15 After Hypnosis
“I said that’s enough.”
At Aira’s words, everyone present frozen.
Despite all the commotion that Ryugo and the others had been making, she remained unmoving, like a tombstone or a Buddhist statue, her eyes fixed on her phone.
“How long are you going to be making a fuss? Against just one person.”
“But…!”
“Hurry up and go to the nurse’s office. If it gets worse, your finger will have to be cut off.”
Makoto hesitated, but eventually, as if pushed by the gazes of those around him, he left the classroom, his back hunched like a hunchback.
A heavy silence permeated the classroom, but the tense tension didn’t ease. As long as the alien presence of Aira was there, the students couldn’t relax.
Aira remained seated, as unyielding as a willow in the wind, paying no mind to even Ryugo’s accusing glare.
She showed not even the slightest hint of remorse.
“Tch…”
Ryugo clicked his tongue, brought over a trash can, and gathered up the scattered bento.
“Ah, um, um…”
Mami waved her hands in a fluster, but he ignored her and continued.
“Ah, I’ll do it, so…”
“I understand. But let me help.”
“Um, ah, thank you…”
As the two of them cleaned up, they somehow managed to suppress their feelings of nausea.
Half of his irritation was directed at himself.
If he hadn’t been distracted by his phone and other things, her lunch would have been safe. It was foolish to have the power and not use it, letting it rot away.
“Finished…”
He threw the last bite into the trash and wiped his hands with a tissue. He gave some to Asami and cleaned the floor as well.
“Asami, you must have had a hard time.”
“We…well…”
“What are you going to do for lunch?
“I’ll…buy something…”
“Right. If possible, I’d like Makoto to pay for it.”
“Oh…”
Asami seemed to be struggling to respond to what I said.
Of course she would be.
Ryugo’s words were a form of rebellion against Aira and Makoto.
If she agreed with me, the bullying against Asami, who had no means of self-defense, could escalate.
She herself, and of course I, would have to avoid that.
That was inconsiderate of me. I should stop talking about this. If Asami got hurt because of me, it wouldn’t just be a bad dream.
“I’ll do it. A thousand yen. Keep the change.”
“W-what? Are you…sure…?”
“It’s money I found.”
I had gotten it from the ten-thousand-yen bill Aira had given me. Since it was originally hers, I didn’t feel bad or sorry about giving it away.
“U-um, Tanuki…-kun…”
“What?”
“You helped me before, too…I never got to thank you…”
“That was thanks to Koki. I’ve ignored bullying many times in the past, and even this time, if I had helped you right away, Asami’s lunch would have been safe…”
As I recalled the bitter memory, each one of them made my chest ache. I couldn’t possibly repay the debt I had started by turning a blind eye to wrongdoing because I was cute.
I should have been the one to take Koki’s place. But I was the one who created the situation where only Madoka could be the savior.
“I’m not someone who deserves to be praised. I can’t be like Koki…”
“Even so. I think it’s amazing that you can stand up to someone scary…I respect you. You’re cool.”
“…Sorry, could you say that again?”
“Tanuki-kun, you’re amazing.”
“More.”
“Tanuki-kun, you’re cool.”
“More!”
“Tanuki-kun, you’re great.”
“Say more――”
“――Be quiet!”
A sharp sound echoed as my head was smacked.
It was Misato.
“You said you didn’t deserve to be praised, but you wanted to be praised as soon as someone did it!!”
“A four-second turnaround. That’s a world record.”
“Even Guinness would laugh at that.”
“What do you want, anyway?”
“Lady Aira wants to see you.”
“Huh?”
I looked around, but that damn woman was nowhere to be seen.
“Where is she?”
“In the other building. Hurry up or she’ll kick your ass.”
“I’ll pass.”
“Why?”
“I have no obligation to answer a call from trash. No matter the reason, I–“
“She wants to continue yesterday’s business.”
“I’m on my way!”
“Hey!”
I took off running, pushing off the ground and flying. My incredible speed, surpassing human limits, was a feat of godlike agility, like the leaps of a cheetah.
If an ordinary person had only been told “the other building,” they would have wandered around aimlessly, wasting their precious free time.
But there was only one place that the words “Aira” and “the other building” could lead to.
In the meantime, I checked the hypnosis app’s level.
Since I had helped Miki earlier, it had naturally leveled up.
Level ’30’.
I had acquired ‘Submissive’ and ‘Tsundere’.
As expected, the effects I could acquire were gradually decreasing. I’d think about the uses for this useless thing later, but…
“I’m curious about this ‘Favorability: View’ thing I got yesterday…”
It was an item that seemed self-explanatory, but it was hardly hypnotic anymore.
