School Caste and Mind Control App

35: Aira’s Runaway

When he returned to his room, Bunny Suit had disappeared.

She had said that she would not interfere, but it seemed that she only showed up in really important situations.

Haruyoshi… was the complete opposite of Double Suit in his actions. He had shown a kind of freedom that didn’t even care about penalties, but was it a difference in policy?

“I’m going to change into my pajamas, so get out.”

“No way. If you’re going to change here, I’m going to stare at you.”

“Is your motto ‘rebellion’?”

“It’s ‘kitsune udon’.”

“Why…?”

Even though he had just spanked her during the day, she could still act like this.

No, no one could ever fathom what was going on in this woman’s head. It would be a waste of time to even try to figure it out.

Aira’s pajamas were a pullover type with short sleeves. They were a light blue color. There was a button at the neck, but it was unbuttoned, revealing the valley between her breasts.

“Speaking of which, Tanuki, your mom calls you Ryu, huh?”

Aira said with a smirk as she lay down on the bed.

Ryugo was sitting in a swivel chair next to his computer.

The room had no particular features. A bed, a computer, a study desk, a closet, a bookshelf, and that was about it. The fact that Aira had made a bored face as soon as she entered said it all.

It’s not that he didn’t have any hobbies, but he had never thought of collecting anything he got into.

“Is it so bad to be called Ryu-chan by my parents?”

“It doesn’t suit you. You look like a raccoon dog. Hey, Aira, can you call him Ryu-kun too?”

“Stop it…”

“hahahahaha! Just kidding! Because it’s creepy!”

I let her into the house because it would be bad if she made a fuss at the entrance, but I hadn’t decided whether to let her stay yet.

My parents were initially suspicious, but when I told them she had run away from home, they seemed worried. They’re such good people.

“Tell me the reason already. Why did you run away from home?”

When I finally got tired of it and asked her the main question, Aira hugged her pillow tightly.

“That ba… um, my mom brought home another boyfriend candidate, and I got mad because I was tired of it.”

“And you ran away because of that?”

“No, that’s part of it, but the boyfriend candidate she brought over told me something.”

“Where’s the bathroom?”

“I’ll kill you.”

“Try me.”

“…He said that Aira’s dad is cheating.”

Ryugo couldn’t say anything after she told him with a serious expression.

A father who hardly ever comes home and only gives his daughter money.

A mother who doesn’t talk to him.

It’s such a cliche that even dramas wouldn’t use it: that kind of person was secretly cheating.

“How did that boyfriend candidate know about your father’s affair?”

“He heard about it because the affair partner is someone in the entertainment industry. Well, maybe an idol or a model.”

He’s quite the challenger, considering his wife still works in the entertainment industry.

Aira seemed to be getting angry and angry, and her eyebrows gradually furrowed.

“…That’s why I didn’t want to stay at home and came here.”

“This is the first time I’ve ever felt sorry for you.”

Her mother sees her as a tool, and her father isn’t interested in her at all.

No matter how well-off she is, she’s bound to get sick of it.

“By the way, how did you find out my address?”

“I had Makoto look it up, thinking it might be useful.”

She doesn’t even call him “Ma-kun” anymore. From her perspective, he’s a traitor, so there’s no need for them to get along like before.

Actually, I got chills when I realized she had investigated me.

Since when?

“What were you going to do with the information? Were you planning to do something to my family?”

“If I did that, I’d get arrested. It was just insurance, insurance.”

She seemed to be trying to evade the question.

I don’t want to dig deeper and risk stirring up trouble, so I’ll let it go.

I always knew she was cunning, but Aira is a woman who can’t be underestimated. If you underestimate her as just a powerless girl, you’ll be the one who gets tripped up.

How many people have been tormented by this woman?

“The reason you came to my house is because of the app, right?”

When I got to the main point, Aira raised only one corner of her mouth, revealing a sarcastic smile.

“Can you help me?”

“Depends on what it is.”

I could have rejected her immediately, but I wanted to hear what she had to say, out of pure curiosity.

“I don’t really care that my dad’s cheating. I mean, he’s a jerk, so I hate him anyway.”

Aira said that in an unexpectedly cold voice, then continued speaking.

“But it really bothers me that Mom’s trying to get me into show business.”

“So, what do you want me to do about it…”

“I want you to use the app to make Mom unable to defy me.”

It was a disturbing request, but it was a more peaceful solution than I had imagined. If she had told me to kill her, I would have kicked her out, no matter what.

“I’m not going to use the app for something like that.”

“Then, in exchange, I’ll do anything you want.”

Aira’s eyes sparkled bewitchingly. Behind her defiant smile, I could glimpse the devilish little minx who knew her own worth.

If it had been me a little while ago, I might have wavered, but now my head was spinning from everything that had happened.

Honestly, I just wanted to kick Aira out and go to sleep.

“So, what will you do?”

“I’ll refuse.”

“Why?”

Aira drew her face closer. Her well-defined features were so close that our noses almost touched.

I caught a whiff of a sweet, fruity scent. It was the unique smell of a girl her age.

“Hey… Tanuki. Then, what do you want?”

