"Do you know why I asked to you to come and see me privately during my office hours?"
The blonde freshman sitting herself down before Professor Nagisa Tamaki glanced around nervously.
"I really don't know at all, professor," she replied eventually.
A thin smile came to Professor Tamaki's face. Like most freshmen, Miranda wasn't used to being alone with a professor. She was uncertain. In Professor Tamaki's experience, that would make it all the easier to add her to her collection.
"I wanted to talk to you about your grades," the professor lied. "I have some concerns, you see."
"My grades?" Miranda's pretty face was scrunched up in a look of confusion. "But, professor, I'm getting As in your philosophy class."
"Barely," Professor Tamaki replied curtly. The young professor sat down on the couch, a little apart from her student. She crossed her legs slowly, noting the way Miranda's eyes glanced down at her long pencil skirt, and the black tights underneath. She was only 30, and so she always made sure to look professional. It helped to make sure that her colleagues and students took her seriously. She did, though, always pair her long pencil skirt with a nice, tight blazer and blouse, to show off her large chest. She wanted to look professional, but she also enjoyed making it clear that she had assets.
She noticed Miranda glancing at those, too, and wondered if the girl was a already a lesbian - not that it really mattered. Soon, her sexuality would be whatever Professor Tamaki wanted it to be.
"There are a few Bs mixed in with those As," Professor Tamaki noted, peering at Miranda severely over her glasses. "Frankly, I think you could be doing much better. I'm concerned you're not applying yourself in my class."
"Professor..." Miranda sagged, suddenly looking weary. "Look, um... I don't mean any disrespect, but you know that I'm a chemistry major, right? I'm taking philosophy because I need the Gen Ed credit. I'm glad I'm making an A, but even a B would be fine with me."
"Hmm." Professor Tamaki pursed her lips disapprovingly, letting Miranda stew for a moment. "Miranda, I'm not trying to be a nuisance. I simply think you have a very, very bright future ahead of you - one I'm keen to take an interest in. As an educator, I believe it's my duty to take a student under my wing, if I believe she has real potential to be nurtured."
That wasn't exactly a lie, Professor Tamaki thought to herself. It was simply that her motives were far, far less altruistic than she was pretending.
"Oh." Miranda softened, blushing faintly at the effusive praise. "Um... what exactly do you mean, Professor Tamaki?"
"Well," the professor continued smoothly, making sure her face didn't betray her lurid eagerness. "I'd like to give you just a little bit of extra tuition. Though, you'll have to forgive me. My methods are a touch unusual. In my experience, most students like you suffer, first and foremost, from difficulties concentrating. I know just how to help with that."
"Something to help me focus in class?" Miranda asked, still confused. "That does sound pretty helpful."
"Indeed." Professor Tamaki smiled, reaching up briefly to make sure that her silky, black hair, cut in a nice, neat bob, was still immaculate. "Then, why don't we get started?"
Miranda blinked. "Right now? Professor, I have cheer practice later..."
"It won't take too long. And I don't believe in wasting time."
Professor Tamaki leant back a little, and as her student watched, slightly wide-eyed, she unfastened the top button of the white blouse and reached a hand down her front, retrieving a small, golden pocket watch, held on a chain around her neck.
Professor Nagisa Tamaki's academic interests weren't restricted to philosophy. Though she didn't advertise it widely, she was an exceptionally confident hypnotist. And though she didn't yet understand what it would mean for her, Miranda was about to become her latest subject.
"Surprised?" Professor Tamaki asked, reading the look on her student's face. "It's unusual, I know. But in my experience, the benefits of hypnosis are unmatched. Think of it like guided meditation. A clear, calm mind makes for a studious, successful mind, Miranda."
"Well, um, if it's not going to make me late for practice, I'm happy to give it a try!" Miranda answered brightly. She shifted in her seat, clearly still off-balance, but her eagerness to please was plain.
"Excellent." Professor Tamaki sat forward, dangling the pocket watch by its chain in front of her student's face. Miranda's eyes immediately latched on to the second hand, moving around the clock face in a regular, clockwork rhythm, making a small, audible ticking noise as each second passed. "Do you know anything about hypnosis, Miranda?"
"Not really," the blonde student replied, her voice already a little spacey. Professor Tamaki allowed herself a small grin. It was always a pleasure to deal with such a suggestible girl.
"That's just fine. Simply follow along with my words." She was already a professor. Her students were already conditioned to listen to her. Guiding them into trance was child's play. "I want you to watch the second hand as it ticks, Miranda. I can see you're already doing so, and that's very good. Make sure you're focusing on it nice and hard."
