Chapter 42 : You know you’re the only one I have

After several hypnosis sessions, I realized something.

There were moments when her strange emotions shone through her blank expression.

Now was one of those times.

Yena blinked her eyes a few times and took a deep breath.

To anyone watching, she looked visibly unsettled.

Just how much did she hate this for her anxiety to break through the hypnosis?

“Hayul.”

“Yeah.”

But she had to obey my commands.

Even if it was unreasonable—because this was my order.

“Say you like me.”

“…Hmph.”

I could feel her face turning red.

She turned her head away, avoiding my gaze.

Then she completely turned her back to me.

‘What do I do?’

It was obviously a lie—just her obeying under hypnosis.

But… it didn’t feel bad.

No, it was more than just “not bad.”

I was so happy I could fly.

It was a miracle I wasn’t squirming and screaming right then and there.

This… couldn’t be helped.

No one had ever said something like this to me before.

My resistance was zero.

‘I should’ve given this order from the start…’

Only now did I feel like I finally understood how to use hypnosis properly.

From an angle she couldn’t see, I fidgeted with my fingers. If I didn’t, I felt like I’d lose control of my emotions.

“O-One more time.”

“Say you like me.”

“Eek…!”

I barely stopped myself from jumping.

No matter how much memory was erased, embarrassment was still embarrassment.

But I couldn’t just leave my trembling heart alone.

They say suppressing this stuff makes you sick—though I don’t remember where I heard that.

“K-Keep your eyes closed!”

“Yeah.”

“…And cover your ears too.”

“Yeah.”

If I blocked out my senses, I’d be fine.

Yena obediently covered her eyes and ears.

All traces of her earlier tension were gone—her expression was perfectly calm.

“Ah, right.”

Now I wouldn’t get to hear her confession.

I tapped Yena’s wrist—the one covering her ears.

Her eyes half-opened as she gave me a puzzled look.

I pulled one of her wrists away and spoke.

“Keep your eyes closed and ears covered.”

“…”

“Don’t stop until I tell you to.”

Her expression turned deeply unimpressed.

Like she was looking at something pathetic…

If I stared any longer, I knew I’d feel awful.

As her master, I had to put her in her place.

“Hey. Fix that expression, or I’ll devour you!”

“Pfft.”

Yena let out a breathy laugh.

‘What’s with that scoff…?’

It pissed me off.

No, more than that—it was downright infuriating.

That short sigh carried so much meaning—“You dare? Me? Hah, unbelievable.”

“W-What! Did you really think you’d always be above me?!”

I knew full well this was meaningless.

But I needed someone to take my frustration out on.

Like that rabbit doll a girl in some anime would beat up whenever she got mad.

I started whacking the “Yena doll” wildly.

“You keep climbing up, but you’ll regret it! Huh?! It’s all just—ugh…!”

“…”

“I let you win! Got it?! I let you! Ugh, damn it. This is so stupid.”

I spilled things I’d never say to her while she was conscious.

Yena just watched silently, as if egging me on. That infuriating smirk of hers looked like it’d reach her ears.

Since I’d already started, I decided to pour everything out.

This isn’t me falling for her taunt.

“It’s just… I’m too nice! So I, y’know, let you! Let you win and all…! That’s a thing, right…?”

Yena didn’t respond.

Somehow, my voice kept getting smaller.

Here I was, yelling alone—basically just comforting myself. But it did help a little.

‘This is nothing yet…’

Compared to what I’d been through, this was just a drop in the bucket. I searched my mind for the right words.

“You’re always like this—”

“Okay, okay. I’ll do as you say.”

“Huh?”

Yena didn’t answer.

Instead, she covered her ears and gently closed her eyes—just like my earlier command.

“Hey, I wasn’t done talking!”

“…”

She’d only half-obeyed.

The other half would come soon.

Why even resist in the first place?

“Say you like me.”

“Eek! L-Like that’ll make me…!”

“I like you.”

Yena cut me off with her own confession.

“Y-You—what are you—?!”

“I like you. I like you.”

She kept repeating it, as if she couldn’t hear me at all.

Maybe she really couldn’t, with her ears covered.

It’s just the hypnosis.

I shouldn’t overreact.

But my body wasn’t listening.

“Ngh…”

“I like you. I like you. I like you.”

“Hah… hah…”

I approached quietly so Yena wouldn’t notice.

No—whether she noticed or not, I didn’t care.

I just got closer.

I tilted my head and pressed my ear near her lips.

“Say you like me. Like me, like me.”

“Ehehe…!”

Her low, sweet voice tickled my brain relentlessly.

Later.

The two of us were lying in bed.

I had my arm wrapped around Yena’s waist.

“Ugh, I should tell her…”

“Mmm…”

Yena was wrestling with the dilemma of her life.

