"Stop it!" Shermie's expression twisted with conflict, her emotions spiraling out of control. "We're doing this to create a purer world! For our Lord! This is the glory of our clan!"
"Glory? What a load of crap!" Cloud cut her off without mercy. "This is the biggest corporate PUA scam in existence—Orochi is dangling a pie in front of you that's even bigger than the one I used to turn Ryuji Yamazaki!"
"Orochi tells you: sacrifice the individual self, achieve the greater self, and once it's done, you'll be heroes of the new world. But what he didn't tell you is that the moment it succeeds, you'll have already been written off as operational costs!"
"Think about it, Shermie!" Cloud stepped forward, gently taking her ice-cold hands in his, his gaze becoming infinitely sincere. "Your life shouldn't be a project proposal with a predetermined ending. You should have your own joys and sorrows, your own pursuits and dreams."
"You could take your brand global, making it as renowned as Chanel or Dior. You could go on a world tour with your band—Tokyo Dome, Madison Square Garden—driving crowds insane with your music."
"You could love someone, and be loved in return. You could travel the world, seeing how the clothes you designed with your own hands look on beautiful girls everywhere—what a stunning sight that would be."
"All of that—that's the life that belongs to Shermie. Not being a tool for Orochi's Four Heavenly Kings, turning to dust in some hollow sacrifice."
Cloud's voice was laced with temptation, yet brimming with sincerity. The future he painted was so concrete, so vivid, so enticing.
These were scenes Shermie had fantasized about in countless midnight reveries—dreams she'd entertained but never dared to dwell on.
Her eyes reddened, crystalline tears pooling at the edges, threatening to spill. The Shermie who normally smiled so charmingly, so full of allure, now looked like a helpless child.
She lifted her tear-blurred gaze to Cloud. "Why... are you telling me all this? We're enemies, aren't we?"
"Because..." Cloud held her eyes, speaking slowly, "I think a world without Shermie in it would lose a lot of its color. It would become terribly dull. And also..."
He paused, a hint of an indulgent smile crossing his face. "I really don't want to personally beat such an interesting and captivating opponent into a pile of data in the finals."
This half-true, half-joking remark became the final straw that broke through Shermie's psychological defenses.
She couldn't hold it together anymore. With a loud sob, she threw herself into Cloud's arms, crying like a little girl who'd suffered the greatest injustice in the world, pouring all her confusion, fear, and unwillingness into tears that soaked his shirt.
Cloud said nothing, simply holding her quietly, gently patting her back.
He knew he'd won this battle of hearts.
After crying for a long time, Shermie's emotions gradually settled.
She lifted her head from Cloud's embrace, her eyes red and swollen like a startled rabbit's, but her gaze had become clearer and more resolute than ever before.
"I... what should I do?" she asked, her voice thick with congestion.
"It's simple." Cloud wiped the tear tracks from her face, smiling. "On the day of the finals, proceed as normal. But at the most critical moment, I need you to... defect."
"Think of it like a team game where you're a werewolf who's infiltrated the other side. In the final vote, cast your ballot for the true Alpha Wolf—Orochi."
Shermie nodded, half-understanding.
"But... what about Yashiro and Chris..." She still hesitated—they were her companions, the people she spent every day with.
"They've been brainwashed too thoroughly; they won't listen to reason. But don't worry, I won't kill them. I'll just beat some sense into them." Cloud promised. "Once everything's over, the three of you can live proudly in this world as C.Y.S—a real band."
Looking into Cloud's eyes, so full of confidence and warmth, the last trace of doubt in Shermie's heart evaporated.
She suddenly stood on tiptoe and planted a quick kiss on Cloud's cheek.
She'd transformed back into that infinitely alluring Shermie, except now her smile held a genuine lightness and mischief.
"Alright, Boss. From now on, I'm your number one corporate spy planted inside the Orochi Organization."
"Pleasure doing business." Cloud smiled, touching the spot where she'd kissed him. It felt rather nice.
"So, as my new boss, shouldn't you show some appreciation?"
"Hmm... well..." Cloud looked at her outfit—slightly disheveled from her earlier emotional outburst—and after a moment's thought, said with utmost seriousness, "I think your company's corporate culture uniform—I mean, battle outfit—isn't designed very well. It seriously undermines employee combat morale. As your new boss, I've decided to... invest in you and redesign a new set! The goal: fashionable and sexy!"
Shermie burst out laughing at his speech, her tear-stained face blooming with the brightest smile she'd ever worn.
"Deal!"
...
One week before KOF 97, Paris. Clear skies.
The Orochi Organization's most core—and most unstable—officer, Shermie the "Heavenly King of the Raging Lightning," had been successfully turned.
A massive storm about to overturn the entire fighting world had quietly laid its decisive groundwork in a small fashion studio, in the most unexpected way possible.
And our protagonist Cloud had not only gained a powerful inside agent, but also seemed to have... picked up a little extra romantic luck along the way?
This move? This is what you call "career and love, double harvest."
...
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