chapter 62
Final Chapter: Three Different People
We dragged Aira, who refused because she didn’t want to go without makeup, and the four of us arrived at the spa facility with the sauna we were looking for.
The interior of the facility had a Japanese-style decor, giving it a warm, wooden feel.
Before entering, Misato said with a suspicious face.
“Tanuki… surely you didn’t just want to go to the sauna because you were sweaty. Besides, if you’re in the men’s bath, we’ll have to take care of Aira.”
“No, we’re going in together.”
“Huh? Are you using the app…?”
“Idiot! Just watch.”
A few minutes after that conversation.
Currently, the four of us were lying down in a dimly lit, dome-shaped space.
We were all wearing sauna suits. They looked like a cross between ethnic costumes and sportswear. They were made of a material that absorbed sweat well and felt good on the skin.
“Hey, this is…”
Enka muttered as she stared blankly at the ceiling.
“A Jimjilbang?”
“A wh-what?”
“It’s a mixed-gender sauna. It’s a dome-shaped space where you can lie down and slowly steam yourself while being exposed to far-infrared rays from charcoal. It feels good.”
At that point, Misato interjected.
“Are you really going to do the same thing just because Makoto has changed a little bit?”
“Evil people need some time to not think about anything.”
Makoto’s mind was slightly troubled, probably because he had temporarily stopped thinking. It’s not possible to switch off your thoughts during normal times. A sauna is convenient because it forces you to focus on the heat.
“How about it, Era? Are you starting to lose your desire to do bad things?”
“I really hate how baggy these clothes are. They make me look fat.”
“Even with your big breasts… no, wait, you’re wearing underwear, right?”
“No, I’m not.”
The three of them burst out laughing.
“Because I knew I’d be sweating, so there’s no way I’d wear one! It would get all stuffy! Look, Ryu-kun!”
Era stood up and pulled open her sweaty cleavage. The two girls rushed to stop her.
The previously quiet room suddenly became chaotic.
“Wait, wait, wait!”
“Let go of me, both of you!! Ryu-kun!! Do something about these two!!”
“You guys go outside for a bit! Go outside!”
“Era! Don’t tell me you’re going to s*xually harass the raccoon again!?”
“Oh no…”
“Hey, it’s hot when you cling to me!”
“Enka is getting dizzy! I remember now, she’s weak to dirty jokes!”
“She’s also not very smart.”
“You brought a change of underwear, right!?”
“Hey, Ryu-kun… can you wipe my chest?”
“Don’t look, raccoon!!”
“Stop it, or you’ll be banned! You’ll be banned!”
Somehow they managed to avoid getting banned, and Ryugo and the others left the spa feeling exhausted. They went into the break room and collapsed.
How is it that bathing just one person can be so difficult? Are we babysitting or taking care of an elderly person…?
As for Era,
“I’m so sorry for causing such a commotion.”
As a result of her evil thoughts being washed away in the sauna, she had become strange.
“Is something wrong with her language…?”
Misato was pale as she listened to Era speaking in strange Japanese.
“I wonder if she’s suffered some kind of brain damage…?”
“I’m impressed. Using polite language is very difficult. Anyway, I’m hungry, so let’s eat something quickly and go home.”
“Hey, raccoon! This is really bad!! Her personality has changed.”
It was clearly an emergency. Even if she was joking, Era wouldn’t normally act this strangely.
Did the heat damage her brain?
Ryugo folded his arms and pondered for a while before saying…
“Oh well. She’s better than before.”
“No, well… is it okay? Is this okay?”
“It’s fine.”
Between a guy who does nothing but bad things and a guy who uses weird language, the latter is definitely better.
“But you’ll be right back, right?”
Enka, who had completely lost her cool, said with a flushed face.
“When you come back, I’ll throw you back in the sauna.”
“If I go in again, I’ll probably get some kind of disease…”
“You… Are you making fun of our sauna?”
“Your murderous intent is as frightening as when you’re fighting.”
“Summer vacation will be over in a few days, but by then, you’ll have to correct your personality. I’ll have to cram morality down your throat while you’re in the sauna.”
