Spy Classroom - Volume SS2 - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Thea’s Case

“Whyyyyyyyyyyy?” Thea sobbed. She collapsed face down on the sofa and continued her wailing.

Her beauty was downright bewitching under normal circumstances, but at the moment, her makeup was smeared, and her hair was as disheveled as it had ever been. There was no beauty there, only hysteria. The way she punched the sofa in anguish was like a child throwing a temper tantrum. No small number of the city’s men were smitten with her, but if any of them saw her in that state, they would immediately become disillusioned.

Beside her sat Grete, who let out a similarly forlorn sigh. “…Nothing ever seems to work. The boss really is a fierce opponent.”

“It doesn’t make any sense,” Thea responded in between her lamentations. “I refuse to accept this! I simply don’t believe it!”

“No, no, we have to come to terms with the reality of the situation,” Grete said. “Your plan was perfect. I simply wasn’t good enough…”

“You didn’t do a thing wrong! Teach is just thickheaded—that’s all!”

“You’re just saying that to make me feel better…”

“Come on, have some self-confidence! A-although I do have to admit, it does sting…”

The two of them griped and complained with the grief of all the wrongs of the world, and right as the two of them were consoling each other in the main hall—

“Ugh, what’s with the downer energy? It’s making my skin crawl.”

—Monika came in with venom on her tongue. She’d just gotten out of the bath, and she ran a towel over her asymmetrical cerulean hair as she shot an icy look at Thea.

“I could hear you from all the way down in the bathroom in the basement. So? What’d you screw up this time?” she asked, her voice thick with contempt.

“…That’s not what happened, Monika. What happened wasn’t her fault,” Grete replied, promptly coming to Thea’s defense. “Fortune just wasn’t on our side…”

“Exactly!” Thea shouted. “It was just bad luck! My plan was flawless. Teach passed in front of a hotel while he was out and about, and I called over to him perfectly.”

“It was really a splendid piece of work…,” Grete agreed.

“That’s right, and Grete’s timing when she showed up soaking wet was perfect as well!”

“The boss was shocked, just as planned.”

“The idea was that her being drenched would make him concerned enough for her that he would take her into the hotel with him. That’s simply how men operate. At that point, all we would have to do was treat what happened afterward as a foregone conclusion. We were right on the brink of pulling it all off.”

“Thea believed that the boss would be so aroused that he would overlook all the little details…”

“But somehow, he was able to keep his cool and ask her, ‘How did you get so wet?’”

“I hadn’t been expecting to get questioned, so I panicked. I told him that it was from a passing rain cloud…”

“But Teach didn’t fall for it. He just turned around and walked off like he’d seen right through us.”

“…The boss truly is a formidable foe.”

“He really is. I guess that’s an elite spy for you. It’s too hard to catch him off guard.”

“……………………………”

Grete and Thea gave their explanation in turns, nodding at each other’s statements all the while. Neither of them seemed to have picked up on the degree of exasperation in Monika’s stare. “You people, I swear.” She sighed. In the end, she scratched the back of her head in annoyance. “Look, there’s something that has been bugging me for a while. Can I go ahead and just ask it?”

“What’s the question?” Thea said with a puzzled tilt of her head, and Monika didn’t beat around the bush.

“Are you sure you’re actually good at seduction?”

As it turned out, there was one other incident that took place during the Mitario Showdown Prep Phase as well.

While Annette was hard at work at her side job, the other girls took turns taking vacation time. Staying in peak condition was part of their job, too, and given how they hadn’t had any meaningful time off since the Corpse mission, it was essential that they get some R&R.

Of the girls resting, one of them chose to reenergize herself by spending time with Klaus—namely, code name Daughter Dearest, aka Grete. Thea tried to help Grete bring her love to fruition, and under Thea’s tutelage, Grete made several attempts to steal Klaus’s heart. However, she was met with failure each and every time, causing Thea to start lamenting her own uselessness. The fact that there was a man she was unable to woo wounded her pride as a self-proclaimed master of seduction.

Notably, this was also right after her confidence had crumbled due to the debacle involving Annette’s mother, the details of which don’t need to be recounted here. That was the state she was in when the incident began with someone asking for her advice.

Thea shuddered.

I—I simply can’t believe it… How could she doubt me so utterly and completely…?

She walked down the hallway with her face buried in her hands and her body faintly quivering. By that point, she’d gone past hysteria all the way to blank stupefaction. She’d been shaken so deeply, she could hardly even speak. Monika’s harsh words just kept bouncing around in the back of her head.

“You just have the exact kind of looks that idiot dudes go for. You’re young, you’ve got a sexy figure, and you seem like an easy lay. It hardly takes a professional to press their massive tits against some ape to get him hot and bothered so they can manipulate him.”

Oh, what a merciless accusation it had been!

Thea had denied it, of course. Grete believed in her, and Thea didn’t want to let her abilities come under question in front of her. However, the fact that Monika had doubted her at all was enough to torment her.

Unghhh… That’s the way people see me right now, isn’t it?

More than anger, it was sorrow that filled her heart. Sure, she’d never once succeeded in seducing Klaus, but…

N-no, no, Monika’s the only one who believes that. I mean, she is a grump. But I’m sure everyone else still reveres me as their local love guru!

Thea did her utmost to cheer herself up. She knew that if she didn’t, it was liable to break her. After deciding to turn in early, she headed down the hallway toward her room.

Then someone called over to her. “Oh, hey, Thea. Perfect timing.” That someone was Sybilla, who was standing in front of one of their teammates’ rooms with her brows furrowed in consternation. “Would you mind lendin’ a hand? I’m outta my depth here.”

Thea pointed at herself. “Who, me?”

“It’s a romance thing. I’m no expert when it comes to this stuff, and Lily’d just go red and run away, so I can’t ask her for help, either.”

“When you say ‘romance’…” Thea looked with surprise at the girl standing beside Sybilla. “…Are you asking on Sara’s behalf?”

“Sh-she is,” Sara said. “I’m kind of at a loss here. I have no idea what I should do.”

Sara was standing in front of her room with her head hung low. She was a brown-haired girl with the kind of timidity one would expect from a small animal. At the moment, her cheeks were flushed, and she was anxiously twiddling her fingers in front of her chest.

“Oh,” Thea said in shock. Now, that was a surprise. Sara was Lamplight’s third-youngest member, and as far as Thea had known, she had no interest in matters of the heart. Thea was dying to help out in any way she could. However, Sybilla and Sara seemed somewhat less eager.

“I mean, I did give it my best shot,” Sybilla groaned.

“A-and honestly, so did I,” Sara said apologetically.

“But we couldn’t come up with any decent answers…”

“And there isn’t anyone else to turn to…”

The two of them sighed in unison.

