Lapis Julie (2): Do You Like Me?
“Do you like me?”
My question shot straight at Lapis Julie like a fastball burrowing into her gut. She thought I hadn’t figured out the Hypnosis App was fake. That made this all-or-nothing tackle, using hypnosis as an excuse, even more potent. Come on, Lapis Julie—how are you gonna play this? If you’re willing to go along with a lame joke like the Hypnosis App, you’ve gotta have some special feelings for me. And since you’ve been pretending to be hypnotized, you’ve got no choice but to answer this one.
I hadn’t even considered the possibility of her saying, “I don’t like you.” From her perspective, denying it here would just backfire. Everything she said under “hypnosis” would be taken as the truth. So her only option was something sweet like, “Yes, I like you, Senior.”
Once those words of affection slipped from her lips, I’d use them to stoke her guilt. I’d exploit the hypnosis setup to unload on her—how nice guys who consider others’ feelings are the best, how cold-hearted people suck, how the worst thing in the world is someone who just spews insults nonstop. Straight shots aimed right at Lapis Julie.
Then, the girl who’d pretended to be hypnotized because she liked me that much would regret her foolish past. She’d stop slinging her venomous barbs just to avoid my hatred. No more public smackdowns like, “Senior, you joined a whole year before me—why are you still such a mess? Don’t you feel pathetic? Why not just quit?”
After becoming the 2nd Team Leader about a month ago, she’d gotten even sharper with me. She’d blow up tiny mistakes I’d have brushed off before, tearing into me in front of everyone with lines like “You’re hopeless” that stabbed right at my self-esteem. Thinking back on it pissed me off all over again. Why treat someone who busted their ass for the team like total shit? I still couldn’t wrap my head around liking someone who constantly ripped into you like that. Who does that to the person they like?
But unbelievably, Lapis Julie liked me. Enough to do humiliating shit without hesitation under the hypnosis pretense. That absurd truth just made me angrier. Say you like me, and I’ll snipe you right back. “Oh yeah? I hate you. Well, you won’t remember this moment since you’re hypnotized.” I’d drive that dagger straight into her heart. Then I’d recount every shitty thing she’d done to me, laying out exactly why I despised her.
She’d snap out of the act, maybe shed some tears or whatever, and beg: “I-I’m sorry, Senior. I was wrong. Forgive me. Please don’t say such harsh things.” And I’d hit her cold: “Compared to what you did to me, this is nothing, you bitch.”
Kuhuhu... Just imagining it was thrilling. Yesterday with Ska Rate, I couldn’t pull it off because she had repair bills as leverage. This would be the refreshing, satisfying revenge I craved. And it all started with Lapis Julie confessing her love to me.
“......”
Lapis Julie just smacked her lips, too flustered by my fastball to respond. I knew it was a tough question, but she had to give the honest answer for my delightful revenge to kick off. I shoved the Hypnosis App screen in her face and pressed hard so she couldn’t dodge. “I’m asking—do you like me? Answer me. That’s an order.”
“Uh......”
Realizing she couldn’t stall anymore, Lapis Julie flushed red in the cheeks and slowly opened her mouth.
“......No.”
Yes! Say it! Say you like me! I’ll crush you right now, you damn bitch!
“I don’t like you...”
“......Huh?”
The answer I’d never expected hit me, and I nearly blurted out, “Then why pretend to be hypnotized?” But that would spell total disaster, so I clamped my mouth shut with superhuman restraint.
“Whew... Anyway, so you really don’t like me?”
“......Yes.”
“I see......”
I’d at least figured she’d hedge with something like “I don’t not like you.” But flat-out “I don’t like you”? No clue how to follow up. Total blank.
“......”
“......”
An excruciatingly awkward silence filled the single room. The longer it dragged, the worse it got for me. Throw out “Do you like me?” get “No,” and say nothing? She’d think, Oh? Is he disappointed? Does Paster like me? No way. Worst possible ending.
Playing it mopey like “O-Oh... You don’t like me...” and sending her off wouldn’t help either. Same result.
So what should I say? What reaction would stop her from jumping to some bullshit delusion like “Paster likes me? Holy shit~ What the fuck~ Oh my god~ I’m drooling lololol”? I had to figure it out fast.
But come on—pretending to be hypnotized screams “I like you.” Why lie now? There’s no way I’d suddenly think, Wait, does Lapis Julie actually hate me? Huh? What? She likes me. Her pride just wouldn’t let her say it face-to-face, so she lied. Damn it, just be honest instead of complicating shit!
My head throbbed. Time was ticking, and I was getting antsy. She kept up the blank hypnotized face, but to my jittery eyes, it looked like a smirk. She was probably thinking, Heh. Went quiet the second I said I don’t like him... Looks like Paster likes me too? Cute, so cute. How the hell do I shatter that delusion completely...
What kind of bitch is she?
Ah. That’s it.
While my brain ached from overthinking, Ska Rate’s sharp question from yesterday flashed like lightning. Undeniable jealousy... If I used this right, I could not only block her delusion but force out her true feelings!
For the first time, I felt grateful to Ska Rate. I let out a relieved sigh loud enough for Lapis Julie to hear.
“Phew... Good thing. If you liked me, I’d have felt guilty for asking that. Really dodged a bullet.”
My acting had leveled up big time from groveling to Ia Ris yesterday just to survive. Lying to myself and slapping on a mask came easier now. That let me spew shameless bullshit like this without flinching.
“......Pardon? What do you......”
Lapis Julie sensed things going south and forgot her hypnosis act, blurting a question. I could’ve pressed her—“You’re clearly hypnotized. Something off?”—but I had more to say. I grabbed her shoulders and asked.
“Since you don’t like me, I can ask this. So... what kind of gifts do girls these days like?”
Second fastball of the day. For a Lapis Julie who liked me, impossible to ignore. Overreact, and I’d counter: “Wait, didn’t you say you don’t like me? Why so invested?” She’d panic, and I’d stay cool: “Wait... you actually like me, don’t you? Admit it.” Boom—her crush confirmed publicly.
Then my original plan kicks in: she reflects on her screw-ups, apologizes. Perfect strategy, if I do say so. Gotta thank Ska Rate later for the reversal setup.
...No, screw that. Why thank that psycho bitch? Think about what she did to you, Paster. No gratitude for her, ever.
I tried reigniting my fury at Ska Rate—nearly forgotten in the moment—but suddenly, it felt colder.
“......What? Huh? My breath’s fogging up?”
White vapor escaped my mouth and shattered in the air. Not an illusion—the room was freezing. Wait, this chill meant...
I cautiously glanced at Lapis Julie. There she was: eyes lifeless, fists clenched, trembling with rage. She was pissed. Furious. Forgetting the hypnosis entirely!
Normally, I’d scout escape routes. But this was exactly what I wanted. Grinning at the fuming Lapis Julie as planned, I mocked her. “What’s wrong? Why so mad? Didn’t you say you don’t like me? This overreaction—don’t tell me you actually...!”
“I don’t like you!”
Her shout—first time at that volume—cut me off. Lapis Julie, the pride of the ice nobility Julie family, famed for her icy calm and zero freakouts. Hearing her yell like some commoner? Speechless.
“I d-don’t like you... not someone like you, Senior... u-ugh...”
And with the sob that followed, I scrapped the follow-up attack. Fuck. Classic bitch tears win again.