Hypnosis and brainwashing.

In Sophia’s world, these were tools used for interrogation.

Sophia herself had used them a few times on extremist beastfolk.

That’s why one of the things that surprised her upon arriving on Earth was hypnosis.

Earthlings used hypnosis as a method to heal people’s minds.

Through a psychological treatment method known as hypnotherapy.

Hypnosis for treatment, not for politics or war.

As someone who despised violence, Sophia admired this approach.

Even a dreadful ability could vary greatly depending on how it was used.

Deciding to make the most of the situation, Sophia chose to utilize Gyeoul’s hypnotic state.

While she wasn’t a professional in hypnotherapy, she had sufficient knowledge to apply it appropriately.

"Gyeoul."

"Yes!"

"Come here."

Sophia, now in the living room, sat on the sofa and patted the seat beside her, signaling Gyeoul to join.

Thud-thud-thud—!

Gyeoul dashed over and plopped herself onto Sophia’s lap.

Her soft little body snuggled in close as she giggled like Levinas.

"Hmm…"

Sitting on my lap, huh?

The exact seating position didn’t matter since the hypnosis was already in effect, which was the most critical part of hypnotherapy.

"Gyeoul, were you about to recall a scary memory?"

"Yes! It was terrifying!"

"I see… but you have your family by your side, don’t you?"

"Family!"

Sophia carefully brought up Gyeoul’s trauma and then dismissed it lightly, embedding a sense of reassurance.

This was a fundamental part of hypnotherapy.

While it wouldn’t completely heal her, it could reduce the despair Gyeoul might feel when she inevitably uncovered the full truth in the future.

"If something frightens you, share it with your family. It will ease the fear."

"Got it! Sophia, if you’re scared of something, tell me too!"

"Of course, thank you."@@novelbin@@

Because you have family, there’s nothing to be scared of.

Because you have family, you’ll be fine.

Sophia repeated reassuring words like these until Gyeoul fell asleep.

Her intention was to prepare Gyeoul for the future she would face one day.

The next morning, Gyeoul woke up.

"Huh?"

Where did my day go?

Rubbing her eyes, she walked out to the living room.

Sophia was sitting on the sofa, reading a book, while the sound of Midsummer cooking echoed from the kitchen.

"Sophia…"

As she moved toward Sophia as usual, something felt off.

Fragments of memories hovered at the edge of her mind, making her frown slightly.

"Awake already?"

"Yes… but yesterday I…"

Among the broken pieces of memory, Gyeoul gathered a few vivid shards.

Memories of her acting affectionately toward her family.

"…!"

Her face burned bright red.

Why did I do that?

Feeling utterly embarrassed, her mouth opened and closed like a goldfish.

"Do you remember anything from yesterday?"

"Ah, no… I don’t fully remember, but a few things I do."

"What kind of things?"

Sophia appeared slightly tense, as though worried about something.

"Uh, I… um, acted like a child with Sophia and the others…"

"It seems your memory isn’t complete."

"Yes…"

Ugh…

A small, soft whimper escaped her lips.

For some reason, Sophia appeared relieved.

"Don’t worry too much. It was just Levinas casting hypnosis on you."

"Hypnosis? Levinas did that?"

"Yes, she seems to have accidentally used magic."

"Oh…"

Levinas was certainly talented with magic.

Though she still had trouble controlling it.

That explained why I acted like a child.

"Is it always so easy to get hypnotized?"

"Normally, it’s very difficult, but it’s much easier if there’s trust between people."

"Trust…"

So, to avoid being hypnotized, I’d have to stop trusting Levinas?

That was impossible for me.

I’m an obedient child, after all.

Maybe I could just ask her not to hypnotize me.

As she reached this conclusion, Sophia spoke up first.

"I’ve already forbidden Levinas from using hypnosis."

"I see."

It seemed Sophia had thought the same thing I did.

We really are in sync sometimes.

Still groggy, I stumbled to sit down on the sofa.

But instead of the sofa, I found myself sitting on Sophia’s lap.

"Huh…?"

What is this?

I never initiate sitting like this.

Startled, I quickly scrambled off her lap.

"It seems traces of the hypnosis still linger."

"I-I guess so…"

Hypnosis is really scary.

I perched myself on the sofa, wiggling my toes idly.

"Still, it was lovely. You were so adorable, clinging to me without any hesitation…"

Sophia chuckled, covering her mouth as though reminiscing about yesterday’s events.

"It must’ve been because it was you, Sophia."

"Because it was me?"

"Yes. It’s easy to cling to you without hesitation."