“So I guess she…” “So I guess Miss Thea…”

““…is our only option, huh.””

“You settled on me by process of elimination?”

Thea’s eyes went wide. The situation was more serious than she’d thought. To think that Monika wasn’t the only one who had doubts about her romantic expertise.

As Thea saw it, the attitude they were taking with her was hardly respectful enough when they were the ones who’d come to her asking for help—

“………”

—but Sara’s expression was downright tortured. It was clear that she was really agonizing over this.

Thea had a lot of things she wanted to say but only one answer she could give. “For starters, why don’t you tell me what’s going on. How can I be of assistance?”

With that, she stepped into Sara’s room.

“A love letter?” Thea repeated in surprise.

“That’s right.” Sara nodded, then explained what had happened.

As the story went, Sara often went over to the big pet shop in the capital when she had time off. The building was furnished with a small lawn, so she liked to let her puppy, Johnny, run around there. Sara loved to spend her days off watching Johnny scamper around happily, enjoying the play equipment and hanging out with the other pets.

“Apparently, there was a man who saw me…,” Sara said embarrassedly.

“And the guy gave the clerk a love letter to pass along to Sara,” Sybilla finished.

Thea read over the letter. The sender was a man named Dominic Maura, and it started with the passionate declaration, “I fell for you at first sight.” It came on a little strong, but the love behind the words was plain to see.

“So?” Thea said, pushing Sara to elaborate. “How did you reply?”

“I wrote a letter back turning him down,” Sara replied. “I appreciated the thought, but I’m so busy with my spy missions that I don’t have time for things like that…”

“I suppose that makes sense.”

“But when I did…more and more letters started pouring in.”

With that, Sara showed her a pile of papers so big, she could barely fit it in her hands. “Ooh,” Thea said in astonishment before glancing through them. The passion of their contents only escalated from the first one.

“You consume my thoughts so completely that I find myself unable to sleep at night.” “The sight of your smile as you watched your puppy play is burned into my gaze, never to leave.” “Oh, what I would give to speak with you.” “When I saw you, I knew it was destiny at work.” “Please, at least let me treat you to a meal.”

Frankly, it was a bit scary.

Sybilla crossed her arms with a fierce look on her face. “That’s when she came to me for help. What’s your take? It’s kinda stalkery; you think she should just ignore ’em? How would you deal with somethin’ like this?”

Now, it was clear what lay at the heart of the matter. It was perhaps an enviable problem to have, but when it came to romance, turning people down wasn’t as easy as it looked. Sara was clearly conflicted as to how best to handle her suitor.

“To be honest,” Sara said, hanging her head, “it’s so overwhelming that I feel awkward even going to the pet shop anymore…even though Mr. Johnny loves it there so much…”

Her expression was heavy and downcast. Sara clearly didn’t have any experience being courted like that. That much made sense, given how long she’d been cooped up in her spy academy.

If she couldn’t come up with a solution, she would lose one of her favorite places. The first person she’d gone to for advice was Sybilla, but Sybilla hadn’t been able to come up with anything good, either. Thea took another look at the letters. The man’s love was out of control, but he didn’t seem like a bad person. He recognized that Sara was a minor, and it sounded like the kind of relationship he was after was entirely wholesome.

“Tell me, Sara. You’ve never met Dominic, right?”

“No. We’ve only ever interacted through letters.”

“In that case, I think it might not be a bad idea to try meeting up with him. There’s a lot you can’t tell about a person until you meet them face-to-face, things you’d never learn when half your conversations have nothing to fuel them but your imagination.”

Sara’s eyes went wide. “Are you sure that would be okay…? I’m a spy, so getting wrapped up in a relationship isn’t exactly—”

“The most important thing here is your feelings.”

“M-my feelings?”

“Exactly. Let’s set all the spy stuff aside for a moment. What do you want? Do you want to give dating a try? Is there someone else you think is just lovely? I want to hear your candid thoughts about this.”

The fact of the matter was, dating was hard for spies. They couldn’t afford to reveal their true identities to their romantic partners, and those partners themselves could even be used against them. However, Thea’s concerns lay elsewhere.

Honestly, Lamplight has a lot of members who distance themselves from romance.

Perhaps it was the harsh nature of the world of espionage that put them in that position, but aside from Grete, none of them ever proactively pursued love. However, the bridal royale had proven that it wasn’t because they were uninterested in it. The situation was bad—Thea could feel it in her bones. If they kept forcibly shutting out the voices in their hearts, then inevitably, it would hurt them and have lasting repercussions on the rest of their lives.

Right now, she wanted to hear what Sara had to say when stripped of all pretext.

Sara took a good long while to come up with an answer. “I—I, um…” Her face went red, and she gave her hat a hard squeeze. “I—I do have someone who I think is lovely.”

Sybilla and Thea exchanged a look. That wasn’t the answer they’d been expecting at all.

Sara continued hanging her head in embarrassment as she went on. “But I don’t have any idea whether or not that’s actually love… And plus, I’m sure he has no desire to fall in love with me, and double plus, there’s someone else who would be a much better pair with him, and I’m actually rooting for her love to work out…”

There was a man who immediately came to mind for Thea—the one man who was closer to the girls than any other, yet who was acting in good faith not to direct any romantic feelings their way.

“You know,” Sara said with a chagrined laugh, “I might just be in love with the idea of romance. It really would be nice if I could fall in love the way Miss Grete did.”

Thea gave her a smile. “That’s perfectly normal for a girl your age.”

The lot of them were all spies, but at the same time, they were still teenage girls, and they were right at that age where most people start yearning for romance.

“Then it’s settled,” Sybilla said with a grin.

“That it is,” Thea replied with a nod before delivering her verdict. “Go ahead and meet up with Dominic. It’ll help you find out if what you’re feeling is love or not.”

If Sara went on a date with another man, it would give her the tools to get her own feelings in order. This might actually be a perfect opportunity.

As Thea brought the discussion to its conclusion, Sara looked at her with a start and began getting flustered. “B-but is it really okay for someone like me to do this? I’ve never met up with a man to spend time alone with him, and I don’t know the first thing about fashion, and I’m afraid I’m just going to disappoint him…”

When Sara left the manor, she generally went out wearing the school uniform they used for their cover story. The clothes she owned herself were all plain and drab.

“And just who do you think you’re talking to, pray tell?” As soon as Sara started looking nervous, Thea poked her in the shoulder and confidently laid a hand atop her own chest. “I’ll give you the best backup you could ever ask for. It’s high time I showed you just what I’m capable of.”

With that, Thea launched into her grand campaign to give Sara a makeover.

