But now, I understood.
If I’d acted purely on lust with Matsuri, Saika, or Emu—especially during their lowest points—things could’ve gone really bad.
“Yet the result is that kind of behavior… In terms of being indecent toward women, it should be the same. But your interactions with them don’t cancel it out—if anything, they push it into positive territory.”
“…Helping someone really is important, huh? For me, well… I get to do what I want with them as repayment for saving them.”
“Aisaka Matsuri was betrayed by her ex-boyfriend and abandoned by her family. Agatsuma, Saika, suffered violence from her own father and lost her sanity. Honma Emu was being stalked—one wrong step, and things could’ve turned ugly. In a way, Master appeared at their turning points and saved their hearts.”
My partner’s words carried a hint of pride as it conveyed this to me through text.
My partner were in such a good mood that it even used emoticons and kaomoji—though it was clear it weren’t used to it, which made it oddly endearing.
“Still, alongside goodwill, you’re also attracting malice… You can see the black threads, can’t you, Master? Those are layers of human hatred—a symbol of resentment toward those who use me.”
“Yeah, figured as much.”
“…By the way, there’s something else. About the pink threads—no one like that has ever appeared before. The threads extending from their names are an unexpected development too.”
Black threads and pink threads… That correlation chart.
The black threads coiled around me like a stalking tiger, and if the pink threads hadn’t shielded me, I’d have been swallowed by the darkness.
“Hey… Just hypothetically, if those black threads were to smother my name… What’d happen to the real me?”
“As I said earlier—you’d be devoured. Gone. Without a trace, erased from everyone’s memory… That’s why no records remain of past users who disappeared.”
Devoured and erased, leaving no memory behind… A shiver ran down my spine.
As much as I wanted to dismiss it as impossible, my partner’s existence in my hands and the complete absence of any records about the hypnosis app in the real world only fueled the terror.
“But those who were used… An inexplicable discomfort lingers in them. Maybe you’ve met one before, Master. Someone whose life I changed.”
“……………”
Occasionally… No, I have felt like I’ve seen them before.
A woman who suddenly spoke to me—of course, I didn’t recognize her face. But she glared at me like I disgusted her, then turned a questioning gaze toward Matsuri and the others… It was at a café, wasn’t it?
After briefly recalling the past, I continued.
“Well… Guess there’s a lot to it, huh? But even so, there’s something I wanna say to you again, partner—thanks for coming to me.”
“…Master.”
“I mean, yeah, I’m still all about doing lewd stuff, and that’s probably never gonna change… But it’s also true that thanks to you, I saved Matsuri and the others, and we got close… So really, thanks.”
“……………”
There was still more I wanted to say… So many questions left.
But since we could finally communicate like this, I wanted to take this chance to properly thank my partner.
“What’s up? You gettin’ shy on me?”
When no reply came, I grinned and tapped the screen.
Then—FLASH! The screen lit up so brightly I reflexively shut my eyes, letting out an embarrassing yelp.
“H-Hey, you…!”
“You brought this on yourself, Master. Teasing me like that.”
It flickered mockingly, practically burning my retinas—STOP!
“O-Okay, okay, I get it! Knock it off!”
Finally, my partner settled down.
“…I’m glad too, Master. Glad I met someone like you. You’ve been worrying a lot, but… Just keep being yourself. Though your choices could turn that dream into reality… Now that we’ve spoken, I won’t show you dreams anymore. So be careful from now on.”
“…Got it.”
“But well… In the end, it was your desires that led to these days. So maybe charging ahead on impulse now and then isn’t so bad… After all, you’re too much of a coward to just take a woman you like on the spot.”
“You bastard! Don’t just stab me outta nowhere!!”
I jumped up and slammed my phone onto the bed.
This jerk… Doesn’t know what I’m capable of when I’m serious! Next time I find a woman I like, I’ll… Ah, no—if I were to do it, I’d rather it be Matsuri and the others, now that we’re close… If they’d let me, like in that dream… Heh heh.
“That’s just fine for you, Master. A coward… but kind. That kindness must resonate with people like them.”
“Quit callin’ me a coward!”
▼▽
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT GADGETIZEDPANDA.COM
“…Huh?”
I sat up and looked around.
“Wasn’t I just… talking to my partner?”
I grabbed my phone in a panic—but only the usual lock screen greeted me.
No words from my partner floating on the display like before. Even when I opened the app, it was the same as always. The correlation chart hadn’t changed either.
