Ephemeral Ability Reflects the Heart

※Caution, the first half is quite tense. But it just a play.

There is no body in the email.

Instead, there is a video file attached to it.

Chihiro opened it with Riko after taking a bath, and gasped.

The person in the video is Maria.

She is blindfolded, with big headphones over her ears. Her mouth is gagged with a belt attached to a ball-shaped object called a ball gag. Her hands are tied behind her back with leather restraints, and her feet are tied to ankles with the same restraints. Also, the leg is connected to the other leg by a chain.

Her outfit is a bondage.

It consists almost entirely of leather belts, except for a small portion covering her breasts, which are connected by metal rings. Her crotch is exposed, and there is a vibrator, a massage device that is a simple imitation of a man's genitalia, inserted inside.

Brrrr... The vibrator is in operation, judging from the vibrating sound.

The continuous sound of Maria's panting and breathing, as well as the amount of stains on the sheets, indicated that some time had passed since the torture had begun.

She may have already been made to climax many times by someone.

Her sight and hearing had been blocked, and she was being fed only pleasure.

「What is this...? What's happened to Fukami-san?」

「... I think she's being trained」

Chihiro answered as if he is about to vomit blood.

「Trained...!? No way」

「Yes. There's only one person who would do something like this」

As if to affirm Chihiro's muttering, another voice came from the video.

『Good evening, Izumi-kun. As promised, Maria-chan has been taken』

「... Mishuku-san」

It clearly belonged to Hana's voice.

She must have been filming with her smartphone. Her face is not on the screen, but how could he forget her voice after yesterday and today?

『So, I'm training her right now. Maria is very obedient and accepts the bondage. She seems to be very excited and has been feeling good for a while now』

「... No way」

Riko groaned.

Too fast. And terribly well-prepared.

『If she's going to the trouble of demanding a slave, she must have some way to train or restrain me』

Apparently, it's true.

Even so, for a high school girl to prepare so many SM goods... Hana seems to be serious, both financially and in terms of appearance.

She's really trying to train Maria and make her her own.

『Fufu. I heard that Izumi-kun has hardly used any of these tools on Maria-chan. You just bought her a collar, right?』

At the sound of her mocking voice, Chihiro's hands involuntarily tightened.

（...Did Maria tell her that?）

But whether it was forced out or spontaneous, he doesn't know.

「... I have to go」

Chihiro muttered, putting his hand down holding his phone.

However, as he is about to walk out, Riko stopped him.

「Wait, Izumi, where are you going? You don't even know where that is, do you?」

「No, I know where. This big bed, the atmosphere. The lighting...」

「... Fukami-san's apartment?」

「Yes」

Perhaps Maria had contacted Hana herself and offered her her own room.

This bedroom, where Chihiro had held her many times, is also a place for Hana to train her.

「!?」

The more he thought about it, the more the urge burned in his heart.

He can't help but move. That's how he feels.

But Riko once again put all her strength on him and held Chihiro back.

「But... Izumi, we can't get there in time. The video was sent to us by e-mail, so it's not live. Besides, we can't get into the apartment」

「... Ugh」

Riko is right.

Even if he goes there, there's no way Hana will open the door, and Maria can't do anything in this state anyway.

『Well then, that explains it. I'm going to train Maria-chan now. Actually, we haven't even kissed yet. Because I thought it would be more effective for Izumi-kun』

Nothing. Nothing can be done.

『Ah, I'm looking forward to it... If she's made so horny and loved all night, Maria-chan will be captivated by me, won't she? That's for sure』

Then, the video ends abruptly.

Chihiro operated his phone and checked the date and time the file was created――more than an hour ago. Of course, if he moves now, more time will pass.

How long will Maria's mind last?

No. Didn't she give herself to Hana unwillingly in the first place?

He imagined Maria begging, begging to be held and kissed by Hana, to be completely debauched, to swear obedience in the midst of her climax.

Of course, Chihiro want to raise the hand holding the phone and slammed it down, but he couldn't.

