Episode 63 - Ryoko's Psychic Frustration (Part 3)

【Ryoko’s Remote Mischief Begins ♡】

After returning from his closed-door meeting with Ryoko, Shota was laser-focused on catching up on his delayed work. Just as he was polishing up the presentation slides, he suddenly felt a soft tap on his shoulder.

“Huh?” He turned around—

But no one was there.

(Was I imagining that…?)

As he turned back to his screen, this time he felt something patting his head, rubbing his cheek, stroking his back…

And then—

a full-on hug from behind.

(Wait… this feeling…)

Just then, a chat message popped up on his PC.

》Ryoko: Shota-kun, come home with me~♡

“Huh!? Senpai, right now!? I’m still not even—”

》Shota: I’ve gotta work overtime today! Please go ahead without me!
》Ryoko: Aww~ then I’m gonna mess with you a lil’♡ Get ready for some tickle torture~♡

ZAP!

A wave of unbearable ticklishness struck Shota right in the ribs!

“F-FWAAAH!? P-please no! That’s my weak spot, seriously!!!”

Shota flailed wildly at his desk, drawing the concerned gaze of a nearby coworker—

Miki.

(“What the heck is Shota-senpai even doin’...?”)

____________________________________________________________________________________

Desperate, Shota typed back a reply.

》Shota: So it really was you behind this, Ryoko-senpai!?
》Ryoko: Ehehe~♡ I’ve got so much power today, I can reach you all the way from the edge of the office~♪
》Shota: C-cut it out already! I really need to finish my work!!
》Ryoko: Then how ‘bout I cast a lil’ “Come-Home-Now Curse” on ya~♡
》Three, two, one—

ZKUUUUUN!!

An alarm went off in Shota’s heart:

Critical Ryoko Deficiency Detected.

Suddenly—desperately—he couldn’t stand not seeing her.

Thud!

Shota shot up from his seat, grabbed his bag, and shouted:

“I-I’m sorry, I… I’ve hit my physical limit!!”

And with that, he sprinted out of the office at full speed.

—

Left behind on his PC, a quiet message from Ryoko lingered:

》Ryoko: I’ll go ahead and shut it down for you~♡

Click click…

The mouse moved on its own and clicked “Shut Down.”

The computer powered off—all by itself.

And Miki… saw it all.

____________________________________________________________________________________

【From Suspicion to Certainty】

(“Again…! The mouse moved on its own, and now it even shut down the whole dang PC...!!”)

Miki sprang to her feet, instinctively chasing after Shota.

She flew down the emergency stairs to the first floor.

Just in time—Shota was walking out of the building.

(“Alright, made it in time!”)

Miki carefully quieted her footsteps and began tailing him.

(“Ain’t no way that’s just some stomach bug… he was in way too much of a panic.”)

Shota turned down a back alley—a shortcut to the station.

But the moment he did, he vanished from Miki’s view.

____________________________________________________________________________________

【The Pick-Up】

And there—

Standing in the alley with arms wide open—was Ryoko.

Her face was flushed, eyes already half-lidded.

The moment their eyes met—

“Ryoko-senpai!?”

Before he could say more, Ryoko wrapped him tightly in her arms.

“Shota-kun ♡ Let’s go home~ On the express route ♩”

She activated her telekinesis.

Their bodies floated gently up into the air—

And vanished into the night sky with a soft whoooosh——

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【Miki, Stunned】

Miki entered the alley just a second too late—

Shota was already gone.

“...He vanished…!? He seriously disappeared…!!”

In her head, scenes from the manga and light novels she’d devoured over the years (you know, the Japanese kind with wild powers and anime-style drama) flashed by.

“Th-this is it… This is that classic moment when the MC with secret powers disappears right in front o’ ya!! Shota-senpai… just who are you…!?”

A gleam shone in Miki’s eyes.

Her suspicion had transformed into certainty.