A cool breeze blew from the central air conditioning, making the temperature in the cafeteria quite pleasant. However, at this moment, Theresa found herself breaking into a cold sweat once again.
"W-What do you want?"
Even though Mei had spent the entire evening praising Luo Hong's character, Theresa's bodily instincts were screaming a frantic warning about this man.
"Don't be so nervous." Luo Hong smiled faintly. "As I promised Bronya, I won't make things too difficult for you."
"Hm?" Theresa froze for a moment, then quickly realized what he meant by his earlier comment: "Don't worry, I won't be too excessive."
He had been talking to her!
"Just give me a shoulder and back massage. It's a fair price for me covering for you in front of your students." Seeing her realization, Luo Hong stated his demand with a kind smile.
"A shoulder and back massage?" Hearing that the request wasn't actually over the line, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief and walked toward him. "Is this okay?" She began pounding his shoulders with her small fists.
"Yes, the pressure is perfect." Luo Hong smiled with satisfaction at Theresa, who was now straddling the space in front of him. "You have things you want to know, too, don't you? About Sirin, or Otto, or even—"
He reached out to tilt her chin up and whispered, "The method to defeat the Honkai. I can tell you everything."
"..."
Faced with his seductive tone, Theresa fell silent as she continued massaging his shoulders. As an adult, she wasn't as easily fooled as Mei. She knew one of the fundamental laws of this world: equivalent exchange.
"What was the price you made Bronya pay?"
Instead of asking what she had to give, she felt it was more appropriate to use Bronya's price as a benchmark.
"Honestly, I haven't decided yet," Luo Hong said bluntly. "But as a reward for her filling a gap in my rules, the price she pays this time will be very simple. I won't trouble her much."
"I see." Seeing that he didn't appear to be lying, Theresa felt somewhat at ease. "Fine. What do you want me to do?" She moved her hands to his legs and began kneading them.
"That depends on what you want to know." Luo Hong smirked. "The method to defeat the Honkai carries the lowest price. Information and weaknesses of Sirin come next. But Otto's secrets... that carries the highest price. Choose!"
He categorized the prices based on the difficulty of the obstacles Theresa would face in the future. Without a doubt, Otto was the biggest source of trouble for her. Compared to him, Sirin or even the Honkai itself were far less terrifying.
"Ah..." Theresa frowned, never expecting her grandfather to be the one with the highest price tag. As someone whose intuition often compensated for her lack of intellect, her "logic" told her to ask about defeating the Honkai, but her gut told her that Otto was the true key.
"Are Grandpa's secrets really that valuable?" she tried to haggle.
"Sorry." Luo Hong shook his head. "Small business. No bargaining allowed."
"Ugh..." Seeing her intentions seen through, Theresa asked helplessly, "Then what is the price I have to pay?"
"Heh." A glint of a predator catching its prey flashed in Luo Hong's eyes. "It's simple. After Wendy completes the Desire Gem experiment, you must bring her back to St. Freya Academy no matter what—even if it means making an enemy of Otto."
Wendy was in too much danger under Otto's watch. Even at St. Freya, she wouldn't be perfectly safe, but she would be far more manageable there. Thus, he issued this task to Theresa.
"I would have done that even if you didn't ask," Theresa said seriously. "Bronya already told me about Wendy. I will handle it properly. I won't let her get hurt. This time... for sure!"
She added that last part with conviction, knowing what Wendy had endured in the "normal" timeline. As a student from her academy, and one she had recommended for the experiment, she felt an inescapable responsibility for Wendy's death. It was time for her to step up as the Principal.
"Doing something like that can't be counted as a 'price'. Pick something else." Seeing Luo Hong advocating for Wendy, her opinion of him improved slightly, and her guard lowered. But wait... why am I kneeling on the floor kneading his legs? And why are his legs both soft and firm at the same time?
"Since you insist." Luo Hong's smile became even more radiant as everything went according to plan. "Then try 'kneading' my legs with your mouth."
"With my mouth?"
Though a moment of confusion flickered in her mind, she "self-taught" the technique and began using her mouth to knead his legs.
"How is it? My technique isn't bad, is it?" After finishing, she looked up at Luo Hong with a proud expression.
"It's excellent," Luo Hong smiled with satisfaction. "Much better than the mechanical technique of an NPC. Real people are much more fun. Here, take this as your reward."
"Reward? Mmph!"
Before she could finish her question, Theresa was suddenly given a mouthful of "milk." It tasted bitter, but for someone who loved bitter melon juice, it was just right. Instinctively, she licked her lips, swallowing every drop.
She stood up, crossed her arms, and said to Luo Hong, "Now we're even!"
"Yes, we're even." Luo Hong nodded, then asked with a smile, "By the way, Lord Principal, do you know about hypnotism?"
"Of course I do," Theresa said dismissively. "But so-called hypnotism is all fake. I don't believe in that stuff."
"As expected of the Principal. Truly wise." Luo Hong patted his thigh and issued another invitation. "Then please, hop on, Lord Principal. I'll take you to see Otto's past and future!"
"Alright." Thinking this was the intel she had requested, Theresa didn't suspect a thing and sat down boldly.
Then, under Luo Hong's guidance, she began to watch Otto's past. However, during the process...
Is the AC broken? Why is it getting so hot? My vision... is getting a bit blurry too...