V3: Chapter 23: I Can't Lose to That Mind-Reading, Expressionless Loli, Can I?

Chapter 23: I Can't Lose to That Mind-Reading, Expressionless Loli, Can I?

—I'M TIRED.

I'm tired of constantly worrying about what others think of me.

I'm tired of feeling down about what others think of me.

I'm tired of feeling down when others dislike me, and shrinking back when they're angry.

I'm tired of being feared, being seen as creepy, being feared...

I remember the conversation from earlier.

"Oh, are you tired of being around people?"

"...It's okay, I'm used to it."

I almost laugh at my own words.

Me, who can see into people's hearts... used to it?

Don't be ridiculous, there's no way I could get used to something like this.

I just blurted it out because I didn't want her to worry about me.

In the end, I'm just wearing myself down... yeah, just wearing myself down.

I'm just wearing myself down, and I'm becoming numb to the pain. In my unforgettable memories, only unpleasant things piled up.

Then she appeared, someone I had never seen before.

Pink hair and a dazzling smile. Hidden within was an overwhelmingly arrogant and strong sense of self-esteem. Though outwardly shy and nervous... her true nature was indifference.

Ultimately, it was because she loved herself. Because she had absolute confidence in herself.

It didn't matter if her thoughts were read, or if her mind was being read. It didn't matter.

Her existence was the first salvation I had ever received in my life.

For the first time, I truly wished for something.

If only we could spend time together like this forever.

When I heard she had gone missing, calmness, sighs of relief, and despair all washed over me at once.

The joy of her achieving her dream, and the despair of having said she was out of my reach.

At least to prevent the world from getting in her way, I ordered the other Magical Girls to stand by.

If she was happy somewhere in the world, that was enough.

But she came back.

She came back.

Just the news of her return almost made me elated.

That's why it took me a month to come up with an excuse to meet her after sending that summons email.

But things couldn't be that convenient.

It's simple: she's cute, kind, and strong... so naturally, she's popular.

And she herself has changed, she's changed.

Probably, surely, it's because of them.

No matter how hard I try, I'll never be chosen.

Gracia, Tinkerbell, and even that succubus Lux were all far more attractive than me.

With my withered, slender arms, I was no match for someone as lifeless and uninteresting as a doll.

I had given up, thinking that if she was happy, that was enough.

But I was a little dissatisfied.

I understood her better than anyone, yet there was nothing I could do.

But now... I'm tired of desperately reaching for a wish that can't be fulfilled.

When I put everything in order and put the noose around my neck... I was just a little scared.

Not of dying.

Of being forgotten by everyone.

Even though I can't forget no matter how much I want to.

That's why I wanted you to engrave my existence, even just a little, into her life.

A tragic and heroic final act as the President of the association.

★★★

"Welcome, I've been waiting for you."

"Oh, so everything went according to your plan? Quite a novel excuse for losing."

"You don't need to believe me."

The door slammed shut. The Association President's room, a place only a select few Magical Girls are allowed to enter. This was probably the first time a man had visited since the renovations.

"You probably already know, but let me introduce myself. I'm Kaminagi Souichiro."

"...Squire."

The girl, completely natural, put the book she was reading on the desk and switched on the aroma diffuser. Despite a grown man wielding a spear entering the room, she showed no sign of fear—whether it was because she didn't care, or because she was simply not good at showing emotion, was unclear.

"My magic, [Thought Disclosure] dissolves and reveals thoughts."

"So you know what I want to do to you?"

"Of course. If used consciously, it can see even the deepest parts of a person's mind... their subconscious."

My heart is pounding at the thought of acquiring a Magical Girl with such abilities.

I can rebuild the company any number of times. With her power and influence, I could easily conquer a country...!

"It seems the rumored Association President understands things quite well to explain it to me..."

"Apparently, when explaining one's abilities, it's only when the outcome of a battle is decided. That's the usual procedure, right?"

So she's saying the outcome is decided? It seems she's already admitted defeat, as she seem quite intelligent.

