The Man with Hypnotic Powers Doesn’t Hold Back the Second Time Around

Chapter 148

After Colonel Seo left behind his final, resonant words and became a mound of earth, I found myself lost in brief contemplation.
I wanted to reflect on what I had just learned.

-Clench.

"‘Laws of Reason’… Did the one who sent me back in time endure all that?"

The part about my regression weighed most heavily on my mind.

According to his explanation, my regression was something that violated the very laws of reason.
The cost of reversing time solely for myself would be high—high enough to rip my soul to shreds.

But the fact that I was unharmed…
It meant that someone else, the one who regressed me, bore that burden for me. Every part of it.

The thoughts swirled in my head, growing more complex.

'Why would anyone go through that trouble to regress me? It’s not like I’m their kid or anything.'

Until now, I had sometimes thought of myself as little more than a plaything to some higher power.
But after learning about the "laws of reason"?

It was hard to believe they’d regress me just for a laugh.
They must be expecting something from me. Something significant.
——Perhaps, stopping the EX-rank Gate.

I was beginning to wonder about the intentions of the one who regressed me.

'Why leave it to me if they’re so powerful? If they’re already breaking the laws of reason, why not just handle it themselves…?'

-A smirk.

'Well, at least it works out for me.'

In the midst of all this uncertainty, one thing was clear.

The one who regressed me and I were in the same boat.
Our goals were aligned.
We were both resisting the catastrophe of the EX-rank Gate.

If that’s the case, there’s no need for concern.
Unless they plan to betray me in the end…

-Ding.

[Complete Hypnosis puffs its cheeks and grumbles.]
[It reassures you, saying, "Mom would never abandon you."]

'…I get the feeling they won’t.'

[Complete Hypnosis snorts confidently, saying, "Of course not!"]

Thinking of the maternal instinct that seemed to emanate from my higher skill, "???," I felt reassured.
There wouldn’t be any sudden betrayal after the job was done.

'In that case…'

-Tap, tap.

"Disciple? What are you so deep in thought about? Are you still reading the memories?"
"Yujin. It’s fine if you’re organizing your thoughts, but explain it to us too. We didn’t catch anything from your telepathic exchanges."
"Oh, Master. Kong."

After that long contemplation, my expression brightened considerably.

"Sorry. I was just thinking for a moment."
"Fine, but tell us what’s going on."
"It’s a bit complicated, so I’ll explain once we settle somewhere."
"Settle somewhere? Where are you going…?"
"——The sauna. You didn’t forget, did you?"
"……!!!?"

Anyway, this was the last thing I had to do for the day.
The rest was the beginning of the long-awaited, enjoyable Sunday.

Regression and all that? Pondering it now was pointless.
I could think about it after a kiss with my mentor.

"Y-Yujin? About that…."
"Haru, Winterer! Let’s go to the sauna with Dad. I rented out a really nice one just for us!"
"What’s a sauna?"
"It’s a huge bathhouse. We’ll enjoy the sauna with Dad, and eat boiled eggs and sikhye there."
"……!!! That sounds amazing! Sauna paradise!"
"Really, Haru Rice Cake… Well, I’m not opposed to it either."
"Are you okay with it, Master?"
"As long as it’s reserved just for us, it sounds like it could be quite enjoyable."
"Then let’s go! We’ve accomplished a lot today, so let’s make this a spectacular Sunday!"

I declared it brightly.
Today, we’d done something big, so we deserved a proper break.

"Yujin, I’ve got some work to do, so…."
"The Necromancer intel."

-Flinch.

"You’re coming, right?"
"I told you, bringing that up is low…."

Kong kept trying to dodge, but his blushing, mumbling expression was so endearing it was annoying.

* * *

We quickly wrapped things up and left the area.
As if nothing had happened.

-Bloop bloop.

[Complete Hypnosis shows concern, saying, "Master, if you’re done, please deal with this poor soul before she dies!"]

'Oh, right. The Necromancer has been maintaining that state for Colonel Seo—or rather, "??," all this time. Must’ve been tough.'

Not much cleanup was needed.
The Vietnamese Awakened just took back the nose-bleeding Necromancer due to her overused powers.
In other words, we hadn’t done anything at all.

"Then… General Kang, would you mind dropping us off at the location I marked in the navigation? It’s a bit inconvenient to use public transport."
"Huh? Dad, what are you asking of the General…?"
"Lieutenant Winterer, it’s fine. He’s my benefactor, so I should be glad to do this for him."
"General?!"

And then, well, it went smoothly enough.
The Vietnamese Awakened transported the Necromancer in another car.
We rode with General Kang, laughing and chatting all the way to the sauna.

There were a few things, like the sauna owner making a fuss asking for autographs…
Creating an unusual scene where the signatures of S-Class ranks 8, 7, and 1 were all displayed simultaneously.

Thanks to that, we got to enjoy the vast sauna all to ourselves.

"Dad, they say kids under four can go in together."
"Well, Haru is over four, so no."
"Dad, but you said I’m mentally immature…."
"Legally, it’s not allowed~."

-Cling. Whispering.

"Haru Rice Cake. Stop."
"But this is a chance."
"Ninomiya’s with us. Our real target is…."
"…Right! Dad, I’ll go wash up with Aika!"
"Alright~."

Bath time might have been separate for men and women, but…

"Then, Master, I’ll leave the kids in your care."
"They’re grown enough that I don’t need to…."

[But Aika, doesn’t this feel like we’re a real married couple? With two kids.]

"…Hehe. Leave it to me!"

Excited for the bath, my mentor, Winterer, and Haru headed to the women’s section.

