Encounter, Shadow Company

Magical Girl Stellaris Hope.

We successfully shipped her out, an A-rank target.

In recognition of that achievement, Senior Kang Rita's disciplinary action was lifted.

And I—I was promoted to a full-time Employee, just as I had hoped.

Goodbye to the days of working for exposure and "passion pay"!

I now receive various benefits and can even use company equipment.

By the way, if you fail to get promoted by your third year as an Intern, you get fired—which means game over.

At first, I was trembling, wondering if a half-wit like me could actually get promoted.

But I guess hard work really does pay off.

'Though I've only just cleared the prologue.'

In the game Healing Soul Co., Ltd., the Intern phase is merely the prologue.

So, the real game starts now.

The main story events will start unlocking soon.

Not to mention rank-up events and special events.

Well, I'll manage somehow.

Now that my promotion to Employee is safely secured.

If I just do my job, I'll probably keep climbing the ranks before I know it.

For now, my goal is Section Manager.

Once I become a Section Manager, I want to take Deputy Manager Lee Juhee's virginity.

I wonder how long that will take... It's not like the Deputy Manager will quit in the meantime, right...?

"Wake up, wake up."

"...?"

A warm hand gently tapped my cheek.

I slowly regained consciousness and forced my eyes open.

Right in front of my eyes...

...was a woman I had never seen before, leaning in close.

She had pale, grass-green hair.

Her eyes were almost completely hidden behind her bangs.

...Who is this woman?

"You're awake, sleepyhead ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠human."

"...Excuse me..."

"Because of you, Lady Song had to waste her precious time."

"So pull yourself together," the woman said, pulling her face back.

Seriously, who is she?

And who is "Lady Song"?

More importantly, my entire body ached.

Is this what it feels like to get blasted by a stun gun?

Every muscle in my body creaked, refusing to function properly.

'...Where is Detective Kwon?'

It was faint, but...

...my memories were slowly returning.

Looking around, Detective Kwon Jihyun was standing a short distance away.

She stood with her arms crossed, glaring down at me.

I was still inside that same motel room.

I was tied to a chair right in the middle of the room.

My arms were pulled behind my back.

When I tried to move, I heard a metallic clink.

Handcuffs, probably. Were they Detective Kwon's?

Then, a new voice spoke.

It didn't belong to the green-haired woman, nor did it belong to Detective Kwon.

A tablet was thrust in front of my face.

It was my tablet... How on earth did they bypass the passcode?

A person was displayed on the screen.

...A woman wearing nothing but panties, holding a wine glass in one hand.

The woman raised her glass toward the camera as if clinking glasses with me.

On the other side of the screen, Department Manager Song Rahee smiled as she greeted me.

Detective Kwon Jihyun was someone I had spent a fair amount of time hypnotizing.

While not as deep as her younger sister's...

...the older sister was also under a sufficiently deep state of hypnosis.

Or so I thought.

"Don't be ridiculous. I don't let personal feelings interfere with my official duties. I only did what I deemed necessary."

The one who interjected was Detective Kwon Jihyun, who was standing a short distance away.

Even as she spoke, her gaze subtly avoided meeting mine.

Was she guarding against my hypnosis?

That would be common sense for a hypnotist, but it was highly unusual for an ordinary person with no prior knowledge to be so cautious.

Which meant someone had taught her.

And it wasn't hard to guess who that someone was.

Despite my glaring look, Department Manager Song merely sipped her wine and smirked.

I looked back at Detective Kwon.

She showed no sign of agitation at Department Manager Song's words.

She merely knit her brows slightly.

Her attitude made it clear she already knew.

"…I'm not sure what you're talking about."

"You're overestimating me. I'm just a mere Intern... no, a greenhorn who barely just became an Employee. And a human, at that."

"And who would that be?"

So that's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠how it is.

And what do you want me to do about it? I wanted to say.

"……."

Department Manager Song smiled gently and set her glass down.

Then, she interlaced her fingers and leaned forward.

The call disconnected.

My handcuffs were unlocked.

The green-haired woman had departed.

She never even told me her name.

No logs remained on the tablet.

There wasn't a single trace of any contact with Department Manager Song.

Only Detective Kwon Jihyun and I were left in the motel room.

The detective stood naked before me.

"Ugh, man, my whole body still hurts."

I swung my arms around to check my condition.

The numbness had subsided a bit.

But I was still far from peak condition.

"How much time has passed... an hour? I was knocked out for quite a while..."

Since our conversation lasted less than fifteen minutes, it meant I had been unconscious for the rest of the time.

I thought about slapping Detective Kwon's cheek, but decided against it.

I don't like pain.

Instead, I reached out and firmly grabbed her breasts, kneading them.

As I squeezed hard enough to cause pain, a tiny crack finally appeared on her mask-like expression.

"You did something pretty rough to me. Apologize, Detective."

"…I am sorry."

Detective Kwon didn't resist.

She merely stared at me with doll-like eyes.

This wasn't because of my hypnosis.

Department Manager Song had handed her over to me in this state before ending the call.

She called it a gift and an apology for the sudden unpleasantness.

"Well, I do want us to get along from now on, you see?"

"It would be a shame to steal what's yours. As long as you don't turn hostile toward me, you're free to do whatever you want with that doll. Oh, and feel free to try and break my hypnosis. I'm quite confident in it."

