Common Sense Manipulation App-Chapter 56 - Mystery

Lina’s voice barely came out. She exhaled sharply, then clenched her fists against the table as if steadying herself.

"I was tricked," she said again, her voice hoarse. "At first, it seemed normal. A guy—some talent scout—reached out to me. Said he worked with brands, that he could help me get sponsorships."

Karl’s stomach twisted. He had a bad feeling about this.

Lina’s gaze dropped to the table, her expression bitter. "I was excited, you know? He had connections. He promised exposure, real deals—not just cheap promo codes, but actual brand partnerships. I thought... maybe this was finally it. Maybe I was finally getting somewhere."

Karl remained silent, letting her speak.

Lina swallowed hard. "He asked me for a test shoot—something simple. Just modeling some outfits, posing for pictures. Nothing crazy." Her fingers dug into her palms. "And I did it. Of course, I did it. That’s what influencers do."

She let out a hollow laugh, but there was no humor in it. "I wore some... revealing stuff. Stuff that made me uncomfortable, but I thought—whatever. It’s just a shoot. It’s professional."

Karl frowned. "Isn’t that kinda normal, though? I mean, plenty of influencers wear that kind of stuff for sponsorships."

Lina’s eyes snapped up to meet his, dark with something raw. "That’s what I thought too," she said. "But that wasn’t the end of it."

Karl felt a chill crawl up his spine.

Lina took a shaky breath. "He wasn’t actually a talent scout. He didn’t have brand deals lined up. It was all fake. Just a setup."

Karl’s gut tightened. "A setup for what?"

Her lips trembled. "Blackmail."

The word hit like a punch.

Lina looked away. "They... they took pictures. Not just the ones I posed for. There were hidden cameras in the changing room. They got everything—me undressing, changing outfits... everything."

Karl’s blood ran cold.

Lina let out another humorless chuckle. "And then, a few days later, I got the message. If I didn’t cooperate—if I didn’t do what they wanted—they’d leak everything." Her voice cracked. "They said if I didn’t start doing... more, they’d release the videos. That no one would believe me. That people would call me an attention-seeker, a liar."

Karl’s hands clenched into fists.

"They wanted me to—" Lina’s voice broke. She swallowed, squeezing her eyes shut. "They wanted me to go further. To become—" She choked on the word, barely able to say it. "A pornstar."

Karl felt his chest tighten.

His mind struggled to process it. Lina—loud, annoying, always chasing clout Lina—was sitting here, completely drained, because some scumbags had set her up.

Because they were trying to ruin her life.

Lina took a deep breath, gripping the table so hard her fingers turned white. "I refused. At first. But they kept pushing. Kept sending messages, showing me screenshots. They even edited some of the photos to make them look worse—like I was doing things I never actually did."

She looked up at Karl, her eyes hollow. "You know what’s funny? I used to think scandals were just some fun drama. That influencers who got ’exposed’ probably deserved it. But now? I get it. Once someone decides to destroy you, the truth doesn’t matter."

Karl felt something cold settle in his gut.

Lina’s voice dropped to a whisper. "I can’t win. If I go to the police, they’ll say I posed willingly. If I try to fight back, they’ll just leak the videos. If I ignore them... they might release them anyway."

Her breath hitched. "I don’t know what to do, Karl."

Silence filled the break room.

Karl didn’t move.

He just sat there, staring at her, his mind spinning.

He’d always known Lina was reckless. That she chased fame too hard, cared too much about her image.

But this?

This wasn’t her fault.

She’d been trapped.

Used.

And now, she was breaking.

Karl exhaled slowly. His fingers itched toward his phone, toward the App.

Chillie Jean’s words echoed in his mind.

"Why waste time brooding when you could simply know?"

For once, he wasn’t interested in knowing.

He was interested in changing.

He tapped his phone awake, his pulse pounding.

Lina didn’t deserve this. He thought.

Karl stared at his phone screen, his thumb hovering over the STOP MANIPULATION button.

For a second, he hesitated.

Not because he doubted what he was doing—but because he knew this meant he was actually getting involved. And Karl? He wasn’t the kind of guy who went around helping people. He manipulated things when it benefited him. He changed common sense when it made his life easier. That was it.

But this?

This wasn’t about him.

This was about Lina.

With a sharp breath, he pressed STOP.

The shift was instant.

The unnatural compulsion to spill secrets faded from the air, leaving behind an uncomfortable silence. Lina exhaled shakily, rubbing her temples as if she had a headache.

Karl pocketed his phone and stood up. "I’ll see you out there," he muttered, turning toward the door.

Lina barely acknowledged him. She was still lost in her own world, her fingers tapping against the side of her cup, her mind probably looping over the same nightmare scenario again and again.

Karl stepped back into the main restaurant, the scent of frying oil hitting him like a wall. Customers chattered, fries sizzled, the soda machine hummed. Everything was normal.

But his head?

It wasn’t.

Karl moved on autopilot, grabbing a tray and setting up an order. Fries, burger, soda—standard stuff. His body knew the routine by heart, but his mind?

It kept drifting back.

Back to Lina’s hollow stare.

Back to her shaking hands.

Back to the way her voice cracked when she said the word blackmail.

He shook his head, trying to focus. It’s not your problem. That’s what he kept telling himself. You’re not a hero. You’re not her friend. She’s just another coworker.

But something about this bothered him.

