"I finally understand your true objective, Sensei."
Ako smiled sweetly. "As expected, you're trying to use me, an administrator from the Prefect Team, to indirectly carry out some conspiracy, aren't you? Forcing me to handle a massive amount of paperwork here at Schale to drain my energy, all to achieve your unspeakable goal... that's it, isn't it!"
"...Huh?"
"I see!"
Ako suddenly widened her beautiful eyes as if she had realized something. "Could it be that everything that happened recently was also part of your plan? Ignoring the emails I sent, luring me to the Abydos Desert, making me look like a fool in front of President Hina... then having me participate in the Abydos operation as a substitute for my self-reflection report..."
"Perhaps even the cake that was left in the refrigerator for too long and went bad yesterday, which I only noticed when I was about to eat it..."
"The cake is entirely your own fault!"
Ako paid no heed. "What a terrifying man you are! Tell me quickly, what are you and Schale, or whatever existence is hidden deeper than that, trying to do?! What conspiracy do you have against the Prefect Team!"
I looked at Ako blankly, about to speak but stopping myself, and finally said diplomatically, "Is your line of thinking always this much of a leap?"
I suddenly understood a little why she would carry out actions against me behind Hina's back.
"What did you say? Th-this absurd statement... Are you implying that my deductions lack rigorous logic? Are you actually questioning me, an administrator of the Prefect Team?!"
Ako exclaimed excitedly, "Fine, let's make a bet right now! The loser must not only finish all the work but also crawl on the ground and bark like a dog until the other person is satisfied!"
What? To propose such a thrilling proposition? Whether I win or lose, I feel like I'm already ahead!
Could it be that Ako is actually...
Scanning Ako's voluptuous figure, my breath caught, and my gaze sharpened: "Alright, wait for me for a few minutes. Before I get back, you think about how we're going to make this bet."
"Eh? You agreed just like that? Gu—"
Ako bit her finger, frowning deeply in thought.
Meanwhile, I ran quickly down to the first floor, greeted Sora at the convenience store, and then began searching for the item I desired.
I hadn't held out much hope, but surprisingly, I found it without much trouble. I have to praise the Angel's 24 convenience store for its comprehensive selection. Even in this remote area with almost no customers, they had everything from everyday items like firearms and ammunition to food and bento boxes... Huh? Something feels off, yet somehow it doesn't.
In short, they had all sorts of goods, even pet collars.
I made up a quick excuse to satisfy Sora's curiosity, paid for my items, and rushed back to the office. Ako hadn't yet decided on the terms of the bet.
As I approached, I could hear her muttering in annoyance: "A winning method... that still looks relatively fair... Ugh... Why did I actually agree to this..."
How cute, Ako, starting to regret it already? But since you proposed it, it must mean you have a corresponding desire in your heart, right? Then, I will grant your wish!
I shook the pet collar, and the bell immediately made a clear, crisp sound. Ako startled and instinctively touched the decoration around her chest, then quickly looked at the item in my hand, her lips slightly parted:
"Th-this is?!"
"The loser wears this, okay?"
"Th-that's fine! I won't be the one losing!"
Still putting on a brave face, huh?
I smiled, placed the collar and leash on the desk, then sat in the main chair, allowing myself to fully take in Ako's appearance.
"So, have you thought about how to bet?"
"Ugh, almost... Besides, we suddenly need to bet right now, and we don't have any tools..."
"In that case, I have a proposal."
I held up my right index and middle fingers, pointing them toward my own eyes.
"Ako, let's have an eye-contact challenge. The one who looks away first out of guilt loses. What do you say? Since you firmly believe I have some ulterior motive, you should surely win this, right?"
Ako slowly nodded. "That is true... but..."
Seeing Ako still hesitating, I smirked dismissively, "What? Are you scared?"
For a girl with high self-esteem, the method of provocation always works so well.
Ako immediately roared, "Who's scared!" and agreed to the challenge.
Thus, I stared at Ako's beautiful, slightly nervous, gray-blue eyes. Which she was struggling to keep wide open. With a touch of mockery, lamenting the fate that awaited her.
It was time to let this arrogant child witness what an adult's methods are.
[Lion's Dignity] Activate.
"Gu—"
Feeling an inexplicable pressure, Ako instinctively tried to break eye contact, but with the powerful willpower honed from years of working late, dealing with the Pandemonium Society's demands, and maneuvering between various factions, she held on for dear life! Despite her eyelids constantly twitching, Ako resisted and endured.
