"Don't be afraid. Now that you're my subordinates, you can just treat me as your Captain. Is that okay? Don't worry, I treat my own people very well," Yuuya said cheerfully, trying to comfort the three anxious girls from Scavenger.
"Next, we are going to wait for a few people, and then you will go and complete your first mission."
"I... we understand, Captain!" Iisu Rita wiped a massive amount of cold sweat from her forehead and gave an awkward, trembling laugh. "But we were originally the assassins that Board Director Okamoto was training... I'm worried we'll get into trouble with the General Board if we just leave..."
Rita decided to make things clear first. If she got caught in a turf war between a Level 5 and a Board Director, she would be crushed.
"You don't need to worry about that," Yuuya said playfully. "My selection of personnel is under Aleister's direct orders. Do you really think a mere Board Director would dare to disobey the General Superintendent?"
'Sorry, Aleister,' Yuuya thought with a grin. 'I'm using your name as a shield again.'
But who could blame him? Aleister Crowley was the ultimate boogeyman in Academy City. There wasn't a single high-ranking official who wasn't utterly terrified of him.
"Really? It's not that we don't believe you, Captain, it's just that it's a bit too unexpected!" Yakumaru Itsuki asked, tilting her head and looking at Yuuya in a deliberately cute, innocent way.
"Of course. In a few minutes, an experienced Dark Side team will arrive to guide you through your first mission. You'll understand everything then," Yuuya said, stroking his chin as he looked at Itsuki's adorable act.
He nodded inwardly. Itsuki was indeed a very shrewd survivor who knew exactly how to utilize her own "resources" to appease a tyrant.
"A mission?! Great! Although I don't understand what's going on at all, at least I don't have to stay in that boring room watching TV anymore!"
Sakuragi Naru scratched her head. Still completely confused but thrilled by the prospect of violence, she jumped up and shouted carelessly, completely oblivious to the fact that they were standing on a public street.
'Idiot...' Itsuki and Rita thought simultaneously, mentally face-palming.
"So what's the next mission?! I'm really looking forward to it! Should we call you Captain from now on?" Naru asked excitedly, leaning forward with her hands behind her back. She seemed to have completely forgotten that Yuuya was a monster who could vaporize her.
"You can call me Master. You're basically wearing a maid outfit anyway," Yuuya said with amusement, carefully examining Naru's bizarre purple dress.
With his System-enhanced electromagnetic vision, Yuuya could see right through it. Oh~ It wasn't fabric at all. It was constructed entirely out of thick paper manipulated by her telekinesis. Underneath the paper, she wasn't wearing anything. According to the canon lore in his mind, Naru had a severe exhibitionist streak. It was a particularly interesting fetish.
"Master? Is this a new code name for our Dark Side unit? Great! Our new life is about to begin! My paper abilities will make completing the mission a breeze, hehehe!" Naru said loudly. She then casually reached out and grabbed Yuuya's hand, entirely lacking any sense of personal boundaries.
"Please take good care of me from now on, Master~ Oh yeah~!" Naru winked, striking a V-sign pose beside her eye.
'This idiot! Has she already forgotten that this guy is a Level 5?! If she makes him angry, we'll be reduced to atoms!' Rita panicked, her soul nearly leaving her body.
"Yes, yes! We will definitely do our best! Please guide us in the future, Captain!" Itsuki quickly jumped to Yuuya's other side, placing her hands on her cheeks and acting as cute as humanly possible.
'I-Itsuki...!' Rita felt a chill run down her spine as she watched her teammate seamlessly transition into a sycophant.
Itsuki subtly winked at Rita over Yuuya's shoulder, conveying a desperate telepathic message:
'Hurry up! Hurry up and act cute!'
'What?! You've already figured out the Number Eight's preferences?!' Rita's eyes widened.
'Of course! Who do you think I am?! He likes cute, obedient girls! Play along!'
'I understand!'
"Y-Yes! From now on, we will follow your orders carefully! Please take good care of us, Captain!" Rita quickly bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, taking off her medical mask to force a bright, obedient smile.
"Hehe, this is really interesting," Yuuya chuckled to himself. He reached out and rubbed Itsuki's head. The girl responded by closing her eyes and leaning into the touch with a comfortable expression, just like a tame kitten.
'Just as I thought...' Itsuki complained internally, despite her outward smile. 'Oh dear~ Boys are all the same. They like cute and obedient girls. Even a Level 5 can't escape that biological rule. I'm definitely going to be exhausted from pretending to be a good girl from now on...'
Itsuki shot a speechless glare at Naru. Only a genuine idiot like her could be so naturally stubborn and carefree.
"Uh..."
Standing a few feet away, Kozaku Mitori's lips twitched slightly. She watched the three Scavenger assassins desperately trying to curry favor with Yuuya. She crossed her arms, feeling entirely out of place among these fawning lunatics.
…
Meanwhile. A Cold Drink Shop in District 7.
"This is such a bad time of day! And of all times, he has to call us right now. It's so annoying," Mugino Shizuri growled irritably, slamming her iced coffee down on the table with a heavy thud.
"There's nothing we can do about it! We're ITEM. Our entire team was handed over to that guy by General Superintendent Aleister," Frenda Seivelun slumped listlessly on the table, bumping her forehead against the polished wood. She had completely resigned herself to her fate as Yuuya's lackey.
"It's super crazy that such a big event happened today, and that super big devil hasn't even had his freedom restricted yet. If it were us who blew up a stadium, we might have already been super wiped out," Kinuhata Saiai said, resting her cheek on one hand while scrolling through the news on her flip-phone.
"The Number Two Dark Matter, the Number One Accelerator, the Number Three Railgun, the Number Seven Gemstone, and the Number Eight Space Master... I never imagined that a post that seemed like a joke could cause a super Level 5 war."
"The footage is insane," Frenda mumbled into the table. "The first battle with Dark Matter resulted in the total destruction of a commercial block, and it ended with Kakine Teitoku slinking away half-dead. There were so many witnesses, it's unbelievable."
"Yeah, that's true! But why didn't you go and join in the fun, Mugino? Maybe it would have let more people know how powerful the Number Four is!" Frenda looked up, trying to flatter her boss.
"Ugh... Why would I challenge Accelerator when I know I can't win?" Mugino scoffed, rolling her eyes. But then a vicious, satisfied grin spread across her face. "But I really didn't expect Kakine Teitoku to get beaten so badly! It actually makes me feel a lot better!"
Mugino hated Kakine. She had clashed with his Dark Matter before during a Dark Side turf war, and it had ended in her humiliating defeat. Seeing him get crushed by Accelerator on live television was the highlight of her week.
"Ugh~ To be honest, I really don't want to see Takahashi," Kinuhata sighed, crossing her arms. "That guy clearly wants to take super advantage of us. Forcing people into maid outfits and such... he's a super complete pervert."
Having supreme power in Academy City truly allowed one to do whatever they wanted. The higher your Level 5 rank, the more privileges the Board granted you to be a monster.
"But there's nothing we can do about it," Takitsubo Rikou murmured softly, rubbing her sleepy eyes. She adjusted her pink tracksuit.
"And honestly... I think he's a really nice person."
"Huh?"
Mugino, Frenda, and Kinuhata all froze. They turned their heads slowly, staring at Takitsubo in utter, synchronized disbelief.
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