Sakura Airi Wants to Be [Ordered]

The ocean was like summer all year round. The sky stretched endlessly overhead, and a gentle sea breeze wrapped around them, keeping the heat at bay.

Ju Ji and the others were currently in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Their destination was an uninhabited island where they would spend their vacation. In reality, it was a bare-bones wilderness survival trip.

"Wonderful. The scenery here is incredible."

Fishermen who spent long stretches out at sea might have grown tired of the view. But Ju Ji had never seen anything so beautiful in person before. He couldn't help wanting to take out his phone and capture it.

Click!

But someone seemed to have moved faster than he had. A digital camera shutter sounded behind him.

"Sorry, Ju Ji. I couldn't help taking a picture when I saw such a beautiful scene. Did I disturb you?"

"No, Sakura, you actually came at just the right time. Could I take a look? I was just thinking of capturing this beautiful scenery myself. But a professional would do a better job than an amateur like me."

The cute girl standing before Ju Ji, who looked as dazzling as an idol, was Sakura Airi. Just a few months ago, she had been a socially anxious girl who struggled to communicate with others. But she had grown into someone quite remarkable.

"Really? I didn't know you were so narcissistic, Ju Ji."

"Narcissistic?"

Though he was a little confused by Sakura's words, Ju Ji took the digital camera from her and looked at the pictures.

On the railing of a luxury cruise ship stood a blond young man, his gaze tinged with melancholy as he looked out over the vast sea. The composition and timing were perfect. He had to admit Sakura's photography skills were excellent.

"Why did you take a picture of me? The scenery is so beautiful, and you chose to photograph me?"

"Didn't I already explain that?"

"Then take a few pictures of the scenery and copy them over to me."

"No..."

Sakura rejected Ju Ji's request without a moment's hesitation. She even wore a mocking expression, as if to say, "What are you going to do about it?" There was no doubt she was provoking him. She just wanted him to do what she wanted.

[Sakura, go take a few pictures of the scenery.]

That was exactly what Sakura wanted Ju Ji to do: use Hypnosis to give her a command. It seemed that ever since Ju Ji had rescued her from a stalker, she had come to enjoy the feeling of losing control of her body. According to her, she remained conscious while under his control.

At Ju Ji's command, Sakura picked up the digital camera with a vacant look in her eyes and seemed to carefully choose the best spots for taking pictures. A few clicks later, the task was done.

Ju Ji took the camera from her and glanced through the pictures, looking pleased. He'd copy these scenic shots, turn them into posters, and hang them in his dorm when he got back.

"Sakura, let me borrow your camera. The scenery came out great. See you."

"Wait, Ju Ji, that's really mean of you. You're just going to leave a cute, hypnotized girl alone on the deck? Aren't you worried something might happen?"

Normally, someone under the effect of the Hypnosis Lv2 skill would remain under control for ten minutes. They wouldn't wake up unless they experienced a strong stimulus. But the girl before him was a completely different case.

"Looks like you can decide for yourself when to take back control of your body now, Sakura. If so, there's nothing to worry about."

"Ah, you figured it out. So you were testing me, Ju Ji? I'm heartbroken."

"You don't look heartbroken at all."

The reason a hypnotized person couldn't wake up on their own was that they had no consciousness. So if someone remained conscious while hypnotized, it only made sense that they could choose when to wake themselves up.

Ju Ji had no idea whether Sakura was an exception or whether it worked that way for everyone. He was inclined to think she was an exception. Either way, it didn't matter. He didn't rely much on the skill in the first place. It was practically useless, since it rarely worked on other people.

"By the way, Sakura, what brought you over here? Is it okay to leave your friends and come alone?"

After changing her image, Sakura had managed to make a few friends besides Ju Ji and Kikyo. By all rights, she should have been playing and laughing on the front deck with someone like Ike.

"Everyone's very understanding. I couldn't see you, Ju Ji, so I got a little worried and came to check on you."

"Now that you've seen I'm fine, you can go back."

"How cold! Come on, one more time. Just one last time, okay?"

"I knew that was what you really wanted... [Sakura, go back to the front deck.]"

Ju Ji wondered if something was wrong with Sakura for her to enjoy being hypnotized and controlled. But, wanting to enjoy what little private time he had in peace, he granted her request. The progress bar for his Hypnosis skill ticked up again. It would probably reach Lv3 soon.

"I should head back, too."

After Sakura interrupted him, Ju Ji found he no longer felt like enjoying his quiet time alone. He felt a little lonely, so he decided to return to the group.

"What a wonderful view. I'm so moved!"

The group of girls led by Karuizawa came out from inside the ship. They were all smiling as they pointed at the sea, seemingly captivated by its beauty. It was only natural—Ju Ji had felt the same way at first.

After overcoming all kinds of difficulties, they'd made it through their final exams and welcomed summer vacation. Ahead of them was a two-week luxury trip prepared by Advanced Nurturing High School.

The strange sweetness that came after hardship was an irresistible pleasure. The deep blue sea swept away much of their pent-up frustration.

"I never thought we'd get to travel on a luxury cruise ship while we were still in high school."

At some point, Kikyo had come up beside him. She spoke with an enchanted smile on her face.

"Yeah. This is the kind of service ordinary people can't enjoy. Maybe it's a perk our school gives us."

The ship's amenities were first-rate. It had a fancy restaurant, a theater, a luxury spa, and plenty more. It was the kind of extravagant trip ordinary people could hardly imagine.

But Kikyo, could you give me a little space? At this distance, Ju Ji could practically see the other guys' eyes around him starting to blaze...