Disclaimer: I don't own anything that doesn't belong to me.


"My Lord? The Diningers are here to see you."

Startled, Tatsunosuke Hakkaku, a man in his fifties slightly gone to seed wearing a tie-dyed T-shirt under a regal orange and gold vest, orange wristbands, and an orange and gold ninja headband glanced up from his computer in surprise. "They are? Is it that time already?"

His secretary, a pretty younger woman named Haori, smiled indulgently. "It is, my Lord. I see that you got so busy you lost track of time again?"

Hakkaku tried very hard not to flush in embarrassment. His office, a somewhat cramped room filled with books and scrolls lining the walls, covering most of the floor, and littering his desk had several dozen clocks and calendars, not counting the half-dozen reminders on his computer and smart phone informing him, rather insistently, he had a meeting. "I suppose I did," he muttered. "Send them in! No, wait, there are… How many of them?"

"Six, my Lord."

Both of them glanced over the office and the many, many books and scrolls covering virtually every surface. There was absolutely no way the six guests could fit in here. It was sometimes astonishing Hakkaku could fit in there.

"I think I'll go out to meet them instead," Hakkaku decided, rising from his seat, gasping and wincing in pain as his spine [corrected].

Haori gave him a disapproving look. "My Lord, have you left this office at all today?"

"… Well, I used the bathroom at some point…" He muttered.

Haori sighed. "My Lord! We've talked about this! You need to take more breaks! You set reminders and everything!"

Hakkaku glanced at his phone and computer, all of which did indeed have several notifications telling him it was time to take a break, several of them dating back hours, if not days.

"I know, it's just… Whenever I think I hit a stopping point, I realize there's something else I need to get done, and another thing, and another, and next thing I know you're yelling in my ear not to fall asleep at my desk again because it's bad for my back," he muttered sheepishly.

"That's because it is," she said primly. "Lord Hakkaku. You can delegate."

"I know."

"We've had several discussions about this."

"I know."

"You have a rather large staff which sometimes has literally nothing to do because you keep doing everything yourself-"

"Haori, you can either keep reminding me of my bad habits, or I can go meet my guests. Which is it?" Hakkaku demanded, somewhat irritated.

Haori sighed and backed out of the room. "Very well, my Lord. But this conversation is not over."

"When is it ever?" He grumbled, finishing his stretches before shuffling after her, careful not to dislodge the mountains of paper looming over him.

"Diningers! Welcome to Shinobigakure!" Hakkaku declared a few minutes later, stepping into the tastefully decorated waiting room where his guests were waiting. "I hope you have enjoyed your visit here so far?"

The visiting ninjas had gotten up and bowed as he entered. "We have so far, your lordship," Akira said. "Thank you for your hospitality. You have a lovely village, and I'm glad we finally got a chance to visit."

Hakkaku sighed. "If only more of our youth still felt that way… What with the rail line and all, we seem to be losing more and more of them to the big city and the more prestigious ninja schools… I've even heard some are wondering if the Shinobiryu clan is recruiting, now that you've revealed yourself to the rest of the world!"

"Well, we are, but as one of – if not the oldest – ninja schools in the world, we understandably are pretty strict about who we let in," Sora told him.

Hakkaku frowned. "But what about-"

"We don't talk about him," Kenji said sharply.

Hakkaku nodded in understanding. "Right, taboo. My apologies."

"It's okay," Akira said.

"We could leave you some brochures, if you like," Jiro offered. "I mean, unless you don't want to lose any more promising young ninjas?"

Hakkaku sighed and shook his head. "Honestly? It might be good for them to have other options. I'm not sure my village has much of a future."

"Why would you say that?" Mozu asked in alarm.

Hakkaku waved in the general direction of the village. "You saw the town. How it looks like someone transplanted the village from the Edo period to the modern age. A lot of us are too stuck in the past and unwilling to modernize. I don't really blame so many of the new generation for wanting to leave. If they stayed, a lot of them would probably be stuck doing the same thing their parents did, and their parents parents, and their parents parents parents, and so on. The world's a big place, and we shouldn't have to stay locked up in our tiny village forever if there's a possibility of a better future elsewhere." He grimaced. "Not to mention the recent disappearances have been getting everyone riled up…"

Akira frowned at this. "We heard about that. We bumped into Fuuka Igasaki on the way here-"

"And wasn't that a rather enlightening experience," Tetsu signed cheekily.

