I’ve wondered this before—how did I, the user of the hypnosis app, get this close to the girls who were supposed to be under its control?
“What if… just what if—like that man in the dream—Matsuri and the others ended up hating me that much?”
I didn’t even need to think about it. I’d be wrapped in those black threads and meet the same fate.
“……Ugh, no no no.”
What a waste of a Sunday, drowning in such dark thoughts.
Maybe I should go out again today—not to look for another hypnosis target like yesterday, but just to wander aimlessly.
“Who knows… with this flow, I might even run into Emu?”
If that happened, it’d be a miracle. Laughing to myself, I got ready…
But one phrase lingered in the back of my mind. What that woman had said—that I’d end up like that man someday.
Like ripples disturbing the water’s surface, those words refused to fade from my ears.
“Hey sis, I’m heading out for a bit.”
After calling out to my sister, I headed toward town—little did I know an unexpected encounter awaited me.
“…No way.”
“…Huh?”
I nearly collided with Emu as she stepped out of a building.
“Emu…?”
“Kai-senpai…?”
Emu, clutching a shopping bag protectively, widened her eyes.
Her reaction mirrored mine—I never actually expected to run into her like this.
“What a coincidence…?”
“Y-yeah…?”
“…Later.”
I said that to Emu and started walking away again.
(Wait… I finally meet Emu, and I just brush her off like that!?)
No, no—since we ran into each other, I should at least talk a little.
Just as I stopped thinking that, someone bumped into my back, followed by a cute little yelp.
“G-geez… Don’t just stop suddenly, Kai-senpai!”
“My bad… Wait, why were you tailing me like that?!”
“Because you just walked off without saying anything!”
“Well… I guess that’s fair?”
Emu nodded as if to say, “Exactly.”
Dressed in a stylish checkered outfit, Emu carried herself like a refined young lady, effortlessly drawing everyone’s attention.
She really did have that elegant aura… though her true nature was that of an irredeemable masochist.
“So… what’s up?”
“U-um…”
Clutching the paper bag tightly, Emu looked down.
Every now and then, she’d glance up at me before quickly averting her gaze, as if desperately searching for words.
“Wait… you didn’t actually have anything to say, did you? You just saw me and chased after me without thinking?”
“Uuuh… y-yeah.”
“……………”
This time, she hid her face behind the bag… Dammit, that’s way too cute.
But this works out perfectly for me—I smirked, making a sleazy face I couldn’t let Emu see.
(Who’d have thought I’d run into Emu too… Heh heh, guess she’s gonna have to play along with my selfish little game!)
Once I decided, I wasted no time. Like with Saika, I tried to guide Emu into a secluded spot… or so I thought—until an elderly man dropped his shopping bag just as pedestrians started crossing the nearby crosswalk.
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“Ah—…”
His belongings spilled out, and the old man scrambled to pick them up.
But at his age, he wasn’t exactly quick, and if this kept up, the light would turn red before he finished.
“Be right back.”
I told Emu that and dashed over to help.
“Let me help you gather these.”
“Oh, thank you kindly…”
I smiled reassuringly at the old man and hurriedly collected the fallen items.
“Kai-senpai, I’ll help the old man cross first.”
“Got it, thanks, Emu.”
“Not at all. Sir, please come this way… Senpai will take care of the rest, so don’t worry.”
“Oh? Thank you so much.”
I gave Emu a thumbs-up for the assist, and though awkwardly, she returned the gesture.
Emu didn’t really have any male friends, and even among girls, this kind of interaction was rare… Honestly, it was such an unusual sight that I almost wanted to take a picture.
“Alright, that’s everything.”
Though, damn—this old man had enough fruit in there to last a whole hospital visit…
“Kai-senpai! The light’s about to change!”
“Coming~!”
Called by Emu, I rushed back to them.
“Here you go, sir. Got it all.”
“Many thanks… I was on my way to visit my wife in the hospital.”
“Oh.”
“Is that so?”
So it was a hospital visit.
The old man pulled out a box of cookies from his bag.
“Take these as thanks. Don’t refuse, or I won’t budge from here.”
“…You’re pretty sharp, cutting off my escape like that.”
“Ho ho ho! I’m just repaying a kindness.”
With that, the old man turned away, giving a small wave as he left.
After asking, we learned his wife wasn’t seriously ill and would be discharged soon. Despite having no connection to her, both Emu and I sighed in relief at the same time.
“Whew, that was sudden.”
“Yeah… But, Kai-senpai?”
“What?”
“You really jumped into action there… I thought it was admirable.”
“…Well, I couldn’t just leave him. You moved too, didn’t you?”
“Because I couldn’t just ignore it.”
Heh, guess we thought the same thing.
We both chuckled lightly before discussing what to do next.
“Oh, sorry Kai-senpai… I need to use the restroom real quick.”
“I’ll wait here.”
“Thank you.”
“Want me to hold your stuff?”
“Ah… Then, please.”
She handed me the paper bag and headed to the bathroom.
Watching her disappear into the building, my gaze fell to the bag in my hands.
“…It’s light.”
Despite its size and sturdy seal, the contents were surprisingly light.
Not that I planned to peek—what she bought was none of my business.
“Can’t help being a little curious, right?”
But the thing was, Emu hadn’t hesitated at all when handing it over… yet her expression had been tense. That made me wonder.
Was it something important? Or something she didn’t want me knowing about? Overthinking it just made me more curious!
“…Uh-oh, sketchy group incoming.”
I spotted a rowdy bunch heading my way.
Calling them “sketchy” might’ve been rude, but their flashy outfits weren’t common around here—a group of four women.
“Sooo~? Where to next?”
“Why’d we even meet up this early?”
“Relax~! Once in a while, it’s good to rise and shine!”
“Ugh, annoying… Well, I did show up, so whatever.”
As an unassuming high schooler, I had no reason to get involved, so I stepped aside… or so I intended.
“Hey, quit pushing!”
“Then text sooner next time!”
“Eek!?”
A small shriek rang out, followed by an impact against my back.
The force was strong enough to throw me off balance—I didn’t fall, but I dropped Emu’s paper bag… and one of the women, a member of the flashy group, stepped on it with her heel.
“Ah—…”
“Oops, did I step on somethin’~?”
She quickly pulled her foot away, and I hurried to grab the bag.
The sharp heel had torn a hole through it, but the contents were probably fine… I hoped.
“Sorry~”
“What’d you step on~?”
“Dunno~? Who cares~?”
“…Huh?”
Before I knew it, I’d let out a small noise.
Sure, I was the one who dropped it… but laughing it off with a “who cares” was pushing it.
The women—well, just the one who stepped on it—showed no remorse. I couldn’t help but glare.
“What? Got a problem?”
The one who’d stepped on it glared back, while the other three smirked like this was entertaining. In this situation, even that felt unsettling.
“Maybe it was my fault for dropping it… but saying ‘who cares’ after stepping on someone else’s stuff? Not cool.”
“Ooh, gonna lecture me? Creep.”
Snap—something inside me nearly broke.
I reached for my phone, ready to hypnotize them into humiliation… but the way they stared at me overlapped with something from my dreams.
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