"Wuaaahhh, that bastard is just too infuriating."
The instant Tohka cut off the connection, Kotori on the battleship nearly jumped up. The lollipop in her mouth was crushed to powder by her clenched teeth, and she leapt up in rage.
"That Spirit is too much—how dare she question my professionalism. For your information, I'm a psychology Ph.D. from XX University!"
"That's right! I'm from XXX University, specializing in love studies..."
"I've completed over a hundred galgame routes..."
At that moment, it wasn't just Kotori—practically the entire ship erupted into an uproar. Almost everyone was indignant. After all, they'd been humiliated by Tohka's one-liners before, so now everyone was holding a grudge, desperate to win back their pride. But Tohka hadn't given them the slightest chance—she just cut the comms. Most of the people here were supposed to be elite graduates... more or less, though some suspicious elements had probably snuck in.
"Hmph, since she looks down on us, we can't let her off easy either. Everyone listen up—we're going to let her taste the terror of this world, to show her the true might of capitalism!"
At this point, Kotori had pretty much gone mad with anger and shouted at the staff.
"Yes, exactly."
"That's right, let's make that hateful girl experience what it means to be crushed by the malice of the world."
"Leave it to me—I'll make those lovebirds beg for mercy..."
"Sigh."
Seeing the collective bloodthirst, Muramasa Reine could only sigh quietly. She was starting to doubt whether her entire plan could even succeed anymore. At this moment, she fully agreed with Tohka's words: "Good-for-nothings who can only make things worse."
But seeing everyone so quickly unified in their petty revenge, she also had nothing left to say. After all, she wasn't ready to show her true motives yet, so she could only let these people embark on their crazy backstabbing journey.
"How about we go to this restaurant? I heard the food there is quite good."
After Kotori's last words, Tohka directly cut the line. Then, under Kurumi's bemused gaze, she casually plucked out the earpiece and coolly tossed it into the trash. Of course, she didn't know she'd just successfully maxed out their aggro to EX rank. Everyone upstairs had completely thrown out their original mission—now they were only thinking about how to make Tohka suffer, because that alone would make them feel better.
"Mm, fine."
Hearing Tohka's suggestion, Kurumi didn't object. She was simply curious what Tohka would do next. Over this period, she'd noticed that Tohka was a bit... natural. She never got sloppy in serious matters, but in everyday life she always seemed to be missing a screw.
"OK, all done—let's go."
At that, Tohka gathered her things and tugged Kurumi along to leave. After all, going out required money, and she still hadn't spent the cash she brought back from Marvel. This was the perfect chance to use it—it had already been converted to yen. Of course, if she ever ran out of funds in the future, she wouldn't mind going to mooch off Miku. Back in Marvel, Miku ate her cooking all the time, so it was only fair she got to be a freeloader for once.
But the moment they arrived at their planned restaurant, Tohka nearly spat blood. Because to her frustration, the place was closed. That was awkward.
"Uh... forget it, let's try somewhere else. How about the aquarium? I heard it's newly opened and has some interesting exhibits."
Seeing this, Tohka decided to change destinations. This city had plenty of stores—there was no shortage of places to go. But soon she almost spat blood again, because when they arrived at the aquarium, they were blocked once more.
"Sorry, sir, but the aquarium's glass broke today. The whole place is flooded."
A drenched employee barred their way, and inside, water was pouring out nonstop. Tohka even saw a giant sea turtle crawling out, though it was quickly carried back in.
"....."
With things this bad, Tohka didn't know what to say. But when she met Kurumi's amused gaze, she felt utterly humiliated.
"Aiyaa, little Tohka, don't get too upset."
Seeing Tohka's growing frustration, Kurumi comforted her, trying not to laugh. She genuinely felt a bit sorry—Tohka's luck was truly terrible. And with her masculine outfit and high ponytail, Tohka had already attracted quite a few female stares.
"Um, sir, there's a cinema nearby. Maybe you can take your girlfriend there instead."
Even the soaked employee couldn't stand it anymore, kindly pointing them to a cinema down the street.
"Mm, thanks. Let's go try that next."
Since someone had recommended it, Tohka didn't argue. Still in her frazzled state, she pulled Kurumi along. But soon...
"All sold out!"
"Ahhh—do you think I'm an idiot?"
Clenching her teeth as she stared at the screen reading SOLD OUT over and over, Tohka finally realized someone was targeting her. Sure, maybe once or twice was coincidence, but three, four times? She was certain if she went anywhere else, she'd be shut out again.
"Ara ara, little Tohka, don't be so mad. As long as I can be with you, that's enough—no need to waste money on these places."
Kurumi, seeing Tohka's growing rage, even dared to cling to her arm and tease her further. She could tell Tohka was clearly being messed with.
"Oyashaaa—success!"
Back on the Ratatoskr command deck, everyone cheered when they saw Tohka jumping in fury. After being humiliated by her before, this felt like catharsis. People really do hold grudges, and no one minded this little revenge.
"Leave it to me. I'll make sure she learns what despair feels like. Soon she'll realize there's nowhere left to go but the lingerie shop."
