Standing My Ground
The director's attitude shifted in an instant. The sly, mocking expression he'd worn moments ago vanished as his face froze into a cold, hard mask.
"Something else...? Are you seriously planning to reject my offer?"
"It's not too late. Take back those words and accept my proposal. If you do, I'll pretend I never heard what you said earlier."
The director growled, clearly trying to intimidate me, and jerked his chin at the Secretary. The Secretary unclasped his hands from behind his back and clenched his fists until the knuckles turned white.
It was the kind of fear and pressure that would crush an ordinary child. My breathing quickened. Tears stung at the corners of my eyes. Yet the director and Secretary kept piling on the threats, as if deliberately feeding the panic.
But I wasn't about to fold to that kind of cheap coercion.
I squeezed my hands into fists with everything I had. My nails bit into my palms, drawing blood. Using that sharp, grounding pain as a shield, I pushed their oppressive aura aside and forced the words out.
"...No. What I'm requesting is a place where I can train my ability, and for you to invite a hero who can teach me."
The director exploded the moment I finished.
"You actually think that kind of request would be granted?!"
"Eek!"
His sudden roar tore a shrill cry from my throat. My heart hammered against my ribs. Tears spilled freely down my cheeks. An overwhelming wave of fury and pressure rolled off the old man, so heavy I wanted to pass out on the spot.
But I couldn't faint. Not here. If I didn't get a firm commitment from him, my entire escape plan would collapse. Without the option to train my ability, I'd be stuck in this lab for half my life as a state-certified mana dispenser.
I refused to accept that future. This time, I wanted to live a brilliant, shining youth.
I stared straight at the director without bothering to wipe away my tears. He glared back with a rigid expression, but I knew the truth. That look was pure bluff.
I was the one who'd sent the official notice. I was the one who'd suffered because of his mistake. In terms of compensation for damages, I held the upper hand. He was the one in the weaker position.
Right now, the director was no different from a wounded animal baring its teeth in desperation.
Our gazes remained locked. Silent messages passed between us.
Give up.
You give up first, you idiot.
At the end of that wordless standoff, a sigh broke the tension.
"I lost."
The director let out a long breath and rubbed a hand down his face. The oppressive aura and rage that had poured from him dissolved into the air, but I kept my guard up and waited for him to continue.
"Fine. Relax your face. As Miss Plea requested, I will provide a training facility for your ability and summon a hero to serve as your instructor..."
"Ah..."
The moment the director accepted my terms, I felt the power of the Ten Commandments etched into my heart slowly scatter and return to an inactive state. Only then did the tension finally drain from my body.
Ten Commandments Contract: Terms Accepted
Magical Binding — Deactivated
With the tension gone, my whole body turned to jelly. My eyelids grew impossibly heavy. I'd just endured stress that would have broken an ordinary child. There was no way my mind could stay sharp after that.
In truth, I should have passed out much earlier. I'd simply been powering through on pure spite and willpower.
I surrendered to the oncoming wave of exhaustion and let my eyes slide shut.
How long has it been since I woke up, and I'm fainting again...?
That was my last trivial thought before darkness took me.
"She's fainted."
"She has fainted."
The director and Secretary looked down at the collapsed Plea and sighed in unison.
"Just as the little one said, converting one of the lab facilities into an ability training ground and bringing in a hero capable of teaching power on that level... How much budget are we looking at?"
"It will likely require more than ten billion. Teaching an ability like Nuclear Fusion would demand at minimum an S-rank hero. The cost of constructing additional facilities capable of withstanding that power is expected to be astronomical."
"Damn it..."
The director rubbed his face again and let out another sigh. For a brief second he wondered if he should have refused those conditions, but the Ten Commandments contract bound to his heart had already judged the demand as legitimate. Besides, rejecting it outright would have cost him his life.
Even a former high-ranking hero like the director would die if he broke a Ten Commandments contract. He tried to console himself that this was a cheap price to pay for his life and moved on.
"Ah, more importantly, how long do you intend to keep wearing that disguise? It's starting to look hideous. Why don't you drop it?"
"Understood."
The Secretary nodded obediently and removed the brooch from her chest. The muscular male frame melted away like dissolving paint, revealing the cold-faced woman underneath.