On the morning of the day the date was going to take place, Thea headed over to Monika’s room. The moment she knocked on the door and stuck her head in, Monika looked up sleepily from her bed and chewed Thea out. “What? Why should I have to look at your mug first thing in the morning on my day off?” However, Thea paid her no heed. She was used to Monika being particularly rude to her.

“Would you mind coming to the main hall?” Thea asked.

Monika grimaced. “And why the hell would I do that?”

“There’s something I want you to see. Come on down and behold my true might.”

“Oh yeah? Fine,” Monika replied listlessly to Thea’s proverbial gauntlet throw. It wasn’t the warmest of responses, but at least she’d agreed to come. After quickly changing from her pajamas to her mission outfit, Monika descended the stairs to the main hall alongside Thea.

“See, this is what I can do when I put my mind to it!” Thea cried as she threw open the door.

Inside, Sara was standing in the middle of the main hall dressed to the nines. Thea had given her attire that would not get in the way of her girl-next-door charm. All she had on as far as makeup went was a bit of foundation, and her outfit was centered around a long, light-green skirt from the Lylat Kingdom. Thea had left Sara’s trademark newsboy cap right where it was, but she’d pinned a badge to it to give it a little highlight. She’d also used a curling iron to straighten the permed hair stretching out from under it.

“…Dang.” Monika let out a small breath. “Good going.”

Thea clenched her fists. Monika wasn’t in the habit of giving out empty praise, so earning a commendation from her was sure proof that Thea had nailed it.

“Still,” Monika said to Sara, who seemed deeply restless, “she was working from a good baseline. You should be proud.”

The compliment made Sara blush. She wasn’t quite sure what to make of the unfamiliar outfit.

Then the other girls started gathering one after another. Sara was so beautiful, they hardly recognized her, and they all paid her compliments.

“I think you look badass, yo.” “You look wonderful, Big Sis Sara.”

On hearing the high praise coming from Annette and Erna, Sara bashfully scratched her cheek.

Thea proudly parted back her hair. “I should think so, considering I went all out.”

As Thea basked in her own satisfaction, Grete looked at her with admiration in her gaze. “You never fail to impress, Thea the Brilliant and Wise…” Monika’s comments had almost caused Thea’s disciple to lose faith in her, but now, that respect was restored.

“I’m not finished yet, not by half,” Thea declared triumphantly. “I’m going to back you up during the date itself, too, Sara. Make sure you bring your radio with you.”

A look of shock crossed Sara’s face. “Y-you’re going to be watching the whole thing?”

“Of course I am! And anyone else who’s not busy should come along, too. If we all work together, we’ll be able to orchestrate the best date ever!”

“““““All right!”””””

“No, no, no, no!” Sara yelped. “I appreciate the offer, but please, no! That would be too embarrassing!!”

However, the others were so pumped up, they completely ignored her protests. “Don’t you worry,” Sybilla reassured her. “If he tries to bring you to a sketchy hotel, I’ll beat the shit outta him for ya.”

“N-now I’m starting to get nervous, too,” said Lily.

“All my bugs are set up and ready to go, yo,” Annette announced.

“…I’ll have to use this as a reference for a date I can go on with the boss,” Grete mused.

“I’ll be rooting for you,” said Erna.

The look in Sara’s eyes was one of utter resignation. “O-okay…”

Thea let out a conflicted laugh. She wanted to be there for Sara, of course, but the fact was that the others were keenly interested in the topic of dating. It made perfect sense, given the ages they were all at. Thea felt a little bad for using Sara like that, but this was going to be a perfect opportunity for their teammates to get front-row seats to the romance that they’d been so quick to push aside.

“Ugh, what a bunch of busybodies.”

The one team member who reacted coldly was Monika—

“Oh? You’re not coming?”

“Excuse me? Why the hell should I have to tag along with you lot?”

—but when Thea asked her straight up, she replied with an annoyed glare.

“I’m only going to stick around until noon.”

Sara’s eyes went wide. “So you are coming!”

Much to her surprise, the full cohort ended up accompanying her.

They’d settled on a time and place for the meeting via the love letters. The location was to be a pet-friendly café in a suburb not far from the Republic’s capital. The café had a courtyard with a fountain where customers could let their dogs play while they enjoyed a nice galette, and the plan was for them to meet right in front of it.

As Sara headed over to the café with her radio, the rest of the girls waited on standby in a vacant room in the building across the street. All of them were lined up in front of their fourth-story window with binoculars in hand.

“Damn, it’s packed in there. I had no idea pets were so popular,” Sybilla said nonchalantly as she munched on her sandwich.

“Apparently, we’re in the middle of a pet boom,” Lily replied as she enjoyed a sandwich as well. “People have been getting into selective breeding lately, and celebrities have been getting in on the action, too.”

The two of them were being relatively calm about the whole thing, but in contrast, the two shorter girls beside them—namely, Annette and Erna—were practically hyperventilating with excitement. “I’ve got a clear view of the meeting spot, yo.” “Me too. I don’t see anything dangerous in the area.”

“All right, let’s go over it one more time,” Monika said to the eager duo before posing them a question. “What do we do if the guy ends up being a dirtbag who tries to get handsy with Sara?”

Annette’s and Erna’s hands shot into the air. “We blow him up, yo.” “I get him caught in a tragic accident.”

“Don’t you think that’s taking things a bit too far?!” Sara cried over the radio. It didn’t sound like there were any problems with the signal.

Annette and Erna ignored Sara’s protestations and exchanged a high five. “We’re gonna judge this guy backward and forward.” “We’ll never give Big Sis Sara away to a man who doesn’t meet our standards.” They were the two who Sara often took care of, and although they collectively made up the group called the Specialist squad, that was only one part of the bond they shared.

I can’t believe everyone actually came… I suppose that’s a testament to Sara’s natural charisma.

Lamplight was home to more than its fair share of oddballs, and Sara was one of the only “normal” people in its ranks. Many of the others adored her; the fact that the chronically antisocial Monika had tagged along was proof enough of that. Everyone wanted Sara’s date to go smoothly.

However, that kindheartedness of Sara’s was the exact reason Thea was worried. She rested her hand on her cheek. “You know, Sara comes across as timid, so she’s liable to attract all sorts of strange men. You know, like people who can only love women they think are weaker than them.”

“For sure,” Monika agreed. “I mean, we’re talking about the kind of guy who would go and write a mountain of love letters. Feels like the only way this can go is wrong.”

“Well, we won’t know until we see him for ourselves. It’s what’s inside that really matters, but at the same time…”

“Yeah, of course. For Sara’s sake, it’d be nice if he was a looker.”

You couldn’t judge someone solely off their looks, but the girls still hoped that whoever came at least gave off a wholesome impression. None of Dominic’s love letters had included a photo of himself, so they had no idea how old he was or what kind of job he had. Their anxieties just kept on mounting. What if the reason he didn’t give her a photo was because he was hideous and he knew it?

