[It's amusing to him, the thought of that scenario, of Niou seeking out Fuji to discover what his partner was playing at all along. And it is, in a way, a trick of his own, but it's one that would play out as much on Seigaku's genius as on Niou, and perhaps that's what makes him find it so palatable after all.

A little prince once met a fox and learned a bit of wisdom from it as a parting gift: "You become responsible, forever, for that which you have tamed."

Most people were aware that this little fox ended up with the name Masako. Few would have the capacity to realize just how close she came to being Fujiko, instead.]

Only in charge of her evolution. Appraising her skill, deciding when to take her to the next level—it's good practice for a future captain, isn't it?