Amamiya picked up the glass bottle, pouring a small amount of transparent liquid into his hands. It felt smooth and slippery, confirming it was indeed hand sanitizer.
"So," he looked thoughtfully at the puppet Billy, "Mr. Butler brought us hand sanitizer?"
Puppet Billy rolled his eyes. "Yes, as a butler, it's my duty to meet every guest's needs."
So considerate of his guests—he truly deserved the title of "Butler of the Year."
Amamiya turned to Kaguya and instructed, "Hold out your hands."
Kaguya complied, extending her delicate hands into the dim light.
Despite the low visibility, her fingers appeared long and slender, her pale skin flawless, like peeled onions. Her nails, though lacking polish, were neat and gleamed with a natural shine. In short, her hands were exquisitely beautiful.
People with such elegant hands could make anything look good, even handcuffs.
"Luckily, I didn't participate in Mr. Butler's game just now." Amamiya muttered as he poured sanitizer onto Kaguya's wrist.
"You're overthinking it," Kaguya muttered, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "I'd rather wear handcuffs than use that hand sanitizer."
What's wrong with washing your hands? As Chika would say, it could even save lives in a desert!
Her skin, already smooth and delicate, now felt even more slippery after Amamiya applied the sanitizer—like a fish slipping through one's fingers. The reduced friction between her wrist and the cuffs allowed her to slip out effortlessly.
Hand sanitizer really was a miracle product.
"It's off," Amamiya said, tossing the cuffs onto the table. "Let's go."
"Wait a second," Kaguya wiped her wrists, noting the hand sanitizer felt different from usual. "The collar around my neck is still on."
If the cage and handcuffs confined the body, the collar seemed to bind the soul.
The fact that something straight out of a comic had appeared around her neck was terrifying. It had to come off!
Hearing this, Amamiya glanced at the puppet in her arms. "Mr. Butler, how do I remove the collar?"
Billy's voice dropped to a low tone. "The answer lies within you."
"Within me?" Amamiya echoed, puzzled. After a brief hesitation, she pulled out the "silver key" from his pocket. "You mean this?"
Upon seeing the remote control, Kaguya's face clouded as she recalled her earlier unpleasant experience.
"You're saying there's a button that opens the collar?" she asked, her arms crossed and her voice cool.
"This guest is indeed insightful," Billy responded.
"Which button?" Kaguya pressed.
"Sorry, I'm bound by the rules. I can't say," Billy replied.
"That's fine. We'll figure it out," Amamiya said, turning to Kaguya. "There are six buttons on this remote. I already pressed the first one on the upper left. That leaves five. We'll find it soon enough."
Kaguya bit her lower lip, hesitation flickering across her features.
The remote wasn't exactly like the ones in comics. There were buttons she didn't recognize, and pressing the wrong one might trigger something unexpected. But leaving the collar on wasn't an option.
"Let's try," she finally said.
She wasn't a pet girlfriend—there was no way she'd wear a pet collar forever!
"Shall I press it?" Amamiya asked, raising the key.
"...Go ahead."
The Ice Princess clenched her fists, mentally preparing for what was to come.
This time, she was ready. She wouldn't react like before.
"Alright, here we go."
Amamiya pressed the second button.
"Meow~"
A soft, unexpected meow filled the air.
Kaguya instinctively raised her hand to her lips, her cheeks turning pink.
Amamiya stared, silently, at the girl who had just transformed into a catgirl.
Their eyes met.
With a steady hand, Amamiya pressed the button again.
Kaguya's eyes widened slightly, her expression strained as she tried her best to endure the situation.
"Meow~"
The catlike sound echoed again, filled with a mix of shame and frustration. The girl's resolve crumbled.
"You're still pressing it!" Kaguya's face flushed with embarrassment as she shouted, "Stop it already!"
She had steeled herself for an electric shock, but instead, what followed wasn't pain. Rather, her throat tickled, and something strange bubbled up, as if she was about to cough—only, what came out was beyond her control.
"Is this really the right key?" Amamiya said seriously, turning to the puppet Billy. "Mr. Butler, I'd appreciate a reasonable explanation for this."
"Since it's a pet collar, isn't it only natural for the pet to make pleasing noises?" Billy responded, his tone matter-of-fact.
"I suppose that makes sense..." Amamiya nodded absentmindedly.
Seeing Kaguya cover her lips with a warning glare in her eyes, Amamiya quickly switched gears and added, "Still, it's pretty unscientific to find something like this in a castle, don't you think?"
Billy, however, remained unphased. "Everything has its reasons for existing," he said cryptically. "Please don't question the castle's hospitality."
Amamiya turned to Kaguya, his expression thoughtful. "It seems the second button isn't helpful. Shall we keep going?"
"...Continue," Kaguya said firmly after a deep breath.
If she gave up now, all her effort would go to waste. That was not in line with her calculated nature. As someone driven by results, Kaguya wasn't one to quit so easily.
It was just a meow, after all. It's not like they hadn't endured worse at the Ghost Academy.
"Alright, then," Amamiya said, pressing the third button.
"Woof~"
Kaguya quickly brought her fingers to her lips, but the sound escaped anyway.
"Looks like a dog this time," Amamiya remarked. It made sense—dogs and cats were common pets.
"I'll keep going," he said, pressing the fourth button.
Kaguya's long, curled lashes trembled, and then, despite her best efforts, a soft, shame-filled whisper escaped:
"...Master."
Amamiya felt the air grow warmer, and without thinking, pressed the button again.
"Master," Kaguya's voice repeated, filled with reluctant submission.
"Master."
No. This was unstoppable. The Ice Princess herself was calling him "master," her face flushed with embarrassment. How could anyone resist that?
"You pressed it three times," Kaguya said through gritted teeth, her shoulders trembling with anger. "...Turn yourself in!"
"I'm really sorry," Amamiya apologized, though it lacked conviction. "It's like my hands stopped working on their own."
"If your hands don't follow orders, maybe you should hand them over to someone who needs them," Kaguya shot back, her expression icy. "I'm done with this collar."
"There are only two buttons left," Amamiya said, almost regretfully. "How about we hang on just a little longer?"
"No way," Kaguya said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Think about it carefully—Mr. Butler never said that just pressing one button would unlock the collar. If it's some kind of combination, we could be here forever testing it."
Amamiya frowned in thought. "Considering how the iron cage was unlocked earlier, it's probably something simple."
Too bad the solution wasn't coming to him right now.
Seeing that Kaguya had no intention of continuing, Amamiya reluctantly put the key away. "Fujiwara-san's still in the next room. Let's go get her."
To be cautious, the two climbed onto the cage and used the passage to return to the third floor. After confirming that the hallway was clear, they slipped out of the room and quickly made their way into the next one.