Kiana swore an oath, declaring that Ye Feng would get what was coming to him.
Elysia giggled to herself. The little bug really was a pure and kind-hearted girl.
Under the setting sun, Elysia revealed a clear, bright smile.
The Pink Elf saw both Mei and Kiana as equals.
But the little bug didn't see it that way. She felt that Elysia was provoking her, issuing a declaration of battle.
"Alright!"
Kiana looked off into the distance, full of fighting spirit. "I'll show you just how I'm going to foil that dog bastard Ye Feng's schemes!"
She chased off in Hanabi's direction.
"Wait, Kiana—"
Elysia stretched out her hand, but before she could finish, the white-haired dumpling had already zipped far away.
"Hmm… just charging in like that. Does Kiana actually have a plan in mind?"
But if she just told that girl directly, wouldn't she just find it baffling?
After all, if she really was hypnotized, as long as Mr. Ye Feng wished it, she wouldn't be able to sense that anything was wrong…
Right, I should confirm the situation with Mr. Ye Feng first.
Elysia walked over to the chair. The man before her seemed to still be savoring the aftertaste, and Elysia subconsciously covered her own slender feet.
"Elysia, I didn't think you'd picked up the fine habit of voyeurism."
"Ugh… it was just a misunderstanding. The timing was such that it wasn't appropriate for me to appear, right…?"
"No, Elysia, your timing was perfect."
"..."
Elysia fell silent for a moment, trying her best to relax.
Then, she bloomed a smile as bright as a flower.
"Mr. Ye Feng, you're being improper. What do you mean, 'perfect timing'? Elysia will never join Mr. Ye Feng in bullying other girls. In fact, she will use her entire body and soul to stop Mr. Ye Feng."
"Hmm? That sounds familiar. Isn't it supposed to be 'Elysia will respond to you with her entire body and soul'?"
"Of course not! Mr. Ye Feng always does such… embarrassing things. The righteous Elysia will defeat a great demon king like Mr. Ye Feng."
Ye Feng chuckled. "But isn't it more likely that I'll beat you until you're on your knees, then drag you back to be my star-slave?"
"Would Mr. Ye Feng have the heart to do that?"
"It's not a question of having the heart or not, but rather that it's unnecessary. With so many NPCs, I can just slip into any of their beds, and they won't refuse."
"That's true. Mr. Ye Feng must have grown tired of playing with 'dolls' a long time ago."
"Oh?" Ye Feng shot Elysia an ambiguous look. She wasn't the type of girl who would say such things.
Elysia said, "In that case, why did Mr. Ye Feng hypnotize that girl?"
"I see. So Elysia was trying to get information out of me. You weren't sure if Hanabi was hypnotized either, were you?"
So that girl's name is Hanabi? What a lovely name.
Elysia said, "Mmm… Mr. Ye Feng, you play so unfairly. You know everything I'm thinking."
Ye Feng stood up from the chair, walked to the side, and picked up the black pantyhose Hanabi had just discarded. "Not at all. I haven't used mind-reading in a long time. It's just that the expression on Elysia's face says it all."
"Eh? Is it that obvious?"
"Here, put these on, and I'll tell you."
Ye Feng held the black pantyhose out to Elysia. She was dressed in a pure sailor uniform, giving her an exceptionally clean and clear look.
But Ye Feng had a preference for JK uniforms paired with black pantyhose.
Like Kasumigaoka Utaha, for example. Ye Feng had always lusted after her.
"Umm…"
Elysia, however, looked troubled.
Although she liked cute girls, the thought of taking someone else's discarded stockings, which had been tossed aside like a dirty rag, only to be picked up by a man and worn to satisfy his strange desires… she still felt a strong sense of resistance.
"If you don't want to wear them, then forget it."
Ye Feng tucked Hanabi's black pantyhose into his pocket.
"Huh?"
"What's with that look, Elysia? Don't be fooled by my appearance; I actually have a heart that cherishes beautiful women."
Elysia stared blankly for a moment. "Coming from Mr. Ye Feng's mouth, that has a rather peculiar feeling to it."
"You don't think so, Elysia?"
"...I don't know."
Elysia said, "Putting that aside for now, that girl just arrived, and you're already bullying her."
"Elysia, you've misunderstood. You might not believe this, but Hanabi made the first move."
"?"
"Sigh. I swear, at first I just wanted to give her a tour of the academy, just like in Date A Live, when the protagonist shows Tokisaki Kurumi around the school."
"But Miss Hanabi doesn't play by the rules. She started spouting nonsense about 'abnormalities,' the 'truth,' and 'interrogation,' and then she tied me up."
"I had no choice. I was forced to act in self-defense."
"Forced… Hearing those words from Mr. Ye Feng's mouth, why does it sound so strange to me?"
However, as Elysia listened to Ye Feng's explanation, she finally began to connect the dots.
At the beginning, Mr. Ye Feng probably only "suggested" Miss Hanabi's identity as a transfer student.
Perhaps because Big Duck Duck had changed, or maybe he wanted to try something different, but in any case, Mr. Ye Feng had only wanted to "play a game" normally with Miss Hanabi.
But Miss Hanabi was very sharp. She saw through the flaws in this world and captured Ye Feng to interrogate him.
As a result, the hypnosis was deepened by another layer.
It seemed she now perceived the "reward" as an "interrogation."
"Is Mr. Ye Feng absolutely sure he wasn't setting up a trap?"
"Well, if that's what you want to believe."
Ye Feng shrugged.
"Not at all. I was just teasing," Elysia said, looking at Ye Feng gently. "Of course I believe you, Mr. Ye Feng. Because you would never lie to me, right?"
---o---
On the other side, Kiana had quickly caught up to Hanabi and warned her about the possibility of being hypnotized.
"Hypnotized? Me? You're saying I'd fall for a cheap trick like hypnosis? Hehe, hahaha, what an amusing thing to say."
Kiana said seriously, "Don't underestimate Ye Feng. Even though his mind is full of filth, he's actually more terrifying than the Herrscher of Finality… no, more terrifying than an Aeon."
"Oh? Are you saying an existence that surpasses the Aeons exists in this world?"
"Yes!"
"And it's that guy named Ye Feng?"
"That's right."
"And this unfathomable being… hypnotized me?"
"Exactly. He's incredibly evil."
"Pfft— hehe, hahaha. Well then, I'm truly honored that such a powerful being would go out of their way just to hypnotize me. Haha, hahaha."
Hanabi clutched her stomach, laughing. Kiana felt like she was being mocked.
"Hey! Is it really that funny?"
Hanabi straightened up, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "Sorry, sorry. What's with the people in this world? Are they all this interesting? Aeon of Elation above, I may have truly stumbled upon a wonderful place."
Kiana's stubborn streak flared up. She put her hands on her hips.
"Fine, then I'll ask you this: why did you kiss Ye Feng?"
Hanabi answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, "It was just a method of interrogation… Hmm? Wait a second, you—"
Hanabi's gaze fixed on Kiana. "You seem to know the 'truth' of this world, too?"
"Eh?"