Chapter 13: The “Say Ahh” Strategy

Location analysis complete.

I stood in the cafeteria doorway, scanning the room like a tactical operative. Bright overhead lights. Round tables packed with students. Multiple exit routes. Witnesses everywhere.

Perfect. This was my new grinding zone.

No more stairwells. No more empty hallways. No more isolated storage rooms where things could spiral out of control. The cafeteria offered safety in numbers, predictable NPC patterns, and zero wet floor signs to trigger my survival instincts.

Strategic genius, honestly.

My phone buzzed. The app notification glowed pink against my palm.

DAILY QUEST UNLOCKED

Quest Name: The Sharing is Caring Protocol

Objective: Feed a hypnotized target one piece of food

Reward: 75 CP

Time Limit: Lunch Period

Current CP: 250/1000

My brain did the math instantly. Seventy-five points for feeding someone? That was insane value for minimal risk. Low physical contact. Public setting. Controlled variables.

This was literally a tutorial mission.

I scanned the cafeteria again, spotting Seda near the window. She sat alone, scrolling through her phone, totally unaware I was about to farm CP off her existence.

The lunch line stretched long and slow. I grabbed a tray and analyzed my options. Chips seemed safe. Pre-packaged. Individual pieces. Maximum control over portion size and contact duration.

But the bento boxes called to me from the hot food section. Higher stakes. More anime-accurate. The classic “say ahh” scenario from every romantic comedy ever.

My hands grabbed the bento box before my brain could override the decision.

Commit to the bit. Go full weeb. Embrace the trope.

I paid and crossed the cafeteria, phone in one hand, bento in the other. Students chatted and laughed around me. Normal lunch vibes. Nobody suspected I was about to execute advanced relationship grinding techniques.

Seda looked up as I approached. Her expression shifted from neutral to interested in point-two seconds.

“Alfred.”

“Seda.”

I sat down across from her without asking permission. Alpha move. Confident energy. The app hummed warm in my pocket.

She set her phone down, giving me her full attention. Her dark eyes tracked my movements like a predator watching prey.

Weird vibe, but whatever. She was hypnotized. Probably just waiting for commands.

I opened the bento box. Steam rose from the rice. Grilled fish, pickled vegetables, tamagoyaki cut into perfect rectangles. Peak Japanese cafeteria aesthetic.

Time to activate the quest.

“Seda, I’m going to feed you.”

The words came out smoother than expected. I was getting better at this. Practice made perfect. Repetition built skill.

She leaned forward immediately, elbows on the table, chin resting on her hands.

“Go ahead.”

No hesitation. No embarrassment. Just complete compliance.

Exactly what the hypnosis app promised.

I picked up a piece of tamagoyaki with my fingers. The egg was still warm, slightly sticky. My hands weren’t exactly clean, but this was for science. For CP. For progress.

“Open wide.”

She opened her mouth without breaking eye contact.

Oh hell. This was actually happening. The classic feeding scenario playing out in real time with witnesses and everything.

My hand moved forward, fingers trembling slightly. Just place the food on her tongue. Quick and clean. No lingering contact.

I deposited the tamagoyaki. Mission parameters met. Quest complete, easy money—

Her lips closed around my fingertips.

Time stopped. My brain short-circuited. Every nerve ending in my hand exploded with sensation.

She pulled back slowly, chewing the egg with this little satisfied smile, her tongue brushing against my fingers as she released them.

“Delicious.”

My hand hung frozen in midair, wet with saliva, tingling with contact that definitely exceeded quest requirements.

That was intentional. Had to be. The tongue thing. The eye contact. The way she’d held my fingers in her mouth for three seconds longer than necessary.

But she was hypnotized, right? Just following commands. Probably didn’t even realize what she’d done.

My internal rationalization engine kicked into overdrive. She was hungry. Aggressive eater. Cultural differences in food etiquette. Totally innocent explanation.

“Another.”

Her mouth opened again, wider this time. Waiting. Expectant.

The quest notification should’ve already triggered. I’d fed her. Objective complete. But my pride wouldn’t let me stop at one piece. That looked weak. Uncommitted. A true master would see this through.

I picked up another piece, some pickled radish this time. Less sticky. Easier exit strategy.

