Heroine Auction...? 1
But how the hell do you even do gaslighting? Should I ask Ska? Nah, no way. What would she know about it anyway? And asking the person who'd get gaslit how to do it? That's just ridiculous. I had the concept down, but the method was fuzzy. Hell, I wasn't even sure how I'd learned the term in the first place, so my shady smirk started to falter as my resolve wavered.
Still, it seemed worth a shot, so why not give it a try? Just alternate carrots and sticks like training a pet, right? Luckily, I had both the carrot Ska craved and the whip she feared in spades. With the training method sorted, all that was left was to issue commands and decide on rewards or punishments.
That was how I'd slowly break Ska in. The thought of that haughty Ska Rate trembling and submitting to me alone... hmm, maybe not trembling trembling. Just straight-up obedience would do. With my gaslighting plan's direction set, I called out my first command to her, a short distance away, squirming and rubbing her thighs together as she lost herself in some fantasy.
"Ska, come here for a sec."
"Huh? Why?"
She tilted her head at my summons but trotted over obediently, standing right in front of me. Ska had followed my order. Of course, I'd expected her to obey something this minor without issue, so no big thrill there. But you start small and build up, right? Dust into mountains, as they say. Or the one about steady drizzle soaking your clothes. These little commands would gradually place Ska under my control.
Of course, just barking orders wouldn't cut it. Since she'd obeyed, time for the carrot. Proper rewards for compliance boost the odds of future obedience. I gently stroked the head of Ska, who stood gazing up at me expectantly.
A touch I'd never give normally—something I'd only do under hypnosis maybe—turned her face bright red.
"Wh-what? S-suddenly?"
She panicked at the unexpected caress but didn't resist, leaning into it. To make the lesson stick, she needed to know why she was getting rewarded, so I grinned and replied.
"You came when I called, didn't you?"
It carried the subtext: Obey from now on, and you'll get this or better. But Ska was the type to take things literally, so she furrowed her brow.
"What the hell...? You treating me like a dog or something?"
Coming when called and getting head pats for it? Yeah, it could come off as dog treatment. Her pride taking a minor hit was understandable. Damn, not what I intended. Guess first time with gaslighting meant rookie mistakes.
Ska growled like a feral dog, pissed at the perceived dog treatment. She was still letting me pet her, which was kinda funny, but I had to cap her anger before it escalated. Once she blew up, it was unstoppable. Luckily, she was just at "minor rage" on the scale from tiny, small, medium, major, to explosive, so sweet talk could defuse it.
"Hey, Paster. You think 'cause I've been easy on you lately that you can just treat me like shit? Want me to remind you who's boss? Huh?"
A threatening growl slipped from her lips. She still wasn't rejecting my pets, though, and after yesterday, this "threat" felt toothless.
"...Pfft."
"Hey! You just laughed at me?! I'm gonna kill you...!"
I let out a chuckle at her snarling, sharp-eyed glare and pulled my secret anti-Ska Rate weapon from my pocket. Ska, mid-rant about killing me, froze solid at the sight of the yellow dog collar. Her mouth and hands halted; only her pupils shook wildly.
I dangled the collar from my finger, spinning it lazily, and whispered in a low voice.
"If getting treated like a dog pisses you off that much, wanna try treating me like one instead?"
"...Wh-what? Right now? H-here?"
I wasn't putting it on—just dangling the threat—and it worked like a charm. She'd forgotten her anger, sweating bullets in panic. Fair enough; if I slapped it on here and did yesterday's routine, she'd be wrecked. With the collar on me, we had a perfect owner-pet dynamic.
"H-hold on, Paster. Calm down. P-put that away... Let's talk it out, okay?"
"Talk? Talk about what? I've got nothing to say."
"Hiiik... B-but still..."
She knew she'd be screwed the second I collared up, so she went full supplicant mode. Ska suggesting we "talk it out"? Live long enough, you see everything.
Her groveling sparked my mischief. I wanted to tease this Ska a bit more. Once she registers as prey, messing with her is way too fun. I slid my petting hand down to cup her cheek. Hot skin seared my palm.
"P-Pasterrr..."
