Kanzaki Saku put down his phone, satisfied. His "Bond Plan" was proceeding very smoothly.
Yukino was his official girlfriend, and also the unwitting victim who currently knew nothing.
Miura Yumiko, sent by Yukino to protect him, had undergone preliminary conditioning yesterday and could now be considered his.
Next up was the most restless one, Yuigahama Yui.
A glint of excitement flashed in Kanzaki Saku's eyes. Compared to simple physical relationships, this game of secretly weaving a web of connections, of gradually bringing these self-important girls under his control, was far more interesting.
He didn't just want their bodies; he wanted to capture their hearts, to make each of them believe she was special, forcing them to struggle between loyalty and desire until they completely succumbed as his captives.
Ding—
His phone chimed again. It was a message from the newly added "Tyrant's Eye":
Tyrant's Eye: "Nightmare Lord, your ambition has been seen through by the Tyrant's Eye. If you do not wish for your secret to be exposed, you shall engage me in a sacred duel tomorrow after school, under the cherry blossom tree behind the old school building!"
Kanzaki Saku raised an eyebrow and replied:
The Reversal God: "I could, but why would I do something with no benefit for me?"
The other party replied quickly:
Tyrant's Eye: "The loser must make an eternal pact to become the victor's most loyal servant, serving them for all eternity, until the end of time!"
Seeing this wager, brimming with chuunibyou energy, Kanzaki Saku smiled. It seemed his "bond" list would soon have a new name on it.
The Reversal God: "Pact established. I look forward to your performance then."
Kanzaki Saku agreed without hesitation.
Was this a joke? A chuunibyou girl, no matter how reversed her persona was, couldn't possibly be a real esper, could she? An easy win!
Filled with anticipation for the life to come, Kanzaki Saku drifted off to a pleasant sleep.
The next morning, Kanzaki Saku was awakened by Sagiri's almost suffocating wake-up call.
His silver-haired little sister, Izumi Sagiri, was leaning over the edge of his bed, staring at him up close with her big, watery eyes. The moment he opened his, she broke into a brilliant smile, practically pressing her face against his.
Breakfast, needless to say, had already been prepared by his good, all-capable sister. All Kanzaki Saku had to do was eat.
Soon, the siblings left for school. Sagiri was still in middle school, so they went in different directions.
"Onii-chan, be careful at school! Don't get too close to any weird women! Remember to eat your bento! If you don't feel well during break, be sure to go to the nurse's office! Call me immediately if anything happens..."
Before they parted, Sagiri earnestly reminded Kanzaki Saku of all these precautions, finally bidding him a reluctant farewell.
To maintain his persona as the "frail, gentle, good older brother," Kanzaki Saku could only smile and patiently listen to his sister's nagging, a mixture of overprotectiveness and intense possessiveness, until Sagiri finally departed, looking back every three steps.
Miura Yumiko was, of course, still supposed to escort him, but Kanzaki Saku had arranged to meet her at the train station last night, so for now, he was alone.
It hadn't seemed that long since he'd synchronized memories yesterday, but Kanzaki Saku had already conquered two people.
He reflected for a moment. The pace of the first two times had been a bit fast. He should at least build up a sense of ceremony before getting down to business, rather than making it feel like a hookup.
Kanzaki Saku walked nonchalantly towards the station, completely oblivious to his surroundings.
Just as he was about to step on an oddly shaped gray pebble.
"Gugu gaga!"
Along with the cry of a penguin, a small yet imposing figure shot forward with an abrupt but exceptionally smooth motion, practically skimming the ground. A precise and swift slide tackle grazed the tip of Kanzaki Saku's shoe.
"!"
Kanzaki Saku instinctively took half a step back to steady himself and looked curiously at the uninvited guest.
A short-haired gray girl was kneeling on one knee in a strange pose, carefully cradling the gray pebble he had nearly stepped on in her hands as if it were a priceless treasure.
"How dare you try to step on such a beautiful stone without even looking? Are you even human?!" The girl's voice had a domineering vibe that belied her petite frame.
She looked up, her amber eyes burning with a raging fire, ready to verbally slice and dice this oblivious passerby.
However, the moment her gaze fell upon Kanzaki Saku's face, all the anger vanished.
"Gu... ga?"
Takamatsu Tomori let out a strange, unintelligible sound. She forgot to even tighten her grip on the stone, simply staring blankly at Kanzaki Saku.
The sunlight happened to fall on Kanzaki Saku just then, bathing him in a soft halo. His flawless face, tinged with a slight annoyance at being disturbed, only added to his fragile and distant beauty.
In Takamatsu Tomori's eyes, the person before her didn't seem of this world, but more like an angel who had suddenly descended into her life.
"A... a man?" Takamatsu Tomori muttered almost subconsciously, her tone filled with disbelief. "Can men... really be... this beautiful?"
Takamatsu Tomori loved collecting all sorts of strange things, like bandages and oddly shaped stones, but this was the first time she'd ever had the thought of wanting to collect a human being.
That's right, such a treasure should belong to me, Takamatsu Tomori!
At this moment, Kanzaki Saku also came to his senses and quickly sized up the girl before him. That unique penguin-like cry, the wild and untamed aura, and the inexplicable cherishing of a broken stone...
He immediately identified his target. Wasn't this Takamatsu Tomori, the vocalist of the legendary band Crychic?
Having recognized the girl, Kanzaki Saku, who hadn't been hit by the slide tackle in the first place, was even less inclined to be angry.
Instead, he took the opportunity to act as if he had been frightened by Takamatsu Tomori, apologizing: "I'm so sorry, I didn't notice this... stone earlier. I didn't hurt it, did I?"
Kanzaki Saku's gentle apology struck Takamatsu Tomori's heart in an instant.
"Eh? Ah! The-the stone is fine!" Takamatsu Tomori was flustered by the sudden apology but didn't forget to look down and check the pebble in her palm. After confirming it was unharmed, she looked up to meet Kanzaki Saku's gaze again.
"It's very tough!" she added, her tone softening unconsciously, even carrying a hint of comforting Kanzaki Saku.
Kanzaki Saku graciously nodded: "To be so favored by you, it must be something extraordinary. As a token of my apology, might I be fortunate enough to know your name? I'm Kanzaki Saku, I live nearby."
_____
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