My fingers entered her mouth. She bit down gently, teeth grazing my skin, then pulled the radish free with her lips.

Her tongue traced across my fingertips again. Deliberate. Slow. Tasting the salt and seasoning with obvious enjoyment.

“Mmm.”

That sound. That little hum of satisfaction. It bypassed my rational brain and hit something primal and terrifying.

This was eco-hentai territory. Unsanitary contact. Indirect fluid exchange. The kind of scenario that required a mature content warning.

But I held my ground. Didn’t flinch. Didn’t run. The CP was worth it. The quest demanded completion.

Students at nearby tables were definitely watching now. Some girl whispered to her friend. Some guy smirked behind his phone.

Let them watch. Let them witness peak Gentleman of Culture energy.

“One more.”

Seda’s voice was soft but commanding. She wasn’t asking. She was telling me to continue.

Wait. She was hypnotized. She couldn’t tell me to do anything. I gave the commands.

My hand reached for another piece anyway. Muscle memory. Autopilot engaged.

The rice this time. Small ball, slightly sticky. I lifted it toward her mouth.

She leaned forward across the table, closing the distance. Her lips parted. I saw her tongue, pink and wet, waiting to receive the offering.

The proximity made everything worse. I could smell her perfume. Could see the individual lashes framing her eyes. Could feel her breath against my palm.

I placed the rice on her tongue. She closed her mouth around my entire thumb.

Oh no. Oh hell no. This exceeded all safety parameters.

She sucked gently, pulling the rice off my thumb, her cheeks hollowing slightly with the motion. Her eyes never left mine. Challenging. Testing. Seeing how long I’d last.

When she released my thumb it came out with this soft pop sound that should be illegal in public spaces.

“So good.”

My phone buzzed. The notification flashed bright and victorious.

QUEST COMPLETE

Reward: 75 CP Earned

Current Total: 325 CP

Achievement Unlocked: Beast Tamer I

Description: Successfully fed a hypnotized target without fleeing

Beast Tamer. The app called me a Beast Tamer.

I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment or an insult, but the CP boost made it worth the existential crisis.

Seda sat back in her chair, looking satisfied and slightly smug. Like she’d won some competition I didn’t know we were having.

“That was nice. We should do this every day.”

Every day? My sanity couldn’t handle daily feeding quests. My finger hygiene was already compromised. My mental state was hanging by a thread.

“We’ll see.”

I closed the bento box and stood up. Tactical retreat. Mission accomplished. No need to overstay.

“See you later, Seda.”

“Can’t wait.”

Something in her tone made my spine tingle. Not fear exactly. Something worse. Anticipation mixed with dread.

I walked away at measured pace. Not running. Not panicking. Just executing a controlled withdrawal to reassess strategy.

The admin building bathroom became my temporary command center. I locked myself in a stall and pulled up the app.

Three hundred twenty-five CP. Almost a third of the way to maximum level. At this rate I’d hit the cap within a week.

Then what? What happened when I maxed out the hypnosis power? Would I become unstoppable? Would Seda and Elizabeth fall completely under my control? Would I finally become the legend I’d always claimed to be?

My reflection stared back from the phone’s black screen. Same nervous eyes. Same uncertainty. Same fraud pretending to be confident.

But the CP didn’t lie. The quests didn’t lie. I was making progress. Real, measurable progress.

I just had to keep grinding. Keep pushing. Keep ignoring the weird intensity in Seda’s eyes when she’d sucked the rice off my thumb.

That was normal hypnotized behavior. Probably. Maybe. The app would’ve warned me if something was wrong.

Right?

My phone stayed silent. No warnings. No alerts. Just the steady glow of accumulated CP.

I washed my hands three times before leaving the bathroom. The cafeteria incident played on loop in my head. The tongue contact. The eye contact. The way she’d asked for more.

All normal. All expected. All part of the hypnosis protocol.

Totally fine.

I headed to my next class, phone heavy in my pocket, CP counter burning bright behind my eyes.

Three hundred twenty-five down. Six hundred seventy-five to go.

The grind continued.

Current Stats:

CP: 325/1000

Quests Completed: 4

Status: Beast Tamer I (Barely)

Mental State: Questionable but functional

Finger Hygiene: Compromised but recovering