The next morning, after a highly refreshing slumber, I was feeling great. I wasn't afraid of dying (that was a lie), I felt comfortable with my circumstances (that was also a lie) and I wanted to peacefully coexist with everyone in the world (once again, that was a lie).
Did I mention I was lying?
Although such a habit is unhealthy for me, if I don't change my mindset I won't be able to do anything. Yes, that was the depressing truth, although, why has such a change come to me? Last night, after staring at my girlfriend's underwear for a very short moment, all was right.
However! Yes, however, an indescribable guilt overcame me on my journey home. I don't why it happened, but there was no need for me to feel this way as she showed me her panties of her own will.
Is this what they call heterogeneity!?
Honestly, I've never understood my feelings so I'll dismiss them with a wave of my hand. If Yuuma asks for an apology, I'll give her one and if she doesn't, she probably never cared in the first place. Problem solved. Now I only have to worry about the prospect of sudden death.
…Sigh. Maybe accepting the feelings of a girl I've never seen before was the worst choice of my life.
[Optional Quest: Apology for Yuuma Amano!
Because of your sudden and unexplained guilt, you feel as if you need to apologise to your girlfriend. Whether you do it or not is up to you so you better act quick!
Rewards: Unknown]
[Skill acquired: Sprinting]
Somehow, running around the track field during PE, I was at the head of the pack, beating that dastardly athletic baseball guy that was gaining on me. Usually, I'd be at the back and would have been overtaken many times already, so what was happening?
Although everyone was surprised by my sudden burst of fitness, I attributed my athleticism to my agility and dexterity stats. I mean, they're at a base of level of fitness and in terms of a video game, being able to sprint for a while without getting puffed is the norm.
Upon the completion of my fifth lap, however, I was really starting to feel my heart beat in my chest. I wasn't exactly out of breath because this level of moment felt somewhat natural to me, but it was still putting a strain on my heart. It didn't help that I had fallen behind and was now in second place, rounding the final corner to complete my seventh lap.
Alright, let's give it our best!
With a great burst of speed, I quickly overtook the baseball guy and maintained my sights on the disapproving glare of the PE teacher in front of us.
Ah, that's right. He said everyone needs to stay as a group and the two of us in the lead are a couple of laps ahead of everyone else…
I took one great step, feeling my ankle almost roll in its socket and took a second, feeling a shoelace from one shoe pull tightly against my foot as I stood on it. Naturally, I took a great fall and fell onto my face, the baseball guy laughing with glee as he easily won our little race.
Needless to say, as I was picking myself up off of the ground, dusting my clothes off with a very large frown, he was berated by the teacher. In the end, he was forced to run another five laps without me because I fell over and 'hurt' myself.
Yeah, me being hurt was just a cheap excuse to slack off and go and see Airi.
[Because of your dedication to track and field, your AGI has increased by +1]
In the end, my visit to Airi was fairly pointless. She didn't say much and neither did I, but she did treat the scrapes that ran along the length of both arms by disinfecting them and wrapping them up with bandages. It seemed a little overkill but I'm not going to question a qualified nurse's judgement.
That led me to my lunchtime; I was wondering around the campus with Matsuda and Motohama, no clear goal in mind, and was talking about rather pointless things, our favourite porn stars and doujin being an example.
Although I am a man of culture, I had to denounce my friend's appreciation of animated hentai as it was, for some unknown reason, personally disturbing. Real porn and still images were more of my thing, however, Matsuda chased me away with threats of replacing my archives with animated hentai because I was apparently a heretic.
Yeah…you know, I think I'm actually glad to be a heretic in this particular cult. Although my two friends probably respect me just a little less than they used to, I had my opinions and they had theirs so there really shouldn't be any discord between us.
But what am I going to do now? I don't feel like discussing such a seemingly rancid topic with my friends and no one else likes me enough to talk to me, so what is left for me to do? Sure, I could go to the library and study, but who the hell needs to do that when there are better things to do?
Ah, that reminded me of something Airi said to me.