I've already investigated and confirmed that she has no direct combat ability.

"You've decided to do something quite daring, haven't you?"

"If that Satellite girl is weakened, now's the only chance, right?"

"...Indeed, that girl has become weaker."

I was unexpectedly cheerful, and my words flowed more freely than usual.

My hands, which I must have clenched too tightly in excitement, suddenly went numb.

But what a sickly sweet scent... I feel like I've smelled it somewhere before...

"Even you, who are mocked as a doll princess, like aromatherapy... You seem to have a girlish hobby."

"It smells nice, doesn't it? I think the name is... Prunella vulgaris."

The moment I heard that name, a chill ran down my spine. Was it a bluff?

I felt my heart beating much faster than before, a feeling I'd just attributed to excitement.

"The 'External Enemy,' codenamed 'Prunella vulgaris'. You know its effects best, right?"

I certainly do know them well, because...it was something I used to make the captured Magical Girls obey me.

"Its effects, in mild cases, include a decrease in consciousness level and numbness in the limbs..."

The stuffy feeling in the closed room wasn't due to the room itself.

The door was closed to prevent ventilation.

"In severe cases, it causes impaired consciousness... cough, and eventually, you can't breathe, right?"

At first glance, it looks like a lily of the valley, but it's an 'External Enemy' with a head full of ferocious fangs. Its name comes from the fact that those who inhaled the poison in its pollen died as if drowning on the ground.

I turned around frantically to open the door, but it wouldn't budge. Why wouldn't it open from the inside...?

"...Hmph, this room is meant to lock me up... cough."

The gray-haired girl coughed, unable to finish her sentence.

Why?

I never showed any signs of targeting her.

And this is definitely the first time we've met...!

"You were on TV, giving a press conference... right? 

"Isn't a direct visual confirmation required...!! No way.... you..."

So she can even read the thoughts of people shown on TV?

Don't be ridiculous, that's beyond extraordinary.

If that's true, she could easily conquer the world──────

"There's no value in something like that."

I was...just... dragged into... your... suicide plan...

Don't be ridiculous...

"All I wanted was... the brightest star..."

My vision wavered, I couldn't breathe properly.

Eventually, consciousness fades, and thoughts are enveloped in darkness.

★★★

The tightly closed door burst open, as if it had been thrown out of that place.

I had thought you might come, but at the same time, I didn't want you to come.

I'm so tired.

"---What?! Squire, Squire... answer me...!"

The way you called out to me with such a desperate look on your face made me realize how weak you had become. The girl from a while ago would never have called out so desperately.

I failed to die.

That fact alone weighs heavily on my heart. All I wanted was for you to engrave my existence in your memory.

"I'm alive. But you've changed."

"Oh, thank goodness...!"

The way you hugged me as you said that, you had truly changed.

You had become so... weak.

Even knowing it would be a loss for yourself, you had started helping those close to you.

The "strongest" that had been perfected by yourself had gained more weaknesses.

"This is poison. In the back room..."

"Understood, I'll just tie up that Kaminagi something or whatever."

But the fact that I was included in those weaknesses was somewhat comforting.

★★★

Phew, I made it just in time...!

As I carried Squire to her private room, I thought to myself how glad I was that I made it just in the nick of time. I think I pulled off a pretty good play this time, even though using my brain isn't my main role.

There was a strange shadow on Squire's face... that's the only thing that bothers me.

It's hard to read her expression, so it's just a hunch, but... my intuition is usually right.

I carried her to the bed; her thin chest was rising and falling, so she was breathing. I could hear her breathing softly, so I don't think it was that serious...

Just then, I noticed an unfamiliar notebook on the desk. I rummaged through it, hoping to find something about this poison...

It was like... a suicide note.

It contained details about handing over duties, recommending the next association president, agreements with the government, and things to be careful of going forward.  

And how much anxiety and despair she must have carried with her life. Just as I was about to close it, thinking I shouldn't see it, I found a letter addressed to me.

I should have closed it immediately then.

What was inside was... something like a love letter, filled with her feelings for me.

