Self-Proclaimed Hypnosis Breeding Guy vs Winterer (1)
Self-Proclaimed Hypnosis Breeding Guy vs Winterer (1)
In truth, the moment I heard about Winterer's terrorist attack,
the bomb-disposal plan came to mind immediately.
As their husband, I knew my wives' abilities better than anyone.
Even so, I had spent so long agonizing over it because...
'Even with Sia's talent raised to S-rank, it will take at least an hour.'
Even within Seoul, Winterer had planted twenty bombs all over the city.
No matter how I calculated it, travel alone would take at least an hour.
The Chairwoman could keep Winterer occupied with conversation for perhaps twenty minutes at most.
Someone had to hold her attention for the remaining forty minutes.
She couldn't be allowed even to think about detonating the bombs.
'I am the only one who can do that. If Master steps in, Winterer might panic, detonate everything, and kill herself.'
Considering every condition, I was the only person capable of doing it.
I had to keep Winterer hypnotized for more than forty minutes...
despite her being a Grade 1 Villain and my stats sitting in the lower C-rank range.
I had agonized because it seemed impossible.
If the hypnosis broke for even one second, she would immediately detonate the bombs. I was supposed to hold her for forty minutes?
Even for the Second-Round Hypnosis Breeding Guy, that was impossi—
'Wait. Haru?'
I had thought it was impossible...
until I noticed Haru.
'Come to think of it, quite a few things about Winterer never made sense.'
Haru had lived as a brainwashed doll.
From Winterer's perspective, she should have been an extraordinarily useful pawn.
But...
Yet her criminal record was clean enough that the Chairwoman had tried to recruit her.
During the previous attack, she alone had been left behind and captured.
It looked less as though Winterer had failed to exploit Haru and more as though she had deliberately protected her.
Winterer herself went around half-dressed, yet she always kept Haru properly clothed.
She had done more than protect Haru. She had cherished her.
'It is strange that Haru, an awakener, survived among villains at all.'
Moreover, Haru wasn't a villain.
If she had been, my hypnosis would have broken within three seconds.
Would a group of villains simply leave someone like Haru alone?
She couldn't have been this strong immediately after escaping the laboratory.
No way.
Haru's survival was conclusive proof that Winterer had protected her.
'Almost as though Winterer isn't a villain... Huh?'
All the evidence pointed to one fact:
a human heart still remained inside Winterer.
She had sympathized with Haru, who shared her circumstances, and protected her.
A true villain could never have done that.
Winterer was not a villain.
'But everything about her looks like a villain. Her actions, her behavior...'
There were still points that did not make sense.
Winterer behaved so perfectly like a villain that even a veteran such as me had never suspected otherwise.
It did not seem to be an act, either.
She might fool someone else, but mere acting couldn't deceive the Chairwoman—a villain detector on the level of a national power.
It was too soon to conclude with certainty that Winterer wasn't a villain, but...
'Hypnosis should work on her, at least.'
One thing was certain.
Haru was Winterer's vulnerability.
A gap through which my hypnosis could slip.
That realization gave me the confidence to propose the plan.
"Why are you pretending to be a villain? Right, Haru~?"
"Mm. Daddy. Big Sis is mean."
"......Huh? D-Daddy?"
This was the result.
Winterer merely stared at us in disbelief.
She did not even think about detonating the bombs.
...I had been confident it would work, but it really was working.
I quickly continued.
[Activating "Complete Hypnosis."]
"And what is with those clothes? A sports bra and dolphin shorts that expose half your ass. Even for a villain, aren't you embarrassed to walk around like that?"
"I don't give a damn about...."
"Haru, your big sister goes around in her underwear. Even you always dress properly. What do you think~?"
"Big Sis is flat. So sad. If she gets married, baby will cry every day because there is no milk."
"......You crazy little bitch!!?"
A real-time mental assault conducted with Haru.
Winterer's composure shook so badly that another opening appeared.
I immediately drove more hypnosis into it.
"Now, now. Calm down. Let's talk first. You have reunited after so long; the bombs are hardly the most important thing right now, are they?"
—Ding!
[The suggestion aligns with the target's intent. Despite the difference in Grade, the target falls under a "mild" hypnosis!]
"...Fucking fine. What the hell are you two? Why is a grown woman calling you Daddy over and over?"
The hypnosis succeeded.
As though she'd already wanted to demand an explanation, Winterer turned her shrill voice on me.