Akira scowled at him. "And she told us that you'd been having some problems with missing persons. What's that about?"

"Nothing that you need to worry about," Hakkaku said. "I already have the Ninnin Girls on the case, I'm sure they can take care of it. Unlike many in the global ninja community, I do have faith in the Igasaki family."

"So do I," Akira said quickly. A pained expression flashed across her face. "Well. Some of them, anyway…"

"In any event, I believe you came to speak with me about my unfortunate… Episode?" Hakkaku continued.

"If you're talking about the time you got turned into a dinosaur, then yes," Kenji replied.

Sora nodded. "It is of great interest to us."

"Well, of great interest to you and Akira, the rest of us not so much," Jiro corrected him.

"I wouldn't mind being a dinosaur," said Mozu.

"Because that's what you want or because it's what Akira wants?" Tetsu signed.

She stared at him blankly. "I don't understand the question."

"I want to be a dinosaur," Akira said quickly as Tetsu raised his eyebrows. "It's her choice whether or not to do it as well, I would never push her into something she doesn't want to do."

"You aren't the first people to come here and ask me about the curse, but you're probably the first ones who want to suffer the same affliction I did," Hakkaku murmured, not entirely sure what to make of that.

"Was it really that bad?" Mozu asked in concern.

Hakkaku considered this. "Well, it's not an experience I'd like to repeat, but… No, I suppose not. I spent most of the time in a funk, but that was mainly because I was still depressed over my wife leaving me and how I had lost my humanity and was too deep in self-pity to do anything about it. Well," he admitted. "I didn't exactly enjoy being forcibly turned into a giant monster against my will, but that was the fault of Juza Yumihari. Mostly."

"We aren't exactly looking to get cursed ourselves," Sora explained. "However, we are determined to become dinosaurs. This is the best lead we have so far, and maybe by studying the curse we can find a way to transform ourselves more safely."

"And if we do get cursed, I'm the mortal avatar of an omnipotent Dragon God that's the source and embodiment of all that's good in creation, and Tetsu is the disciple of a lesser but still potent goddess with special magic healing light, so it should be fine," Akira added.

"And even if that doesn't work, I heard your curse was super easy to break anyway?" Jiro added.

"It was," Hakkaku agreed.

"Then why didn't you break it yourself?" Kenji asked.

Hakkaku scratched his head, then shrugged. "I don't really know myself. It's not like the way to break the curse was a secret or anything, pretty much everyone knew. I'm afraid I don't have an explanation other than I was too miserable to care? Maybe?

"Regardless, I'll tell you what I can, but I'm not sure how much it'll help," he continued. "This story, like many others, begins during the Sengoku period."

There were several groans at this. "Really? Why does it feel like so many bad things and villains can trace their origins back to that era?" Jiro complained.

"Well, it was a busy time," Sora pointed out. "Lot of conflict. Lot of death. Pretty good breeding ground for all sorts of bad things."

"It was one of the most significant events in the history of our nation," Tetsu commented.

"Indeed," Hakkaku concurred. "Over 450 years ago, our village was being besieged by a warlord in the service of-"

"Nobunaga?" Just about everyone guessed, looking bored.

After all, it was almost always Nobunaga. Guy really got around.

"Actually, no," Hakkaku informed them, to their surprise. "Gengetsu Kibaoni."

"… Okay, didn't see that coming," Kenji murmured.

Sora's eyes lit up. "Wait a minute… Don't tell me… Was that warlord… Juza Yumihari?!"

Hakkaku nodded. "It was indeed."

Mozu blinked, then her eyes widened in realization. "Oh, right, the members of the Kibaoni Army Corps weren't always Youkai. Most of them, especially the elites, were human once upon a time."

"I suppose that explains how he was able to find the village again, if he's been here before…" Akira murmured.

"Things were pretty desperate back then. While the Kibaoni clan were not yet Youkai, they had still dabbled in dark sorcery and other forbidden arts, and it seemed as if we were doomed," Hakkaku continued. "My ancestor, feeling he had no other choice left, made a deal with an even darker power for the power to save the village." He grimaced. "As I'm sure you can imagine, it didn't go well."

"Does it ever?" Tetsu signed wearily.

"My ancestor was cursed, turning into a dinosaur, though at the time they thought he was a Dragon," Hakkaku said grimly.