“That’s pretty much impossible…”
“Believe in the sauna.”
“I’d rather you put your faith in the morality book.”
In the end, Ira returned to her original personality five hours later.
◇
The last day of summer vacation.
People are walking around sweating profusely as the scorching sun continues to scorch the earth. The sun looked down on such a sight, but did not care. It seemed that even after the battle was over, the heat would not end.
The empty classroom was filled only with a cool breeze from the window. The lights were off and the sunlight shining through the cracks in the curtains illuminated the floor.
Only the students were allowed in the school, and Ryugo and the others were taking advantage of it.
“It’s still hot,” said Misato, sitting at her desk.
She had called a meeting for everyone involved in the incident, but Makoto had refused, saying, “I never want to be involved with Ira again.” That was only natural.
Koki said he had a lot to do. With his genius programming skills, he shouldn’t be wasting his time on such trivial matters.
“So, it’s just the three of us girls again.”
“Tanuki, what happened to Iraq?”
“Well, um…”
Just as Ryugo was about to answer evasively,
“Ryu-kun!”
A sweet voice flew in and his left hand was grabbed. His fingers were intertwined, and before he could resist, he was holding hands like lovers.
Body heat slowly spread from his fingertips… it was hot.
“Are we going on a date today?”
“… Misato, as you can see, the correction is not going very well.”
He had tried something just short of the Ludovico technique, but it had no effect at all. She would grimace at the sight of violence, but she would not go so far as to feel disgusted.
offline, it was useless to show her videos that were supposed to help children’s emotional development. She would end up hurling heartless insults at the children playing with the toys they had made, saying things like, “Garbage makes garbage and pollutes the earth.”
“It’s no use… I’m the only one who can take care of her for the rest of her life… If I leave her alone, she’ll end up threatening the world…”
“So, you’re going to marry Ryu-kun, right?”
“As a common-law couple.”
“Get married.”
“A common-law…separate residence.”
“That’s just like being a stranger!”
“Can I just have my parents’ inheritance?”
“That’s so bold, it’s almost like you’re not even afraid of being accused of marriage fraud!”
At the beginning, when I didn’t really know her, I might have considered it a little, but after seeing the depths of her malice, I can’t see her as a woman or even a person.
If her personality were decent, I’d be pretty shaken…
“Mister Raccoon!!”
It was Madoka who rushed in.
“You said it, right!? You’d marry me and we’d be heroes together!”
“You still haven’t given up on that?”
“Aira, no. Mister Raccoon is mine. He’s my hero who will never appear again. Because I love him!”
Pulled by both of them, I felt like a rope in a tug-of-war. I can’t believe I’m caught in such a classic situation.
“Misato, help me…”
“…What evil did you do in your past life to be liked by these two?”
That’s a good question.
“Oh, come on…”
Misato sighs and
“Mm…”
–Suddenly, our lips overlapped.
It was just for a moment, but the sensation was distinctly left behind. It was a strange feeling, hotter than summer yet not unpleasant at all.
Blushing all the way to her ears, Misato pulled away, mumbling something.
“…Um, first kiss.”
“Wha…”
Aira and Madoka’s eyes changed color.
“You two, too bad. I’m not giving Raccoon… Ryugo to anyone.”
“Wha…”
As the two of them screamed, Ryugo was pulled hard toward Misato. The two of them, unable to resist the force, let go of Ryugo and were dragged out into the hallway.
And so, a chase began in the nearly empty school building.
“Seriously, again!?”
“Is this the third time!?”
From behind, we could hear the two of them shouting, “Wait!”
“Misato, why all of a sudden…”
“If I had stayed quiet, it really felt like you were going to be taken away, and I hated it! Besides, after all the things they’ve done to you, I couldn’t let this go!”
“So you mean to say that I was liked by the only decent one…”
“Yes! That’s right!”
“But all the girls who like me have weird ways of showing it!… Whoa!?”
It must have been because I was running in an awkward position while being pulled by the hand. I slipped and fell hard to the floor.
“Ryugo!?”
“Ow…”
“We caught up!!”