...Judging from her shaking eyes, the effect might last a minute.
I counted the time internally while secretly signaling behind my back.
Rubbing cheeks with Haru was an added bonus.
"I am Haru's father~"
"Haru is Daddy's daughter. We are very close."
—Nuzzle nuzzle. Swish swish.
'We are fine here. Don't create unnecessary variables; stay well back.'
The hand signals themselves were simple.
One okay sign, followed by a wave telling everyone to move away.
They seemed to understand, because the presences lingering behind us slowly retreated.
"Fall back."
"Association President, he is in danger..."
"Enough. Fall back. Even I, his master, am barely restraining myself from interfering."
"And who the hell are you...? H-hiiik."
"I thought it couldn't be, but you really are Aika Ninomiya...?"
I couldn't hear what they were whispering about, but...
they were surely watching over us and cheering us on.
To repay their support, I rubbed cheeks with Haru even more vigorously.
Haru seemed to enjoy it and clung tightly to me.
"Daddy's cheek is soft~"
—Squeeze. Squish.
'...Her chest pressing against me is a little awkward, but this is hardly the time to scold her.'
It reminded me once again that she needed proper sex education.
Still, Haru's sudden action produced a major benefit.
"Wh-wh-wh-what are you......!!!?"
"Oh."
'She is more flustered than I expected. Let us see... Do not detonate the bombs.'
[Despite the difference in Grade, the target falls under a "weak" hypnosis!]
'This should last around three minutes. Nice.'
Thanks to that, I discovered a useful trick for dealing with Winterer.
Whenever I showed Haru affection, Winterer became agitated on her own.
I could exploit that opening and hammer hypnosis into her.
...This was something I could do with confidence.
Lately, Haru truly had begun to feel like my daughter.
My motivation soared.
"What does a horny pervert bastard like you think you're doing—"
"I heard you protected Haru. Thank you. You treasured her, dressed her nicely despite your limited means, and raised her into such an adorable child."
"Hah? Me, raise that bitch? Don't make me laugh..."
"That is right, Daddy. Haru eats lots, but Big Sis is flat, so no baby milk comes out. Baby Haru goes hungry and collapses."
"......What the hell is this goddamn doll bitch saying!!?"
Together, Haru and I gleefully pressed the attack.
Winterer's rage meter climbed steadily.
[Despite the difference in Grade, the target falls under a "weak" hypnosis...]
[Despite the difference in Grade...]
[The target falls under hypnosis...]
'Wow. This is working nicely. Just how flustered is she?'
The hypnosis preventing her from detonating the bombs was proceeding smoothly.
Each success extended the effect by only about a minute, but...
with sixteen hypnosis strikes per second, the time accumulated quickly.
The focus gradually drained from Winterer's eyes. It already felt as though I had bought fifteen minutes.
"Now, now, Haru. That is enough. You should not tease someone about her insecurities~"
"That's what I'm saying, what kind of fuckin'—"
"But why did you pretend to be a villain? You're not one. You're simply an awakener."
Casting hypnosis on her had confirmed one more fact.
She was unquestionably not a villain.
The sensation was completely different from casting hypnosis on a villain.
In other words, despite behaving exactly like one...
her mind and soul were entirely human.
Unlike an irredeemable villain, she was still a normal person.
When I pointed that out, Winterer couldn't hide her agitation.
"What kind of bullshit is that? You will understand when you die—w-wait. Why is my mana not...?"
"Of course. You agreed to talk to me first, remember?"
—Ding!
[Hypnosis....]
"...Fine. Let me hear what kind of fucked-up nonsense you are spouting before I freeze you solid."
"Of course. Shall we begin with the evidence?"
Her agitation created another opening for hypnosis.
I immediately presented my evidence.
The living evidence: Haru.
"Haru has a spotless record without a single crime. Why didn't you exploit her while she was brainwashed?"
"...Hah? Wait, who the hell are you to—"
"You had a doll who would obey a single word, yet instead of exploiting her, you cherished her until she grew into such an adorable girl."
I pointed out the contradiction.
If Winterer were truly a villain, Haru would long ago have been dead or turned into a murderer.
Yet Haru stood before us alive and adorable.
That contradiction was proof that Winterer was not a villain.
Winterer's voice rose another octave.
"Don't talk out of your ass! I just had an obedient toy nearby, so I played with it. What kind of ridiculous—"
"Then why did you allow Haru to be captured during the last attack?"
