Hey, hey, hey? What was going on? Shokuhou Misaki was bewildered by Jiu Ming's cryptic words, and tried to collect her thoughts.
Devil's Contract?
When had she ever signed something like that? No, the real question was why she'd believed him—and when it had happened.
"Confirm the commission?" ... "Of course."
It seemed to have happened after that little exchange. Had she really almost gotten herself into trouble? She'd only wanted to get back at Jiu Ming, embarrass him, and maybe even get revenge for the way he'd "humiliated" her before. She'd never meant to put herself on the line!
If Jiu Ming had actually followed through on her earlier demand, then by nightfall, every major forum in Academy City would have had a pinned post about a certain "new pervert."
But now it seemed the tables had turned...?
Shokuhou Misaki had assumed Jiu Ming was just trying to scare her, but her instincts told her he meant it. If Jiu Ming really carried out her ridiculous "commission" and completed it, then she'd have to pay the price stipulated in it—herself.
In some ways, the Mysterious Shop's rules really were a lot like a devil's contract. Even if you confirmed it half-jokingly, the rules of the Mysterious Shop would still take effect. And the best part was that there was no need to sign a contract. A verbal agreement was enough!
So if Jiu Ming really had no shame... Well, it'd only be embarrassing for a moment, and he'd end up with a girl like her. Not a bad deal, right?
Not a bad deal? To certain foot fetishists, it was a guaranteed win!
"The rules are already in effect. Do you still want to go through with it? I'm not exactly thrilled about it, but in the days to come... heh heh heh."
Jiu Ming's lecherous chuckle sent a chill down Shokuhou Misaki's spine.
"Looks like you don't believe me. Fine, don't come crying to me later." Jiu Ming shrugged and crouched down. Shokuhou Misaki quickly held down her skirt.
"I'm serious. You'll be the one regretting it."
He was really dragging this out... Was he bluffing?
"You think I'd believe that? Bring it on!" Shokuhou Misaki forced a smile, her other hand already reaching for her phone so she could record whatever happened next.
"Ah, foolish humans." Jiu Ming shook his head and started to let go of her foot. What did you call it when someone refused to believe the truth until they saw the coffin?
This was it!
He'd tried to warn her, but she wouldn't listen. She just kept imagining that he was saying all this to scare her.
Bang!!!
"It's you again!? Let go of that girl right now!!!" The door burst open, and the mature-looking woman in uniform—someone Jiu Ming had met a few times before—rushed in. This time, her gear was on a whole different level from last time.
She had a machine gun and a riot shield!
"Huh?!" Jiu Ming turned to look at her, completely baffled, and casually let go of the leg he'd been holding. He'd made sure no outsiders saw him when he came here, so how had they tracked him down? And judging by their equipment, they'd clearly come prepared. From the footsteps he'd heard, the whole area had to be sealed off!
"You know what... What the hell!" He turned back toward Shokuhou Misaki. She was hugging her knees to her chest, arms crossed over her breasts, looking like a frightened little rabbit. Her clothes were a little disheveled, too. Had she messed them up while he'd looked away?
"Hey! Are you all blind? Can't you see she's obviously framing me?!"
"What are you babbling about? You were molesting an underage girl. If someone hadn't reported you... Hmph!"
With a series of clicks, several black gun barrels pointed at Jiu Ming. The message was clear: surrender quietly and come with them.
A report?
Jiu Ming nodded thoughtfully and glanced sideways at the Star-eyed Girl, who was pretending to be pitiful while grinning at him sinisterly. If no outsider had spotted him, then the problem had to be those lackeys of hers...
In any case, if they took him away, where he'd actually be sent was another question.
"Holy crap! I've got a hostage! Who dares move?"
Jiu Ming grabbed Shokuhou Misaki, who was still pretending to be pitiful, and leaned close to her ear. "Nice. You had plenty of backup plans, huh? So that thing with your thighs earlier was part of this, too?"
"Of course! You dared to cross me. This is just the beginning!" Now that she'd been exposed, Shokuhou Misaki dropped the act and openly threatened him. "We've got plenty of time. This isn't over!"
"Shameless!" The Security Guards immediately hesitated to make a move.
"Really? You're sure I won't do anything to you?"
"Of course!"
"Good. Don't forget that 'commission' between us. You've already signed the contract. All that's left is for me to complete the 'commission.' Remember, I'm the one who decides when it ends... I'll come back here at seven. You can choose not to show up, but if you do, you'd better never show your face again."
Seeing the uncertainty on Shokuhou Misaki's face, Jiu Ming grinned. His hand came down with a sharp smack. The female Security Guards heard it, too, and winced on Shokuhou Misaki's behalf.
