Easily

Inside Sonobe clearly heard the sounds of a tv coming from the living room. Despite the house’s outside appearance the inside was spotless. Rui followed him in quietly, closing the door behind her.

“Is that you Rui?” A man’s voice asked from the living room. “Get me a beer.”

“I don’t think she will sir.” Sonobe said, snapping in front of him with the hypnosis app open.

“Who are y-?” Ren started, almost jumping to his feet but caught in stasis when his confused eyes chanced onto the screen.

Hypnosis Target: Ren Yoshinaru

-“Do whatever Rui Yoshinaru says”

Ren stared fixated at the screen until Sonobe put his phone away and looked at Rui. “It’s done.”

“What? Just like that?”

“Before he could even blink.” Sonobe nodded. “Check it out. Tell him to do something.”

Rui looked skeptically at her hypnotized father, incapable of thinking it was that easy. “Dad?” She asked with her head titled to the side.

“Yes Ms. Yoshinaru?”

“What the-?” Rui asked startled.

Was… was this real?

She needed to test this. “Where do you keep your spending money?”

“In the spare closet. In between the futon cushions.”

Rui looked at Sonobe, who looked back at her and nodded. Without a word she darted across the living room and slid open the doors to the cabinet. She found the nilla envelopes full of cash and loose change hidden right where he said. She came back out waving one of them in front of her dad’s face.

“Where’d this money come from? You haven’t had a job in months.”

“I took it from your mother’s account.” Ren said plainly.

“There’s no way…” Rui whispered.

It… really worked?

In a frenzy, confusion fading and surpassed by anger, the envelope fell from her hand as she reached up and slapped her father in the face. He lurched down for a second, but stood upright the next moment brushing his hand against the same cheek. He didn’t say anything.

“You! You’re worthless! You’ve always been worthless! You’ve cheated on mom! Stolen from her! And why? Why were we never good enough! You old bastard!”

Ren still didn’t say a word.

“Sonobe, how do I make him leave? Leave forever?!”

“You can either tell him, or you use this.” Sonobe said, offering his phone unlocked and on the screen for the hypnosis app. Rui looked down at it intensely.