"Sure."
"'Yes, professor'," Professor Tamaki prompted firmly.
Miranda's eyes widened slightly at the unexpected imposition of authority. "Yes, professor."
"Perfect." Professor Tamaki carefully made her voice soft and soothing, keeping it just a little curt and professional at the same time to convey experience and intelligence. "Now, as you watch, I want you to relax. Relaxation helps us focus, after all. When we let everything else in our minds and bodies settle comfortably, it's often so very natural to let our attention fall on whatever we need. So, Miranda, you're going to focus on your breathing now. I want you to think about how your chest is rising and falling. I want you to count the moments between each breath. Use the second hand. Watch it tick. Count."
"Yes, professor."
The professor watched as the gentle rise and fall of her student's chest became steadily more pronounced. It was a pleasant sight. To say Miranda was busty would have been an understatement.
"Good," Professor Tamaki continued. "Now. Let those moments stretch out. Let the space between each breath become longer. Slower. A nice, steady, relaxing rhythm. One second. Two. Three. Whatever feels natural and comfortable. Yes, just like that. In. Out. In. Out."
Miranda's breathing started obediently slowing, and as it did, her eyelids started to droop.
"You're doing very well," Professor Tamaki encouraged. "And all you need to do, Miranda, is to keep breathing just like this. Lean back. Let yourself sink into this nice, comfortable couch. Breath slowly. And remember. Focus on the watch. On the second hand. You can do that, can't you?"
"Yes, professor," Miranda replied slowly. Professor Tamaki noticed her shifting around a little, settling comfortably into her seat. Wonderful. This was proceeding excellently - not that Professor Tamaki had been worried. She'd done this dozens of times.
"Of course you can. It's easy. Simple. Especially for a girl like you." Miranda nodded. She was hanging on her professor's every word, and with each soothing, calming syllable, she seemed to sink a little deeper. "You're such a good student, after all. So diligent, and with such an eye for detail. So, as you watch the second hand, I'm going to give you a little task. And you'll do it for me, won't you?"
"Yes, professor."
"Excellent, Miranda. That's all you need to say. Just keep saying 'yes, professor,' to me, just like that." Miranda was too focused to find that strange. Her eyelids were hanging heavy, and her body was limp. "Now, see my hand here." Professor Tamaki held up her hand. "I'm going to lift my fingers, one by one, second by second. I'm going to do that, over and over again. A nice, steady, clockwork rhythm. And all you need to do is tell me whenever the rhythm of my fingers deviates from the ticking of that second hand. Understand?"
Miranda's brow furrowed slightly, but she said: "Yes, professor."
"Then, let's begin." Just as she had described, Professor Tamaki started raising the fingers on her left hand, one by one, carefully timing her movements to match the way her pocket watch counted the seconds.
And then she simply watched as Miranda's mind started to unravel.
The task she'd assigned sounded simple. It sounded effortless. It wasn't. Within moments, Miranda's eyes were darting back and forth endlessly between the pocket watch and her professor's hand, desperately trying to keep track of two rhythms at once. It was almost impossible. With each second that passed, the poor girl was asking herself: were they still in sync? Or had the rhythm of her professor's fingers deviated? Had something changed?
The effort was exhausting, and with how relaxed she was, Miranda was no longer up to the task. Her eyelids were starting to droop dangerously, even blinking closed for a moment, here and there. Her pupils were becoming unfocused. Her head was starting to loll from side to side. Her breathing just kept getting slower and slower. The task Professor Tamaki had given her was the only thing keeping her awake. To make things even harder, the philosophy professor started to gently swing the pocket watch from side to side, like a pendulum. The effect was mesmerizing. Miranda couldn't help but follow the motion with her eyes, and it became just one more rhythm to follow, one more rhythm gently lulling her into trance.
Professor Tamaki let her struggle for a few minutes, keeping up a nice, steady rhythm with her hands. When Miranda seemed to be on the verge of losing consciousness, though, she spoke up again.
"Miranda," she prompted. "Keep paying attention. Now. Do you remember what we were talking about in class today?"
"Y-yes, professor," Miranda replied slowly and sleepily. "It was... free will."
"That's right. And what was our definition of free will?"
"It... um... I..." The poor girl looked like she wanted her mind to give out, as through her drowsiness, she tried to summon up the memory. "It's... when you... do what you... want."
"Good girl." Professor Tamaki no longer had any reason to keep the grin from her face. Miranda was almost hers. "That's very close. Yes. You have free will when you can act on your desires. And what was the challenge to that definition?"