She told me to apologise to Yuuma because I accidentally told her how she had shown me her panties. Despite the fact that she did it of her own will and Airi admitted I wasn't at fault, she advised me that an apology is never a waste of time in a relationship, even if you hadn't done anything wrong.
There is a fault with that logic, though, as apologising too much will make you seem too wimpy.
Oh well. I guess I should follow my senior's advice and apologise.
With that thought in mind, I pulled my phone from my pocket, selected Yuuma's contact number and dialled it, raising the wonderful piece of technology to an ear. After ringing once, twice and then thrice, Yuuma answered my summons and spoke.
"Hello?" She simply spoke, not calling me by my name, and, if I had to be honest, that hurt just a little bit.
"Hey, it's Issei."
"Issei!? Why are you calling me all of a sudden?" Following along from how she didn't call me by my name, does she even have me saved as a contact?
"Well, I thought we could meet up somewhere after school. I want to talk to you about something."
"Huh? You want to talk…? I understand. I'll see you after school."
And with that, Yuuma suddenly disconnected the call, leaving me all alone in the schoolyard with a mouth that was poised to respond.
Although the call felt a little melodramatic towards the end, I couldn't help but feel a little melancholic because of it. Was it because Yuuma may be thinking I want to break up with her like some bad romance manga or was it the hint of sadness in her voice?
Either way, I put the phone back into my pocket and carried on as if the conversation had never happened.
"Ah." That emotionless sound escaped me as I recognised the girl who was waiting for me at the gates of Kuoh Academy.
That's right. Yuuma Amano, my girlfriend, had personally come to meet me.
I was confused by this, though. I mean, our schools should finish at the same time, right? So how is she here already? Yuuma noticed my gaze and quickly went to explain herself, panic visible on her face.
"I-I left early with permission from the headmaster and came to get you…"
"Oh." I couldn't really say anything in this situation, if I had to be honest. I mean, I can't really refute what she said. Although, how and why did she get permission from the headmaster of her school when she could've asked the administration to let her go?
"Is there a problem with that?" She asked as I slowly shook my head with a retracted sigh, my hands instinctively digging into my pockets.
"No, there's nothing wrong with it. I just wasn't expecting you to do such a thing. Shall we get going?"
As Yuuma awkwardly smiled at me with a crestfallen expression, I could feel many stares penetrate my back at the same time.
Tomorrow's rumours are certainly going to be fun, aren't they?
Seating ourselves at a table by a window, the afternoon sun casting shadows on Yuuma, we were at a peaceful café. I ordered a mocha and Yuuma ordered lemon tea and we awkwardly sat without moving, staring at each other without any idea of what to say to each other.
I know that I want to apologise but how the hell do I go about doing that? Now that I'm confronted with actually doing it, it's kinda hard to get it out...
"Umm…so, what did you want to talk about?" Yuuma started, fidgeting with the handle of her cup. As I took a sip from mine, resisting the urge to drop the mug as the liquid it contained was too hot, I took a moment to think about the things I actually wanted to say.
[Skill acquired: Heat Resistance]
So, I want to apologise. I know that. Yuuma doesn't know that. Do I mention why I want to apologise or do I leave it vague? Ah, screw it. I should just straight up apologise without dancing around the topic. There's no use in thinking about it and making things awkward when I can get it over with in a few seconds.
"I'll just come out and say it. I'm sorry for yesterday." Yuuma was visibly confused as she tilted her head to the side.
"Why?" She quickly responded, a sigh escaping my mouth as I expected this reaction.
"Well…I made you do something you didn't want to do, right?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"You mean to tell me you actually wanted to show me your underwear?" Yuuma's face flushed red as soon as the words left my mouth and she rapidly waved her hands around in front of her face with an alarmed expression.
"I-it's not that I wanted to show you or anything! It's just…I made a bet and had to fulfil my end of the deal." Yuuma lowered her hands as I glanced down at my drink, her red face slowly losing its colour. "That's not weird, is it?"
"No, it isn't. I'd say that's rather noble, though, as most people would try to run away from that responsibility."
