Chapter 40: Summer vacation starts tomorrow!

Reading Settings

Translator: Soafp

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“S-Stop it!!”

“You can't move your body, can you? I'm going to train you properly!”

“No… Help me!”

“Your childhood friend isn't coming to save you. Kukuku!”

That night, for some reason, I was reading a certain manga I had found online.

It was just another two-page spread among the countless manga scattered across the internet—an erotic comic centered on hypnosis, and one that happened to suit my tastes quite well.

As always, the protagonist was a disgusting, ugly guy. Why did protagonists in these kinds of works always end up like that? It was an eternal mystery.

“Still, I really like this artist's work. They draw incredibly well.”

The doujin manga I was reading was hypnosis-themed, but the artist behind it had produced many other works as well, including pure romance stories.

The artist had openly stated that they loved drawing scenes where girls fell deeper and deeper under hypnosis, which probably explained why such detailed works were being created.

“And this person is a woman, right? That's amazing.”

There were quite a few people online—women included—who had tastes like this.

The manga also had a distinctly female perspective, carefully explaining which kinds of stimulation made characters weak and how they reacted. That was one of the artist's strengths.

“Toki Konoe-san… Thank you for everything you've done so far, and I look forward to your future work too.”

With that, I closed the manga.

“Kai? Can you take out the trash bag on your way to school?”

“Leave it to me, Mother.”

“Ahaha, that's creepy.”

“…”

What a sharp-tongued mother.

Then again, maybe reading erotic manga first thing in the morning just because I woke up a little early wasn't the best idea. But that was what high-school boys were like.

I picked up the trash bag and left the house, heading toward the collection point.

Konoe-san, the attractive older woman from the neighborhood, was there as well.

“Ah, good morning.”

“Good morning.”

As always, her light clothing made my impulses run wild.

Her chest was larger than Mari's but smaller than Saika's. Even so, she still possessed an overwhelmingly impressive figure.

“Here we go.”

She set the trash bag down with a rustling sound.

As she did, several sheets of paper spilled out from inside. Reflexively, I picked them up.

“Thanks.”

“Not at all… But I couldn't help noticing there were a lot of papers.”

“Ahaha, I suppose it's part of my job.”

“Really…?”

Using this much paper… Was she perhaps a manga artist or something similar?

I was curious about the large pile of crumpled sheets, but what truly captured my attention was her mature, alluring charm.

I had considered using the hypnosis app on Konoe-san before, but I had never actually done anything.

I made a silent vow that I would definitely hypnotize her soon.

(Kukuku… An erotic older woman like her would be the best. Just wait, Konoe-san. Soon I'll be able to do whatever I want with your body!)

Perhaps indulging in that kind of fantasy was a mistake.

“Squeeze.”

“…Soft?”

Squeeze… Soft? I couldn't immediately understand what had just happened.

An indescribable softness spread across my entire face. The summer heat made it slightly uncomfortable, but I recognized this sensation—yes, this was a chest!

“U-Um…?”

“Hehe. You were staring so intently that I thought you might want this.”

“!?”

For some reason, my face was now buried in Konoe-san's chest.

After a while, she let me pull away. Seeing my stunned expression, she simply shook her shoulders with quiet laughter.

“…”

“Feeling better? Then do your best at school.”

Waving her hand lightly, Konoe-san turned her back to me.

She walked away with her usual alluring gait, hips swaying gently from side to side.

I stared at her back for a moment before finally beginning my walk to school.

“…Wait, did she just invite me?”

Perhaps that conclusion only existed because I was still inexperienced.

Still, she was undeniably alluring and seemed quite experienced with men. She might even have a boyfriend.

I had heard that she was not married, so that possibility seemed likely. If she did have a boyfriend, I had no intention of stealing her away, so I would simply have to give up.

“Good morning.”

I soon arrived at school.

Today was the closing ceremony, marking the end of the first half of the year. Even after summer vacation began, I had already made plans to spend time with Mari and the others.

I had been a little lonely at the thought of a long break without being able to see them, but I never expected that worry to disappear.

“…This is nice. Absolutely fantastic.”

There had also been no further news regarding the notes.

No matter how many times I remembered it, the incident where I had shown Emu's intimate behavior to Aragaki still excited me.

Aragaki could not possibly remember what had happened, yet whenever our eyes met, he immediately looked away—as though a scar had been left deep in his heart.

“He no longer meets my gaze either. I wonder why?”

Emu in her normal state might not know, but her hypnotized self certainly should. The fact that she still claimed ignorance made me think she was quite the little devil.

“We finish at lunch today. What should we do?”

“Maybe karaoke. What about you, Kai?”

“As for me…”

Akira and Shougo were inviting me out for the afternoon.

I had no reason to refuse, so I nodded.

For some reason, both of them then turned and stared behind me in stunned silence.

Wondering what was wrong, I began to turn around—just as a soft sensation pressed against my cheek.

“Good morning, Kai-kun.”

“…Good morning, Saika.”

The source of that sensation was Saika's chest.

Following Konoe-san, another wonderful sensation left me feeling as though I were ascending to heaven.

Still, I had to remember that I was in a classroom.

“Kai-kun, so bold.♪”

“Me?”

Saika apparently remembered that we were in class and moved her face away.

In compensation, she stood behind me, placed her hands on my shoulders, and remained there without moving.

“What's wrong?”

“I just wanted to talk with you and Mari a little.”

“Really…? Wait, don't tell me—”

Saika rarely spoke like this, so I became worried that something had happened.

She widened her eyes, then smiled and told me not to worry.

“Seriously, what happened between you two?”

“Yeah, Agatsuma-san, tell us.”

“Nothing happened.”

Something had happened, but Saika's situation was complicated, so I warned them in advance.

The fact that Saika had suffered violence from her father and been abandoned by her mother was something she would prefer not to recall.

I did not want to bring it up, and I obviously could not discuss the hypnosis app, which made explaining anything difficult.

“Something did happen… but I can't really talk about it.”

That was all Saika said.

If she stopped there, Akira and Shougo apparently had no intention of pressing further.

Her words only made them more curious, but that couldn't be helped.

“Yahoo~ Saika.”

“Good morning, Mari.”

Mari joined us as well.

Both Mari and Saika came close to me, while Akira and Shougo continued talking with us.

Their presence softened the attention we were receiving.

Saika no longer hid her eyes, and she drew a lot of attention. Some people might dislike the fact that I was close to her, but I wanted to shout to the world that I was the one who had drawn out her charm.

(…No, that's too self-important, even for me.)

Discovering Saika's suffering had been pure coincidence. Even if it hadn't been me, someone else might have noticed.

In that case, the person standing beside Saika and Mari as they smiled might not have been me at all.

Lately, I had begun thinking about that possibility.

“Kai-kun.”

“Saika?”

I felt Saika's hand on my shoulder tighten slightly.

Mari also looked at me with concern. I suddenly wondered whether they had sensed something.

“…You two seem to understand each other really well.”

“I really want to know what happened…”

Akira and Shougo insisted on asking me everything at karaoke later.

And so, the first half of my third year ended, and summer vacation began.

I never expected that I would finally graduate from that.