"Did you... see it?"

"I... can I say I didn't see it?"

That's all I could say to Squire, who had somehow gotten up.

Even if it was pointless. Her emotionless eyes stared at me, as if seeing right through me.

"You see it."

"No, well... I'm really sorry!"

There's no point in trying to cover it up. It's useless to lie with words when she can see right through my thoughts.

"Did I... do something unnecessary?"

"There's no need for Satellite to worry about it."

The reply wasn't a denial, but comfort.

I should have known that it must be painful, having been born with perfect memory and mind-reading abilities, but I only thought I understood.

"I... didn't intend to tell you how I felt. It's unpleasant, isn't it?"

"Huh? Why? If anything I'm happy!"

"...Why?"

Well, of course, I wouldn't mind being liked by a cute girl. I can't be in a relationship like a couple for reasons that aren't religious... but rather sexual preference, but there's no way I'd be uncomfortable with being liked.

"I can't tell interesting stories like the other girls."

I don't think there's any need to compare herself to anyone else, but Squire is Squire. Besides, I'm not so weird as to enjoy chatting with someone I dislike.

"M-My expression never changes. People often say I'm a cold person."

At least I know you're desperately trying to protect the Association's magical girls.　　

"B-Besides, I can read minds, you know? Don't you think that's... creepy?"

"You'll know if you try reading mine, won't you?"

"I... want to hear it from your own mouth..."　

Watching her voice trail off, a slightly mischievous urge rears its head. Honestly, she's just too endearing.　

"Of course I don't think that, we're friends... right?"

She stared at me blankly, motionless. She's probably... reading my mind. There's no reason for me to lie like that.

After a few dozen seconds, she restarted, her eyes wide with surprise, before murmuring as if confirming something.

"Is that so...? I don't have to give up... hehe."

"This might be the first time I've seen Squire smile."

Apparently, the corners of her mouth had turned up without her even realizing it. She hid her face when I pointed it out, which was also adorable.

Even so, this might be the first time I've seen her smile.

"...Forget it."

"Eh, what should I do?"

"...Satellite, you're mean."

After that scene, that familiar feeling, almost as if it were inevitable, overwhelmed my body.

"And with this, it seems I've... fallen...?!"

This time, I hadn't forgotten. But the 'price' of using magic that I'd been putting off was catching up to me.

But this time the atmosphere isn't like that, and Squire and I aren't compatible...

"I know everything. It's certainly not good. Even so, I... have a plan."

"A... plan...?"

Just as there are substances with aphrodisiac effects, perhaps there are also items from the 'External Enemy' with a calming effect.

Contrary to that thought, what she pulled out was black... handcuffs.

"I... want to be of help to Satellite."

"No, surely you don't mean ...that ♡"

My thoughts were getting hazy, but this time I just had to wait a little. If I contacted them now, I could call Gracia or someone...

"Will you believe me?"

"Ah, yes ♡"

With her saying that, I couldn't say I didn't believe her. The feeling of the cold handcuffs on my wrists as I was pushed down onto the warm bed was a stark contrast.

★

The bed creaked under the weight of both of us.

Squire's body heat and scent, from where she'd been sleeping just moments ago, filled the blankets, and combined with the effect of the Lust Mark, it made me feel like I was doing something wrong.

—That's not right.

I should have just said, "It's not that I don't believe you, but it's a bit too early for that."

What's wrong with me, making a girl who was trying to kill herself just moments ago do this?

"Are you... excited?"

"Uh, yes...♡"

I tried to sound confident, but... Squire and I aren't exactly a good match.

It's not a matter of personality or physical compatibility, but rather my sexual preferences. She understands my heart perfectly.

For me, someone who's "already fallen", she's like my nemesis.

After all, no matter how much I resists, she can tell it's just an act.

For me, who secretly harbored a desire to be humiliated, this was utterly devastating.

"You don't have to lie, okay? Just trust me."

"I-Is that so...?"

How does she intend to subjugate me in this situation?

