"You know, Mio, you really do get scared way too easily," Ritsu said, rubbing her head where Mio had hit her.
"Anyone would be scared by you jumping out from behind a corner with a mask on," Mio snapped.
"Come on! You so overreacted!"
"I did not overreact! You're always doing things like-!" The argument was cut short when the door to the club room opened and Yui, Tsumugi and Azusa entered. After putting their bags down, Mugi started making some tea while Yui sat down next to Ritsu and Azusa sat beside Mio.
As Mugi was handing out the tea, Ritsu noticed Yui staring at the large lump on her head but pretending not to. Sighing, Ritsu explained the cause. Once she'd finished, Azusa commented, "But you should have known what would happen, Senpai."
"But it really is true that you get scared really easily, Mio-chan," said Yui. "Why is that?"
"I-I don't know," Mio replied sheepishly, blushing slightly and avoiding Yui's gaze. "I can't really explain it."
"Have you ever tried exposing yourself to your fears to overcome them?" Azusa asked.
"A few times," Mio replied dejectedly. "But it's never worked."
"Ah!" Mugi exclaimed, causing the others to look up at her. She pulled out her phone and quickly left the room. She returned after a few minutes and sat down at the table.
"What was that about?" Ritsu asked.
"Oh, I have an idea that I think could help. I'm just waiting for something to arrive before I explain."
They continued club activities for about half an hour before Mugi received a call and left, returning a few minutes later with a book and a small metal box. The girls gathered around the table as Mugi placed down the book and box before asking, "Mio-chan, have you ever considered hypnosis?"
"Hypnosis?" the group parroted.
"Yes, my mother used hypnosis to help her overcome some of her fears so I thought we could do the same for Mio-chan."
The others traded glances with each other, not sure how to react to it, before staring at Mio. "W...well...I-I don't know," she stuttered in response.
"It's completely harmless, I promise," Mugi reassured her. "We just ease you into a state of sleep where you're a little more open to suggestion and we give you suggestions to help you overcome your fears."
"Well...I-I guess it couldn't hurt to try," Mio agreed reluctantly.
"Alright, then we need to get you comfortable," Mugi replied, looking around the room. "How about we move over to the couch?" Mio sat on the couch while the others brought chairs over to watch. "Now make yourself as comfortable as possible. Maybe take your shoes off and lie down."
"Alright," Mio replied, doing as she was asked.
Mugi opened the box and pulled out what looked like a really expensive gold pocket watch. Upon seeing this, Ritsu leaned in close and whispered to Tsumugi, "Hey, Mugi-chan, can I do this part please?"
Mugi gave it some thought before nodding and letting Ritsu sit in her seat in front of Mio. "Alright, so I'm going to be doing the..." she took a quick look in the book, "...induction."
"Ritsu, what are you-?"
"It's okay, Mio-chan," Mugi reassured her. "My mother said that once she got to know her therapist better, she found it easier to get comfortable and be hypnotized. So you should find it easier if it's Ritsu-chan doing the induction."
Mio looked unsure so Yui added, "Don't worry, Mio-chan. We'll make sure Ricchan doesn't make you do anything too embarrassing."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Ritsu replied, trying to hold back her annoyance at Yui's straightforwardness.
"Oh, okay then," Mio said after thinking it over. "I'll leave it to you then, Ritsu."
Mugi handed the watch to Ritsu and took a seat next to Azusa so she could watch. Ritsu held the watch out and began reading the simple induction written in the book: "Mio, I want you to focus all your attention on the watch and on my voice. I want you to follow the watch with your eyes as it swings back and forth. I want you to listen to my words as I guide you into a deep, relaxing sleep. Take a deep breath in...and out." Ritsu was so focused on Mio that she didn't notice anyone else taking a deep breath as instructed.
"Everything else melts away except for the watch and my voice. Feel your left hand becoming lighter and lighter, as if a helium balloon were attached. As it rises, feel your eyelids becoming heavier and heavier." Mio's hand slowly began to drift upwards and her eyelids began to flutter as she tried to keep them open. When her hand was almost as high as it would go, Ritsu continued, "In a moment, I'm going to say 'drop' and when I do, your hand will drop and your eyes will close taking you ten times deeper...Drop!" On command, Mio's hand fell and her eyes closed fully. "Alright, can you hear me?"
"Yes," came the response of four voices.
She turned to see Azusa and Tsumugi asleep too and Yui was looking at them in surprise. Somehow, it didn't surprise Ritsu very much that Yui was the only one not affected. "Wait," she said to herself. "If Yui wasn't one of them then..."
She looked around the room until Yui exclaimed, "Look, Ricchan!" She was pointing at the door. On the other side of the slightly ajar door was Yui's sister Ui, stood with her head down and eyes closed, a plastic carrier bag hanging loosely in her hand. She'd likely come to see Yui or Azusa and, not wanting to interrupt, had stayed silent but fallen under the sway of the watch.
