Quietly, I opened the door to the changing room without making much noise—the light was still on, and the room was filled with a sweet scent.
(What is this… it’s not alcohol… but something else…)
A slight tickle in my nostrils prompted me to make a decision—should I continue inhaling this scent?
《Skill ‘Fixation’ activated. The spatial coordinates of the object are fixed.》
I compressed the fixed gas—what would happen if I removed only this scent from the air? The pressure in the room slightly decreased, and outside air started flowing in.
《Contents of the chip: Water Spirit’s Fragrance ×1》
Only part of the compressed gas was deemed usable—maybe it had something to do with the gas concentration.
(A Water Spirit… I’m getting closer to the answer behind the illusionist…)
I took off my socks, went barefoot, and opened the door leading to the bathroom. There stood someone in front of the large hinoki wood bathtub—Akizuki-san.
“You made it all the way here… impressive. Should I say that?”
“Th-this is going too far, even if it’s an illusion…”
Akizuki-san was wearing nothing but a towel—barely hanging on, as if it could fall off with the slightest movement, yet she didn’t seem to care as she stared at me.
“Illusion…? There’s no point in pretending to be clueless now. Since you figured it out from the beginning, have you experienced something like this before?”
“Well, you could say that.”
It was a memory from my previous life as Beck—I had once been trapped by an illusion cast by a demon disguised as an innkeeper, struggling all night to escape.
“By the time you got here, it was already over, so I’ll reveal the trick. The medium for this illusion is my familiar… that creature you guys named Rin. It’s not something that can easily be captured, so how did you do it?”
“…It attacked me, so I just defended myself.”
“So, you were just lucky. That child specializes in speed, and is never supposed to get caught.”
I had used ‘Fixation’ to stop Rin, thus meeting the capture conditions. But if bringing Rin back had allowed whoever was controlling Akizuki-san to slip in, that was my mistake.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been inside this child from the start. You mentioned the ‘Dungeon of the Cove,’ right? I snuck in there and have been storing magic to manifest. Don’t you think it’s kind of adorable?”
“Let Akizuki-san go.”
“You arriving here was perfect timing for my magic recovery. The best way to generate the kind of magic I like is by exciting a man’s emotions.”
“So, you made me see illusions of everyone. Really… you’ve done it now. There’s no way they would do such things, yet you had your way with them…”
“You think they wouldn’t? Maybe you’re wrong. After all, people only show one side of themselves to others.”
Talking further would be pointless—we needed to get this thing out of Akizuki-san’s body as soon as possible.
“Most men, when I cast illusions on them like this, eventually sink into the pleasures of the dream, even if they are suspicious at first.”
“I didn’t sink, which is why I’m here. If you break the illusion and leave, that’s fine, but if not…”
“Hahaha… That look in your eyes… like you’re so sure you’re right. Men like you are the most satisfying to break. Go ahead, resist all you like…!”
As Akizuki-san spread her arms, several columns of water rose from the bathtub—they looked like serpents made of water, each brimming with strong magic.
“A water-based technique, huh…”
“You shouldn’t have come here on your own. If you want to counter shapeless water, the only way is to blow it all away in one shot… but I doubt you have such a method. Even if you did, you can’t use any skills right now.”
Of course—if I had mindlessly inhaled that scent earlier, it would’ve been over then. It must’ve been some fragrance that sealed skills.
“You’re well-prepared… You must think highly of me?”
“How many seconds do you think you can last before that confident look disappears? Serpents of Chaos—Serpent Rave…!”
The water serpents rushed toward me—if I couldn’t use any physical means against them, I wouldn’t stand a chance.
But that’s only if I couldn’t use my skills.
《Skill ‘Fixation’ activated. The spatial coordinates of the objects are fixed.》
The five water serpents froze in place. Before them, Akizuki-san—or rather, the creature possessing her—blinked in disbelief.
‘…How are you… able to use skills?’
Even without moving her mouth, I heard her voice in my head—this must be the voice of the creature itself.
“I didn’t breathe in the scent that was filling the changing room.”
‘Oh, so you used that skill to capture my familiar? I see… by the way, I can’t move this body at all…’
“Can’t you make it move with your illusion? If not, it’s checkmate.”
‘Grr… L-let’s negotiate. I intended to take control of this dorm, but I’ll settle for occasionally absorbing the magic of the other students. The magic from kids this age is the best, and in exchange, I can offer you all something very nice.’
“What exactly?”
I had a feeling what she’d say—but the creature possessing Akizuki-san said it with a serious expression.
‘I’ll show you steamy dreams and use them to help deepen your relationships… Ah! N-no, stop! Even if this is an illusion, I look like Akizuki Sumi! You can’t… do such terrible things…!’
“I’d like to get some sleep and prepare for tomorrow, so I’ll put you to sleep too.”
‘Ahhhh… No! T-Tsukasa-kun, please… as the dorm supervisor, I… Ahhhhh…!’
The creature was desperately trying to keep up the illusion of being Akizuki-san, but I wasn’t deceived—I used the remaining power from a massage device to trap the creature.
“Huff… Alright, I surrender. I’ll never disobey you, Fujimura Tsukasa-sama…”
“Really? You’re not planning anything else, right?”
“I swear, I swear…!”
《Capture conditions for the creature have been met.》
‘How… How could I be captured in such a way…! In places with water, no one can defeat me…!’
Without saying anything, a mist-like substance left Akizuki-san’s body and transformed into a woman-like figure made of water.
“So, this is what a ‘Water Spirit’ looks like… even though I captured you, I can’t just let you go in this form. You’re a monster after all, and if anyone sees you, it’ll be a problem.”
“If you have an aquarium, I could live in that… or even the bath, though it might be inconvenient for me to stay there permanently.”
“…I’m starting to feel a little sorry for you, but you still need to take responsibility for what you’ve done.”
“Yes. Then… the illusion should be fading soon…”
As the Water Spirit spoke, the scenery began to distort—the dream was coming to an end.
I was concerned about Akizuki-san, who had collapsed, but since this was a dream, everything would vanish once it was over. It had been a very long night.
◆◇◆
Light streamed in through the gap in the curtains.
“Nyaaan.”
I woke up as something licked my cheek—I remembered everything from the dream, but considering what had happened to the dorm members, I should probably put it behind me.
“…Oh.”
After getting dressed, I walked into the living room and found Nanami-san there.
“G-good morning.”
“…”
“What’s wrong, Nanami-san?”
Her face gradually turned red, and she quickly fled toward the kitchen.
Next, Kashino-senpai and Amagi-senpai entered the living room from the hallway of the west wing.
“Good morning, senpai.”
“G-good morning…”
“…It must have been a dream, but… that feeling of having my wrists tied…”
“…Huh?”
“N-no, it’s nothing. Nothing at all, underclassman.”
“I suppose it’s because you came here… Ah, no, that sounds mean… Ugh, I just want to move around and clear my head. Ako, let’s go practice.”
“Y-yes… That sounds good. Underclassman, would you like to join us?”
