I don't want to be an elf!

Well done!

Although she didn't think Diluc was a good person, this decision put Miku Izayoi on the same side as him.

"What does it matter to me if your sister becomes my fan? I didn't force her to like me." Miku Izayoi rolled her eyes at her. "Every cute female fan calls me 'Big Sister,' can't you be a little more magnanimous?"

"Humph!"

Although that's the truth, Irene simply wouldn't listen.

It's inherently difficult to reason with a woman who's angry.

Not to mention, this matter also subtly hints at NTR (Netorare, a form of sexual intercourse).

"Besides, I've never heard of someone gambling when they're in a bad mood before," Miku Izayoi said, utterly speechless. "If you have this extra money, you might as well pay it back to Diluc to settle your debt."

“What do you know? If I don’t find a job that pays off quickly and rely solely on the channels that guy provides to pay off my debts, I’ll never be able to pay them off in my lifetime,” Irene said unhappily. “The contract I signed with him had a lot of clauses, and gambling is one of the few ways I can pay off my debts quickly.”

"Well... your feud with that guy has nothing to do with me. Let's get back to the main topic."

"The main topic? Are you serious?"

After going around in circles, we've come full circle back to the original topic.

Seeing that Miku Izayoi didn't seem to be joking, Irena suppressed her frustration.

Although she couldn't stand the bastard who stole her sister, she still admired his behavior of barging into the detention room of Lewoff Black Academy and finding her without giving Diluc any face.

Diluc was her creditor, and in a sense, he saved her sister from becoming a lab rat, but she didn't feel much gratitude towards him.

The two were simply engaged in a transaction, an unequal transaction that took exploitation to its extreme.

She can't possibly be grateful to someone who treats her like a pawn, can she?

However, while she admired Miku Izayoi's capriciousness, reality did not allow her to grant Miku Izayoi's request.

"You really want me to be your partner in the Phoenix Star Dance Festival?"

"Any questions?"

“This is a big problem. I signed a contract with that guy Diluc, which is almost like a contract of servitude. I can only redeem my freedom after the debt is paid off.”

Irene sighed and sat back down on the ground, saying helplessly, "Before this, everything I had was in that guy's hands. Without his permission, I couldn't even participate in the Star Dance Festival, let alone participate with people from other schools."

Despite uttering discouraging words, Irene showed no sign of discouragement, appearing as if she had long since accepted her fate.

"So I'm sorry, Miss Idol, I'll probably spend my whole life in this prison." She shrugged. "But even if I were free, I wouldn't team up with you. Our levels are worlds apart, we could never get along."

Do you think I'm weak?

No, that's not what I meant.

Irene raised her hand, as if she wanted to scratch her head out of embarrassment, but had to give up halfway because of the handcuffs.

Under Miku Izayoi's gaze, she said somewhat angrily, "Tsk, what I mean is, an idol like you who shines on stage and a guy like me who rots in prison have absolutely nothing in common, right? Forcing us together will only make both of us uncomfortable."

Seeing Irena become embarrassed after speaking her true feelings, Miku Izayoi couldn't help but laugh.

"You're surprisingly gentle."

"If you want to fight, just say so. Don't disgust me."

Irene seemed to take Miku Izayoi's words as sarcasm.

But in reality, she didn't mean to mock.

Because she knew that Irene was a gentle person by nature.

In order to ensure her younger sister's safety, she was willing to sell everything to the ill-intentioned Diluc.

Even when he hurts others because of Diluc's orders, he feels guilty and uneasy deep down.

Miku Izayoi is well aware of Irena's personality.

This is also why she chose Irene as her partner.

"I still want you, huh?" Miku Izayoi said with a satisfied squinting. "I really like you. Be my partner."

"Hey, you crazy woman, didn't you hear what I just said?" Irene sighed deeply. "Why does it have to be me?"

"There are three main reasons."

Miku Izayoi entered the cell, squatted down, and lifted Irene's chin with one finger.

"First, you are very strong. There are very few people in the entire Asterisk who can rank third in strength at Rewolf Black Academy."

Examining her as if she were admiring a treasure, Miku Izayoi smiled slightly, instantly closing the distance between them.

"Secondly, you are very trustworthy. Once you make a promise, you won't go back on it, so I feel at ease using your services."

Miku Izayoi leaned close to her ear, her warm, moist breath tickling her ear.

"Finally, I would feel a great sense of accomplishment if I could win you over."

Chapter Twenty-Five: A Gambler's Proposal That He Can't Refuse

Irene remained relatively calm upon hearing the first two reasons given by Miku Izayoi.

But when the last reason was whispered in her ear, she froze on the spot.

After a moment of thought, as if she had finally understood the meaning of the sentence, her expression turned uncontrollably panicked.

"Eek—! Eek ee ee—!"

As she let out unintelligible screams, she crawled nimbly into the depths of the cell, away from Miku Izayoi, despite being handcuffed.

Still shaken, Irene rubbed her ear where she had been whispered in and asked in a trembling voice, "Are you... are you playing a trick on me? We're both girls!"

