Inside the Golden Fleece's cabin.
Before dawn had even broken, I secretly infiltrated the area together with the maid agents of C&C.
While they confirmed the safety of the surroundings, I took out a moderately thick book and began flipping through it.
"Master, Master!" Asuna, who stayed behind, curiously leaned over and affectionately clung to my arm. "What are you reading?"
"A poetry collection."
I showed her the cover and solemnly declared:
"Today, my role setting is that of a poet gathering inspiration."
"Hahaha∼ What's that supposed to be? That's so funny!"
She tried to put on a serious face, but the laughter in her eyes and brows was impossible to hide.
"Then today, Asuna is also Master's cute maid as always!"
Hearing that, I was just about to give Asuna a warm smile and pat her head in praise when an extremely displeased voice interrupted the perfectly good atmosphere between us.
"Hey, hey, this isn't the time to be playing roleplaying games. We're on a mission, so take this seriously already!"
The one speaking was Neru.
Asuna laughed.
"Ahahaha∼ The captain's angry again∼"
Neru snapped back:
"And whose fault do you think that is!?"
She had probably gotten jealous seeing Asuna acting close with me while she herself, because of her personality, couldn't honestly do the same.
So in my opinion, this was entirely Neru's own tsundere fault.
"Sensei too," Neru crossed her arms. Though her tone toward me wasn't exactly gentle, it was clearly much softer than the one she used on Asuna. "Even if you're going undercover, at least wait until there are outsiders around before acting like that."
"You make a good point."
I obediently agreed and put away the copy of "Collection of Memories" that Noa had personally given me yesterday, causing Neru's expression to soften slightly.
Actually, the reason I was leisurely reading it at a time like this wasn't because of the persona excuse I'd casually made up earlier, nor because I loved it so much I couldn't put it down.
This was simply Noa's mission.
Yesterday, after I asked Noa if we could read her poems together, it was as though some forbidden box had been opened.
The subsequent development of events slid uncontrollably into an unknown abyss completely beyond my expectations.
Noa, whose memory was so exceptional it bordered on photographic recall, personally analyzed for me line by line the thought process behind every poem she wrote, the metaphors she used, the classical references she borrowed, and even the trivial real-life incidents connected to them.
From afternoon all the way until night, she genuinely talked with me about poetry and literature the entire time, barely pausing once.
Though I was more than willing to discuss Noa's hobbies with her, enduring such an extended conversation in one go was still difficult.
Couldn't we at least have talked about something like how to better betray Yuuka together?
However, since I had been the one to ask in the first place, and since she looked so enthusiastic about it, I could only accompany her until she was satisfied.
Then, just when bedtime finally arrived and I thought I had at last been freed, Noa casually mentioned that she had originally hoped someone would write down their impressions after reading her work, but unfortunately none of the people around her seemed interested.
"If someone were willing to answer that expectation of mine, I'd be very happy, you know? But well, hehe∼ even if nobody does, it's perfectly fine too∼"
As she spoke, the Seminar secretary's violet eyes remained fixed on me the entire time. The implication needed no explanation.
It couldn't be helped. Literary girls were just like this.
With the grand ambition of conquering her first and then dragging her into fields where I was more skilled so we could compete there instead, I decided to reread her poetry collection several more times and try to produce a respectable response within these few days of her stay at Schale.
Soon, Akane and Karin finished scouting the nearby area and returned, both reporting no abnormalities.
"…Sigh."
At that moment, however, an ill-timed sigh sounded out.
Neru scratched her hair irritably and complained:
"Seriously, forget there being no problems, this request has been full of problems from the start. Ugh, so annoying… Whether it's having to obey that accountant or sneaking around like this… and why'd they have to drag Sensei along too?"
I understood. If I hadn't come along, she wouldn't have had to witness the earlier scene she didn't want to see.
But the next moment, Neru shouted:
"Having Sensei here to monitor us is just gonna get in our way anyway!?"
What kind of thing was that to say?
I immediately pretended to look wounded.
"Could it be… Neru hates me now…?"
"H-huh!?" The tiny maid's face instantly turned bright red. "I never said anything like that!?"
I straightened my clothes and stepped forward half a pace, gazing at her affectionately.
"But for today, I specifically wore a ska jacket, you know?"
It was even one she helped me buy. I had searched forever before finally finding it again.
Then I took another item from my pocket.
"And look, I even brought sunglasses!"
Neru recoiled half a step in shock, averting her gaze while stubbornly forcing herself to stay composed.
"What does any of that have to do with me…"
That was entirely incorrect.
Although the main purpose truly was disguise, to hide my peerlessly handsome face unique throughout Kivotos, this outfit was obviously chosen specifically according to Neru's tastes.
After silently thinking for a moment, Karin suddenly spoke.
"Although the captain says things like that, judging from her expression today, she actually seems pretty happy."
Neru's eyes widened as she loudly refuted:
"What nonsense are you suddenly talking about!? Having to hold back during a mission is the opposite of something to be happy about!"
"I see." Akane nodded knowingly with a smile. "So if it's unrelated to the mission, then it must be because of something else."
Asuna eagerly joined the discussion too.
"That's right! Even the captain is still a girl after all∼"
The three exchanged glances and nodded in mutual agreement.
Under the combined teasing of her teammates and my amused gaze, Neru's embarrassment and irritation finally reached their limit.
"You idiots! Knock it off already! Stop saying all this weird crap!!!"
After shouting, she took a deep breath and spoke as calmly as possible.
"It's not like I have any issue with Sensei. So what if we destroy a few things or blow up a couple buildings? As long as the job gets done, cleanup should obviously be the Seminar's responsibility. What's the point of sending Sensei here? If they've got so many complaints, they should've hired someone else!"
