'I really don't know why… she wants to talk to me.' Kōya thought as he stared at the crimson-haired girl sitting across from him.
Like she had introduced herself… she was Kagutsuchi Akari and one of the heroines from the manga.
Also a descendant of the Ten Great Clans and one of the women the author had written as a pure-hearted saint who rescued orphans, sponsored poor students, and smiled like an angel fallen to earth.
But this woman in front of him… This woman wasn't an angel.
She looked like a politician wearing an angel's skin.
In the manga she was brain-dead levels of nice and unrealistically wholesome as well as too trusting and could easily be exploited.
The type of lady to adopt ten orphans in a day just because they smiled at her.
But the world in front of him… wasn't the manga.
This world was a dog-eat-dog wasteland. Resources were scarce. The Academy itself only supported students because they expected a return on investment.
Efficiency, power, profit… that was the reality of this world where he now existed...
'Did the God of Novelty really change her…?'
They were still at Kumo Terrace, only this time it was the VIP section.
There were golden seats, velvet cushions, and diamond-cut table edges.
Waiters moved in silent formation like they had rehearsed each step and two crystal cups sat between them while a waiter poured juice with ceremonial elegance.
Kōya took the cup.
"You know… I never thought I'd be sitting opposite someone as famous as you, Miss Akari." He took a sip. "There must be a reason you want to talk to someone as insignificant as me."
Akari's lashes lowered slightly.
'I see… he's already using the first-name basis.' Her thoughts were smooth and cold like a river under ice. 'And he speaks like he's from Omni City… His documents didn't say that. Interesting. But this doesn't ruin my plan.'
"Famous, huh? Ara… that's such an exaggeration."
She gently placed her cup down with a soft clink.
"I'm only visible because my clan makes me visible."
Her eyes which were crimson and luminous lifted to meet his.
For a moment, they looked like gem-cut rubies.
"As for why I wanted to speak with you…" Her lips curved slightly. "Would it really satisfy you if I said it was simple curiosity, Amagi-kun?"
'When did she start speaking so politically?' Kōya mused. 'This isn't the Akari whose brain was filled with sunshine and charity events. This is… a negotiator and a noble raised for war and politics.'
He opened his mouth… and the system chimed.
「There is currently no mission available for Heroine: Kagutsuchi Akari」
'Fuck off.' He kept drinking.
"I'd say it's flattering," Kōya continued, "if you managed to notice a random like me."
Because he was a random noble.
His parents had vanished in a raid with no achievements neither influence. In the manga, his original self didn't even survive long enough to be relevant.
Akari tilted her head.
"But my dear… you aren't random at all."
That immediate switch, calling him dear sent alarms screaming in Kōya's instincts.
"You're a big brother," she continued smoothly. "A newly registered Awakened. A student of the Academy. And…" She leaned in. "A boy whose parents are Missing In Action."
His body flinched.
He didn't even care that much but his body did so subconsciously.
But Akari smiled when she saw the involuntary twitch.
'Jackpot.'
"Why would you…?" Kōya muttered.
"Because nothing is free, Amagi-kun." Her voice dipped into a velvet tone. "But I can use my resources to help you find your parents. That is my oath as Kagutsuchi Akari."
Her fingers slid forward and touched his hand.
"And all you have to do…"
Her eyes gleamed with honeyed poison.
"…is join my organization."
'Organization?' he echoed internally.
She finished her juice with one last sip and signaled the waiter. He bowed and hurried into the kitchen.
"Yes," she continued, elegantly crossing one leg over the other. "We will all attend the Academy soon. And what kind of leader would I be if I didn't help my classmates?"
Her tone dripped with false virtue.
"I will pay your tuition. I will give you an allowance. I will move you and your imōto to a luxurious residence. I will fulfill reasonable requests."
She smiled sweetly.
"Isn't that enough?"
"And in return?" Kōya asked, though he already knew this wasn't normal charity.
Akari leaned forward, her voice soft as silk.
"You will submit to me."
Kōya blinked.
"You and I will sign a Master–Slave Contract. I will take responsibility as your master. You will run errands, report class information, and complete missions. For every task you excel in…"
She subtly shifted her chest in a way that emphasized her round breasts.
"…I will reward you personally."
Kōya stared.
'I beg your damn pardon? Who willingly signs a master-slave contract?!'
And then it clicked.
'So… that's her little game.'
She had picked him out by mentioning his background, and that alone was the first red flag.
Akari hadn't approached him at random… she had clearly dug through his records line by line.
The fact that she knew he had a little sister depending on him… that his parents were still categorized as "Missing In Action"… that he was a newly registered Awakened with no clan backing or political protection…
She had done more than "research." She had dissected his life, isolated his weaknesses, and come prepared with tailored bait.
Kōya could practically see the pattern now: Akari targeted people with everything to lose and nothing to rely on.
Those without influence, those without money and those without families then she dangled their hopes in front of them… whether it was tuition, security, connections, the illusion of care until they stepped willingly into her cage.
Once the Master–Slave contract was signed, they weren't allies.
Rather they were assets and disposable pieces she could command however she wanted.
It was, frustratingly enough, the exact kind of political cunning he had wanted to see in the manga. A noblewoman who played the game like a real clan heir, not some ditzy charity mascot.
And yet seeing it up close… seeing how precisely she sank her claws into the vulnerable made his skin crawl. He respected the intelligence, but it irritated him all the same.
Just as the waiter returned with some cake, Kōya stood abruptly.
"Miss Akari, this is a lovely offer," he said flatly. "But I'm not interested."
He started walking away. "And I hope that juice wasn't expensive."
"Wait—!" she called.
But he was already gone.
Akari stared at the empty seat for three full seconds then her eye twitched.
The waiter gently placed her slice of cake before her.
She picked it up and smashed it into his face.
Cream splattered, strawberries fell and the man gasped.
"S-Sebastian…" she said sweetly. "Do you think I'm wrong… for wanting to help the common people?"
"N-no, my lady!" he whimpered through frosting.
Sebastian was just another boy bound by a Master–Slave contract.
"By spreading my benevolence and fulfilling your filthy kind's wishes," she continued coolly.
"You are truly benevolent, my lady!" he cried.
"Yes. I am."
Then her expression twisted. "Now wash your face. You look disgusting."
He bowed deeply.
"Yes, Akari-sama!"
"And one more thing," she added, standing. "You're in Class 5 next year, yes?"
"Y-yes, my lady?"
"I want you to make Amagi Kōya's life a nightmare. Spread rumors. Sabotage him. Harass him. Make him regret breathing the same air I do."
She smiled beautifully.
"Complete this mission, and I will give you the one thing you desire most."
Sebastian fell to his knees, trembling with excitement.
"It will be done, my lady!"
…
Kōya returned to Nami's table, sliding back into his seat. She had already finished her meal and was staring at him with worried eyes.
"S-so… what did Kagutsuchi-sama want?" Nami asked cautiously as he took another bite of cake.
"Nothing much," he said, swallowing. "Though I have a feeling my life's going downhill from here."
"What do you mea—"
Two waiters appeared instantly.
Without warning, they snatched every single item Kōya had bought: his latte and his cake, even the spoon in his hand.
"H-hey!!" Nami yelped.
The taller waiter cleared his throat.
"As of today, Amagi Kōya… you are hereby banned from Kumo Terrace and all associated establishments."
Kōya blinked once then sighed.
"…Yeah. That tracks."