Hypnosis Therapy at Dawn
The academy entrance exam was always scheduled for one a.m.—no, dawn itself. Having shaken off the mental fatigue that had built up the night before, I woke with a clear head and made it to the appointed time without any major issues.
"...You're up?"
Unia reacted to the sound of me stirring. Her eyes were bloodshot, her face etched with exhaustion as if she hadn't slept a wink and had spent the whole night staring at the ceiling.
"Couldn't sleep well?"
"......"
Unia shot me a glare for a moment. Her eyes held a mix of emotions, like she felt deeply wronged. As if to say,
"It's like you're implying I kept you up, but I'm not the type with bad sleeping habits."
"...Yeah. You slept like the dead. Seriously, someone could've carried you off, kidnapped you, or even snuck in and jumped you at night, and you wouldn't have noticed."
Half-lidded eyes narrowed at me.
"How can a guy sleep so defenselessly?"
"Huh?"
"What if someone actually drained your mana? Honestly."
"Oh, that's what you meant?"
Not about chastity, of course. Though the method might overlap somewhat, there were plenty of ways to drain a person's mana without resorting to anything sleazy or sinister.
"I was so worried someone might climb through the window, or those Binyu Group women might sneak in here to attack you."
Unia vented her frustrations. She was lying under the covers, but not in pajamas—ready for any sudden combat in her travel clothes.
"You really pulled an all-nighter?"
"......"
"Sorry about that. What if you mess up the entrance exam because of it?"
"...I pulled one all-nighter, but I can handle the exam just fine."
Unia puffed out her chest, brimming with confidence.
"Something like an entrance exam? Even if I look like this, I've got first-year—no, second-year level skills."
She had good reason for that confidence. She hadn't spelled it out herself, but the original story's setting revealed it as "hiding her true strength."
RPG games love that fishing hook.
Levels might seem to grow exponentially from 1 to 90, but sometimes a character starts at around 50 and hides it down to 1. Unia was exactly that type.
As she said, if she passed the entrance, her freshman-level power alone would put her in the top ranks of the academy's students—second-year combat strength, way above average.
Of course, the same went for me. Everyone at the academy hid their strength, revealing it only to trusted allies or those who'd remain on their side after graduation. Conversely, showing a glimpse of that hidden power was a sign of trust.
"Miss Unia. Want me to help you out a bit?"
"Help how?"
"So you recover like you got a full night's sleep."
I raised my right hand, extending my index finger and summoning mana above it.
"Ever heard of hypnosis therapy?"
"First time."
Whoosh.
A red flame flickered to life on my fingertip like a candle. Unia was clearly wary of me, but her eyes betrayed a spark of curiosity toward the mana flame dancing on my finger.
"You watched over me while I slept, so I can't just leave it at that. Can't have you failing because of me, right?"
"That's..."
"You must have a reason to enter the academy this year. Same for me."
The original story had begun. Even if some plot points had twisted, the heroines like Unia enrolling in the academy marked the true start.
"So if I pass and enroll, but you fail because of me, it'd make my academy life seriously inconvenient."
"No, it's not."
Unia waved her hand firmly.
"If I fail, it's partly because I didn't manage my condition, but ultimately, it's the Binyu Group's terrorist attack. I'd just be caught in it."
"No."
"Huh?"
"You said 'ultimately.' Even by that logic, the root cause is me."
I couldn't explain in detail yet—the timing wasn't right—but separate from the original, I was the one who'd caused Unia to arrive late at this point.
Phoenix's descent. The blue mana flames from space had halted the train, so the primary responsibility lay with me.
"Let me take responsibility. Call it payback for watching over me all night."
"...You sure it's okay?"
"You were protecting me, and now you're doubting me?"
"It's not doubt."
Unia tapped her left wrist.
"Is the timing okay? We have to catch the dawn bus."
"That's why I'm doing it now."
I extinguished the flame, got up, and grabbed my coat.
"Let's head out in 30 minutes and catch the first bus. While we're riding, I'll cast a spell so you can sleep comfortably, even sitting up."
"Is hypnosis therapy a spell?"
"Yep. People mostly use hypnosis for bad stuff, but when used right, it massively boosts human growth, development, and even adjusts biological rhythms."
"......Ah, okay."
She replied like she was humoring a door-to-door salesman, but once she felt the effects, she'd be hooked after one try.
She'll feel like she's got more time than everyone else.
It might seem like just another spell at first. But after arriving at the academy, the sensation would be totally different.
She'll think of it whenever she needs it.