"Th-that idiot bitch simply got caught by mista—"
"You know how strong Haru is. Yet instead of using her to attack the Chairwoman, you assigned her conspicuous work like destroying buildings. You practically begged someone to take her away."
By then, I was beginning to understand what had really happened.
My tone grew increasingly smug.
"Did you deliberately let Haru escape so she could live happily with ordinary people instead of villains?"
"Stop writing your own fucking scenario, bastard!!"
"Haru~ It looks as though Daddy met you thanks to your big sister~!"
"Big Sis, really?"
"Listen when someone is talking to you!!"
At that point, Haru joined the attack.
In front of Winterer, who was almost in tears, I pressed my cheek tightly against Haru's.
It was time for the finishing blow.
'I want to show that this is how close we normally are...'
—Nod.
"Thank you. Because of Big Sis, Haru is happy every day. Today we played Merge, and the day after tomorrow we're going to the amusement park with Mr. Panda..."
"...What the fuck? Merge?"
While I considered what to strike her with next, Haru handed me the perfect topic.
My little treasure had lobbed the ball into the air...
and even set it up perfectly for me.
I spiked it immediately.
"Honestly, I tell her no, but Haru keeps begging because she enjoys it so much~ She refuses to get off me. I am terribly sorry."
"Merge with Daddy feels the best."
In reality, our relationship was entirely innocent; I merely gave her shoulder rides.
"Don't tell me... No, what exactly is this Merge game?"
"What else could it..."
"Haru rides on Daddy. Merge. Feels like reaching the sky."
"It is exactly as Haru says. She still lacks sexual knowledge, so she begs without realizing how embarrassing it sounds."
It was slightly embarrassing, but what could I do? She was mentally a child.
"But Daddy's so mean. He says stuff about Haru's precious place and won't let us do it for long. It isn't embarrassing at all. It only feels good."
"......!!!!!?"
Our display of a close father-daughter relationship must have worked, because Winterer's cheeks grew steadily redder.
She no longer looked like a villain at all.
"Subject 47... You didn't...?"
"Big Sis wants to do it too? Merge with Daddy. Haru strongly recommends."
Haru seized the opening to taunt her.
I immediately joined in.
"It's a little unusual, but you did raise Haru. If you want, I might allow it once."
"...What? Why are you saying that as if you're doing me a favor? Just because you're somewhat handsome, have you lost your mind—"
"Because you look as though you'd enjoy that sort of thing."
"Wha... whaa...?!"
She was so small that even at an amusement park she looked suited only for the carousel. Perhaps I could give her one ride.
Even by my standards, it was perfect taunting.
Her precious doll had met a good father and become happy overnight.
Worse, that father was smiling as though offering to treat Winterer like another daughter.
Of course she'd be furious.
"Then Big Sis can do it with Haru. The three of us can Merge together."
"All three? Hmm. I wonder whether Daddy can handle it."
"Big Sis is light. Daddy can lift her easily. Daddy can do it for an hour."
"Well... someone her size does seem manageable."
I was an expert at pouring oil on a fire.
Seeing my chance, Haru and I delivered the finishing move together.
—Squeeze.
"How about it? Would you like to join us?"
"Three people means three times more fun. Haru guarantees."
Would she care to try a shoulder ride stacked atop another shoulder ride?
We would call it Cerberus—the Korean Bremen Town Musicians.
Her reaction was dramatic.
"Yo-you-you......."
—Ding!
[Despite the difference in Grade, the target falls under an "ordinary" hypnosis!!]
'Okay. This should secure a full hour.'
Winterer was on the verge of losing herself to rage, and my hypnosis had taken firm hold.
Only then did I relax my tense shoulders.
Combined with the twenty-five minutes the Chairwoman had bought, this hour would give Sia and Alice enough time to disarm the bombs.
A proud smile began to form as I realized we had overcome the terrorist attack—
"Hey. You there."
"Hm?"
"I'll tolerate what you did to me. But h-how could you do such a thing to a girl who calls you Daddy?"
Before the smile could fully form...
Winterer stammered those words.
I tilted my head.
"Because she is like a daughter to me."
'I would never have done it with anyone except Haru. That would feel like cheating.'
What was wrong with a father and daughter being close?
At that answer, Winterer's trembling gradually subsided.
And then,
"———Die, you piece of trash."
—KABOOOOOOM!!!!
"......?!"
The boss battle I thought we had already won entered its Hidden Phase.