In the corridor, the sound of violent explosions echoed endlessly, accompanied by wild laughter, wailing, and cries for help.
"Help me!!!! Neru-senpai is hitting people! waaah Sensei please help me! Why are the security guards just watching!?"
However, the guards on the ship, who were supposed to maintain order and protect passengers, completely turned a blind eye to the chaos.
In truth, given Koyuki's universally hated personality, the students of Odyssey had long since taken issue with her.
They had only been enduring her orders out of professional ethics, and more importantly, money. They had no choice but to tolerate being bossed around by her.
But now, with the excuse of "Asuna-sama's orders," they finally had justification to stand by and do nothing. The fact that they did not laugh out loud when Koyuki got into trouble was already the greatest restraint they could show.
In contrast, although Neru had boarded the Golden Fleece as an intruder, her extraordinary strength had already earned the recognition and admiration of the Odyssey students.
More importantly, Neru was traveling with me, Sensei of Schale, the undisputed idol of the entire ship, the uncrowned S-rank VIP.
With both reasons combined, no one had any intention of helping Koyuki, either officially or personally.
If anything, not going out of their way to help Neru was already geNeruus.
Occasionally, uninformed passengers who saw the scene at first assumed it was simple bullying and felt sympathy. But upon asking nearby bunny girl security guards for clarification, they quickly learned the truth.
Once they heard that this was part of S-rank privileges, all thoughts of interference vanished. Instead, a strange excitement filled them.
Koyuki had effectively become a living advertisement board, together with Neru, broadcasting one fact to everyone who saw or heard about the scene:
Sorry, but S-rank on the Golden Fleece really can do whatever they want!
While running for her life, Koyuki gradually came to the painful realization that she was completely isolated, and let out a desperate cry.
"Why!? You all just arrived, right!? How did you get S-rank so fast!? That's impossible!"
It was as if she was only now truly experiencing the cruelty and darkness of the world.
"How much money do you think I spent!? I don't even remember the exact number anymore, but I put everything in there!? This is so unfair, hey!?"
Since she had already come aboard the Golden Fleece dreaming of instant success through an S-rank, she should have accepted long ago that luck was also part of strength.
In stark contrast to the panicked pink-haired girl, Neru simply followed behind her at a leisurely pace, clearly enjoying this one-sided hunt like a game.
Though her still-recovering leg injury likely contributed to that as well.
"Hey, wait up!"
"I refuse!" Koyuki ran even faster. "Absolutely not waiting!"
"Ahaha, nice, nice, so energetic. This is getting more interesting! Hahaha! Cry! Scream! And then die!"
Neru laughed freely.
"No matter if you cry or that accountant cries, the one who laughs last will be me! Hahahahaha!"
Hearing this, Koyuki burst into tears again, calling Neru a heartless demon.
Unfortunately for her, such words only seemed to excite Neru further in this situation.
Although she had promised me earlier to control the damage, judging from her unrestrained tone now, she clearly had not remembered that promise properly.
Still, considering she had been trying her best before, I decided to turn a blind eye even if she lost control, treating it as a way for her to release accumulated stress.
Compared to the amount of losses caused by Koyuki's unauthorized bond issuance, this level of compensation was honestly just a drop in the bucket for the wealthy Seminar.
The only problem was that the accounting workload would once again fall heavily on Yuuka.
Thinking of that, I asked Akane and Karin to step in and restrain Neru a bit if her emotions escalated.
By the way, Asuna had disappeared again.
Since the chase did not look like it would end anytime soon, I decided to go meet my admirers and talk with the ship's management.
More importantly, I wanted to gauge the leadership's stance on this situation.
At best, maybe I could offset part of C&C's compensation with Koyuki's expenses on the ship.
I voiced my request to a nearby guard, who immediately helped arrange everything through higher channels. Before long, the matter was settled.
Soon after, I met in a reception room with a student qualified to represent the Golden Fleece's leadership.
"Wah∼ so this is Sensei? You really are that handsome, huh? Amazing. I totally regret not going to the meet-and-greet∼ hehe. But meeting you for the first time like this is actually better, right∼?"
It was a bunny girl with grayish-blue hair and twin tails with pink-dyed tips, giving off a mysterious aura. She also seemed to be one of my fans.
In a slightly hoarse, oddly playful voice, she expressed her amazement, then said,
"Let me introduce myself∼ I work part-time on this ship, you know∼ I've got some skills, so I've sort of worked my way into management, but I'm not actually a student from Odyssey. That's exactly why I got the chance to talk to Sensei alone like this∼ hehe. Anyway, you can just call me Hatsune-chan∼"
I nodded. "Got it, Hatsune."
Hearing that I did not add "-chan," the bunny girl merely smiled and shrugged, not insisting.
When she smiled, the pink teardrop sticker under her right eye became even more alluring.
After she sat down, I gently moved into the main topic.
"Sorry about this. Due to various accidents, we've caused you a lot of damage."
