It Felt Like Becoming a Fake
It Felt Like Becoming a Fake
Even if I put my hand on her waist, she doesn't refuse.
Even if I traced the line of her side, or explored her pelvis, there was no hand pushing me away.
Even if I grabbed the underside of her breast at the end of that, feeling its soft, squishy sensation, she would only say towards my face...
"...I don't particularly intend to be in that kind of relationship with Kylon."
That's what she said.
When I heard those words, I felt like a hollow laugh would escape.
I was rejected even when she was made honest by hypnosis, so how much more would her original thoughts be set?
But even so, I couldn't control the gloomy feeling that unnecessarily crept over me.
During hypnosis, she called me the Hero-nim who would let her go home, but now she says she has no intention of letting those feelings evolve into anything special? Isn't that too much?
Indeed, you can't easily win someone's heart, so her feelings wouldn't change in an instant.
And knowing that, there was me, unable to change even her feelings with hypnosis.
I wanted to win only her heart. Even this hypnosis, which allowed her body to consent, was in fact for a moment's happiness, for pleasure, not something she willingly offered.
"Veronica, I still like Veronica, though."
"Sorry."
Her sharp refusal evoked truly subtle feelings in me.
I had prided myself on knowing women's minds well, but since her inner self is originally a man, it was truly awkward to approach.
Normally, there would be plenty of lines that would quickly win over even pretty women, but there was Veronica, who, even after hearing those words, was either indifferent or, while not knowing what to do, cut me off sharply.
"I don't need other heroines."
"...But then that's not allowed, is it? What about clearing the game?"
"Even if I don't do it exactly like that, I can probably still clear it, can't I?"
"Still, wouldn't it be better to find the best path rather than going around in circles?"
"...Because you want to go home quickly?"
"Yes."
I was speechless.
Well, of course, I did make her forget everything I found out through hypnosis because I still wanted to protect her feelings and heart to some extent.
But seeing this reaction, only truly complicated thoughts swirled in my mind.
No matter how crappy this place is, and even though I know the suffering she experienced here was beyond imagination, I wondered if she would normally want to return to that home.
It implied that she hadn't left her home, hadn't left her room.
After that, her parents fought, and because of that, she couldn't go to school and said she graduated school with a Qualification Exam.
If that's the case, what kind of school would that be? Middle school? High school?
Basically, I would think she's a high school graduate, but looking at Veronica's state, even a middle school graduate wouldn't be strange.
Twenty? Twenty-one? Considering the concept of age that she herself doesn't properly know, it means she was holed up in her room without even knowing her own birthday properly. Even remembering that, would she want to go back?
Of course, all these thoughts were merely my subjective opinions, so it was clear I couldn't easily bring them up or force them upon her.
Should she know this story? Or should I keep it hidden from her as it is?
Isn't it also because that goal of wanting to go home remains that she's still enduring like this now?
If she hates this world, and then comes to hate her home too, wouldn't she cry out that she doesn't want to go anywhere?
"Do you want to go home?"
"...Yes."
"I'll try my best."
"So, uh... make sure to decide on the Legal Wife thing properly."
"Because the girls are bothering you?"
"......Yes."
Even though I hadn't hypnotized her, she was showing an honest side.
Thinking of Veronica, who had continuously endured alone, wondering 'Can I even say something like this?' even while in such a situation, pity naturally flowed out of me.
Still, as I responded casually after that, her honest way of answering was cute.
"I want to make you the Legal Wife, though?"
"...Forget it?"
Tuk, Veronica's hand reached out and lightly pushed me.
I could easily tell it was an expression of refusal, and I lightly removed my hand that had touched her body.
As a brief distance was created like that, and silence filled the space between us, Veronica's mouth moved.
"No matter how much Veronica is my Favorite Character, I'm not Veronica to the core, so I can't nod my head to those words. Still, if there's anything to help with, I'll help a lot."
"......."
I was silent, then soon slowly extended my hand and placed it on top of her hand.
As I carefully folded my hand over her soft skin, a truly warm sensation was felt.
The thought of just wanting to act like lovers also crossed my mind. But anything more than this wouldn't be right.