"Fairly easy mistake to make," Kenji said.

"Is it, though?" Akira complained.

"To be fair, this was long before most of the world even knew what a dinosaur was," Sora pointed out.

"Yeah, yeah…"

"He did indeed wipe out the Kibaoni forces… But, out of control, he started destroying the village as well, and might've killed everyone if a lucky shot hadn't broken his horn and turned him back to normal," Hakkaku went on. "He was so horrified by his actions that he committed seppuku."

Akira grimaced, unable to stop herself from drawing parallels to her own sister. "That's… Rough."

"While Yumihari perished in my ancestor's rampage, he clung to life long enough to swear that he would one day obtain the power of the Wicked Dragon for himself so the Kibaoni clan would dominate the world, promising to return in roughly 444 years, give or take," Hakkaku concluded the tale. "And, when Gengetsu was revived in 2015, that's more or less what happened."

"But how were you cursed, then?" Sora pressed. "It was your ancestor who made the deal that gave him that terrible power. Was it hereditary?"

Hakkaku shook his head. "No, there was a scroll."

"Aha! The Dinosaur Lord's Splendid Ninja Scroll!" Akira declared. "Now the name finally makes sense!"

Hakkaku scowled. "There's nothing splendid about it. That scroll turned my ancestor into a monster, and it nearly did the same to me. I have no idea why it turned me into a relatively harmless sadsack dinosaur instead of a raging beast."

"A scroll? You still have it?" Sora asked eagerly.

"I'd have thought your ancestors would've gotten rid of it, considering what happened to your predecessor," Kenji commented.

Hakkaku grimaced. "They tried. They burned it, tore it to pieces, buried it, sold it, threw it away, had monks try to purify it… Nothing worked, and it reappeared, good as new, the next day. Eventually they gave up, hid it somewhere in the castle, and called it a day."

"Not the most responsible way of disposing of an obviously cursed artifact, but I suppose I can't fault them for trying," Tetsu commented.

"If you knew the scroll was a very big deal, why did you read from it?" Mozu asked, puzzled.

"I didn't mean to. I found it by accident," Hakkaku explained. "When my wife left, I threw myself even harder into my work. You know, as a way to keep my mind off the wreck my life had become. Also drank a lot, too, though never on the job.

"And then, one day, I found an unfamiliar scroll on my desk. I didn't think anything of it at the time. Figured it was just some more paperwork. So, I opened it, and then…" He frowned. "And then…"

"And then?" Kenji prompted when he didn't say anything for a minute.

Hakkaku shook his head, snapping out of his reverie. "I, I'm sorry I… I don't remember what happened next. I think I blacked out, after… after something…" He shivered. "Something terrible. Anyway, I woke up, and I was a dinosaur. It was only then I realized what the scroll was, and that I'd been cursed, like my ancestor."

"And you have no idea how the scroll wound up on your desk?" Akira queried.

Hakkaku shook his head again. "No. In fact, I don't even know where it is now. After I woke up as a dinosaur, it was gone."

"… Not gonna lie, that's kind of spooky," said a disturbed Mozu.

"You really don't know where it is?" Sora asked.

"No," Hakkaku said. "And honestly, I don't want to know. In my opinion, that thing is best left lost to time. If I knew where it was, I'd give it to you in hopes of finally getting rid of it, though I'm not convinced even that would be the last we ever saw of it."

Akira's face fell. "Then we came all this way, had an awkward and uncomfortable reunion with my ex-girlfriend, for nothing?"

"I'm very sorry. I know how much this must've meant to you," Hakkaku said apologetically.

Mozu hugged the despondent Akira. "Don't worry, I'm sure we'll have better luck next time."

Akira sighed, then nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, we will."

After shooting her girlfriend a grateful smile, she glanced up at Hakkaku. "Thank you for your hospitality, and for hearing us out."

"It's no problem," he assured her. "I'm sorry you have to leave empty-handed. Would you at least like to stay for lunch?"

Akira frowned. "We probably should be heading back…"

"We probably shouldn't leave our Dininichuses alone with those horses for too long," Mozu agreed.

"On the other hand, if I don't eat something soon, I might be tempted to eat a horse," Jiro admitted.

"I could eat," Tetsu agreed.