Then Erna spoke up. “Look, someone’s talking to Big Sis Sara!”

“We have visual on the target!” Thea barked without a moment’s delay.

The girls jockeyed for position by the window and pointed their binoculars down at the café. Out in front of it, a man had just approached Sara. He had short, evenly cut dark-brown hair; a pitch-black jacket; and a pair of beige pants. In his hand, he was carrying a daffodil. It was exactly what the love letter had told her to look for.

That was Dominic. There could be no doubt about it. Sara gave him an embarrassed little bow.

The others all gulped and turned their gazes Dominic’s way. When they saw his face, they all shared the same reaction.

“““““““HE’S A TOTAL HUUUUUUUUNK!”””””””

Their screams were unanimous.

Dominic Maura, the man who had sent Sara all those love letters, was so attractive that the girls had no choice but to give him full marks.

As Dominic and Sara chatted in the café, Dominic’s voice came through Sara’s hidden radio loud and clear. “God, I’m so sorry. I probably made a complete ass of myself, sending you all those love letters. I don’t usually do stuff like that, but I just couldn’t help myself… Ah, right, I should introduce myself. My name’s Dominic Maura, and I’m a senior at Shalita University. I’ve been thinking about getting a dog lately, which is why I was hanging out at the pet shop, and that’s when I spotted you…and yes, fell for you at first sight.”

Dominic was the one doing most of the talking, but that wasn’t to say he was giving off a poor impression. He seemed like an agreeable young man. His outfit was well put together, what with his fashionable jacket and his expensive wristwatch, and when Sara was at a loss as to what to order, he offered her some thoughtful advice while also making sure to give her the seat with the better view. Plus, his academic background wasn’t bad, either.

Most importantly, though, their conversation was as lively as could be.

“I’m studying genetically modified crops at uni. Have you heard of Weyrich corn? It’s incredibly nutritious, so it comes highly recommended as pet food… That’s right, I actually helped out a tiny bit with its development. Is that right, you feed it to your other pets? Well, I’m touched to hear they enjoy it.”

Dominic was getting Sara to come out of her shell. As it turned out, the two of them had pretty similar interests. Sara gave him a sunny smile. “Actually, do you know of food that would be good for a hawk’s health? Mine’s been a little under the weather lately.”

“For a hawk, huh? As far as carnivores go…I’m afraid I’m not too sure. I’ll try asking the professor next time I see him. He’s really busy, though, so it might take a while.”

“The professor…? You mean, one of your professors at Shalita University?”

“No, Professor Tott. I ran into him at a conference last month, and we ended up hitting it off.”

“Isn’t he one of the biggest names in the field of biology?! That’s incredible!”

It was about as harmonious as conversations got. So harmonious, in fact, that it was kind of boring to listen to. The others were relieved, of course, but it was also a bit anticlimactic.

“It’d be pretty rude to keep listening in,” Monika said with a big yawn. “I’m bored, so I’m gonna bail. Sybilla, you want to come, too?”

“Huh? Yeah, I guess I’ll head out with you. Doesn’t look like there are any fires to put out, so you all can fill me in on the details later.”

With that, Sybilla started getting ready to leave, too. After the two of them left, Lily said, “Well, I came all the way up to the capital, so I might as well track down some sweets,” and vacated the premises as well.

Sure enough, it didn’t seem like there would be much point to them continuing to monitor the wiretap. Sara and Dominic’s café date was going just fine without Thea needing to lift a finger. That said, Erna and Annette seemed doggedly determined to continue supervising.

“By the way, did you know? Apparently they’re opening a new off-leash dog park.”

“Oh, wow, I had no idea.”

“Would you like to check it out with me next week? Then we’ll both be able to bring our pets.”

“Th-that might be nice… Oh, but would you mind if I waited to give you my answer? I don’t have a great sense of what my schedule is going to look like next week.”

“Oh, of course, I’m so sorry. Forgive me for being so forward even though we only just met.”

In the end, they even started making plans for a follow-up date. From listening to Sara’s voice, it sounded like she was excited about the prospect.

As far as first dates went, that one went just about as well as it could have.

The café date lasted about two hours. It was the perfect amount of time for a man and a woman to hang out for the first time; it was neither too long nor too short. Dominic seemed to have a good sense for that, and after giving Sara his contact information, he saw her off with a warm smile.

Thea approached Dominic directly right after the two of them parted ways. When he started walking toward the station, she intercepted his path and called out to him from the front.

“Hello there, you.”

“Hmm? Is there something wrong?”

Despite getting accosted out of nowhere, Dominic’s expression didn’t sour in the slightest.

Thea wanted to talk to him in person, just to be safe. This was a man who was on the verge of potentially getting very close with one of her dear friends, after all. She needed to make sure she vetted him.

He seems even more delightful up close.

Her impression of him just kept on improving. The smile he was giving her seemed downright harmless, yet he didn’t come across as at all frail. His body had the kind of mass to it that seemed trustworthy if he ever needed to protect you.

He’s probably a real hit with the younger ladies, Thea concluded. He probably had no shortage of fangirls.

She returned his smile with one of her own. “That was a cute girl you were with earlier. Who is she, your girlfriend?”

“……? Why do you ask?” Dominic scrunched up his face a bit but then went, “Aah,” in realization and flashed his pearly whites. “Let me guess. Are you a friend of Sara’s?”

“Something like that. Sorry about that. I might have been watching over her a bit.”

“Oh, no, I don’t mind at all. It makes sense you’d be worried, especially after that mountain of love letters I sent her.” Dominic scratched his cheek in embarrassment. “She’s just as wonderful as I thought she’d be. I could feel myself getting swept off my feet… Oh, and I don’t just mean by her looks, of course. She’s even more wonderful on the inside.”

“That’s what I like to hear. You be good to her, okay? Oh, and by the way…” Thea gently raised her index finger. “…You have a little something stuck in your hair.”

“I do?” Dominic ran his hand over his head in puzzlement.

“Hold still. I’ll get it for you.” Thea took a step toward him and got right up close to his face. Dominic didn’t turn away, so they ended up looking each other in the eye for a few seconds. “………There, got it.”

After three seconds of sustained eye contact, Thea stepped back.

Dominic gave her a small bow. “Thank you.”

“………?”

Thea was confused.

She had a special ability—the power to deduce a person’s wants and aspirations if she spent three seconds staring into their eyes. Just now, she’d peered into the heart of Sara’s prospective suitor to make sure he was worthy of her. However, the desire she’d sensed was radically different from the impression he’d given off up to that point. What in the world was going on?

Still unsure what to make of it, Thea exchanged some simple pleasantries with Dominic and left. Then she quickly set out in search of Sara. She needed to see her as soon as possible.

