"Finally, we are alone."
In a deeper part of the now desolate, gray forest, Makima stood before Reisou, who was unconscious and thoroughly wrapped in chains.
Just moments ago, while 2B was distracted, Makima had sneaked behind Reisou completely unnoticed.
She quickly knocked him out and bound him with her chains. This time, however, she did not infuse them with Nano, knowing it would be useless against him.
Regardless, her chains, even unenhanced, easily exceeded the durability of standard steel, guaranteeing a struggle to break free unless Reisou could muster significant power.
tracing his cheek with her finger while staring at him with an intense, greedy gaze.
Of course, this feeling was nowhere near love. To Makima, Reisou was simply a useful tool, something that would allow her to unleash her true nature at will and finally fulfill her destiny of becoming the embodiment of control.
While Makima contemplated how to make his pleasant energy part of hers, she failed to notice he was actually already awake.
Reisou was too scared to open his eyes and get violated by the crazy, perverted woman, so he kept up the act of being asleep.
'Ugh! I swear I'll get her back when I'm strong enough!' he thought, feeling completely humiliated by the whole thing.
Right now, Reisou needed a plan to slip away from her and find 2B again. The thought that something might happen to her while she faced endless waves of monsters alone weighed heavily on him.
"Stop pretending, I know you're awake, Reisou-kun. You can't deceive me." Makima's sudden voice made him grumble internally at how sharp she was.
He opened his eyes and stared at those weird, ringed eyes of hers.
"Miss Makima," he tried to reason calmly, "I don't recall doing anything that would make me deserve being locked up."
"Hm." Makima tapped her index finger gently against her lips, as if lost in thought.
"You're right, you didn't, but that doesn't matter. I brought you here because I want to make you an offer."
Reisou got a bad feeling but nodded for her to continue.
"You're calmer than I expected... Anyway, my offer is for you to willingly become my pet and help me finish my mission. I'll make sure that as your Master, you'll receive special treatment," she spoke with a gentle smile which didn't match her absurd proposal.
"Thanks, Miss Makima, but I've got a girlfriend and I'm not into that kind of stuff."
He turned her down right away, now sure she was totally crazy.
When Makima heard his rejection, her "warm," smiling face changed to a cold, chilling expression that made him shiver.
"I was just being polite, giving you an offer, but it doesn't matter," she said, forming a pistol gesture and pressing her fingertip to his forehead. "I will break you slowly to get what I want."
Reisou started sweating. Even if he died, there was no way he would give in to her. His pride would not allow it. The only downside was not seeing his cute android girlfriend again.
Makima noticed the unwavering resolve in his eyes. Her brows drew together as she seized him by the collar and pulled their faces together.
"You are annoying. I'm starting to hate you," she said coolly.
"Then kill me or let me go! You pervert!" he snapped.
For some weird reason, his disgusted look made her feel something she couldn't explain, so she leaned in and kissed him again.
"Mmmhp!"
As their tongues tangled, Reisou frantically browsed the system store for anything that could help him escape.
To his luck, he still had 20 System Points available, and in the store, he bought a random teleport card that would send him a random distance within the Gate territory.
Just as Makima was about to wrap her arms around his neck, he painstakingly tore the teleportation card that had materialized in his bound hand. His body flared bright white before vanishing, leaving her embracing the air.
"?"
Makima blinked at the empty space where Reisou had been sitting.
"You're really annoying... yet this makes you an interesting dog," she said calmly as she stood and used her superhuman speed to search for her prey.
Far away from where he had been, Reisou materialized and immediately found himself stuck on a slightly thin tree branch high above the ground.
As he attempted to stabilize his posture to prevent falling, he heard faint sounds nearby, leading him to believe Makima had successfully located him.
"Tsk, that witch really is too fast. I can't end up in her hands again, my chastity and dignity would be at risk!" he muttered, deciding to stop moving to avoid catching her attention.
Meanwhile, a short distance away, a party consisting of two males and two females traversed the woods, taking out waves of creatures with ease.
"This is boring. We've been walking for ages and found no one."
The tall, white-haired guy complained while putting both hands behind his head.
"Satoru, shut up," the blonde guy said, already irritated with his complaints.
"Yeah, little brother, shut it. We haven't even been here ten minutes yet," Sora, the long white-haired girl, chimed in, throwing a punch at his arm.
