"I swear— I'll never do it again! If I break my word… I deserve to die!"
Hayato's voice cracked as he cried, blood dripping down his swollen face. Even when he kneeled, Ayato didn't move an inch.
Because he could hear the truth hidden under the boy's broken breathing:
'Just wait. When I get out… I'll make you pay for this humiliation, Kirimine Ayato.'
Ayato's eyes narrowed.
"You think I'm stupid? That once you crawl out of here, you'll go gather your friends and come back swinging?"
He said it like reciting a fact, not an accusation.
Hayato panicked, head shaking so fast it blurred. "N-no! I swear! I swear I won't! Please—just let me go!"
'When did he get this sharp?! I can't read him at all!' Hayato's thoughts trembled behind his eyes.
A cold System tone cut through the moment.
[Quest Complete]Reward: EXP +2 | Gold +10[One-Time Skill Available: Soul Override — Use Now?]
Ayato didn't hesitate."Yes."
A thin smile crept across his lips as he watched the Skill description appear. With Soul Override, Uchiha Hayato wasn't a threat anymore—He was a puppet dangling by invisible strings.
"Fine," Ayato said quietly. "I'll trust you… this once. But if you ever touch my doorstep again— I'll end you."
The moment Ayato released his grip, Hayato—face swollen like a pig's head—scrambled up and bolted toward the door, desperate to escape.
But halfway there…
He froze.
Like a glitching character in a broken VR game.
His eyes widened with terror."W-what did you do to my body?! Why—why can't I move?!"
Ayato shrugged, almost bored.
"Nothing big. Just tightened your strings so you can't run from the palm of my hand. Good effect, right?"
His smile… wasn't human.
Hayato's voice shook. "Wh… what do you want from me?"
"Want?" Ayato tilted his head. "You bully people like breathing. You definitely hate me right now—so I'm thinking… how do I make that hate disappear?"
Hayato shivered even before Ayato finished talking.
"Hm," Ayato said. "How about this? You kneel. Kowtow a few times. Then you run to the street and shout: 'I'm a pig. I'm a dog. I'm worse than both.' Do that, and sure— I'll let you off with… maybe two hundred slaps."
Hayato blanched."No! You're insane! That'll ruin me! I can't— I can't show my face in the Uchiha clan if—"
"Oh?" Ayato interrupted softly. "So you agree."
He snapped his fingers.
Hayato's body jerked like a marionette yanked downward.Knees hit the ground.Forehead slammed into the dirt.
Once.Twice.Again.
Even he couldn't stop himself.
"You… Kirimine… Ayato…!" he howled, voice breaking between forced kowtows."You'll pay for this! You'll face judgment one day!"
His scream was raw, humiliated, almost feral.
And Ayato watched it all with cold, tired eyes—not satisfied, not thrilled—just done being prey.