When a Woman Holds a Grudge, Frost Falls in Summer (1)
When a Woman Holds a Grudge, Frost Falls in Summer (1)
Winterer would participate in the Gate-clearing exercise.
The Chairwoman actually had an ulterior motive behind that decision.
[In other words, this is a performance?]
[Exactly. We'll prove that we can control Winterer and, beyond that, that she poses no threat to humanity....]
[That would help at her trial.]
Winterer was a genuine terrorist.
Even if she was merely a Wannabe Villain, she had still destroyed numerous buildings.
No amount of arguing mental illness or diminished capacity would make her crimes less serious.
So we would appeal to the public.
Look how admirably our Winterer cleared Gates.
Raise her properly, and she'd behave without committing terrorism.
Our dog didn't bite, so please give her a lighter sentence.
'Surprisingly, matters like this often came down to a battle over public opinion.'
Naturally, this wasn't a legal ground for reducing her sentence.
Clearing a few practice Gates would hardly benefit society.
It'd probably be less effective than submitting a letter of remorse to the judge.
But the public was different.
To the public, Winterer was a girl whom the state had turned into a test subject and then a villain.
If she obediently put on a few performances here...
Public opinion would naturally become more favorable.
The courts couldn't entirely ignore public sentiment, so a lighter sentence was worth hoping for.
'That was why Cheonhwa and I had been assigned to control her....'
That was also why we had prepared so thoroughly today.
If Winterer went on a rampage, everything would be ruined.
We had to manage her without allowing the slightest disturbance.
Even if that meant putting a leash around her neck.
But...
—Murmur, murmur.
"The problem isn't that Suyeon came! If all those people come with us too, who will keep Winterer on her leash?"
A swarm of flies had descended on our perfectly rational plan.
There was the Villain Rights organization demanding to observe Winterer's condition.
There were psychiatrists who would testify about her mental illness.
There were reporters covering her activities and, just in case, an attorney dispatched by the Association...
—Glance.
"Kyaaaa!! The Angel looked this way!!"
"Saint, you seem even more divine than when we last saw you! Surely the Lord has blessed you...."
"......"
'Those wealthy old men and women were always the problem. Seriously.'
The source of all evil was the Church of the Lord, which had pressured the Association with enormous donations.
Because of them, we had been forced to bring all those people into the Gate.
The ridiculous justification was a "public participatory audit."
...The problem was that our conduct would not withstand such an audit.
I needed to put a leash on Winterer and control her immediately.
There was no chance those people would remain silent if they saw that.
That was why my gaze had turned so fierce.
"I told you it'd be fine. The Association President guaranteed that everything would be safe as long as you were there, Yujin."
"That old hag said that?"
"Old hag!? You're probably the only person who calls her that. Do you know how remarkable she is?"
"No matter how remarkable she is, an old woman spouting nonsense is still an old hag. Anyway, what exactly did she guarantee?"
"Er, well... She said there should be no real problem if Suyeon and you went together."
Yet the other Awakeners remained completely calm.
The Association President's assurance alone was enough for them.
It reminded me again how much authority the Chairwoman possessed.
'Tch. I supposed I had no choice but to try.'
My resolve began to shift as well.
All my stats had risen by one the previous day.
Unlike before, I now had some chance of standing against Winterer.
More importantly...
If I failed, the entire world would learn that I had put a leash on a scrawny young girl.
I wanted to avoid creating any controversy unrelated to my harem.
In the end, I had no choice but to succeed.
'Hypnotizing a Grade 1 Villain at the very top of A-rank. Let us try it.'
Winterer could be called the strongest Awakener alive apart from the seven S-ranks.
I would attempt genuine hypnosis on her.
* * *
Afterward, Yujin and Winterer moved elsewhere.
They asked for thirty minutes and arranged a brief meeting at a nearby café.
...Together with the Angel in White, Ryu Suyeon.
"I look forward to working with both of you today, Yujin and Winterer."
"Likewise!"
"Tch. What now, Rice Cake?"
Their reactions upon meeting her could not have been more different.