Her whisper made my earlobe tremble slightly.

My reason was starting to waver, but deep down I was still composed and didn’t show it.

Aira’s hand gently caressed the nape of my neck.

“If you tell everyone that you hypnotized me, Aira?”

“No one would believe you.”

“That’s true. But it would give them a reason to pick a fight.”

“If that happens, I’ll use the app to beat the crap out of you.”

We were at an impasse.

I hesitated to hurt a girl, even if it was Aira.

But if it came down to a situation where I had to do it or be done in, I would use the app without hesitation.

“Honestly, I thought you’d be more furious when you found out the truth.”

“Because it was actually kind of fun.”

I couldn’t sense any lies in Aira’s carefree smile.

“Listen, Aira.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“I’ll help you change your mother’s ways.”

“Huh!? Really!?”

“But in exchange, you have to promise to never treat anyone like a slave again. Never bully anyone for no reason.”

I was embarrassed to even say something like that, but it was the only way to stop Aira’s evil ways.

I had thought about apologizing to Koki, but I doubted she would listen to me now, so I decided against it.

「……………………」

For some reason, she remained silent with a troubled expression.

“…Is something wrong?”

“No, I was just thinking about what a raccoon using a hypnosis app would sound like.”

“hahahaha!”

Ryugo laughed out loud, then suddenly turned serious.

“You’re absolutely right.”

“So, how are you going to reform my mom?”

“You just glossed over my offer. I’ll think about a solution once I meet your mom tomorrow. I need to talk to her to get a sense of the situation.”

“I see. Okay. Next, where should Aira sleep?”

“On the floor.”

“I want this bed.”

Aira hugged her pillow and looked up at him with puppy-dog eyes.

She knew exactly how to manipulate people’s hearts. She was aware of her stunning beauty and had no qualms about using it to her advantage.

The effect was undeniable. Even Ryugo felt like giving in to her request.

Well—

“Move.”

Ryugo pulled Aira up and dropped her on the floor.

“Guh-huh.”

She landed face-first on the floor and let out a pathetic croak like a squashed frog.

—That didn’t mean he was going to give up his bed, though.

“What are you doing, raccoon!”

“I’m the one who gets to sleep in the bed!”

He stretched out on the bed, and Aira pouted.

“…Fine. Then I have an idea, too.”

He opened one eye slightly to see what she was up to.

Aira came over to Ryugo and lay down next to him, cuddling up to him. He could feel her ample chest pressed against him.

Confusion and excitement made him unable to react.

“…This is fine, right?”

Aira smiled triumphantly.

If this were the Aira from before… No, she would never have acted like this with someone she was hostile towards in the first place.

Ryugo quietly took out his phone and opened the ‘View Likeability’ feature in the app.

Previously, Aira’s favorability rating was ’72’.

He had thought that the maximum value was much higher than ‘100’, but if what Koki had said was true, then ‘100’ was the real maximum.

The results came in.

Likeability ’78’.

It had gone up.

Even if “neither like nor dislike” was ‘0’ or ’50’, a value of ’78’ was still quite high.

Aira, who was still hugging him, looked slightly happy, and her cheeks were a little flushed. It was clear that she was developing some kind of feelings for him.

But what had he done to make her like him?

I didn’t fall for you just because you helped me once. I’m not some manga heroine.

…Wait, there was one.

Her affection exceeded the maximum value of 100.

Now that I think about it, since I’ve reached Command Level 3, the consumption level for forced answers to questions should have decreased.

Let’s try it out.

“Why do you like me so much?”

I activated the app’s Command function.

The consumption level was 1. It can’t be zero, but it’s much easier to use than before.

Aira’s eyes filled with sadness.

“Why? Because Tanuki was the only one who treated me as an equal. Until now, everyone I’ve met at school has kept their distance from me in one way or another.

The girls either treated me like I was fragile or put me on a pedestal.

The boys either hit on me or used me to make other girls jealous.”

Aira rattled off her self-analysis. The consumption level was still only 1.

Her communication skills are terrible, but she looks are outstanding. For someone like her, the way people treat her must be frustrating.

That doesn’t excuse her behavior, though.

“I knew I was using them, and they were using me. I only started dating Makoto because it was mutually beneficial.”

“You seemed to be using him pretty hard, though.”

“Well, yeah. He wasn’t very useful. But Tanuki, Kouki, and Enka approached me without any of that. I was really annoyed by Tanuki at first, but looking back, I think I was actually enjoying it. He was the first person I’d ever met who was so openly antagonistic.”

“So, Kouki would have been fine too?”

“Maybe. But Tanuki was the one who really listened to me on our date. It made me happy, even though it was because of the app.”

“What’s the difference between him and Makoto?”

“Makoto was always trying to please me and walking on eggshells around me. Well, I was the one who made him that way.”

I asked three questions in a row, but the consumption level only went up by the initial amount. Command Level 3 is really efficient.

While I was thinking, Aira snuggled up even closer.

“Tanuki~ It’s too small, cuddle me tighter~”

“It’s hot…”

I couldn’t push away her smiling face, and I spent the rest of the night feeling restless.