Rahe Cannot Defy Her Superior's Orders (Rahe - Weak Brainwashing Experiment) (1)
"Good, Club. That's enough. Now look at me, will you?"
After Club finished her cleaning fellatio, No. 13 had her lift her head. He then caressed her earlobe and whispered the designated keyword, dropping her into a hypnotic state.
Her eyes, robbed of their light, stared blankly into empty space. They merely reflected the scenery before her, like the surface of a mirror.
With each passing day of repeated brainwashing, the depth of her hypnosis seemed to have grown considerably deeper.
She had long since engraved her oath of submission to No. 13 deep within her heart, falling completely into his possession as a slave.
Though she was made to live as the hero Club in her daily life, forgetting the fact that she was a villain's slave, that essence could never be erased.
However, that was never an excuse to neglect the brainwashing.
No. 13's techniques were still crude, and his knowledge and experience with brainwashing were lacking, so he needed to be even more cautious.
"Answer my question. Who are you?"
"I am Club, a hero of the 7th Division."
"And?"
"And I am a slave who has submitted to Villain No. 13, as well as his subordinate villain. My identity as a hero is merely a disguise to carry out No. 13's orders."
Club answered with lightless eyes, yet without the slightest tremor.
At first, it had taken considerable time to elicit this answer, but now it came out immediately.
"Yes, that's right. You live as a hero as usual, but that is the false you. Your true self is a low-ranking villain who has devoted both body and soul to Villain No. 13."
Club nodded at No. 13's words.
"Good. Then, as the 'property of Villain No. 13' and a 'low-ranking villain of Abyss,' I shall give you one more order. Engrave this command deep in your heart and never forget it."
With that, several brainwashing procedures were carried out. Once everything was finished, Club's state was returned to normal.
She was switched back from the slave of a villain, Club, to the hero, Club. Her memories were sealed so she could not recall them.
Until No. 13 flipped the switch using the designated trigger, she would be unable to remember any of this.
Even so, the new command that had been engraved last was made so she would recall it even in her normal state....
Thus, today's round of brainwashing maintenance on Club came to an end.
Now then, who should he pick next, and what suggestion should he test? No. 13 pondered as he downed the stamina enhancer Dorothy had prepared.
"...?"
Suddenly, he felt a suspicious presence and opened the storeroom door.
But there was no one on the other side.
"Administrator No. 13? Is something wrong?"
Club, who had only just regained her senses, asked.
"...No, it's nothing."
Feeling somewhat unsettled, No. 13 scanned the corridor.
As expected, there was no way to tell who had been there.
........................
...............
......
Captain Rahe of the 7th Division was competent.
She herself humbly refused to acknowledge it, but at least everyone around her evaluated her that way.
In fact, she had been recognized for her contributions several times and had even received medals from the nation.
Among the thirteen captains in the Hero Association, she had been appointed as the chief captain, so her competence was more than proven.
If she had any flaws, it would be that she was an extreme perfectionist who pursued perfection too much, and that she seemed to have no hobbies outside of work.
In reality, she spent far more time at work or on-site than at home.
She arrived earlier than the designated work hours and voluntarily chose to work overtime when it was time to leave. On holidays, if she had no appointments or personal matters, she would basically visit the office and handle work as usual.
The word workaholic suited her perfectly.
Rahe was, as usual, focused on her work today.
"Haa...."
She saved the document file she had been working on and leaned back against the plush chair back with a deep sigh.
Feeling a slight stiffness, she lightly massaged her shoulders and stretched.
The work on the lecture materials, which had taken several days, was finally complete.
Though the task had been somewhat stressful lately, now that it was done, she felt a sense of satisfaction.
"No matter what, I really don't want to do this again...."
She would soon be attending as a temporary lecturer at a certain institution to give a lecture.
The content was about understanding Awakeners and how to accept them.
It was a lecture whose content would have been unimaginable in the past, when perceptions of Awakeners were extremely hostile, but now it was being legally preached at a public institution managed by the government.
She felt a surge of emotion at how much the world had changed in this regard.
'Still, I really don't want to do something like this again.'
Rahe was competent, but she was not the type to enjoy standing in front of people.
Moreover, as a hero, she believed her role was to arrest villains in the field, not to do something like a teacher.
However, the fact that she had been personally nominated, that it was an order from Association headquarters, and that most of the attendees for this lecture were young teenagers made it impossible for her to refuse.
Rahe liked children. Children overflowing with countless new possibilities.
This task was a truly honorable one of instilling proper values in those children.
She had no confidence in doing it well, but thinking that it was for the children made it even harder to refuse.