Yujin was full of determination to accomplish something important beside his benefactor.
Winterer, by contrast, remained purely cynical.
She behaved as though she did not care who stood before her. She looked like a genuine villain.
"More importantly, you perverted Rice Cake, why do I have to sit beside you? Are you a pervert?"
"Come on~ You hugged me and kissed my neck. You made quite a scene, remember?"
"......R-Rice Cake!! Why are you bringing that up now!!"
"Just kidding~."
The ease with which she fell for Yujin's provocations was very Wannabe Villain-like.
And finally, there was the A-rank Awakener Ryu Suyeon.
Her eyes gleamed as she observed the patients before her.
'Habitual fidgeting. Excessive emotion. Breathing that became ragged easily. Speech that alternated between politeness and defiance....'
Her first and most important subject was Winterer.
Suyeon could plainly see that something was wrong with her.
She was not a specialist, but she was still a physician who'd passed the national licensing examination.
She'd also studied psychiatry diligently for the past several weeks.
That was enough for her to recognize that Winterer's mental state was unstable.
[Yujin, keep talking to Winterer. I'll observe her for a while.]
[It's easier to hypnotize her while she's flustered. Can I continue teasing her?]
[That's fine.]
Their Telepathy passed secretly between them.
They formed their plan while Winterer fumed in embarrassment.
A coordinated attack worthy of A-rank struck Winterer.
"By the way, it's been four days since you started living with Haru, right? How is it?"
"Hah... What about that Rice Cake?"
"I was wondering whether Haru treats you well. Lately, she apparently waits all day for the time when she can brush her teeth with you."
"———W-W-What!? What did that Rice Cake say!!!"
"......?"
Neither Yujin nor Suyeon expected her to explode at that moment.
'Did she tell them about that!? That insane Rice Cake could not possibly have mentioned all the slurp-slurp stuff...!!!'
For Winterer, however, the outburst was unavoidable.
It had already been three days since she moved into Seol Hayeon's house.
For all three days, every time they brushed their teeth, her younger sister had...
Kissed her under the pretense of practice.
[Sis. When will I become a master of slurp-slurp?]
[You already are one! So stop, you Rice Cake....]
[No. I still can't beat you. You're a complete master. I respect you.]
[......You truly are a Rice Cake.]
'I didn't care about anything else, but I'd rather die than let them discover this...!!'
Even Winterer, who was not particularly prone to shame, found this embarrassing.
She was being kissed by the girl she had once controlled like a doll?
The strongest villain in Korea, Winterer herself, was enduring it helplessly?
That was not a villain. That was a pathetic doormat.
Those thoughts produced her excessive reaction.
Yujin and Suyeon exchanged glances.
[Haru is Winterer's sworn younger sister, correct?]
[Yes. They're practically inseparable... Why is she so embarrassed about brushing their teeth?]
[We can investigate later. Your hypnosis comes first, Yujin. Let's try it.]
[Why is she acting like that?]
[I don't know, but it's a useful opening. Begin the hypnosis.]
Yujin's eyes flashed gold.
"Did something happen with Haru while you were brushing your teeth?"
"Nothing happened!? You perverted Rice Cake!!"
"You look awfully embarrassed for someone who claims nothing happened... Ah! You like brushing your teeth with Haru, don't you? You're angry because you're embarrassed to admit it."
"There's no way I like it, you Rice Cake!!"
At the same time, he provoked her.
Winterer thrashed violently.
Her defiance meant: There was no way she was a pervert who enjoyed being slurped by that Rice Cake.
[Mm. The first attempt failed, but....]
[Switch with me. I'll draw her attention, so keep applying hypnosis.]
[Understood.]
"Ahem. Winterer, why are you so angry?"
Ryu Suyeon immediately took over.
The greatest healer in Korea—no, in the world—stood before her patient.
"It's just... th-that Rice Cake was talking nonsense."
"Did Haru do something to you? Something harmful?"
"......!!!!?"
Winterer released a strangled gasp.
She had suddenly been checkmated, and her shameful secret was about to be exposed.
She was too flustered to answer.
Yujin seized that opening.