Hakkaku grinned and clapped his hands together. "Wonderful! My apologies, but I hope you don't mind if I don't join you, I really do have a lot of work to do-"

"Lord Hakkaku, I've found something-"

"Actually, you know what, I think I could do with a break after all," Hakkaku said loudly as Haori entered the room so as to head off another lecture. Unbeknownst to him, Akira stiffened suddenly, nostrils flaring and eyes flashing. "Haori, would you like to join us?"

"My Lord, I was tidying up your office when I found this scroll," Haori said, producing a scroll tube made of a sinister black material that seemed to absorb all the light in the room with dragons wrapped around its sides that were somehow even darker. "I don't believe I've ever seen this before. Do you recognize it?"

Hakkaku reeled in horror. "Haori, that's-!"

"GET BACK!"

Akira, in a single motion, launched from her seat, drew her Dinintana, and sliced the scroll tube in two, hair and dinpo a blazing gold.

Haori gasped and stumbled backwards, dropping the two halves of the tube…

Which started glowing very ominously.

Hakkaku immediately tackled Haori, pushing both of them out of the room just as the two pieces of the tube imploded, darkness blacker than a starless moonless sky, deeper than the ocean depths, colder than the Arctic drifts, emptier than the Deathbringer's heart flooding the chamber, screaming with an unholy voice that was somehow the opposite of sound, the silence of a dead world that had never once had even a molecule of life, drowning out all other noise by its sheer quiet.

The Diningers screamed as the darkness closed in on them, Tetsu concentrating and emitting a brilliant blast of silver light which did nothing to the hungry shadows, which greedily prepared to snuff them all out-

And then Akira roared, her dinpo manifesting as a golden Dragon which rose up to meet the darkness, and-


The necromancer glanced up in surprise as a good chunk of Shinobigakure Castle exploded, two dragons, one of radiant golden light and the other an all-encompassing darkness rising over the village, roaring at each other, and disappearing. "What was that?!"

"A curiosity, to be sure, but nothing that involves us," their master said dismissively. "Although… This might be just what we need to bring back our target… Proceed with the ritual."

The necromancer nodded, turning back to the tortured, mangled ninja they had abducted from the village lying in an incredibly complex spell circle drawn with their own blood, grinning at the terror in their eyes as they slowly approached the sacrifice.

"Aku to arasoi no kodai no rei wa, daraku shi ta hito ni hitotsu no atarashii mei wa atae masu."

The necromancer produced a ceremonial dagger, licking it slowly, cutting it on their tongue and causing the evil runes on the blade to glow as they drank their blood.

"Aku to arasoi no kodai no rei wa, daraku shi ta hito ni hitotsu no atarashii mei wa atae masu."

The necromancer gestured, and the ninja was suspended in the air by invisible strings.

"Aku to arasoi no kodai no rei wa, daraku shi ta hito ni hitotsu no atarashii mei wa atae masu."

The necromancer gestured again. With several sickening snaps and crunches, the sacrifice's limbs started bending and twisting at angles they should never be bent and twisted at, their head almost wrenched in half, their eyes rolling back in their skull.

"Aku to arasoi no kodai no rei wa, daraku shi ta hito ni hitotsu no atarashii mei wa atae masu."

With a malicious grin, the necromancer drew their knife into their victim's heart, extinguishing their life…

And inviting something else to take its place.

"Slavery is an important part of Youkalien society."

Justine, seated at a table across from Kyukogo as kuroko-clad slaves poured tea for them, raised an eyebrow, trying very hard not to say, "No, really?"

"Of course, that's probably an obvious statement, considering that you, yourself, are a slave," Kyukogo admitted, as if reading her thoughts. "I do apologize for the inconvenience, but unfortunately, it can't be helped."

"What you mean, it can't be helped?!" Justine demanded, cringing almost instantly as she realized she'd yelled at a being who held her life in her hands.

"Society, culture, and tradition are often shaped by our biology," Kyukogo explained, taking a sip from her teacup, seeming unbothered by the outburst. She smiled and nodded in approval at the slave who had poured it for her, who looked delighted, bowing as they backed away. "While my species derives sustenance from food and liquid like yourself, as intensely magical creatures, we require a significant amount of energy which can only be produced by feeding on the emotions of others, which I assure you is a harmless, benign process. And, due to an evolutionary quirk, we can only process the emotional energy harvested from those whom we have conquered and subjugated. We can't get it from each other, and we can't just eat emotions freely drifting around, it has to be from those whom we have enslaved, otherwise it's just the equivalent of empty calories and can be unhealthy for us in the long term. There is a very complicated explanation as to why that is, but you would require several years of study in biology, magic, and spiritualism to even begin to comprehend it."

