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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Teottry
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My hand hurt. Lapis Julie was squeezing it tight, as if she’d never let go.
Alarmed by the silence and the intensity of her grip, I cautiously called her name.
“Lapis Julie?”
It was a question, a subtle “What’s going on?” But Lapis Julie didn’t answer, just squeezed my hand even tighter.
-Crack. Pop.
Uh oh. This wasn’t good.
Even though my hands were long and flexible, they could still be crushed under enough pressure. I could hear my bones creaking, and the pain was becoming unbearable.
“Ow! Ow! What the hell are you doing?! Use your words!”
I yelped in pain, and Lapis Julie finally loosened her grip, though she was still holding my hand tightly.
“If I use my words, you’ll misunderstand.”
Lapis Julie, her head turned away, her low ponytail exposing her ears and the nape of her neck, said,
“Misunderstand what?”
“That… that I like you.”
The exposed skin on her neck and ears flushed crimson. She was clearly embarrassed. Seeing this, she seemed more like a junior, a year younger than me.
Just a year younger, though.
But she did like me, didn’t she? Would Lapis Julie hold the hand of a man she didn’t like this tightly? That made no sense.
But if I said that, my hand would probably be crushed like a pancake. To an S-rank Awakened, the flesh of an F-rank was as soft as pudding.
Saying something like, “Yeah, I know you don’t like me. You’ve told me several times,” wasn’t a good option either.
She’d probably start crying again.
It was frustrating that she could unleash her sharp tongue on me without a second thought, but I had to be careful with my words.
But her bright red ears and neck, and the way she was trying to hide her embarrassment by speaking stiffly, were kind of cute. So, I decided to let it slide, just this once.
I wasn’t going to ‘punish’ her today. As my direct superior, I’d have to see her every day for the next three months. There was no point in making things difficult from the start.
Having regained my composure, I decided to postpone the ‘lesson’ until the very last moment. If I showed my claws too early and things went south, I might have to endure hell for the next three months, until the S-rank dungeon raid.
So, for now, I had to be patient, hide my claws and fangs.
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to let them off the hook.
I’d offered Scarlet forgiveness yesterday, but that was only because of the repair bill situation. Now that Ia Aris had offered to pay, I had no reason to be merciful.
My resentment towards those bitches wasn’t going to be appeased by a bit of cuteness.
I’d build up to a bigger revenge. I’d make them think, ‘Wait, could it be that Faster… likes me?’ and then crush their hopes.
I’d get my revenge, make them apologize, and then, once I was physically and mentally free, I’d leave the guild.
Now that was true vengeance.
Just the thought was exhilarating, far more satisfying than the ‘lesson’ I’d planned for Lapis Julie.
So, for now, I had to play the waiting game.
I never thought I’d find myself catering to Lapis Julie, choosing my words carefully to please her, but thinking of it as preparation for my grand revenge made it surprisingly enjoyable.
A response that wouldn’t make Lapis Julie think I didn’t like her, while also satisfying her enormous ego…
It sounded complicated, but for me, someone who’d decided to string along S-rank bitches and then drop them from a great height for extra damage, it wasn’t that difficult.
I placed my other hand on top of Lapis Julie’s, which was still holding mine, and said gently,
“Let’s do this. I want to believe you like me. So I’ll think that, whether it’s true or not.”
“Gah?!”
Lapis Julie, startled by my words, turned to look at me, as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
“Excuse me? W-What did you just say, senpai?”
Her eyes wide, she placed her free hand on top of mine, her expression like a schoolgirl who’d just been confessed to by her crush.
Come to think of it, that’s exactly what happened.
Seeing her eager expression, desperately hoping she hadn’t misheard, I smiled and gave her the words she wanted to hear.
“I wish you liked me.”
So you’ll regret it even more later.
The unspoken part was the most important, but I left it unsaid. Without that crucial context, my words sounded like a confession.
Lapis Julie, flustered by my almost-confession, blushed, her mind racing.
“Uh. Excuse me? Wait, what? Hold on, senpai. D-Does that mean… you…”
Unable to finish her sentence, Lapis Julie lowered her head, as if she couldn’t bear to look at me.
If this were a manga, steam would be rising from her water-colored hair. She was blushing furiously.
Anyone could see that Lapis Julie was a girl in love. Even I, whose knowledge of romance came solely from books and manga, could tell.