Hypnosis therapy. In extreme terms, it let you get the equivalent of seven hours' sleep from just one hour of deep rest.
She'll keep coming back to me.
She'd want to hand her body over to me for an hour, freeing up time for studying, part-time jobs, or late-night magic practice. Unia was diligent and kind, but ambitious about her grades.
"Let's go. Other rooms are starting to stir."
* * *
A short while later, at dawn. Dressed like when we'd arrived in the village, Unia and I stepped out. It wasn't pitch-black night anymore, but the sun hadn't risen to brighten the sky—it was that hazy in-between dawn.
"Ugh, does the train really come this early?"
"Heard there was some accident..."
"It'll come. Have you ever seen a mana train not on time?"
A crowd gathered in front of the station's still-closed main doors, chatting idly. They rubbed their cold hands with warm breath, eyes mixing excitement and anxiety as they waited for the doors to open.
"Hey."
One of them approached me and Unia.
"What are you doing?"
A brown-haired girl. She wore what looked like a pricey coat, but not noble quality.
"Aren't you heading to the academy entrance exam?"
"We are."
Supporting Unia, who was leaning on me and dozing lightly, I pointed to the doors just starting to open ahead.
"So why take the bus now?"
"The mana bus is too slow. We might arrive just a hair too late."
Nosy. And a faint whiff of scheming.
"Take the train with us. You newbies can chat on the way."
Innocently, it was goodwill. Cynically, nosiness. Calculated, it was a shallow proposal to team up early with similar backgrounds before enrollment.
Obvious as hell.
Glancing at her group, it was all girls around her age.
I don't plan on making enemies, but...
What to do? Extras didn't matter much unless they were key characters—
"...What're you doing?"
Unia yanked my arm and hooked hers through it in one motion.
"Let's get on the bus. Hurry."
"Hey."
"We're taking the bus, so you take the train. We have our reasons."
Unia shot the girl a look with her bloodshot, tired eyes and dragged me toward the opening bus.
"Ha...! You two, first time at the academy exam, right? That's why you don't know! Even one minute late and...!"
"Sorry."
I helped Unia onto the bus first, then shook my head at the approaching girl.
"Find another baggage handler over there."
"Wha...!"
Before she could get louder, I boarded the bus.
"......"
My eyes met the bus driver's. He wore an angular cap emblazoned with the Silverstar emblem, glanced at me, Unia, and the girl behind us, then—
Hiss.
—shut the doors.
"Young man, miss. Heading to the academy exam?"
"Yes."
"Train's faster."
"Yeah... circumstances."
I pulled a few coins from my pocket and dropped them into the bus's coin slot.
"For two."
"......You know it goes around the mountains, so way slower than the train?"
"We know."
"Still okay? Silverstar Transport rules—no speeding."
"Just go slow and safe. No need to worry about us."
I bowed lightly to the driver and supported Unia as we headed to the back.
"...Sigh. Worrying about money before the exam... tsk tsk. What’s the world coming to."
The driver muttered to himself, but I ignored it.
"You'll regret it! If you'd wanted, I could've gotten you tickets... ugh!!"
The girl outside pointed accusingly, face red, but her words didn't register.
"...You okay?"
"Of course."
I sat next to Unia by the window and whispered in her ear.
"See the staff moving inside the station?"
"......"
Unia squinted where I pointed.
"They're panicking, contacting each other."
"...The train really isn't coming?"
"Nope."
The train wasn't coming.
A single mana train costs a fortune.
Silverstar operated strictly on profit. Even if their direction had shifted, not to that extent.
"Miss Unia. Sleep on the way. This bus's end line is the academy anyway."
"......Mind if I?"
"Go ahead. Not like it's rude."
I leaned back slightly toward Unia and invoked the spell.
Red, Sun.
"From now on, Miss Unia, your body will feel as relaxed as if you're in a massage chair."
"......"
Unia closed her eyes gently, and I cast another spell.
Sleep.
A sleep spell. Forced, but if the target didn't mentally resist—
"......"
—it worked this easily.
Really.
She'd let her guard down enough not to resist my sleep magic.
"What if someone eats you up."
She wouldn't hear properly while asleep anyway.
Time to start, then.
The reason it was hypnosis therapy, not just hypnosis.
Swish.
I took Unia's hand.
Detoxify the toxins built up in her body.
Fatigue recovery. Mana enhancement. Toxin expulsion.
When she wakes, her body will feel completely renewed.
Very slowly, I channeled my mana into her body.