Phi’Scia had been monitoring Natalia’s mental state across the past week as the period of the contract progressed to its final day. Despite her insistence that everything was under control, Phi’Scia was seeing signs that Natalia was not as in control of her own faculties and impulses as she seemed to believe she was. That was a huge problem, to put it simply. Something had to be done, or Natalia would potentially do something she might regret… Or even be brainwashed into not regretting it at all. Either way, Phi’Scia was determined to ensure that wasn’t going to happen.

She had her own workspace on the main ship with a desk and computer terminal, where she was performing analysis on various things, but her main focus right now was Natalia and Hanzo. While she had a bit of data on Japanese fox spirits from Akasha, she had to do her own research for the most part. Thankfully having two people from Thaumia helped, but they were European, so they had a likely limit on their knowledge of the subject.

As it happened, Aurelius came over to her workspace while she was still distracted by her work. “Magister Nalulini?”

“EEEP!” Phi’Scia nearly jumped in her seat. Despite her age, she wasn’t great when it came to people or socialising. She was actually more shy than Natalia, which she considered a little embarrassing. When she realised it was just Aurelius, however, she allowed herself to relax. “Oh, Magister Kruse, can I help you with something?”

“Since you’re focusing on Hanzo at present, I have some news that you might be interested in,” said Aurelius, looking a bit amused at her startled reaction. “Remember when I told you I had reached out to my contacts in Thaumian Japan in regards to Hanzo?”

Phi’Scia cleared her throat, feeling a bit red on the cheeks, “well, of course I remember. Did anything come of it?”

“Yes, he’s actually from Thaumia and he’s wanted by local authorities for the kinds of heinous activities he’s performing here. In fact, one particular person who I was reluctant to contact was very interested when she heard I was inquiring about him - a much older and much more powerful bake-danuki with nine tails who goes by the name of Akane. She’s been trying to hunt him down for quite a while.”

“And… Why are you reluctant to make contact with her?”

Aurelius sighed. “She’s a raging nymphomaniac and while generally on the side of good, she’s also full of herself and has quite the ego. You should see her palace. She’s… Quite extravagant. She’s massive step up from Hanzo, but she will try to seduce anyone she meets, and throws lavish parties and banquets on a whim.”

Phi’Scia groaned. It seemed Thaumia had more than a few species that generally were troublesome to deal with, for one reason or another. “Fox spirits are… Quite the handful, aren’t they?”

“Oh, yes. At worst they’re actively malicious, at best they’re cheeky tricksters. At least they’re not dragons, however, the gamut is even worse with them.”

“Don’t I know it,” Phi’Scia nodded. “So… Now what? Is she coming over to help, or…?”

“No idea,” he said flatly. “I told her where Hanzo was hiding out. She gleefully said something about making plans, and then promptly hung up on me. So who knows what’s happening now on her end.”

“Okay, so I can’t hope to rely on her potentially intervening in any helpful way,” Phi’Scia said, putting her elbows down on her desk, hands together and two fingers pointed up as she rested her head against her hands. “That’s fine, I wasn’t including her in my planning, but-”

“-what’s going on, Phi’Scia?” Aurelius said, summoning a temporary makeshift seat, and sitting down on it. “Something’s been bothering you quite a lot this past week.”

Crap, he saw right through her. Best just get it out of the way, then. She sighed, “it’s about Natalia. I’m worried about her state of mind, and her brainwashing might actually be worse than I anticipated, causing her to make crucial errors, which is why she signed that contract with Hanzo. I can’t guarantee that she’ll be in the right mindset to reject any offer to become his slave, even if I dedicate a lot more time to her deprogramming.”

Aurelius rubbed his chin. “Why not just pre-empt that entirely?”

“If I try, it might actually go poorly with her. She could take it as a sign that I don’t trust her or something.”

“But do you actually trust her?”

That gave Phi’Scia immediate pause. “No. I don’t. At least not entirely. I wish I could, but I can’t trust her to be her own master.”

“You could test her mental state to see if she’s ready and manipulate her into a situation where the outcome is beneficial for her no matter what happens. I realise that’s not the most positive way to phrase that, but…”

Phi’Scia made eye contact with him. She was trying to figure out what he meant, but then ideas started popping into her head, and she realised he was on to something. “I’m listening.”

❖

“Oooh, that was nice. Last day, Natalia-chan, and it was a good one. Nice to know you held up your end of our bargain,” Hanzo grinned, as he casually goosed Natalia after she cleaned up. “Give my offer some thought. A lot of it. You won’t regret it at all. I’ll contact you again soon~”

He slipped out without giving Natalia a chance to respond, and went on his merry way, leaving the bathroom and whistling to himself, keeping more of an eye out. He was more wary of being ambushed this time - that last experience with the Emperor had made him somewhat more paranoid. He had to remember that he wasn’t the only magical entity around right now. He was also stay out of the way so students wouldn’t bump into him unknowingly.

