Ye Feng's fingers stroked the white stockings that clung to her skin.
The taut surface of the silk was smooth and tight, radiating the warmth and suppleness of her flesh beneath. The sensation was exquisite; Ye Feng couldn't get enough of it.
"Ah Lin, I suddenly feel that you're really similar to the Red Kite at St. Freya."
Ji Lin fought back wave after wave of turbulence, her face cold as she said, "Master need not say such things to flatter this servant. Since I have said I will do as you please, then... I will do as you please."
"Oh? Then why did you clench up even tighter when I mentioned Red Kite?"
"I..."
"Alright, I'm being serious. I'm not flattering you, it's true. You and your dear Red Kite—at least, the Fu Hua at St. Freya—are both gambling dogs."
"Gambling dogs?"
"That's right. Fu Hua is the kind of gambling dog who throws her Valkyrie allowance, and even the money she earns working at construction sites on weekends, straight into the gacha pool."
Ji Lin didn't understand the specifics, but she grasped the general meaning.
Still, how had she become a gambling dog?
Ye Feng chuckled. "It seems gambling dogs never think of themselves as gambling dogs."
"Well then, let's play another game—"
Ye Feng pinned Ji Lin against the windowsill and gestured downward.
"Kiana?"
On the path below, surrounded by green shrubs, a white-haired dumpling happened to be passing by.
Ye Feng's lips brushed against Ji Lin's ear. He lightly bit her crystalline earlobe and whispered, "Let's see if Kiana discovers what we're doing, shall we? If you can hide it well enough that Kiana doesn't notice, then I lose. Care to accept the challenge?"
"I..."
"If you don't say anything, I'll take that as a yes. —Kiana!"
Ye Feng shouted down below.
Ji Lin's body flinched violently, and she frantically tried to pull away.
But Ye Feng held her pinned firmly against the windowsill.
Fortunately, Ye Feng had imitated Ji Lin's voice. Ji Lin quickly composed her expression, reflexively tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.
Hearing the call, Kiana turned her head. She saw Ji Lin leaning out of a second-floor window, her upper body visible. Her forehead was beaded with fine sweat, and a hint of panic flickered in her eyes.
"Ah Lin!"
Kiana waved at her cheerfully.
"Want to come to the roof of the school building? I promised Mei I'd meet her there."
"Ngh... N-No, that's alright~~"
"Huh?"
Kiana clearly hadn't expected a refusal. "Ah Lin, you... what kind of clothes are you wearing?"
It was a style she had never seen before, but it strongly resembled something from a magical girl manga from the Far East.
Overall, it looked quite pure, but upon closer inspection, it was incredibly risqué.
It was the type of outfit one could enjoy studying in detail.
Come to think of it, Mei was the one who recommended that magical girl series. The anime adaptation was perfectly wholesome, but Kiana had somehow managed to stumble upon the R-18 doujinshi.
"I, I... ngh~~ This is... my... magical girl... power..."
The impacts forced Ji Lin onto the tips of her stocking-clad toes, her elbows braced firmly against the windowsill.
Kiana tilted her head up, staring blankly at Ji Lin.
Those halting words, that suppressed breathing, and the flush on her face that one would only see after running on a hot day...
Fuck! That dog Ye Feng is using me as part of his play, isn't he?!
Although Kiana couldn't see Ye Feng, she was certain that damn dog was behind Ah Lin, giving her a Phase Rush.
But Kiana was also a good girl who knew how to read the room. Considering Ji Lin's thin skin, she scratched the back of her head and gave a silly laugh—it didn't look like an act at all.
"The power of a magical girl? That's so cool, I want to be one too. Oh, right, Mei's still waiting for me on the roof. Let's talk next time. Bye, Ah Lin!"
"G-Goodbye..."
Ji Lin's body tensed again and again, her heart pounding like a war drum.
From Kiana's attitude, Ji Lin was certain she had figured it out.
Well, of course. How could she possibly have fooled Kiana? She was a veteran of a hundred battles.
Ji Lin bit her cherry lips, her two beautiful, jade-pillar-like legs stretched taut. Sweat trickled in streams down the white silk.
"Master, are you satisfied now?"
Ji Lin's arms, covered in long gloves, pushed weakly against Ye Feng's chest.
But the delicate and soft madam was simply too exhausted, making the gesture look more like playful flirting.
Seeing that her pushes had no effect, Ji Lin gave up.
Her body was in a strange state, but her heart was in even greater turmoil.
Before, Master had played with her beloved Red Kite right in front of her. Now, he was letting a dear friend she had made in the "modern era" see her in such a disgraceful state.
"Satisfied? It's not over yet. A magical girl's battle is never over this quickly. By the way, Ah Lin, you lost. What should your punishment be, I wonder?"
"..."
Ji Lin turned her head aside, her hands resting on the windowsill. Her moist lips parted slightly. "As you wish, Master."
At this point, there was nothing left to fear.
"Really? Then I command you to master advanced mathematics."
"Huh??"
---o---
Rita entered once more.
Before she came in, her mind had been endlessly cycling through the concepts of common sense and non-common sense, but the moment she entered, she forgot it all completely.
While outside, Rita had predicted that this would likely happen—but even that very thought was erased...
As long as she was inside, everything, absolutely everything, seemed so normal.
She couldn't find the slightest sense of dissonance.
Upon entering, Rita knew only that her common sense had been altered, but she had no way of distinguishing what exactly had been changed.
But the more "normal" everything felt, the more uneasy Rita became.
She genuinely couldn't understand what was wrong with "attending a council meeting wearing only black stockings."
When you should thank someone, you ought to kneel and give Lord Ye Feng oral guidance, of course.
If you need to apologize, then you should use your OO to massage Mr. Ye Feng.
Not doing these things would be as shameful as running naked in a world with normal common sense.
And these were just "minor details" of common sense that Rita didn't even notice were different.
Rita took a deep breath, deciding not to dwell on these problems any longer.
What was "common sense" and what was "non-common sense"? Without a clear standard, forcefully trying to find the problem would only trap her in an endless chain of suspicion.
Rather than do that, it was better to strike at the root of the problem.
At the very least, Rita still understood that as long as she dealt with Mobius, all her problems would be solved.
But as this thought came to her, Rita, clad only in black stockings, hesitated once more.
This idea, "deal with Mobius, and the problem will be solved"... was that, too, a fabrication?