Originally, Otto's plan was to simply buy Senba Academy. In the capacity of headmaster, approaching Mei would have been exceptionally convenient.
But this morning, Rita had informed him that his secretary, Amber, said the budget was overextended, and the purchase would be of little practical use.
Even if he embezzled the entire budget for the new Kallen Fantasy title, it would be far from enough to buy Senba Academy.
Since buying it was off the table, Otto had to devise another method.
He didn't push the matter. Amber was the original Otto's personal secretary and, in a way, a limiter that Otto had placed upon himself.
For now, Otto had no intention of tampering with that limiter.
However, more than a new Kallen Fantasy, Otto would much rather play Only Fox: Lotus Dies Twice.
"Hello, you must be Mr. Orga Itsuka?"
At the gate of Senba Academy, Otto, wearing his half-mask, leaned against the black luxury sedan. Kiana stood to the side, hands stuffed in her jacket pockets, idly kicking at a small stone.
A young female teacher in the school's uniform emerged from the gate, approaching them with a face full of enthusiasm.
"I am the Dean of Students at Senba Academy. You can just call me Molly."
As she spoke, the teacher handed a business card to Otto. He nodded and tucked it into his pocket.
The reason for her fawning demeanor was the substantial donation Otto had made to Senba Academy.
However, Otto sized her up, his gaze lingering on the fiery figure beneath her uniform. One look was enough to tell that this was a stunner with some special skills.
It wasn't that Otto was looking at people through a vulgar lens.
It was just that a young woman who looked to be in her early twenties and was already the Dean of Students either had a good father, or a good 'daddy'.
"And this must be your lovely daughter. What a beautiful girl. Senba Academy warmly welcomes young ladies like her."
The teacher smiled as her gaze fell upon Kiana.
Despite the compliment, Kiana felt a strange unease.
A young girl's intuition is sharp; she felt as if she were being appraised by this teacher, like a cut of pork on a butcher's block.
A hand then rested on her waist, drawing her attention away.
It was Otto's dirty hand.
"This child of mine is a little shy. I haven't cared for her properly in the past. It's only now that my career has stabilized that I have time to be by her side."
"Not to worry. Once she's at Senba Academy, she can think of it as her home. Everyone here is very kind," the teacher said with a gentle smile. "But you look so young to have such a grown-up daughter. If I may ask, why do you wear a mask?"
"My face was burned in a fire. In that same accident, my wife also passed away."
Otto allowed a trace of sorrow to enter his voice.
"I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. It's been a long time. One must look forward, after all. Isn't that right, my precious daughter?"
Otto said, turning to Kiana with a smile.
"Yes, my good daddy~"
Kiana replied with a bright smile of her own, though she slapped Otto's hand away where the teacher couldn't see. Once the teacher turned her back, Kiana brandished a small fist at Otto like an angry kitten.
This was merely an act. To a certain extent, she would play along with him.
[Daily Mission: Make any Valkyrie call you "Daddy" in front of someone else.]
[Mission Status: Completed]
[Mission Rating: D]
[Mission Remarks: There is no soul in calling someone "Daddy" without a disgusted expression and looking at them as if they are trash.]
[Mission Reward: 100 Crystals (Current: 120)]
[Friendship Points +30 (Current: 200)]
The friendship point gain is a bit low.
If I had followed the mission remarks, would the points have been higher?
Otto didn't concern himself with such minor details. He followed the teacher into the grounds of Senba Academy.
He was here as a student's father and the school's benefactor, a perfectly legitimate visit.
Kiana followed behind Otto, her eyes darting about curiously. She had never attended school. When she was little, she often wondered why she couldn't go, why she couldn't play outside with other children her age.
Whenever she asked her stinky old dad, he would always look at her with such a sad gaze.
Eventually, Kiana stopped asking.
"Mr. Orga, Senba Academy boasts a highly qualified faculty and a strong academic atmosphere. Enrolling your daughter here is an excellent choice."
The teacher introduced the school, her shoulder intentionally-or-not brushing against Otto's body from time to time. The top button of her blouse was undone, revealing a tempting mole on the snowy expanse of her skin.
Otto noticed, but he paid her suggestive hints no mind.
He had zero interest in such common fare. He could randomly pick a kitchen auntie from Schicksal who would be hundreds of times better than this woman.
Otto's gaze settled on the largest building on campus.
"Is that the classroom building?"
"Yes, Mr. Orga. Let me show you around. Classes are in session right now, so you can see the students' positive and upwardly-mobile spirit for yourself."
"Positive and upwardly-mobile?" Otto let out a small laugh and pointed to a desk placed at the building's entrance. "Is that also considered 'positive and upwardly-mobile'?"
A lone desk and chair sat by the entrance. On the desk was a bouquet of flowers.
The kind of flowers one uses for the dead.
The teacher's expression froze. Kiana saw the desk as well and trotted over. She discovered that not only were there flowers, but the desk was also covered in vulgar and hateful graffiti directed at a young girl.
"This is too cruel."
Kiana's brows furrowed in anger.
"It is quite cruel."
Otto walked over as well. If he wasn't mistaken, this had to be Raiden Mei's desk.
During this period, due to Raiden Ryoma's imprisonment, Mei's life had hit rock bottom. Her once-inseparable friends began to distance themselves, and she even started being bullied.
Seeing that her desk and chair had been treated this way, Otto realized the problem was more severe than he'd imagined.
But something felt strange to him.
Can people really be this vile? What do they gain from bullying Mei? To pressure her into becoming a recluse?
He felt something was off.
But he couldn't put his finger on it.
"This is likely a prank by some students," the teacher said with a forced laugh, clearly uncomfortable with being contradicted so blatantly.
Otto's fingers traced the surface of Mei's desk. A thought almost surfaced, but the teacher's interruption broke his concentration, and the fleeting spark of insight was lost.
"Let's get this cleaned up first."
Otto said to Kiana. She nodded, rolling up her sleeves. Overflowing with a sense of justice, she couldn't turn a blind eye to something like this.
If she caught anyone bullying someone else, she wouldn't hesitate to let her fists fly.
It's probably this righteous side of Kiana that will be able to open Mei's heart.
"My dear lady, could you please take my precious daughter to fetch a rag and other cleaning supplies?"
"O-Of course." The teacher led Kiana away. After they had left, Otto looked at the classroom building and walked inside alone.
The teacher brought Kiana to a supply closet with cleaning tools. Kiana grabbed a bucket to fill it with water.
Watching Kiana's back as she scampered off to the faucet, the teacher retreated into the shadows. Her flirty, cheap act vanished in an instant.
After carefully scanning the area, she took out her phone and dialed a number. As soon as the call connected, she spoke in an urgent whisper.
"Lord Cocolia, I have a situation to report."