“Oh no…”
There, the two abnormal girls caught up, breathing hard, and fell on top of Ryugo.
“Ryu-kun, I didn’t get your first kiss, but you’re still a virgin, right? I’ll kill Misato later.”
“II’ll be fine. Mister Raccoon, I can be gentle. I’ve studied quite a bit…”
Both their eyes were Bl00dshot like hungry beasts.
I felt like a wild rabbit caught by a carnivore.
“I’m scared—!”
“Hey, let go of Ryugo!”
“Tanuki-kun, even my first kiss…”
“Come on, Ryu-kun. Kiss me.”
“Whoa—! N-no, don’t try to stick your tongue in there, Aira! Enka, hey!”
“You guys! Ryugo doesn’t like this!!”
“Huh? Ryu-kun, you don’t hate it, right? Right? You’re happy to do lewd things with Aira?”
“W-well, it’s too early for Tanuki-kun to do lewd things!?”
“That’s why…!”
I activated the app and gave it a voice command.
“All of you, kneel down!!”
The three girls sat down in the hallway with perfect posture.
They struggled to resist, but there was no way to resist the commands given to their bodies.
At this rate, my body won’t be able to take it anymore. I should settle this quickly.
“Sigh… I’ll give you my answer to your confessions right here and now, since you all keep fighting over it, so listen carefully.”
I took a deep breath and listened to the sound of my pounding heart.
I could hear the sound of the three of them gulping.
If I had my bunny suit, I’m sure I’d be laughing or just dumbfounded.
With this hypnosis app, I should be able to clear such trivial problems easily. Why choose the difficult path?
However, I knew from their favorability ratings that their feelings were genuine.
In that case, I have to respond with my true feelings, not through a tool. That’s just good manners.
…Well, that’s only if you don’t take into account the fact that they probably won’t stop just because of this.
“Listen up…”
Ryugo raised his voice in the silence.
“The person I like is—!!”
Watanuki Ryugo.
He spent his entire life using the app to help people.
He did use it for personal reasons from time to time, but it was nothing compared to the good deeds he did. And it was something he could easily make up for. In the end, he was sent off by his family and the people who admired him, and at the same time, the app’s role came to an end and it disappeared.
This is the record of the last Experiments subject.
“Bunny, I guess we underestimated people, huh?”
“It’s strange. We wanted to know about human desires, but the humans we chose were all such weirdos.”
“But it was fun, right? It feels better to fight with someone who has a sense of justice than someone who’s just driven by greed.”
“…Yeah, I guess so.”
“Huh!? If Bunny agrees with me… maybe you’ll change me back?”
“You stay there for another thousand years…”
“Whaaat!? But why…?”
“…Was it fun?”
“Bunny, are you laughing?”
“Shut up.”
“No, you were laughing, right?”
“I said shut up! And besides, you…”
For hours after that, the nagging voice continued.
◇Next time, bonus story
Bonus story
Hypnosis that becomes available depending on level
1 friend
2 Lover
3 Super in love
4 Son or daughter
5 Subordinate
6 Stranger
7-24 Really hate, Junior, Senior, Older sibling, Younger sibling
Command level 1 View favorability
25-30 Submissive, Tsundere
31-42 Slave, Couple, Serious
Number of people that can be hypnotized: 2
43-54 Fear, Hostility, Command level 2
55-62 Yandere
63-70 Killing intent, Command level 3
71-100 Soldier, Pet, Parent, Command level 4
Number of people that can be hypnotized: 5
100-160 Anger, Admiration, Command level 5
Number of people that can be hypnotized: 7
161-200 Number of people that can be hypnotized: 9
(There might be some missing)
・Ryugo
The setting that his nickname Tanuki would still have an effect after release was made to show that hypnosis can be undone. It might have been confusing that his first-person pronoun and how other characters address him were different.
He was supposed to fight with other hypnosis apps, but I thought it would be more interesting if he had an aggressive personality and charged in to punch people rather than timidly searching for someone from a distance, so I made him this kind of character.
As a result, he ended up with a strange personality where he could immediately decide to break someone’s bones.
