Thanks to the selfless dedication of the Misawa group, Aozawa greatly advanced his research on Hypnosis Ability. Different physical constitutions have completely different reactions and power levels when their body's protective mechanisms are unlocked.
He also tried to hypnotize a high school graduate into a math Olympiad expert. He made the subject study and attempt to solve Olympiad math problems, but the results were useless. During the problem-solving process, the person became extremely irritable, frantically using self-harm to reconcile the cognitive dissonance stemming from the disparity between his perceived and actual abilities. Seeing this reaction, Aozawa understood that one should never try to use Hypnosis Ability to become a learning prodigy.
I daren't mess with the brain. However, when it came to the body, he had already mastered training methods through Hypnosis. For example, he could currently run 12 kilometers in an hour. Through Hypnosis, he should be able to run 12.5 kilometers. This wouldn't harm his body, merely causing some muscle soreness.
The Hypnosis Superpower would only last for one week. Therefore, he had to try to adapt to 12.5 kilometers before it weakened. Don't underestimate the additional five hundred meters. Anyone who practices running knows how difficult it is to increase one's distance by five hundred meters in just a few days. And I might even surpass the goal I've set for myself.
He obtained this data by having members of the Misawa group train with weights. My constitution is slightly different from theirs, so the specifics need to be tested during tonight's run.
Aozawa noticed it was getting late; if he didn't head back for dinner soon, Chitose would start nagging again. He looked at the people in front of him; their numbers had increased. He then had Ono Taro gather the high-ranking members of the Misawa group, increasing the total to thirty-five.
"Kill the twenty-one who are down."
The strong hypnotic state could only be maintained for two hours. After that, they would need to be re-hypnotized. Naturally, they couldn't be allowed to live.
"After I leave, douse these places with gasoline, set them on fire, and burn everything clean. You are not to go out; stay here and burn to death."
Fire would destroy any evidence of Aozawa at the scene. "The rest of you, do something for me..."
「Setagaya District. Phoenix Academy.」
The main house's dining room was primarily decorated in light yellow. A resplendent crystal chandelier hung above, casting a warm glow that illuminated the room. Phoenix Academy Maggie sat quietly in her chair, waiting.
Sounds of "Welcome home, Madam!" came from the entrance hall. Phoenix Academy Maggie quickly stood up, opened the crystal partition door, and trotted through the living room. In the entryway, she saw a distinguished lady changing her shoes.
Kochou's hair was tied back with a ribbon, and she wore a wine-red evening dress. A gold necklace adorned her fair, slender neck, and sapphire earrings dangled from her earlobes. Her face was delicate. Its features somewhat resembled Phoenix Academy Maggie's but possessed an added maturity and allure.
"Mother, welcome back. How did things go?"
Upon returning home, Phoenix Academy Maggie had immediately informed her mother about her abduction, hoping she would deal with the Misawa group. They were truly outrageous!
Kochou rubbed her temples, her expression complex. "The matter concluded in a very absurd manner."
Phoenix Academy Maggie asked with confusion, "To surprise even you, Mother, what kind of absurd method was it?"
"Just turn on the TV, or search for the official residence on your phone, and you'll find out what today's big news is."
Kochou had been in charge of the Phoenix Academy family for some time and considered herself to have seen her share of situations. But she had never encountered anything so preposterous.
Phoenix Academy Maggie paused slightly, took out her phone, and opened the TikTok app she often viewed. The first recommended video on her homepage was titled, 'Century's Greatest Sharpshooter Shows Off His Prowess.'
The video then showed citizens advocating for environmental protection. It's a common sight in Europe and America, but for some reason, it suddenly appeared in Japan today. The group held signs to protect forests and oceans, and many passersby were filming the scene.
The next instant, as the nationally stipulated end-of-work hour arrived, a group of people appeared. Gunshots suddenly erupted. The crowd began to run frantically; the video shook, chaos reigned, and screams rose from all around. All she could see was Yasuda crawling behind someone like a dog, while nearby police officers quickly opened fire, returning shots at the assailants.
The short video ended there.
Phoenix Academy Maggie, staring in shock, said, "Mother, could this be the work of Ono Taro?"
Kochou nodded. "Indeed. It's unclear what got into Ono. He actually gathered Misawa group members to pose as civilians protesting industrial environmental pollution.
"Then, at the legally mandated end of the workday, Ono Taro and several high-ranking Misawa group members suddenly pulled out guns and started shooting. This caused a terrible public impact."
Phoenix Academy Maggie swallowed hard. Previously, she had called Ono Taro arrogant for kidnapping her. She was wrong—Ono was utterly lawless. Causing such an incident would likely provoke a crackdown on the Yakuza by the Metropolitan Police Department. Wait, he, a Yakuza boss, dared to do such a thing?
Phoenix Academy Maggie said with bewilderment, "Could it be that he's really messed up from drugs?"
"It's unclear. He and those who fired the guns have all been turned into beehives.
"Their bodies were sent to the medical examiner for autopsy; the results aren't back yet."
Phoenix Academy Maggie pondered and guessed, "Could there be someone behind this incident pulling the strings?"
"In our country, only the United States is capable of orchestrating something like this."
Kochou was satisfied with her daughter's line of thought. Those who reach the top are rarely true madmen. Behind many seemingly absurd incidents, significant interests are usually the driving force. However, she was puzzled. Yasuda had become as docile as a dog, so why still target him? Unless the real aim was elsewhere. Yasuda wasn't the issue, but the Minister of Health had been rushed to the hospital. Moreover, since Ono mentioned environmental protection, there must be a non-governmental organization with climate emergency funds behind it. But that organization would have no reason to target Yasuda; their funding is primarily directed towards Europe. Even if they wanted to expand into East Asia, they shouldn't have acted against Yasuda in this manner.
Kochou couldn't understand it. Her intelligence network had yielded no information about such an event. This was alarming. It meant the organization secretly planning this could potentially evade her intelligence network and target the Phoenix Academy next. Conspiracies themselves aren't scary; what's frightening is not knowing who is plotting them in the shadows. For instance, the death of a certain president in an open-top car isn't a secret in high society. But if no one in the upper echelons understands the reason, it represents a huge hidden danger. A bullet from the shadows could strike anyone at any time.
Thinking of these troubles, Kochou looked at her daughter again and said helplessly, "Sorry, Maggie, I can't have dinner with you tonight.
"I need to change outfits later and attend a party to discuss the aftermath of this incident."
"It's alright."
Phoenix Academy Maggie replied with a smile. But why would the United States do this? she wondered.