"As for you, Yujin? Anything else, and I’d go with it, but I really…."
"The Necromancer intel."
"……Ugh. Fine, I’ll go, alright?"

Kong and I naturally went to the men’s section.

We were both men, after all, so there was nothing to be embarrassed about.

-Mumbling.

"I’ll just have to look into a future… one where things aren’t awkward with Yujin…."
"Sigh."

Kong seemed rather embarrassed by the situation.
But that’s just him.
It’s not the first time he’s been unmanly.

I ignored him and started undressing…

-Flash.

"This is it!!"
"Huh? What’s with the yelling all of a sudden?"
"Yujin, could you go buy me some shampoo from outside?"
"…Shampoo? There’s already some here."
"How am I supposed to use generic shampoo? Gross!"
"……."

This neat freak….

I clicked my tongue and turned around.
But I didn’t forget to check in on my friend.

"If you really can’t stand the idea of bathing with me, just say so. I’d be disappointed, but I wouldn’t force you…."
"It’s not that! Just hurry up and go!"
"Alright, I’ll be right back."

Good to know he wasn’t truly uncomfortable with me. Our friendship was almost in jeopardy.

I quickly went to the lobby and bought a bunch of single-use shampoo samples, the most expensive ones with the sweetest scent I could find.
Perfectly suited to Kong’s preferences.

And then…

"I’m back…."

-Cling.

"Sorry for sending you on an errand, Yujin."
"Huh?"

I found Kong wrapped tightly in towels.
What’s with him? Is he going for the full modesty look?

"Why are you wrapped up like that…?"
"I-It’s how we bathe in Vietnam!"
"…Really?"

-Tap, tap.

[In Vietnam, it’s common to use towels or light clothing in saunas….]

'Wait, that’s actually true?'

A quick search confirmed it.
No wonder he kept resisting. Guess he grew up in that kind of culture.

"Kong, ever heard the saying?"
"…What?"
"When in Rome, do as the Romans do. We’re in Korea, so… you should follow suit."

Of course, I had no intention of letting him off.

Why did we come to this sauna in the first place?
To bond. To go beyond just being close friends and become real friends who’ve seen it all.
To become so-called "bro friends."

What’s with all the towels?
True friends don’t need that stuff.

So I said, drop the act and take it off.

And Kong’s response?

-Clinging tightly.

"H-Huh? I was sure that in five minutes…."

He tightened his grip on his towels, backing away.
Holding his chest tightly, he pulled the towel down over his waist.

His panicked look was strangely cute, which was somehow annoying.

-Swoosh.

"……!!!?"
"Oh come on, don’t be shy. I’m already undressed. C

’mon, let’s go."

So, I playfully leaned in, flashing a mischievous grin.
Slowly, step by step, I approached.
It was the perfect scene for the line, "Show me your back."

In response, Kong, pale-faced, tried to slowly sneak away from me.
Until he backed into a corner by the lockers.

-Tap.

"Eek…."
"There’s nothing to be embarrassed about between guys, right? Hurry up and take it off…."

I reached to pull away his towel…

-Halt.

'Wait. He’s way too flustered for just a casual bath… Wait, could it be?'

I froze, my face stiffening as I sensed something off.

'There’s no reason for him to be this nervous if we’re both guys… Oh no.'

-Shock.

"No way…!"

The realization struck, and my expression quickly changed to one of regret.
I realized I’d done something truly thoughtless to Kong.

"G-Gah!? Did you… see!?"
"……."
'Well, actually, what I saw was what wasn’t there.'

My expression twisted as if I’d tasted something sour.

Kong’s outfit, with a towel barely covering his waist, now struck me differently.
At first, I didn’t think much of it, but…

'How small does it have to be…? Poor guy.'

By all rights, I should have seen… well, something. The male "symbol."
But nothing was visible.
The only answer was obvious.

My conclusion? Kong, that unmanly friend, was abandoned even in his lower half by fate.

"I’m… sorry."
"Um, Yujin? Actually…."
"I’m going to go wash up. Change and wait outside."

-Swoosh.

And with that, I turned on my heel.

…Look, I may be well-endowed.
There’s no way I could bathe together with him now.
Friend or not, this was a serious matter.
A point of pride, you could say.

If it was only a little smaller, I might’ve teased him.
But it was… clearly more extreme.
If I said anything, Kong’s pride would shatter to pieces.

No, I had to protect my friend’s pride.

"…You’re not mad?"
"Why would I be? Just go. I’ll forget about today. Hypnotically, if need be."
"Yujin, you’re… going that far for me…."

I made an offer.
To erase my memory of this with hypnosis.

Kong’s voice trembled with emotion.

"Yujin…."
"Now hurry up and get going."
"No… I’ll wash up too. With you."
"Huh? Hey. Don’t push yourself. You must be feeling—"
"You accepted me as a friend, so I can do this much…!"

He was actually willing to bathe with me.
Did he realize? That the essence of our friendship had nothing to do with size.
Washing up together wouldn’t weaken our bond.

"If that’s your resolve. Let’s go, friend."
"Yes. Yujin. Or rather, my friend."

-Pat, pat.

And so, we headed toward the bath together.
Heads held high.

"……."
"……."
'If I so much as glance down, it’s game over. No looking, no laughing…!!'

Grinding my teeth to keep from smiling.

This is friendship, in its own way.

* * *

A short while later, inside the bath.

"Kong. A serious question. What do you think women fall for in men?"
"What are you talking about? It depends on the person."
"I’m asking because you’re the only one who’d answer honestly. Answer based on your own experience."
"……Huh? My own… experience?"

'Based on his experience… does that mean…?'

An odd scene: a twice-married man consulting a single friend about love.