Chapter 17: Recalling Past Hypnosis, Broken Fingers Torment the Scheming Heart

Dizzy.

Why so dizzy?

What happened to her?

After Teacher Saiki snapped her fingers, Shizuku Sakurai’s body sat uncontrollably, her mind foggy.

What did that woman do to her?

Her limbs were numb, her body beyond her control.

Like her consciousness was trapped in a cage of flesh.

All she could see was the dull desk, her ears buzzing, no sound breaking through.

Only the snap of fingers echoed in her mind, looping endlessly, fixed in her skull, impossible to resist no matter how much she fought it.

Disgusting. So disgusting.

For the first time, she felt the rage of being controlled, unable to move freely.

Yet she couldn’t fight back.

Could someone help her?

She tried to speak, but her lips wouldn’t move, let alone her voice begging for help.

Suddenly, a sensation brushed her fingertips.

Her vision shifted.

No longer the bland beige desk, but a crumpled paper ball.

Her eyes focused on its surface, scrawled with messy words.

“Don’t move, you’re hypnotized. After waking, open paper.”

…Su Buyu?

Unsure.

But just then, she’d heard someone call her name.

Then, a bang—something opened.

Wind. Rain.

The wind brought clarity, her foggy mind clearing.

She could hear again—chaotic sounds flooding her ears.

No longer just the snapping echoing in her head, but a chorus of noises she could process.

Rain wasn’t just background noise anymore.

Droplets hit her collarbone, face, ears, the sensation exploding in her nerves, clear words replacing the grating snaps.

“Isn’t your hypnosis failing?”

It was Su Buyu, his voice laced with anger.

Was he confronting someone?

She had to help!

Her fingers tensed.

But they didn’t budge an inch on the desk.

She could only feel the numbing tingles, like sand trickling in an hourglass, maddeningly slow.

Damn it! Move!

She tried shifting her eyes, seeing Su Buyu surrounded by classmates.

What was going on? Why were they ganging up on him?

To her, Su Buyu wouldn’t harm others without reason.

But why?

She glanced sideways.

Teacher Saiki smirked seductively, the snap of her rubbing fingers striking her heart, infuriating.

…She understood.

When Renyu Saiki said “sit like a dog,” it confirmed her suspicions.

But what could she do now?

She thought, pondered, until she saw Su Buyu’s bloodied palm.

As her arm regained faint sensation, she slipped her fingers into her mouth.

And bit.

Blood spilled.

Pain surged through her brain, a chaotic wave hitting her nerves, letting her will seize control.

It hurt.

But it was temporary.

To move again, to help Su Buyu.

She’d endure.

While no one noticed, she quietly opened the paper.

“Saiki = enemy, kill her fingers, I’ll grab tube, get it, it’s the key to victory.

Trust you~☆”

The messy handwriting showed the writer’s haste.

But “Trust you” and the star were written with care.

As if all his trust was placed in her, Shizuku Sakurai’s lips curved unconsciously, her heart filled with an odd warmth.

…Strange feeling.

But… not bad.

Taking a breath, exhaling her turmoil, Shizuku Sakurai prepared.

While attention was on Su Buyu, she grabbed the white tube.

Then, feigning hypnosis, she slowly approached Renyu Saiki.

The closer she got, the stronger the nauseating pomegranate perfume, choking her senses.

That familiar numbness crept in.

In this state, a perfect sneak attack was impossible.

So she waited, staying calm.

She kept clawing her wound, feeling sticky blood flow, pain burning her heart.

She’d bide her time, like venom seeping into flesh.

Until her target’s guard dropped.

Until her smug breath caught in her throat.

Until that mocking laugh—then she’d strike.

***

“AAAAH!!! My fingers!! My prized fingers, broken by you!!!”

“Shizuku Sakurai! You… you… AAAAH!!!”

Unbearable.

Renyu Saiki writhed on the floor, face contorted, staring at her broken fingers, pain flooding her nerves.

She wanted to curse, to condemn, to scream at Shizuku Sakurai’s despicable, shameful act.

But the agony only let her roll on the floor, howling to dull the marrow-deep torment.

She couldn’t understand!

How… how did this happen?

How could someone hide so well?

“Shizuku Sakurai! You hurt my nephew, and now me, destroying my pride!”

“Why, why go this far?!”

She rolled away, distancing herself, then glared up, her roars like a wounded beast’s cry.

But all she got was a cold stare.

And one sentence.

“Because you hurt others. You hurt Su Buyu.”

Hearing this, Renyu Saiki burst into laughter.

Then, her smile vanished, mocking.

“So what? You think you’ve won? My hypnosis hasn’t ended. They still obey me. What can you do? Hurt your classmates? Become like me?”

Her taunts didn’t faze Shizuku Sakurai.

Before Renyu Saiki could command the students, Shizuku shoved aside those restraining Su Buyu, slinging his arm over her shoulder, leaning by the window to catch her breath.

“Yo, you okay?”

Her light tone and warm smile made Su Buyu chuckle.

He met her crescent-moon eyes, grinning.

“Fine, just took an elbow. Almost saw an orange helicopter.”

“Pfft, shouldn’t it be heaven?”

“When a helicopter takes off, it’s close to the sky. Crashing, you see the ground clear.”

“Pfft, haha, guess you’re right.”

Shizuku Sakurai laughed, sweet and bright.

Despite the gloomy clouds, relentless rain, and classmates closing in, the situation dire.

Her smile was like a springtime flower field, carrying a citrusy sweetness to his heart.

Su Buyu caught his breath, smiling faintly, plotting their next move.

Honestly, they were cornered.

The door was guarded, no way to break through.

A frontal assault wouldn’t work.

He had the Super Perception Potion, but it needed skin contact to maximize effect.

After that fight, she’d be cautious.

Old tricks wouldn’t work.

What now?

Find a way.

His eyes scanned the room.

Closed windows, ceiling fan blades, then Shizuku Sakurai’s white tube. His eyes lit up.

Got it!

“Shizuku Sakurai.”

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“You know about… choke play?”

“That? Sure, I know—wait, what?”