Collar

"Commander, did you really put that stuff in there?"

Doc asked Zhuang Xiaolin curiously. He knew quite a bit about such things—after all, many medicines could easily be mixed into something that made whoever drank them burn with heat almost instantly.

"No. That was the medicine's original effect. Removing Oripathy crystals is an extremely painful process. Her brain suffered neural disruption from the intense pain, so she'll experience all sorts of sensations."

Zhuang Xiaolin explained as he watched Lyudmila, who had already given up and sprawled flat on the screen.

"Eh? Then that antidote was..."

"That's right. A mint candy with a special flavor added."

"You really know how to play, Commander. Are you trying to win her over?"

"I'm not too sure about that either. She looks like the kind who'd fight to the death."

Zhuang Xiaolin and Doc walked out of the pharmacy, while the shadows around it remained as they always were.

[Have you figured out how to deal with them?]

[More or less. If simple intimidation won't work, then we'll demonstrate our strength through destruction.]

[Then what is the price of destruction?]

[A negligible price.]

Streams of electronic messages flowed through the channel. In the dark world of night, the first signs of a storm were quietly brewing.

The next day.

"All right, all right, stop looking so miserable. Put on this outfit, and I'll give you this morning's antidote."

When he opened the door, the assassin inside was just as Zhuang Xiaolin had expected—she had not slept.

She was an assassin, after all. She should have specialized training for this sort of thing. Going two or three days without sleep should have been no problem at all.

"I won't do something like that."

Crownslayer turned her head away from Zhuang Xiaolin. Without her trench coat concealing them, crystals of varying sizes were exposed along her arms.

"Oh? Is that so? Then I'll have to try a rather novel little game."

Zhuang Xiaolin thought for a moment and immediately came up with an idea. The games played by high society were far more advanced than most people imagined.

Zhuang Xiaolin hated the darkness hidden beneath upper-class wealth most of all. But beyond hating it, what could an ordinary little man like him—someone who could barely keep his own company's board under control—actually do?

"W-what kind of game?"

The moment Crownslayer heard those keywords, her fur practically stood on end. She shrank into the corner of the bed with a wary expression, staring at Zhuang Xiaolin.

"Why should I tell you? Rather than learning now and being afraid, why not find out then and enjoy yourself? Since you refuse to follow my plan, I'll record every last bit of how embarrassing you look when the time comes."

"Ugh... I-I'll wear it, all right? Keep your word and give me the antidote."

Crownslayer covered her chest with both hands, her eyes filled with embarrassment and anger. But her body was limp now, and she could not muster even a shred of strength.

A few minutes later...

"The... the antidote, give it to me!"

"Hey, doesn't this look pretty good? Why do you always wear a hood and trench coat? Though, come to think of it, as an assassin, it would be troublesome if your physical characteristics were exposed, wouldn't it?"

Zhuang Xiaolin looked over Crownslayer's current outfit, nodding as he casually offered a compliment.

"Here. Your antidote."

Zhuang Xiaolin placed a small green pill in his palm and looked at Crownslayer with teasing amusement in his eyes.

Without even thinking, Crownslayer reached out to take it, but Zhuang Xiaolin smacked her outstretched hand away.

"I never said you could take it with your hands. Take it with your mouth."

"You bastard, don't push it too far!"

"Me, going too far? What was your purpose when you first came here? Do I really need to spell it out? I let you go once, and then you walked right back into my trap. Can you blame me for that? Who's really going too far here? You should know perfectly well."

Lyudmila felt that yesterday and today had both been utterly awful. To think that she, the feared battlefield assassin Crownslayer, would end up in such a state.

She looked at the green pill, then at Zhuang Xiaolin's smug, irritating face.

Lyudmila took a deep breath. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she leaned forward, revealing the contours of her body.

It was not exactly voluptuous, but it carried a distinctively fresh charm.

Besides, with the tight maid outfit Zhuang Xiaolin had chosen, Crownslayer's body was bound tautly within it. Any large movement could make the maid outfit's buttons pop open.

