— — — — — —
"A-A honey trap?"
Himeragi Yukina stared at Yukari Endou with disbelief. Her finger trembled as she pointed at herself. "Me?"
Yukari Endou nodded seriously. "This decision came from the top, Yukina."
"You are, without a doubt, the best person for this mission!"
Yukina's eyelid twitched.
Seeing her uncertainty, Yukari Endou leaned in close and whispered ominously in her ear, "Yukina… you don't want Sayaka to be defiled by some man, do you?"
"!!!"
Yukina's eyes instantly widened.
Endou kept going, her tone turning sorrowful. "Poor Sayaka… With her androphobia and getting caught by a man…"
"Who knows what might happen to her…"
Endou even faked wiping a tear, putting on a show like she was crying.
The image of Sayaka—one of Yukina's few close friends—getting taken by some man and doing god-knows-what started flooding her mind. Her fists clenched.
"I'll do it!"
Yukina's voice was firm and resolute.
She would rescue Sayaka from that devil's clutches—no matter what!
Her eyes burned with determination.
Seeing this, Endou immediately dropped the act and put her hands on Yukina's shoulders, looking pleased. "I knew I could count on you!"
"…Tch."
Yukina narrowed her eyes.
Something felt very off right now.
Did she just get tricked again?
Suspicion flashed through her eyes.
But Endou's face looked so calm and composed.
After staring at her for a while, Yukina couldn't spot any signs of deception.
She reluctantly pushed aside her doubts for the moment.
At the very least… Sayaka really being captured by a devil probably wasn't a lie.
Even Endou wouldn't go that low just to prank her… right?
"Ahem."
Endou cleared her throat and started explaining the mission details and objectives.
...
A little while later.
Yukina stood there with her eyes closed, quietly digesting everything she'd just learned.
Lynn. A first-year student at Shuchiin Academy.
Leader of the Supernatural Research Club—or, more informally, the Harem Club.
Just hearing that name made Yukina's expression turn complicated.
No wonder her mentor was using a honey trap… it all made sense now.
A man with that much power and influence… and his hobby was collecting girls?
How grossly cliché.
But the more she thought about it, the more nervous she felt.
Sayaka was a total beauty with an amazing figure. If she'd been captured by someone like him, well… it was obvious what might've happened.
"Sayaka…"
Yukina clenched her fists again.
She had to rescue her.
But to get close to Lynn, she'd need to become part of his harem?
This mission was… complicated, in every sense of the word.
Endou continued, "We've already arranged the paperwork. You'll transfer to Shuchiin Academy tomorrow."
Yukina pursed her lips and nodded.
Endou smiled in satisfaction. "Once you're in, your top priority is to become one of Lynn's servants!"
She added seriously, "We don't know Sayaka's exact whereabouts, but if you become his servant, you'll definitely be able to find her!"
Yukina fell silent, murmuring, "A servant, huh…"
As someone trained by the Lion King Organization, she knew a decent amount about devils.
Becoming a servant basically meant becoming a devil herself.
She felt a pang of hesitation in her chest and suddenly felt a little lost.
But when she thought about Sayaka again, she sighed helplessly.
"…I get it."
If it meant saving Sayaka, then becoming a devil it is…
"But!!"
"What happens when the mission's over?"
She asked with uncertainty.
Endou froze for a second, her confidence faltering. "Ahaha… the higher-ups will uh… try to figure something out…"
Yukina's face twitched.
She stared silently at her mentor.
There wasn't a plan to get her out, was there?
Endou looked away guiltily and muttered, "We'll cross that bridge when we get there…"
"Yukina, you wouldn't want—"
"Stop right there."
Yukina raised her hand to cut her off, keeping her tone as calm as possible. "I'll do it."
"..."
Endou let out a silent breath.
Calling it a "honey trap" sounded noble, but honestly— She was just sending Yukina off as a gift to the Devil.
And Sayaka… well, she probably wasn't coming back either.
Ugh.
If Yukina ever found out the truth, would she come after her mentor for revenge?
Endou felt uneasy just thinking about it.
But there was no helping it.
If Yukina didn't go, she'd be the one getting sent off!
Besides from what she'd heard, being part of Lynn's faction wasn't actually a bad deal.
All the girls in that Supernatural Club seemed to be living their best lives.
Maybe this was actually a golden opportunity for Yukina?
Yukari Endou comforted herself with that thought, trying to ease her guilt.
— — —
Later that day
Yukina carried her bag and headed to the apartment rented near Shuchiin.
And conveniently, her new place was right next to Lynn's old house.
— — —
Shirona Kuraki glanced at the sulking black cat and asked with no emotion, "Yukina's gone?"
The black cat responded weakly, "…Yeah."
Hearing this, Shirona let out a breath.
Hopefully, everything would go smoothly.
— — —
In the underground facility of the Lynn Group
A black magic circle flared to life.
"Lynn sama~"
Yukinoshita Haruno spotted Lynn and immediately jumped into his arms.
She clung to his arm and snuggled up to him. "We heard you were attacked, my lord. We were so worried!"
Lynn hadn't returned to the manor all night.
Even though everyone knew he was strong, his familia couldn't help but be concerned.
Haruno suddenly paused, leaned in close, and took a long sniff.
A strange look flashed in her eyes.
She raised an eyebrow. "New girl joined the harem?"
Lynn nodded.
Haruno's eyes narrowed. "Old Satan Faction?"
Lynn patted her head. "Good girl."
She rolled her eyes. "Please, I'm not a toddler."
Tsk
No matter where Lynn went, he always had to build a harem.
Speaking of which—
Haruno remembered why she was here and turned toward the tied-up Sayaka.
"There she is, Lord Lynn," she said like a madam presenting a prized girl.
Raising an eyebrow, she grinned. "Not bad, right?"
Lynn stroked his chin, eyeing the curves highlighted by the ropes. He nodded. "She's got potential."
His [Devil's Piece] was glowing faintly.
Another great candidate for the Familia.
He opened the cell and squatted in front of Sayaka. Lifting her chin, he brought her face up.
"Mmgh…"
Sayaka made a soft sound.
Feeling his touch, she frowned slightly and slowly opened her blurry eyes.
She saw Lynn's face.
She froze for a second, then her eyes went wide. "A-a-a-a MAN?!"
She turned pale! Goosebumps exploded across her skin, and she started shaking all over!
Her vision blurred, brain overloaded, and with a dramatic backward flop—
She fainted.
Her body still twitched like a fish out of water.
Lynn: "…"
Haruno: "…"
Haruno was stunned. This was a first for her.
And earlier too… she'd fainted for no clear reason.
Lynn explained, "Androphobia."
Though it'd been a while, he still vaguely remembered.
"Androphobia?" Haruno blinked.
No wonder.
So back then, she must've fainted from hearing Haruno say she'd be punished by Lynn?
A twitch formed at the corner of Haruno's eye.
This was a bit extreme, wasn't it?
She looked at the unconscious Sayaka and asked, "So, what now?"
Lynn's eyes gleamed with devilish intent, and he gave a faint smirk.
"To make her part of the Familia… looks like we'll need to start desensitization training."
Haruno saw the evil grin forming on Lynn's face, and a chill ran down her spine.
She glanced at Sayaka with sympathy.
.
.
.