"I… see. Yes, that must be it. Ahem…"

Sophia cleared her throat awkwardly.

I scratched my cheek without knowing why.

It was a strange situation, but not an unpleasant one.

In the silence, our tails swayed gently.

Sophia’s tail mirrored mine, moving in unison.

Through our tails, we could sense each other’s happiness.

That afternoon.

We went exploring outside the park with the kids.

Today’s goal wasn’t to collect empty bottles but to embark on an adventure.

Without the cart, my hands were free, and Levinas, the horned rabbit beastfolk, bounded around happily.

As for Saebyeok… for some reason, she was riding on my back.

"Leader! There’s a terrifying monster over there!"

"A monster?"

Following Levinas’s guidance, we moved to where the supposed monster was.

What we found wasn’t a monster but two large dogs.

Pit bulls, I think they’re called.

When one of them yawned, sharp teeth glinted from behind the iron bars.

"Look at that! Its teeth are so sharp!"

"Indeed. Getting bitten would really hurt."

"But leader’s teeth are even sharper!"

Ahem.

Levinas puffed out her chest proudly, showing off the sharpness of my teeth.

"Uh, yeah…"

Sharper than a vicious dog’s teeth, huh?

I didn’t want to admit it, but it was true. My teeth were sharper and tougher than most beastfolk’s.

"Monster puppy."

Levinas reached out toward the pit bulls.

The dogs, noticing us, barked loudly.

"Eeek!"

Levinas jumped back like a startled rabbit, leaping high into the air.

I thought she’d run far away, but instead, she came back, grabbed my hand, and started running.

"Time to run away!"

"Alright…"

Even though she must’ve been scared, Levinas had come back for me.

Her courage showed how much she cared about me.

Thanks to our beastfolk stamina, we ran far without stopping, leaving the “monsters” behind.

"Leader! Are the dogs chasing us?"

"No, they’re not."

They were behind bars and on leashes, so they wouldn’t follow us.

I knew the truth, but for the sake of the adventure, I didn’t point it out.

"What terrifying dogs they were…"

Phew.

As Levinas sighed in relief, Saebyeok pressed her teeth against my shoulder, nipping me lightly.

"What’s wrong?"

"There."

Saebyeok got off my back and pointed at something.

Following her finger, I saw a small child crying and calling for their mother.

"Ah…"

Levinas ran toward the child, tilting her head in curiosity before circling them.

"Why are you crying?!"

"My mom…"

"Your mom? Did you lose her?!"

Levinas looked at me.

Whenever she had an idea, she’d always look to me for confirmation.

This time, it was clear she wanted to help find the child’s mother.

"Leader! This is serious! They’re lost!"

"Yeah. We should help."

I approached the crying child, kneeling down to meet their eyes.

"Did you lose your mom?"

"Yes…"

"Do you remember where you lost her? Or her phone number?"

"No…"

The child was too young to know a phone number or address.

We’d have to take them to the police station.

"Don’t worry. We’ll help you find her."

"Thank you…"

The child nodded, wiping their tears.

When I reached out my hand, they grabbed my tail instead.

One hand held Saebyeok’s tail, and the other held mine.

Even if it wasn’t a hand, as long as they held onto something, it didn’t matter.

"Where’s the police station?"

"Levinas knows! This way!"

Following Levinas’s lead, we headed toward the police station.

While I’d hoped to see a familiar officer, unfortunately,

everyone was new.

The station was bustling, and even when we approached the desk, no one noticed us right away.

"Excuse me…"

The desk was tall, and I could barely peek over it.

"Ah! What’s going on?"

A tall officer approached us with a kind smile.

"A child is lost."

"Lost?"

The officer looked us over, his expression softening.

The officers in this world were always kind.

"They’ve lost their way and don’t know their address or phone number… What should we do?"

"Don’t worry. I know where they live. I’ll take care of it."

"Huh?"

He knows where they live?

Was this child often lost?

Relief washed over me, and my tail wagged. The child’s hand, still holding my tail, wagged with it.

"You’re very brave, staying calm even after getting lost."

"Y-Yes… It’s because I was with everyone."

The child had cried earlier, but their pride wouldn’t let them admit it.

"Being with your sisters must’ve made you feel safe."

The officer patted my head lightly.

Though unexpected, physical affection like this was common in this world, so I wasn’t surprised.

"Yes. Levinas even sang a song to cheer me up."

"Wow. That must’ve made it much less scary."

The officer smiled warmly at me. It was the kind of smile that would reassure any lost child.