This chapter is kind of larger than the first two...and there's a tiny romantical scene in it

Well, happy reading! ^^

The Gentleman-mode or Aaaaaaand click!

After a while Tao had overcome her rice bowl trauma and now was having fun with fondling Makoto's tail.

"So fluffy, meow!", Tao said rhapsodic while huddling against the softness of the squirrel-hair.

"Awww, aren't you adorable?", Makoto squeaked and squeezed the cat-girl, who sat on her lap.

"These two seem to really have found themselves.", Litchi commented with a sophisticated look and had another sip from her sake. Suddenly the door sprung open and Kokonoe was standing in the door sill. A mechanical thingy, which looked a lot like a remote control, was situated in her hand.

"Folks, I'm back!", Kokonoe mentioned weightily though totally unnecessary, because everyone could see that the professor was there again.

"Where have you been?", Makoto asked.

"I was inventing something specially for this situation.", Kokonoe explained and proudly presented the remote control.

"Is this something to eat?", Tao questioned full of anticipation.

"Don't you dare trying to eat it!", Kokonoe snapped at Tao. "Let me show you a piece of my mastermind!" Then, Kokonoe turned to the door again and cleared her throat, before screaming: "Ey, Tager, get your ass here right now!" A few minutes later Tager arrived and joined the rest of the people in the room.

"What is it, Kokonoe?", Tager asked. "Do you need something?"

"Yes, I need you to just stand there.", his superior said briefly before turning her attention to the mechanical thing in her hand. A doom-laden grin formed on the face of the scientist and her cat eyes began to shine while they stared at the big red button in the middle of the remote control.

"Aaaaaand click!", Kokonoe said while pressing the button. After that, all eyes in the room were fixed on the big mechanical man to observe what would happen to him. But apparently nothing changed. A few moments of silence lasted until Makoto mentioned: "Well, at least he didn't explode."

Suddenly Tager moved. Rapidly he took a service cloth, placed it over his arm and folded the other one behind his back. Then Tager indicated a bow while he stood in front of the females sitting at the table.

"Miladies, am I allowed to bring you something to drink?", an oddly changed Tager asked with a tone of voice, which sounded as if it had been taught to him by Valkenhayn.

"I humbly present to you...", Kokonoe said like a presenter, which was introducing the contestants of a boxing match. "...the Tager-gentleman-mode!"

"Wooooooow!", Makoto cried out fascinated like a groupie while her eyes got the shape of two shining stars. "Professor Koko, you are so AWSOOOME!" Despite her small size, Kokonoe's ego was visibly growing, as well as her grin did.

"Hey, big guy!", Tao said confused. "You're acting strange. Have you hurt your head?" Apparently Tao didn't understand the fact, that Tager changed because of Kokonoe's doing.

"I'm just here to fulfill your needs.", Tager replied still sounding like a butler.

"Heheh, if that's so...", Tao began while establishing a big grin. "I really need lots and loooots of meat buns!"

"As you wish, milady!", Tager responded and made another bow before leaving the room.

"What sense is there in a genleman-mode?", Litchi asked. "Tager was a gentleman already. Besides, you're his boss. He does, what you want anyway." The black-haired woman had drunken quite a number of sakes, so that her cheeks were flushed and her eyes gradually got a woozy look. She swung her cup towards Kokonoe while gesticulating.

"But it's much cooler like that, because I have a button to push!", Kokonoe replied and swung her cup of sake towards Litchi.

Not much time after he left, Tager came back with a huge amount of meat buns on his arms. As he placed them on the table, one had the feeling that it nearly collapsed.

"Woooooaaaah!", Tao said impressed and her eyes widened by the sight of the mountain of food. "You're really a good guy, big guy...but there's already a good guy...hmh...you can be good big guy or better big good guy? Tao has to think hard on that matter, meow." While Tao was swallowing one meat bun after another she had an expression on her face as though she was working on solving a complicated mathematical task. Litchi, who made the food in the first place, thought: ‚Whatever.' and took a huge sip of her sake.

Kokonoe looked very pleased with herself as she sat down on her chair. Then, without warning, she felt something grabbing her hand. In surprise Kokonoe turned her eyes directly to her hand and saw it seized by a huge mechanical hand, which was leading her hand to Tager's face. Before Kokonoe realized what was going on, the lips of her subordinate touched the back of her hand in a very gentle, almost imperceptible way.

"Kokonoe, you are as beautiful as always.", Tager said afterward without releasing the hand of the half-beastkin.

"W...w...what are you doing, you imbecile?", Kokonoe screamed while jumping up from her chair as if she had sat on a termites' nest. Her voice have reached an unusual high pitch and her tails twitched nervously as though electricity was flowing through them.

"Oh, I see!", Litchi stepped in while having a smug smile on her face. "So that's why you did it. Tager is brainwashed to pay you compliments!"

"Wha...of course not!", Kokonoe shouted at the doctor. "I didn't plan to turn him into a slimy boaster!"

"I'm sorry, if I have made you mad.", Tager mentioned apologetic. "But I just have to praise a beautiful woman when I see one."

"S...Stop hitting on me at once!", Kokonoe screamed in an even higher pitch than before while her tails were whipping around and occasionally formed the shape of a heart.

"Professor Koko, you're blushing.", Makoto mentioned and joined in Litchi's smug smile.

"Goddammit, shut up, you idiots!", Kokonoe snapped at the two females with her eyes flashing with rage. "And Tager, for heaven's sake, go back to normal already!" While saying that, the scientist pushed the big red button again and again, as if she was trying to kill a bug with her forefinger. Suddenly, the expression on Tager's face changed again.

"Huh...what exactly happened just now?", the Red Devil asked while looking around confused.

"Holy crap, this thing is dangerous!", Kokonoe sighed without reacting to the confusion of her subordinate. "I'm gonna go destroy it right now!" With a firm hand on the remote control, the pink-haired woman rushed out of the room once again.

"Is there something wrong with your face?", Tager questioned his superior in passing.

"Oh, shut your trap, dumb ass!", Kokonoe shouted ill-tempered through the closed door.

In the meantime, Litchi's woozy brain established an idea. This was the perfect occasion to realize a little obsession of her.