Karl had always assumed people like Lina—people who obsessed over fame, followers, and online clout—wanted that kind of attention. They thrived on it. So, in his mind, it didn’t seem like a big deal if they wore something revealing or took some risky pictures.

But what happened to Lina?

That was different.

She didn’t sign up for this.

She thought she was chasing her dream, but someone had twisted it, trapped her, and now she had no way out.

Karl frowned, slamming a burger box shut a little harder than necessary.

"Hey, dude," another employee—Tim—grumbled from the fryer. "Take it easy on the packaging. What’d the box ever do to you?"

Karl blinked, realizing what he’d done. "Yeah. Whatever." He grabbed the tray and shoved it onto the counter for pickup.

The next customer stepped forward.

"One FlipFry Deluxe with extra sauce," they droned.

Karl rang it up, his fingers moving mechanically. "Anything else?"

"Nah."

"Cool. That’ll be—"

His voice trailed off.

From the corner of his eye, he spotted Lina stepping out of the break room. She moved stiffly, her head down, her arms crossed over her stomach like she was trying to make herself smaller.

That wasn’t Lina.

Lina was loud. Annoying. Always making herself seen.

Now, she was a shadow of herself.

*****

Karl exhaled sharply as he pulled off his greasy FlipFry Feast cap and shoved it into his locker. His shift was over. Finally.

Lina was still around, but she barely spoke the entire time. She worked mechanically, avoided eye contact, and disappeared into the break room whenever she had a moment.

Karl didn’t try to talk to her again. He wasn’t sure what he’d even say.

His feet dragged as he stepped out into the cold evening air. The neon glow of the restaurant’s sign buzzed overhead, flickering slightly—much like his patience. He pulled out his phone to check the time, but before he could do anything—

A voice purred from the screen.

"Leaving work with a troubled conscience? How dreadfully uncharacteristic of you."

Karl groaned. Of course.

Chillie Jean’s smug face flickered onto his screen, lounging in her usual digital throne, swirling a nonexistent glass of wine between her fingers.

Karl stuffed his phone back into his pocket and made his way toward the bus stop. Not now.

"Oh, my dear Lord of Fries," Chillie cooed. "Do not ignore me. You know how I despise being ignored."

Karl clenched his jaw. The bus arrived with a mechanical hiss, and he stepped inside, tapping his fare card against the scanner. He found an empty seat toward the back, far away from the few other passengers.

As soon as he sat down, his phone vibrated again.

"Karl."

He exhaled sharply, pulled out his phone, and—before she could keep nagging—plugged in his earphones.

Instantly, Chillie Jean’s voice became more intimate, like she was whispering directly into his brain.

"That’s better," she purred. "I do so enjoy a private conversation."

Karl leaned against the window, watching the city lights blur past. "What do you want?"

Chillie’s smirk widened. "You, my dear Lord of Fries, are sitting on an incredibly delicious piece of drama. A real-life hentai scenario unfolding before your very eyes."

Karl blinked. "What?"

Chillie tilted her head. "Oh, don’t play dumb. You know exactly what I mean. The blackmail. The forced submission. The overwhelming despair of a young woman who thought she had control—only to realize she never did. Ringing any bells?"

Karl frowned. He didn’t like the way she was saying this.

Chillie leaned forward, her violet eyes gleaming. "It’s just like those animes you used to watch, isn’t it? You know, the ones where the naive girl falls into a perfectly crafted trap, and the longer she resists, the deeper she sinks?~"

Karl stiffened. "Shut up."

Chillie laughed, resting her chin on her palm. "Oh, come now. I’m not judging you, my dear Karl. I’m simply pointing out the... striking similarities."

Karl exhaled through his nose. It’s not the same.

But the thought unsettled him. free𝑤ebnovel.com

Chillie smiled wider, clearly enjoying his discomfort. "And let’s not forget the most intriguing part of all."

Karl hesitated. "...What?"

Chillie leaned in, her voice practically dripping with amusement. "You don’t even know who is behind this."

Karl’s brows furrowed.

"Oh, Karl." Chillie sighed, shaking her head. "Why are you in such a rush to punish that poor Milf when there’s an even juicier mystery right in front of you?"

Karl clenched his jaw. He had been planning to deal with the Milf situation next. He still had unfinished business there.

But this thing with Lina...

It bothered him.

Chillie grinned. "What if," she continued, "the one blackmailing Lina is exactly the kind of man you despise? The kind you used to mock. The kind you used to watch getting away with things in those animes—an ugly bastard."

Karl’s stomach twisted.

Chillie leaned back, stretching. "Wouldn’t that be fun? To uncover the truth? To see if real life is truly as cruel as fiction?"

Karl stayed silent.

Chillie smirked. "Go on, my dear Karl. Dig deeper. Find out who’s behind this." Her eyes gleamed with wicked amusement. "And if it is an ugly bastard, well—wouldn’t that make it all the more satisfying to ruin him?"

Karl tapped his fingers against his knee.

His plan had been simple. Deal with the Milf. Move on. Keep using the App for his own benefit.

But now?

Now, something else was clawing at him.

The idea of someone like that having power over Lina...

It didn’t sit right with him.

Karl let out a slow breath.

"...Fine," he muttered.

Chillie beamed. "That’s the spirit."

Karl leaned his head back against the window, watching the city lights flicker past.

This was supposed to be none of his business.

And yet, here he was.

Getting involved.

Updat𝓮d from freew𝒆bnov𝒆l.co(m)