Was it Ska's fiery nature or arousal making her burn...? Her shivering gave away her mindset, though. She feared the collar but craved it too. Ironic as hell, but made sense. If she climaxes just from my scent, she adores dog-eared me beyond reason.
I had total control now. Ska wore the face of a tough slut in an adult comic, trembling in awe at a massive cock she'd never seen—overwhelmed by size, length, girth, womb throbbing in anticipation. The usually tiger-like Ska looked like a fragile little lamb right now. I grinned wolfishly at her.
"Ska."
"Heh-hek!"
Just her name made her shudder; sadism bubbled up. Pure female in heat, thighs grinding whether she meant to or not. I could probably make her cum by nose-booping without the collar... but nah.
"Eh, whatever. Not happening."
"Huh?"
I pulled my hand away and casually straightened her disheveled clothes. Public place, after all—not just us. I'm not that twisted. Teasing her this much satisfied me. I tidied her up and gave her head a light pat to snap her out of it.
"Alright, ready for dinner? Starving after all that walking."
"Ugh...! Pasterrr...!"
Regaining her senses, she clenched her small fists, trembling in fury. Pissed at being toyed with from start to finish. But she knew charging would just repeat the cycle, so all she could do was quiver in rage and humiliation.
"Uuuu...!"
"Ska, you coming? It's past 5 already. We got here around 4, time flies. With waitlists and all, we'll be queuing forever. Better hurry and line up."
"Quit nagging! I'll go, okay?! And as an S-rank awakener, I don't wait!"
She yelled in frustration and stormed past me. S-ranks skip lines, huh? What can't they do? Wanna be one someday. Fat chance, though.
With those thoughts, we headed to the restaurant for an early dinner.
Shhh... Washing my hands in the bathroom, I replayed the day's events. Ska called all the shots from start to finish. Well, she always did. Even when she'd drag me shopping by force, it was always her picks.
Back then, I didn't know she liked me—or that she was a quick-shot bitch who got horny from vibes alone. So I'd bottled up massive resentment, uncooperatively tagging along to whatever she wanted. I'd show up to meets grumpy as hell, acting like the world's most hated friend. We'd both end up pissed, and my Ska-hate just grew.
Today was different. Knowing her quick-bitch nature gave me leeway, and realizing it stemmed from liking me made it tolerable. Relaxed mindset made it feel like a real date, and the final dinner wrapped up nicely. Ska seemed over the moon too.
Not that I'm forgiving her. Time with her today was just practice for when I'd paid off all debts, quit the guild, and dated some fated girl as a free man.
...Okay, if Ska and the other S-rank bitches pounded me with genuine nude doggy devotion that tugged my heart, maybe I'd reconsider leaving. But if they don't repent? My resolve won't budge.
"Never."
Staring into the bathroom mirror, I steeled my unshakeable determination and stepped out.
And then, a voice I shouldn't have heard rang out.
"...Sunbae."
The restaurant's bathrooms were right by the entrance, visible the second you exit—probably so you tidy up post-meal before leaving. Thanks to that pointless consideration, I ran into someone I shouldn't see.
...Not a voice I could ignore, either. Sigh. No choice. I turned toward the sound, exhaling inwardly.
There stood my sky-blue low-ponytail junior, face utterly wrecked. Not normal. Anyone could see she'd been through hell, so I blurted,
"You okay?"
"S-sunbae..."
My concern crumpled her expression further, like thin ice about to shatter. Lapis Julie, usually solid as permafrost, now fragile as cracking slush. Big problem. Both ice, but stability-wise worlds apart. This wasn't minor. An unstable S-rank was a walking nuke.
"Sunbae... I-I can explain everything. So..."
Luckily, her potential savior approached. No clue what happened, but she looked wrecked, so I patted her shoulder comfortingly, then drove in the wedge before the newcomer misunderstood.
"Congrats on the engagement. Have a good love life."
"......Sunbae."
Despair twisted her face; she urgently opened her mouth, but a sturdy male voice from behind cut her off.
"Ah, you're here first. Keeping a lady waiting—terrible manners for a gentleman. Sorry, Miss Lapis Julie."
The interrupter? Ul Blond, Blond family eldest son, her fiancé from today. Fucking manly and princely handsome. Blond family's a cheat code.