“You certainly have her wound around your finger, haven’t you? Such a weak-willed girl.”

He glanced to his left, seeing a darker-skinned woman walking alongside him in a smart business casual outfit, glasses and with her dark hair tied up He recognised her instantly, of course, even with this guise, and noted she was using a similar spell to what he was using to get around without being noticed. “You’re the coven leader. Gulara, I believe?”

“Nice to be recognised, Hanzo. But I’m not here for pleasantries. You’re being a nuisance in my territory,” Gulara said, adjusting her glasses.

Hanzo laughed. The actual audacity of this bitch to claim this area as her territory and try to boss him around! At least the Emperor backed up his words by literally slitting his throat. “Lady, you’re completely delusional. Besides, get in line. The Emperor wants to rule this area too, you know, and last I checked, the two of you ain’t on good terms.”

“I intend to make him kneel before me as well, just for your information, fleabag.” Of course she went for that insult as well, why was he not surprised. “So here’s my ultimatum - either leave and don’t come back, bend the knee, or I’ll skin you alive and claim your power for myself.”

Hanzo laughed again, stepping up in front of her and turning to her with a grin, “Gulara-san, I don’t think you realise you’re not in the prime bargaining position you think you are. I’m hundreds of years older than you are, and while your numbers give you an edge, individually you can’t hold a candle to my power. Sure, I’m out of commission, but I’m very close to being back in action, and when I am, I’ll make you understand why it’s a bad idea to try and make ultimatums of me.”

“You think you can enslave me like you’re trying to do with her?” Gulara smirked. “I have a much better method of indoctrinating new subordinates than you.”

“Right, right, the hair thing and the full moon ritual. I’m gonna enjoy seeing how that pans out, but I assume it’s not going to go as planned. Everyone knows it’s happening, and it’s gonna be a shitshow,” Hanzo chuckled. “Mark my words, everyone’s gonna converge on wherever the ritual site is, and it’s gonna be a battle royale for the ages.”

“You’re assuming I haven’t accounted for that. The ritual is going to give me the edge that will allow me to overcome all my obstacles. I am quite prepared.”

“Right, because it’s not like the power of the full moon can’t be used by a lot of magical beings. You. Ain’t. Special.”

“There’s a difference between passively harnessing it and fully utilising it in a ritual, and you know it. I’m not just going to expose my entire hand to you.”

“Fine, then. But I don’t think this is going to go the way you think. And I won’t bend the knee to anyone, especially not here.”

“’Here’ as in this location… Or on Earth?” Gulara smirked. “You’re relatively powerful on this plane, but on Earth, there’s many beings more powerful than you are, including your fellow fox spirits. The fact that you don’t have some kind of fiefdom and are hiding from the authorities says a lot. You’re just a scared kit who can’t compete with the big boys and girls.”

He was trying his best not to completely lose his shit at that insult. He was more than aware of how much it dug into his skin. His eyes narrowed as he snarled, glaring daggers into her eyes, “if I weren’t weakened and using this clone body right now, I would disembowel you right on the spot, woman, even if it meant exposing myself.”

“Consider that nerve touched,” she chuckled, as she walked away. “But I believe I’ve made my point. Consider yourself warned. If we see each other next time, I expect you to either bend the knee, or I will make you… Or end you.”

“I’m going to enjoy breaking your will and making you my loyal slave, bitch,” Hanzo snarled, as he walked away as well. He had been in such a wonderful mood, and now she had to ruin it. He was really looking forward to making her regret crossing him.

❖

Natalia sighed as she finally got home and went straight up to her room. Last day of the contract, which should’ve expired at this point, based on the terms. She just wanted to spend some time relaxing before she got back to training, patrolling or studying. She had a lot on her plate right now.

She closed the door behind her and went over to her bed, immediately faceplanting onto it. Her next encounter with Hanzo was going to be messy for all sorts of reasons. And NIA had been oddly quiet today. What was up with her? Oh well, she wasn’t in the mood to-

“Now we have the room to ourselves, my little pet.”

Her heart skipped a beat as she heard a familiar voice behind her, and the door lock. She bolted upwards and spun around, seeing Hanzo standing in front of said door, with all three tails, staring at her with a predatory gaze. Before she could even think of summoning her armour, his supernatural charisma at full power hit her like a truck, mentally disarming her. “W-Why are you… How are you…?!”

“I told you I’d contact you again soon. I never said how soon,” said Hanzo, walking right up to her. “All that matters is that I’m here. And it’s time for you to make your choice. Your sisters are not going to bail you out this time.”

A rolled up parchment appeared in his hand, and he unrolled it just enough for her to see the dotted line. He pulled out a quill, and handed it to her. “All you need to do is sign here, and you’re mine. It’s a simple decision, just a yes or no.”

