"Call me 'Master' or whatever you like," Otonashi Chiya said with a faint smile.
He knew he couldn't act like he already knew Reze; he had to interact with her entirely from the perspective of a stranger. Moreover, he had to be more cautious than ever. As an elite operative, Reze was exceptionally sharp—one slip-up and she would see right through him.
"Great! Master Otonashi~~"
Reze's smile was as bright as a flower as she looked at Chiya, a cute blush appearing on her face. That "Master Otonashi" sounded particularly soul-stirring, her charming tone laced with a hint of playfulness.
Even though Chiya knew perfectly well that Reze was just acting, hearing it made his scalp tingle slightly. As a specialist operative, Reze had undergone rigorous training; her acting skills were nothing short of "Oscar-worthy."
As expected of Reze... she really knows how to play the part...
Reze could truly be called the Soviet military's "ultimate trump card." Regardless of what the high command intended for him, the "honey trap" was a classic, foolproof tactic. After all, how many innocent teenage boys Chiya's age could resist Reze's charm?
But what the Soviet high command could never have anticipated was that Chiya was a transmigrator with "God's perspective." This honey trap was useless against him. This was the high command's greatest, and completely unavoidable, miscalculation.
"By the way..."
At that moment, Reze turned her gaze toward Shingetsu. Shingetsu's expression was becoming increasingly cold; Reze's flirtatious behavior toward Chiya made her extremely uncomfortable.
However, ever since Chiya had called her out for being "jealous," she had restrained herself significantly, not wanting her feelings to be too obvious. But Reze was incredibly sharp; she saw right through Shingetsu's dissatisfaction in a single glance.
Furthermore, Reze's intelligence was top-tier. Before starting this operation, she had thoroughly reviewed every piece of data on Chiya and Shingetsu. This meant that while Shingetsu knew nothing about Reze, Reze knew Shingetsu inside and out. She even knew that Shingetsu was actually a girl—after all, her intelligence network came directly from the military high command.
"This person must be the Captain of Special Operations Unit 1, right?" Even with Shingetsu's stony face, the smile on Reze's face didn't waver.
"Correct. His name is Shingetsu. He's my current partner," Chiya introduced.
"His?"
The corners of Reze's mouth curled up slightly, as if she had discovered something very amusing. In Russian, the pronunciation for "he" and "she" is distinct. Chiya's use of the masculine pronoun revealed one thing: he didn't know Shingetsu's true gender.
"Is there something wrong with him?" Chiya asked, puzzled.
"Nothing, nothing at all~" Reze giggled. "I just feel like he has a bit of a problem with me. Since that's the case, I'll only call you 'Master Otonashi' from now on!"
Reze intentionally used the masculine "he" as well, rather than the "she" from her reports. She didn't want Chiya to find out Shingetsu's true gender too soon; keeping him in the dark would make her "plan" go much smoother.
"Fair enough." Chiya feigned a slightly helpless smile.
Both he and Reze were putting on a masterclass in acting. The difference was that Chiya knew everything Reze did was an act, while Reze had no idea that his reactions were also part of a performance.
"Master, Master! So, what should we do next?"
(AN-I've played these games before!)
At this moment, Reze was acting exactly like a rookie who knew nothing at all—a "curious kitten" feigning wonder at everything around her. After all, her persona for this "project" was that of a sheltered young lady from a prestigious family; she had to project innocence, simplicity, and a lively, cute charm.
"Next... I'll start by familiarizing you with the Leningrad Military Department."
Otonashi Chiya played along with Reze's act. He certainly wasn't in a hurry to expose her; he wanted to follow the "script" of her performance to the very end to see exactly what the Soviet high command intended for him.
Recruitment?
Inducing surrender?
Assassination?
There were many possibilities, and Chiya couldn't be certain yet.
"Oh! That's very important!"
Reze took a step forward and proactively linked her arm with Chiya's. "Master~ let's hurry!"
Seeing this scene, Shingetsu's pupils suddenly contracted. In that instant, the upheaval in her heart was gargantuan.
"..."
Even the corners of Chiya's mouth twitched slightly.
Seeing this reaction, Reze showed no change on the surface, but internally she was gloating.
As expected, he's just an innocent teenage boy~ It looks like this secret mission will be finished easily in just a few days~~
Unfortunately for her, that slight twitch of the lips was something Chiya had deliberately faked. If, in this play, Reze's role was the innocent and lively heiress, then Chiya's role was the lonely, pure-hearted boy far from home.
But...
Shingetsu, standing behind them, was a spectator to this play, and she had no idea that both Chiya and Reze were acting. Watching Reze walk further away while clinging to Chiya's arm, she felt a tightness in her chest again—and this painful sensation was stronger than ever before!
She instinctively gripped the military uniform over her heart, but the discomfort didn't fade. Shingetsu immediately strode forward and grabbed the hand Reze was using to hold Chiya's arm. She wasn't so far gone as to strike a newcomer directly, but she wanted the girl to let go of Chiya.
"Eh~? What are you doing?"
Reze spoke with a slight, coquettish pout. "I'm just bonding with my Master. Why are you stopping me?"
"Don't mind him. He's often like this, acting strange for no reason. Let's keep going," Chiya said calmly.
He deliberately spoke up for Reze to show that he had already been "won over" a little by her, aiming to mislead her. The more Reze misjudged the situation, the sooner he would learn the truth behind the scenes!
"..."
Shingetsu stood frozen on the spot.
Chiya was purely focused on out-acting Reze and had no idea his words would deal such a heavy blow to Shingetsu. Furthermore, he truly didn't have the mental capacity to worry about her right now; the sudden deployment of Reze by the Soviet high command had given him a sense of crisis, and he had to prioritize his own safety.
Besides, he didn't think his actions would have much impact on Shingetsu anyway—after all, he didn't know her true gender, let alone what was going on in her heart.
As Chiya and Reze walked further away, Shingetsu remained standing there, her expression clouded with complexity. She suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment. What exactly am I doing...