A Sincere Apology (3)

The terrorist attack had turned what I expected to be a peaceful Saturday upside down. At first, I had no idea how we would survive it...

but after everyone struggled together, we somehow resolved it. Right after Suguru left,

a radiant smile blossomed across the Chairwoman's face.

"Yujin. You did truly excellent work. Judging by the results alone, you already deserve to be called S-rank."

There was nothing mysterious about why that old woman was grinning so shamelessly.

This had been a terrorist attack by Winterer, a Grade 1 Villain.

She might have ended up exposed as a Wannabe Villain and become a trainee for real, but her strength had been genuine.

If not for me,

ten thousand people would have died,

and the Chairwoman would've perished alongside Winterer.

It had been that dangerous.

And I had resolved all of it.

I had even spun a convincing story for the media about the troublesome prime minister and Master.

Of course she was pleased.

'Though it did not feel right for me to receive all the attention.'

"Sia and Alice handled the most important part."

I used the opportunity to remind her.

The hidden heroes of the incident: Sia and Alice.

Their actions had saved ten thousand civilians, even if my exploits overshadowed them.

The Chairwoman's smile deepened.

"Oh? You are giving your own credit to someone else?"

"Because it's true. Without those two, at least a few bombs would've exploded. They did far more than I did by merely capturing Winterer."

"You supplied the information, devised the entire operation yourself, and then shared the credit with the prime minister and your companions...."

—Mutter, mutter.

"So you're seducing me into naming you my successor. You shameless flirt. Fine. The moment you graduate, I will...."

She continued muttering something, but...

it probably wasn't important.

* * *

Afterward, the Chairwoman held a modest party.

Since none of us had eaten dinner, she ordered piles of delivery food—pizza, chicken, and more—and even brought out her treasured ginseng liquor.

She called it a reward for everything we had endured.

The party attendees were me, Haru, Master, and the Chairwoman.

And then...

—Glug.

"Yujin! We're baaack~."

"I'm seriously going to die...."

Alice and Sia had just returned.

The six core members who had resolved the crisis were all there.

Sitting together, we enjoyed a modest yet luxurious dinner.

We chatted and laughed. Happily.

The atmosphere was warm and familial.

"Oh? Yujin, what is that bandage on your neck?"

"I got a small cut...."

"———Yujin, that vixen is a total pervert. When I collapsed from exhaustion, she started groping me all over."

"Pfft."

...The warm family atmosphere shattered.

I nearly choked on my chicken.

"I only picked Sia up and carried her."

"Don't give me that bullshit. I thought my breasts were going to burst."

"Oh, could that have happened...? I'm sorry. I must've grabbed your breasts thinking they were your ribs. They are so different from mine that I got confused."

"...You damn vixen!!"

—Squish.

"Kyaa!!?"

Sia and Alice began tussling.

Watching them fight while grabbing each other everywhere was painfully embarrassing.

'Oh, wow... No. I was not supposed to watch this.'

—Glance.

I quickly looked away.

I turned to my daughter Haru, hoping to regain some peace of mind.

—Rub, rub.

"...Haru, you little rascal. Where do you think you are touching during dinner?"

"Grandma's breasts. They're fairly squishy."

"Tsk. I told you not to touch someone else's body without permission. This is so embarrassing, so take your hand...."

'Oh, fuck. My eyes.'

Haru was receiving sex education.

The teaching aid just happened to be sixty years old.

I recoiled and quickly turned my head.

I desperately needed to cleanse my eyes.

—Whip.

"Master. You worked very hard today."

Master was still the best for cleansing my eyes.

Thanks to her, my upset stomach settled again.

Then we resumed an extremely wholesome, family-friendly conversation...

"You saved our lives...."

"Disciple. S-so you are interested in that sort of thing after all...? You cannot take your eyes off them."

"......."

There was no paradise at the end of my escape.

The subject had inevitably resurfaced.

I had no idea how to answer.

"I-I am not particularly...."

"Your cheeks were flushed and your breathing was ragged. Anyone could see that you were aroused."

Master's attack came crashing down on me!

You certainly stared. Did you like it? Did you?

So my disciple was a man after all. A wolf. A wolf.

...That had been beyond my control, Master.

How could I avoid being flustered when something like that happened right before my eyes?

There had been five women and one man in the room. When four of the women started groping each other, even the Hypnosis Breeding Guy had no choice but to panic.

What was this? Had I wandered into the wrong scene? I should leave.

Those words had risen to the tip of my tongue.

But Master,

"Tell me honestly. I won't be angry. As your master, I merely wish to understand my disciple's character."

