Chapter 6: The Game

"What do you think?"

Ten minutes later.

Outside, rain lashed down in sheets, heavy drops pelting the window and sending ripples across the glass. The slender branches of the willow trees by the roadside bowed under the weight of the storm.

Haru Harano sat on the sofa, a copy of "Sociology of the Family" in his arms and a steaming cup of milk tea on the coffee table. He looked entirely at ease.

It would have been perfect, if not for the sound of running water from the bathroom.

At last, Haru set down his book. There are always sirens trying to tempt the old man off his path.

He mulled over the day's events—truly peculiar. The last time he'd felt such surprise was when he’d been reborn with his memories intact.

Now, he wasn’t sure what kind of world he’d crossed into. Earlier, there was the gentle, mature lady from the convenience store. Now, a beautiful delinquent girl had followed him home. Just as she was about to leave, a sudden downpour started outside—could coincidences like this really happen?

And then there was his romance-support system—something about it felt off. Aside from lacking save and load functions, it was identical to the dating games he’d played in his previous life—no, in this life, too.

Could it be that he really had transmigrated into some unknown adult manga world? Logic barely existed in those places.

Unlike the typical galgame, where pure love options were always straightforward, his romance assistant always included at least one dubious choice among the three options—like a developer’s lure to keep players hooked, a little official “benefit.”

This kind of “benefit” didn’t require grinding through plots or raising affection; it just let you sample the thrill of conquest right away.

But in a game, you could indulge and then reload to walk the pure route. In reality, there was no going back, no other path to choose. One careless move, and you might end up worse than even Cheng-ge.

Well, even a neutered version was better than nothing. Whether he could turn his life around would depend on this romance assistant.

[Name: Haru Harano]
[Intelligence: 62 (Above average)]
[Charm: 55 (A rather cute chubby guy)]
[Stamina: 53 (A normal chubby guy)]
[Skills: None]
[Partner Candidates: None]
[Money: 164,650 yen]
[Attribute Points: 10]
[Points: 10]

Having just completed a task and earned another 10 attribute points, Haru wasted no time and added them all to his looks.

[Charm: 65 (Congratulations, you’ve shed the “rather” and evolved into a cute chubby guy)]

Since it was a romance game, good looks were obviously an advantage—appearance was justice. If not for the need to finish the task, he’d have put the system’s gifted 10 points into looks as well.

After allocating the points, Haru didn’t feel any different. Curiously, he took out his phone and flipped on the front camera.

Maybe it was just in his head, or the phone’s beauty filter, but his face did seem a bit more youthful and fair.

Still handsome as ever, but nothing more.

In the bathroom,

Miron Seiryo wiped the condensation from the mirror. Reflected back was a youthful body, seductive and alluring, beads of water tracing perfect lines down to the floor.

Could that fat guy have hidden a camera in here?

At the thought, Miron clicked her tongue in annoyance. With the rain pouring outside and not a coin to her name, she’d be soaked to the skin no matter where she went—tomorrow she’d be a mess.

She wouldn’t even want to go home, let alone school, dragging herself back in such a sorry state. It was as if leaving home made her a loser.

Good thing she’d impulsively come to this chubby guy’s place this afternoon. Otherwise, with rain like this at night, she wouldn’t even have a roof over her head.

But to think a deadbeat fatso had actually smacked her bottom—he would pay for that!

Feeling the lingering sting on her backside, remembering Haru’s heavy palm, the frosty face in the mirror blushed faintly.

Outside the bathroom,

"Achoo!"

Haru rubbed his nose, wondering which beauty was thinking of him.

He shook his head, put away his phone, and opened his system. A virtual panel appeared.

On the [Characters] page, four new words gleamed in pale blue: "Miron Seiryo."

A thought, and Miron Seiryo’s detailed info appeared:

[Character: Miron Seiryo]
[Intelligence: 71]
[Charm: 95]
[Figure: 89]
[Stamina: 55]
[Affection: 36 (Friend) ps: Affection increased by 30 this afternoon—well played, player!]

Damn! Seeing that affection score of 36 startled Haru. For reference, Uehara Kemi’s initial affection for anyone was 30, and for him, it was only 35.

Miron Seiryo, who seemed ready to eat him alive, somehow had 36 points of affection?

He recalled the system’s notification during his earlier task and quickly checked the action log.

[Action Log:]
[Uehara Kemi’s affection +1 (18:03)]

He must have just left the convenience store at that time. Haru scrolled further.

[Miron Seiryo’s affection -10 (18:12) current affection: -4]
[Miron Seiryo’s affection +1 (18:30)]
[Miron Seiryo’s affection -]

The fluctuations were mild for a while—up a little, down a little.

Then, around 7:30 pm, affection plummeted by 50 points, like a crashing stock:

[Miron Seiryo’s affection -50 (Warning, warning, this individual is highly dangerous. Host, be careful! Warning, warning, this individual is highly dangerous!)]

Even the system frantically sounded the alarm.

But not long after, the “stock” rebounded like a roller coaster.

[Miron Seiryo’s affection +10]
[Miron Seiryo’s affection +10]
[Miron Seiryo’s affection +8]
[Miron Seiryo’s affection +....]

It shot from negative values to 36, and only now did it stabilize, with minor ups and downs—clearly, Miron Seiryo’s feelings were a tangled mess.

Closing the action log, Haru drew a deep breath, sensing he’d stumbled upon something huge.

The sound of water from the bathroom hadn’t lessened. Setting aside his chaotic thoughts, Haru continued reading Miron Seiryo’s profile.

