The Day After I Told My Shut-In Genius Childhood Friend, Who’s Highly Dependent on Me, “I Got Confessed To,” She Showed Me a Hypnosis App - Chapter 28

The next morning.

Before going to school with Mio, I agreed to her request to go to the hair salon.

“How do I look? Does it suit me?”

Mio spun around happily as we stepped out of the salon. After a long consultation with the stylist, she had decided on twin tails tied low. Her hair floated and swayed as she moved.

“…Yeah, I guess it suits you.”

I nodded, but she made a slightly disappointed face for some reason.

“…If you’re going to compliment me, I want a little more energy in your voice.”

“…I honestly think almost any hairstyle would look good on you.”

“Wow, that’s such a nice thing to say, but the way you said it makes it feel like it’s nothing special. I’m not happy at all.”

I didn’t know how to respond. She said she wasn’t happy even though I was complimenting her.

Still, compared to her usual look, she definitely looked more like a beautiful girl. It was a huge difference from the tracksuit she usually wore. In that sense, it felt fresh.

“…Um, I guess it’s better than usual?”

“You sound like a dad who doesn’t know how to act around his daughter.”

“…Then what am I supposed to say?”

Mio grinned.

“Simple! Just say cute! Now, repeat after me! Cute!”

“…You’re cute.”

“I got it on recording!”

“Hey, what are you doing?”

I tried to grab her phone, but she was surprisingly quick, and I couldn’t get it.

“Honami, it’s fun to flirt here, but shouldn’t we head to school soon?”

“You recorded me, so it’s your fault!”

“Well, we’ve been doing it a lot before, too.”

“…Huh?”

Her casual words stopped me in my tracks.

“Before?”

“Yeah. I was too embarrassed to say it, but I figured it’s okay now since people might start noticing anyway.”

“…Wait, I’m the one who should be embarrassed!”

Confusion kept piling up. Why is she recording me? And what does she mean by people noticing?

“Before we go to school, I should probably tell you something.”

“You mean the location of the recording?”

“No… I mean what I did to you.”

“…What?”

Right here, right now?

The topic just jumped completely.

“That’s sudden…”

“It’s hard to find the right timing to say it.”

“I see.”

Ever since I ignored her messages, I had been meaning to ask. But now that she had come outside, I’d lost my chance to bring it up.

What exactly did you do to me?

And how did you suddenly manage to go outside like this?

She answered in her usual casual tone.

“I made a hypnosis app.”

“…Huh?”

“Yeah. You made the same face the first time I showed it to you.”

She said it like it was funny.

Mio fiddled with her phone and showed me the screen. A weird display with a big purple heart on it.

“This is the hypnosis app.”

“…Looks like it had a low budget for the design.”

“Really? …The look doesn’t matter.”

Could this really be it? I doubted it. Even Mio probably couldn’t make a hypnosis app.

But thinking back on everything that happened, it actually made a lot of sense.

“If you press this button, it can put someone in a hypnotic state. I used it on you. I asked for things like, ‘to hug you until we’re satisfied whenever we’re alone,’ or ‘pat your head if you feel lonely.’”

“…What the hell did you do?”

“But it didn’t work perfectly… it affected other people too.”

I understood. That’s why I ended up doing that thing with Momose-san.

“And then, I erased your memories of the date, because I was afraid someone in your class would take you away.”

“…That’s it?”

“That’s it. That’s all I did to you. I’m sorry for using it without asking. I really regret it, so I won’t do it again. The rest of the hypnosis, I only used on myself.”

Everything started to make sense. Why did my memories feel foggy? Why were people around me acting weird, and even… Why could Mio be outside like this and acting normal?

“…What did you do to yourself with the hypnosis?”

“I erased some traumatic memories. I don’t remember the details, but I wrote it down in my own handwriting.”

Even while talking, Mio stayed calm. It was a weekday morning, and there were a lot of people near the station. Her appearance stood out, but she didn’t seem to care at all.

“So… I’m fine now. I’m sorry for making you worry, Honami.”

Mio smiled gently in front of me.

I had always wanted to see this. I had been waiting for her to come back to school.

But my mind stayed quiet.

Is she really fine now?

(Really?)

Could a life built on hypnosis ever continue forever like this?

◇

Mio came to school.

After lunch, we had our general studies class, so she took the chance to introduce herself.

“My name is Shinonome Mio. I haven’t been able to come to school for a while, but I’m feeling better now. I’d be happy if we could all get along. I’m sure I’ll cause some trouble, but please take care of me!”

The moment she finished, the classroom erupted in applause, like a party.

Mostly from the boys, and it was loud.

Mio looked a little confused, but she bowed and said, “Thank you.”

(…The power of a beautiful girl is amazing.)

The atmosphere was overwhelmingly welcoming.

Normally, if a student who had been absent came back suddenly, things might feel awkward, but not here.

In fact, the fact that she could confidently ask to introduce herself was impressive.

It was a surprisingly smooth first day back.

The teacher was a little flustered because a student who had been absent appeared out of nowhere, but that was about it.

At this rate, things could go smoothly without any extra help.

“Oh, and Mizumura Honami over there is my childhood friend!”

…Wait, that’s a huge bomb to drop.

All the eyes in the class swung toward me.

—“A childhood friend of that beautiful girl!?” “Class representative, what the hell…” “Wasn’t he also called by Momose-san the other day?” “Yes, yes, this is like an eroge game.” “Death penalty!” “He was a good guy… until yesterday!”

“Stop, stop~! Everyone, calm down~!”

The teacher’s calm voice spread across the tense classroom.

Our homeroom teacher is really gentle, so just one word was enough to loosen the atmosphere.

“For now, Shinonome-san’s seat will be by the window and in the front row. Everyone, please get along. And of course, Mizumura-kun too!”

The boys groaned, “Understand~” in a lazy voice, but I could tell they were annoyed.

From across the room, Mio gave me a peace sign.

The surrounding students’ eyes immediately shot daggers at me.

(She’s definitely doing that on purpose…)

I let out a tired sigh.

Judging by this, it looks like my school life is going to be far from peaceful.