"Ugh..."
The pain in her buttocks drew a whimper from her. Eyes brimming with tears, the Star-eyed Girl glared at Jiu Ming. That hurt!
"Bye~"
Jiu Ming let go of Shokuhou Misaki and waved over his shoulder. "Don't forget what I said. I'm leaving."
He really did leave—and walked right out in plain sight. The Security Guards' grappling techniques passed through him as if they were grabbing at air. Jiu Ming was completely immune to ordinary bullets, and the physical attacks of ordinary people were nowhere near powerful enough to harm a Soul Body.
Only the stun gun one of the female Security Guards pulled out made Jiu Ming feel a tingling sensation... Well, electricity could affect a Soul Body, since it wasn't a physical attack.
It was only a minor inconvenience. In the end, Jiu Ming sauntered out, leaving the Security Guards staring blankly after him. As it turned out, the guns hadn't been loaded with live rounds, but with Rubber Bullets... mixed with some Tranquilizer Darts.
But none of them worked.
As for Shokuhou Misaki, she was now staring at her smooth, flawless little feet in a quandary. Better safe than sorry. What if Jiu Ming had been telling the truth...? What then?
Wouldn't she really have to give herself to him? The best solution would be to find a way to break through his Mental Defense and give him a thorough brainwashing, turning him into her steadfast Loyal Dog!!
What a pain, what a pain. She was starting to regret it.
She made a call, and her subordinates immediately set about doing the two things Jiu Ming had told her to do. For now, she'd better deal with the situation in front of her. If he came back and found she hadn't done anything, then got furious and actually did that...
Sure, there was a certain thrill in having that bastard under her feet, but if it meant she might end up giving herself to him, then a moment of triumph followed by lasting regret was a terrible bargain!
Although she didn't want to see Jiu Ming again, he showed up right on time, much to her dismay. Not a second early or late—he'd hit the exact minute. He'd definitely done it on purpose!
"Yo! I'm back. How'd things go with what I asked you to do?"
"What's your relationship with Misaka Mikoto?" Shokuhou Misaki's greeting was tinged with disappointment. This time, even though she'd known Jiu Ming would come, there was no one else with her. She was alone. Since her ability couldn't affect him, having ambushers nearby wouldn't do much good. She knew full well that Jiu Ming had been showing off when he took down her subordinates earlier.
No matter how you looked at it, the anger she'd been holding in had found an outlet while Jiu Ming was gone: she'd taken it out on her rival, Misaka Mikoto... only to find that Misaka Mikoto had never even heard of Jiu Ming, and didn't know who he was.
So what was going on?
"We're not connected. I'm just helping someone find her." Jiu Ming shook his head. He really had no connection with Misaka Mikoto. The only ones he was connected to were the Misaka Sisters.
"What about Accelerator?"
"Oh, him? I just don't like the guy and wanted to mess with him."
"That's all?"
Shokuhou Misaki found it hard to believe. Such a simple reason?
"Yeah? What else did you expect? Like I said, I'm the legendary Mysterious Merchant. Some little girl got lucky and found me, so I took on a commission."
"What did she give you that made you go after Academy City's Number One?" Going after Accelerator—was he tired of living?
"Trade secret. No comment."
"Hmph. She didn't give you herself, too, did she?" Shokuhou Misaki thought sourly, a little jealous. Not for any other reason—just because the huge difference between them felt unfair.
A commission with an unknown reward was enough to make him take on Accelerator... Who was that person?
She felt like she was more than a little behind. Did Misaka Mikoto have someone important to her? Too bad she couldn't read her memories, or she'd have to find out... and see how they compared!
"What are you thinking about? I'll say it again: I'm a ghost!" Jiu Ming raised his hand. Shokuhou Misaki instinctively took half a step back. The pain in her buttocks still hadn't faded. If he did it again, she'd have to sleep facedown tonight.
"Maybe you're all bark and no bite!" Seeing that Jiu Ming had no intention of hitting her, Shokuhou Misaki retorted defiantly. Curious, she circled him once, then reached out and grabbed his arm without asking.
"Hold on. How did things go?"
"I couldn't find Accelerator. I've already 'talked' things over with Misaka Mikoto!"
"Oh? You two are close?" Jiu Ming, unaware of what was really going on, thought he'd found the right person.
"Of course. We're both Level 5s, and we're both at Tokiwadai. How could we not get along?" She grabbed Jiu Ming's arm and gave it a squeeze. He was a ghost? His body temperature was definitely low, but his skin felt no different. It wasn't like touching a corpse...
"So that's good... Why are you touching me? Is looting a corpse that fun?"
Before you continue