"Well, it's not that bad∼ Financial losses, including what's still ongoing, are basically negligible. The monitoring system can't be fully restored yet, but we've switched to a backup, so it's still easy enough to keep track. The main costs are compensation for affected passengers and injured security staff∼"
Hatsune paused, then added,
"Though∼ most of the security staff said that just meeting Sensei made today feel like a lucky day∼ So if Sensei asks, they might even be willing to waive compensation∼ Or perhaps… we could frame this as Sensei personally requesting C&C to test the ship's security system for loopholes? How does that sound∼?"
It was clear the Golden Fleece's leadership also wanted to keep this matter from escalating.
Perhaps because Asuna had obtained S-rank status, or perhaps because they wanted to earn goodwill from the Seminar, or from me.
However, compared to compensation, Koyuki's spending spree on in-game purchases aboard the ship was the real major issue.
I thought for a moment, then smiled.
"Thanks. By the way, about the true purpose of my visit with C&C, you already know, right?"
"Yep∼ We saw the warrant. But our policy is that all guests are customers. Even wanted students from other schools are treated as guests as long as they behave on board∼"
In truth, most schools operate this way.
On their own territory, wanted students from other schools are not acted against as long as they remain peaceful, unless cooperation between schools is involved.
"Then about Kurosaki Koyuki's charges, you've also heard of them?"
However, Hatsune just smiled.
"Sensei, that's not really something we should look too deeply into, right∼? We don't want to get involved in unnecessary trouble∼"
"But what if," I asked, "we already are involved?"
"Mm-hmm… and what do you mean by that?"
"Koyuki has spent quite a lot of money on this ship, hasn't she? Where do you think a normal student got that much money?"
"Ah, that is quite a large amount. So it was embezzled funds?"
She said it casually, then tilted her head.
"So what about it?"
…That's not just "quite a large amount."
Even if cash flow and total assets are not the same thing, for something the size of the Seminar, an amount capable of pushing it toward bankruptcy should still be astronomical, even for a ship like the Golden Fleece.
Noticing my reaction, the gray-blue-haired girl explained,
"No, I mean… Millennium shouldn't really be affected by something like this… ah, forget it. It sounds troublesome∼ and not really my problem. Plus, it might even be a demerit."
Halfway through, she gave up on her own explanation.
She told me to wait, then made several phone calls right in front of me. Not long after, she said casually,
"All done∼ Well, not everything, but we can probably refund about seventy to eighty percent? Since it's Sensei, everyone's fine with it∼"
That easy?
I felt slightly dazed, once again realizing just how overwhelming my reputation here truly was.
After that came a period of waiting.
I tried chatting with Hatsune, but unlike other bunny girls, she was not particularly enthusiastic, instead seeming somewhat indifferent.
Perhaps this was because, as she said earlier, she was not actually an Odyssey student.
When I asked which school she was from, however, she became evasive.
Soon, there was a knock at the door. A bunny girl guard entered holding a tablet and handed it to me.
"This contains all of Kurosaki Koyuki's spending records over the past three days aboard the Golden Fleece, Sensei. Please review them."
After I thanked her briefly, she left the room flushed with excitement.
I scrolled through dozens of pages of itemized expenses and jumped straight to the bottom. The moment I saw the total amount, I could not help but feel stunned.
After counting the digits and confirming the units, I could not help but ask,
"Wait, what is this number?"
"Hmm? Let me see∼"
Hatsune leaned over, took the tablet, then casually moved to sit beside me.
Her faint fragrance reached me, and I could not help but think she seriously lacked proper boundaries as a fan.
But considering the typical student-teacher relationships in Kivotos, this might actually be just right.
Hatsune read it extremely quickly, like a high-performance AI.
"No problem∼ It's exactly right∼"
"…Is that so?"
It was not that I doubted it, but…
If this statement was correct, then something else was very wrong.
"Ah, Sensei, you don't know the details? It's fine∼ Every transaction has full records of time and amount. We can even print it out for you to take back. Or you can verify it with Koyuki herself∼"
If Koyuki could still remember how she spent the money, that would be a miracle.
Still, there was something more urgent than refunds right now.
"Let's put the refund aside for now. Can you help me with something else?"
"OK∼"
She agreed, then made a few more phone calls. Suddenly she said,
"Oh, it looks like the capture operation for Kurosaki Koyuki is also nearing its end. Sensei, want to go take a look∼?"
"Is that so? Thanks."
I stood up, intending to witness Koyuki's downfall myself, just for curiosity's sake.
"Ah, but wait a moment," Hatsune said, also standing up.
"Before that, could you please sign something for me∼?"
I put on a businesslike smile and took out the marker I had not yet returned.
"Of course. Where should I sign?"
Suddenly, with a ripping sound, she tore a large slit into her black stockings.
Then, under my stunned gaze, she turned around, bent forward, and lifted her hips slightly, using her fingers to pull the obstructing fabric aside. Looking back at me with a seductive smile, she asked,
"So∼ Sensei, could you sign it right here?"
Her bunny tail swayed as she moved.
Staring at the bright white expanse before me, I swallowed hard, my only thought circling in my mind:
The Golden Fleece is way too hospitable.
"Sensei, hurry up∼" she urged sweetly. "Also, while you're signing, please hold me steady? It might tickle a bit, and I might move∼ hehe∼"
…Why?!
With great reluctance, I signed my name under her silver bell-like laughter.
....
(T/N: No picture cuz of spoiler.)