language, but not those that could stifle their freedom by a lot.
"Magical Beasts are not really kids that must be given every harsh rule in the handbook" it mentioned. "They are your partners. Treat them with respect, take them out to do something fun and worthwhile, and kindly remind them of the boundaries that they should not cross. This is the beginning of a mutually healthy relationship…"
Between Magical Beast and Owner.
He did not want to treat her like a little girl, spouting out rules and limiting her freedom until she was 'ready'. He did not want to hurt her feelings either. Still, he had to make some things clear, yet, do it in a loving manner.
"Override."
The transparent barrier between the two beings was removed with the single word that was uttered from him, and Shihon froze.
"Huh?"
"Shihon, you have to listen to me, okay?"
He got up and sat down right next to her and their eyes locked.
"You are my partner," he continued, "but you need to realize that as your Owner, I do need to rest sometimes. You have been pretty bad in regards to that these past few days, you know that?"
"E-Eh, what? Oh…but, Master, I can't help it…"
"I get it, you really love me...even if it is in a kinda weirdly immense way….but, how am I going to take you out if I don't get enough rest?"
"...W….Huh?"
Her eyes widened.
What…did he just say…?
She held her breath, waiting for him to clarify, and he continued.
"I've realized that I've started on the wrong foot," Liohime stated. "I've told you, 'Don't do this,' and 'Don't do that,' and I've stopped you from doing some things that you'd like to do because I'm genuinely worried about you. But now, I realize that I shouldn't be treating you like a kid, as if you're my daughter or something…because you're my partner, Shihon."
"...Mm," was the only reply she could muster up.
"But still, we both need to gain trust with each other, and respect will follow. That's why…"
He held her soft arms together with his, yet he did not once keep his eyes off of her.
"...I will give you chances to prove yourself to me. Try your best to improve on the things that I tell you about, and I promise that I will do a lot of things that you want me to do together. We can go to the park, or the cafe that's close by…ah, there's also a cool outfit shop that recently opened….wait, I'm straying off the topic here."
Shihon merely smiled, causing him to turn a little red from embarrassment.
"W-What I'm trying to say is, let's look out for each other. Mutually. As partners should. Okay-"
He was interrupted by a sudden warm embrace.
"I'm never letting you go, Master."
"Y-You…did you hear what I just said-"
He stopped speaking.
He couldn't see her face, but her small shaky voice and sudden sniffles had caught him off guard, so he decided not to speak any more about the issue.
"I really don't get you, you know," he teased. "I don't know why you're this emotionally invested in me, but I'm really not worth someone to cry over."
"I-I'm not crying."
"You sure?"
He tried to pull her back to see her face, but the head of Shihon lowered to his chest as she hid it immediately, smiling with watering eyes.
"Yeah, I'm sure," she replied emphatically.