Lyudmila's small face slowly approached Zhuang Xiaolin's palm. Her lips, not especially vivid in color, slowly parted, and her soft pink tongue extended to roll the pill into her mouth.

"That's more like it. If you were a little more obedient, the positions between us might become a little more equal."

Zhuang Xiaolin nodded in satisfaction, then took a collar from the bag he carried with him.

"Y-you... what are you doing with that?"

The moment Crownslayer saw the collar, a dreadful feeling surged through her. She abruptly backed away, but the farther she retreated, the more despairingly she realized that the wall was already pressed against her back. There was nowhere left to go.

"Of course, it's a little gift for you. Don't worry, this thing has some rather ingenious features. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."

"Who would like wearing a collar? Asshole!"

Lyudmila could not help cursing as she tried to sidestep away.

"Hm? So you're unwilling? Then we can postpone our little program until tonight."

Hearing Lyudmila's fierce refusal, Zhuang Xiaolin seemed to have expected it all along. He was so calm that even Lyudmila felt a little afraid.

"Asshole, Ursus profanity, do you think I'll submit to this?"

Lyudmila put on an expression of utter defiance, her eyes fixed tightly on Zhuang Xiaolin.

"Is that so? I was wondering whether I should discuss some discounted infected medication with the Reunion Movement. I'm a kindhearted person, after all. I can't bear to see suffering. But Miss Lyudmila's attitude is making things rather difficult for me."

The instant she heard about cooperation involving the Reunion Movement, Lyudmila's attitude made a complete one-hundred-and-eighty-degree turn.

But although her attitude had changed, the look on Lyudmila's face still showed no willingness to submit.

Lyudmila fell silent, and Zhuang Xiaolin said nothing further. The two seemed to be locked in a standoff in the corridor.

After a long while, Lyudmila silently moved her neck forward a little.

Zhuang Xiaolin understood immediately and gently fastened the collar around Lyudmila's neck.

The outside of the collar was decorated with patterns carved from silvery-white metal, while its main body was made of fine cowhide.

As the collar settled around her neck, Lyudmila felt herself trembling all over. Once a wolf was fitted with a collar, it became no different from a dog. A wild, untamed wolf had been tamed—what kind of joke was that?

Lyudmila put on the collar in humiliation, tears even glimmering at the corners of her eyes.

"All done. Let's go."

Zhuang Xiaolin looped a leash onto the collar as well. Once it was attached, he clapped his hands, took Lyudmila's hand, and headed downstairs.

Lyudmila, who had felt utterly humiliated and had even thought he would seize the leash and drag her along, froze for a moment.

"This is a new device my team developed. It has functions like tracking and physical data monitoring. As for the leash, it's purely to stop you from suddenly running away."

Zhuang Xiaolin looked at Crownslayer's expression and explained somewhat reluctantly. That look was just too adorable. The little assassin who usually wore such cold killing intent in her eyes on the battlefield could make such a cute expression too.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. You young people really know how to have fun. Master-and-servant play, and now a collar too. Sigh, young people these days..."

The system customer service complained about Zhuang Xiaolin. He acted as though he had not heard it. After all, it was not as if he truly intended to do anything to her; his conscience was clear.

"Since you're a maid now, your first task is to massage my shoulders and learn some massage techniques."

Zhuang Xiaolin flopped onto a recliner and let go of Lyudmila's hand.

Lyudmila stood there for quite a while. Zhuang Xiaolin, lying on the recliner, almost wondered whether she had fallen asleep.

"You don't have to do anything extra. Just give me a massage, and you'll get tomorrow's antidote too. Of course, you don't have to do it if you don't want to, but whether you get the antidote is another matter."

Zhuang Xiaolin spoke as though he did not care, while secretly observing Crownslayer's reaction.

Lyudmila shuddered, then her slightly rough hands came to rest on Zhuang Xiaolin's back.