"Don't look at me so horrified." Yuuya stroked his chin playfully. "You already understand the situation. You've been abandoned by Academy City. Your fates are in my hands. If you don't want painful memories... you'd better please me."
He grinned. "You think having absolute power is boring? Trust me, you can't imagine the joy of doing whatever you want."
"Do we... super have a choice?" Kinuhata Saiai lowered her head sadly.
Their thoughts were irrelevant. That was the law of Academy City. In the Dark Side, no one owned their own fate. They struggled, hoping to avoid becoming victims, but in the end, they were all expendable. She had prepared herself for death the moment she joined ITEM. But she never expected... this. Forced into a "marriage" by the Board Chairman? Becoming concubines to a monster?
"Tsk... I never thought I'd encounter something so laughable." Mugino Shizuri gave a self-deprecating smile. "The Ruler of Academy City... playing such an old-fashioned game."
She was a rich young lady from a wealthy family (before falling into darkness), so she understood "Political Marriages." But she never expected ITEM—a combat unit—to be used as a dowry. Aleister's power was absolute. Even a Level 5 like her had to submit.
"..." Takitsubo remained silent, looking tired and uneasy.
"Don't look so desperate," Yuuya shrugged. "I treat my subordinates quite well. Provided you're obedient." He looked around the ruined factory. "By the way... where is your secret base? Take me there."
Kinuhata and Frenda looked at each other awkwardly.
"We... super don't have a secret base," Kinuhata admitted.
"No secret base?" Yuuya raised an eyebrow. "Then where do you usually meet?"
"In a rented private apartment," Takitsubo mumbled, her head bowed. "We don't have the money to buy a permanent safehouse. We just rent luxury suites. We get kicked out when the lease is up."
Mugino clicked her tongue and kicked a pebble, looking annoyed.
"Seriously?" Yuuya looked incredulous. "One of Academy City's Top Three Dark Side organizations... and you guys are homeless? Do you do missions for free?"
"No!" Kinuhata retorted, hands in her hoodie pockets. "Compared to normal students, we're super rich. A mission like this pays millions of yen. But... the rent in the Seventh District is super expensive. And we have other expenses..."
Kinuhata glared at Frenda. Frenda whistled, looking away guiltily. (Explosives, fashion, and canned mackerel were expensive).
"Maintenance, weapons, bribes..." Kinuhata sighed. "We burn through cash fast."
"Tsk. I see." Yuuya shook his head. "Well, that's fine. Go back to your apartment for now. I'll come find you tomorrow. But..." His playful gaze swept over their torn clothes. "I hope to see you in Maid Outfits tomorrow."
The four girls froze.
"If you aren't wearing them..." Yuuya's voice dropped a decibel. "I might have to 'help' you put them on myself. And I know how much you'd hate my 'help'."
Subconsciously, they took two steps back. This guy wasn't joking. Now that Aleister had signed the deed, they had no protection. If he wanted to force himself on them... they couldn't stop him.
"By the way, give me your contact info."
With tears in their eyes, the four fierce mercenaries handed over their phone numbers.
"Um... Super," Kinuhata tugged at the silver collar. "Could you take this off? We super won't run away."
"No. It looks good on you. Keep it on." Yuuya waved his hand dismissively. "I'll be back tomorrow to train you. Ah, no... to teach you 'Maid Manners'."
Snap.
He vanished.
...
The pressure in the air vanished instantly.
"Heh... Academy City is truly awful." Mugino laughed, a hollow sound. "I knew we'd be abandoned one day. But I never expected it to be like this."
"Even if we're abandoned... we have to keep going." She looked at the spot where Yuuya had stood. "A Level 5 Spatial User and a Level 5 Electro Master... If he's a Dual Skill user, no wonder the Board sacrificed us to keep him happy."
"What should we do now?" Frenda sniffled. "Are we just going to give in? I don't want to be a toy!"
"Do you have a plan?" Kinuhata sighed.
"Let's go back," Mugino said, surprisingly calm. "We survive. That's what we do."
...
A Research Institute.
Dusk had settled over the city. A cleanup crew in blue uniforms (Anti-Skill logistics) was already scrubbing the factory ruins. Meanwhile, Yuuya had changed out of his tattered uniform and into a white lab coat. He walked openly through the corridors of an underground facility.
There were 27 Research Institutes responsible for the Radio Noise Project (The Sisters). The clones were rotated between these facilities for testing, maintenance, and learning updates. It took about 14 days for a clone to undergo the full cycle.
Yuuya checked his map. "According to the data... there's a hidden room in this sector."
He walked to a blank wall. [X-Ray Vision: Active]
Behind the wall, he saw a hidden laboratory. Inside was a cultivation chamber containing a small, child-sized clone. "Electromagnetic waves detected... Life signs confirmed."
Yuuya's eyes narrowed. "Is that Last Order?"
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