Ako Amau was furious.
She vowed to take back Hina from that human weapon, Mash Burnedead.
"Unforgivable… Mash Burnedead!"
Bang! She slammed her fist on the desk, gritting her teeth, yelling at a photo on her terminal.
"How dare… how dare you take my Hina!"
She's not yours.
The photo showed Hina and Mash happily eating cream puffs, striking cute poses, sent to Ako's device.
"Sending this photo… Harassment! Fine, bring it on!!"
Hina sent it, but Ako, convinced Mash forced her, raged. Nearby Disciplinary Committee members cringed.
"Overthinking it, no?"
"No way Sensei would do that."
"You're naive. I once tried using authority to drag Sensei and Abydos' crew here."
"That happened… Still not over it."
"But he crushed our unit with nonsense violence. Hina scolded me."
"Your fault."
"He hasn't forgiven that. This photo's his harassment to make me apologize. Definitely!"
"…You're just jealous Hina's close with him."
"Super jealous!!"
"Too honest."
"Anyway!" Ako grabbed papers, storming to the door.
"I'll make sure Hina and Sensei don't get closer!"
"Personal grudge much?"
"If they get too close, Hina might neglect work."
"Not impossible…"
"Stopping that's my job. I'll talk to Hina!"
Ako flung the door open and left. Iori and Chinatsu exchanged looks, sighing.
Ako charged to Hina's room, trying to calm herself with deep breaths…
"Phew… Phew!!"
No luck. At Hina's door, she put on a poker face, knocked, and entered.
"—This… pretty nice… Hehe."
"!?"
Hina's laugh stunned Ako—she'd never heard Hina laugh from the heart. Ako burst in.
"…? Ako, what's up?"
"Y-You… were smiling…"
"Smiling's weird? Hehe, you're funny, Ako."
"!!!"
So cute! Ako nearly screamed but held back. Hina, chuckling, started paperwork. Ako moved to help… then spotted it.
"Head… that… doll?"
"Shu-chan?"
"Shu… chan?"
"When I patrolled with Sensei, we… bought it together."
"—" Ako freezes, petrified.
On Hina's lap sat a Shu-chan doll, cherished. (Different from their first outing's gift.)
"It's from the Cream Puff Couple group."
"Couple…?" Cracks form on Ako.
"There were others, but I got Shu-chan and her boyfriend, Shu-kun."
"Boy… friend…?" Cracks spread.
"It's a matching set, so I gave Shu-kun to Sensei and kept this."
"Matching… set…" Cracks reach her halo.
"Oh, I have a gift for you, Ako."
"A gift!? Really!?"
"Yup, thanks for always helping."
(So kind!! Hehe, I've spent more time with Hina than Sensei! I'm superior—)
"It's Shu-chan's friend, Shu-shu-chan. A new addition."
"———" Crack!
Crash! BOOM!
"Ako!?"
A breaking sound and explosion. Hina, startled, dropped Shu-shu-chan. Ako collapsed.
"Hina… my Hina…"
"My Hina? I'm not anyone's."
"My Head… taken by Sensei!!"
"Taken? What? Ako!?"
"Waaah!!"
Ako flung papers and fled, leaving scattered documents and Shu-shu-chan.
"…She hated it that much? Friend… Shu-shu-chan's Shu-chan's…"
Hina picked up Shu-shu-chan, hugging it.
"Best friend."
She muttered sadly.
Next Day
"Here's the deal—fix this!!"
"Emergency… this? I'm not at fault…"
"Yes, you are! You stole Hina!!" Crying.
"No stealing intended. Hina's not anyone's… or a thing."
"You're still to blame!"
"That's unfair."
Mash rushed to Gehenna for Ako's "emergency," only to hear her rant about him stealing Hina, like a kid blaming a sibling for taking their mom.
"Take responsibility—help with my work."
"Why?"
"That patrol day, work was unfinished. This is your share."
"Hm."
"Others handled some, but those tanuki… I mean, Student Council sent more papers."
"Piled up, huh."
"So, help out~"
"Fine, I'll help."
"Thanks!" Smile.
Ako split the hefty paperwork with Mash. It was simple, finished quickly. Mash thought he was done, but Ako wasn't.
"Sensei, wanna bet?"
"Short on cash?"
"No! A bet between us."
"For what?"
"If you win, I'll do whatever you want."
"If you win?"
"You avoid Hina until the Eden Treaty."
Ako smirked, thinking she had him. Mash, unfazed, replied.
"We already planned that."
"…Huh?"
"Hina and I agreed to focus on our duties until the Eden Treaty's done."
"…What?"
"No need for a bet."
