Chapter 107
Chapter 107
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 107
Chapter Title: Very Easy Persuasion
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Trapped in the warehouse, we sat down for a moment, waiting for someone to pass by outside.
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'To think they'd lock us in a warehouse...'
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Emily was one thing, but Mary could be pretty forceful at times too.
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Wasn't there a gentler, nicer way to handle this?
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"Um, excuse me..."
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That's when Diena, sitting next to me, timidly spoke up.
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We were currently side by side on the floor, just blankly staring at the warehouse door.
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In that situation, Diena started talking to me while inching a little closer.
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"Ken. Aren't you cold?"
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"Cold...? Hmm... now that you mention it, the floor does feel kinda chilly..."
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It was a temperature I'd have shrugged off sitting on as a guy, but for some reason, now that I was a woman, I seemed way more sensitive to it.
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On top of that, this being a warehouse, there was no such thing as a soft mattress—just a hard cement floor.
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So the floor was even colder than the air in the warehouse itself.
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"No, that's not good! You'll catch a cold if your body gets chilled!"
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"Huh? No, it's not that bad..."
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"What are you saying? You're underestimating Gellius Prison way too much."
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Diena furrowed her brows seriously, as if it were truly dangerous, and spoke carefully.
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"Getting sick in a prison like this means you lose the strength to protect yourself. ...You know what that implies, right?"
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"W-what does it imply?"
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"......You'll get eaten."
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"...Huh?"
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Eaten?
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Did this prison have some monster that devoured sick inmates or something?
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"Didn't you see the Giant gang? You'll get defiled mercilessly!"
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Her follow-up explanation made me understand what Diena meant.
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The power players of the prison who'd surrounded me and Rapne in the showers yesterday.
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Giant and her crew.
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They'd eyed us like fresh meat, licking their lips.
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"Eek!!"
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It was the classic prison movie cliché.
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Pretty inmates became sex toys for the others.
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Rapne and I had luckily kept our strength and muscle, so we'd been fine.
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But if I caught a cold and lost my strength...
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"...No, even then, Rapne would protect me, so it'd be okay."
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Plus, Emily and Mary were here too.
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No way something like that would happen.
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"Still, we have to prepare for the worst! Come on, scoot over here."
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"Y-yes?"
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"This is when we warm each other up with body heat."
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For some reason, Diena blushed and gave me a look like some perverted old man as she closed in.
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Her eyes were scary...!
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But her expression was normal otherwise, so maybe it was just my imagination.
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"O-okay then..."
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With that, Diena and I pressed our bodies close together, facing the warehouse door.
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Squirm, squirm.
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We'd only pressed side to side, but it definitely felt warmer than before.
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Though for some reason, it felt like Diena's hand was slithering toward me like an earthworm.
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I sensed movement along my back.
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"Um, hey..."
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I couldn't ignore the creepy approach anymore, so I cautiously turned my head to look at Diena.
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At my voice, she jumped in surprise, rolling her eyes like a thief caught red-handed.
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"Oh, uh, I-I just thought it'd be warmer like this~ ...Ha, haha."
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"I-is that so? Well, if you're cold, I don't mind."
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"Yes! It's cold! Super cold!"
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She seemed way too eager in her response, but apparently Diena was really sensitive to the cold.
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In the end, she placed her hand on my shoulder and pulled me right up against her.
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'Ugh, h-her b-breasts...'
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Her breasts naturally brushed softly against my shoulder.
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For the record, the prison uniforms didn't come with bras.
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So both Rapne and I—and Diena right next to me—were currently going braless.
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Which meant the sensation of Diena's breasts pressing against my shoulder came through the thin fabric in all its natural softness.
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Because of that, my own chest started pounding, and the mood felt awkward.
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'N-no. Calm down. I'm a woman right now! And besides, I already have three fiancées!'
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Adding more here would get me killed, socially or literally.
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Get a grip and stop with the stray thoughts.
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'More importantly, about Diena's breakout...'
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This was the perfect chance Emily and Mary had set up.
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I had to seize it now if I wanted to carry out the plan to escape with her.
So I started the conversation.
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"Um... Diena, how much time do you have left on your sentence?"
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"Me? Hmm... I've been in for about three years now..."
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She blushed at my question, thought for a moment, then smiled brightly as she answered.
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"About fifty years left."
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"F-fifty years!?"
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"Yeah. Is that... that surprising?"
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"No, it's just... fifty years from now..."
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She'd be a grandma by the time she got out. How could I not be shocked?
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"Ahaha! I'm just grateful it's not the death penalty! I did terrorize the royal palace, after all!"
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Unlike me, Diena laughed innocently. She was remarkably positive.
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"Doesn't it feel stifling here, Diena?"
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But her answer had given me a hint for my plan.
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Fifty years of prison time.
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That was plenty to tempt her with the idea of escape.