However, her punch never landed, seemingly suspended in the air.
"Haha~ you can't break my Infinity without using that technique of yours, so don't even try, shorty," Satoru said in a mocking tone.
"What did you call me, immature yeti!?" Sora snapped, shooting him a deadly glare.
"What did you say!" Satoru barked back, and both shifted into fighting stances.
"You two cut it out! We're in the middle of a very serious mission here," Shoko called from behind, lazily lighting a cigarette.
While the siblings argued, Nanami suddenly halted and surveyed the area.
"What happened, Nanami? Did you find something?" Shoko asked after puffing her cigarette.
"Hmm, I think I heard something from up there," he said, pointing to the tall trees.
Satoru, hearing this, stopped bickering with his sister and followed where Nanami pointed. Once he finished scanning for Nano signatures he leaped onto the branches until he ended up beside a confused-looking young man wrapped in chains.
"Yo~ look what I found! You seem to be having too much fun, don't you, boy?" Satoru joked when he saw Reisou's strange situation.
"Well... it's a long story... but can you help me first, please?"
Reisou offered an awkward smile, feeling a bit embarrassed as he spoke.
"I see... no problem, but let's get out of here first."
Satoru threw him over his shoulder like a sack and headed back down near the others.
As Satoru set Reisou down, he looked up to find several eyes fixed on him.
"You're very lucky, Nanami. At least one is alive," Sora said, giving Nanami a pat on the back.
"Stop that," Nanami replied, pulling out a photo.
After checking it, he let out a relieved breath.
"Now we just need to find the girl. You, boy, do you know where she is?" he asked Reisou, who was trying to stand.
"No, I don't, but I know her. Please, let me accompany you to find her. We got separated after something happened. Also... could someone take off these chains? They're really tight."
Upon hearing this, Satoru approached Reisou, who had gotten up from the ground, and touched the chains. A few seconds later, they snapped apart.
Phew, thank you very much," he said.
"Seeing the confused look on his face, the group knew he didn't recognize them. Nanami then initiated the introductions.
"My name is Kento Nanami, head representative of Sozukusen Academy and supervisor of second years, and those are—"
"I'm Gojo Sora, the almost second National Hunter of the Gojo family and the most beautiful woman in the world! Currently single, but you're too young, so forget it. Don't fall in love with me." Sora cut in before Nanami could continue.
In contrast to the lively Sora, Shoko offered a lazy wave before introducing herself.
"I am Shoko Ieiri, the medical chief of Sozukusen Academy."
As for Satoru, took out a list from his pocket and opened it up, ready to start bragging.
"I'm Gojo Satoru, Japan's strongest National Hunter, the biggest star, the hottest catch, the best at every sport, and—"
"Shut up!" the others yelled at the same time.
Satoru clicked his tongue, mumbling about they being jealousy.
"Only my sister-in-law can tolerate your bullshit, little brother," Sora said, rubbing her forehead.
The humorous exchange made Reisou feel a bit out of place yet he smiled slight but then he grew anxious thinking about 2B
He knew she was strong, but her stamina wasn't unlimited. Even an android had limits.
"Nanami-sensei, can we go find 2—I mean Nibe? I fear she might be in danger," Reisou said.
He wanted to use their help to avoid being kidnapped by that crazy woman, Makima. He figured she surely wouldn't be bold enough to go against those powerful teachers
"Alright, let's go find the girl. Sora, get him outside the Gate, and then use that special Nano locator of yours to track us," Nanami ordered, ready to head out.
But Reisou quickly stepped right in front of him.
"Sorry, Sensei, but I'm not going. I want to come with you to look for her," he declared firmly, which just made the blonde guy sigh.
"No, it's too dangerous. We can't afford to worry about protecting you. Go wait outside the Gate. I promise I'll bring her back safe."
Reisou totally ignored the order, quickly using both Enhancement and Fury to get away.
"Oh~ for the kid to pull that move, he must really care about that girl," Satoru said with a smirk. "Those brain-love fools are a pain in the ass."
"Look who's talking," Sora muttered under her breath, causing Nanami and Shoko to exchange knowing glances.
Gojo Satoru used to be just as bad, maybe even worse, so he shouldn't be judging anyone.
"Alright, let's catch that guy. Be careful not to hurt him too much."
Following Nanami's order, everyone disappeared from sight, moving at an astonishing speed.