"......."

'She had completely sealed off my escape route!?'

She stared straight at me while twirling a fork between her fingers.

Her gaze said she wouldn't forgive me until I answered.

Right. If I answered incorrectly, that fork would end up buried in my forehead.

If I were honest, she'd go How disappointing, my disciple—stab.

If I lied, she'd go Why lie about something so obvious?—stab, stab.

In other words, this was a life-or-death crisis.

I thought long and hard before answering...

"Well, your disciple is a man too. I can't help where my eyes go."

I chose a direct approach.

Master's eyes widened.

"As I thought..."

"But I should not deny it. Recognizing an honest desire like this and overcoming it is part of my training."

"......?"

Of course, I did not want the conversation to end with me looking like a simple horndog.

I decided to sweeten the explanation.

I tailored it to Master's values.

"What do you mean?"

"The truth is, I cannot let my mind waver when I use hypnosis. I have to remain calm no matter what happens around me."

"......."

"So, yes. Seeing something like that and suppressing my emotions as much as possible is training for me. Something along those lines."

'What kind of bullshit was I even saying?'

Even I felt strange saying it.

But Master quietly set down her fork.

She seemed satisfied with my explanation.

"I-is that so? For the sake of your ability... Yes. I understand. That makes sense."

"Yes. Thank you for understanding!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I had successfully escaped the crisis.

* * *

Or so I thought.

"Master. You said there was something you wanted to tell me...."

—Rustle.

"Disciple. Touch me as much as you wish."

"......!!?"

The crisis I'd barely avoided came flying back like a boomerang.

...We had returned to the dormitory, and I was about to do some training before bed.

Then she suddenly said she wanted to talk and began taking off her clothes.

Wasn't it cruel to merge into my lane without even using a turn signal?

I was too flustered to speak.

"What in the world are you...."

"If you need to maintain a Clear and Serene Mind for your hypnosis, I thought it would be better to eliminate the Heart Demon at its source."

"......."

"It won't wear away, and for my precious disciple... I-I can at least let you touch this much."

I had caused this.

She must have interpreted my frantic excuses from earlier as 'Actually, your disciple is pent-up!'

I squeezed my eyes shut and stepped back.

I tried desperately to evade the eight-ton truck barreling toward me.

"No. You really do not need to—"

—Tremble, tremble.

"———A-am I truly so unpleasant to look at? Enough to make you recoil in horror?"

"......."

Oh no. She'd slipped into her stern old-master voice.

She had apparently misinterpreted my reaction.

I hurried to explain.

"No!! It's only because you're so beautiful that I do not know where to look."

"Really...? Not because they're so large they look grotesque?"

"Of course not. You are the most beautiful woman I've ever seen, Master. How could I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ever...."

"Liar... You're squeezing your eyes shut. As I thought, behaving this way at my age is shameless...."

That wasn't working.

I'd clearly touched Master's sore spot: her age.

I had no choice but to open my eyes.

"Absolutely not. Look. Even I, um... wow...."

'This was insane. Seriously.'

A completely genuine reaction followed.

Wow. Look at the size. This was insane.

The swimsuit was too small, so its straps dug into her skin,

while the knot at the center barely held it together. Damn.

She must have been warm, because sweat trickled beneath her breasts. Before my regression, I'd have immediately....

—Gulp.

"...I-it's embarrassing to have you stare so openly. Still, I'm relieved you do not find it ugly."

My physiological reaction seemed to please her, and Master's shrinking self-esteem recovered.

But I couldn't relax merely because I'd avoided one land mine.

With her confidence restored, Master began pressing her chest toward me.

"You may touch to your heart's content. Showing you everything would still be embarrassing, so do not remove the swimsuit."

"Wouldn't that be going too far!? How could a disciple dare touch his master's...."

"It also gives me a chance to apologize."

"......?"

Master declared:

Winterer had attacked her disciple's neck that day.

The reason was absurd. Instead of helping, I, his master, had distracted him with useless chatter over Telepathy.

She was truly sorry and wanted to apologize somehow.

"But words alone would not convey my sincerity. I am doing this to show you how sorry I truly am. Now, touch."

As an apology, she would let me touch her breasts.

My tongue tied itself in knots at the ridiculous logic.

"You don't need to do this, Master!! How could a disciple ever blame his master—"

"No. Glossing over this would harm both of us. Rewards and punishments must be administered properly."

"Even so...."

"Touch me already. Th-this is your master's order!"

She even called it an order.

My hand moved on its own.

Obeying Master was 'common sense,' after all.