A single sentence from me had turned Lapis Julie, the flower of the Julie family, an S-rank Awakened, into a lovesick schoolgirl. I couldn’t help but be impressed.
Wow. Seriously? How much does she like me? This is legendary.
Then, a small worry surfaced.
Wait a minute. This was progressing too quickly. What if she confessed before the S-rank dungeon raid? Shit, did I jump the gun? Should I have played it slower?
Playing hard to get meant pushing and pulling, creating a sense of mystery and anticipation. But what I’d just said was practically a confession.
It was so blatant there was no way she could mistake it for anything else.
Lost in a moment of misplaced confidence, I’d said something I shouldn’t have. And now, Lapis Julie, her head lowered, was muttering dangerous things.
“He wishes I liked him. That’s practically a confession. Can I just… jump him? Would anyone refuse a meal that’s already been served? No. A table is made for serving food, and if someone brings a spoon and enjoys the meal, it’s the greatest joy for the table. Y-Yes. Let’s do that. I don’t like him, but it would be rude to refuse a prepared meal. It’s bad manners. As a member of the Julie family, I can’t be impolite. Yes. Okay. As a matter of etiquette, I have no choice but to jump him…”
What the fuck? The greatest joy for a table? What kind of nonsense was that?
Lapis Julie might look normal on the surface, but she was clearly crazy. Every female S-rank Awakened I’d met was insane.
I had to stop her. She was muttering dangerous things, like, “How should I devour senpai…?”
But how? Should I use the hypnosis app?
But both my hands were occupied, making it difficult to discreetly retrieve my phone.
I could use Rabbit Burrow to escape, but… using it after practically confessing my feelings would be strange. It would ruin my plan.
Damn it. I couldn’t use the hypnosis app, so how could I…
Just as I was trying to figure out how to stop her, I suddenly remembered something I’d forgotten.
Wait a minute. I’d already ‘hypnotized’ her, hadn’t I?
Things had gotten so chaotic that I’d forgotten. Lapis Julie had already seen the hypnosis app and was pretending to be hypnotized.
But my questions about gifts and her feelings for me had broken her act, and her tearful outburst had made us both forget about the hypnosis entirely.
We were both so careless.
I had to remind Lapis Julie that she was ‘hypnotized’ to prevent her from wondering later, “Wait, wasn’t I supposed to be hypnotized? Why didn’t he suspect anything?”
Reminding someone they were hypnotized… did that even make sense?
Regardless, I cleared my throat to get her attention and said as casually as possible,
“Hey, Lapis Julie. There’s something strange, and I don’t want you to misunderstand, so just listen, okay?”
“What’s your favorite position, senpai…? Huh?! Y-Yes? What is it?”
“Um… why can you talk normally? Now that I think about it, it’s strange. You were always like a doll, completely still, until I gave you a command.”
I pretended to be confused by this new form of hypnosis, which had worked perfectly fine for the past six months. I was learning that the key to convincing acting was shamelessness.
Lapis Julie stared blankly at me for a moment, then her eyes widened in surprise.
“Like a doll… Oh?!”
She looked at me nervously and said cautiously,
“M-Maybe… I’ve developed a resistance to hypnosis. So I’m conscious, but still hypnotized… That’s it, isn’t it?”
I’d been curious about what she’d say, but Lapis Julie’s excuse was even more ridiculous than I’d expected.
But I had to play along. So, I nodded, accepting her explanation.
“I see. I’ll have to ask the Doctor to adjust it.”
“Y-Yes. Please do.”
“Okay.”
“Yes.”
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence descended. Her explanation, and my acceptance of it, was utterly absurd.
Lapis Julie probably realized how ridiculous it sounded and was now embarrassed.
Should I use this awkwardness as an excuse to end the conversation? It was the perfect opportunity. It was too awkward to continue. Yes, I should tell her I had to go and then send her on her way…
“Hey, senpai.”
“Uh, yeah?”
Lapis Julie, interrupting my thoughts, looked at me and said,
“You ‘hypnotized’ me, but you’re not giving me any commands? I might be conscious, but… I’m still hypnotized. I can’t resist anything you want me to do.”
Lapis Julie’s eyes, filled with an intensity that couldn’t be explained by mere awkwardness, were fixed on me.
Sending her away now would be difficult.
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Gaah! Just give her command mate🥹