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"It felt stifling at first, but now I've gotten used to it, so it's fine."
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"...Huh?"
"Wherever people live is pretty much the same. So now it feels just like home, comfy and all."
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Only three years in, and she was talking like she'd been locked up for life.
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Her innocent reply left me flustered.
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This wasn't matching up with what I'd expected.
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"Hey..."
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But I had to push forward anyway.
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No choice.
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I couldn't afford to hole up here for years just to leisurely take her with me.
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I needed to move fast.
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"I'm planning to break out of here soon."
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I said it seriously to Diena, who still had her arm around my shoulder.
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She looked even more shocked than I had at hearing about the fifty years.
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"Y-you're thinking that after just two days in here?"
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"Guh...!"
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She asked it like it was the most ridiculous thing.
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Okay, sure, even I thought I sounded like a total lightweight!
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But the real reason wasn't that I hated it here—it was because I needed to forge that demon sword!
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"Anyway! There's something I want to ask you, Diena!"
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I pushed past the embarrassment and got to my point.
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All or nothing.
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If worst came to worst, I'd knock her out and drag her along.
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But before going that far, I'd try talking it out peacefully.
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"Diena... why don't you come with me?"
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But as a woman, my heart had softened, so I couldn't ask boldly—instead, I mumbled it like a timid rabbit, looking up at her.
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It was a far cry from the image in my head.
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...W-well, at least I'd made the offer.
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The question was whether my weak, unconfident pitch would convince her...
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"Grk...!"
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Diena clutched her chest, her shoulders trembling.
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Huh?
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"...So c-cute."
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She muttered something, then her chest seemed to settle as her eyes sparkled and she grabbed my hand tight.
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"Y-you need my help, right?! For you, Ken!"
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"Huh? Oh, y-yeah, sorta... But you don't have any doubts?"
"Of course not! If it can help you, Ken, I'll do anything!"
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That was way too easy.
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Did we really need to get locked in here for this?
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But hey, easy is good. Be grateful.
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Way better than some drawn-out drama where a tragic backstory pops up, triggering her trauma, and we bond through trials to miraculously escape.
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Simple is best.
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I nodded at Diena, who was blushing and breathing heavily.
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Though her face was awfully close.
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Right then, as our breakout alliance formed, a metallic clank echoed from the firmly shut warehouse door.
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"You two in there. What exactly are you doing in the warehouse? Come out now."
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Mary appeared as she opened the door.
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'...She was listening at the door.'
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Mary looked somewhat displeased as she eyed me and Diena.
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Was she role-playing as a guard who'd caught slacking inmates?
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Or was she genuinely uncomfortable? Hard to tell.
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"Ah, sorry! The door suddenly locked on us!"
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Diena hopped up familiarly and approached Mary.
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And she didn't forget to grab the construction materials Emily had asked for.
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"Hmph. I see. Then you—head to the showers first."
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"Me? Alone?"
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"The materials are urgent. This inmate's a person of interest, so I'll escort her."
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"O-okay..."
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Is that really fine?
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Mary was abusing guard authority left and right.
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Sending an inmate off alone like that.
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Even on the way here earlier, some nameless guard had escorted us.
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Well, whatever—we were breaking out later anyway.
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With that, Diena hurriedly grabbed her stuff and ran off toward the showers.
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Once she was out of sight, Mary sidled up to me and pressed her shoulder against mine.
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I felt the softness of Mary's shoulder, along with her slightly sulky voice.
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"......Playboy."
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"...Huh?"
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"Even as a woman, Ken's still Ken."
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"D-did I do something?"
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"......The fact you don't even realize is the real problem."
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Mary puffed out her cheeks a bit and grabbed my arm, dragging me along.
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Guess I'd messed up somehow.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Diena ran toward the showers with the repair materials, a grin spreading across her excited face.
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'Ken...! Ken needs me!'
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The day Ken and Rapne had first been imprisoned, when she'd first laid eyes on Diena bound in ropes, she'd fallen at first sight.
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At first, hearing about his three fiancées had crushed her with heartbreak.
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But that didn't suddenly extinguish the fire in her heart.
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If anything, not being able to freely express those burning feelings had been tormenting her.
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So all she'd managed was some timid skinship, using the warehouse chill as an excuse.
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'...If we pull off the breakout.'
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Diena thought as she dashed to the showers.
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Escaping this prison.
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It wasn't something you could just do on a whim.
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And if Ken—who was planning it—needed her help...
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It was definitely a huge favor.
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'If we escape successfully, I'll ask Ken out on a date!'
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Diena's orange ponytail whipped behind her as excitement over her new goal made her practically vibrate with energy.
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Breaking out of this prison would be so tough it'd make a date request look like a joke.
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She'd help him escape, then boldly ask him out.
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Three fiancées? Who cares.
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She'd be the fourth.
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"I brought the materials!"
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Her great mood carried her straight to Emily in no time.