Both would be swamped, so they'd prioritized work during patrol talks. Ako didn't know.
"…Fine."
"You get it?"
"If I win, you wear a collar!!"
"Why?"
"Coin toss. Here we go!!"
"I didn't agree—"
"Here we go!"
"Listen… Fine, I'll do it."
"You said it! Let's go!!"
Ping!
Ako tossed a coin, catching it on her hand.
"Heads or tails? I'm heads."
"…Tails then."
"Here we go…"
The coin showed heads.
"Yes!!"
"Didn't check… Messed up."
"A deal's a deal. Collar time!"
"Said I'd do it… Fine."
"Hehe, got your weakness! No weak spot? Make one. A teacher walking collared? Scandal!"
"These spikes…"
The collar Ako handed over was studded, perfectly sized.
"…Scary."
"Put it on!"
"Pressure's intense… I lost, so fine."
Mash put on the collar; Ako attached a leash. The scene was wild.
"Suits you!"
"Really? Now what?"
"Simple. Crawl 50 laps around this room."
"Crawl 50 laps?"
"Humiliating, right? If you refuse—"
"Great for training."
"Huh?"
"Let's do it, 50 laps, right?"
"At least be embarrassed! This is just exercise!"
"Here I go." Tense.
"Wait!!"
Mash got on all fours, powering up. Ako pulled the leash, but he didn't budge.
"Hamstring Magic: Quadruped Run."
"Quadruped Run…?"
Mash dashed on all fours, dragging Ako airborne.
"Nooo!! Sensei, that's a wall!"
"No problem." Growl.
"Inertia S-Drift!?"
Mash drifted, avoiding the wall, moving insanely fast despite crawling. Ako took the full wind blast.
"Eeeeek!!!"
(Good workout, bad optics.)
"Stop!! Please stop!!"
"Oh… Okay." Screech!
"Wah!?"
Mash braked, sending Ako flying forward, leash in hand.
"You okay?"
"Meant to get dirt on you… Why this…?"
"Can you stand?"
"Yeah…"
"Is this okay? If people knew you made me wear this, you'd be in trouble. So would I."
"…Oh no!!"
"Got too excited, lost your cool."
"Sensei, take it off! Before Hina—'Ako! What's going on!?'—Oh…"
"Thought I heard a boom… What…?"
"Hina-san." Collared.
Hina saw Mash collared, Ako holding the leash, and froze, mind blank. Then—
"Ako, Sensei… What's this?"
Her eyes sharpened.
"What's that collar? Why's Sensei wearing it? Ako, that leash?"
"Uh… W-Well…"
"Answer."
"Eep."
"Now."
Terrifying. Hina's glare matched or surpassed her Hot Spring Club fight. Ako felt pure fear.
"Hina-san, Ako didn't mean—"
"No intent excuses this."
"Fair… But I don't mind."
"It's a collar! On you… So… shameless…" Blush.
Ako thought cute!! but held back. Mash tilted his head.
"Is a dog collar that embarrassing? Treating people like pets is bad, sure."
"It's… pet play…" Faint.
(Hina's embarrassed, covering her face—ugh, can't snap a pic!!)
"Pet play…?"
"…Huh?"
Mash, clueless, wore the collar without knowing. Ako was shocked; Hina theorized.
"Sensei… Know about s*xual depravity play?"
"Nope."
"SM?"
"Magnets? Oh, sadist-masochist stuff?"
"Okay, got it."
"No way… Sensei's clueless about that?"
"That?"
Mash lacked that knowledge. Hina realized his purity nearly got tainted.
"Ako." Menacing.
"Y-Yes!!"
"Seiza." Menacing.
"Yes!!"
"Hina-san, what's s*xual depravity—"
"You don't need to know, got it?"
"…Yup."
Ako confessed and got a one-hour lecture.
"Sensei, take that collar off."
"Feels right… I'll keep it a bit."
"Right…?"
"I don't mind."
"I do!"
"How long must I wear this, Head?"
"All day."
"No way…"
"We match, Ako."
"Not happy!!"
Ako wore a red studded collar—Hina's punishment. Initially fine, she grew embarrassed, hiding it.
With nothing to do, Mash, Hina, and Ako strolled Gehenna's campus.
"Ako, no cuter collars?"
"They sent this one… Those tanuki."
"Tanuki?"
"Ugh… Pandemonium Society's harassment?"
"Probably."
"So annoying."
"Pandemonium? The do-nothing Student Council?"
"Sensei gets spicy… True, though."
Pandemonium Society, Gehenna's top group, is overshadowed by the Disciplinary Committee. Ask Gehenna students about them, and they'd say:
"Scary? What do they even do?"
