"Wo-woman?"
Karuizawa was startled by Amane's statement.
She had expected Amane to make all sorts of excessive demands, but she never imagined it would be to make her… How could there be such a strange request!
"Is there a problem?"
Amane saw Karuizawa's face instantly turn red and show a look of difficulty, and couldn't help but feel strange.
In such a situation, Karuizawa should, in theory, have no reason to refuse.
Was there a problem with her wording?
"Of-of course there's a problem! Amane, you're a girl, and I'm a girl… Becoming your… that would be too shameful."
Karuizawa covered her face, too embarrassed to even mention the word that made her blush.
Amane scratched her cheek in confusion.
What was so shameful about it? Wasn't it natural to attach oneself to the strong?
Karuizawa had done the same before, so why would she reject such an act?
Apparently, there was indeed a problem with her expression. She should try a different approach.
"Then let me rephrase it. Be my plaything."
Upon hearing Amane utter an even more terrifying statement, Karuizawa froze in place.
No.
She was completely terrified.
If Amane had initially wanted Karuizawa to be her woman, it could still be understood that Amane was interested in her as a person, and was willing to use such means to obtain her.
Karuizawa did not consider herself a resolute person.
If Amane repeatedly insisted and used her past as a threat, Karuizawa felt she would still choose to abandon her dignity and fall into Amane's embrace.
But Amane immediately changed her request from becoming her woman to becoming her plaything.
This suddenly brought about a drastic change in meaning.
What did 'plaything' mean?
Karuizawa dared not imagine what kind of perverse things would be done to her if she agreed.
Seeing Karuizawa hesitate to respond, Amane couldn't help but urge her.
"These are the only two I've thought of so far. Pick one."
Amane's seemingly casual words unknowingly led Karuizawa into a trap.
For her, the outcome became a choice between two options.
Becoming Amane's woman or her plaything.
One would make her feel shame, while the other would make her feel fear. This dilemma made Karuizawa clutch her head in agony.
She knew she would have to pay a considerable price, but she never expected the price to be her entire self.
Actually, Karuizawa had a third option, which was to refuse firmly.
Then, she would wait for the news of Karuizawa, the poor bullied girl, to spread throughout the school.
The advantage was that she could avoid Amane's coercion for now, but the disadvantage was that she would probably be too ashamed to face anyone at that time. The final outcome would simply be a transfer to a new environment where no one knew her, and then she would continue to use her beauty and others' sympathy to become a parasite under a strong person.
When that strong person became weak or fell, she would simply find another host, until one day she was completely exploited by someone, her story became public knowledge and could no longer be hidden, and only then would her life as a parasite truly end.
But… such an outcome was not as good as accepting Amane's conditions.
"I'm willing…"
"Hmm?"
Amane knew Karuizawa had finally made her choice, and deliberately pretended not to hear clearly as she approached Karuizawa.
"I'm willing to be… Amane, your… your…"
Karuizawa stammered, unable to utter the last word.
"Kei, have you finally decided to be my plaything?"
Amane happily clasped Karuizawa's small hand.
However, as soon as Karuizawa heard the word "plaything," her small hand immediately recoiled as if shocked, and she waved it repeatedly in front of her.
"No… I don't want to be anyone's plaything."
"Oh~ I misunderstood. Kei, what do you want to be for me?"
Amane pressed her face against Karuizawa's.
Feeling the closeness, Karuizawa's body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Amane's fingers wrapped around her throat, embracing her neck like a coquettish little girl, and whispered into Karuizawa's ear.
"Do I… really have to say that word?"
Karuizawa couldn't help but want to escape at the thought of those explicit words.
But Amane was holding her so tightly that Karuizawa couldn't even run away.
"I'm willing—"
Just as Karuizawa mustered the courage to respond to Amane, Amane touched her lips with a finger.
"Seeing how troubled you are, I've decided to let you off this time. I'm not like others; I don't need your promises or agreements. I'll make you say that sentence willingly when the time comes."
Amane released the surprised Karuizawa.
She could hardly believe that Amane, after deliberately pushing her to a dead end, chose to let her go when she had no escape.
If Amane had insisted, she would have had to say those words that would satisfy Amane, no matter how ashamed she felt.
But Amane chose to give up.
"Next time, I might not be able to make up my mind like this again, you know."
Karuizawa said tentatively.
Amane's lips curved slightly.
"Do you think the same thing will happen a second time? Or are you going to betray me?"
Karuizawa's eyes gradually widened.
She had overlooked something: even before their specific relationship was confirmed, she had already regarded herself as Amane's possession. The only difference was that her status in Amane's heart would vary depending on her choices.
"I never thought of such a thing."
Betrayal?
She was just a pathetic creature who couldn't survive without relying on others. Now, to betray her host… this was something Karuizawa Kei was utterly incapable of doing.
To be frank, Karuizawa Kei simply didn't have the guts.
"Relax. You'll eventually be glad for the choice you made today, because there won't be a better host than me in this world."
Amane bent down, picked up Karuizawa, and walked towards the door.
She pushed the door open with her foot.
Ayanokoji had apparently been waiting at the doorway for a long time.
"You finished that quickly?"
Amane was a little surprised, her gaze moving from Ayanokoji's upper body downwards with a hint of disdain.
"Not everyone is as interested in a girl's body as you are."
Ayanokoji, rarely challenged like this, actually retorted.
Lying in Amane's arms, Karuizawa heard them discussing such matters and shyly buried her face in Amane's embrace.
"But is it a bit unrealistic to threaten the four of them with just photos and videos? Manabe is quite cunning; be careful not to be fooled by her."
Amane recalled Manabe's reaction during their conversation and couldn't help but offer a reminder.
"There shouldn't be any big problems."
Ayanokoji seemed very confident in this regard.
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