Yet once she took on the task, there were far more things to worry about than she had expected, and it had been exhausting.
It seemed she had not been getting proper sleep for the past few days.
She was used to all-nighters from her hero work, but she still felt a bit tired.
She decided. She would never accept such a task again.
'...I thought the same thing last time, too.'
She would probably accept it again when the time came.
Rahe sighed tiredly, half-convinced.
It was then that a knock sounded on the door of the captain's office where she was.
"Come in."
At Rahe's reply, the door opened immediately and someone peeked in.
It was Administrator No. 13, who had recently been dispatched to the 7th Division.
Though a detailed explanation of his rank would be omitted, he was her direct superior.
He was an excellent man who offered advice not only for the unit but also for Rahe personally.
"Administrator? What brings you here?"
"Apple brewed some coffee. There's a share for Captain Rahe as well. So I offered to bring it over. Sorry if you're in the middle of work, but won't you take a short break?"
As he said, the tray he held contained two cups of coffee and some refreshments.
Her own work had just finished. Rahe offered her thanks, guided him to the sofa inside the captain's office, and sat down across from him.
* * *
"As expected, Apple's coffee is the best. This is the first time I've had coffee like this since coming here. Before, I didn't even know there was a difference in coffee taste."
"Hehe, I'll be sure to tell Apple that you liked it very much, Administrator."
From a third party's perspective, it was an extremely strange scene.
The captain of a hero unit, the chief captain at that, Rahe, was having a friendly conversation with a wanted villain right in front of her.
However, Rahe, who only recognized the man before her as the 'Administrator' and her 'superior' rather than a villain, did not notice anything strange at all.
Anyone who knew the circumstances would not be able to hold back a sigh.
A hero who had thoroughly crushed countless villains and their organizations, ruling through fear, was now facing the very villain she should defeat without realizing it.
Yet Rahe simply enjoyed the aroma and taste of the coffee and the refreshments that accompanied it in a carefree manner.
"More importantly, Rahe, you look tired. Are you all right? You've been coming home late every day lately. I know you often stay late, but still."
"Ah... Thank you for your concern. But I'm fine now."
Rahe said this and told him about the lecture she was preparing.
Now that the preparation for the lecture was finished, there would be no more tight schedules like before.
"When is that lecture?"
"In two weeks."
"...You've already been staying up all night preparing for a lecture two weeks away?"
No. 13 gave her a strange look.
Rahe knew it must seem somewhat excessive.
However, she calmly explained that the time needed for her own revisions, the need to submit it to headquarters for review in advance, and considering her own schedule, she had no choice but to do it this way.
"Hearing that, I understand... but I still think it's a bit much."
"...Is that so."
"Yeah. And Rahe, you have too much work. You need to cut back a little."
"But...."
Rahe took a sip of coffee, her face troubled.
She had never felt burdened by having a lot of work.
She did not dislike working, and if she did not do it, someone else would eventually have to, or it would be neglected.
Ah... but what was this?
Even while drinking coffee, her head felt strangely heavy.
If she let her guard down, her eyes might close. Even with the Administrator in front of her.
Was she really this tired....
"Right. If you make a little free time, you could try having a hobby or something."
She did not have hobbies like other people. She had ways to pass the time in small ways, but nothing worth specifically mentioning.
Hobbies, hobbies, huh.
Anyway, it was the Administrator's advice. She could not just ignore it and move on.
She would think about hobbies separately later.
After that, Rahe talked with him about various things.
About the content of the lecture, the current scope of the 7th Division's activities, certain villains, or confidential matters.
Before she knew it, the coffee in her cup was almost gone.
And Rahe began to feel that not only her head but her body as well was somehow strange.
How to put it... it felt incredibly hot.
And sensitive, too.
'What is this....'
It did not seem to be simply because she was sleepy.
No matter how tired she was, it did not feel like this.
"Um... No. 13, Administrator?"
"Yeah. Rahe."
"Why... behind me...."
Was it because her head was not working properly? Before she knew it, No. 13 had moved behind her, and Rahe belatedly realized it.
Rahe turned to look at him in confusion, but No. 13 turned her head back forward.
"You look tired. I'll give your shoulders a light massage. I'm pretty good at this."
"No... I can't have the Administrator do something like that...."
"It's also a superior's job to care about a subordinate's condition. Just stay still, Rahe."
And No. 13's hands were placed on both of Rahe's shoulders.
Though they were the shoulders of the fearsome hero known as the Ice Witch, they were slender and feminine.
When he lightly applied pressure and massaged those shoulders over her clothes—
"Ahh♡"
Overwhelmed by a strange sensation, Rahe let out an odd sigh without realizing it.