Natalia swallowed, her heart racing. It should be easy. Just say no, summon her armour, and alert the others. Why weren’t they here already? How did he even get into the house that easily? And yet somehow none of those questions seemed to matter at all. The quill felt so heavy in her fingers. She didn’t want to serve this creep for the rest of her life… Did she?

She tried to harden her resolve as best she could, glaring into his eyes. “I… I won’t do it.”

Hanzo smirked, coming around her as he let go of the parchment, letting it hang in midair. “You say the words, and yet you’re still not sure. I’ve seen how excited you’ve been to serve me every day, even before I hypnotise you. You thought you could ride it out without consequences and indulge yourself.” His muzzle came uncomfortably close to her ear, “even now that familiar scent reaches my nostrils.”

Natalia whimpered as she tried to just focus on the parchment. But he still came around behind her, giving her firm gropes on her butt and breasts. Even with her sweater she could feel his lustful breath on her neck. “Just sign it, and you’ll be living a life of pure bliss. No more worries, just indulging in your true nature - as an obedient slave. I know that’s what you truly want.”

Her eyes glazed over as fantasies filled her mind. Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t stop herself - he was right. With a flick of the quill, she signed her name. “Yes… I’m yours… My Master.”

Hanzo laughed, taking the quill and parchment, and signing it himself.

Natalia felt the effects binding her immediately. It was done. She was his slave.

Then he sighed. “Good grief, I thought you might have been able to pull through there, Natalia… It’s a good thing I came up with this contingency plan.”

Natalia blinked, now very much confused. “M-Master?”

Hanzo’s image melted away, revealing none other that Phi’Scia standing there instead. “Honestly, I’m glad you didn’t read the actual text. Because if you did, you probably would’ve realised what was actually going on.” She unfolded the parchment, presenting the full contract to her.

“H-Huh?! What?!” Natalia blinked, her mind clearing up as the effects of the charisma faded, and she read the actual contract. The ‘Master’s’ signature was Phi’Scia’s, not Hanzo’s, and the actual terms stipulated that Natalia was bound to serve Phi’Scia (and anyone she deemed as ‘secondary masters’) for six months. During that time, Natalia would be incapable of entering into any other form of magical contract. “Wait… Was this a test?!”

“Both a test and a contingency plan. Aurelius suggested it, and helped me set up this emulation of Hanzo’s abilities for maximum authenticity. You failed the test, but fortunately that means I was able to bind you to be unable to serve Hanzo,” Phi’Scia nodded. She looked… Disappointed. “So at least this misadventure of yours produced some kind of positive result, even if I’m not exactly happy with it. It proves that Hanzo’s brainwashing is deep-rooted enough that you can’t be trusted to act rationally without further safeguards.”

“We told you agreeing to Hanzo’s deal was a bad idea, Natalia,” NIA said. “Phi’Scia told me the plan first before she put it into motion. I wasn’t going to make this easier for you.”

Everything added up, now, as her mind properly cleared up and she could think straight again - she felt so stupid for not realising why ‘Hanzo’ being here hadn’t brought brought everyone over. Hell, everyone else was probably in on this plan. Still… “But… I thought… I should’ve been able to resist!”

Phi’Scia sighed, “that’s partly my fault. I should’ve figured out your mind was in a worse state than I thought. And while my safeguards allowed you to avoid the worst of it, the repeated brainwashing over the last week has not been without lasting mental effects. Unfortunately, organic minds aren’t nearly as simple as artificial ones, so things can go wrong.”

Natalia sighed, walked over to a wall, and started banging her head against it. She felt like a complete idiot. How did she manage to rationalise such a stupid idea as to agree to that ‘trial period’?! “UGH! I can’t believe I actually did that! What was I THINKING?!”

“What he did to you and your recent sexual awakening severely influenced your thought processes,” Phi’Scia explained, coming over and putting a hand on her shoulder. “While you’re not blameless in this affair, my analysis indicates you were far from being in the right mental state to be able to make sensible decisions. That can be fixed, though. We need to redouble your deprogramming efforts, especially before Hanzo tries to contact you again for real this time.”

Natalia stopped banging her head, resting it against the wall with a sigh. She didn’t feel any better by any means - this was her stupid fault. She was just glad it didn’t result in her actually becoming Hanzo’s slave. “Phi, NIA, I’m sorry. I should’ve listened. I’m such a fucking moron.”

“Even the smartest people can make bafflingly stupid decisions even without being under the influence of brainwashing,” Phi’Scia chuckled. “Consider the contract a punishment for your error, though. Now you have no choice but to follow my orders.”

“Well, you sure went the extra mile to make me think Hanzo was influencing me. You even got handsy.”

