'Groooar...!'
"Sh-Shadow Ball...!"
"Stay calm, Cha Eun-ju! It's coming!"
It was a bit late for training after lunch.
Continuing from yesterday's session, Cha Eun-ju and I were once again running mock battles against holographic monsters in the training grounds.
Today, unlike the goblins from yesterday, we were up against slightly stronger monsters.
The natural next step after goblins was orcs, which was common knowledge, so that's what Cha Eun-ju and I were facing today as well.
Since each one was a tough individual, we started with one, then two, and now we were dealing with three orcs.
Unlike goblins that could be taken down with a single Shadow Ball, these required more time to defeat one by one.
Of course, Cha Eun-ju's potential as a mage was top-tier even among her peers, so with the right buffs and tactical commands, it was only natural for her abilities to shine.
"Cha Eun-ju, orcs have tough skin, so you need sharper attacks!"
"Sh-sharper attacks...?"
"Don't you have any spells with more piercing power besides Shadow Ball?"
"W-wait a sec... Spells with more piercing power besides Shadow Ball..."
I recalled the spells Cha Eun-ju used in the original story and guided her toward trying a new attack.
Even though this training started to train her, it wasn't a bad thing if her combat prowess improved in the process.
"D-Dark Spear...!!"
-Stab!
'Groooar...!!'
As if inspired by my advice to use a sharper attack, Cha Eun-ju formed a spear of shadow and pierced the orc's heart.
After taking down the third orc like that, about an hour and a half had passed since we started training.
"Haa, haa, haa..."
"Good work, Eun-ju."
"Y-yeah... But you worked harder than me, Seon-ho..."
"I just cast one buff and that's it. We could take down three orcs because your magic was so effective."
"N-no... Without your buff, I couldn't have done this well. And your tactical advice was great too..."
Yes, perfect.
This growing sense of dependency on me was a good sign. The more she relied on me when handling her power, the less likely she was to refuse or run away no matter what I did.
-Stroke, stroke.
"Eek, mm."
While thinking that, I stroked her head to release the suggestion on Cha Eun-ju, then mentioned the remaining time and suggested wrapping up training.
"Let's call it a day. I didn't realize because we were so focused, but an hour and a half has already flown by."
"...A-are we doing this tomorrow too?"
"As long as you don't show up late, Cha Eun-ju."
"S-sorry... I-I won't be late tomorrow, I swear..."
"I'm kidding, kidding. No need to look so down about it."
In truth, I mentioned it to make her feel guilty. Right before hypnosis, if she felt sorry toward me, she wouldn't think anything suspicious even if I did something weird to her later.
Even if I suddenly kissed her cheek or forehead, or groped her butt or breasts, she wouldn't resist, and after the 'hypnosis' ended, guilt would keep her from complaining to me.
In the end, all that would linger in her mind was a positive feeling like, 'Well, I liked it anyway.' Mastering this was the core of my ideal plan to train Cha Eun-ju.
"Hey, Cha Eun-ju."
"Y-yeah...?"
"Want to try that 'hypnosis' thing again today?"
"H-huh?! H-hypnosis?! You mean like yesterday?!"
"Yeah, that's the one. I think we need a few more sessions to check your psychological state properly."
"...I see. W-wait a sec..."
At my suggestion of hypnosis again today, Cha Eun-ju hesitated with a thoughtful expression.
She probably knew that suddenly refusing after allowing it once would seem odd.
It would be like indirectly saying the hypnosis didn't take well last time or that she remembered what happened under it.
Still, she hesitated because of what happened before. Even for Cha Eun-ju, it must have been hard to just accept being hugged and confessed to openly while pretending to be still.
...Of course, regardless of her feelings, refusing my suggestion wasn't really an option.
"If you don't want to...?"
"...N-no! I do! Y-you're doing it for my sake, right...?"
"It's fine if you don't want to force it."
"I-it's not that! L-let's start quick! B-before I change my mind..."
Did she like the hypnosis from yesterday that much? Or was she just going along because of her guilt toward me today?
Either way, she showed no real resistance during the induction, so I proceeded with the training just like yesterday.
⚡ SKILL ACTIVATED ⚡
Suggestion: Hypnosis ※ Target: Cha Eun-ju
...With a decent excuse today, I could push the progress further than the halfway point from before.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The second hypnosis cast on her by Lee Seon-ho.
She couldn't help feeling tense. Especially thinking about what happened last time under hypnosis.
Yet she didn't refuse his hypnosis because of her trust in him.
She believed he wouldn't do anything harsh to her, so she willingly went along.
'If he really does something weird... I can always run away.'
She was just pretending to be hypnotized; she wasn't actually under.
Objectively, she was stronger than him with his mental buffs. She could escape anytime by using her power before he tried anything suspicious.