"They dump work on us, then harass or mock us."
"This collar's likely their 'Disciplinary Committee dogs, wear this!' message."
"Got it."
Mash, now in training gear, warmed up his arms.
"So—crush Pandemonium next."
"Stop, Sensei!" Yanks collar.
"Just a little talk."
"That's no talk!?"
"Calling us dogs and sending this crosses a line."
"I get it, but calm down. You causing a scene would be bad."
"…Fine, I'll bury them quietly."
"No!!"
"Not everyone in Pandemonium's bad. It's mostly the chairwoman's fault."
"Then I'll choke-slam her."
"No!!"
Hina and Ako yanked Mash's collar to stop him. As Hina brainstormed calming him, a voice interrupted.
"What's this? Oh, the Committee Head and her secretary. What's up at this hour?"
"Grrr!"
"…What are you doing?"
"Makoto, run now."
"No kidding, run!"
"What's—Wait… Mash Burnedead!!"
"Oh, Makoto-san."
Hina's least favorite person, Makoto Hanema, stood before them. Please leave, Hina thought.
"You dare show your face to me?"
"Just ran into you."
"Since that day, cream puffs are banned in Pandemonium! Fix this!"
"Can't help it."
"Ibuki cried so many times… You'll pay!"
"Payback for harassing Hina."
"Ugh!"
Makoto's complaints were met with Mash's valid retorts, frustrating her. Then she noticed—
"What's that collar? Kinky taste?"
"Long story."
"Whatever… Committee Head, work done?"
"Your extra tasks are finished."
"Good job. And Ako, how's our gift?"
"…Very useful for the pet. Thanks."
"Hehe, glad you like it. Sensei looks great in it."
"Thanks."
"Want me to walk you like a pet?"
Makoto laughed. Hina and Ako, irritated, had an idea. They've messed with us enough. A little pain's fair.
"Sure, take him for a walk."
"Huh?"
"Shu-kun, walk with her a bit."
"Got it… Shu." Equips Shu-kun mask.
"Wait, what!?"
"Don't know? Our mascot, Buff Shu-kun."
"Fshu!"
"Don't lie! Sensei, what's this!?"
"No idea… Shu."
"Why don't you get it!?"
"Here, hold the leash tight. Don't let go."
Ako tied the leash to Makoto's arm. Mash got on all fours, facing a window.
"Wait, Sensei! What're you—"
"A walk. Careful, though."
"What?"
"He's—an uncontrollable big pet!"
"Hamstring Magic: Quadruped Run."
Mash sprinted, crashing through the window, racing far.
"Nwaaah!!"
"Let's run through Gehenna!"
"Wait! This speed non-stop!?"
"Here we go!"
"Listen!!"
Mash dashed on all fours, wind blasting Makoto, who took the brunt.
Bang! Crash! Skid!
"Ow! Oof! Ngh!?"
"Noise behind… Oh well."
"Not okay!!"
Makoto, dragged airborne, slammed into walls and ground. If not a Kivotos native, she'd be done for.
"I'm sorry!!"
"Apologize to Hina and Ako."
"I will! Forgive me!!"
"If you insist… But I'm not done running."
"What!?"
Mash dragged Makoto around Gehenna, leaving her tattered. Returning to campus—
"Remember this!!"
Makoto vanished, spouting a villain's line.
"…Feels refreshing."
"Yup."
"Nice show… Thanks, Sensei."
"No prob."
"Continue the walk? No collars."
Ako and Mash ditched the collars, strolling with Hina.
Ako, just a tiny bit, accepted Mash.
After Mash returned to Schale
"Ako, a moment?"
"What's up, Head?"
"…This." Hands over.
"Shu-shu-chan, right?"
"Yup. For you."
"…Thanks, Head. (Happy… but just a friend? Mixed feelings.)"
Hina fidgeted, then shyly said:
"Shu-shu-chan's Shu-chan's friend… Best friend."
"—!"
"You always support me, this place… Thank you. Without you, I'd be done."
"N-No way…"
"You're my vital subordinate… and best friend. So… um…"
"Keep it up." Radiant smile.
"—Gah!!"
"Ako!?"
Hina's dazzling smile floored Ako, who collapsed with a nosebleed.
Ako's gone nuts.
---------------------------------------------
🚀 Want more?
📖 On Patreon you can read 20+ chapters ahead, plus there will be exclusive stories available only there.
💖 If you'd like to support me, check it out: patreon.com/Greyhounds
🔓 Patreon will always stay ahead of the public release — and some stories won't be published anywhere else.
✨ All support is completely optional — even if you don't join, I'm still grateful to have you here reading!