Nanami-san immediately turned on the massager that had just been charged to check its operation.
“Hnn… the vibration is strong…”
“Well, it’s meant for massage, after all.”
“…How do I use it?”
“Just apply it to the spot where it seems effective… Wait, Nanami-san, not there…!”
I thought she was looking for a place to sit, but instead of sitting on the chair in front of the desk, she slowly sat down on my futon.
(I see, the illusion must be starting to wear thin… But I won’t fall for such an easy temptation…)
“…Could you show me how? On my shoulders or something…”
“Uh, w-well…”
I wondered if the battery was really being charged properly by Nanami-san’s skill, but the massager was working. It was running smoothly.
If this is an illusion trying to tempt me, I can overcome it by confronting it head-on—or so I believe.
“…Just a little is fine.”
“Y-yes… wait… what…?”
I heard the sound of my rationality cracking. Although I had thought applying the massager from behind her clothes would be enough, she voluntarily loosened her nightwear and exposed her shoulders.
Under the light of the lamp, her pale skin looked dazzling. But I had to face this—I couldn’t succumb to such an illusion.
“…Could you turn off the light?”
“S-sorry, how about just using the nightlight…?”
(Ah… no matter what, this is going to set the mood…)
I should probably resist the illusion a little more, but since she asked to dim the lights, I had no choice but to comply. However, with the room now dimmed, the atmosphere had become undeniably intimate, leaving no room for excuses.
“Okay, here I go… I’ll stop right away if it hurts…”
“Mm… ahh…”
I applied the massager to her shoulder. Even though I set it to a low vibration at first, Nanami-san reacted quite sensitively.
“…I-I’m fine… It doesn’t hurt at all… Keep going…”
“…Seems like you’re really tense… I’ll do both sides, left and right.”
“Fuu… mmm… right there… press harder… ahh…!”
(Here it is… This is the spot… but wait, I’m just giving a massage… this isn’t the time for that!)
――You’re strong enough, you should consider becoming a masseur or something, Beck.
Angelica used to order Beck to massage her shoulders or feet while they camped in the dungeon. Since she came from a high social status, she was unapologetic about bossing people around.
Perhaps my past life experiences are coming in handy. My mind was about to overheat from Nanami-san’s reactions, but my desire for her to be in top condition kept my rationality intact.
“That should be good for your shoulders… Is there anywhere else you want me to work on?”
“Fujiwara-kun…”
“Eh… whoa…!”
Before I realized what was happening, Nanami-san turned around, grabbed my hand, and I was pulled down onto the futon.
(W-was that self-defense training or something…? She flipped me over so easily!)
I hadn’t expected her to counterattack like this, but now I knew—this illusion was being used against me with hostile intent.
“…W-what do you plan to do…?”
Nanami-san straddled me as I lay on my back. At this point, it didn’t matter if this was an illusion or not—I felt like scolding myself for dreaming something like this.
Looking up from below, her chest was… pushing forward so much that it cast a shadow.
Her thighs pressed against my hip bones, but they were so soft that it felt like I might lose control. No wonder I’ve had dreams of being attacked by pudding…
“Since you’ve teased me so much, I’m going to pay you back…”
She held the massager as if it were a weapon, preparing to exact her “revenge” on me. But that’s not something you should use like a weapon!
“I-I wasn’t teasing… I was just fulfilling the requests as ordered…”
At this rate, I’m going to be defeated—I’ll be consumed by the illusion.
The heat in Nanami-san’s eyes… If it’s real, and truly directed at me, it’d be easy to just let myself go. But I can’t.
(There…!)
《Activating Skill ‘Fixation’—target’s spatial coordinates are now fixed》
Sensing a sudden killing intent in the room, I activated my skill ‘Fixation.’
They must have planned to finish me while I was distracted by Nanami-san—a black mist, like writhing tendrils, had emerged from the shadows and was creeping toward me. However, it was now completely frozen in place.
“…”
Nanami-san also froze just as she was about to reach out to me. Now, how to reverse the situation while being pinned down by her? To overcome this illusion, I had to choose my method.
(I’m sorry, illusionary Nanami-san… But I can’t afford to stop here…!)
◆◇◆
“Haa… haa…”
Illusionary Nanami-san was drenched in sweat, lying limp on the futon. Even though she wasn’t real, I couldn’t help but feel guilty, so I straightened her disheveled clothes, wiped away as much sweat as I could, and covered her with a blanket.
I realized that using the massager on someone immobilized by ‘Fixation’ leads to rather dramatic results. After releasing the skill, all the tension in Nanami-san’s (illusionary) body had been relieved, leaving her completely drained—it couldn’t be anything else.
But that was a close call. Without ‘Fixation,’ I would have been caught off guard and had all my magic drained by the illusion’s master.