Thinking quickly, Ritsu said, "Yui, bring her in and sit her down."
"Right," she replied and pulled her sister inside as Ritsu sat Mio up so Ui could be sat next to her. Looking over their entranced friends, Yui asked, "So what do we do now, Ricchan?"
"Isn't it obvious?" she replied, a mischievous grin spreading across her face. "We have some fun." She spent some time thinking things over before deciding. She placed a pair of cat ears on Azusa's head and said, "Azusa, when I snap my fingers, you will become a cat."
She snapped her fingers and Azusa's eyes slowly opened as she slid to her knees on the floor before placing her hands on the floor. "Nyaa?" She looked around until she saw Yui. She crawled over on all fours and began rubbing her head against Yui's leg, purring.
"Awww, you're so cute, Azu-nyan!" Yui squeed as she crouched down and began scratching behind Azusa's ears.
Ritsu was surprised it had worked so well. Another test was in order. "Mugi-chan, I want you to walk around the room like a sleepwalker." She snapped her fingers and Tsumugi stood, arms stretched out in front of herself, and began walking around the room. Ritsu was having so much fun messing with her friends that she didn't want to stop. "And Mio, I want you to-" There was a knock on the door and Sawako-sensei entered.
"Hello, girls, what are...you...?" She stopped mid-sentence as she noticed Azusa and Tsumugi's actions and the sleeping Mio and Ui.
Ritsu began to panic as Sawako approached Mio and got a better look at her. "Uh, Sawa-chan...Mio was just, uh-"
"Hypnotized?" Sawako replied without missing a beat.
"Hypnotized, yeah, she was...wait. How did you know?"
"Oh, I went to a stage show with some friends when we were in the light music club. I didn't volunteer but I watched and I remember my friends going out just like Mio-chan and Ui-chan are. But I have to ask, why are they hypnotized?"
"Uh, well..."
"We were helping Mio-chan overcome her fears but Mugi-chan, Azu-nyan and Ui were hypnotized too so Ricchan wanted to have some fun," Yui said, summing up the whole situation rather quickly and efficiently.
"Just don't get too carried away. I remember having such fun messing with the triggers my friends were given and I didn't want to stop. But I didn't want to jeopardize our friendship so I did stop."
"What kind of things did you make them do?" Ritsu asked.
"Well, things like this." Her lips formed a sly smile as she turned to Mio. "Mio-chan, I am now your master and you must obey all commands I give you without question. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Master, I understand," Mio replied in a dull monotone.
"Good. I want you to go change into a maid uniform and return here for inspection."
"Yes, Master." Mio's eyes opened half way as she stood and walked robotically to the storeroom.
Ritsu stood, mouth agape as Sawako turned back to her. "It's okay to have a little fun but don't keep them under too long or go too far with your orders."
"We won't," Ritsu replied. Mio returned a minute or so later in the maid uniform and stood at attention. Normally, she would be blushing furiously, maybe even crying, but her face showed no emotion whatsoever. Ritsu walked around Mio, getting a closer look at her entranced friend. Mio stood perfectly still with her arms at her side, glazed over eyes half closed and mouth slightly open.
"Smile, Mio-chan," Sawako commanded as she took out a camera.
"Yes, Master," Mio replied as a smile spread slowly and awkwardly on her's lips in a manner that reminded Ritsu of a movie she'd seen once. Sawako immediately began taking pictures from various angles since she knew she'd never get another chance like this. Once she was done, she put the camera away.
"You just happened to have that camera with you today?" Ritsu remarked snarkily.
"Unless you think I knew you were going to hypnotize Mio-chan." She turned to Mio again. "Now, Mio-chan, I want you to serve us some tea and cakes," Sawako commanded.
"Yes, Master," Mio replied and set off to do as she was told.
Watching her go, Ritsu noticed that Tsumugi was still walking around like a sleepwalker. "Mugi-chan, sleep." Her eyes closed and she began to fall but Sawako, seeming to have known this would happen, was quick on her feet and grabbed her before she could hit her head on anything.
"You need to be more careful, Ritsu-chan. She could have hit her head and badly hurt herself."
"S-sorry, Sawa-chan," Ritsu replied, a little shaken at the thought.
"Anyway, isn't Ui-chan a little left out in all of this?" Sawako asked, her sly smile returning.
"Ah, right!" Yui responded. "Ui, I want you to make us something tasty to eat."
"I brought some snacks with me in a carrier bag," she replied sleepily. Yui picked up the bag, which she'd relieved her sister of as she brought her inside, and took a look inside. She'd brought quite a few cakes and other kinds of sweets with her.
"So that's why she was here before," Ritsu thought aloud.
"You're the best little sister ever!" Yui declared, hugging her sister, who smiled slightly. "Okay! I want you to go and help Mio-chan serve the tea and snacks."