Phi’Scia immediately made an ‘eep’ sound as she stepped back. “I’m so sorry, I was just acting! But I may have gotten a bit too into it. But I needed to be as convincing as possible, even if it meant, well, potentially molesting you.”

That was the difference between her and Hanzo - the latter had no regard for the comfort and well-being of his ‘pets’, whereas Phi’Scia had… Actual standards and morals, really, and was actively looking out for Natalia. It made Natalia glad that Phi was her friend and ally.

Still… She turned around, to see Phi’Scia looking very flustered. For someone much older than her, she acted like a shy schoolgirl sometimes. And that gave Natalia an idea, at least for a small measure of ‘payback’ for ‘punishing’ her with the contract. “Well, I’m yours, ‘Mistress’. I’m completely at your mercy… And you can do anything to me.”

Phi’Scia was now frantically mumbling objections, but Natalia could tell the realisation was dawning on her. Natalia grinned as she walked right up to her, “I’ll forgive you for the groping, but only if you admit that it wasn’t just an act, Mistress~”

And now Phi’Scia was a blubbering, flustered wreck, covering her face with her hands. Natalia wasn’t normally this mischievous, but there was an odd thrill to doing this, and she wasn’t sure why. But she quickly decided she was probably going a bit too far, and stopped. “Sorry, I just couldn’t resist. You’re just so cute when you’re flustered.”

Phi’Scia took a deep breath as her composure returned, and smirked back. “Alright, you got me there. I’ll admit, it is tempting to have some fun with you, both for research reasons and my own personal curiosity, but I think it’s better that we focus on fixing up your head as much as possible. The night of the full moon is only a couple of days away, after all, and I need you to have your head in the game as much as possible.”

Natalia winced, “oooooh, right, that’s a thing. Hanzo will probably be there when we raid Gulara’s ritual. Alright, let’s just get some of that done before dinner, then.”

Phi’Scia sat down on the bed, and Natalia laid her head on her lap. “I still can’t believe you’re decades older than me. I know you’re an alien and it’s harder to tell how old you are because I haven’t seen many Miama, but if I didn’t know better I’d think you were a uni student too.”

Phi’Scia let out a chuckle. “I get that a lot. When you’re effectively immortal and very long-lived, age doesn’t really matter a lot, especially after rebirth. I’ve seen Miaman ‘children’ who can make adults from other species look like idiots. As for me, I’m on my first and only life, so I don’t have the life experience many other Miama have, and I don’t really feel ‘old’, even if I am by the standards of many other species. I can handle professional matters just fine, but socially, I can be kinda awkward. I was hyping myself up for that whole act, and hoping it would be convincing enough. I also was worried that if something went wrong you’d take it really badly.”

“Yeah, I see why you’d worry about that. But this has been a pretty big wake-up call for me.”

“We’re never too old to learn new things or understand ourselves better. I’m a stickler for learning more about people and cultures, not just studying magic. That’s why once the invasion has been repelled, I’m going to spend my time on this planet learning a lot more about this planet and its people… Starting with you, your sisters and this town,” Phi’Scia smiled. “I know we haven’t known each other for very long, and haven’t really had much of a chance to properly socialise. Do you think of me as a friend, Natalia?”

Natalia smiled back. “Yeah. If you’re willing to put up with my bullshit, go out of your way to help me for reasons clearly beyond just helping a comrade, and show your vulnerable side around me, how could I not call you a friend? I really want to get to know you more. Maybe once all of this is over…”

“I’d like that. But for now, we’ve got work to do,” Phi’Scia said, putting a hand on Natalia’s forehead. “A lot of deprogramming to get through. I hope you’re ready.”

Natalia nodded. “Ready as I’ll ever be. Next time I see that fox… I’m kicking him in the dick.”

❖

Florrie sighed as she closed the door to her apartment behind her. This afternoon and evening had been kinda stressful after she found out what had happened to her best friend. While Nat and Phi had reassured her things were under control now, Florrie had still been worrying like hell for her friend. Like, how else was she supposed to respond to the fact that if push came to shove Natalia would’ve actually become Hanzo’s slave?!

Of course, she was so utterly caught up in her own thoughts that she didn’t register that something was floating in the middle of the living room until her eyes locked onto it. By the time she registered what it was, it was too late.

The rippling, rainbow energy sphere instantly enraptured her, her mind flooded by the mental ripples that caused her brain to cease conscious thought, as she stood in place, gazing mindlessly while her mind was flooded with subliminal messages and suggestions. All she could think about was submission and obedience.

“It seems that little toy of yours isn’t detecting me. Excellent,” said a male voice, coming up behind her and groping her rear, which she did not consciously register, but she did knew who was speaking, without a doubt, considering that was being ingrained in her mind. “I’m going to have a lot of fun with you tonight… On top of making you my insurance, of course.”

Florrie smiled dumbly. “Yes, Master Hanzo. I am yours to use as you desire…”