Thirty minutes later, the team—now decked out in their bunny costumes—had stormed the system room and subdued the bunny-clad students inside. The security team proved no match, their defeat almost disappointingly swift. Neru, however, wore a scowl, clearly unsatisfied.
"Man, when it's this easy, it's almost boring," she grumbled, kicking at the air. "Though I guess sneaking around like this keeps you on edge."
"I kinda get it," Mash nodded.
Karin glanced at Neru, then at Mash. "You two… Anyway, Leader, now that I'm looking again, that outfit…"
"What?" Neru snapped, adjusting her bomber jacket over her red bunny suit. "It's just a bunny costume with a jacket. Akane already gave me grief about it, and I'm not budging."
Karin turned to Mash. "And you, Sensei. That tuxedo suits you. Not bad at all."
"Really? The headband feels weird, and it's kinda hard to move," Mash said, tugging at his rabbit-ear headband.
"It's a tuxedo, not a tracksuit," Neru snorted. "And don't bring up the 'let's not talk about it' thing again—oi, what's with that serious face? Didn't know you could pull that off."
The team had tied up the bunny students with rope, bundling them neatly to one side. Mash waited as Akane worked her magic to disable the ship's surveillance systems.
"Akane, how's it going?" Neru called.
"Almost done," Akane replied, her fingers flying across a console.
"Tch, that little pest," Neru muttered, cracking her knuckles. "When we catch Koyuki, I'm gonna make her cry for all this trouble."
"Leave that to Sensei and the Seminar," Karin said dryly. "She'll suffer plenty."
"Cream puff party or heel hold, which one's better?" Mash mused.
"Heel hold I get, but… cream puff party?" Neru raised an eyebrow. "What's that?"
"It's when you stuff cream puffs in their mouth. A lot," Mash explained matter-of-factly.
"That's… gentle? No, wait, that sounds brutal," Neru said, blinking.
"The custard backs up into your nose. You could choke," Mash added, deadpan.
"That's terrifying!" Neru shouted. "Just punch her like normal!"
"…You know, for all your talk, you kinda like Koyuki, don't you? Or at least care about her," Mash observed.
Neru sank into a nearby chair, her expression softening, a rare hint of her big-sister vibe showing through. "…Yeah, I guess."
She leaned back, staring at the ceiling. "Koyuki's a troublemaker, sure, but she's not some dangerous terrorist or villain. After dealing with her so many times, she's started cozying up to me, all 'Senpai♪' and stuff. It's… kinda cute."
"Hm?" Mash tilted his head.
"Here's the thing, Sensei," Neru said, her voice quieter. "Koyuki's got zero self-esteem. Like, shockingly low."
"Self-esteem… Oh, I think I get it," Mash said, nodding slowly.
"Not bad, Sensei. You've been around students long enough to pick up on this stuff," Neru said, a faint smirk tugging at her lips.
"Koyuki's always whining about how she's only praised for easy stuff, like it's nothing special," Karin chimed in. "No sense of accomplishment, no purpose. This whole incident? It's probably her chasing some big win to get noticed—classic need for validation."
Mash frowned. "But… isn't it amazing enough that she can crack complex computer passwords like it's nothing?"
"Exactly," Neru said, her voice tinged with frustration. "She's incredible. Top-tier, even in Millennium. But to her, it's just… normal. No big deal. She thinks she's nothing special, and that's the problem."
"A kid with low self-esteem, huh…" Mash murmured. "I wish she'd believe in herself."
Neru shot him a look. "Says the guy who's just as bad about that."
"Huh?" Mash blinked.
The truth was, Koyuki was a prodigy, one of Millennium's brightest stars. But her brilliance came with a burden—she couldn't see her own genius. To her, she was just an ordinary student, unremarkable and unworthy of praise.
"…This got kinda heavy," Neru sighed, standing up. "But we've gotta set her straight. No wrestling moves, though—maybe an hour of seiza as punishment."
"Let's make it thirty minutes," Mash suggested. "Akane, you done?"
"Yep, all finished!" Akane said cheerfully. "Flawless, as always."
"Nice work," Neru said. "Alright, let's move—"
"Hold on," Akane interrupted, guiding Mash away from the console. "Sensei, step over here. It's dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Mash asked, puzzled.
"Just come here," Akane insisted, her tone suspiciously sweet.
As Mash moved, Akane pressed a button. A faint ticking filled the room—a sound Mash recognized all too well.
"…Akane-chan," Mash said slowly. "Did you use a bomb?"
"Huh?" Akane tilted her head.
"What?!" Neru snapped.
"Well, yes, I did," Akane admitted. "Why?"
"This is a stealth mission!" Mash exclaimed. "No explosions!"
"…Oh," Akane said, her eyes widening. "Oops."
"You used it out of habit, didn't you?!" Neru roared.
"Sensei's right here!" Karin added, panicking.
"I-I messed up," Akane stammered. "It's just… I'm so used to it… What do we do?"
