Sakura wants to be [ordered]

An ocean that felt like summer all year round. A vast, boundless sky. The gently blowing sea breeze wrapped around the body so softly that one couldn't even feel the annoyance of the sweltering heat.

At this moment, Ju Ji and the others were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, their goal being to head to an uninhabited island for a vacation. In reality, it was a minimalist version of a wilderness survival trip.

"It's so nice. The scenery here is truly wonderful."

If it were a fisherman who had been out catching fish for a long time, perhaps they would have developed aesthetic fatigue toward this kind of view. But for Ju Ji, this was the first time he had seen such a beautiful sight in reality. It made him want to take out his phone and record it.

Click!

But it seemed someone was faster than him; the sound of a digital camera shutter went off behind him.

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

"No, Sakura-san, you actually came at the right time. Could you let me see? I was actually thinking of recording this beautiful scenery myself just now. But compared to an amateur like me, it's better to have a professional do it."

The girl who appeared before Ju Ji, cute and as dazzling as an idol, was Sakura Airi. Until a few months ago, she was a social recluse who wasn't good at communicating with others. But now, she had grown into someone quite excellent.

"Is that so? Is Ju Ji-kun really that narcissistic?"

"Narcissistic?"

Although he had some doubts about Sakura-san's words, Ju Ji still took the digital camera from her hands and began to look at it.

On the railing of a luxury cruise ship, a young man with short golden hair looked out at the vast sea with a hint of melancholy in his eyes. The composition and the timing of the snapshot were truly perfect. It had to be said that Sakura-san's photography skills were indeed beyond reproach.

"Why did you take a picture of me? Such beautiful scenery, and you didn't even take a shot of it. You came to take a picture of me instead?"

"So, didn't I explain that from the very beginning?"

"Then go take a few landscape photos and copy them over to me."

"No..."

Ju Ji's request was naturally rejected. Very briskly, and her face even carried a mocking expression that said, 'What are you going to do about it?' There was no need to doubt that she was provoking Ju Ji. She was only doing it to achieve her goal.

"[Sakura, go take a few landscape photos for me.]"

That's right, this was what Sakura-san wanted Ju Ji to do. It was to use Hypnosis to command her. It seemed that ever since Ju Ji saved Sakura-san from a stalker, she had grown fond of this feeling of losing control of her body. According to her, she still had her own consciousness while being controlled.

Under Ju Ji's command, Sakura took on a hollow gaze. She picked up the digital camera and seemed to be carefully choosing a suitable spot to take photos. Immediately after, with a few clicks, the photography task was completed.

Afterward, Ju Ji took the digital camera from her hands, looked at it for a few moments, and revealed a satisfied expression. He would copy these landscape photos out, make them into posters, and hang them in his dorm room when he got back.

"Sakura, let me borrow the digital camera for a bit. The scenery shots are great. Bye."

"Wait, Ju Ji is really cunning. Leaving a cute girl who has been hypnotized all alone on the deck like this, aren't you afraid something might happen?"

Originally, the target of the [Hypnosis Lv2] skill had a ten-minute window of being controlled, and they wouldn't wake up unless they were subjected to strong stimulation. But the situation with the girl in front of him was completely different.

"As expected, Sakura, you've already become able to decide for yourself when to take back control of your body, haven't you? Since that's the case, there's nothing to worry about, right?"

"Ah, I've been exposed. So Ju Ji-kun was testing me. I'm so heartbroken."

"You don't look heartbroken at all."

The reason why a person who has been hypnotized usually cannot wake up automatically is that they have no consciousness of their own. So, if a person has self-awareness while being hypnotized, isn't it only natural that they can control the time they wake up at will?

He didn't know if Sakura was an exception or if everyone was like this, but Ju Ji was more inclined toward the former. Even if it were the latter, it didn't matter; he wasn't that dependent on this skill anyway. In fact, the success rate of using it on others was so low that it was completely useless.

"Speaking of which, Sakura, why did you suddenly run over here? Is it okay not to be playing with your friends?"

That's right, after changing her image, Sakura had also successfully made a few friends besides Ju Ji and Kikyo. Logically speaking, at this time, she should be on the front deck, making noise and playing together with someone like Ike-kun.

"Everyone is very generous. Because I couldn't see Ju Ji-kun, I felt a little worried, so I came over to check."

"Well, now that you see I'm safe and sound, you can go back."

"How heartless! Hey, how about one more time, just one last time?"

"So this really was your true purpose... [Sakura, go back to the front deck for me.]"

He didn't know if something was broken in Sakura, but she actually liked being hypnotized and controlled. However, in order to enjoy his rare private time in peace, Ju Ji still satisfied Sakura-san's request. The progress bar for his Hypnosis skill proficiency had gone up a little bit; he believed it would reach Lv3 soon.

"I should go back too."

After being interrupted by Sakura-san, Ju Ji found that he no longer had the mood to enjoy this quiet private time. He felt a little lonely, so he decided to return to the main group.

"What a wonderful view, I'm truly moved."

The girls' group led by Karuizawa appeared from inside the ship. They showed full smiles and pointed at the sea. It seemed they had been conquered by the charm of the ocean. This was only natural, as Ju Ji had been the same way at the beginning.

Having survived the difficult final exams, they had welcomed the summer vacation. Waiting for them was a two-week luxury trip prepared by Advanced Nurturing High School.

This strange feeling of sweetness after bitterness was an ultimate enjoyment that one couldn't refuse. This blue ocean also washed away much of their frustration.

"I really didn't expect that we high school students could travel on a luxury cruise ship."

Before he knew it, Kikyo had come to his side. She said to him with an infatuated smile on her face.

"Yeah, this is a service that ordinary people can't enjoy. Perhaps this is the benefit provided by our school."

Looking at the exterior of this cruise ship alone, not to mention the first-class restaurants, theaters, high-end spas, and other services, everything was very comprehensive. It was a luxury trip that ordinary people couldn't even imagine.

But Kikyo, could you please move a little further away from me for now? At this distance, Ju Ji felt like he could see the eyes of the other guys around them starting to spit fire...