When I arrived at the same dimly lit landing as yesterday, Aira was sitting alone on the stairs, bathed in the veil-like light streaming in from the window.
Ryugo stood on the corridor side, looking down at her, and spoke.
“Why did you call me here?”
I didn’t believe her sweet invitation to “continue yesterday’s business.” The hypnosis had long since worn off, so there was no way Aira would act favorably toward me.
By keeping my distance, watching my surroundings, and staying in a position where I could escape at any time, I could ensure a certain degree of safety.
Aira turned around, her bright eyes showing a hint of irritation.
“Tanuki, do I really have to spell it out for you?”
It seemed she wouldn’t be calling me “Watkan-kun” anymore.
I hadn’t expected it, but it stung a little.
The faint hope I had yesterday that I could change Aira’s mind was dashed, disappearing like bubbles.
“Give me back my handkerchief.”
Her curt words reminded me of something I had forgotten.
I reached for the foreign object in my pocket and pulled it out.
“Here.”
The soft cloth hung from my fingertips, fluttering in the breeze.
But Aira didn’t move an inch.
From Noble mtl dot com
She pursed her lips sullenly, her eyes narrowed sharply.
“Come here and hand it over.”
“No way.”
“Huh?!”
“I don’t trust you.”
Currently, Aira’s location is on the first step of the ascending stairs, looking from the center of the landing. From here, the descending stairs are not visible, so it’s impossible to notice if someone is hiding there. In the worst case, someone could even come from the floor above and attack us from both sides.
Am I being too cautious?
No, she has a history of running away from my house.
It’s not unreasonable to think that she’s plotting revenge.
“You called me out to a place like this, what are you thinking?”
“……………………”
An ominous silence envelops us.
Aira’s menacing aura—it could be my imagination—makes Ryugo swallow his saliva. The tense atmosphere itself feels like needles piercing his skin.
He considers giving up on calming the situation and just running away for now. However, if Makoto comes back, the situation will become even more complicated.
He mulls over these thoughts for a minute or so.
“…Argh, whatever!”
Aira stands up, squares her shoulders, and strides up the stairs.
“Give it back!”
She suddenly snatches it from him, causing him to stumble back a step.
Aira’s frown is even more severe than before, and her eyes are filled with a simmering anger.
“Aira only suggested meeting here because she didn’t want anyone to know that she lent you her handkerchief!?”
“If that’s what you think, you shouldn’t have left such a suggestive line like ‘I want to continue what we started yesterday’!”
“I didn’t say that! Why are you lying!?”
“Yes, you did! I heard it from Misato!”
“Whaaat!? You’re being tricked! Are you an idiot!?”
“I don’t believe it anyway! Neither you nor Misato!”
“Don’t lie! Even yesterday, when Aira said ‘I’ll show you under my clothes,’ you believed her without question!”
“I was just pretending to be tricked! Pretending!”
“Do you think I’ll believe that excuse!? Besides, yesterday, Watanuki-kun arbitrarily――――”
Suddenly, both he and Aira freeze, stunned by the words that have just come out of her mouth.
What did she just say?
After a few seconds,
“Whaaat!?”
Aira’s face turns a deep crimson from her neck to the top of her head. Even her ears are glowing like a Chinese lantern, and her trembling lips are quivering.
“Www…”
And then,
“Forget it!!!!!”
“Ow!!”
Aira kicks Ryugo in the shin and runs away with her face turned away.
She’s surprisingly fast, disappearing from his sight in the blink of an eye.
“That hurt…”
I see.
So the effects of hypnosis… no, it seems the influence can linger.
I felt a little relieved, since I could take it as definitive proof that my actions weren’t in vain.
Plus, Arisa’s slightly girlish reaction just now was quite amusing.
“Still, for the time being, I feel like I’m just barely scraping by.”
Just then, a call came in, as if by divine timing.
No caller ID.
It was probably the mysterious voice from earlier.
“Hello?”
‘Have you had time to talk?’
“Perfect timing. Are you watching me somewhere?”
‘No, I’m not at that school. Rather, don’t you want to know the answer to the question that came up at the beginning?’
It was about the fact that Makoto had already been hypnotized, a conversation that had been interrupted by the commotion.
I hadn’t done anything, but for some reason, it said ‘already hypnotized’ and I couldn’t hypnotize him.
It was a completely unexpected development.
It was truly a bolt from the blue.
It was certainly a very mysterious situation, but even without being explicitly told, I already had the answer.
“…Someone else must have the hypnosis app.”
‘Correct.’