I was not surprised by this. After all, this is Kivotos.
But... what of it?
[Lion's Dignity] Stop, then Activate again.
With my repeated use, the moment Ako relaxed, she needed to tense up again. After repeating this several times, Ako cried out and closed her eyes.
"Ugh! You, what trick did you pull!"
Ako rubbed her eyes and shouted at me with indignation, "No good, no good! You're cheating!"
I teased her back, "How did I cheat? Little sister Ako, you need evidence when you speak, okay?"
"I don't care! I won't accept it if you do that!"
Although Ako was indeed being unreasonable, I was the one who cheated first. Seeing the pitiful Ako toyed with in the palm of my hand, my heart softened a bit:
"Then how about this? We'll change the method of the contest. This time, if you win, you only need to finish all the work here, but if you lose again... I can be a bit rougher, and you can't complain. How about it? Those terms are very generous, aren't they?"
I even felt I was being overly kind.
"Generous where!" The greedy Ako complained, "It's terrible no matter who wins!"
Sigh, a cow you can never satisfy.
I had no choice but to use both soft and hard tactics. "As an administrative officer, you won't even keep your promises... Tenma Ako, you wouldn't want the Prefect Team's reputation to drop because of you, would you?"
"Gu!"
Those words undoubtedly hit Ako's weak spot. Soon, she lowered her proud neck and admitted humiliatingly, "I understand... Then, how will we bet this time?"
"How about a coin toss?"
"Huh? Relying on something like that? Are you serious? That will certainly decide the winner easily... but won't it..."
"What? Scared again?"
"Who's scared! Fine, let's flip a coin!"
Ako fell for the clumsy provocation once more. She pulled a coin from her wallet, showed it to me to confirm it was fair: "Alright, heads or tails. You pick one side, and I'll take the other. In return, I will flip the coin! Is that okay?"
However, I shook my index finger. "There's a problem."
"Huh?"
I explained sincerely to the confused Ako: "I don't know if you have some special coin-flipping technique. If we pick the sides first, and you deliberately toss your chosen side up, wouldn't that be unfair?"
"I would never cheat like you!"
Ignoring Ako's weak rebuttal, I proposed another, more reliable plan: "How about this? I'll turn my back, close my eyes, and you flip the coin onto the desk. Then I'll guess heads or tails. It's a fifty-fifty chance anyway, completely fair, right?"
Ako stared at me, pondered for a moment, and agreed, feeling that the rule had no issues.
After memorizing the initial orientation of the coin in Ako's fair and slender fingers, I turned around, closed my eyes tightly, and focused all my senses on my ears.
[Listener of the Wind] greatly enhanced my hearing. I could hear the coin spinning in the air.
One rotation... two rotations...
Tap, the coin makes contact with the desk... Whirr, the coin settles on the surface...
"Alright, you can guess now," Ako said.
"Hmm... what could it be..."
I deactivated my ability, feeling a slight dizziness.
Ako urged me from the side, "Please don't waste time, just pick one directly!"
"This is difficult," I feigned a sigh, then calmly gave my answer, "Heads."
A brief silence.
"...Wait! You decided just like that! Aren't you going to consider it more carefully!"
The Ako who was just urging me was now flustered, asking me to think more.
"Is that so... Let me think... Okay, Heads."
"Oh? You're not thinking about it anymore? Hahaha!"
It was too late to pretend now, and I couldn't hide the panic in my laughter.
"I'll stick with Heads."
"Gu—Why... why..."
When I turned back, I saw Ako looking utterly dejected and lost. And the coin on the desk was indeed facing heads-up, just as I had heard.
Poor Ako, this is the consequence of opposing a dirty adult, you see?
Originally, I might have competed fairly with Ako, but since Ako wanted to win so badly, I could only resort to this measure.
While sighing inwardly, I picked up the collar from the desk, walked over to Ako, and looked down at her as she sat hunched over in the chair.
"Are you going to put it on yourself, or should I help you?"
Frankly, if Ako were to resist, I couldn't physically force her.
However... I had a faint suspicion in my heart. For someone like Ako... aside from her nature of keeping her promises, for her to easily propose a bet like this, could it be that she was actually hoping for something?
At that moment, Ako, with tears welling up and her cheeks flushed, took the collar from my hand with a tremor.
"I will absolutely never forget this humiliation!"
The girl unclasped her original collar accessory and fastened the pet collar around her own long, fair neck.