"…This is…"
Najenda stared at her hair surging longer in an instant, then looked at Akuto in disbelief.
"I boosted your ki and blood," he said, "so you could get back to your old style fast.
Between loose hair and braids, I prefer you with long hair flowing."
"You really are…" Najenda rolled her eyes at him.
The next second, she lifted her hands and gathered the white hair, tying it back into the big schoolgirl braid she used to wear.
The waist-length snow-white braid fell neatly behind her back. With it, a lot of her youthful aura returned.
Clothes make the person; tack makes the horse.
Back in her old general's uniform and with her long hair restored, Najenda once again looked every inch the dashing "girl general."
Akuto reached out.
Smooth. Silky.
Besides stroking and holding… that braid definitely had other… uses.
"General Najenda," he smiled. "I'm guessing you're still hung up on Night Raid being forced to submit to me?"
"Hmph. Skill loses to skill. I have nothing to say." Najenda bit her lower lip. Since she was here today, she'd already accepted her fate.
If you can't resist… might as well enjoy it?
"So if I said I'd give you one chance… you wouldn't use it?"
"One chance? What kind of chance?" Najenda tilted her head, pink lips parting as her breath sped up.
"A chance to persuade me." Akuto grinned.
"While you're serving me—if you succeed in persuading me, I'll lend my strength to the Revolutionary Army… or to your personal wish."
"But if you are the one persuaded, you will personally lead troops against the Revolutionary Army."
"Well? Do you accept this wager?"
Back before he ever crossed worlds, there was one thing about Najenda he'd always wanted to argue through—properly.
Now that the chance was here, Akuto would thoroughly "correct" her.
"Fine! I accept!" Najenda answered without a flicker of hesitation.
And so… the "debate" began—mid-ride.
Settling onto him, Najenda rolled her hips slowly; the long white braid swung and brushed back and forth until, after a long moment, her upturned eyes finally settled.
When she came back to herself, she asked the question she cared about most.
"Akuto-sōtoku, since you've decided to rebel against the Empire—and you agree the old nobility must be purged—why won't you join the Revolutionary Army?"
"Your ideas and methods should match theirs, shouldn't they?"
"Match? Since when?" Akuto chuckled and handed her a dossier.
"This is…?" Najenda looked up at him, brow knit.
"Files Chelsea stole from Rev HQ. Every step of their future uprising is recorded."
"According to this, they'll rise from the south, opening city after city without losses, and drive straight for the seat of control."
"At the same time, a Western kingdom, southern tribes, and northern tribes will strike the Empire's borders together."
"Afterward—if the Revolution succeeds—they'll cede a portion of Imperial land, 'returning' those disputed regions to their 'helpers.'"
"Najenda—this is what you call me 'matching' the Revolutionary Army?"
"—!"
Najenda's pupils widened. She… didn't know this.
Akuto's mouth curled. Like a rider taking the reins, he took hold of Najenda's long white braid.
The violet in her lively eyes flipped up again, and a glistening thread gathered at the corner of her lips.
Akuto wiped it away, then slid his fingers into her mouth and pinched her tongue.
"Najenda, you know my home—Longxi Prefecture—isn't a border prefecture. Not yet."
"If the Revolution's plan succeeds and lands are ceded, Longxi becomes a so-called border prefecture overnight, directly abutting the Western kingdom."
"You think someone born in Longxi would ever allow that?"
Najenda had no reply.
Once, she'd been an idealist; now—after so much—she was a realist.
If there were no choice, she might accept the Revolutionary strategy: topple the Empire first, then take the land back.
But now that Akuto existed, she could not agree to their plan.
"…I'm sorry, Akuto-sōtoku. I lose this bet."
The facts were right in front of her. She believed the Revolution would absolutely make such trades for victory; there was no point arguing.
To express her apology, Najenda interlaced her pale, slender fingers with his—then leaned in and kissed him.
"Finding a man who can conquer me… might not be so bad."
With that thought, she hugged him tight. The toned lines of her belly arched, her violet eyes rolled all the way white, and her face went adorably slack.