"Run! No time to check how long we've got!" Neru shouted.
BOOM!
Mash scooped up the entire team and bolted out of the room. The system room erupted behind them, consoles reduced to ash in a fiery blast. Even Mash, who'd thought he was hacking into systems, couldn't hide his confusion. And then it hit him: in this world, the most normal-looking people were often the most eccentric.
Back in their original room, the team caught their breath.
"I'm so sorry, Sensei…" Akane said, bowing her head.
"It's fine," Mash said, waving it off. "Everyone's okay, so… result's good enough, right?"
"But they probably know we're here now," Neru said grimly.
"Our faces aren't known, so that's something," Karin added. "What's the plan, Sensei?"
"Hmm…" Mash's eyes lit up. "I've got an idea. Let's get some help from our sleeping friend over there… with an interrogation."
"Interrogation?" Neru raised an eyebrow. "What's your angle?"
"Cream puff party," Mash said, grinning.
"Cream puff… wait, what?" Karin blinked.
"You're serious?" Neru asked, incredulous.
"Will that actually make her talk?" Akane wondered.
"Oh, trust me," Mash said, his eyes glinting. "Cream puffs are powerful."
The maids stared at him, their expressions screaming, What is wrong with this guy? But soon, they'd learn the true terror of the cream puff party.
The bunny-clad student stirred, blinking groggily. "Ngh… huh? Where am I? You lot! Who are you?!"
"We'll be asking the questions," Neru said, leaning in close.
"What?!"
Visually, the tied-up bunny girl glaring at them made them look like the villains, but Neru pressed on.
"Tell us everything you know about Kurosaki Koyuki," she demanded.
"Who?" the girl scoffed. "Never heard of her."
"Don't play dumb," Neru growled. "It won't end well."
"I'm serious! I don't know her!" the girl protested. "This ship's got over a thousand passengers. You think I memorize every name?"
"…Fair point," Neru conceded.
"Right?!" the girl said, hopeful.
"But you could still be lying," Neru added, her grin turning menacing. "Right?"
"Eek!" the girl squeaked, shrinking under Neru's (admittedly less terrifying than Tsurugi's) wicked smile.
Akane stepped in, her tone calm but pointed. "Does this sound familiar? A rude, flippant girl. Any record of someone causing trouble like that?"
"Rude… flippant…" The girl's eyes widened. "Oh!"
"Oh?" Neru echoed, leaning closer.
"N-No! I didn't say anything! Just a reflex!" the girl stammered. "Even if I knew, I can't spill client info!"
"So you do know something!" Neru snapped.
Akane smiled sweetly, sending a chill down the girl's spine. "Bingo."
"Stop! No violence! I don't like pain!" the girl pleaded.
"Don't worry," Neru said, her grin widening. "It won't hurt… but it might be uncomfortable."
"What are you gonna do?!" the girl demanded.
"Sensei!" Neru called.
"Yo," Mash said, stepping forward.
The girl froze, her eyes locked on the cream puff in Mash's hand. "…Why's he holding a cream puff?"
Neru smirked. "Sensei's about to stuff those in your mouth. A lot."
"What?!" the girl yelped.
"There's ten of 'em," Neru added.
"Wait, wait! What kind of interrogation is this?!" the girl cried.
"If you don't talk, it's the cream puff party," Neru said. "Your call."
"Cream puff party?!" the girl scoffed, her bravado kicking in. "Do your worst! A few cream puffs won't break me!"
Neru nodded, impressed by the girl's defiance—a classic "kukkoru" moment. But they weren't playing around.
"Sensei… go," Neru ordered.
"Cream puff party♪ Cream puff party♪ Cream puff party♪" Mash chanted, advancing with a sing-song voice.
"W-What's with that song?! No, stop! You can't just—mmph! Mmph!" The girl's protests were muffled as Mash shoved cream puffs into her mouth.
"Don't worry, I'll stop short of knocking you out," Mash said cheerfully.
"Mmph!" the girl groaned, custard oozing from her mouth.
"Keep it up, and more cream puffs are coming!" Neru taunted.
One, two, three cream puffs went in. The girl's face twisted with a chaotic mix of deliciousness, discomfort, and fear. By the sixth puff, she broke.
Gulp. "…I'll talk," she gasped, custard dripping down her chin.
"Hell yeah, Sensei!" Neru cheered.
"No big deal," Mash said, wiping custard off her face with a towel.
"My mouth's all sweet… but it hurts… yet it's tasty…" the girl mumbled, dazed.
(Cream puff party… sounds ridiculous, but it's weirdly effective for interrogations, Neru thought.)
(Might have to try it on our next mission, Akane mused.)
Neru loomed over the girl, her stare demanding answers. "Spill it. Now."
The girl, still trembling, spoke. "I-I'm not sure, but… the White Rabbit's probably in the play lounge."
The play lounge. That was the White Rabbit's den.
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