The wind on the rooftop seemed to carry every sound away with it.
Iroha Isshiki sat collapsed on the cold, dust-covered ground.
Her uniform, always meticulously kept and full of cute touches, was now smudged with grime, leaving her looking utterly disheveled.
Those brown eyes, usually flickering with cunning and confidence, were drowning in terror.
Everything she'd taken pride in... that "little devil" charm capable of toying with boys her age, that shrewd calculation that let her maneuver in the world of adults, in the face of Seiji Fujiwara's absolute control, it was all a joke.
Seiji hadn't needed to resort to violence or any concrete threat. Simply letting her witness a "routine" between him and Yukino Yukinoshita had been enough to shatter her psychological defenses.
Seiji didn't spare her another glance.
He simply turned and walked over to that perfect "work" still standing silently, still naked.
He extended a hand, as if soothing a startled piece of art, and lightly stroked Yukino's smooth black hair, then picked up the white shirt folded neatly on the ground and draped it back over her shoulders.
"Go back and get dressed properly." Seiji's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a cold gentleness that reached Iroha clearly even where she lay slumped on the floor. "Today's performance was wonderful. I'm satisfied. Though it's a bit of a shame to be interrupted by irrelevant noise."
Yukino didn't speak. She simply, obediently, picked up the rest of her clothes from the ground.
Her motions as she dressed were as graceful and mechanical as before, and from start to finish, she didn't glance at Iroha even once.
As though that student council president slumped on the floor were nothing more than a roadside stone, unworthy of even a sliver of attention.
Soon, only Seiji and the trembling Iroha were left on the rooftop.
Seiji walked over to her, slowly crouched down, and wore that cat-toying-with-mouse smile on his face.
"Now then, Isshiki, let's discuss your problem."
He extended a finger, smiling. "You seem quite fond of 'conquering' others, treating people as pawns and stepping stones for your goals."
"Among students, that counts as having some skill. I appreciate that."
"But have you ever considered, when you, this little fox who fancies herself a hunter, encounters a real hunter, what your fate will be?"
"No... please... I beg you... I was wrong..." Iroha pleaded incoherently.
Her body trembled like a leaf in autumn wind, and beyond crying and begging, her mind was incapable of any effective thought. "I didn't see anything... please let me go... I'll drop out, anything... please..."
"Let you go?"
Seiji laughed softly, the sound carrying undisguised mockery and cruelty. "The game has only just begun. How could it end now?"
"Since you enjoy 'conquest' games so much, it seems like rather an interesting prospect for me to personally teach you the proper way to play."
He stood up, looking down at her, and spoke in a tone that brooked no argument. "Tomorrow after school, wait for me in the student council office."
"You're welcome to try running, or telling anyone what you saw today. Your parents, perhaps?"
"But I promise you, the consequences will be ten thousand times more interesting than anything you can currently imagine."
He didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning in his eyes silenced Iroha instantly.
"I... I won't say anything!!"
All she could do was nod on instinct, like a frog pinned by a snake's gaze.
...
...
The next day, the student council office.
Iroha arrived an hour early. She'd cleaned herself up neatly, even applied light makeup.
But the pallor on her face and her swollen, red-rimmed eyes utterly betrayed the dread of a sleepless night.
She waited restlessly, every tick of the office clock landing like a hammer on her heart.
Before long, the door opened.
Seiji walked in and locked the door behind him with a flick of his wrist. The soft click sounded like the closing of hell's gates, and Iroha shuddered all over.
Seiji didn't speak. He simply walked up to her and studied her with a scrutinizing gaze.
Iroha couldn't hold herself up any longer. Her legs gave out, and she dropped to her knees in front of him with a thud, her carefully maintained composure collapsing in an instant as her tears burst forth again.
"Fujiwara-sensei... please... I'll do anything..."
"Anything?" A wicked smile spread across Seiji's face. "Is that so. Then I won't hold back."
He reached out and roughly pinched her cheeks.
He forced her to lift her head, and that small face which always wore a sly smile was now drenched in tears, pitiful and frail.
"But you see, Isshiki, in front of me, that pathetic little cleverness of yours means nothing."
"From now on, you are my possession."
He looked at those wide, watery eyes filled with terror and smiled with satisfaction.
"Now, let me see exactly how far this 'anything' of yours will go."
Seiji bent down, wiping the tears from her face with his fingers. The motion seemed gentle, but his eyes were filled with an aggression that allowed no resistance.
In the girl's despairing, submissive gaze, he took possession of this once-arrogant little fox.
...
...
Inside the student council office, the lingering glow of sunset poured through the window, drawing long, helpless shadows across the scattered documents on the desk and the girl's shattered dignity alike.
When it was all over, she remained kneeling on the cold floor, her body trembling faintly beyond her control.
Her uniform was thoroughly disheveled, the skirt crumpled out of shape.
Iroha kept her head down, her brown hair falling in tangled strands across her face, hiding the bloodless skin washed clean by tears, leaving only her lips visible, pale from being bitten too hard.
That cunning "little devil" soul of hers had been violently stripped from this young body.
What remained was only a hollow shell filled with fear.
In her mind, where yesterday had been packed with grand blueprints and conquest plans, only one thought remained:
It's over. It's all over.
Seiji adjusted his shirt cuffs unhurriedly, his face showing no trace of post-coital fatigue, only pleasure and satisfaction.
For him, crushing an opponent of Iroha's caliber was like playing in a beginner's village. Effortless.
That bit of cleverness rooted in school rules was fragile to the point of laughable in his presence.
He'd only needed an opportunity to crush this restless little thing who kept trying to climb upward, in one go, and make her understand who set the rules.
Now, that purpose was achieved.
Seiji glanced at the girl kneeling on the floor, then turned away with indifference, walked straight to the door, opened it, and left without looking back.
Behind him, the office door closed again.
As darkness wrapped around her, Iroha could no longer suppress it, and let out a sob full of pain and despair.
Her "conquest" had failed. Far from latching onto a powerful patron, she'd ended up offering herself as the price.
...
On the other side.
Seiji walked down the empty hallway. The phone in his pocket gave a soft buzz.
He took it out and glanced at the screen. A message from Yukino: [Fujiwara-sensei, the black tea and pastries you requested are ready and waiting in the study.]
The corner of his mouth curved into a satisfied smile.
This is what a perfect, soothing piece of work should look like.
Sensible, considerate, and absolutely loyal.
Unlike that one just now. Loud, troublesome, and requiring me to "fix" her personally.
Just as he tucked the phone away, ready to head home and enjoy his leisurely afternoon tea, the system's notification sounded in his mind.
[Ding!]
[Detected: Host has completed the initial conquest of Iroha Isshiki!]
[Phase One reward issued...]
[Congratulations, Host. You have received: Ultimate Strategic-Tier Technology, the Strong-AI "Eden" Core Code!]
[Ability Description: You have mastered the complete technology to construct a Strong-AI capable of self-evolution, self-iteration, blanketing the global internet, and possessing independent thought and execution. This AI can infiltrate any network, alter any data, manipulate any public opinion, and erase any digital trace. It is the... sole truth by which you shall rule the digital world.]
Seiji stopped walking, a flicker of interest passing through his eyes.
Eden...
Now this is a rather... interesting toy. Far more interesting than that little fox who could only sob and snivel.
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