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Unbelievably, the Slave Ticket rejected the command…!
“K-kieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー!?!?”
The vice principal screamed so hard he looked ready to faint.
This time, everyone thought he’d finally get knocked out on the spot, but…
With nowhere left to go, he barely clung to sanity at the edge.
Like he’d been handed counterfeit money, the vice principal spread the tickets and stared at them so hard they looked like they might burn holes.
“Gugigigi…! There are a few reasons a Slave Ticket would reject a command, zamasu, but…! Clearly, the command was too heavy for the face value, zamasu!”
That’s right. Both of Onesuko’s tickets in his hand were valued at “100,000.”
With Slave Tickets, the “weight” of what you can order varies depending on the amount printed on the ticket.
For a high-school-aged girl, forbidding the use of a specific word “for life” was far too heavy for only 200,000 Ender.
For reference, this judgment was made according to fixed criteria by the magic embedded when Slave Tickets were created.
And as an aside, the “Do not approach Leopin” order previously issued to Kurumi counted as a fairly cheap command.
Because Leopin belonged to the Special Training Class—an existence no one cared about.
In fact, an order like “You must stay near Leopin” would likely cost more.
Shaking off the insanity creeping up on him, the vice principal shouted,
“K-kiee! R-Reset, zamasu! I forbid you from pronouncing or writing the word ‘Leopin’—and any word that sounds like it—for fifty years, zamasu!”
But the portrait’s answer was “No” again.
“Th-Then forty years…! Ugh, thirty! Th-Then ten…! Fine, zamasu! One day! Just today—only today, it’s forbidden, zamasu…!”
Only after he caved that far did the portrait finally nod its heavy head.
But even then, another mishap.
Both tickets turned into soap bubbles and vanished.
“K-kieeeeeeeーーーー!! I-I messed up, zamasu! It judged ‘pronunciation’ and ‘writing’ as two separate commands—so it counted as two uses, zamasuuuuuーーーー!!”
The vice principal stamped his feet in frustration.
From the murmuring crowd beneath the stage, voices rose up.
“What is that guy even doing…?”
“Maybe he’s a planted comedy actor?”
“Ah, that must be it! No wonder he’s acting so stupid!”
“Yeah! If that’s his real personality, he’s way too insane!”
“This is probably a surprise skit!”
The audience grew louder and louder, cheering it on.
Mistaking that for support, the vice principal refused to be discouraged and confronted Onesuko again.
“See? Now Onesuko-san can’t say that trash’s name anymore, zamasu! If you say it, your ticket value will drop—BOOM—zamasu! If you still want to, go ahead and try saying it, you know, zansho!”
Only now did Onesuko realize the vice principal’s scheme, and she ground her teeth.
“Ggh…! Th-That’s so underhanded…!”
“It’s not underhanded at all, zamasu! I’m trying to save Onesuko-san, who got manipulated by that trash, zamasu! The one you should really respect is me, zamasu!”
“Who I respect isn’t something I can be coached into! I’ll decide based on what I saw, what I heard, what I touched… what I felt! And I’m not finished speaking yet! Please lend me the amplification device!”
Having successfully sealed away the forbidden word, the vice principal handed over the amplification device easily.
With a resolute expression, Onesuko faced the audience.
“Excuse me! I’ll continue! The reason I was able to overcome the trial is entirely thanks to one person! That person’s name is…!”
Near her ear, words brushed past like a humming tune.
“Aa~ah, are you sure you want to say it, zamasu~? If you break the command, don’t blame me for what happens, zansu~. Your future pioneer life will turn pitch-black, zamasu~. Even your master, Monaka-san, will surely be sad, zamasu~!”
Onesuko jolted and looked toward the glass-walled Special Room.
Inside, Monaka and Kotone were standing and pounding desperately on the glass.
But the thick glass didn’t even carry the vibration.
Both of them moved their mouths frantically like goldfish gasping for air, shouting something with all their might.
The vice principal smirked.
—Muhuhuhuhu! Custom-ordered soundproofing magic glass, zamasu!
Even if I sealed Onesuko-san, I thought Monaka-san and Kotone-san might shout that trash’s name, so I locked them in there too, zamasu!
Now the chance of that trash’s name coming out is not even one in ten thousand, zamasu!
For a moment I wondered what would happen, but…
In the end, it’s my total, complete victory…!
Onesuko bowed her head, her shoulders drooping.
—I’m sorry, Leopin-kun…
I wanted everyone to acknowledge Leopin-kun, who’s been oppressed for so long, even if only a little…
I wanted to use this moment to tell them how amazing Leopin-kun is…
But I can’t.
Because if I break the Slave Ticket promise and its value drops…
It will make Monaka-sama sad…!
Please forgive me, Leopin-kun…!
A knight can’t betray the master she serves…!
When Onesuko lifted her face, she looked like an empty shell—nothing like someone standing on a celebratory stage.
With vacant eyes, pale skin, and powerless lips, she formed a hoarse closing line.
“My greeting… ends here… today, truly…”
The principal and vice principal were hugging each other.
“We did it, zamasu! As long as Onesuko-san finishes her greeting safely, we’ve basically won, zamasu!”
“We did it, de aru! Now that trash won’t suddenly pop his face in anymore, de aru!”
““We didn’t anger the sponsors—thank goodness!””
They still…
Even now, at this late stage, they were still underestimating him.
Even though the boy they never stopped calling trash was not just a boy.
If the boy truly wanted to, he could appear here anytime—not just “pop in”…
He could show his face like the sun itself, easily…!
…Fhyuuuuuu～～～～…!
All at once, a whistling sound echoed from nowhere.
And in the next instant…
Everyone there witnessed it.
A gigantic “LEOPIN,” so massive it seemed to fill the entire sky.
“E-EEEeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーーー—!?!?”
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