[Summary: Eldest daughter of the Seiryo family. Her mother died in an accident during her childhood. Her father remarried when she was three, and her stepmother bore a daughter. This made Miron’s status in the Seiryo family awkward; she believes no one likes her, leading to rebelliousness. Deep inside, she’s a girl desperately in need of care. (Evaluation: If she becomes your partner, you’ll embark on a new chapter in life. You’ll not only play the role of a husband, but more often, a guardian.)]

[Current status: Troubled by family matters and financial hardship; ashamed at being spanked by Haru Harano.]

[Ding! Exclusive quest triggered. Stage quests updating... Stage quests updated.]

[Stage Quests:]
[Stage One: A girl starved for affection is always lonely. Let the homeless Miron Seiryo get used to living in your home. Reward: Eyes of Allure.]
[Stage Two: Have intimate relations with Miron Seiryo before her affection reaches sixty. Reward: Physical Enhancement Serum.]
[Stage Three: Complete Miron Seiryo’s transformation—make the delinquent feel your care, foster her dependence, and become her anchor. Reward: One master-level skill of your choice.]

[Exclusive Quest: Save the Girl Mission...]
[Stage One: Reach 40 affection with the player and... (Incomplete)]
[Stage Two: ... (Incomplete)]
[Stage Three: ...]

[Eyes of Allure: System quest reward. Passive: +10 Charm. Active skill—Eye of Enchantment: When activated, Charm +20. Anyone meeting your gaze will be briefly captivated by your charm (lasts 10 seconds; each person can only be charmed once a day). No cooldown, no cost. (Use with caution.)]

“Damn!” Reading the description of “Eyes of Allure,” Haru sucked in a breath—simple, direct, easy to understand.

No cooldown, no cost—anyone who looked into your eyes would fall for you, even if only briefly. Ruthless. If not for the time limit, it would be utterly broken.

Haru studied the virtual panel again.

Miron Seiryo’s quest panels differed from Uehara Kemi’s. Only Uehara Kemi’s first-stage quest was unlocked, the rest hidden.

But with Miron, all quests were laid bare, and the rewards were lavish.

Still, the stage quests were vague. Only Stage Two specified an affection cap of sixty for intimacy; the others lacked clear numeric targets.

Haru guessed that completing the exclusive quest would also finish Stage Three.

But Stage One—having Miron Seiryo get used to his home? What did that even mean? At what point was someone considered “used to” a place? And did that mean he had to let her live here indefinitely?

He pondered, then looked at the last message on the virtual screen.

[PS: Would you like to activate the assistant? Upon activation, you’ll receive a random tip about the target’s interests or weaknesses. Additional information can be purchased with points, with costs varying by value. Activate?]

“Activate.”

*Click!*

The bathroom door swung open. Miron Seiryo emerged in a bathrobe, milk-white skin exposed, damp hair exuding the scent of shampoo. With her heavy makeup washed away, she actually looked fresh and delicate.

“What are you staring at?!”

The moment she came out, she caught the chubby guy on the sofa staring at her intently, making her even more irritable.

“It’s nothing. Here’s the milk tea I made for you,” Haru smiled, nudging the steaming cup on the table toward her.

Miron eyed the milk tea suspiciously, but before she could speak, Haru grabbed his set of clean clothes and headed for the bathroom.

Heat assaulted him as soon as he entered. The bathroom was tiny, just a few square meters, long and narrow.

Still, even in a small space, the apartment included a bathtub for a proper soak.

He glanced at the tub, still glistening with water drops—had Miron used it?

Haru rarely took baths himself; he was done in ten minutes flat.

Coming out, he found Miron cross-legged on a floor cushion, fiddling with his game controller. The cup of milk tea still sat untouched on the table.

So self-possessed on her first visit—if this was her not being comfortable, what would she be like once she was? Would she drive him out of his own home?

He grumbled inwardly, grabbed the cup, and gulped down the milk tea.

Noticing the movement, Miron glanced at Haru, then ignored him, returning to the controller.

She was a bit clumsy—obviously her first time with this kind of gamepad. After a while, she still hadn’t managed to start a game.

Unable to watch any longer, Haru came over, retrieved another controller from a drawer, and plugged it into the small TV.

This old set had been a gift from his parents when he moved to Tokyo for school. Outdated now, but still playable.

He’d break it out when he was bored.

“Up for a match?” Haru waved the controller, grinning. “I’ll beat you with one hand.”

“Don’t look down on me, you fatso! Pick anything you want!” Miron fired up, determined to avenge her bottom in the game.

As the school’s reigning delinquent queen, she spent most days at the karaoke bar or arcade—but this was her first time playing games at someone else’s house.

“Alright.” Haru deftly scrolled through the games.

"Street Fighter IV"—the familiar energetic music blared.

Haru raised an eyebrow. “How about this?”

“Watch me crush you!” Miron raised a small fist, then hugged her knees, seriously picking her character.

Chun-Li—a beautiful female fighter.

After locking in her choice, Miron tilted her chin up and grinned. “Just playing is boring. Wanna make a bet?”

Seeing her so confident, Haru suddenly felt a little uneasy. Had he really run into a legendary pro?

“What’s the wager?” Haru asked, trying to sound composed but betraying some doubt.

“Three conditions—whoever loses has to grant the winner three wishes!” Miron held up three fingers.

“No way, that’s too many. One condition.” Haru thought for a moment, then added, “If I lose, I’ll grant you one wish. If you lose, I get to spank you ten times!”

“You—!” Miron’s face instantly turned red.

She raised her hand as if to strike.

“Hey, hey! Are we playing or not?!” Haru dodged, yelling.

“Fine! You just wait!” Miron bit her pearly teeth. She was already thinking of how to punish this chubby oaf after winning. Maybe she’d make him lick her feet?

Yes! That’s what she’d do!