Perhaps because the Hypnosis Stone appeared, trying too hard to control others' psychology was also a problem.
If it were the original Veronica, she would have refused even folding hands like this, but I made her suppress that, so this action too could be said to be false.
Fake, fake, fake.
And real.
Fed up with this world where everything was fake, I was opening my heart towards the real Veronica, but in reality, what I was doing while possessing the Hypnosis Stone was creating a fake Veronica.
The personality created at the end of hypnosis, was that really Veronica? That thought also crossed my mind.
Because she was so lovely, I wanted to make her mine.
Because she was so desirable, I wanted to keep her in my hands.
But that greed, on the contrary, was making its light fade.
Because that was truly regrettable, I mumbled.
I only said that I wouldn't control her emotions with hypnosis again.
"...Be released."
I said so softly.
What hypnosis would leave behind last was only hiding her memories about her home.
The rest was to make them return to normal.
I was having the thought that I was reckless.
The desire to quickly get closer seemed to have driven me crazy, even for a moment. Because I had the Hypnosis Tool, that feeling grew stronger, and it seemed I acted on it.
Once I had actually done it, I became afraid, as it felt like even she was becoming fake.
Whether it was released or not was unknown, but there was a way to quickly find out.
"What, what are you doing...! How disgusting."
Thwack, at Veronica's sharp appearance as she slapped away my folded hand, I gave a bitter laugh.
Yes, this was Veronica.
This was real.
I only remained silent, thinking that one shouldn't be too greedy.
"Why are you looking at me with those eyes? Your gaze has become a little lecherous since this morning."
Her original self was also good, so what was I so anxious about?
What was I in such a hurry for?
I just wanted to hold her hand. I just wanted to talk to her more closely. I just wanted to seat Veronica in the seat next to me that had been filled because of Linda and Agnes.
Even so, I wondered if I had rushed myself because it wasn't easy.
Because Veronica didn't want to sit next to me.
Because Veronica only walked far away from me.
Because Veronica didn't give me attention.
I was a woman who liked women, so I like Veronica, but Veronica is not a man who liked men, so there was no way she would like me.
Yes, that could be.
Because of that, I also hoped a little. If I returned to my original world, that my original face would be liked by the original Veronica.
"...Was my gaze that lecherous?"
It could be. Because after hearing those words yesterday, I thought you were lovely countless times.
I had tasted the honest Veronica, and you, who called me Hero-nim, felt so sweet that I wanted to hold your hand.
I wanted to hold hands, then carefully press them together and interlace my fingers.
I wanted to lead you somewhere with my enlarged hand covering yours, and I wanted to embrace you until your hand tightly gripped mine.
I wished short gasps would tickle my ears, and the thought of wanting to fully enjoy each other's body heat very close by crossed my mind.
More than sexual talk, it was simply because I wanted to make you mine.
But I only realized keenly that I couldn't achieve what I wanted with hypnosis.
I could only know that such a side could be shown, and it could be called a devil's stone that showed hypothetical stories, like 'What if it were a different personality?'
The word hypnosis itself was like that.
But still, if this has a use, couldn't it be used when listening to the difficulties you haven't spoken of?
Knowing that you're the type who doesn't say you're hurt even when you are, and doesn't say you're tired even when you are.
"Oh, that's really lecherous..."
Towards Veronica, who was hugging her own body and rubbing her arm with her hand as if getting goosebumps, I carefully said.
"What's wrong with the eyes that see my future Legal Wife?"
"Don't say such things."
"If you don't like the concubines, I can remove them all, you know? Do you just want to be my wife?"
"...I'll decline."
At her posture, recoiling in disgust as if trying to distance her upper body from me, I felt like laughing naturally.
Her appearance, recoiling at the word Legal Wife, and turning pale and groaning at the word wife, truly pleased me.
Because of a momentary temptation, I wondered if I had been missing something so big.
I wondered if I had almost experienced the disaster of turning the real into fake, so her appearance of recoiling in disgust at me was merely felt as so precious.
"Can't I hug you just once?"
"...Did it get hard again?"
Look at her, it's not like I only ask for a hug when I'm in heat every day, so why is she reacting like this?