Fixing Her Bad Habits (1)
An unidentified terrorist had infiltrated the Max Republic.
He took the innocent citizens watching a match at the Colosseum hostage and threatened the students of Purity Academy.
But Eva Amethyst and Chloe Opal, who happened to be on site, stepped up to subdue the terrorist, and after a ferocious battle, they emerged victorious.
The terrorist met his death right there, vanishing without so much as a trace of his form left behind.
According to the reports, the Max Republic honored their deeds by awarding the students its highest-grade medal, and the citizens alike sang praises for the courage they'd shown without asking for anything in return.
"So this is roughly the kind of thing making the rounds out there, huh."
I licked my fingertip and turned the page of the newspaper.
In this day and age, I'd normally be checking information uploaded in real time on a smartphone screen, but seeing as how I'd burned my phone to a crisp, the newspaper was my only source of news for the moment.
Still, there was a certain charm to reading a paper — running my fingers past the pungent ink smell and the stiff, papery texture of it.
"What do you think, Chloe?"
I folded the newspaper I'd been reading and set it down on the table.
The girl seated across from me shrugged her shoulders.
"What do I think? I'd say it sums up the essentials pretty well."
Chloe Opal.
Having arrived in Dilmun just last night, she'd spent her time resting at her own estate, recovering from the fatigue.
And then this morning, bright and early, she'd answered my summons and come to the café's private room.
"Though parts of it were left out."
Chloe slurped her coffee through a straw and crossed her legs.
Leaning back against the sofa, she squared her shoulders and pushed her left chest forward — where a national medal awarded by the Max Republic was pinned.
"Smaller than Terre's."
"You fucking bastard! Look at the medal, not the medal rack!"
"It's fine. At least it's bigger than Marin's. Bottoms up."
I raised my coffee cup as if toasting and gave her a consoling little wave.
Chloe's face went red as she bit down on her lip — honestly, it was adorable.
"Anyway, what do you mean parts of it were left out?"
"You know there are a few things missing from the story. Especially about that woman — not a single line of reporting on her."
"You mean Diana?"
Public attention had been focused entirely on Eva and Chloe's heroics.
But behind the scenes of that stage, Diana and I had clashed, and it had definitely been caught on camera and broadcast to the world.
Then, before long, it had vanished from the airwaves as if nothing had ever happened.
"I made arrangements in advance to make sure that girl's story never made it into the articles."
Before the incident hit the news in full force, I had met with Pallad Amethyst, the headmistress of the Academy, and passed along a request.
What was discussed in her office was simplicity itself: ensure that Diana — Vital's disciple and the accomplice who aided the terror plot — never became a name on people's lips.
Pallad granted my request.
Armed with the authority of her post as headmistress of Purity Academy and the web of connections that came with it, she gagged the broadcasters and cut the entire recording clean out.
And so the world flowed along the scripted narrative of remembering only the terrorist Vital and the two students who bravely stood against him.
"So it was your doing after all."
"Judging by that tone, you already suspected it was me?"
"Suspected? Please. You weren't even planning to hide it in the first place."
Bang!
Chloe slammed her hand down on the table without hesitation.
Glaring, she jabbed a finger at the woman standing stiffly at attention beside me.
"Must be nice being our Solis. Forcing someone who tried to overthrow a nation into a maid outfit, getting yourself a little eye candy on the side."
"That's exactly why I spared her. Figured I'd put her to work too."
Diana Sentry.
Vital's disciple, and the villain who, on his orders, tore open a rift between dimensions in the Max Republic and carried out the terror attack.
She was currently dressed in a crisp maid uniform, attending to me at my side.
"Diana, this coffee's a bit bitter. Fetch me some more sugar."
"As you… wish."
How obediently she answered, adding sugar exactly as instructed.
Though that sugar had piled up into a mountain — drink it, and the sweetness might well have killed a man via diabetes.
But the look she cast down at me flashed with killing intent, sharp enough to skewer my heart on the spot.
"I should've known better from the moment you contacted me asking to smuggle her out. Had I known it'd come to this, I never would've helped."
"I'm grateful for that part. I'll repay your trouble someday, I promise."
Diana had originally been designated as Vital's successor — his chosen heir.
But even as he passed his techniques down to her, he never fully trusted her.
It was the feeling of raising a wolf pup that might one day tear out your throat — Diana, too, harbored ambitions all her own.
To keep her from stepping out of line, Vital had implanted parasites — creatures created with the First Heartbeat — into her heart and brain.
In other words, he'd fastened a leash around her neck, one that could strangle her the instant she betrayed him.
Had the original story run its course, Diana would have ended the wounded, broken Vital after her desperate clash with Eva, seized his Divine Relic, and erased the parasites herself.
But with the future now changed, ownership of the Divine Relic had passed to me, and the string of her life had naturally fallen into my hands as well.