"Really?" She mumbled, her words barely audible.
"Yes, really. Now stop being so embarrassed. Although, if I had to be honest, I'm kinda getting some second-hand embarrassment here…" Yuuma giggled and watched me take a sip of my drink.
[Skill acquired: Apology]
Once I had finished and placed my mug back onto the table, Yuuma cleared her throat and closed her eyes, her sharp intake of air very audible from where I was.
You know, I was expecting something great when she did that but when she crossed her arms and turned away from me with a harrumph, I couldn't help but smile wryly as I immediately read her intentions. "Tsundere doesn't look good on you, Yuuma, so please don't try to hide your feelings."
"Right. Sorry." She muttered as she relaxed her body, her position now neutral. Sighing and taking a sip of my drink with the tiniest shred of elegance, I couldn't help but think about how…weird this girl is turning out to be. Don't get me wrong, I like her. It's just the fact that she's doing a lot of things ordinary girls wouldn't do.
"So, umm, what happens now?" Yuuma asked as she too took sips from her drink, throwing glances out the window every so often as we sat in silence. Finally, after taking a moment to think, I responded by placing my cup down on the table.
"Do you want to go somewhere? Although it's getting fairly late, we could go to the mall or the cinemas." Yuuma hummed in thought as she stared down into her now empty tea cup, her hands resting in her lap.
"Well, I don't like how you pay for most of the stuff we do so I'd be content if we simply took a walk." Ah. My wallet feels somewhat happy hearing that. My heart does too.
"Then shall we go?" With Yuuma's nod, I downed the rest of my cup in one mouthful and stood up, grabbing my bag from beside me. Waiting for Yuuma to join me at my side I checked the time on my phone and, realising how late it was getting, I messaged my parents to inform them I probably wouldn't be home for dinner.
Although they'll interrogate me when I get home, that message will bring them the peace of mind they desire.
[Congratulations! You have completed a quest!
You apologised to Yuuma and calmed your guilt-ridden heart. Although this was a selfish thing to do, Yuuma respected your courage and responded kindly.
Rewards: +100 EXP, Relationship Improvement]
Ah, that's right. Yuuma apparently wants to kill me.
Thinking that (more like remembering what I had forgotten) while strolling through the park, the street lamps lighting the way for us, I realised there was no escape from what may as well be my inevitable fate. No one was around, it was dark and there were plenty of bushes and trees to use as cover.
Silently swallowing the lump that had formed in my throat, I stared down at Yuuma beside me and tried my best to inconspicuously look at her face, hoping to find something that was worthy of noticing.
But there was nothing noticeable about her face, not including her beauty. Her eyes were gentle, a small smile was plastered on her face and she seemed ready to hum a small tune. All in all, there wasn't anything wrong with her. Not anything I could see, anyway.
So why was I afraid? Why was my heart beating so fast and why was I resisting the urge to tremble?
[Fear Suppression Level 1 has been activated.]
[Nerve Suppression Level 1 has been activated.]
I released a heavy breath as the skills activated, my body relaxing as all of the hidden tension left it. Yuuma looked up at me and tilted her head to the side with concern visible in her eyes. "Is something wrong, Issei?" I slowly shook my head and offered her a smile in response.
"Nothing's wrong." Accepting my words as they were with a quiet 'oh', Yuuma turned away from me and focused on the path in front of us. Not finding anything fun or useful to do and not knowing what to say to this happy Yuuma, I began to spam my observation skill on my immediate surroundings in an attempt to level it up.
What? There's seriously nothing else to do so don't judge me with those eyes.
[Observation: A tree.]
[Observation: A bush.]
[Observation: Maybe a park bench.]
[Observation: Maybe not a human.]
Maybe not a human, huh? Wait, what?
Glancing at the only park bench I could see and noticing the little girl that sat on it, finding this encounter mighty convenient for various parties, my heart began to beat faster as yesterday's situation at the arcade replayed in my mind.
I decided to observe the girl once more to make sure the observation was consistent and that me freaking out was internally justified.
[Observation: Goth loli.]
