Hey, Sensei… Nino said suddenly, a hint of worry in her voice. Do you like me? Or am I just another toy to you?

Sam was taken aback by the question. He thought that they had already gotten over that part, but apparently the young Valkyrie still wasn’t convinced. It was then that he remembered that she had confessed to him. Seeing her eyes looking up with anticipation, the corners of his mouth curved up slightly. He leaned in and took her lips, and after a few seconds he let go of her and smiled again.

“Of course.” He said in plain English. “I love you, Nino. That’s why I chose you to be my personal Valkyrie.”

“Your…” she stared at him for a moment before a smile bloomed at her face. “Right. Your personal Valkyrie. I completely forgot about that.”

“It’s an important role, you know?”

“I… I don’t really want it…” Nino said after a moment of contemplation.

Once again Sam found himself surprised, and of course he was. He never expected her to reject the position. As the worst scenarios began to form in his mind, he tried to calm himself down sensing that there was more to her response.

“Say, Doctor…” Looking up at him once more, Nino spoke with utmost seriousness. “You mentioned that I can ask for a reward, right?”

“Yes?”

“I… my Needle, it allows me to see the future, but only from my point of view…” pausing for a moment, she breathed in then continued. “In order for me to see yours, I have to always be close to you, but…”

“Hm?”

Remaining silent for a while, Nino then turned away, her cheeks slowly reddening. Sam was confused by her actions, but when she spoke a second later he understood what was making her so embarrassed.

“I… I can’t do it…” she said. “Unless… unless you ask me to, I…”𝑜𝓥𝑳xt.𝗇t

Sam had already concluded that Nino’s powers were identical to Ramla’s. He understood that, if he wanted to make use of them himself, his only choice would be to have Nino by his side at all times. It didn’t mean that she wouldn’t be able to see his future otherwise, after all they were closely involved with each other. But it might be for the best if he had her at arm’s length all the time. Future sight was a power that many would kill to have so keeping its owner close to him would ensure her safety too.

“Alright.” Sam said with a nod. “I will be relying on you from now on.”

After giving it some thought, Sam couldn’t help but smile. Nino wasn’t playing games. Right from the start, she managed to secure her position among his Personal Valkyries. He began to wonder if what she said about not being special was just a part of the act, and if this was her plan all along.

“… No…”

When he heard her quiet whisper, confusion struck Sam once more.

“I… I want you to say it…” she said, still blushing as she looked away from him. “I want you to ask me to stay by your side… now and forever…”

With each passing second Sam’s libido was recovering, and having this cute girl shyly asking him for something was causing his desire for her to grow. Wanting to get back to the act as soon as possible, he didn’t give what she said a lot of thought and because of that he fell right into her trap.

“Nino, I want you to stay by my side…” he said in a clear voice, pulling her toward him for a kiss. “I want you to continue supporting me, now and forever…”

It was then that something clicked in his mind, but by the time he realized it, it was already too late.

“Yes!”

Nino exclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck as she jumped to hug him. The two lost balance and Sam fell on his back with her on top of him.

“You… you got me…” Sam said, a defeated smile drawn on his face.

Nino giggled and got up, a smug smile returning to her face as she celebrated her victory over him.

“You can’t take it back, okay?” She said. “You proposed, and I agreed. We are practically husband and wife now! I won’t allow you to dump me after thyaAAHNN!!!”

Before she noticed it, Nino’s position had changed and was once again under Sam. She realized that he had thrown her on the bed, and when she opened her eyes to look at him, the look on his face scared her a little.

“I won’t take it away.” Sam said with a grin. “But even if it worked, that little trick of yours would only make us engaged.”

“Eh? I…”

When she thought of her plan she believed it to be flawless, however she had overlooked that little detail. Just because she tricked him into proposing to her doesn’t mean they’ll be married if she agrees. A lot of things need to happen before the two of them are recognized as a married couple, things that require a lot of time.

“I-“

Before she could say anything, Sam took her lips and silenced her. As the kiss went deeper doubts began to take over Nino’s mind, but when they finally departed she was taken off guard by what he said next.

“If it’s marriage you want then sure, I will marry you.” He said, the look in his eyes conveying how serious he was. “But first you’ll have to help me achieve my goals. Do that and I will make you my wife.”

Nino didn’t need any further explanation to understand what he meant. She had heard all about him from Elina and the other Valkyries, and she knew that his goals, or at least one of them, was to find Alice Schneider, the woman he had been in love with since he was a child.

Before regaining her memories she didn’t really understand his obsession with the white haired Commander. After all she was just a Valkyrie with no concept of love and romantic relationships. Now however she understood the importance Alice held in his heart, and though it pained her quite a bit, she was willing to give him all the help she could provide. She wasn’t going to let jealousy get in the way of her obtaining what she wanted.

“I understand…” she answered. “I will do my best…”

Sam looked her in the eyes, feeling her determination. He went down and kissed her once more, and after that, the two of them indulged in each other’s embrace, blissfully unaware that the other Valkyries and the Nephilim were looking for them in order to discuss their future plans.