The more Nina considered the possibilities, the more nervous she became. It hadn't escaped her notice that he'd likely only live for a few more decades at most – her time with him was finite. It was far from ideal, but she could tolerate sharing him with another woman if it was her only option.
However, what if another woman meant she couldn't pursue her attraction to him at all? Worse still, what if it limited even her friendship with him? These were the possibilities that Nina found truly disturbing.
It was with this in mind that she'd decided to see Mizuki again that night, if possible. While Mizuki finished meeting with the elves, she thought of how she'd address the matter, and worried over what his feelings would ultimately be. This was the source of apprehension he later sensed after his meeting.
When Mizuki suddenly came to pick her up, Nina was overjoyed. Earlier, he had refused her company further until she met the elves, so she was surprised by his change of heart. When they got back to his inn room, Nina was pleased to learn about the item he called a tub. While a hot bath sounded nice, she was more curious about how Mizuki might react to her in it.
Unfortunately, she sensed only traces of attraction from Mizuki during her bath. If that was the best response that she could get from such a direct approach, compared to the elven woman who he'd only seen in a meeting, she felt that he held no romantic desire for her. Accepting this was very difficult for Nina, and she grew bitter every time he mentioned the elf.
After more time with him, she was embarrassed to learn that he could feel her insecurity. Even if she couldn't have a romantic relationship, she still wanted to be friends with him – he'd already helped curb the loneliness she's long felt. She dreaded the possibility that telling him how she felt might mar their friendship. Still, she resolved herself to be honest with him, so she'd have no regrets going forward.
To her complete shock, Mizuki insisted that her jealousy of the elf was unfounded, and that Nina had misunderstood how he felt about her. When he approached Nina in the bath, and confessed his attraction for her, she kissed him from the sheer joy of the realization.
At that point, Nina fully intended to show no restraint going forward, but she sensed hesitation from Mizuki. He revealed to her a desire to simply maintain a friendship with her for the time being.
In truth, the nature of Nina's existence made this quite difficult for her to understand. Since she'd lived for tens of thousands of years without feeling these impulses for another person, she had no doubts about her desires. Similarly, she knew just how brief her time with Mizuki would be in the context of her lifespan, and she balked at the idea of wasting it.
Despite her difference of opinion on the matter, she wanted to reciprocate the reassurance he'd provided her with that night. So, she accepted his feelings and resolved herself to enjoy as much of their relationship as he was comfortable with. Feeling that it was only a matter of time before their relationship was as she wanted it to be, she slept soundly next to him that night with a strong sense of satisfaction.
Currently, Nina is reflecting on the morning after that sleepover.
She'd been worried that Mizuki might want to avoid letting her stay with him at night on a regular basis, which she found unappealing. Now that she knew how they both felt, she was willing to maintain the current state of things for a time, but she had no desire to regress in their relationship. Her use of the word 'roommate' before departing had been her way of testing the waters.
She is buzzing with excitement, because Mizuki has not only agreed to them living together, but he has also asked her to accompany him on adventures. Nina smiles widely at the memory.
She doesn't care what they're doing on these adventures, and she considers them traveling together alone for an unknown amount of time a wealth of possibilities. As Nina is busy planning her time alone with Mizuki, a thought communication from him interrupts her.
[Hey, Nina, we'll be arriving in a minute. Show time!] (Mizuki)
Hearing this message, Nina transforms into her dragon self. Thinking it best to appear unprepared, she curls up in a similar position to how Mizuki found her yesterday.
A few moments later, she detects the presence of three people near the forest's edge. Looking over, she sees Mizuki, an elven man that looks like a soldier, and a young elven woman. When Nina examines the trio, she goes stiff.
The elf is shockingly beautiful, this much is obvious to Nina. She has long silver hair, pale grey eyes, and a figure that even Nina feels a twinge of jealousy towards. However, Nina believes Mizuki's explanation of his feelings, so this observation does not bother her.
Instead, the elven girl's behavior elicited Nina's reaction. The elf has her arms wrapped around Mizuki with her head against his chest, and he is experiencing a mix of discomfort and amusement.
Much to her embarrassment, Nina already feels a bit possessive over Mizuki due to their bond. If the elf were already a mate, Nina feels that would be one thing. However, knowing that Mizuki expressed his feelings towards Nina first, she can only see the elf's familiar handling of Mizuki negatively.
Nina's initial inclination is to kill the elf, but her lethal impulse is kept at bay by her promise to Mizuki. However, she notes that he didn't say anything about scaring the elf to death.
If Nina were in her human form, she would be smiling.