From every angle, it just looks like a consensual, friendly encounter (a euphemism). The only slightly abnormal aspect is that I'm restrained.

"I'm going to make it visible... okay?"

She lifts my skirt, revealing my lower abdomen and my Lust Mark. The pale pink lewd mark glowed faintly, as if to show its effectiveness.

"I'm going to press on your stomach... okay?"

She begins pressing on the area around my Lust Mark with her palm. It's a little embarrassing because of the location, but... well, it's not that bad...

While I was thinking such things, the timer beeped.

"That was 5 minutes. Okay, let's do 10 sets for now, okay?"

"I understand, but... what are you trying to do...?"

"Trust me."

With those words, I couldn't ask any more questions.

Her slender fingers continued to pat my lower abdomen. Sometimes she pressed, sometimes she kneaded... But for just a moment, I felt a twitch, a sensation different from before.

"Hmm, yeah. That spot's good... right? You have talent."

"Haha, it's a little embarrassing to have that read, isn't it?"

Although I felt a tingling sensation, the timer went off again, and I had a brief break. Hiding things was useless because she could read my mind.

This was a little embarrassing, but... it wasn't enough to make me surrender.

Then something strange happened during the 7th set. Even though she had only pressed my stomach in exactly the same way as before.

"Why... is this happening...♡?!"

"I saw it in a book. There are things like this, you know?"

The pressure on my stomach felt good. Not in a massage kind of way.

Wh-why... this has never happened before, is this also the effect of the Lust Mark? Or is there some kind of trick in this room? I don't know, but the sudden pleasure is gradually making me more and more afraid of the situation I'm in.

"It's okay, trust me."

"Eh, ah... yes ♡"

In the midst of the fear, like a kidnapped child... I feel an overwhelming urge to obey her words.

The next three sets were an unknown sensation. It felt as if organs I didn't know I had grown were growing inside me. If this was her secret weapon, she's quite the strategist.

"---Ah♡ Ha, haa...? My body... feels strange...♡"

"This is the third time."

The timer beeps, signaling the 10th time five minutes have passed.

For now, I'm sure I won't go insane and die because of the Lust Mark. Thinking this, I tried to ask for the handcuffs to be removed, but...

"Ah, thank you, Squire. So, that's the end..."

But what followed wasn't meant to signify the end.

"Then, let's do another 10 sets... okay?"

"...Huh?"

It was a statement meaning to continue 'this'.

This is getting out of hand, my body's already acting strangely.

Thinking this, I tried to tear off the handcuffs, but... they won't come off?

Why?

With the power of a Magical Girl, this should be easy...!

"These handcuffs are made from the material of an 'External Enemy,' you know? They're so strong you can't tear them off without Magic."

"Ah, wait. Seriously, no...♡"

"Don't break the bed...okay?"

This is bad, I really feel like I'm going to never go back.

My body is at its limit, my head is boiling and I feel like I'm going crazy. Ten more sets of this...there's no way I can endure it.

This time, I really can't, it's not just my usual pretense, I'm genuinely at my physical limit.

"Finally. You're truly against it, aren't you?"

But as if reading my thoughts, Squire resets the timer again. Seeing that, I feel the blood drain from my face. Any more, really, really can't.

"Now, I can truly win you over...right?"

"Ah, no, Squire. Really, no more than this...!"

"This isn't the end, this is just the beginning...right?"

"Gyuuu ♡"

The timer starts ticking, 4 minutes and 50 seconds remaining. And even though the first set isn't even over yet, my head is spinning.

Her fingers sink into my stomach, as if crushing it. Fear and pleasure prevent me from speaking.

My body jumps honestly amidst the overwhelming emotions, to the point where I can barely breathe.　

"No, really... please forgive me? It's okay, it's enough...!"

"Forgive you? Why? Well, let's try 10 sets for now. Shall we?"

"No, no... please... ahhh♡"

"This is what you wanted, right?"

Squile's clenched fist slowly approached my stomach, as if to show off...

───The rest is on .5 Chapter.

There's no way I can post it here.