"Oh my, such a strong reaction? How innocent." Miku Izayoi spread her hands helplessly. "Isn't it perfectly normal for a girl to like another girl?"

"Stop trying to fool me! Even if I'm completely clueless, I know this kind of thing is definitely not normal!"

"Don't you love your sister just as much? It shouldn't be hard to understand."

"What a joke! My love for my sister is the love between family members, it's not the same as your kind of love," Irene said with her deadpan eyes. "My sexual orientation is normal, you hear me? I'm straight, I'm a lesbian who likes men, and I've never been in a relationship simply because I haven't had the opportunity!"

"Don't be so resistant. You have to try things to know if you like them or not, right?"

"No, don't come any closer, or I'll bite you!"

Like a frightened animal, Irene revealed a pair of abnormally sharp fangs, looking on guard.

“What a strange guy, I understand you less and less,” Irene said warily. “In any case, I will not team up with you, for your safety and for mine. Go find someone else.”

"Don't refuse so quickly."

"Why can't you understand human language?" Irene said with a headache. "Let's not talk about our sexual orientations. I've already said that I owe Diluc a debt, and I have no freedom until the debt is paid off. Even if I'm willing to team up with you, that guy won't agree."

"I don't care about his opinion, as long as you're willing to team up with me," Miku Izayoi said rather willfully. "As for your debts, I'll pay them off for you, okay?"

"Don't say such irresponsible things. Do you even know how much I owe?"

"How many?"

“One billion Enterprise Credits. I’ve been doing all the dirty work for Diluc for the past five years, and I’ve only paid back a little over one billion,” Irene said with a sneer. “In other words, if you really want to pay off my debts, you’ll have to pay at least nine billion Enterprise Credits.”

Enterprise Coin is a globally unified electronic currency issued by six integrated corporate conglomerates after they gained control of the world's economic lifeline.

Its purchasing power is between that of the US dollar and the euro.

One billion Enterprise Coins is a huge sum of money for both ordinary people and the Star Pulse Generation.

It was precisely because the debt was a huge sum that the contract between Irene and Diluc was called a contract of servitude.

A full billion corporate coins—it's impossible for anyone without powerful backing to pay it off.

Even if you dismantle yourself and sell yourself to a research institution, you still wouldn't be able to scrape together a fraction of the money.

Although Irene possesses talent and is among the top in the Star Pulse Generation, there are too many restrictions on her earning money in the contract. Apart from serving Diluc for the rest of her life, she has no other effective way to pay off her debts.

Abandoned by their parents, she and her sister had no one else to rely on, and no one would lend them a helping hand.

One billion is no small sum for anyone, let alone in the eyes of others, where Irene's value is far less than one billion.

Even 500 million would be difficult.

Ranked third among the twelve at the beginning of Rewolf Black Academy, that is indeed a remarkable achievement.

However, such strong individuals appear every year in the six academies.

While the Star Pulse Generation of the first twelve is rare, it is not scarce. Apart from her strength, Irene herself has no outstanding qualities or highlights worth investing in.

She was aware of this, of course.

That's why she lost hope in her life.

“Irena, you’re right about one thing,” Miku Izayoi said calmly. “The difference between you and me is like heaven and earth. So, you, who are struggling for money, naturally don’t understand how easy it is for a top idol to make money.”

"That's really an unpleasant comment. How long have you been in the industry? Just a month?"

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to know that. It seems your knowledge of me goes beyond just my name and appearance."

"Stop being so conceited. I was just worried that Priscilla would fall for some lousy guy, so I did some research!"

"However, your investigation clearly didn't go very deep."

Miku Izayoi made a virtual dot in the air, and the pale blue screen projected by the terminal appeared in front of the two of them.

The page shows Miku Izayoi's private bank account.

When Irene saw the numbers displayed above, her eyes widened involuntarily.

“In just one month since my debut, I’ve earned 100 million corporate coins, which is more than you could earn working for Diluc for five years,” Miku Izayoi said calmly. “As for the remaining 800 million, I can borrow it from my manager, who is also the chairperson of the board of directors of the Quincy Academy. Don’t worry, considering the value I can create, she would lend me not just 800 million, but even 8 billion.”

"Hey... is being an idol really that lucrative?"

"That's how exorbitant the profits are, so I will redeem you from Diluc in one go. After that, I will become your creditor, and you will owe me nine hundred million."

Looking at the slightly dazed Irene, Izayoi Miku smiled and said, "As long as you are willing to become my partner, give it your all at the Phoenix Star Dance Festival, and bring me the championship, I will erase this 900 million debt and give you your freedom."

Her voice was alluring, possessing an irresistible power.

Irene's eyes were fixed on the 100 million yen in her bank account, and her heart began to waver.

She currently owes Diluc 900 million, and at a rate of 100 million every five years, it will take her a full 45 years to pay off the debt.

If she agrees to Miku Izayoi's request, she needs to win the Phoenix Star Dance Festival to gain her freedom immediately.