Akira looked at the three choices that floated in his peripheral vision, and then he looked back at Satomi.
She was watching him calmly, without any pressure, as if she had already accepted whatever he was going to say.
He ran Perfect Recall through the entire conversation: every word, every pause, every microexpression. Then he cross-referenced it against what little Lie Detection instinct he'd developed from weeks of balancing harem politics and demonic half-truths.
She wasn't lying.
Not about Valerius, not about the threat, not about what she needed.
"Option A," he said to Ai.
Then to Satomi, he replied. "I accept."
Satomi's expression didn't change immediately.
She just looked at him for a long, quiet moment, like she was making sure he understood what he'd just committed to. Then she stood, crossed the space between them in two smooth steps, and pulled him to his feet.
"You're sure?" Her voice was steady, but there was a hint of relief in it.
