"Eh, eh, eh… Why all of a sudden, so suddenly…"
Nijika was a little stunned by the kiss.
If a warm hug was a celebratory gesture she could accept, or even one she secretly hoped for, then such a forceful, ardent kiss on the cheek was something she hadn't expected at all. The point was, he kissed her really… way too hard, as if he were trying to suck her face right off.
But Fumiya Jin didn't care about any of that. He'd already decided long ago that he would give Nijika a good, hard kiss once they got out. And one wasn't even enough!
Holding Nijika, he planted another kiss on her forehead…
"Mwah~"
"Ah… why…"
"Smooch~"
Fumiya Jin then planted another hard kiss on her left cheek.
"Hey, hey… stop fooling around, why are you suddenly…"
[Trait Activated: Sharpness +1.]
Hearing this prompt, Fumiya Jin finally smiled, stopped, and let her go.
Although it was an opportunity to grind his Sharpness, Fumiya Jin didn't want to truly annoy the girl during such a rare moment of celebration, so for this one time, he decided to stop while he was ahead.
"Nijika, your performance last night was fantastic, far exceeding my expectations. So… a few kisses as your reward," Fumiya Jin said with a smile.
If anyone else had said those words, they would undoubtedly have been met with scorn.
"Hey!?" Speaking of which, Nijika got a little excited herself. "I got an 'A' rank this time."
Fumiya Jin nodded, finding that perfectly reasonable.
Compared to last time, when Nijika had done little more than trust him and coast along, her performance this time showed great improvement. An upgrade in her rating was a given.
"I got two rewards," Nijika continued. "One is a new trait, and the other is an item. As for the trait… I'll just show you directly."
As she spoke, she took out her drumsticks.
Facing Fumiya Jin, she began to drum.
At first, Fumiya Jin thought her control effect might have been enhanced again, so he braced himself for the onset of paralysis.
However, Nijika's drumming this time wasn't particularly forceful; you could even call it gentle, just with a high frequency.
And Fumiya Jin felt no paralysis or discomfort at all. Instead, his body gradually grew warm, as if every cell within him had sprung to life, and his limbs felt filled with abundant strength.
Stunned, Fumiya Jin raised his hand and clenched his fist to feel it.
"Is this… a buff?"
"Mhm, it's my new purple passive effect, [Inspiring War Drum]. As long as I produce a rhythmic beat, I can provide an inspiring effect to anyone considered an ally, improving their combat performance to a certain degree," Nijika explained excitedly. "But unlike my last ability, which required powerful strikes, this one needs frequency. The faster I drum, the stronger the buff. Of course, the faster I drum, the more stamina it consumes."
Fumiya Jin's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Although they had no equipment at home to test strength, so he couldn't quantify exactly how large the buff was. But based on how it felt, to have such a palpable surge of power, the boost had to be at least around thirty percent. And that was with Nijika not even going all out.
"Then try it. How long can you last drumming at your fastest speed?" Fumiya Jin immediately asked.
Nijika nodded and gave it a try.
She lasted for about ten-odd seconds before collapsing weakly onto the sofa.
After all, she wasn't just drumming; activating the skill consumed extra mental and physical energy.
"I can't… that's the longest I can go…" Nijika said, lying limply. "If I were in the same state as before, I could probably drum for one or two minutes without any problem."
Fumiya Jin already gave her a thumbs-up. "So strong."
What kind of drummer can both control the field and apply buffs? Although crowd control requires power and buffing requires frequency, so they can't be perfectly combined. But for an experienced drummer like Nijika, switching rhythms shouldn't be too difficult. She could absolutely produce the right effect at the right time.
The effect she could have in battle was truly immeasurable!
"Hee hee, it's alright…" Although she was completely drained at the moment, seeing how much Fumiya Jin valued her power made Nijika's heart flutter with delight. "Oh, right, I also got a blue-grade item."
Fighting through her fatigue, she raised her right hand.
A blue crystal necklace appeared in her hand.
"This necklace, when worn, makes it easier to fall asleep and significantly improves sleep quality."
"Oh?"
Fumiya Jin examined the necklace, thought about it for a moment, and actually found it a bit weak.
Only for sleeping…
It was practical, sure. After all, people tend to suffer from insomnia under high-stress conditions. But for an item obtained during the newbie phase, it wasn't direct enough for dealing with danger. It didn't even feel like a blue item. If it were a white item, that would be more reasonable.
However… this was, after all, a happy celebration, and Fumiya Jin's emotional intelligence wasn't that low.
So, he offered a more tactful response: "This reward is good too. At least you'll be able to sleep well from now on. Even when facing the pressure of an instance, you can maintain your best mental state."
"That's true, but… it actually has another effect," Nijika began, saying, "If, while wearing it, you have physical contact with another person, the effect can be shared…"
Her voice grew softer and softer.
By the end, her face was red, and her head was bowed slightly.
"It can be shared?"
Fumiya Jin was slightly taken aback, then suddenly realized something.
"My apologies, Necklace of Serenity. My voice was too loud just now. I shouldn't have slandered you."
"So…"
Nijika kept her little head bowed.
In a voice as small as a gnat's buzz, she asked cautiously, "Do you… want to try it?"
______
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