At the moment, Sara was still in front of the café. Her conversation with Dominic must have worn her out, as she was staring distractedly up at the sky. It was still mid-afternoon, but the sky was overcast, and the sun was nowhere to be seen. Sara was squinting up at the clouds in a daze.

“Hello there, Sara.”

“Oh, Miss Thea.”

When she noticed Thea, she broke into a smile.

Upon seeing how ever-so-slightly flushed Sara’s face was, Thea couldn’t help but comment on it. “…Looks like someone’s in a good mood.”

“I-is it that obvious?” Sara asked, bashfully clamping her hands down on her cheeks.

“Let’s head back on foot, shall we?”

They could just as easily have taken the bus, but they decided to walk instead. The street Thea chose was one block over from the main thoroughfare. It was a quiet street lined with watch stores and tailor shops. A postal worker cycled past them on a bicycle.

“M-my heart was racing a mile a minute,” Sara said before Thea had a chance to ask. “I—I never knew that was what sharing a meal with a man would feel like. I was so nervous, I don’t even remember what it was we talked about. It was so embarrassing, getting looked at from so close up.”

“Mm…”

All Thea could offer her were vague noises.

Sara’s voice was high-spirited. She was speaking much faster than normal and talking about how well her inaugural date went. Thea thought back to what Dominic had said to Sara right before the two of them parted ways.

“I’m so glad I got to meet you… You really are pretty, Sara. Seeing you in person like this makes that even clearer to me. This whole time we were talking, I couldn’t believe how much we have in common and what an amazing person you are. I desperately hope you’ll go out with me again, but even if you don’t, spending today with a girl as cute as you is a memory I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Lines like those came across as vapid and hollow to her, but there probably wasn’t a young girl alive who was immune to the flattery from such a hottie.

“And? What did you think of Dominic?”

Sara furrowed her brow at this. “…Th-that’s a good question. I don’t have my thoughts all in order yet, but I’m pretty sure that I don’t have any romantic feelings for him. Still, it did make me happy when he said I was cute…but it was kind of embarrassing, too. Guys don’t say things like that to me very often.”

“I see…”

“But Dominic was… I mean, he’s so different from the one I think is lovely… I’m not saying that he’s a bad person or anything, though. Oh gosh, I don’t know how to put it…” Sara took another few stabs at explaining herself, but in the end, she just cradled her head in her arms. “Oh, it doesn’t make sense! Someone like me shouldn’t be getting so picky!”

Too much new information had gotten into Sara’s head, and it was sending her into a tizzy. As Sara panicked, Thea cast a gentle look her way.

Don’t you see? This is exactly what being a teen is all about.

By that point, it didn’t matter whether or not Sara was interested in Dominic. Her heart had already been jostled into motion. The reason she wasn’t going for Dominic was because someone else had crept into her thoughts. Now she was starting to care about things like her appearance. That was why it felt so nice to have a boy compliment her on her looks, even when she wasn’t interested in him specifically. That was something Sara had missed out on when she’d been devoting herself solely to her spy training. What she was going through now, though, was adolescence in all its glory.

That was what I wanted her to experience for herself. That was what I wanted everyone to have to face head-on. That was all there was to it. Thea clenched her fists in frustration. So why did this have to happen?

Ever since she peered into Dominic’s heart, she’d had a feeling of foreboding that refused to go away. She steeled her resolve. “L-look, Sara. There’s something I need to tell you—”

“Sara.”

Before she could get the words out, though, someone else called Sara’s name.

It was Monika. There was a still look in her eyes. “You got a sec?”

At some point, she’d arrived just down the street in front of them. Her face didn’t have the faintest hint of a smile on it. Beside her, Lily was awkwardly hanging her head.

“…Miss Monika?” Sara asked worriedly. “Is something the matter?”

“With stuff like this, it’s better to just rip off the bandage. I’m gonna give it to you straight,” Monika said. She shoved an envelope into Sara’s hands, and Sara opened it with a puzzled look on her face. Inside, there were copies of the Shalita University student register and a large number of newspaper articles. “I looked up every student currently enrolled at Shalita, and there isn’t a single senior named Dominic Maura. Plus, there weren’t any students who worked on Weyrich corn, and Professor Tott spent all last month abroad on an international research project, so he wasn’t at any conferences. That guy lied about everything he told you.”

After Monika split off from the group, she’d secretly conducted a background check, and Lily and Sybilla had helped her out. With their support, and with Monika pulling out all the stops, infiltrating a university records room was child’s play.

What she’d just revealed was the same thing Thea had resigned herself to accepting. When she looked into that man’s heart, all she’d seen was a filthy desire to take advantage of people and swindle them out of huge sums of money. To him, Sara had never been anything more than a mark.

Sara’s face went pale. “What do you mean…? Dominic was so—”

“His real name is Tarik Pupke, and he was arrested last month,” Monika declared. “He’s a con artist who runs romance scams.”

Monika laid the facts out as they were.

Dominic—or rather, Tarik—wasn’t a student at all. He was unemployed, and he made his living by leeching off younger women and swindling them out of cash. He targeted girls from affluent families, started relationships with them, and pretended he was having money problems. After stoking the girls’ concerns, he would manipulate them into stealing valuables from their parents.

His actions caused tragic consequences for the families he victimized. Most of the time, the con got discovered when the parents noticed their daughter acting strangely, and when that happened, the damages weren’t only monetary. The parents would grow disappointed in their daughters for betraying them, and the daughters’ hearts would be so broken that they closed off their feelings. The bonds between parent and child would be forever broken, and families would be left in ruins.

Such was the misfortune that Tarik left in his wake.

“B-but,” Sara stammered, “if he got arrested last month, then why is he free now…?”

“The prosecutor threw out the case,” Monika replied. “There wasn’t enough evidence. The victims must feel terrible.”

The concept of romance scams hadn’t been codified in Din law yet. The act of receiving money and presents was treated as a simple expression of free love, and no one had been able to prove that any fraud had taken place. The newspaper clippings had the whole story.

“But why would he go after me?” Sara asked. She was still having trouble coming to terms with the situation. “I’m not rich or anything…”

“He wants Johnny,” Monika declared flatly. That was the name of Sara’s puppy. “You know how pets are super popular in the capital right now? Well, you’ve trained Johnny perfectly. He’s smart, and from the way he acts, it’s like he can understand human speech. Plus, he’s still in that cute puppy phase. He’d fetch a high price if you sold him to a celebrity or something.”

“………”

Sara let out a choked sob. She’d just remembered the way he’d asked her to bring her puppy to their next date.

Monika produced a radio receiver from her pocket. “Sybilla’s tailing Tarik as we speak. He just went into a pub with one of his buddies. Do you have it in you to listen in on their conversation?”