「... Ah...」

He wanted to scream out loud, but he hated himself for worrying about disturbing the neighboring rooms at a time like this. Self-loathing and anger swirled in his chest, and he crouched there helplessly.

He felt like he might fall apart.

He wonders if this feeling will give him new strength. Then he would be able to use that power against Hana.

And...

「That's enough, Izumi」

Riko's hand patted Chihiro's head.

「Let's forget about Fukami-san, okay? I'll stay with Izumi. Isn't that enough?」

「I'll forget...」

Suddenly, Chihiro remembered Maria's words.

『If you try to "forget" me, that's a different matter. If you do, I won't forgive you for any reason, and I definitely won't forgive "someone" for making you like that』

Ironically, not even a month has passed since then.

Maria herself abandoned Chihiro before her words could dry up. She surrendered herself to Hana, as if she no longer cared about Chihiro.

... Now, wait a minute.

If there's no choice but to give up, is it too much to hold on to?

Chihiro took a deep breath.

And just as he is about to exhale.

His smartphone vibrated with the sound of a new email.

Now what?

He checked the screen and saw that the sender is "Fukami Maria".

Once again, no text. Only a video file is attached.

Riko's hand is on top of Chihiro's hand as he operated the screen.

「Why don't you stop watching it?」

That might be a good idea.

He felt a tinge of resignation in his heart, but he shook his head.

「... Let's just watch. Just one last time」

「... Yeah」

Riko nodded her head.

They sat down side by side and looked into the screen of the smartphone. And the video plays. The image shows them on the same bed as before.

Of course, there is no point in moving anywhere after that.

The image of Maria on the bed is the same as before, in full body bondage.

「What?」

But it didn't feel right.

Together with Riko, who raised her voice, Chihiro checked the screen carefully and noticed.

If he looked at it carefully without any preconceived judgment, he immediately recognized it.

Yes, it's different.

The girl bound on the bed is a different girl from the one in the previous video.

A girl with her hair tied in two behind her head, looking like a literary girl.

She's Mishuku Hana.

「... What does this mean?」

It is not only the person who is tied up that is different.

Hana had no ball gag attached to her mouth. She's also still wearing her panties, and there's a pink cord slipping inside.

It's like something――

Yes, Chihiro had seen it before. Maria's original rotor, the cord had that color and thickness.

*buzzzz...*

The sound of vibration, much finer than that of a room, echoed through the room.

『Maria-chan... Wait... Please, stop... it!』

A weak voice leaks out of Hana's mouth. In contrast to the voice in the previous video, she now looks like a mere bitch who has run out of energy and is begging for forgiveness.

It seems that she's not even aware that she's being filmed.

By the looks of it, the words, it looks like Maria's the one who did this.

『Hey, Maria-chan. Please. I won't do it again, I'm sorry... Please, let me go... ~』

The video ended abruptly.

In the end, not a single word of Maria's voice is heard. There's no explanation of what happened, and not enough information to understand the situation.

「Call her...」

Riko mutters, and Chihiro rushes to call Maria's number.

The phone started ringing. But there is no answer. Chihiro knew immediately that Maria wouldn't pick up.

「What's going on?」

「I don't know. I don't know, but...」

Things change.

If the video doesn't tell him anything and the phone is disconnected, there's only one way to find out what's going on.

「Let's go」

This time Riko didn't object.

They changed into clean clothes and left the room, locking the door behind them. They looked for something that could be used as a weapon just in case, but found nothing worthwhile, so they gave up. Of course, they feared that they might be accused by the police of carrying knives or blades.

On the way, they exchanged their opinions in small voices.

The most likely scenario is a trap. By sending Chihiro an incomprehensible video, they plan to lure Chihiro and the others to the apartment and harm them in some way.

But then... Is it possible that this is a kind of play itself? Hana, who enslaved Maria, may have ordered her to blame herself. However, it's a bit too perverse.

The only other possibility is...

As they arrived, they used the intercom to call Maria's room, and her voice answered.

『Welcome. Come in please. The door is unlocked』

No superfluous words, just simple words.

Riko and Chihiro looked at each other, nodded at each other, and went ahead.

