My Own Reward EP.18
"...Hmm... I'm sure it's around here somewhere... Ah, found it."
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I pulled out a small electric shock device, something like a taser, hidden in the corner of my room.
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Fzzzt!
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"Good, it still seems to have its power."
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I got this thing a while back when I used to frequent the black market. I bought it on impulse, thinking I could maybe kill myself by shocking my neck with it, but as always, it didn't kill me, so it had been hiding in this corner ever since.
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"Still, this should be enough."
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It may not kill someone, but it's definitely strong enough to knock someone out.
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"Huff... huff... Ah, damn... I should've just bought an energy drink..."
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I had been up late the previous night making various preparations, and I must have been more tired than I thought. I ended up falling asleep without realizing it and woke up late.
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"Huff... At least I finished writing the letter."
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It would have been a disaster if I had fallen asleep before that.
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I stuffed the letter I had written last night deep into my bag and ran towards Abydos.
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"Huff... Luckily, I'm not late... Huh? Is that... Nonomi and Sensei?"
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Running without stopping, I managed to arrive in front of Abydos without being late, and I spotted Nonomi and Sensei standing at the main gate.
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"What are they doing standing at the gate?"
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"Ah, Sora-chan..."
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"Hmm? Is something wrong?"
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"Well, Shiroko-chan just passed by..."
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"She seemed a little strange."
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"Y-you thought so too, right? I felt something similar... Somehow, she seemed a bit anxious."
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"Anxious...?"
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'...Ah, could it be that?'
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Given the timing, Shiroko must have seen Hoshino's withdrawal letter.
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"I hope it's just my imagination..."
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"Why don't we go check on her?"
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"Yeah, let's go together."
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"Hmm? Okay!"
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And so, Nonomi, Sensei, and I headed into the Abydos building to find Shiroko.
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Crash!
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Thud!
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Huh?
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A sudden loud noise echoed through the hallway.
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"Ow~ That hurt- Shiroko-chan."
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"Stop playing dumb, Senpai."
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"That sound... Don't tell me...!"
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Not only that, but the sounds of a fight followed the loud noise, and upon hearing it, Nonomi quickly ran towards the classroom where the sound came from.
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"Sensei."
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"Yeah."
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And seeing Nonomi run off, Sensei and I followed her.
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"Playing dumb? I don't know what you're talking about, kiddo..."
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"...Liar."
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I could see Hoshino with her usual expression, but looking somewhat flustered, and Shiroko, who seemed quite angry.
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"It's not a lie... Huh?"
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"Hoshino-senpai! Shiroko-chan! What's going on?!!"
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"Calm down, everyone."
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"Umm..."
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"What happened? Tell me."
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Nonomi asked them what was going on, but
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"...I have business with Hoshino-senpai."
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"..."
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They didn't answer Nonomi's question.
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"...Sorry, but can you leave us alone?"
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"Nope, can't do~☆"
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"..."
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"The Foreclosure Task Force doesn't have secrets just between two people. You know that, right? We're all in this together."
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"...Umm."
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"Eh, is that so?"
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'I've never heard of that.'
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"That's right☆ So, Sora-chan, you can't keep secrets either, okay?"
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"Ah, okay..."
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'Sorry, Nonomi, but I'm already keeping more than ten secrets.'
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"Anyway, if you don't explain this situation properly... I'll be angry☆"
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"Umm..."
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In the end, Shiroko had no choice but to give in to Nonomi's pressure.
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"Well... um..."
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And Hoshino, watching this, stuttered and began to make excuses.
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"...Hehe, this old lady got caught taking a nap."
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"But come on, my laziness is nothing new. It's like the air around here."
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"Ah, umm..."
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"You don't need to get so angry. Shiroko-chan, you're too strict sometimes. Well, it's about time for our meeting, let's go to the clubroom."
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With those words, Hoshino left the classroom.
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"Umm..."
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And Shiroko, just like Hoshino, followed her out of the classroom.
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As if she didn't want to talk.
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"Are you okay, Nonomi?"
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"...Yeah, it seems like they don't want to say something."
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"..."
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"Well, I guess everyone has secrets sometimes."
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"Don't worry, Nonomi."
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I looked at Nonomi's downcast face and said,
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"Everything will work out."
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"...Sora-chan?"
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Yes, everything will be resolved.
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"So don't worry."
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Because I've prepared thoroughly to make it so.
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*
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""""""....""""""
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The atmosphere is heavy.
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Hoshino, who usually says "hehe," Nonomi, who is usually energetic, and Serika, who is often angry, all kept their mouths shut and remained silent.
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'It's no surprise.'
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During today's meeting,
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We learned, just like in the original story, that most of the Abydos district doesn't belong to our school but to Kaiser Corporation.
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And when we found out that Kaiser Corporation was doing something in the abandoned desert, we went there,
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But we ended up getting completely outplayed, and Kaiser PMC's director lowered Abydos' credit rating to the lowest possible, forcing us to pay 90 million yen by next month.
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"Seriously!! What is this?!"
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"What is Kaiser Corporation planning over there?"
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"I think they were excavating something...! That treasure..."
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"No, it's a diversion! There's nothing in that desert. No oil or underground resources that could be worth money... It's been thoroughly investigated in the past."
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"Then why did they take the land..."
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"No!! That's not the point!! What about this debt? Do we have to pay it by the end of the month?! How are we supposed to do that?!"