Sara gulped and squeezed herself tight as she nodded.

Tarik’s mirthful voice came buzzing through.

“…Right now? Well, I found a new sucker. I just got done meeting with her. It’s crazy how naive she is. It’s only a matter of time before she’s putty in my hands… Yeah, exactly. I’ll start off by having her steal from her parents’ wallets, and at some point, I’ll snatch up the dog, too… I swear, these people are hilarious. It’s like, use your heads a little. There isn’t a guy alive who’d fall at first sight for some hick kid like—”

The voice cut off. Monika had killed the signal, and not a moment too soon. It had been getting to be too much even for Thea to bear, and she’d just been listening as a third party.

However, even just the part that had come through had been more than enough to leave a wound in Sara’s heart. Her face had gone all the way past pale, and now, she was as white as a sheet. Her knees were trembling, her teeth were digging into her lips, and she was breathing so hard that it was like it was taking everything she had just to stay upright.

“Don’t you worry, Sara.” Monika’s voice was uncharacteristically gentle. “I’ve got this. When I’m through with him, he’s going to wish he was dead.”

She patted Sara on the shoulder and began heading back toward the busy thoroughfare. Even at just a glance, it was clear to see how livid she was. The raw fury she was emanating was enough to make one’s hair stand on end.

As she went, Lily followed along after her. There was a poison needle already clutched in her hand.

Sara was sure that they would carry out the most perfect revenge imaginable—

“T-time out!”

—but she called them off.

“I-it’s okay… You don’t need to do all that…”

“And why not?” Monika asked with a skeptical grimace.

Sara gave her a self-deprecating smile. “I’m such an idiot… If I had thought about it, I would have realized that. I should have realized it was a scam the moment someone told me—someone like me—that they’d fallen for me at first sight. I was stupid for ever thinking a guy might do that… It was reckless of me to think I could handle dating. I’m just a joke…”

Midway through, her voice grew hoarse. Once the tears spilled, they poured relentlessly from Sara’s eyes, and she squeezed the bridge of her nose to try to stop them as she took off at a desperate run.

“Sara!” Thea called after her, but Sara paid her no heed and vanished around the corner.

Thea knew she needed to go after her, but before she could, someone else showed up.

“Yo, was that stuff just now true?”

“Is Dominic really a con artist…?”

Two someones, in fact: Annette and Erna. They’d gone off and enjoyed themselves once the date wound down, and the two of them had arrived at the street licking lollipops. Erna was carrying a third untouched one, no doubt meant for Sara.

The two of them had seen enough to suss out what was going on. They cast darkened looks off in the direction Sara had just fled.

“Y’know…” Annette cracked her lollipop between her teeth. “…I think I’m gonna go for a nice little walk, yo.”

“I’ll come with you.”

Thea intuitively sensed danger. Neither of those two was great when it came to exercising restraint, and whatever punishment they levied on Tarik was liable to be excessive. Annette, in particular, had a side to her that was best left unexplored.

“H-hold on. Hold it right there, you two!” Thea said, trying hurriedly to stop them from doing anything rash…

…but Monika just glared at her. “Why stop them? Aren’t you pissed, too?” she asked. “Jackasses like him who take advantage of people’s innocence make me sick.”

“Monika…”

“Stay out of our way. We need to teach this guy that there are some people in this world you don’t get to mess with.”

Monika had murder in her eyes. It might well have been that she blamed Thea for encouraging Sara to go on the date in the first place, but either way, that anger of hers was legitimate. They couldn’t just let Tarik walk away unpunished after the way he’d toyed with their teammate’s maidenly heart. If the law wasn’t going to judge him, then it was up to them to do it themselves.

All Thea had to do was nod, and the others would flawlessly enact vengeance on Sara’s behalf.

“This isn’t it.” However, she shook her head. Carrying out vigilante justice wouldn’t mend Sara’s pain. It would be a hollow revenge. “Can you give me some time? I have a better solution in mind.”

Monika gave her a dubious look.

“And just for the record,” Thea continued loudly, “I’m absolutely seething!”

There was one thing Monika did have right. They did need to teach him a lesson he would never forget—a lesson that in that world of theirs, there were some people you just didn’t mess with.

Sara was sitting on a bench beside a stream that ran right through the heart of the city. She had a loaf of bread, and when she strewed a little on the ground, pigeons flocked to her from all over. From the look of it, they were each politely waiting for her to offer them some. Sara continued tearing off little chunks with a desolate look in her eyes.

A couple passing by watched Sara with delight, then continued on their merry way.

Thea called out to her. “Sara…”

“I feel so stupid…” Sara’s voice was thick with grief. “I feel so stupid for letting myself get excited. Now everyone’s gotten front-row seats to me making a fool of myself…”

“………”

“I’m the worst. There’s even someone else I think is lovely…but I got so happy when some other guy called me cute… And now, it just hurts…”

Huge teardrops spilled onto her knees. It was clear to see just how torn up she was. Romance scammers left their victims’ hearts in tatters. Thea understood that better than most, which was why she made sure to exercise extreme care whenever she herself laid a honey trap. That was why Tarik made her so angry. He’d taken advantage of her teammate’s naivete, and there was no way Thea was going to let that slide!

“I just wanted to fall in love like Miss Grete did…,” Sara choked. “But I should have known that someone like me could never—”

“That’s not true!” Thea grabbed Sara’s shoulders and looked at her head-on. “I’m so sorry, Sara. I acted carelessly, and this is where it’s gotten us. But please, at least let me explain myself. There was something I wanted to show you, something I wanted to show all of you—that you’re wonderful girls who are just as qualified and have just as much right as anyone to enjoy what romance has to offer.”

“Miss Thea…”

“This is a matter of love, and love is exactly how we’re going to settle it. The kid gloves are off now.” A beautiful smile spread across Thea’s face. “This time, I’m going to make him fall like he’s never fallen before.”

When they got back to Heat Haze Palace, Thea started giving orders to the others.

“Grete, could you put together an outfit that matches this picture? I’d like it to be a bit big on Sara. Lily and Erna, I need your help concocting a perfume. Sybilla, I’m sorry to have to ask this, but would you mind running out and getting us the materials we need? Annette, your job is to compile a list of Far East restaurants for me. And Monika, I need you to continue keeping tabs on Tarik’s location.”

Her instructions were detailed, and her teammates got to work carrying them out. All of Lamplight was banding together on Sara’s behalf.

Of all the people Thea gave directions to, Lily was the one whose contributions stood out the most. The poisons she could brew didn’t just stop at paralytics. She also knew how to design poisons that could make people aroused or intoxicated, and with those at her disposal, she was capable of making an imitation love potion. With that, they were going to be able to settle things in relatively short order.

