"..."
Byakuya's face darkened.
Eto definitely knew he wouldn't do anything improper in front of Hairu and Akira, which was why she was teasing him so brazenly.
Though even without Hairu and Akira present, he wouldn't do anything to Eto anyway...
"Eto-san, please don't joke about such things."
Akira couldn't take it anymore and spoke up.
"What's the big deal? Besides, I'm not joking. If I'm going to repay a debt of gratitude, it's either offering myself or becoming his servant in the next life."
Eto smiled lightly. "Promising to serve him in the next life would just be empty words. I should show some sincerity, right?"
Seeing Eto's "defense" was impenetrable, Akira redirected her attention to Byakuya. "Byakuya, did Eto-san's offer to give herself to you move you?"
"No."
Byakuya replied without hesitation. "She's obviously teasing. I can see right through it."
Akira seemed satisfied with his answer and didn't press further.
"Offering herself... does that mean what I think it means, Eto-nee?"
Hairu suddenly asked innocently.
"Probably what Hairu-chan is thinking. Speaking of which, Byakuya has done you favors too, hasn't he? Want to offer yourself together with me? It'll be fun~"
Eto wasn't just teasing Byakuya now—she was roping Hairu into it too.
"Eh...? Wouldn't that be too soon?"
Hairu didn't outright refuse but actually considered whether it might be inappropriate.
"Not at all. For a half-human's body, Hairu-chan should already be at marriageable age, so it's fine."
Eto dismissed Hairu's concerns.
"Hairu, don't listen to her nonsense."
Byakuya couldn't help but caution Hairu.
After all, thanks to the Dragon toxin, Hairu's lifespan was now the same as a normal human's.
And even by half-human standards, he couldn't accept such things in principle...
"Okay, I'll listen to Byakuya-senpai."
Hairu nodded obediently.
"Damn, she's so obedient to that guy..."
Eto bit her nail, muttering with obvious frustration.
"...I can hear you. At least try to hide it."
Byakuya commented.
"Alas~ since this young lord finds this humble maiden's beauty lacking, I can only serve as his beast of burden in the next life..."
Eto continued sighing dramatically to herself.
She covered her face in mock grief as if Byakuya had abandoned her.
Fortunately, only Akira and Hairu were present, not some uninformed bystanders...
"Alright, alright, stop acting."
Byakuya said flatly.
Only then did Eto drop the act, happily returning to her desserts as if nothing had happened.
...
When Byakuya and Eto left CCG headquarters together...
Alone with him, Eto suddenly spoke in an ambiguous tone. "When I offered to give myself to you earlier, you really felt nothing at all?"
"Of course not."
Byakuya replied evenly.
Having been teased by Eto so many times, he'd long become desensitized.
Now, whenever anything romantic came up, he didn't believe a single punctuation mark from her mouth. Just assuming it was a joke meant she couldn't get a reaction from him.
"Why? Do you find me completely unattractive?"
Eto asked directly.
She seemed genuinely frustrated. When Byakuya showed absolutely no interest in her, she actually became a bit annoyed.
"..."
Byakuya looked momentarily taken aback.
He hadn't expected Eto to ask such a question.
But he remained calm, still convinced this was another one of Eto's teasing tricks.
"The reason is simple. You used to tease and mess with me constantly. I've become immune. So your flirtatious tactics don't work on me."
Byakuya explained with a calm expression.
"I see... I guess I went a bit overboard before?"
Eto nodded slightly.
"Good that you realize it."
Byakuya said evenly. "Don't do that anymore. It doesn't work on me anyway, so why waste the effort?"
"But... what if I said I wasn't joking?"
Eto's tone suddenly became serious.
The sudden shift caught Byakuya off guard. "...What?"
"What I mean is, if you're willing, I really could offer myself to you~"
Eto rose on her tiptoes and whispered near Byakuya's ear.
Due to their significant height difference, even on her tiptoes she could barely reach his chin level.
"..."
Byakuya's ears were rather sensitive to begin with. Combined with Eto's provocative words, his body involuntarily trembled slightly.
But he quickly calmed himself.
Close call...
Almost fell for it...
Byakuya was now completely composed, firmly believing this was just another one of Eto's tricks.
So naturally, he wouldn't take it seriously.
"Quit messing around. This doesn't work on me."
Byakuya replied expressionlessly.
Eto hesitated for a moment, then a meaningful smile curved her lips before she spoke. "Alright~ since you've seen through me, there's nothing I can do. What a pity—it was such a good opportunity."
She still looked regretful, as if she'd almost succeeded in trapping Byakuya.
In truth, Eto had noticed Byakuya's slight wavering just now...
His brief moment of weakness was exactly why she'd hesitated.
Afterward, Eto hummed a cheerful tune as they walked, clearly in good spirits.
Noticing this, Byakuya couldn't help but ask. "What's making you so happy? Is it still about the Washuu Clan?"
"Nope. It's because I discovered that a certain someone still finds me attractive."
Eto wore a playful smile. "This means I can continue teasing him even more conveniently. Don't you agree, Mr. Closet Pervert~?"
...
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