As Najenda chose submission, the system chimed in Akuto's ear:
[Ding!]
[Congratulations: Fate-Seizure complete.]
[Source: Najenda.]
[Blank "Starting Ability" slot +1. Total starting slots: 16.]
—An hour later.
Using the piece's teleport, Leone arrived at the Governor's Office—nervous, but determined.
She hadn't put on anything special—just her usual olive cropped top and dark short-shorts.
Upon arrival, she froze.
What did she just walk in on?
That woman with the huge silver braid—that had to be Boss, right?
Boss had said she'd been pretty when young—but seeing it was another thing entirely.
Watching Najenda take the initiative—asking Akuto for kisses, feeding him—Leone felt like the sky was cracking.
Boss! Where's your old iron will?! Why are you acting like a… like a—
A long moment later, Leone exhaled and smiled.
Boss had paid too much for the new Empire, always suppressing herself.
Maybe this was her true self resurfacing.
"…Still—Boss is smooth."
Leone saw clearly: Akuto patted Najenda once and she immediately shifted to the next posture, as if reading his mind. Scary-fast learning.
Only then did Najenda notice a guest.
"Leone—you're here."
Face flushed, Najenda couldn't quite meet Leone's eyes. She knew exactly how shameless she'd just looked.
"Yeah, I'm here, Boss. Unlike you two, I came mentally prepared," Leone snorted.
"I mean, I'm not gonna find a man more capable than Akuto-sōtoku, so it's not like I'm getting a bad deal. Kinda feels like I'm winning."
"I know you've always been… free-spirited, Leone," Najenda chuckled.
"Buuut—do you mind waiting a little? Since you're easygoing, you won't mind if I… enjoy Akuto-kun a bit longer, hmm?" Najenda's lips quirked as she handed her braid back into Akuto's palm.
"…Hah?" Leone's brow twitched.
Was Boss… making her queue?
She arrived at her assigned time! And also—Akuto-kun? Since when do you call him that? Wasn't it "Akuto-sōtoku"?
Seeing Najenda settle back in, Leone decided she'd better make a move.
"Akuto-sōtoku—you know my Teigu?"
"Lionelle—King of Beasts Transformation. Cranks my physique and regen through the roof."
"Don't you think—only a woman with a powerful body deserves a powerful man?"
"And besides that, my Teigu has another effect… one I think you'll find interesting."
As she stepped closer, Leone sprouted golden beast ears and a tail.
That schoolgirl braid had its charm? Fine—then she'd be the legendary beast-eared catgirl.
"…Hah."
Now Najenda understood why Leone had come in casual wear—she'd brought a built-in finisher.
"Mmh?"
Akuto's brow arched. He admitted it—Leone's "proposal" appealed to him.
So—
[Boost!]
Vmm—
Scarlet gauntlet manifested on Akuto's arm.
Going all in, he needed only half a minute before the silver-braided general slumped unconscious where she'd been straddling his hips.
Najenda slid bonelessly off him; the long braid spilled after her, glistening under the moonlight.
"Operation success." Leone looked smugly at the limp Boss.
As expected—rather than convincing Boss, snagging Akuto's full attention worked best.
"Leone—I like you," Akuto said, pleased that she'd gone full beast-ear maiden on the spot. "The wild you, and the you who can read the room."
Leone first straightened proudly, then—obliging his mood—sauntered toward him on swaying cat-steps.
"Hmph. In the end, you're still a man, Sōtoku-sama. I don't like throwing myself at men, but for you… I can try."
"Fair warning—I'm strong. I'm not the type satisfied easily."
"Perfect," Akuto murmured, lifting her chin like teasing a big cat. Leone's long tail shot upright. "You said a powerful woman can only be conquered by a powerful man, right? Show me where you're powerful."
"You'll know, Akuto-sōtoku."
Leone licked his palm like a feline, then slid down with a careless hum.
With the Bloodline Infusion's help, Akuto's symbiote burrowed deeper; Leone's ears flickered wildly and her taut abs seized hard—
—
(End of Chapter)
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