'If I touched them, this would become a real disaster. I would never be able to face Master again...!!!'

"Th-then, only a little...."

My hand trembled like that of a patient with a severe tremor. My fingertips wandered.

At the end of their path was... Master.

As the distance narrowed, Master's breathing quickened.

"T-t-touch as much as you like. As much as you want...."

—Tremble.

Her embarrassed body trembled too. Her chest quivered faintly, and still more sweat beaded on her skin.

...If someone painted this moment, it might look strangely sublime.

Like Michelangelo's The Creation of Adam.

The tension was intense enough to inspire that thought.

And so, my fingertips

finally

reached Master

and touched her.

—Poke.

"Hyeek!!!?"

"......!!!!!!!"

Only my index finger had made contact—and only the tip of its nail.

Even that drew an adorable cry from her.

At that signal,

we moved with one ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠heart and one mind.

Following our instincts, we eagerly sprang away from each other...

—Scurry.

"D-d-d-disciple. I'm sorry, I'm sorry!! I do not think we should do this!!!!"

"I think this is too much too!!!"

...We separated.

As if we'd planned it, we both backstepped at the same time.

Master was unexpectedly conservative about matters like this.

I'd expected it, but it had still been too much for her.

'Tch. I was glad I'd prepared to pull my hand away... but it was still a shame. Touching those for real would probably add a year to my life.'

I couldn't help feeling slightly disappointed.

* * *

A short while later.

After a brief discussion, Master removed her hakama.

She took off the skirt as well. Rustle.

And then,

—Slide.

"D-disciple. Hurry and do it."

She thrust her butt toward me.

With both hands braced against the wall, the pose looked rather suggestive.

I lowered my voice.

"Do you truly want me to do this?"

"Hurry. Use all your strength. We're both Awakeners, so anything less won't even register."

"......."

I asked one final time, but Master's resolve was firm.

I gritted my teeth as well.

I would honor Master's wishes.

Then I squeezed my eyes shut...

"I'm sorry, Master!!"

—SMACK!!

I slapped her butt.

...I'd told her it was unnecessary, but she stubbornly insisted on being punished.

Two days earlier, she'd slapped my butt inside the Gate.

Now she claimed it was her turn.

Even when I protested that men and women should observe proper boundaries, she ignored me and invoked gender equality. Haa.

In the end, I had no choice.

I hit hard enough for the crisp smack to resonate.

'That should satisfy her, right?'

"Disciple, I told you to hit harder. If you hold back that much, it feels as though you are teasing me, which is even stranger...."

"......Yep."

Moreover, Master was the No. 1 S-rank.

She was so powerful that even the full-strength swing of a lower C-rank like me felt like no more than a gentle caress on her butt.

She did not release me until I struck her ten more times.

Only after a faint red handprint appeared on her butt did she seem satisfied.

"...In any case, I'm sorry, disciple. I'll make sure this never happens again."

"Yes..."

The atmosphere became painfully awkward.

Neither Master, whose butt was bright red, nor I, whose hand was bright red, dared meet the other's eyes.

"Um... do you not need to change clothes?"

"It's a swimsuit, so it's fine......"

We were so awkward that the conversation barely continued.

...Perhaps I should go to sleep.

Trying to repair the mood would probably make it even more awkward.

"Master. Then I'll be going...."

"Oh, disciple. Speaking of clothes, help me choose some."

She wouldn't even let me escape.

I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠could only blink in confusion.

"I don't know much about women's clothing either. Sizes and such."

"Do not worry. I selected several outfits while you were away. You only need to tell me which one looks prettiest to you."

"Wouldn't it be better to buy what looks pretty to you? You're the one who'll wear it."

"I have worn nothing but hakama for twelve years. My sense of fashion is dead. Please help me."

Master patted the spot beside her, beckoning me over.

I reluctantly sat down again.

Her state of undress was embarrassing, and I still had nowhere safe to look.

But Master's commands were absolute.

"I am happy to help if I can."

"Thank you. Now, where is my phone...?"

Master picked up her phone from the table...

"Oh? I have an email from Mama... Hngh!!!?"

"Master!? What happened—"

[Aika? Mama thinks it's all right as long as it's Yujin, so don't worry and just make it a fait accompli! You have to hold on tight to a man like that so he can't run away!]

[Oh, and can you show this to Yujin? I used a translator, but still.]

[Thank you for taking our daughter. Even if you give us grandchildren, we will take responsibility for raising them, so you do not need to use condoms.]

"......Ack."

The original source of Master's shamelessness—my mother-in-law's shamelessness—came crashing down on us.