"Much better."
"Sexual harassment in the workplace is a crime, Director."
The director nodded in satisfaction while the Secretary replied in her usual flat, expressionless tone.
"Ah, right."
As they walked, discussing work in low voices, the director suddenly paused.
"The little one must have been quite shocked... I'll order her a special meal tomorrow."
"A special meal for tomorrow has not been budgeted."
"I know. I'll pay for it out of my own pocket."
"Understood."
The requests I'd made to the director were carried out with surprising speed.
The very next day after losing consciousness, I was jolted awake by loud construction noise.
"Ugh... What is that sound...?"
Dragged from sleep by the racket of drills and hammering, I did my usual routine—drinking cold water from the dispenser in my room and performing some light stretches.
"It must have been noisy, but it looks like you slept soundly. That's fortunate..."
"Director...?"
"There's no need to be so frightened. I was angry yesterday because of various circumstances. I wasn't truly trying to fight with you, Miss Plea."
After the director mentioned today's special meal, I finally relaxed enough to speak with him comfortably.
"Is this noise... because of what I requested yesterday?"
"Correct. Creating a space suitable for training a young girl's ability isn't something that can be done overnight. It will be noisy for a while, but please endure it. If it's truly unbearable, you may assume I'm simply being petty."
He'd wrapped it in polite language, but that last part definitely sounded like his real feelings. It hadn't exactly been a fight, but after the tantrum I'd thrown, it would have been strange if he wasn't annoyed.
I smiled awkwardly and changed the subject.
"Um... What about the hero who will teach my ability?"
"I have not yet secured a teacher. That sort of thing takes considerable time. I expect to find someone around the time the training facility is completed."
Didn't recruiting people usually take less time than constructing a building? The question crossed my mind, but the director clearly knew more about it than I did, so I let it pass.
Besides, the compensation was guaranteed by a Ten Commandments contract. There was no chance he'd try to weasel out of it.
"Then... should I head to the mana extraction room as usual today?"
I changed clothes in the prepared dressing room and asked casually. The director seemed to consider it for a moment before refusing.
"No. Today we will try something different."
"Huh? Something different?"
"Yes. The previous attempt to increase mana efficiency ended in failure, so we must try another approach."
Mana efficiency... He was probably referring to the mana activation agent from two days ago. The lab had believed they needed to boost my efficiency and administered the drug, but it had failed completely. They must have prepared a new method.
"What is it?"
"Hmm... It would be awkward to explain in words. It will be faster if you come and see for yourself. Look around the lab. There should be an open door. Enter through there."
"Alright."
When I nodded, the director ended the call.
After a quick wash and brushing my teeth, I opened the door to my personal room. The mana extraction room with its hulking black machines came into view. As the director had said, one section of the dark wall stood open. I headed toward it.
"Is this the place...?"
Stepping through the open door, I found jade-colored lighting and an assortment of metal equipment that clashed with the atmosphere. And, as the finishing touch, an unfamiliar woman.
I had no idea what was going on, but basic manners seemed like a good starting point. I gave a polite bow.
"Um... Hello?"
"Greetings."
The moment the woman spoke, a strong sense of déjà vu hit me. It was a voice I'd never heard, yet the speech pattern felt unmistakably familiar. I frowned, trying to place it, when the answer arrived on its own.
"It seems you slept well last night."
That uniquely stiff, emotionless tone. There was only one person who spoke like that.
"Uh... Are you the Secretary... mister? Or rather, miss?"
"Correct. The male form is merely a disguise. Address me however you prefer."
The Secretary tapped the brooch on her chest twice. An unknown paint-like substance flowed out from it, covering her body. In seconds, she had transformed back into the male appearance I'd seen the day before.
She must have been disguised that way during our first meeting as well.
"If the male form is more comfortable, I will use it."
"No... The female appearance is more comfortable for me."
"As you wish."
The Secretary tapped the brooch again and returned to the cold-faced woman's form.
"But why did you call me here...?"
"You are scheduled to receive instruction."
The Secretary gestured toward the mysterious pile of metal behind her.
"That is..."
"It is the latest mana efficiency training device I prepared for my personal use."
"I see...?"