Chapter 99: Master, You Have to Take Responsibility for Me~
"Sure."
Otonashi Chiya agreed immediately. Of course, this was all part of the act.
Reze let out a playful giggle. "Master is the best~"
Shingetsu, on the other hand, was far from laughing. Hearing herself described by Reze as someone who "only knows brute force" caused veins to throb faintly on her smooth, fair forehead.
"Were you talking about me just now?"
Shingetsu was never known for having a good temper, and she was clearly taking this personally. In the past, if someone got on her nerves like this, she would have probably struck them already. Her personality was simple: why use words when you can use your fists? But things were different now; Chiya was right there, so she restrained herself significantly.
Reze suddenly acted like a startled kitten, scurrying behind Chiya's back. With a timid expression, she whispered, "Master, Miss Shingetsu is so scary..."
Looking at Reze like this, Shingetsu felt a wave of helplessness. She could never bring herself to cling to Chiya and act coquettishly the way Reze did; her personality and pride simply wouldn't allow it. Could it be that Otonashi actually likes this kind of girl? Shingetsu felt a sudden, draining sense of defeat.
"You too—even if it's a joke, don't take it too far."
While Chiya's "persona" dictated that he should protect Reze, he felt she had indeed crossed a line this time. Even if Reze was faking it, he had to consider Shingetsu's feelings. After all, Shingetsu had no idea that he and Reze were both acting.
Previously, he hadn't cared much about Shingetsu's feelings because he didn't know she was a girl, let alone that she had feelings for him. If he continued to side blindly with Reze now, it would likely break Shingetsu's heart, and he didn't want that. He was actually starting to lose interest in this performance; with his level of power, he didn't strictly need to care about the Soviet high command's true intentions.
"I understand..."
Having been lightly scolded by Chiya, Reze reined it in and immediately apologized to Shingetsu. "Miss Shingetsu, I'm sorry."
Hearing Reze apologize—and seeing that Chiya had sided with her this time—Shingetsu's mood brightened considerably.
"It's fine," she said expressionlessly.
Afterward, Reze pulled Chiya into the pool. "Master, hurry up and teach me how to swim!"
They entered the shallow end of the pool, where the water only reached their waists. Chiya began to teach Reze with practiced ease, using a kickboard under her abdomen to keep her afloat while she practiced the freestyle stroke. Since he was bored anyway, he figured he might as well play along.
"I'll hold your hands first. Try to get a feel for the leg movements. We'll learn in three stages; right now is Stage One."
"Okay~"
Reze's acting was seamless. She forced herself to look exactly like a beginner, making her leg kicks look clumsy and uncoordinated. Both Chiya and Reze were "enjoying" themselves—within the confines of the script.
But Shingetsu, the observer, knew nothing of the script. She sat by the poolside watching Chiya teach Reze, feeling more depressed than words could describe.
"Are you starting to get the feel for it now?"
"I think so. Master, let go and let me try it on my own," Reze said.
"Alright." Chiya let go of her hands, curious to see how she planned to continue her performance.
After only a few strokes, the kickboard tucked under Reze's abdomen slipped away. Her body immediately sank, and she began to thrash around, putting on a very frantic display of drowning. Chiya had expected her to act out the clumsy movements of a beginner, but he hadn't expected her to go straight for a full-blown drowning scene.
Feeling a bit speechless, he reached out to haul her up. Reze took the opportunity to cling to him like an octopus—a reaction perfectly consistent with a drowning person desperately grabbing onto their rescuer.
Being held like this, Chiya would be lying if he said he felt absolutely nothing. A typical "innocent boy" in this situation would be blushing and flustered, but he was starting to lose the patience required to keep up that particular facade.
However, Shingetsu finally couldn't take it anymore and dove straight in from the poolside. She tried to pull Reze off Chiya, but she found that she couldn't; Reze was clinging to him tightly and with surprising strength. Shingetsu didn't dare use too much force—not because she was afraid of hurting Chiya, but because she didn't want to make him upset.
Reze coughed a few times, looking as if she had swallowed some water. Chiya moved to the edge of the pool and said, "Reze, we're at the edge now. You can let go."
Only then did Reze slowly release him; after all, she couldn't push the act too far. She coughed a few more times with a pained expression, looking like she was still in shock.
Shingetsu walked over, her face dark. "Miss Reze, I think I should be the one to teach you how to swim from now on." Her tone was icy, sounding nothing like a friendly offer. She truly just wanted to replace Chiya so she wouldn't have to watch Reze being so intimate with him anymore. She couldn't actually strike Reze, as that would likely anger Chiya.
"No, I only want Master! Cough, cough..." Reze refused immediately, punctuating her words with more coughs.
"Let's call it a day. It's hard to keep practicing after almost drowning. We'll come back when there's another chance." At this point, Chiya was tired of playing this game of "house" with Reze.
"Okay~ I'll do whatever Master says," Reze said obediently.
On the way to the locker rooms, Reze whispered to Chiya, "Master, you're so gentle. You're so good to me that if I really fall for you, you'll have to take responsibility~"
"Talk to me when you actually fall for me," Chiya replied casually. He chuckled to himself. Forget falling for him—if Reze had even a shred of genuine affection for him, he would have activated a system achievement by now. So far, her favorability hadn't even reached "Lv. 1."
Shingetsu, of course, followed them out.
The girls on the other side of the pool had been watching the whole time. They had witnessed everything. They were still unsure if that beauty who looked like the "Tsar" was actually her, since Chiya hadn't said Shingetsu's name out loud. Besides, Shingetsu's obvious display of jealousy seemed completely at odds with the Tsar's usual cold and overbearing aura.
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