From here on, her fate was to submit to me — whether she liked it or not.
"I don't like it. She's the worst."
Chloe made no effort to hide her disgust toward Diana.
Not that I couldn't understand.
Only days ago, this woman had plotted a terror attack that targeted her lover's very life, and now here she was playing maid right in front of her — of course Chloe wanted to tear her apart.
If I had to offer a single defense, it would be that Diana had never actually cut a person down with her own hands.
Though the crime of aiding Vital and throwing a nation into chaos still hung over her head.
That debt would have to be repaid little by little, over the rest of her life.
It was a path I had a duty to guide her down, after all.
"Don't bare your fangs so much. We'll be seeing each other's faces for a long time to come."
"You've got some nerve saying that without catching fire."
"I'll manage her diligently, so go easy on her. And you'd better be careful not to be a nuisance to other people too, got it?"
Swish.
The moment I finished speaking, I slid my hand up under Diana's skirt.
My fingertips met the smooth, supple curve of her rear — a satisfying handful to knead.
"Nnh, fine, I… understand. So please… stop… this."
Diana placed her own hand over mine, desperately trying to push it away.
But the strength she exerted was barely a whisper.
It wasn't refusal — it was closer to begging, please, stop.
And yet, even crawling as she was, she still had the gall to glare at me with an expression dripping contempt and irritation. Guts, that one.
"You sick bastard. Sexually harassing someone in a public place — what a personality you have."
"Blowing off steam, that's all. And there's no one around to see in a private room, so what's the harm?"
"Ugh. Do whatever you want."
That look of resigned surrender on Chloe's face — clearly, she'd finally accepted that there was no stopping me no matter what I did.
There, there. Thanks for understanding.
"Anyway, what happened to the others?"
"Arlan's hospitalized at the moment. Her injuries aren't serious, but she had far too much mana drained from her, and she still hasn't regained consciousness."
"Makes sense. Unlike the others, Arlan is—"
"Hmm? What was that just now?"
"Nothing, never mind. Go on, tell me the rest."
"Next is Eva. She's holed up at her estate right now. Word is she wants to game her heart out."
"Gaming?"
What on earth was that about?
Not in a hospital like Arlan, but at home?
Had she recovered that quickly?
"Eva's in the worst shape out of any of us. Chloe, you need to take responsibility and get her to a hospital."
"I know I do. Haah…"
A deep sigh, heavy with worry.
Chloe had clearly been trying hard, but things hadn't gone the way she'd hoped.
"She showed up briefly at the medal ceremony, then her face just locked up, and she said she hated everything — hospitals, all of it — and that she'd rather just rest at home."
"Did you manage to talk to her at all?"
"I tried. But… whew. That's exactly what's been driving me up the wall."
Worry had etched itself across Chloe's face.
Seeing her this troubled, this was no problem that would resolve itself easily.
Maybe I'd have to find an opportunity and pay a visit to Eva's estate before long.
That left Marin and Terre.
"That girl Terre crawled out of whatever hole she'd been hiding in and stayed behind in the Republic, saying she had to meet with their political connections. As for Marin, I have no idea. I looked everywhere and couldn't find a trace of her."
"Marin's fine, wherever she is. She'll be back at the Academy soon enough."
I'd asked Diana once where Marin had gone.
She'd told me Marin had vanished after exchanging only a few words with her.
— I will fulfill the role entrusted to me.
There was only one thing Marin could have meant by "role," so I'd decided to simply wait and trust her.
As it happened, the paper was reporting that the number of monsters that had invaded the capital was dwindling for reasons no one could explain.
Either way, I'd gotten all the information I wanted.
Which meant it was time to part ways.
"Thanks for making the time. You're free to go now."
"Perfect timing. I should hurry and get to Eva anyway."
Chloe rose from her seat and swept out of the room without so much as a backward glance.
Maybe I should pack up too and head back to the estate?
"Diana, gather my things, would you?"
"…"
"Diana?"
"Understood… sir."
Same quick tongue as always — but her movements were sluggish to a fault.
She couldn't even manage her expression, her lips jutting out in a sulk.
Not a shred of genuine remorse in her attitude.
If she at least pretended properly, I'd treat her like a proper human being in return.
Well, this won't do.
If she insisted on acting like this, I'd simply have to show her what happens next.
"Diana."
"What is it, sir?"
Still that tone, thick with displeasure.
I fired right back in a voice just as stiff and sour as curdled milk.
"Take off your clothes."
"…Eh?"
"Didn't hear me? Then allow me to repeat it, kindly."
I rose from the sofa and planted myself squarely in front of her.
Looking down at her with an oppressive gaze, my shadow fell across her whole body.
As she stealthily backed away, I seized her by the shoulders and declared my intent without a trace of doubt.
"Strip. Right now."