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"They also demanded a deposit... An official demand letter came from Kaiser Loan... 300 million within a week..."
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'Even knowing the original story, the reality is hopeless...'
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It's understandable why Hoshino fell for the black-suited man's words.
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"I'm going. I need to find out what they're doing there."
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"What?! Shiroko-senpai?! W-where are you..."
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"PMC's private force. If I prepare thoroughly and infiltrate to investigate, there shouldn't be a problem. I'll find out what's going on there."
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"W-what are you doing, Shiroko-senpai! Don't make things worse! We need to focus on this debt first!"
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"..."
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"The debt... is impossible to pay through legitimate means now. If we don't resort to any means necessary..."
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"N-no! If we do that, it'll be like before..."
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"...Fine! What good are those sentiments?! If the school disappears, everything is over! I'm in favor!"
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"What?! No!"
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"What?! Serika-chan, are you defying Hoshino-senpai?!"
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"...T-that's not what I meant! I'm saying..."
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"Serika-chan, you're the one making things worse, even if we become criminals..."
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"Sigh..."
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'I need to calm them down first.'
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I quietly raised my hand and slammed it down on the desk.
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Crash!!
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""""!!!""""
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Their attention instantly turned to me, and I seized the opportunity to speak.
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"Everyone, calm down. You're all too agitated."
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"Yeah, everyone's so worked up, steam is coming out of your heads."
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"Umm..."
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"..."
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"...I'm sorry..."
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"Yeah, I wasn't really angry. I'm sorry."
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"See? You understand Shiroko-chan is a good girl."
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"..."
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"Well, let's call it a day for now. Dismissed~ Dismissed. Let's cool our heads and meet again tomorrow. That's an order from the club president."
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"Right, let's end it here for today and meet again tomorrow."
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Despite everyone's reluctance, Hoshino and Sensei managed to dismiss them for the day.
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*
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"Huh? Sora-chan, you haven't gone home yet?"
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The sun had set, and it was time to go home.
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Hoshino, who had been talking to Sensei, saw me still in the classroom and approached me.
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"Hoshino-san."
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I spoke to her in a serious tone.
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"Yeah?"
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"You're planning to quit Abydos High School, aren't you?"
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"...Hehe, what are you talking about?"
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'As expected, she's not going to admit it easily.'
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"It's no use trying to dodge the question. I've already seen your withdrawal letter, Hoshino-san."
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"Hehe?! W-when?"
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"When you were secretly napping, I saw some paper, so I took a peek."
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That's a lie. I've never seen Hoshino's withdrawal letter. But she has no way of knowing that.
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"That's mean, Sora-chan! Even if you're my little sister, you shouldn't go through your older sister's bag!"
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"...Shouldn't you explain the withdrawal letter first?"
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I looked at Hoshino with a serious expression, demanding an explanation.
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"..."
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"Well... if you're going to talk with such a serious face... Aha... Okay. Really, this old lady has no secrets, does she~"
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In the end, just like with Sensei, she explained the whole situation after my questioning.
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Starting from when she received the offer from the black-suited man a long time ago.
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"And don't worry, I threw the withdrawal letter in the trash earlier."
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She even told me that she had already thrown away the withdrawal letter.
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But I didn't believe her.
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"...Is that so? Then please sign this."
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I handed Hoshino a transaction document I had prepared beforehand.
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"...Huh? What's this?"
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"It's a document promising to transfer your student council president position to me."
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Of course, I don't know if this is legally binding. But as long as it looks official, that's all that matters.
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"H-hehe?! S-Sora-chan, were you planning to take this old lady's student council position all along?!"
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"...Of course not."
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I haven't been trying to kill myself lately because I've been busy, but I'm still a suicidal person. Why would I want a troublesome title?
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"This is just in case."
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"Just in case?"
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"Yes. If you, the only student council member, Hoshino-san, disappear, whether intentionally or not, Abydos will no longer have a student council."
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As proof, Kaiser attacked Abydos as soon as Hoshino disappeared.
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"Hmm..."
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Hoshino seemed to flinch at my words, wearing a flustered expression.
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"Ah, but if we resolve the issue with that black-suited guy, I'll immediately give you back the vice president position, so don't worry."
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"...Hehe, I guess I have no choice. If my little sister is asking me for the first time, I have to do it as her older sister, right?"
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Saying that, Hoshino awkwardly smiled and signed the document I gave her.
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'...Alright.'
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That fulfills all the conditions.
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Now, all I have to do is replace Hoshino, and it's over.
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I discreetly pulled out the small electric shock device from my pocket without Hoshino noticing.
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'Focus. I only have one chance...'
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And then,
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"Well, let's go home now, Sora-chan~ If you sleep late, you won't grow tall, you know~?"
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"Yes, you go to sleep first."
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"Huh?"
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Casually approaching Hoshino as close as possible, I quickly pressed the electric shock device against her neck before she could react.
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Fzzzt
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I shocked her with the device.
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"Ugh!?"
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The effect was immediate. She staggered,
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Thud!
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And collapsed towards me.
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"Phew... It worked."
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Honestly, I didn't expect to succeed in a surprise attack so easily. Especially considering her strength.
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'...Did she trust me that much?'
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Then I should repay that trust.
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"I'm sorry, but please sleep for a while."
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"By the time you wake up, everything will be over."
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