“Sorry to rain on your happy little parade,” Monika said bluntly, “but do you have any actual reason for believing that us following your orders is going to be enough to bring Tarik down?”

“I’ve seen what’s in his heart, and I know his desires like the back of my hand. All we have to do is combine that knowledge with Sara’s innate charm, and he won’t know what hit him.”

Taking advantage of her unique talent to fuel her negotiation techniques was precisely where Thea shone. “Do you want to know why it was I washed out of my academy? Well, I’ll tell you.” Thea laid a hand atop her chest. “It was because I had relations with too many people. I went out with male faculty, local men, and the other girls at my academy, too.”

“Oh yeah?”

There was a spy Thea admired, and she’d tirelessly honed her skills in order to get to their level. She’d trained and trained to be able to charm, tempt, and manipulate people—so much so, in fact, that some of her instructors took issue with her methods and unjustly lowered her grades. With her pushing her skills to their limit, seducing a petty con man would be child’s play.

“When it comes to matters of romance, I’m the best in the game.”

And Thea, who bore the code name Dreamspeaker, was nothing if not determined.

At around the same time, Tarik was in a rather good mood.

It wasn’t just because of how smoothly his efforts to trick his mark were going. As he and his friend were drinking the night away in a pub, the man in the next seat over turned to him. “Sounds like you’ve got some interesting stuff going on in your life, buddy. If I buy you a drink, would you teach me the secret to running a good scam?”

At first, Tarik was afraid the man was a cop, but after chatting with him for a bit, he realized that that wasn’t it. Everything the guy did made him come across as a nobody, and each tiny detail Tarik described earned him an amazed chorus of oohs and whoas. The dude was a third-rate crook, and that was all he would ever be. Tarik was sure of it. At long last, he’d found someone who truly respected his talents.

The long and short of it was, the man was no one important. After all, nobody of consequence would ever pick a hairdo so mushroomy it drowned out the rest of their features the way he did.

Tarik secretly decided to call him Mushroom Man.

“The most important thing is picking the right mark,” Tarik explained proudly. “The best thing about romance scams is how hard it is for the victims to come forward. They’re too embarrassed. There’s no way he could have been a con man, they’ll say, or I’m so ashamed I let myself get tricked like that. The best people to go after are rich girls. Their parents don’t want people to know about what their daughter did, so a lot of the time, they don’t even go to the police at all. You’ll never find a better target than that.”

“So that’s who you’re going after right now?”

“Yeah, a little brunette with some pets that’ll fetch a pretty dent. She’s timid and anxious, which is exactly what you want to look for. I’m positive she comes from money. Once I’m done getting her to steal cash from her parents, I’m gonna steal her dog, too.”

A chuckle escaped Tarik’s mouth as he thought back to how gullible her reaction had been.

“Fascinating,” Mushroom Man said as he rose to his feet. He thumped Tarik on the shoulder. “Thanks, man. This was a great way to kill some time.”

“T-to what?” Tarik’s eyes went wide. Hadn’t the man been trying to learn the trick to effectively conning people?

“But from one guy who trades in lies to another, I’ve got a warning for you—you aren’t cut out for this stuff.”

With that, Mushroom Man left. There was nothing Tarik could do but stare blankly at him as he went.

Naturally, Tarik had no way of knowing that the man he’d just been talking to was the Galgad spy White Spider.

Tarik had no reason to heed Mushroom Man’s warning. He’d found a perfect target in Sara, and all he had left to do was reel her in. In what world did that make him not cut out to run cons?

He hummed himself a little song and made his way over to a coffee shop by his house. When he got there, the manager let him know he had a memo for him. Tarik didn’t own a phone, so he always asked people to get word to him via his favorite coffee shop. The message was from Sara inviting him to another date. Everything was going just according to plan.

Sara had picked out a spot for them to get dinner, and when Tarik saw the restaurant’s name, he let out a little coo. It was a restaurant that served Far East cuisine that Tarik had been meaning to check out for some time. He was impressed. What’s more, she’d even put in an advance order for one of his favorite dishes. He didn’t remember ever having mentioned liking it, so it must have just been a happy coincidence.

Tarik spent the next week unconsciously looking forward to the date.

On the evening of the holiday, when he met up with Sara in front of the restaurant, Tarik did a double-take. Her usual hat was nowhere to be seen, and her hair was tied back into a short ponytail.

Huh? Was she always this cute?

He tensed up. The change in Sara’s appearance had pushed her far closer to being his type. She was wearing her hair the exact same way as an actress he’d been obsessed with lately, and her showy dress was a dead ringer for the one Tarik’s first crush wore. On top of that, the scent of the perfume wafting off her felt like it was digging right into his brain.

When they got to their seats, Sara ordered a couple more dishes on top of their advance order without missing a beat. All of them were dishes Tarik loved. “To be honest, I just ordered all my favorites,” she said with a smile.

Tarik’s heart began racing.

His throat was dry, and he gulped down his booze in one big chug. A well-endowed silver-haired waitress had brought it over for him, and though it tasted sort of chemically, he chose not to worry about that. Immediately after he drank it, he felt as though his heartbeat had begun growing even more rapid.

“You know, there’s something I’ve been curious about,” Sara said with a small tilt of the head.

That was one of Tarik’s favorite little tics women did.

“My dad’s really into collecting records,” she said and listed off a few band names.

Every single record she listed was one Tarik would have killed to get his hands on.

“Oh, your cup’s empty. What do you want to try next?” she said and offered him a menu.

Tarik loved how considerate she was being.

Two hours passed by, and in that time, the combination of Sara’s renewed attractiveness and several rounds of that weird-tasting booze put Tarik in a state of heightened arousal. He could practically feel the blood as it raced through his veins.

Perhaps this was destiny at work.

A glorious hunch began taking root in his heart. He’d interacted with a lot of girls during his time as a romance scammer, but none of them had appealed to him quite the way Sara did.

Now that I’m really looking at her, I can see what fair skin she has and how incredibly adorable she is. It makes me want to protect her.

He wanted her to be his, no matter what it took. He couldn’t hold back the exhilaration in his heart.

“S-say, Sara,” he said, rushing in for the kill, “would you like to stop by my place after this? It’s getting pretty late, so you could stay the night if you wanted.”

“That’s very nice of you to offer, Dominic. Could I just check one thing with you first?”

“What do you want to check? If it’s about pajamas or a toothbrush, I have an extra—”

“Are you a con man whose real name is Tarik Pupke?”

A pair of cold eyes stared back at him, and a chill ran down his spine.

Sara continued by dispassionately listing off all sorts of personal information about him, stuff that ranged from where his parents lived to all his favorite coffee shops. And all of it was correct.

