Chapter 9

“Is it delicious, Kazu-kun?”

Reika Takane, the unobtainable flower of a childhood friend, asked this of Kazuhiko Saiki, who was pretending to be hypnotized.

Since she had instructed him to come to this classroom with his lunch during the lunch break, Kazuhiko followed the command and visited the empty classroom again today. And as soon as he entered, he was hypnotized again—or rather, he pretended to be. Then, as before, they swapped lunch boxes, and their private lunch meeting began.

“…”

It was delicious. But Kazuhiko, who was feigning hypnosis, didn’t know if it was appropriate to answer honestly.

Today’s lunch box was also a masterpiece. Vegetables were used to create a rich, scattered color palette, and the meatballs appeared glossy and shined like jewels.

In reality, he would have loved to respond with:

“Takane-san, it’s delicious. I’d love to eat this every day. HAHAHA.”

—A witty joke, he thought—a lie. He would never say such a thing. And if he did dare to say such a thing, she would instantly produce a marriage registration form, meticulously filled out except for the space for his name.

You said you wanted to eat my cooking every day, so today is our wedding day. Happy Wedding!

Kazuhiko, unable to respond, remained silent, which was apparently seen as the correct reaction for someone under hypnosis.

“Kazu-kun, tell me what you think of the taste.”

—This is okay, right?

“Delicious…”

Kazuhiko replied in a monotone, doing his best to convey that he was under hypnosis.

—I feel bad for Takane-san, who made such a delicious lunch, but I have to answer like this…

“I see, that’s good then. Would you want to eat it every day?” 

“…”

—Huh? What kind of question is that?

Kazuhiko didn’t understand the meaning. At the same time, he had a vague premonition that answering this question incorrectly would determine the rest of his life.

“…” 

“Well?”

There was an underlying pressure, as if she were asking, “Final answer?”

—Huh, am I going to be judged now? Uh, what should I do, what should I do…

Cold sweat broke out on Kazuhiko’s back. After staring at him for a while, Reika let out a sigh.

“…It seems I rushed things. It’s fine, don’t answer. I’ll make sure you say it yourself eventually.”

It seemed that choosing not to answer until time ran out was the correct course of action. Kazuhiko breathed a sigh of relief internally.

Despite that tense moment, they finished their lunch again today. Kazuhiko put his hands together, thinking that this much was fine.

“Thank you for the meal,” Reika said, so it seemed his feelings were conveyed. …Wait, is it okay for my feelings to be conveyed in this state?

Reika then scooted her chair closer to Kazuhiko’s.

“Hey, Kazu-kun.” 

“…”

—Whoa, whoa, whoa, that’s too close! Just because I’m hypnotized and you’re fulfilling your sexual desires, can’t you hesitate a little?! …You smell incredibly good, too…

Oblivious to Kazuhiko’s inner panic, she took out her smartphone from her pocket.

“Shall we exchange LINE contacts?”

—Wait, wouldn’t that seem unnatural when the hypnosis wears off? Well, I’m not actually hypnotized, but still…

The situation progressed while Kazuhiko was still pondering.

“Come on, take out your smartphone.”

—Grr, ugh… I can’t let her find out I’m faking hypnosis… Damn it.

Kazuhiko took his smartphone out of his pocket and handed it to her. She then said,

“Unlock it.”

—Guh, uuuuh…

Kazuhiko unlocked it with his fingerprint authentication, practically shedding tears of blood. She then operated the phone and exchanged LINE addresses.

“Hehe, heheheheh. I got Kazu-kun’s address.”

—W-why are you so happy about that…?

Kazuhiko, who harbored no illusions about his childhood friend, was only filled with questions. Then, as if remembering something, Reika spoke.

“Ah, you won’t question the fact that my address is in your phone even after the hypnosis breaks. We are childhood friends, so it’s not strange for us to know each other’s addresses; it’s natural. …Yes, on the contrary, it was strange that we didn’t know until now… I was truly an idiot…”

An aura of resentment seemed to hang in the air, and Kazuhiko shivered, but he couldn’t escape this situation.

“Ah, and when a message comes from me, you’ll reply normally. Just like in the old days. You won’t question it, understood? If you understand, answer me.” 

“…Yes.” 

“Good.”

Reika nodded, satisfied. As Kazuhiko watched her face, a new question came to his mind.

—Why did Takane-san want my contact? …Could it be to used for her fetish? …For example, to send me erotic selfies… gulp.

He might not harbor illusions about his childhood friend, but maybe he could hold a little bit of hope for her twisted fetish.

Perhaps because he was thinking such depraved thoughts, she then said,

“Well then, Kazu-kun, since we still have time during the lunch break, tell me what kind of side dishes you usually use. I assume you save those things on your smartphone these days, don’t you?” 

“…”

—H-wha, WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?!

Because he was pretending to be hypnotized, Kazuhiko couldn’t cry out, but he was screaming internally.