"Yes, Big Sis." Ui did as she was told, leaving Yui, Ritsu and Sawako with the entranced Tsumugi. Her expression matched Mio's and Ritsu thought about what to do with her.
"Mugi-chan, I want you to bow down and worship me like an idoaaaargh!" Ritsu suddenly found her cheek being pulled fiercely by Sawako.
"That's taking it too far, Miss Tainaka," she said in a tone that told Ritsu that she should stop or she'd be in a lot of trouble. She nodded to the best of her ability and Sawako let her go.
Rubbing her cheeks, an idea suddenly came to Ritsu. "I'm sorry, Sawa-chan. Mugi-chan, I want you to give Sawa-chan a massage."
"Massage," Mugi replied, opening her eyes. She absentmindedly started groping the air as she stood and walked over to her teacher's seat.
She began the massage and Sawako closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling. "Does that feel good, Sawa-chan?" Ritsu asked softly.
"Mmmm, yes. Thank you, Ritsu-chan. This is the kind of thing you do with hypnotized friends."
"Well, you just sit back and let Mugi-chan's massage help you to relax. It must be so stressful being a teacher."
"Like you wouldn't believe."
"Then, let the feeling of total relaxation spread through your body. From your shoulders, through your chest, down your arms and legs, to the tips of your fingers and toes." Sawako could feel the sensation spread through her body like a nice, warm breeze had entered her body. "Taking a nice, deep breath in can help you relax even more, you know? You should try it, Sawa-chan. In..." She took a deep breath, "...and out..." She breathed out. "...In...and out." Even after Ritsu stopped talking, Sawako continued to take deep breaths as it really did help her relax more.
"Don't you think it's getting quite warm in here?" Sawako began to notice how warm it was and started to fan herself a little. "It feels nice when it's warm but I get sleepy really easily. Then I have trouble keeping my eyes open and my head keeps feeling like it's going to drop and I'll fall asleep." Sawako's head started bobbing at this point. "But it's okay to just let it happen sometimes, just let myself fall asleep. Sleeeep. Sleeeep." Sawako's head dropped and didn't rise again. "Sawa-chan, can you hear me?"
"Yes," she replied softly. Ritsu smiled, quite proud of her achievement. She'd sneakily taken out the book and looked for a verbal induction once Sawako had closed her eyes during the massage. Once she'd found one she'd made sure she spoke in a soft, soothing tone and adapted the text to sound less like an induction and more like idle chatter. Her plan had worked and she now had Sawako in her power. She looked over to see Yui at the table, being served tea and snacks by Ui and Maid Mio, who was still smiling awkwardly.
"Okay, Sawa-chan, Mio, Ui-chan, Mugi-chan!" Ritsu said loudly enough for them all to hear. I am your master and you will all address me as such. Is that clear?"
"Yes, Master," the four replied in monotone voices.
"I want you four to come over here and bow down before me," she said confidently with her arms crossed. All four walked robotically over to Ritsu, sat on their knees and began bowing to her. Ritsu threw her head back and let out a mock evil laugh as her friends and teacher worshiped her. "Muahahahaha! That's right; all will bow before me, the great hypnotic-!"
"Ritsu-san?" Ritsu froze mid-sentence as she heard the voice. Her head stiffly turned towards the door to see Nodoka standing there, a few papers hanging so loosely from her hands that they soon fell from her hands and scattered over the floor.
"Ah, Nodoka-chan!" Yui called out, waving.
"Y-Yui? What's going on here?" Nodoka asked in shock.
"Oh, Mio-chan wanted help overcoming her fears so Ricchan hypnotized her but Mugi-chan and Ui were hypnotized too then Sawa-chan came in and turned Mio-chan into a maid but then Ricchan hypnotized Sawa-chan too.
Nodoka took a moment before responding, "H-hypnosis?"
"That's right. And now Ricchan is-mmhmmm," Yui continued until Ritsu put a hand over her mouth.
"Ahahaha! Don't listen to her, Nodoka-chan. She doesn't know what she's..." she stopped as she noticed the hypnotized girls had shuffled over to her to continue their worship. "...ahahaha..."
Once they'd been woken up, Ritsu and Sawako were lectured by Nodoka and Azusa, who was quite upset at the betrayal; Tsumugi, who didn't mind as much, was drinking some tea; Ui was being comforted by her sister; and Mio, who had suddenly found herself in an embarrassing maid outfit, sat with her head down in a chair.
Once Sawako and Nodoka had left, Ritsu decided it was best to apologise. "Listen, guys, I'm sorry for what I did. I wasn't planning to do that but...I just couldn't help it when I had that much power. Can you ever forgive me?" Ui, Tsumugi and Azusa slowly nodded then everyone looked at Mio, who was shaking now.
"Ritsu, you idiot!" she screamed and hit Ritsu harder on the head than she ever had before.