Saturo:
"Damn… you got it rough, homie."
A/N:
😭 silently weeping in the corner
Saturo:
"Damn it, can this tuition teacher stop changing tomorrow's schedule every five minutes?"
A/N:
"CONTINUE—"
Cynthia smiled like a beggar who had just won the jackpot.
Saturo slowly raised his hand into the air.
Saturo:
"Watch closely, Gohan."
Using his psychic energy, he controlled Cynthia's hand and forced it to connect with his.
CLAP—BOOM
A loud sound echoed from the point of impact.
It was a perfect dap.
Saturo leaned closer and whispered into her ear:
Saturo:
"Then, my dear lady… the deal is final."
"Prepare to do my bidding for an entire year straight."
Cynthia froze for a second because of how close he suddenly was, but the moment she processed his words, she instinctively snapped back.
Cynthia:
"We'll see about that."
Saturo:
"No… we won't, my lady."
Cynthia:
"Yes, we will."
A vein bulged on Cynthia's forehead as she glared at him.
Cynthia:
"Are you mocking me with that tone?"
Saturo replied cheekily while grabbing her hand again, trying to read her thoughts once more.
Saturo:
"What if I am, Miss Cynthia?"
Cynthia:
"Get lost, you brat. I'm happy you're finally leaving this house."
"Maybe now I'll finally get some peace and quiet."
Meanwhile, inside her thoughts—
Cynthia's Thoughts:
"Too close… too close…"
"Stay calm."
"Wait, why is my heart suddenly beating so fast?"
"Cynthia, calm down. He's just messing with you."
"If you react the way he wants, he'll remember it until his grave."
Unfortunately for her—
Saturo's heart wasn't doing much better either.
He leaned closer again and whispered:
Saturo:
"Oh, right. I forgot to tell you something."
"With my psychic abilities, I can randomly read your thoughts for short periods of time."
"And let's just say…"
A grin slowly spread across his face.
Saturo:
"You gave me some very interesting material today."
Cynthia instantly turned into stone.
Then came the embarrassment.
Her entire body heated up like a steak tossed onto a frying pan as she prepared to run for her life.
Cynthia's Thoughts:
"What the—?!"
"That's such a bizarre ability!"
"It should've been me, not him!"
"That's not fairrr—"
Then she suddenly remembered the entire three-chapter-long conversation she had in her own head earlier.
Even her thoughts started stuttering from embarrassment.
Saturo looked at her reaction, grinned even wider, and declared dramatically:
Saturo:
"Let the bet begin."
Oriana and Escanor watched the entire thing unfold while eating popcorn nearby.
Oriana & Escanor:
"Damn it… we want a refund."
A/N:
"You two don't even pay me."
Escanor:
"You should be paying us to watch this nonsense."
Oriana nodded in agreement.
A/N:
"Dayummm…"
Saturo and Cynthia suddenly turned around at the same time and spotted Oriana and Escanor casually eating popcorn in the corner.
Both children instantly turned red.
Oriana and Escanor panicked.
They immediately tried to teleport away.
Saturo blocked it with his psychic powers.
Then they tried escaping through the door—
But Cynthia blocked the exit before they could even move two steps.
Oriana & Escanor:
"MOM, DAD—"
"LEAVE US OUT OF THIS!"
Their "parents" exchanged one silent look with each other…
…and then immediately punched both Pokémon in the face.
After calming down, Saturo spent the rest of the day going around town to thank everyone properly before leaving.
He even visited Cynthia's grandmother one last time.
Although she clearly didn't want him to leave, in the end, she still respected his decision.
A little after discussion..
A/N:
"Wait… did you two just speedrun 99.9% of all romance anime plots?"
Saturo:
"…Never thought about it that way."
A/N:
"Let me get this straight."
"You started as childhood friends…"
"Live in the same house…"
"Fight every single day…"
"Share Pokémon custody…"
"Have matching emotional damage…"
"One side accidentally discovers the concept of crushes…"
"And now there's a one-year servant bet involved?"
Saturo: "…When you say it out loud, it sounds bad."
A/N:
"BAD???""You literally unlocked the entire romcom starter pack before turning ten!"
Cynthia:"Romcom?"
A/N:"…You know what, never mind."
Saturo: "Wait, hold on. What do you mean by servant bet?"
A/N: "You whispered 'my dear lady' into her ear like some dollar-store aristocrat."
Saturo: "…Okay, first of all, rude."
Cynthia slowly covered her face as steam practically rose from her head after remembering the scene again.
Cynthia: "WHY WOULD YOU REMIND ME?!"
Oriana:"Mom is overheating again."
Escanor: "At this point, we should keep a water bucket nearby."
A/N: "No no, let them cook."
Saturo: "You are literally the reason this chaos exists."
A/N: "And yet I regret nothing."