The fact that the hypnosis was fake.

She’d missed the perfect timing earlier.

“…”

“Uwee… I wike you toooo…”

The moment she decided to come clean, her words got stuck.

How absurd.

“Ha… She should know it’s fake before deciding to date or not…”

“Haa… Not there…”

“…”

“Eek, Yena-Yah…!”

Yena, hearing some strangely lewd sleep-talking, bit down hard.

“Hayul. Do you just wanna live your whole life not knowing?”

Yena brought a finger to Hayul’s lips.

“Mmph, lick, lick…”

“…”

Hayul, as if waiting for this, took the finger into her mouth and sucked.

“You’re… haah… really hopeless…”

Friday at school was filled with happy energy.

“Hey, Yi Autumn You wanna die?!”

“Again.”

“N-No! That, that pencil of mine—eek—did you use it…?”

“Yeah. Take it.”

Just one more day until the weekend.

Same for me.

Last night—no, early this morning—

Thanks to some pervert, my body was sore all over.

‘First thing in the morning, seriously…’

Yena had fallen asleep with her fingers deep in my mouth.

Waking up to an unfamiliar alarm, only to feel long fingers inside—

Furious, I hit her a few times, and what she said after waking up was just… unbelievable.

‘Ugh, let’s not even talk about it.’

She just held it there, and I was the one who started sucking?

Did she really think I’d believe that?

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t even speak.

“Yaaawn—”

As usual, I rested my arms on the desk and started dozing off—

Until a sharp pain jolted me back up.

“Damn it…!”

How hard did she bite me?

The marks from her teeth showed no signs of fading.

I struggled so much just getting dressed carefully.

The culprit had already been face down on her desk, breathing softly, for a while now.

“You always have it easy. Always.”

Creak—

The sound of the door opening.

Class hadn’t started yet.

The mystery was soon solved.

A confident-looking girl with purple short hair strode into the classroom.

“Kyaaa—Yerin sunbaenim!”

“Yeah. Hi. Shh… They’re sleeping. Just putting this up, then I’ll leave.”

Luckily, it wasn’t a teacher.

Judging by the reaction, she seemed to be some kind of celebrity.

Not that I cared… I had no idea.

From the front row, whispers about her reached me.

“Who’s that?”

“The vice president of the student council!”

“Ugh, quiet… Ugh. Not even surprised anymore. At this rate, my mom’s gonna know too.”

“Can I tell her?”

“Huh?”

Hmm… Those two seem close.

I wonder if Autumn and Winter are about the same.

Names? No clue.

I think I was introduced, but… Haha.

‘Ah… So damn sleepy…’

I blinked a few times to shake off the drowsiness.

What was the vice president doing in the classroom?

Seemed interesting—I’d watch just this, then sleep.

Watching the purple hair swaying—so similar to Yena’s—made me think a lot of things.

Mostly, I was just amazed.

Mine was still black.

In this world, black hair was actually rare compared to all the other colors.

It really hit me again—I’d been reincarnated into another world.

The girl called “Vice President” placed a sheet of paper on the teacher’s desk, then turned to leave.

“Sunbaenim! You’re just leaving after this? Tell us about the student council…!”

“Aren’t we strangers…? Haha… Well, whatever. If we meet again, we’ll talk.”

“Eeeek!”

A girl clutched her chest and pretended to faint.

The natural enemy of introverts.

Yeah… I’d rather avoid getting too close to that bouncy, talkative girl.

Once the purple-haired girl left, the other girl just dusted herself off casually and headed for the teacher’s desk.

“New dormitory?!”

Perk.

That word caught my interest.

An academy and a dormitory?

I’m already excited.

But walking up to the teacher’s desk now would be suicide.

I just want to live quietly.

But this was a keyword I couldn’t ignore…

While I was hesitating, Miss Extrovert started broadcasting all the details.

Her crisp voice drilled into my head. Packed information flowed smoothly into my ears.

Basic setup: 2 people per room.

Single rooms possible, but assigned by academic rank.

Construction had been ongoing, now only interior work left.

Expected completion around midterms.

Applications open after midterms.

Roommates can be chosen or assigned randomly.

‘Damn, Extrovert, you’re making this too easy.’

Miss Capital-E was still chattering away.

I added one line to her info in my mind:
‘Closer than strangers, but not quite friends.’

The classroom burst into noise in an instant.
Mostly from Miss E.

Because of that, Yena let out a pained groan.

“Nngh… Hayul-ah…”

“…I was just curious about her hair color. You know you’re the only one for me, right?”

“Huh…?”

“Your hair is prettier. Honestly—”

“Why are you suddenly saying that…?”

“…”

Should’ve stayed quiet.

A few awkward words, and now the mood was weird.