"Do whatever else your heart desires. The detective agreed to this herself, so there's no need to feel any guilt."

Her absolute confidence that I wouldn't be able to do anything about it was palpable.

What a sudden turn of events.

It wasn't entirely unexpected, but...

...it still caught me off guard.

'Anyway, I've got a job to do.'

My cock was already rock-hard again.

Burying my face between the detective's breasts and taking a deep, long sniff had done the trick.

It throbbed fiercely, as if nothing had happened.

Even after getting shocked like that.

It stood proud and tall without a care in the world.

Was it thanks to Manager Alice's Special Nutrients? Truly incredible.

"What a disaster. You really brought some troublesome baggage with you, Detective."

"Ah, hnngh... ♡"

"Prepare yourself, because I'm going to punish you thoroughly. It's going to be several times harsher than usual."

When I pinched and twisted Detective Kwon's nipple, her beautiful face instantly contorted with a mix of pain and pleasure.

"My, how bold. To do that to someone who just got the better of him."

"He's like a beast in heat."

Refilling her glass with fresh wine, Song Rahee muttered as she used the streaming video as a side dish.

On the tablet screen in front of her...

...was the sight of Igyeol making Kwon Jihyun bend over, thrusting wildly into her tight hole.

Song Rahee had placed her shikigami inside their room.

This video was a live feed projected onto her tablet through the shikigami's eyes.

Several shikigami had been deployed in the room, but there was no way a mere human like Igyeol would ever notice them.

Even Detective Kwon, who possessed some spiritual sensitivity, was currently reduced to a mindless meat doll...

'She looks like she's in absolute heaven, though.'

Kwon Jihyun was pinned beneath Igyeol.

Every time Igyeol hammered his cock into her, she wailed like a wild animal, her body spasming as she repeatedly came.

Her raw, ragged breaths and high-pitched moans carried clearly to Song Rahee through the shikigami.

Right now, she was a meat doll programmed to obey commands unconditionally and feel nothing but pure pleasure.

Though her sensitivity had been dialed up through hypnosis, she still looked incredibly ecstatic.

Even Song Rahee, watching from afar, felt a strange, throbbing itch deep inside her womb.

The voice on the other end of the line belonged to Deputy General Manager Lim Sujin.

She had been in Han Igyeol's room just moments ago, and was now returning after completing her task.

"And what if I do? Do you have an issue with my decision, Deputy General Manager Lim?"

"Well, consider it half-entertainment. Don't lose sleep over it, Deputy General Manager Lim. I'll hang up now. Get back safely."

She hung up before the conversation could drag on.

While Lim's loyalty was commendable, she could be rather talkative at times.

Normally, she would have explained herself.

But she could hardly tell her to her face, 'That man is simply far more talented than you.'

Of course, that wasn't the case right now.

At present, Deputy General Manager Lim's hypnotic abilities were undoubtedly superior.

What Song Rahee was looking at was the future.

Not ten years down the line, either. In about three years... maybe even two, his skills would completely eclipse Lim's.

That was the conclusion she had reached after observing him over the past few weeks.

There was no absolute need to possess him.

But leaving a man like that in Healing Soul would only cause trouble later.

That was why she had made contact.

"Still, it was quite a surprise. To think he noticed the hypnosis I spent three years weaving into Detective Kwon, and even attempted to break it."

Of course, Detective Kwon's unique constitution played a part.

Even so, unraveling Song Rahee's hypnosis was no simple feat.

Regardless, Igyeol's interference had created a crack in the spell.

Detective Kwon, regaining her senses at a moment even Igyeol hadn't anticipated, had bided her time before launching a counterattack.

It had been a close call.

She might have actually been arrested right then and there.

But luck had been on her side.

"Tell me everything you know about Healing Soul Co., Ltd., and that man, Han Igyeol."

"Depending on what you say, I might even cooperate with you."

It had been an entirely unexpected proposal.

Even if she were arrested, she had ways to escape. But her interest in this woman had been piqued.

Song Rahee had readily complied.

She gave her the answers she wanted.

And so...

...upon learning the true nature of the company and the consequences of leaving them unchecked, Detective Kwon chose to join forces with Song Rahee.

On the condition that her sister be protected, and that her own hypnosis from Igyeol be broken.

"As long as you keep that promise, I don't care what you do to me."

"A sex slave, or whatever else you need. I'll do anything."

And thus, the deal was struck.

There was no need to worry about betrayal.

While Song Rahee's hypnosis required rather strict conditions, it became absolute and unbreakable if the target cooperated willingly.

To the point where, in certain aspects, even CEO Berze wouldn't be able to tamper with it.

"…Berze."

The name slipped from Song Rahee's lips as the thought crossed her mind.

CEO Berze of Healing Soul.

A complex swirl of emotions laced Song Rahee's voice as she uttered the name.

"If that man has any sense, he'll cooperate with me."

Even if he refused, it didn't matter.

She would simply hypnotize and control him then.

The groundwork had already been laid.

Handing Kwon Jihyun over to him as a mindless doll was part of that very foundation.

And he likely wouldn't refuse.

There was no way he could.

After all...

...if Berze is left unchecked, the world will end—