[The skill 'Complete Hypnosis' smacks the target's soul with her tiny hands!]
—Ding.
[The skill 'Complete Hypnosis' activates. It fails.]
[It failed.]
[Failed....]
[........]
[....]
—Ding!
[The target succumbs to 'ordinary' hypnosis.]
'All right. She had taken the bait!'
Yujin relentlessly continued his assault on Winterer.
Perhaps it was because his stats had risen, or because Ryu Suyeon had guided the conversation.
Either way, Winterer began falling under hypnosis more easily than before.
[Suyeon, I think one more strong push will do it.]
[How strong?]
[Can you make her cry? If she becomes flustered enough to shed tears, the hypnosis will probably take a deep hold.]
[I'll try.]
A terrifying plan was formed.
So embarrassment made her easier to hypnotize?
They decided to embarrass her until she cried and sniffled.
Ryu Suyeon's eyes curved gently upward.
'Yujin had taken the aggressive role, so I would maintain the position of counselor.'
—Smile.
"It's all right, Winterer. Tell me everything."
"......What?"
"I might not look like it, but I'm a doctor. Reporting domestic violence is my duty as a physician. Tell me what happened, and I'll help you."
In other words, she asked whether Winterer was being abused and offered to rescue her.
It was a hand of salvation that only someone who was both an Awakener and a doctor could extend.
Winterer's eyes spun.
'If I told her, that Rice Cake's plan to kiss Yujin would be ruined...?'
The offer of help was greatly appreciated, but...
Haru would be hurt.
Haru would complain, ‘I only asked her to help me practice, but Sis tattled and ruined everything. Now I can’t slurp Dad anymore. I hate you, Sis.’
She might even say she hated her sister. Of course, Winterer didn't care if that girl hated her, but...
For some reason, her lips moved on their own.
"M-Me, the mighty villain Winterer, a victim of domestic violence? Hah! If anything, I'd beat that Rice Cake. Do I look like someone who goes around getting beaten?"
'Exactly. Did I look as though I was being forced? I was graciously humoring her.'
In any case, I was a villain. I was the one who did things to others, not the one things were done to.
I had merely chosen, on a whim, to permit the slurp-slurp.
The sight of her trembling as she insisted on that was painfully pitiful.
"Then Yujin is right? You like it and are only embarrassed?"
"L-Like it...?"
"Yes. People only react that strongly when they either love something or hate it."
Suyeon pressed into the opening.
Nobody had done anything she hated? Then she must like brushing her teeth.
Suyeon drove that deeply flawed logic into her solely to fluster her.
'She expected me to admit I liked it? That I liked being pinned by the jaw, having that Rice Cake's tongue shoved into my mouth, and being violated for five minutes without even breathing?'
The problem was that Winterer's actual situation was rather serious.
Ryu Suyeon imagined two sisters happily brushing their teeth together, but the reality was slurp-slurp.
Winterer's clouded crimson eyes spun.
"That makes no sense...."
"Please answer. Otherwise, I'll assume Haru did something harmful and report her."
"......"
Suyeon continued to press her.
Moisture gradually filled Winterer's crimson eyes.
And then...
—Trickle.
"Y-Yeah... I like it, so stop asking... Rice Cake, hic."
The moisture became a tear and rolled down her cheek.
It was a bitter tear born from her desire to protect her younger sister.
Bluntly speaking, Winterer cried from sheer embarrassment.
—Ding.
[The skill 'Complete Hypnosis' very strongly....]
"......"
'I felt as though I had done something truly awful.'
'My conscience hurt terribly. I would buy her an ice pop on the way back.'
Both Suyeon and Yujin felt guilty as they watched.
* * *
A little later...
"W-We can't do this. I'm Haru's father, and you're her sister...."
"Shut up and put your lips here. That's an 'order.'"
"E-Eek!! Suyeon!!!"
"Hehe. Yujin, you made a woman cry, so you should at least offer your lips. They won't wear away."
"Suyeon!!!?"
A woman's resentment could summon frost even in early summer.
Yujin experienced the truth of that proverb firsthand.