This side story is an alternate scenario in which Trinity emerged victorious during the Summer Festival.
*
“Hehehe… Hey, your cup is empty.”
“I know, just wait a moment… Here you go.”
Seeing Makoto, who couldn’t even properly speak like a slave despite the repeated physical training, pouring matcha into my cup with trembling hands is quite a sight. There’s no doubt that her shaking hands stem entirely from the humiliation this situation brings.
On the last day of the tournament, where we barely secured a miraculous victory by a single person, the feeling I got when Arius and Pater’s kids suddenly came up to me and started cheering was truly… even now, thinking back on it, it gives me a heart-melting sensation.
After the closing ceremony, when I saw Haruna, Iroha, and Hina all sighing in front of the campfire held during the Fuhyaj Festival, I couldn’t help but wonder what sort of scheme they were plotting under Hina’s lead.
Of course, that aside, after enjoying the Fuhyaj Festival with happy feelings…
I took off Makoto’s hat and handed it to Iroha, then saw the three off as they returned to Gehenna. Since Makoto began a week-long experience as a slave from the moment the closing ceremony ended, I was filled with thoughts of being a truly cruel and merciless master to her.
The harsh reality struck the next day.
Makoto was noisy. She was also useless. She didn’t openly rebel, bound by the contract, yet her demeanor was filled with rebellious energy from head to toe.
If I had lost, I would have felt frustrated and unfair, but I would have done what I was told as much as possible. But you weren’t like that.
In truth, I had a vague idea that such an outcome would come, so there wasn’t much to be surprised about. I didn’t want to realize just how meaningless it was to hope otherwise in such a way.
“Makoto-chan, that look of yours is really nice. Want to live here from now on?”
“No… that’s fine.”
“Aha, but you’re slowly getting used to it, aren’t you? I’d think you could manage with this much. I mean, I’m not treating you like a slave or anything.”
Having brought her as a slave, hosting friendly etiquette lessons and getting her fitted in a butler outfit, all I did was have her assist me while I worked, plus I made sure she got three meals a day. Isn’t that not just bad, but excellent conditions…?
“By the way, you’re really good looking☆ Just having you next to me makes me feel energized!”
“…”
The feeling when an incredibly beautiful female butler stands next to you, silently, is just top-tier. After sending my usual hat to Gehenna along with Iroha, I neatly fixed her hair. With a great body that contrasted with her cold expression, adding in the butler outfit, she looked like a painting.
By the way, since I told her she looked good so many times, now she doesn’t really react like she did at first. Back when I started her etiquette… er, education, every poke would get a cute response like “Wha-What?!” or “Ugh… Are you really going to say the obvious again?”, but… that’s a bit regrettable.
Maybe I’ve said it so much that it lost its sincerity?
“Makoto-chan, help me massage my shoulders!”
“Ugh… This body… Hah.”
“Like you’ve given up, Makoto-chan set down the paperwork she was reading and began to give me a heavenly massage that made my fatigue melt away.”
“Damn, can’t you just do it? Just do it!”
“Haha! That counts as an extra smack for today!”
“…”
Silently, Makoto moved behind me and began to firmly knead my shoulders. Though her touch carried the implication that she wanted me to openly hurt, for the grimacing Makoto, it only felt incredibly refreshing.
“Just kidding, so lighten up, Makoto-chan. You’ve tried hard, so today, let’s talk normally too.”
Today marks the third day since I brought Makoto as my slave. Her perspective on Trinity remained unchanged, but perhaps there was a glimmer of hope that I could change that.
If successful, it would mean taking a step closer to a real Eden Treaty, not just a half-hearted version.
“Ugh. Here I am, assigned such lowly tasks. There’s a limit to using a chicken-catching knife for a cow!”
“Um… that’s the opposite, Makoto-chan…”
“Hehehe! Such things are trivial. This Makoto only responds that way because I say so!”
What am I going to do with this idiot… I’m genuinely worried.
“Oh, is it that our kids aren’t bullying you or anything?”
It was a sudden question. Despite Pater’s kids seeming somewhat agreeable with my methods after the festival, that didn’t mean they felt no resistance toward Gehenna students at all.
While the result of the slave bread bet didn’t alter this fact, formally, Makoto remained my guest. If Pater’s kids were sane, they wouldn’t provoke her, but given that they occasionally did some nonsensical things, it’s hard to trust them completely.
“Heheh. I wouldn’t even remember such trivial antics. But…”
“But?”