That's convenient, Justine grumbled to herself.

"Would you like some tea?" Kyukogo offered, nodding at Justine's own cup. "It's going to get cold."

"No thank you, I'm more of a coffee girl," Justine told her.

Also, she wasn't convinced the tea wasn't poisoned or drugged somehow.

Kyukogo shrugged and took another sip. "Suit yourself. In any event, we've been looking for thousands of years, but haven't found an alternative method of sustaining ourselves."

Bet you didn't try that hard.

"Harder than you think, actually," Kyukogo said, startling and horrifying Justine, who realized she'd said it out loud. Shit, why was it so hard for her to keep her stupid fucking mouth shut?! "It may surprise you to know that we actually have a vested interest in finding an alternate method. Some of your planet's best and brightest are actually working on a solution now, and I've given them my full support. I genuinely hope they succeed."

"Wait, what?" Justine asked, surprised. "Why would you do that? You just said enslaving others is a huge part of your culture, why would you want to change that?"

"Because it's not sustainable in the long run."

Justine blinked. "Huh?"

"Every civilization in the universe is driven, on an instinctual level, by hunger," Kyukogo explained. "We expand, we develop, we evolve, to find newer and better ways to keep ourselves full and stave off starvation. When resources run out, and hunger begins to set in, we have to set our sights elsewhere to continue supporting ourselves and keep everything we've built from collapsing on itself. A tribe attacks another tribe, a city state another city state, an Empire an Empire… It's always the same story, just writ on bigger and bigger stages. We need food, and someone else has it, and if they won't give it to us, we have to take it.

"We Youkaliens are no different. While our civilization has grown so advanced that we exist in a post scarcity society, where we can conjure or craft literally any resource or material we need from thin air, the only thing we can't synthesize is slaves to feed off of. Youkaliens grow stronger with age, and so require more slaves to sustain themselves, necessitating conquest of other planets… And since we can live for a very, very long time, we need to keep conquering them. And, of course, certain Youkalien tribes are much stronger than others, so need even more slaves at a young age then most others would in their senior years, and they will inevitably grow older and their appetite will increase as well… And, of course, our slaves tend to be from species with much shorter lifespans, so they will inevitably get old, die, and need to be replaced… "

"I… Think I see where you're going," Justine muttered, unsettled.

"Oh, but it's even worse than that when you consider population growth," Kyukogo continued, taking another sip. "While birth rate varies from tribe to tribe, our population is constantly growing because of our slaves. As you should've been told in orientation, when our slaves die, they are given a choice to either pass on to the afterlife – either their peoples' or one of the Nine Heavens – or be reincarnated as a Youkalien-"

"Wait, that's real?!" Justine exclaimed, startled.

"Well, yes. Why wouldn't it be?" Kyukogo asked, puzzled.

"I just… I thought that was propaganda or something," Justine stammered. "Something to trick the gullible masses into serving you unquestioningly for a reward that will never come."

Kyukogo shook her head. "Oh no, unlike most of your governments or religions, we keep our promises."

"Hey, that's… Not… Entirely wrong…" Justine murmured, irritated.

"While many slaves do indeed choose to rest in peace, a sizable fraction choose to come back as a Youkalien," Kyukogo continued. "Which means they will need slaves as well, necessitating the conquest of more planets, and… You see where I'm going with this, I hope."

"It's… A never ending cycle," Justine realized with a frown. "It'll never be enough."

Kyukogo nodded. "Indeed. We must continue to expand, and conquer, and enslave, or else we will starve. While we are far off from the point where there won't be enough for everyone and we will implode on ourselves – it will not happen in your lifetime, or mine, and hopefully not my children's – at some point it will happen, and we must have a plan in place for when that time comes."

"… Well, at least you're being more proactive than most politicians or corporations," Justine muttered.

Kyukogo nodded. "Indeed. And while I understand that you may resent us for invading your planet and not care overmuch whether or not our civilization falls-"

"Bit of an understatement." Justine flinched at herself. Dammit, why couldn't she just keep quiet?! This was always happening to her! She kept getting into trouble because she couldn't stop talking when she shouldn't!