I had known from the beginning that what truly upset Neru was that Yuuka's demands sounded to her like interference with her methods and doubt toward her abilities.
"Ugh, just thinking about it pisses me off!" she grumbled stubbornly. "Hey, why don't we just smash our way forward while we're at it?"
"Um, Captain, no matter how you look at it, that's a little…" Karin hesitated. "This isn't Millennium's district…"
Akane nodded.
"Exactly. We can't casually start conflicts between schools."
Hold on.
The way they said that made it sound like casually doing that inside Millennium was completely normal.
"Who cares about that stuff?" Neru frowned aggressively. "If there's a problem, just blow everyone away. Most things can be solved through destruction anyway, and then the mission's basically done."
If we really followed Neru's approach, then even if the mission succeeded, I'd definitely end up getting scolded by Yuuka afterward too.
Or rather, the whole reason I was here this time was specifically to prevent that outcome.
I coughed lightly.
"Instead of starting with that approach, why not at least try a little first?"
"…Hah?" Neru narrowed her eyes at me displeased. "Hey, Sensei. Don't tell me you actually favor that accountant more than us?"
What exactly gave Neru the confidence to question my relationship with other girls, especially Yuuka, who I'd known the longest?
This tiny maid hadn't even awakened my authority yet!
Yet after those words came out, the other three maid agents also began looking at me differently than before.
Rebellion! Rebellion! My maids are trying to overthrow their master!
Crying internally about my family misfortune and fully aware this had become a life-or-death question, I coughed again and declared righteously:
"Of course not. Neru, you should know this already. My relationship with the Seminar is nothing but mutual deception and acting for appearances. The ones I'm truly close with are all of you from C&C!"
Hearing my answer, Akane, Karin, and Asuna all smiled.
After slightly swapping around the concepts, I personally felt there was nothing wrong with what I said.
After all, the only one capable of truly representing the entire Seminar was that president who still refused to meet me to this day.
Meanwhile, Neru, who was enough to symbolize C&C, had once stood on the same side as me regarding Arisu's incident under Kei's control and launched a glorious rebellion against Rio, who was technically her direct superior.
Did I even need to explain which side I was closer to?
Prompted by my implication, Neru also seemed to recall that past incident. Her tense expression relaxed slightly as she snorted.
"In that case, do you have any complaints about our usual 'cleanup' methods?"
I soothed her gently.
"I just think that with your abilities, Neru, and the strength of all of C&C, no matter how difficult the situation gets, you'd still be able to complete the mission perfectly! Absolutely, easily even!"
The orange-haired maid curled her lips proudly and puffed out her chest.
"Haha, you've got good judgment, Sensei. Of course we can! I'm the strongest, after all!"
And so I smoothly guided her onward:
"In other words, if Neru really wanted to, then even following Yuuka's requirements perfectly and causing absolutely no commotion wouldn't be a problem either, right?"
"…Hah?"
Neru's smile froze as she finally realized she had already been led straight into my trap.
Meanwhile, I continued admiringly:
"So rather than submitting to anyone, even with a few tiny restrictions that barely count as restraints at all, you could still complete the mission perfectly and stylishly. I see now. So this is the strength Neru possesses."
"Hey! Do you seriously think I can't tell what you mean by that!? Are you looking down on me!?"
"What are you talking about all of a sudden?" I asked innocently. "Wasn't I sincerely praising how amazing Neru really is?"
Neru's small face turned red once more as she glared viciously at me through gritted teeth.
Yet mixed into her furious expression was also a trace of satisfaction.
The moment I noticed that, I knew I'd already succeeded.
That was just her personality. Even when she knew perfectly well she was being coaxed, as long as you genuinely stroked her ego the right way and made her happy, she wouldn't care too much about the details.
"Ahhh… how did this happen… guh… agh…"
After letting out a string of unwilling noises, Neru finally deflated.
"Seriously. Fine, fine! I'll do it properly, okay!? This is exactly why I hate this kind of thing… what even is this annoying atmosphere…"
Contrary to her first impression, once you understood the proper approach, Neru was actually one of the easier students to deal with.
"Oh?" Karin watched the scene in surprise and solemnly told her companion:
"Akane, something incredible just happened."
"Indeed," Akane smiled. "Though it's not exactly unexpected. The captain is always more obedient in front of Master than usual. Calling this supervision feels inaccurate, it's more like suppression perhaps?"
Karin nodded in agreement.
"Sigh, well, it is Master after all."
This time, it was my turn to stand proudly.
That's right, every member of C&C, including Neru, had called me that!
Naturally, the teasing caused thin-skinned Neru to overheat again.
"Quit yapping already, it's annoying as hell! Let's move already! Ugh, seriously, this is so irritating…"
"Hehe. Yes, it really is about time we started moving."
Akane smiled, then turned to me.
"Master, although I doubt there'll be any major combat today, I'll still be counting on you."
"Alright, let's all do our best together."
As if remembering something, Akane took an item from her bag and handed it to me.
"By the way, this ticket is yours too, Master. Officially speaking, for this operation, you're boarding together with us as part of a team."
I accepted the ticket purchased beforehand under a fake identity, skimmed over it to confirm there wasn't anything important to note, then tucked it safely on my person.
Afterward, I asked:
"So what exactly is our plan from here?"
"Mm, let me explain that part now."
Akane began outlining the procedure.
"First, our top priority is establishing a base inside the ship. We'll head to the guest room floor, occupy an empty room, and use it as our temporary operations base. If anything unexpected happens, we'll handle it there one by one. After that, we'll proceed to the control room and disable the ship's surveillance system before locating the White Rabbit's position and—"
"Who's there!?"
A sudden unfamiliar shout sharply interrupted Akane's explanation.