“How much do they have to hate us to pull off such pranks…?”
“Prank on a weight scale? What’s that about?”
“The weight scale was set to pounds! Pounds! You dare provide a scale using such primitive units… It’s utterly unacceptable for someone to lack the awareness of common decency, don’t you agree?!”
No, we don’t use yards, pounds, or inches either. Who in the world is pulling off such a severe act?
“Ah, Makoto-chan? Let me apologize on their behalf… Hoh, a pound scale? Hahaha, haha!”
“Hey, are you seriously laughing in such a grave situation?!”
But it’s funny! How could it not be cute to overreact over such trivial matters?
“Well, setting that aside. If there’s ever any direct bullying or attempts to bully you, tell me right away. Yes, I’ll give them quite a scolding.”
At that, the hands of Makoto massaging my shoulders halted. I peeked back, curious about what was happening, and saw her looking down at me with cold eyes.
“…Then shouldn’t you hit your own head right now?”
“Eh hey, that’s a different matter! Makoto-chan, come on, a master shouldn’t treat her slave recklessly☆”
I casually raised both hands and grabbed Makoto’s cheeks, moving them around to force a smile. I wonder if she realizes just how much I’m letting her off easy. I can’t even imagine what kind of thing she would make me do if roles were reversed.
If I hadn’t added a clause to reject commands that would misuse the opponent’s power, she might have tried to use me to attack Trinity, and that wouldn’t be strange at all.
“So smile! They say smiling brings good fortune, you know? Who knows? Perhaps by the end of this week, real fortune might come our way.”
Of course, that fortune would mean the end of my slave life. But really, what else could be considered good fortune if not that?
*
“…Don’t you get tired of working like that?”
“Huh? I’m just doing what I have to do.”
In practice, it might be called housemaid duties, but sometimes Makoto, who would just laze around in my office if I didn’t assign her work, suddenly asked the question. If she had any use at all for paperwork, I might have pushed her to do it, but unfortunately, she was completely useless.
Yet I couldn’t just leave her aside out of fear she’d cause some major accident, so I kept her in my office like a totem. She looks good but is of absolutely no practical use.
“Work is for the subordinates. People like us leaders are there to give orders. I don’t understand why you or the student council president don’t know this. It’s really quite pathetic.”
Ah, this is… resisting the urge to smack her is tougher than I thought.
“Perhaps I should bring Iroha-chan here after all.”
“Wait a moment! Iroha is off-limits! If you’re going to take her away, you should rather kill me!”
Oh boy. I wonder how our Iroha is handling being designated as a slave to her.
…Come to think of it, now that Makoto is gone, she’s probably enjoying peaceful days, right? I can’t help but feel a bit envious of Iroha, and it’s definitely not just my imagination.
“You know, you don’t have to try to understand the differences in values. Even if Makoto-chan hears Hina’s usual thoughts, all she would react is calling her a dumb girl or something, and if she hears my thoughts, nothing more than a reaction of foolishness would come from it. Choosing to ignore also counts as a method.”
“Hmph, that’s a prejudice. Are you underestimating the mercy of this Makoto? If you thought that would end with just that reaction, you’d be sorely mistaken. Hehehe!”
“Ahh… well, it doesn’t bother me much. You see, I don’t have a great consciousness of being a leader. I didn’t come to sit in this position out of choice☆ But so far, my continued presence here has been my choice, so I only take on the corresponding responsibilities.”
“Hehehe! What a predictable response. It’s so dull, it’s almost pitiable!”
“And what about you, Makoto-chan? With what kind of overwhelming resolve did you take on the role of Chairperson in the Gehenna Manma Battle?”
I knew the answer would probably be nothing special, but I asked anyway.
Reason? Makoto can’t move on to the next topic without expressing her thoughts.
“Hehehe! Good question. The reason is… Gehenna wanted me. Knowing that no one else deserves to be at the pinnacle of Gehenna but this Makoto, how could I refuse?”
What a response truly fitting of Makoto.
“That peak of Gehenna is currently on her knees, facing the wall, reflecting on herself, you know?”
“Huh? What kind of nonsense is that? I’m perfectly—”
“I’m telling you to go reflect on the wall, Makoto-chan☆”
Yet today, I didn’t see the need to change the topic.
Knock Knock——
“Mika, can you spare a moment?”
Timing couldn’t be more perfect, as someone just happened to come to see me.