(Yuko had liked that about her. Said she appreciated that she was honest and always spoke her mind.

God, she missed her so much.)

"But if the Hegemony falls, disaster will follow," Kyukogo continued. "We rule over numerous planets in several galaxies, many of which have been under our yoke for so long they can imagine no other way of existing. If my civilization collapses, it will not result in a joyous celebration of freedom. There will be anarchy. Civil war. Worlds will burn in the chaos. And, what's worse, if we don't destroy ourselves, there's a fairly good chance that they will take advantage of our weakness to finish the job."

Justine blinked, unsure why she'd felt a sudden, unearthly chill. "'They?'"

Kyukogo's face darkened, and the lights in the chamber seemed to dim. "Let's just say that… My people weren't always the family-friendly bunch we are now, and there are those out there who still cling to the old ways. I know it may not seem that way to you, but… You are fortunate that we found you before they did. We are at least willing to negotiate. They… They are not."

She tightened her grip on her teacup, looking pale. "All the planets we conquer, we treasure and cherish, loving and caring for their inhabitants. They… Do not. I will not speak more of this. It is a story for another time, and, hopefully, nothing you need ever concern yourself with."

A part of Justine wanted to press for further information. To ask more questions.

But Kyukogo, the most powerful being she'd ever seen, was clearly terrified, and if she was afraid…

"What does any of this have to do with me taking over for you?"

Kyukogo blinked in surprise. "What? Oh, my apologies, I got distracted. I thought you might need to understand a bit more of the context behind why slavery is so important to my people, to understand this next part."

She took another sip of her tea. "When we enslave another, a sacred bond is created between master and slave-"

"Sacred?!" Justine exclaimed incredulously.

"Well, considering our gods endorse and encourage slavery, and our magic is derived from them, yes, I would say it is sacred," Kyukogo said with a small frown. "The bond is magical in nature, intensely powerful, and, so far as we know, unbreakable-"

"Wait. Unbreakable… But… But you promised the Diningers that if they beat you, you would let us all go!" Justine interjected, shocked.

"And I will. Those who want to be set free, anyway," Kyukogo confirmed.

"But you just implied there's no way to free us!"

"That's because there's not. Yet," Kyukogo emphasized. "It might be that there is a way to sever the bond between master and slave and set you free. Unlike our continuing search for an alternative energy source, we've never thought to look for it. We've never had a reason to. It has never occurred to us that there might be a reason for us to free anyone. As soon as the contest with the Diningers began, I put my best minds – those that aren't researching the energy problem, anyway – to work trying to find a solution. We've even asked certain experts here on Earth if there is anything they can do to help."

"And? Is there?" Justine asked anxiously.

"Not yet. Still, your planet seems to have a way of performing miracles, one of many reasons we've taken an interest in your species. While I don't know if the solution will be found by the time the contest ends… I assure you, if we lose, we will still keep looking for a way to free you. As I said, we keep our promises," Kyukogo insisted.

And, despite herself, Justine found herself believing her.

"… Okay. So. This bond. What does it entail?" Justine asked.

"It's a two-way connection, a tether of sorts," Kyukogo explained. "It is what allows us to feed on the emotions of our slaves. It is a completely harmless, noninvasive process that still allows them the full emotional range. Since I have taken the throne, I've decreed that we are only to feast on the positive emotions of our slaves, and numerous laws and reforms have been put into place guaranteeing your safety, prosperity, and happiness. No master can abuse or harm a slave without consent, and the slave may not abuse or harm their master without consent."

"Why would they consent – wait, never mind, I think I get why," Justine muttered, making a face. "So what's the catch?"

"What makes you think there's a catch?" Kyukogo asked, frowning.

"There's always a catch. Come on. What is it? Does the bond let you read our thoughts, too? Know where we are at all times? Let you control or punish us?" Justine pushed.

"If the bond allowed us to control you, do you really think you and your friends would've successfully gone on strike?" Kyukogo asked.

"They're not my friends, but I see your point. So?" Justine asked.

"The bond grows stronger if the master and slave have a genuine, emotional connection – my dear friends Yukinojo and Setpen, for instance, had an incredibly strong bond, one of the strongest I've ever seen, before Setpen's death and resurrection – which does give them a degree of mutual empathy for one another," Kyukogo continued. "We cannot control or punish you through the bond – at least, not anymore-"

"Anymore?" Justine asked in alarm.

