Just as Kotegawa Yui was straddling Kanzaki Saku, preparing to take the most crucial step.
"Strategist! I found the rope! It's a really sturdy nylon rope!" Kushida Kikyou's energetic voice called out.
Opening the door, the brilliant smile on Kushida Kikyou's face cracked.
Kushida Kikyou couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her beloved Strategist Kotegawa, her clothes in disarray, was straddling the captured Kanzaki Saku. His shirt was wide open, revealing a firm chest, and his face wore what she perceived as an expression of humiliation.
In reality, it was Kanzaki Saku's expression of bewilderment at the novice's clumsy and forceful advances.
"S-Strategist?" Kushida Kikyou's brain overloaded. She blinked, and the coil of thick nylon rope in her hand fell to the floor with a clatter.
"What... what are you... doing... to the Boss's man?"
In stark contrast to Kushida's panic, Kotegawa Yui only paused for a moment. Instead of showing any alarm at being caught, her face took on a profound, inscrutable expression that seemed to say, "You've come at the perfect time."
She had chosen Kushida Kikyou for this task after careful consideration. There was a reason this girl was honest to the point of being bullied; she was so simple-minded it bordered on foolishness.
Her act of directly kidnapping Kanzaki Saku today was a testament to that.
Kotegawa Yui didn't even get off Kanzaki Saku immediately, merely turning her head slightly to look at the door.
"Kikyou, didn't I tell you that the Boss likes men?" Kotegawa Yui said, her hands not stopping their movements.
"Y-yes..." Kushida Kikyou nodded blankly, her mind still struggling to catch up.
"There's one more thing I forgot to tell you. The Boss's type is married men—specifically, men who are already in a relationship."
"M-Married men?" Kushida Kikyou repeated the niche term.
"That's right. Especially men who have been marked by other powerful women. That's the type that truly piques the Boss's interest. Otherwise, why do you think the Boss would specifically target Yukinoshita Yukino's man?"
"I-Is that how it is?" Kushida Kikyou felt that the Strategist's words made a lot of sense.
"Let me give you an analogy," Kotegawa Yui said, seeing that her initial deception was working, and immediately launched into her prepared speech.
"Right now, Kanzaki Saku is like a top-grade 'ingredient.' If we present him directly to the Boss, while he is precious, the flavor would be too plain. It wouldn't fully showcase his true 'deliciousness.'"
She pointed to herself, then meaningfully glanced at Kanzaki Saku beneath her. "And I am now doing the work of a 'chef.' Through my 'cooking'—that is, the necessary 'preparation' and 'seasoning'—I can make him shed his immaturity, acquire the unique charm of a taken man, and become more 'flavorful' to better suit the Boss's 'palate.'"
"Everything I'm doing is so the Boss can enjoy the ultimate 'delicacy'! Do you understand my painstaking efforts, Kikyou?"
Kotegawa Yui spoke with such genuine passion, as if she were truly engaged in some grand and sacred task.
"B-but..." Kushida Kikyou felt something was off. "Is this really... okay..."
"Kikyou!" Kotegawa Yui interrupted her, her tone suddenly becoming harsh, filled with the pressure of a superior. "Are you the strategist, or am I?!"
"O-of course, it's you..."
"Have you been with the Boss longer, or have I?!"
"Y-you have..."
"Do you want to advance or not?! Do you want to become the Boss's truly trusted right-hand woman or not?!"
"If you don't even have the resolve to 'taste-test' and optimize the 'dish' for the Boss beforehand, how will you establish yourself in the legion? How will you take on more important tasks?!"
Kotegawa Yui unleashed a series of soul-searching questions, using her seniority to pressure her while also hinting at matters related to her future prospects.
As everyone knows, Japan is one of the countries that values seniority the most, where seniors can easily grill their juniors.
This barrage of questions left Kushida Kikyou completely bewildered. She looked at the strategist's "righteous" expression, considered that the strategist did indeed know the Boss better than she did, and found the temptation of "advancement" and "being trusted by the Boss" too great.
Kushida Kikyou fell into deep thought, her face scrunched up as she underwent a fierce internal struggle. In the end, her blind admiration for Megumi Kato and her trust (?) in Kotegawa Yui won out.
"I understand, Strategist!" Kushida Kikyou's eyes became firm again, now filled with a sense of mission.
"You're right! I was too shallow and failed to understand your profound intentions! I'll go stand guard for you right now!"
As she spoke, she bent down to pick up the rope, intending to leave.
"Wait, Kikyou," Kotegawa Yui stopped her.
Although Kushida had been fooled, Kotegawa Yui knew that the only way to truly keep the secret was to drag the other person into it, making her an accomplice. Just standing guard wasn't reliable enough.
"Yes? Do you have any other orders, Strategist?" Kushida Kikyou stopped obediently.
Kotegawa Yui got off Kanzaki Saku, walked over to Kushida, patted her on the shoulder, and spoke to her heart-to-heart.
"Kikyou, I've seen your loyalty. However, just standing guard doesn't demonstrate your value, nor does it allow you to truly participate in the core process of serving the Boss."
She pointed at Kanzaki Saku, who was lying on the desk looking like he was 'ready to be plucked,' but was in fact just enjoying the show.
"You see, to make this 'ingredient' truly meet the Boss's preferred standard of a 'taken man,' it requires comprehensive 'training.' This naturally includes how to better 'serve' women. If I 'instruct' him on these 'skills' alone, the result might be biased."
Kotegawa Yui leaned in closer and lowered her voice. "So, I've decided that the two of us will 'help' him with his special training together. You will stay and assist me. This is to ensure that the final 'product' presented to the Boss is perfect. After all, having an extra person to 'inspect' it allows for a more comprehensive identification of problems, doesn't it? This is what it means to be truly responsible to the Boss!"
Kushida Kikyou's eyes widened again. "I... I also have to... participate in the 'cooking'?"
"It's not 'cooking,' it's serving the Boss!" Kotegawa Yui corrected her sternly.
"This is an important mission given to you by the organization, a test of your loyalty and ability! Are you going to back down now?"
____
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