Way Too Many Numbers / Nanbaka x Male!Reader

Sugar and Whip

3rd POV:

At cell 13, the inmates are lazing about in the afternoon. That is until a bang comes from the door, alerting them to the presence of the newcomer. You are at the door, giving them a slight wave. "Hey inmates, number 11(Uno), 25(Nico, you got his name from the files now) and 69(Rock), come over here." you say. They all look at eachother, including Jyugo, but the three come over. "What's going on?" Nico asks curiously. "Since you're the most troublesome cell in the building, we got a new program. Yesterday you all four escaped, but only number 15(Jyugo) escaped twice. So it was decided(It was just your personal decision, even Hajime has no idea about your sugar and whip attempt) that for every week one of you won't escape, they get a reward of pretty high value regarding their standarts. Since a week hasn't passed and you wouldn't care about any of this without getting a sneak peek, you three that escaped just once will get something this week already." you say, motioning to a small box you have in your arms, then begin digging through it.

"Something of significant value, what could it- Is that a beauty care pack?" Uno says, shoving his head through the bars to see the product pack. "Damn straight. It's for skin treatment, hair health, nail maintenance and some health plus here and there. In fact, it's for you, 11." you say, and he hungrily grabs it as you hand it to him, then runs off to the corner of the cell to inspect it. "Number 25, you seem to have missed the release of a very popular anime, One Pinch Man. There's two seasons, you better catch up." you say, pulling out a case with the anime. He basically beams, yelling a thank you and dashing to the TV sitting by the wall. "And number 69, you're a foodie. So here I got a european cookbook you could pitch to the chef, I heard you're good friends." you say, handing it over. Starry eyed, he accepts it and starts browsing.

You curtly pull at the cap of your hat and head off, but clearly noticing Jyugo give you a look. You smile to yourself as you walk the hall, this method is called 'Sugar and Whip'. It's about punishing bad behaviour and rewarding good behaviour. Plus, you made sure the gifts will last them only a week. A weeb can finish two seasons in less than a week, and both the cookbook and beauty pack are rather slim, designed for shorter use. As for number 15, you can't really bribe him with any treats. You had a look at their files and got through their interests. Unlike someone like you, who is full of many burning needs, he has no vices.

You stop as you hear a soft sound behind you and turn. Sure enough, the barefoot escapist(Jyugo) is there. You dash after him, making him break into a run. You catch him and put him back in, but that's soon proven pointless as when you are about to enter the monitoring room, you hear his barefoot pitpats close in as he's trying to dash past you. You turn and tackle him to the ground, then cuff him. This repeats for several times, until you give up and just camp the cell, reading some reader inserts on your phone and kicking the door shut each time Jyugo tries to get through. "Dude, knock it off!" he yells in frustration, but you always answer to his nagging with "You first.". Roaring laughter comes from inside the cell at Jyugo's frustrated attempts to get out, all other three inmates cry from laughter. "Jyugo, show us how you can escape like that!" Uno laughs. Frustrated Jyugo jumps at the door and shakes it like a feral monkey as you stare at him with a face of amusement.

"Hey, what's with all the noise? I could hear you all the way into my office." Hajime says as he emerges from the hallway, then stops when he sees Jyugo in his cell and you in the hall. "Huh, did you catch number 15?" he asks as he approaches. "Six times, now I'm making sure he won't make me chase him again." you say. Jyugo unlocks the door again and tries opening it, but you kick the door shut once more, earning a roar of laughter from the inmates. Hajime looks at you then Jyugo, and starts laughing along with everyone else. "Great job, [L/N]! I was getting suspicious when number 15 didn't show up in the staff room, seems like it was your doing." Hajime adds, marveling at the sight of the unparalleled escape artist stuck clinging to a door.

When it's time to train with Samon again, you call Seitarou to let him know that you're leaving behind a very irritated Jyugo. Jyugo seems to have considerably camled down and didn't even notice when you snuck off. You ride the metro to building five again, and enter the courtyard. Samon is expecting you, and this time you both jog around. "Make sure to breathe, don't hold it in." he instructs as he checks your posture. You suddenly stop, making him shoot you a puzzled look. "I'm not quitting." you grin, and pull out some cloth and wipe your sweat off. "Okay, I can go again." you say, to which you get an amused grin. "Alright, let's go!" he yells, jogging with you some more.

"Good job. You might have the endurance of a wet noodle, but you're getting better." he says and pats your back. You're exhausted and your ears hurt as if you were diving two meters deep (aka excruciating pain), but get up and walk to the metro in Samon's company since he insisted on walking along with you, as it looks like you're about to fall over. "Thanks for the training, Samon. It might be painful sometimes, but it helps me do my duty better." you say. He gives you a surprised stare, but then grins. "When I was told I was getting a weakling to train, I thought you'll quit. I'm pleasantly surprised that I got a determined man instead." he grins again, but this time he swings his arm around your shoulder in a friendly manner. You smile in return, his words of praise are like candy for your soul. "Thank you, sir." you grin, then walk off to the metro line and head to your room.