The room is unlocked, just as she said. After entering, they looked at the closed door, thought for a moment, and locked it just in case. Weighing the possibility of being attacked and having to flee against the possibility of further interference, they chose the former.

But there is no one in the corridor or the living room.

So, there is only one place to go.

They put their hands on the closed bedroom door and opened it.

「... Welcome, Izumi-kun. Nishizaki-san」

They are greeted by Maria in her black underwear.

The air in the room is thick with the stench of sweat and female lewdness, mixed together strongly. The floor is littered with underwear and lewd objects, and Maria is standing in the corner of the room, avoiding them.

In the middle of the bed is Hana.

She is wearing a blindfold and headphones, her hands and feet are restrained and she is being tortured by a rotor. Her panties are already soaked, and a trail of drool is dripping from her mouth.

Her headphones seemed to be blocking out the sound, and she could only shake and moan softly.

「What's going on here?」

Riko asks Maria, after making sure she closes the door behind her.

Maria then looked back at Hana and narrowed her eyes sadly.

「As you can see. She――Hana――has been restrained and pleasured to the extreme. I'm offering her to you」

「Offering... you mean...」

Riko, standing next to Chihiro, glared at Maria.

「Are you saying it was all an act?」

「...Yes. That's right」

Maria replied in the affirmative to Riko's question.

She doesn't look as good as her words, but... The meaning of the question became clear immediately by her actions.

Without hesitation, Maria knelt down on the spot.

With her hands on the floor and her head bowed, she uttered an apology.

「Let me apologize first... ... For what I said to you, for the terrible thing I did to you. For pushing you away. For hurting you. I know it's not enough to apologize」

「...Umm...」

Chihiro opened her mouth hesitantly, looking down at Maria who didn't move a muscle.

「I'm sorry. But can you explain it to me first? Or else... I can't grasp the situation even if you apologize」

When Chihiro came to the door, expecting to be trapped, Maria suddenly apologized.

To be honest, there's a part of him that's drained away... So, he's not sure if he can trust her.

Everything would be done after listening, and Chihiro urged Maria to raise her head.

「... Yes, I understand」

Maria looked up and nodded.

She suggested that Chihiro and the others sit down, but there are no chairs here. Since they didn't feel like moving to the living room or sitting on the bed, they decided to stand and listen to the conversation.

Maria, on the other hand, began to talk while sitting down. Hana is left alone for the moment. She seems to be harmless enough in that state.

「You have some idea about her relationship with me, right?」

「Yes」

They probably knew each other from elementary school.

But after Hana came to Tokyo around the time of entering middle school, they didn't have any contact... At least, that's the assumption.

Maria nodded and said.

「That's right. She and I were in the same class in 5th and 6th grade. I don't know if I'd call her a friend, but we talked and I often invited her over」

At the time, Hana was not "Mishuku" and did not have [Looting] ability.

So, when Hana transferred to Shibahou Academy, Maria didn't even notice her.

「I was interested in the weakest mind reader... Izumi-kun only. And honestly, I didn't care about the other students. I didn't look at the list of all the students, and I wasn't interested in the first-year B-rank students as long as none of them were involved with me」

But Hana is different, or so she thought.

「At the time I contacted her, she came to the apartment happily. And to catch her off guard, I was restrained and accepted the equipment as she asked. And then, when she let me go...」

Maria struck back.

「Why would you do that?」

「Because I thought it was the best, most reliable way. She's probably obsessed about me. She's hardcore too. So, I had to catch her off guard, lure her into my arms, and make sure she'd give in, or else she might fight back」

That's why Maria kept Chihiro and Riko away.

If they are both in this apartment, the trap for Hana would not work.

Unless she broke off their existing relationship and gave everything to Hana, it would not be enough to catch her off guard.

... And Hana fell into the trap.

And so, now she is bound in a soundproof room, unable to even move, and exposing herself to Chihiro and the others.

「I have checked, Hana-san is still a virgin. What do you do, Izumi-kun?」

Instead of her usual inviting expression, she looked like she was clinging to him. Maria left it to Chihiro to decide what to do with Hana.