With that reassurance at the base of her mind, Cha Eun-ju accepted the hypnosis again today, just like yesterday.
...Especially since the guilt from what she did to him today was too great to refuse his request.
'I made him wait two hours without even texting, and he didn't get mad at all...'
He made her buy lunch as "payment," but that wouldn't fully settle it. Especially since he ended up paying for the training grounds again afterward, making her feel indebted once more.
She argued that lunch covered it since he got a free meal, but that logic meant her lateness went unpunished entirely.
Seon-ho was too kind.
She didn't want to keep taking advantage of his goodwill like this.
At the very least, she wanted to make him feel better with what she could do, and one way was pretending to be hypnotized like this.
"You under now, Eun-ju?"
"Y-yeah... I'm under..."
"Good. Then stay still from now on."
Being the second time made the acting easier. Knowing what to do reduced her mental burden.
And the moment she said she was under, Lee Seon-ho pulled her into a hug just like yesterday.
-Squeeze.
"Eek, ngh..."
A hug so tight it choked the breath from her.
Maybe it was her imagination, but it felt even stronger than yesterday.
"Eun-ju..."
"..."
"I thought you suddenly hated me... You didn't show up for two hours without a word, really..."
"..."
"Sorry, I shouldn't have doubted you..."
...Guilt came crashing in.
It wasn't even a long time, but still.
How burned and blackened must his heart have been waiting silently for those two hours?
Why did she oversleep on a day like today? Why did she hurt Seon-ho's feelings?
Cha Eun-ju resented her foolish actions and vowed never to repeat the mistake.
"You don't hate me, right, Cha Eun-ju?"
"..."
"Answer honestly. Do you hate me?"
"...I don't hate you."
"Then, do you like me?"
"..."
"Cha Eun-ju...?"
"I like you... in that way."
...Liking him as a friend still counts as liking, right?
Truth be told, Lee Seon-ho was her first real friend, so she wasn't sure, but if she didn't hate him, it had to be like.
Anxious that he might lose her, Lee Seon-ho hugged her tight, and Cha Eun-ju tried to accept his stronger-than-yesterday embrace as emotionlessly as possible.
-Squeeze.
"N-nngh?!"
...Until his hand silently slid down her back and grabbed one of her buttocks.
'Wh-what?! Th-that's too far!!'
More importantly, when? When did Seon-ho's hand get down there?
This wasn't okay; she should resist, right? No matter what, they weren't at the stage for anything lewd with Seon-ho...
"Haa, Eun-ju... If only I could hold you like this forever..."
"..."
It had to be... an accident?
Seon-ho, lost in calling her name and hugging her, wouldn't intentionally grope her butt, right...?
Probably not. Seon-ho was innocent and kind. He wouldn't do anything harsh or lewd even with her hypnotized.
It was disorienting physical contact, too much to just call a simple mistake.
But if she stayed quiet, it would pass.
'I-It's not like it feels bad or anything... It's just a bit weird...'
A guy touched her butt, but it wasn't unpleasant. If anything, she felt a slight urge for more.
But just as that thought crept in, Lee Seon-ho released the tight hug, and his large hand naturally lifted from her butt.
'Ah...'
...A little more would have been fine.
An inexplicable sense of regret washed over her.
And for some reason, it felt like the hug ended a bit quicker than yesterday's. Cha Eun-ju thought.
'Is he stopping at this today...?'
She expected at least ten more minutes of hugging. Had his feelings for her cooled in just one day?
Maybe because of her lateness today. He acted fine on the surface, but deep down, he must have been disappointed.
If he lost affection and started treating her like everyone else after the practical exam... she might lose her first academy friend, hard-won as he was.
A heart-stopping fear gripped Cha Eun-ju's mind.
"Cha Eun-ju."
"...Yeah."
"You remember being late today, right?"
"...Yeah."
...He was mad after all.
Of course, Seon-ho was human too; how could he not be? She'd be furious in his shoes.
Pretending to be hypnotized wasn't enough to fix it. But then, what could she do to make it up to him?
"You said earlier, since you were late, you'd do anything you could for me."
"...Yeah."
"If I made a weird request, how far would you go?"
"..."
"If it's hard to say, you can show me with your body. How far you'd allow."
To soothe Seon-ho's anger, how far could she really go?
Nothing lewd, obviously, but light physical contact... probably...
Guys all like breasts, right? Back in middle and high school, they all stared at hers weirdly...
It was Seon-ho, not some other guy. Maybe even her fated one.
...Considering all that, this much should be acceptable...?
-Slide.
Cautiously reaching out with both hands, Cha Eun-ju grabbed Lee Seon-ho's right arm.
Her hand, holding his arm, guided it in front of her body, and...
-Squish.
"Up to... here..."
With a voice full of embarrassment, Cha Eun-ju placed Lee Seon-ho's hand on her left breast.