[Ring ring ring ring ring!]
[★★★★★]
[...]
Along with the crisp notification chime, the world before Su Youzi seemed to turn into a pitch-black sea, while the distant sky took on a sorrowful gray hue.
Snowflake-like fragments drifted down from the sky without end, plunging into the sea.
Then, just before reaching the surface, they ignited and transformed into scattering red fireflies, dyeing the boundary between the distant sky and sea the brilliant colors of fireworks.
With her hands clasped behind her back, the girl stood barefoot on the surface of the sea.
The girl wore a carp dress not much different from her Altered attire during Evilfall.
Only, that carp dress had been changed to a solemn rouge-red color.
The carp dress wantonly revealed the still-youthful curves of the girl's chest, as well as... the vivid red luminous line that split vertically from where her collarbones met and extended all the way down to her lower abdomen.
That was humiliation—
And also a brand.
As well as a contract.
Unlike the tights or over-the-knee black stockings that Altered Users basically always wore,
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's slender, straight, fair legs were completely bare before Su Youzi.
Her toes lightly touched the sea's surface.
The girl raised her chin slightly, wearing a proud expression as her crimson eyes focused on Su Youzi—
The image froze.
"I am Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi."
Her tone was almost as haughty as when Su Youzi and Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi had first met, but in the next second...
"Eeek!!!"
"No, that's not it. Kiyomi is a citrus fruit, sure..."
"I... I wasn't inviting you to taste me."
"Wait!"
"Uu..."
The haughty voice collapsed in an instant. The girl's voice turned into a trembling, whimpering sob, as if she were even biting down on her fingers to hold herself back.
[Operator: Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi] [★★★★★] [Level.20—Area-wide Mental Interference Ability User] [Talent: Bombardment Domain] [Innate Ability: Nightmare Singer] [The Young Lady of the Ishikawa family of the Soga clan, a first-year student at Shiritsu Megumi Garden Academy, and a victim of the "Insight" Project. A seemingly haughty girl, but... it seemed the chain of the collar around her neck had already been seized.] [Initial Affection: -5 (Obedience)] [Brand of the Dominator: An absolutely loyal servant. You need not worry about her betraying you.]
[...]
It felt like a slightly unexpected bonus.
Su Youzi truly hadn't expected Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi to be another precious "wild" 5-star Operator.
Thinking about it carefully, there was nothing strange about it.
After all, Sakai Miho was an outstanding student who had been selected for admission to Shiritsu Megumi Garden Academy with excellent grades, thanks to her hard work and talent.
As long as nothing went wrong, the combination of Physical Restoration, Perfect Proxy, and Unyielding Will was enough to let the girl grow into a Valkyrie capable of standing on her own.
And... Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi.
As the Young Lady of the Ishikawa family of the Soga clan,
although Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's Mental Interference was far inferior to Soga Toyura's Mental Manipulation,
comparing Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi with that monster, Soga Toyura, was already praise for the girl in itself.
What was more, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's ability was not simply Mental Interference.
It was instead the more powerful and broader-reaching Area-wide Mental Interference.
The girl was a 5-star Operator.
That was perfectly reasonable.
Although... she was an Operator with the Abyss attribute, just like Little Sakai Miho.
Su Youzi examined the achievement she had just obtained, [Abyssal Voyage].
[You are already standing at the edge of a cliff, with a pitch-black abyss beneath your feet.]
Games always described the process of becoming Altered as falling into the Anomaly Abyss—in other words, Evilfall.
The abyss was practically synonymous with Anomalous states and calamity.
Was it saying that she was nearing the edge of becoming Altered?
The more Operators with the Abyss attribute she recruited, the closer she would get to the abyss?
Su Youzi didn't understand.
She merely opened the achievement system and Operator Compendium in silence.
She looked at Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi, who lay on the hospital bed before her and gazed at her with hopeful eyes.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's Affection toward her was "-5."
The Affection indicator read "Obedience."
Su Youzi wasn't surprised.
Rather... after everything that had happened yesterday... last night, the fact that Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's Affection toward her was only "-5" was already a miracle.
She reached out a hand and slightly bent her fingers.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi immediately strained to arch her body, bringing her chin to Su Youzi's hand and allowing Su Youzi to lightly scratch the sensitive, soft flesh of her slender neck and chin as if teasing a cat.
Mm, very obedient.
Just like in the dream... after she had been trained.
A trace of grievance seemed to flash through her rose-red eyes, only to quickly vanish again.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi was truly terrified.
And yet... under Su Youzi's gentle caress, she instinctively wanted to please her, forcing out kitten-like whimpers.
The dignity of the Young Lady of the Ishikawa family of the Soga clan made the girl bite her lower lip with all her strength, refusing to let herself whimper aloud.
Su Youzi withdrew her hand.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's arched body immediately collapsed onto the hospital bed.
Her rose-red eyes stared blankly at the ceiling, while the bedding rose and fell with the girl's breathing.
She had been just a tiny bit away... from losing control.
Every aspect of the girl's performance appeared in Su Youzi's eyes.
Honestly... it was quite interesting.
However, she was thinking about another question.
Was it really right to give Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi hope?
If an Ability User had once become Altered, they had already lost their potential for growth.
Unless... they broke through their shackles.
But Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi had only just reached Level.20.
Who knew how many Combat Records she would need to consume to break through?
At present, Su Youzi only had Beginner Combat Records on hand.
Based on Su Youzi's speculation,
she would only be able to obtain more advanced Combat Records after advancing to the First Sequence.
For Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi, who had already entered the Second Sequence, Beginner Combat Records might really only be good for a momentary rush.
She had given her hope.
But the time when that hope would arrive... seemed to be very, very far away.
Looking at the girl lying dazed on the hospital bed and staring at the ceiling, Su Youzi lightly tapped "Develop."
No matter what,
she still had to collect today's interest.
Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi, who had only just relaxed, had never expected... that the Goddess of Destiny would make a return attack at this moment.
"Uu..." The girl's pitiful voice rang out, and she nearly sat straight up in bed.
Fortunately~
At present, her legs were so weak that she couldn't even sit up.
"—About how I was too embarrassed to continue being embarrassed."
But... hope surged into Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's eyes once more.
Even if it was only a tiny amount that had been pried loose,
she could feel it.
Within the warm current of Grace, the ability she had once believed had solidified and could never advance another inch in her lifetime had... moved forward a tiny, tiny bit.
There was still hope!
There was still hope!
"Get some good rest." The "demon" who dominated Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi smiled.
Because of the joy of having just obtained Grace,
the demon seemed gentler in her eyes as well.
The girl sitting sideways in the sunlight with a gentle smile looked just like... an angel.
"Oh, right." The angel's lips curved upward as she thoughtfully reminded Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi,
"Remember to change into a fresh set of hospital clothes."
"Be careful not to catch cold."
Watching Su Youzi's upturned lips, Soga Ishikawa Kiyomi's trembling lips could barely stay closed.
She really was a demon after all!
Before you continue