Even though he says he has no intention of becoming a hero, his body moves on its own to save people even when he knows it’s dangerous, so Enka’s judgment of people is correct.
Before he became Enka’s enemy, he really did like her quite a bit. Even then, it’s typical of Ryugo to immediately suspect her when she’s suspicious.
・Enka
I think a lot of people guessed that Enka was the other person who had it when they read the setting that levels go up by doing good deeds.
The reason she didn’t put up a fight and went along with Ryugo’s suggestion when they both found out each other’s true identities was because she couldn’t bear for him to hate her even more than he already did. It seems like her feelings of love were stronger than her desire for him to become a hero. Also, I don’t really like the type of yandere who ignores what the person they like says and forces things, so I made her a more obedient girl.
The reason she came to like hero stuff was because she dreamed of someone coming to save her.
She’s the type who would definitely never be happy if she married someone other than Ryugo, so she should get married. Ryugo is also still hung up on her, so there’s a chance.
・Misato
I’m the victim caught between Aira and Enka.
Until Enka became an enemy, I was able to play an active role like a captive heroine, but after the battle with Aira, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I decided to give her the app. Since it wasn’t as useful as I thought, I had her go back to being a captive heroine.
I like heroines who are secretly working hard for the protagonist.
She’s set to be quick in making decisions when it matters, since she’s friends with Ryogo and Koki.
Since Ryogo’s favorability rating reached 100 (the maximum as a healthy romantic feeling) with this incident, they should get married for the sake of their happy life together.
・Aira
The main heroine and final boss.
I set her up to be a hopeless piece of trash who’s just barely redeemable.
To balance out her maliciousness, I made her an aggressive character towards Ryogo. I think she ended up being the type of person you definitely don’t want to date or get involved with, but you like watching.
She’s the type of girl who gets irritated when someone who isn’t her lover (even if they’re someone important) treats her as an equal, so she’s not the type who can normally have a romantic relationship with anyone.
The only way to have an equal romantic relationship with Aira is through a game bug-like method of using “Lover” in the app to be kind to her.
She should get married to Ryogo for her own happiness and peace, since marrying anyone else will only make her partner and those around her unhappy.
・Makoto
The apparent ringleader of the bullying, but actually a lackey.
Since he was scheduled to break up with Aira and become an ally, I had him go through terrible physical and mental pain until then, enough to make anyone watching feel sorry for him.
He’s a fierce fighter who managed to keep winning against Ryogo, who would try to seriously injure him with surprise attacks whenever he had the chance, for a whole month, and he’s the strongest character in the story, being able to fight on par with both Ryogo and Koki at the same time. He’d be better off as a martial artist than playing the guitar.
He got his guitar back as a memento, but he decided to quit the band since he’s moved on.
・Koki
He’s like the protagonist of the previous story.
Half of the reason Ryogo became the way he is is because of his influence as a friend. He becomes merciless and cold-hearted once he decides to do something. However, that personality was also the reason he lost the battle against Enka, so if it wasn’t for Ryogo, Enka would have won.
The part where a mysterious person calls Ryogo and Misato was supposed to be misleading. I made it seem like the same person was calling both of them…but the punchline was that they were actually different people. But it might have been pretty obvious .
・Mr. Double Suit, Miss Bunny Suit
High-ranking beings with no specific detailed settings. They’re like gods, in a sense.
The inspiration for their names is the song “Mr. Pinstripe Suit” by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy. I like that their nicknames are the names of their outfits because it gives them an otherworldly feel.
The code to summon Mr. Double Suit’s pocket dimension is from Sherlock Holmes’ famous line.
Miss Bunny Suit is from a certain hero. I thought about having her bring out a tank with her, but it was too blatant so I stopped.
Mr. Double Suit’s human form, Haruyoshi Hebisawa, has a catchy name and character so that he’s easy to remember. I named him Hebisawa after the serpent in Paradise Lost, since he tempted Bunny and gave Enka the app.
They’re a race with abilities beyond human understanding, but their intelligence isn’t that much different from humans.
Thank you for reading this far!