For Tarik, it was like the ground had just crumbled out from beneath his feet. He was supposed to be spending the evening sleeping with the girl of his dreams, not this.

“L-look, it’s not like that.” He broke out into a cold sweat. “The way I feel about you is real—”

“It’s okay.”

“Huh?”

“I’d be happy to stay at your place tonight. However, I’m going to need you to tell me the full truth about everything you’ve done so far. If you really want to go out with me, those are my terms.” The smile on Sara’s face was positively brimming with affection. She looked like the Virgin, willing to forgive any and all sins. “It must have been really hard on you, Tarik, getting crushed under the weight of your parents’ expectations when you were the one suffering most of all. But it’s okay. With me, you don’t have to pretend anymore.”

Tarik felt like his brain was melting into a goopy sludge. He’d never had a younger woman dote on him like that before, and the feeling sent a wave of heat through his body. With that, his instincts triumphed over his reason. The words slid effortlessly off his tongue. The thought of lying never once crossed his mind. He told her everything. He knew that she was his soulmate and that she would accept it all. She would accept it, and she would love him.

So he confessed to everything. He told her the names of every girl he’d duped, he told her how he’d done it, and he told her about the money he’d stolen from them. He didn’t leave out a single detail.

He wanted Sara to hear it all.

“…And that’s the last of it.” After getting it all out in a single go, he bowed his head in an attempt to curry favor. “B-but that’s all behind me now. These feelings I have for you are real, so—”

“I’m sorry,” Sara said, rising from her chair, “but you aren’t allowed to get off that easily.”

Her words rang harsh, and she pulled something out.

In her hand, she was holding a small device. Was that a voice recorder?

“I’m handing this over to the police. Now all those girls who couldn’t get their fraud cases to stick will get justice.”

It felt like someone had just dumped a bucket of cold water on his head. He immediately snapped back to his senses. “Y-you conned me?”

“The same way you tried to con me. I’m going to head home now.”

With a disappointed shake of her head, Sara stepped away from the table.

By that point, Tarik was in no headspace to make rational decisions. A girl who matched his tastes in every way imaginable was about to leave him. Every instinct in his body was screaming that he needed to stop her. “H-hold on just a—”

He made a pathetic grab for her shoulder, but the moment before he could reach her, someone grabbed his arm. “Don’t you lay a finger on her.”

There was a tall, long-haired man standing there. Tarik had no idea when he’d shown up. The man was dressed in a well-fitting suit and staring coolly at Tarik. He was so beautiful that Tarik couldn’t help but let out a little gasp. He also couldn’t move. The long-haired man wasn’t even putting that much strength into his grip, yet Tarik’s legs were trembling. In the end, he just plopped himself down on the restaurant’s floor.

“You know, Tarik, I wanted to thank you. You fell in love with me, even if just for a second, and that helped give me confidence,” Sara said with a gentle look on her face. “But the thing is, I know a much lovelier man than you.”

With that, she and the long-haired man entwined their fingers and left the restaurant together.

Tarik’s perfect love lay shattered before him. A feeling of despair so great it felt like it might consume the world itself seized hold of him, and he let out a loud wail and began sobbing.

Out in the night-darkened alley…

“Wh-what’s going on, Teach? I thought the plan was to have Miss Grete come and pick me up in disguise.”

“Hmm? Oh, Thea told me the gist of what happened and asked me to help out.”

“Ah, I see… Well, um, about your hand…”

“Let’s leave them like this for a little longer. Pretending to be lovers is in our interests at the moment.”

“Y-yes, sir. I’m so embarrassed about all this…”

“You have nothing to be ashamed of. It’s only natural for someone your age to be interested in matters of romance.”

“…I guess that’s what it was. I let myself get worked up like a loser. It made me think I might be able to fall in love, too, someday.”

“In that case, why don’t we go hit the town?”

“Huh?”

“I do apologize that you have to settle for me playing the part of boyfriend, but I’ll do my best to take the lead and show you a magnificent time. That way, you’ll know you don’t have anything to be afraid of the next time you feel ready to have another go at falling in love.”

Thea was on cloud nine. “My golden days are finally here!”

The love-letter incident had just finished getting resolved. Tarik ultimately got rearrested on charges of suspected fraud. His victims had gone back to the police with hard evidence, the previously thrown-out cases had gotten reopened, and it was looking like criminal prosecution was just around the corner. Plus, even if he got off with a slap on the wrist, he was still facing down a double-digit number of civil suits. Thanks to an anonymous envelope with evidence in it that had arrived at the victims’ houses, all the girls who’d been left without recourse had banded together to seek damages in civil court. It was going to be a good long while before Tarik got to lead anything resembling a normal life again.

The result had earned Thea some serious accolades from her Lamplight teammates. The way she’d gotten Tarik to fall in love with Sara had been nothing short of astounding. Grete in particular had gazed at her with awestruck eyes. “…Oh Wise One, I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.”

Because of all that, Thea was grinning triumphantly, as if the whole world was smiling down on her. “Just leave it to me, Grete. Today’s the day we make Teach yours, and I have just the plan to do it.”

“…I’m in. Please tell me what I need to do.”

“Heh-heh, and while we’re at it, I’ll make him say I surrender, too, and finally get to defeat him.”

“…Of course. This is also good training.”

“Now, the crux of our plan will be bunny suits!”

“Bunny suits? What kind of suit is that?”

As they chatted in Grete’s bedroom, their plan to trounce Klaus slowly came together.

Meanwhile…

“Hey, Klaus.”

“Hmm? What’s up, Monika?”

“Real talk, what is it? Why doesn’t Thea’s seduction work on you?”

“Explaining it all will take a while, so I hope you have some time. The thing is, my heart is like a cloud drifting through a summer sky just after a sudden shower—”

“Give me the abridged version.”

“…Thea’s seduction is all based around first peering into her target’s heart.”

“Ah, and she can’t pull that off against you.”

“Exactly. As a result, all she can do is to take her shots blind—”

“And drag Grete down along with her.”

“…Tell me, how in the world do you think I should deal with them? Their attempts have been getting kind of extreme lately, and I’m at a bit of a loss.”

“Hey, don’t ask me.”

Thea was unaware of Klaus’s concerns, and her rampage continued unabated.

“…I—I had no idea they had even invented an outfit this suggestive,” Grete said.

“Right? I remember exactly how it made me feel the first time I saw one. If we want to take down Teach, then this is the best way to do it!”

“Even so, I must admit I’m a bit nervous about wearing this thing…”

“Don’t you worry. I’ll be there wearing one right by your side. Together, we’ll give Teach the old one-hit KO.”

“You’re so wise…”

They continued chatting for a while, growing all the more excited as they did.

An hour remained before Thea would end up failing and weeping, “Whyyyyy?!”