“…Huh? Wait, was all that… a dream?”
The whole conversation with my partner… a dream?
It felt too seamless for a dream. There was no break in my memory, making it hard to tell where reality ended and the dream began.
“……………”
I stared at my phone, searching for any change. But nothing happened.
…So it was a dream. Logically, that made sense. Yet, part of me refused to believe it was just a dream. But with nothing happening now, maybe it really was an illusion.
“…Heh… Guess there’s no point overthinking it.”
Maybe it was a message from my partner.
I remembered every word of our conversation—how my partner seemed happy at my words, how I was happy knowing they felt that way. All of it was carved into my heart.
“If my partner was the one who showed me that dream… Well, heh, guess I should just keep living like I always have.”
That dream-like scenario could become reality.
It did unsettle me, but my partner reassured me—Just keep being yourself. That gave me confidence.
“Then again… Maybe that’s just me thinking what’s convenient for me.”
I chuckled to myself—just as my bedroom door opened.
“Coming in, Kai.”
“Sis?”
…What’s this about?
Now that I think about it, I was making a lot of noise while talking to my partner, but Sis never reacted… Even a little ruckus usually gets through the walls, but nothing? So it really was nothing?
“…Wait, a pillow?”
Sis walked in, clutching a pillow under her arm.
“I’m sleeping with you tonight.”
“…Huh!?”
After a beat, I blurted out loud enough to trigger déjà vu.
“Don’t shout. You’ll bother the neighbors.”
“Ghk!?”
The pillow she swung like a weapon struck my stomach dead-on.
The impact was stronger than expected, knocking me to my knees. But Sis stepped past me, picked up the pillow, and casually claimed her spot on my bed.
“Uh…”
“W-Well, this is just a whim.”
“A whim?”
“Yes… Even though I know it’s unnecessary, I just can’t forget how you looked this morning. Call it your worrywart sister’s nature.”
“ …………… ”
Her cheeks flushed as she fiddled with her hair… Huh?
Wait, is my sis kinda… cute right now?
“……………”
“So? What’s wrong? You saying you can’t sleep with me?”
“N-No… It’s not that.”
Then hurry up, she patted the bed.
She treated it like her own, which was so her—but that cuteness earlier… Doesn’t suit her, but admitting it does is frustrating.
It was still a bit early for bed, but for tonight, I figured it was fine. I lay down beside her.
“……………”
“……………”
Silence settled over us after the lights went out.
“…Sis.”
“…What?”
Oh, she’s still awake.
I glanced over—Sis was staring straight at the ceiling, avoiding eye contact, yet her silence felt like a demand to continue.
“Sis… You’ve always been on my side, huh?”
“Of course. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t be me… I can say with pride that I care about you that much.”
“……………”
“So… Seeing my stupid little brother looking so pained was unbearable. I was… worried.”
“…Sis.”
Stupid was unnecessary, but still… She really thought that much about me.
If what my partner said was true, then the nightmares that tormented me were already resolved. I shouldn’t see them again.
(Dream or reality… Who knows? But… Yeah. Right, partner?)
I braced for a scolding and patted Sis’ head.
“There, there. I’m fine now, Sis.”
“Hey. A little brother shouldn’t pat his big sister’s head.”
“C’mon, it’s fine. When else do I get to do this?”
“…Fine. I’ll allow it.”
Soon after, Sis fell asleep.
Curled up against me, she looked less like an older sister and more like a little sister—adorable in a way no one would deny.
“…Yawn… Guess I’ll sleep too.”
My eyelids still have the strength to stay open, but soon enough, I’ll close them and drift off to sleep too.
Yet in these fleeting moments, I find myself reminiscing about my partner—
Hey, partner… I’m not fully resolved yet, but… I’m gonna keep living the way I always have.
True to my desires, doing what feels good for me…
To become the ultimate villain I aim to be, I’ll keep borrowing your power from now on too.
(But… huh. Guess I really am a coward, huh? Yeah, a total coward…)
Having my sister by my side gives me more than just comfort, but the word “coward” that my partner threw at me echoes in my mind like a relentless voice… Well, that’s just like me, I guess.
Then again, if it were just me having these dreams, fine—but was it also your power that made Matsuri and the others share the same dream? Or was it because of that pink thread, binding us so tightly…?
(…Meh, no point dwelling on what I don’t understand.)
Soon after, I fell asleep.
And that night, I didn’t dream of being attacked by that black thread.
▼▽
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