One of the operatives reported confidently to Kotori.
"Good job. Once she's been kicked out of a few more places, we'll remind her that she should have listened to our plan."
Kotori nodded with satisfaction. With a lollipop between her lips, she smiled smugly, as if Tohka's misery was her own victory.
"...Sigh."
Of course, not everyone was pleased. Reine quietly sighed. Though she hadn't interacted much with Tohka, her instincts told her this girl was not one to follow the rules. If they pushed her too far, she'd retaliate illegally.
"Hmph, so what if you have money and power? You think I'm scared?"
Unaware of everyone's reactions, Tohka finally stopped her furious stomping, though she wore an unsettling grin. Back in her last world, no one had dared play tricks on her like this. Here, she'd finally experienced the ugly side of these people. It wasn't even about any real loss—she just felt like she'd swallowed a fly.
"Um... Tohka, are you okay? If not, maybe we should just go back to class."
Seeing Tohka's twisted smile, Kurumi instinctively took a step back. Though she apparently still felt things weren't exciting enough—she quietly added fuel to the fire.
"Hehe—no need. No need to go back."
With the same unhinged grin, Tohka looked at Kurumi. Then, to her surprise, she drew her katana, stepped in front of a couple heading into the cinema, and said:
"Don't move. This is a robbery. I want your tickets...or your lives."
"....."
The whole scene became awkwardly silent. But Tohka didn't care. Without another word, she snatched their tickets and stuffed some bills into their hands. Then she dragged Kurumi to the ticket counter. One hand offered the tickets, the other planted her blade against the counter.
"Uh... right this way, sir and madam."
Seeing the trembling katana and the hole it had punched through the marble desk, the staff immediately folded, ushering them in.
"….."
The couple stared at the cash in their hands. After briefly considering the odds of winning a fight, they turned and left without a word. It was just a movie ticket—no reason to risk their lives, especially since Tohka had even "reimbursed" them. As for calling the cops—they thought about it, but their instincts told them it'd be a very bad idea.
"Ara ara, I never knew little Tohka could be so forceful. I quite like it, you know."
This time Kurumi was genuinely surprised. She hadn't expected the usually mild Tohka to have this side.
"T-that—that girl—that's a crime, you know. A crime!"
And it wasn't only Kurumi who was stunned—everyone upstairs was slack-jawed. No one had imagined Tohka would react this way. Kotori nearly leapt up in shock. If not for Tohka thoughtfully paying for the tickets, it would've been pure robbery.
"Yaaaa—you think I have no options?"
Shrieking in frustration, Kotori suddenly had an idea. She pointed to a subordinate and barked:
"You! Cut the power to the whole block. I want to see how she plans to watch a movie with no electricity."
"Brilliant, Commander! Right away!"
The staffer instantly transformed into her biggest fan, and with a single cry began typing furiously on his console.
"That bunch of bastards—they cut the power."
Down below, Tohka had barely settled into her seat when the theater went dark. Moments later, an announcement came on saying the area would be without power all day. Tohka crushed the soda in her hand with a single squeeze.
"Let's go—let's just take a drive. I don't believe those jerks will blow up the highway too."
Rising in fury, she grabbed Kurumi's wrist and stormed out, not caring whether she wanted to go along. If they wanted to play games, she'd play big—let's see how they liked that.
"....."
Kurumi silently let herself be dragged along. But she was wearing a slightly excited smile. Like Tohka, she had little respect for the law—and if not for her mission, she'd probably have chosen to live freely too.
"What is that girl planning? What is..."
Everyone upstairs stared in confusion as Tohka marched out, gripping Kurumi. None of them understood what she intended.
"Oh no—wait—"
But as Kotori spotted their destination, she remembered that morning when Tohka first arrived. Parked there was a luxury sports car—and Kotori felt her stomach clench.
"Quick—somebody stop her. Otherwise, we're about to file a massive insurance claim."
"Let's go—today we're going for a proper drive. Damn it, this car isn't as good as Tony's, but it'll have to do."
While Kotori upstairs was freaking out, Tohka was already hacking the car's electronic system. In no time, she and Kurumi were inside.
"Oh? So little Tohka, where exactly are we going?"
Kurumi sounded a little thrilled, sitting in the passenger seat. She was starting to realize she and Tohka shared some similarities in temperament.
"Where else? Anywhere and everywhere!"
With an excited laugh, Tohka yanked the handbrake, threw the car in gear, and stomped the accelerator.
"Waaahhh—!"
This time Kurumi was truly frightened. Under Tohka's control, the car shot off like a bullet, slamming her back into the seat. Even she couldn't help panicking.
"Ah—hahaha—this is perfect, just what I needed!"
In her semi-deranged state, Tohka didn't care at all. She piloted the car straight into traffic chaos. Even if they crashed, she was confident she could keep them safe.
"That wretched girl—just you wait!"
On the ship above, Kotori watched as Tohka single-handedly plunged the streets into pandemonium. She shot to her feet, grinding her lollipop into dust with her teeth.