"My ancestors, as I'm sure you've gleaned by now, were not the nicest people. Don't worry, I've made certain the bond can never be used like that again," Kyukogo assured her. "However, it does… Well. It doesn't encourage or force obedience, that would be… Distasteful."

"Again, bit of an understatement."

"However… When a slave does their job, they receive a mild stimulus to the pleasure centers of their brain," Kyukogo admitted.

Justine stiffened. "And if they refuse?"

"Nothing. Otherwise you and the other protesters would have shown signs of some adverse effects by now," Kyukogo told her.

"… You're making us addicted to you," Justine whispered, revolted.

Kyukogo fidgeted. "That's… Not quite how I would put it-"

"Well, I would!" Justine snapped. "Because that's exactly what it is!"

"It's not like we're drugging anyone," Kyukogo said defensively. "There are no physical or physiological drawbacks, just… A little positive reinforcement for a job well done, which, might I add, is something that seems to be sorely lacking in a lot of workplaces on this planet-"

"Yeah, I'm well aware," Justine growled. "That doesn't change the fact that you're messing with our minds to make us want to be enslaved!"

Kyukogo looked discomfited. "That may be overstating it a little-"

"I don't really think it is," Justine almost shouted. "You know, I almost forgot for a minute or two. Sure, you guys are nicer than pretty much every other invader you've ever had. Sure, it's a biological necessity for you to do this. That doesn't change the fact that you still go around, invading planets and enslaving their population for your own ends, and expecting them to be grateful to you for it."

"Why shouldn't they?" Kyukogo shot back. "We bring order, stability, security-"

"Says every single colonizer in history!" Justine retorted. "And look how well that turned out for the indigenous population in the long run! You yourself said that a lot of the planets you've conquered have become so dependent on you that if something should happen to your Hegemony, they'd fall apart!"

"That's… True, but-" Kyukogo protested.

"The thing about the lesser evil, the necessary evil, is that at the end of the day, it's still evil," Justine declared. "And no matter how hard you try to dress it up, that's what you're doing. Taking away our autonomy, our lives, our worlds, and trying to make it so we're okay with it."

"And what sort of life is it, then?" Kyukogo shot back. "I looked at your file. You're barely making it through college, and even if you graduate you'll have a degree with no practical application in the real world whatsoever and a mountain of student debt. Your hometown is on the verge of dying. Your true love is dead-"

"Wh-what?! Yuko wasn't… We weren't… It wasn't like that!" Justine protested, flustered.

Kyukogo gave her a skeptical look before continuing. "You can barely stand most of the people you consider 'friends,' you had a dead-end job you hated, your former significant other has been cheating on you for months behind your back-"

"He fucking what?!"

"And your family situation is… Well. It could be better," she said delicately.

Justine almost bit her tongue at how hard she clamped her teeth shut to stop herself from saying the first thing that leapt to mind at this statement. She did not want to talk about her family situation.

Digging her fingernails into the tabletop, after counting to 10, she finally managed to say, "All that may be true, but the fact of the matter is, as shitty as my life may be, it's my life, and you have no right to take it from me."

Kyukogo stared at her for a long time, a look of confusion on her face. "I'm sorry," she said, genuinely contrite. "But I don't understand. I don't think I can understand. Our people's way of looking at things is just too different."

She sighed and took another sip from her teacup. "You may, however, take some small comfort in this, though: in a few days' time, my entire species will soon get to enjoy the same evils you accuse us of inflicting on others."

Justine blinked. "Huh?"

"The Kusarikokan Festival is upon us," Kyukogo said. "Once a year, the stars align in such a way that it triggers a reversal in the bonds between master and slave, causing them to switch roles. The slave becomes the master, and the master the slave. All the power and authority, both legal, political, and actual, also gets transferred during this event."

Justine's eyes widened this. "Holy… Wait. Even you?!"

Kyukogo nodded. "Even me. When the Festival begins, I shall lose all of my power and be reduced to a humble slave for the duration of the celestial confluence. My title, my power, everything I possess, will be passed on to a slave of my choosing…

"And that slave, Justine, is you."

Justine stared at her blankly. "…NANI?!"