When the doors of the concert hall opened once more, Huai Shi and the now-calm Francisco returned to the studio. When the four of them sat down at the table again, nothing seemed to have changed.
The musician and painter were still dejected, while Huai Shi and Ai Qing calmly drank tea without saying a word.
They waited for an answer.
"A bet is a bet. Since it was a fair contest, I naturally have nothing else to say." Francisco took a deep breath. "During the Regeneration Plan, we will represent the Art Department and follow your orders."
In truth, refusing was not an option.
He did not have the nerve to go back on his word in front of Huai Shi.
Even if Huai Shi had refused all of their conditions and simply drawn his blade, the two of them would have meekly admitted defeat. Though, given the chance, they would certainly have run away despite their reluctance.
Besides, having made the promise and staked the names of the Calamity Musician and the Doomsday Painter, no matter how unwilling they were, they would not choose to break their word.
If word got out, they would be socially dead for real...
Now both their social lives and physical lives were in Huai Shi's hands. They had no choice but to bow their heads.
"Don't call it following orders. That sounds awful. Aren't we allies?"
Huai Shi kept smiling, making no attempt to conceal his complete lack of conscience. "They say you rely on your parents at home and your friends when you go out. None of us looks like we have parents, so we need to rely on our friends even more, right?"
...Something about that sounded wrong.
Well, my dad's still alive.
Francisco hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping