"I swear! I'll never dare again! If I break this oath, may I die a dog's death!"
Uchiha Junyi, face streaked with blood and snot, choked out his desperate vow. But behind his eyes, venom still coiled.
Damn you, Natsume Yō. Once I get out of here, I'll make you pay back this humiliation tenfold!
Yō narrowed his eyes. "Hah. Believe you? Not a chance. Right now you're probably scheming about who you'll fetch to come beat me down, aren't you?"
Junyi's head shook like a drum, his eyes wide, innocent as a newborn calf. "No, no, absolutely not! I swear again, I mean it this time!"
Damn it—since when did this guy get so sharp? Even this act isn't fooling him?!
"Please, I beg you, let me go… I won't do it again!" Junyi whimpered.
Ding!
Quest complete. Reward granted: +2 EXP, +10 Coins. Special reward available—use Spirit Control Technique: Soulbind Curse?
"Yes."
Yō's lips curved into a devilish smile as he glanced at the technique's description. With this… Junyi's nothing but my puppet. I can make him dance however I want.
"Alright, fine. I'll trust you this once. But if you ever come back to bother me—don't blame me for what happens next."
"Just you wa—!" Junyi snarled, scrambling up like a startled carp and bolting toward the door, swollen face and all.
But halfway across the yard, his steps faltered. His body froze, eyes wide with terror, as if invisible strings had jerked him to a halt.
"Natsume Yō! What did you do to me?!" he screamed.
Yō's grin turned wolfish. "Nothing much. Just a little insurance—so you never slip out of my grasp. Not bad, right?"
"You… what do you want?" Junyi's voice cracked, trembling like glass about to shatter.
"What I want?" Yō tilted his head, feigning thought. "Well, you hate me right now, don't you? How can I make sure that hatred doesn't fester?"
His gaze sharpened, and Junyi shivered as if cold water had been poured down his back.
"I've got it. You'll kowtow a few times for me. Then head into the street and shout: 'I'm a pig! I'm a dog! I'm worse than both!'"
Yō's sunny smile was blinding. "Oh, and don't forget—slap yourself two hundred times. Then we're square."
"You… you're a demon!" Junyi wailed, horrified. If he did that, he'd never be able to lift his head in the Uchiha clan again.
"Glad you agree," Yō said cheerfully, flicking his wrist.
Junyi's body convulsed, his face flushing dark as his knees buckled. With a strangled groan, he collapsed to the ground before Yō and began slamming his forehead into the dirt.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"NA—TSU—ME—YŌ!!!" Junyi's roar was half sob, half curse, echoing with despair. "You'll pay for this! You'll pay!!"
The proud Uchiha heir, reduced to a pitiful puppet.
And the Stray of Konoha was the one pulling the strings.