"Being a maid... and having to call you Master? Are you a slave owner from the feudal era?!" Frenda shouted, retreating behind Takitsubo. "In the end, there's no way! I have human rights!"
Takitsubo remained silent, looking shocked. It was one thing for Frenda to mess up, but hiding behind the support member while provoking the monster was a new low.
"Rights?" Yuuya chuckled, stepping closer. "This is the Dark Side of Academy City. It's a dog-eat-dog world. The winner takes all, and the loser is nothing."
He stood before them, hands in his tattered pockets, radiating arrogance. "Might makes right. The victor is King. You have no right to refuse."
His eyes narrowed. "Become a maid, or die right here. Choose one. Even Meltdowner has already submitted. Do you think you're special? I'll count to three. One."
"I understand. We're willing to be maids," Takitsubo said instantly, bowing her head.
"Me too," Kinuhata added, knowing resistance was futile.
"Eh...?" Frenda blinked. "Why did you all agree so fast?! Wait! I agree too! I super agree!"
Takitsubo and Kinuhata exchanged a glance. Plan: Agree first to survive. Escape later.
"Good choice." Yuuya snapped his fingers.
Snap.
"Huh?" The three girls felt a sudden chill around their necks. They reached up and touched cold, silver metal.
"What is this thing?" Kinuhata asked, feeling a terrible unease. It felt... magical.
"This," Yuuya smiled darkly, "is a safety measure. To prevent my naughty maids from running away."
"What happens if we run...?" Frenda asked, her smile freezing.
Yuuya leaned in. "It goes Boom." He made an exploding gesture with his hand. "Your head will scatter like a watermelon dropped from a ten-story building. Red and white everywhere."
"HIIIIIEEEE!" Frenda's legs gave out. She plopped onto the ground, trembling. "No! I never thought about running away! In the end, I'm super loyal! Can I not wear this?!"
"You can take it off... when you make me happy," Yuuya mocked. "And don't try to pry it off. Tampering triggers the detonator instantly."
(Of course, this was a lie. The collars were Magical Bindings that inflicted Paralysis/Petrification, like Mugino's. But the threat of gore worked better on Frenda).
"Now. Let's reunite with your leader."
Snap.
[Move Point: Mass Teleport]
...
In a blink, the scenery shifted from the burning roadside to the ruined factory. Kinuhata stumbled, clutching her stomach. 'He teleported four people... instantly... over several kilometers?'
Her face paled. The calculation required for Move Point increased exponentially with mass and distance. To move four living humans (complex biological data) across the district without error...
'His brain is a supercomputer. Even the Tree Diagram might not be this fast.' Escape was impossible.
"So powerful..." Frenda swallowed hard, gripping her collar. Tears welling in her eyes. "I'm doomed. This pervert is definitely going to use me as a toy."
...
Mugino Shizuri sat on a piece of concrete, clutching the silver collar around her neck. Her expression was darker than the abyss. She had tried to remove it earlier. But the moment she applied force, her body stiffened like a statue. The collar emitted a strange energy that jammed her Personal Reality. She couldn't use Meltdowner to cut it off—it was too precise, and she'd likely decapitate herself.
'I need a Spatial User to warp it off,' she thought bitterly. 'But where can I find one who can beat him?'
"Mugino!" Frenda's voice broke her concentration. "Thank goodness! I thought you were killed! But... oh my god, look at you!"
Frenda looked at Mugino's disheveled hair, torn clothes, and the collar. "That guy... he really tortured you, didn't he?"
Crack.
A vein popped on Mugino's forehead. "Frenda..." Mugino glared with murderous intent. "I wasn't tortured. Shut up."
"Eep!" Frenda instantly knelt on the ground in a perfect dogeza, legs together, head bowed. "I'm sorry, Mugino! Don't be angry! We were captured too! We have collars too!"
Mugino looked at her team. All of them were collared. ITEM had fallen. Completely.
"What do you really want to do with us?" Kinuhata asked Yuuya, looking defeated.
"Nonsense. You're maids," Yuuya laughed, enjoying the sight of the Dark Side's elite operatives looking like scolded puppies. "Your job is to serve me. Clean my house. Cook my meals. Make me happy."
"That's it?" Frenda looked up, suspicious. "Do you want to treat us like toys?" she whispered, her eyes wide with horror. "Are you going to tie us to chairs? Play perverted games? Drip hot wax on us? Use whips?!"
The air went silent. Yuuya blinked.
"Oh?" He tapped his chin, looking enlightened. "So... Maids can be played with like that?" He looked at Frenda with genuine admiration. "I always thought maids just served tea and cleaned rooms. But Frenda... you have opened my eyes to a new world. Thank you for the idea. Let's add that to the schedule."
"NOOOOO!"
"FRENDA!"
Three angry voices—Mugino, Kinuhata, and Takitsubo—roared in unison. "YOU IDIOT!"
....
.....
.....
Early access to advance chapters on immortaldaowriter.gumroad.com