Ako said in disbelief, "Y-you are lying, right… Me, liking you? N-no, stop joking around!"
Seeing that she was still stubbornly refusing to accept it, I asked instead, "Then why exactly did you come here today?"
"Didn't I already say it, because I was worried about President Hina."
"And besides that?"
"W-what are you talking about…"
It looked like she was still unwilling to face the truth.
I repeated Ako's own words from earlier, "You clearly said you would take responsibility but ended up deceiving me? That you only wanted to get close to Hina through me?"
"Don't say it!"
"Mm hmm. In short, aren't these exactly the things you care about?"
Ako lowered her head and muttered softly, "So what if I do…"
Watching the girl, I let out a light chuckle. "Hehe. If that's the case, isn't this the strongest proof of the argument I made?"
Since when did Ako start liking me?
Thinking about it now, it was probably a gradual process.
At the beginning, there was no way Ako would have developed feelings like that for me. But just as she herself said, "We already did something like that."
Even if that game only happened because Ako half agreed and half resisted, it could not change the fact that she was, at heart, still a pure girl who had never been involved with the opposite sex.
In other words, I had left an unforgettable mark in her heart.
And that mark kept spreading outward, eroding everything, until it completely occupied the girl's heart.
Of course, it also had to do with the fact that I myself was sufficiently outstanding. Aside from a few insignificant flaws that everyone has, I matched, or even far exceeded, the partner selection standards of the vast majority of Kivotos students, inside and out.
Simply put, Ako had already fallen for me, yet was worried about her position in my heart, which was why she rushed over to Schale so impatiently.
She even handed her work over to Iori.
If she had given it to Chinatsu, I might have believed she had not completely lost her head.
After sorting out my thoughts, I spoke gently.
"I'm sorry. If it's because I haven't come to see you lately and that made you feel uneasy, then I'm willing to apologize."
Ako turned her head away. "What stupid things are you saying now, it's not like I especially wanted to see you."
So you did want to, at least a little.
I smiled and continued, "Then, about Hina. I admit to you that I do want to get along with her. But my feelings toward you are the same."
After hearing the first half, Ako suddenly snapped her head back, ready to argue with me. But after hearing the latter half, she calmed down a little.
Or more precisely, her anger was diluted by some other emotion.
Ako said coldly to me, "Give it up. I will never allow you to force President Hina to do strange things like that."
I gave a bitter smile and shook my head. "You are really overthinking it… I would never do something like that. And I have no intention of getting close to Hina indirectly through you either."
First of all, when dealing with Hina, of course I would need to use a different attitude than the one I used with Ako.
Second, to be honest, if I wanted to win Hina over, relying on Ako would not be as good as relying on myself.
"…Do you promise?"
Ako looked serious as she stared straight into my eyes and asked. I could feel just how earnest she was right now.
I raised my hand as if swearing an oath. "I promise."
Only after the girl examined me for quite a while did she say in disbelief, "Y-you really weren't lying…"
The more I thought about it, the more I felt she truly lacked proper education.
"You can tell that?"
Ako puffed out her chest proudly. "Of course. Reading expressions and judging people is one of the basic skills of an excellent administrative officer."
I was left speechless for a moment, then sighed. "Then why didn't you use it from the start…"
Ako's expression immediately became awkward.
"Since you have that skill, can you tell whether what I'm about to say is true or false?"
"Oh? Is this a bet?" Ako's eyes lit up with fighting spirit. "Fine, let's do it. The loser has to agree to any one request from the other!"
Come to think of it, this girl really did seem to like gambling.
But it did not matter. In fact, it was even better this way.
I took a deep breath and, in the most sincere tone, spoke word by word.
"Ako, my feelings for you are exactly the same as your feelings for me, without the slightest bit of falsehood."
Just as I expected, the confidence on the girl's face froze solid.
How would Ako, who was unwilling to face her own feelings, respond?
I was very much looking forward to it.
"Th-this…"
Seeing Ako stammering and at a loss, I could not help teasing her.
"What's wrong? As an excellent administrative officer, can't you even tell this?"
"Ugh…"
The girl bit her lower lip and glared at me fiercely. "Isn't it your fault for saying something that's so hard to answer!"
"If you don't like it, you can just say you don't like it, right?"
As I spoke, I stood up, startling the girl into a small jolt.
Then I walked around the desk to stand in front of her, lifted her chin, leaned my face close, and admired her cute expression at close range as I whispered,
"Or is it that you're shy?"
Ako's face flushed bright red. She turned her gaze away and said nothing.
I smiled in satisfaction.
The familiar heat rising in my chest was already the best proof.
"Ako, you've built up a lot of stress this week too, haven't you?"
The girl held her breath and nodded faintly.
I lightly inhaled the subtle fragrance in Ako's hair. "You already took a shower before coming?"
"…Mm."
I licked the corner of my mouth. "You were very well prepared then. So this time… how about we do something a bit more… in depth?"
A stretch of silence followed.
Then came a reply as thin as a mosquito's buzz.
"…I did lose the bet, you know…"
How could I endure that?
I could not hold back any longer. Amid the girl's startled cry, I lifted her up by the waist. I even deliberately rummaged through the depths of the drawer to find that familiar item, gently adorning Ako with it.
After a moment of hesitation, a very soft bark echoed through the office.
"…Woof."
From my office, to the corridor, to the elevator, and finally to my bedroom, I moved as if taking a leisurely walk.
Around noon, I lay on the bed, wiped away the sweat, and took a moment to pull out a card, glancing at the newly obtained authority.
—
Solidify Authority: [Poem of Love and Beauty]
Description: The holder will obtain fertility equal in level to their beauty.
Source: Amau Ako successfully conquered
—
…What was this?
For a brief moment, I even thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.
But the next instant, a warmth like being soaked in lukewarm water spread to an important area.
For a while, my thoughts were in chaos as I looked at the insatiable dog with a complicated gaze and let out a heartfelt sigh.
"Ako, you really are shameless."
"…Huh? What are you talking about now?"
"Nothing. Keep going."
In a certain sense… could this be the strongest authority I had obtained so far?