[Observation: Not human.]
As I opened my mouth to tell Yuuma of this girl's status of not being a human, I quickly closed it as I remembered that Yuuma was in the same boat. Because this encounter seems to be staged, the two people must be affiliated in some way and giving away the girl's identity may as well get me killed. And, as the girl jumped to her feet with a glare, standing in our path, I couldn't help but sigh as me staring at her probably gave us away.
"Is there anything you need?" I asked as Yuuma and I stopped in the middle of the path, the girl now approaching us without a sound.
"I'll never need anything from a person like you." She suddenly spoke as she came to a stop in front of us, her despicable attitude making an eyebrow twitch. Honestly, is there something wrong with this girl? She's showed nothing but hostility so far. Well, considering my life may be on the line, I can only be amicable to avoid a sudden death.
"Then you need to speak with Yuuma, right?"
"Of course I do! Now get out of my way." As the girl reached out to grab Yuuma's hand while speaking, I stretched an arm out in front of my girlfriend to stop the girl's reach.
"If you need to talk to Yuuma so urgently it must be something I can hear." Glancing down at Yuuma to see a nasty glare on her face, I quietly gulped and gazed at the girl in front of us, unsure as to who that glare was pointed at. Either way, I wanted to avoid a conflict so maybe my actions were the right ones to make.
Actually, maybe not.
As the girl grabbed at something that was forming in the air, obviously creating something that was going to kill me, Yuuma stepped forward and slapped her across the face, the girl recoiling in shock as she gathered her words. "You…you dare to protect this human filth?" Not wanting to take part in this high school drama, I rapidly looked around for something that would grab my attention.
It happened to be the box that had appeared in front of me. Convenient, right?
[You have observed the application of a magic and it has been registered to your skills.]
[Skill acquired: Light Magic]
[Skill acquired: Mana Manipulation]
[Your skills appear to be messy. Would you like the system to automatically sort them by application?]
I let the system sort my skills, glanced up at the red mark on the girl's face and sighed, dismissing my menus as I clearly needed to return to reality. I opened my mouth to say something regarding the situation, however, before I could do so, Yuuma stepped forward and beat me to it, the girl backing off by a few steps in what was obviously fear, "If you touch Issei, Mittelt, I'll make sure you suffer for the rest of your life."
Hold up. Doesn't that sound a little brutal? Well, if Yuuma really is in love with me, she obviously doesn't want me to die so that threat is understandable. But this light feeling in my chest…after hearing Yuuma's words, is this what it's like to be in love?
After a couple of uneventful seconds and with a mighty huff of annoyance, Mittelt crossed her arms under her small chest and turned away, walking off into the trees with heavy steps. "If you don't hurry, Raynare, I'll finish the mission myself."
And with that, Mittelt was gone, leaving Yuuma and I in the middle of the park with an uncomfortable atmosphere between us. Was it because of Mittelt's final words or was it Yuuma's actions? Either way, that name Mittelt called Yuuma was pretty weird. In fact, I couldn't help but say it aloud because I'm pretty stupid.
"Raynare…" I mumbled with a furrowed brow as Yuuma dusted her clothes off with a sigh. "That name. Why did she call you by that, Yuuma?" Yuuma's cheeks turned red as I spun to face her. All of a sudden, the atmosphere was considerably light as Yuuma went on to speak her defence.
"Mittelt's a chuuni and she insists on calling me by that name. So please don't mind her." Because of various factors I have come across these past twenty-four hours, I didn't believe Yuuma. However, if I didn't have the observation skill or my video game ability in general, I most likely would have believed in her words. I can be pretty stupid like that. But aren't there a few obvious things that would have pointed out her fallacy?
A good example of this is that magic Mittelt was going to use to kill me.
My face paled and my blood ran cold as I realised what I had just said.
If Mittelt is affiliated with Yuuma and Mittelt wants to kill me, doesn't that mean Yuuma also wants to kill me?
Because I am now one hundred percent sure Yuuma wants to kill me, it's best to get out of dodge. However, before I do that, I have to make sure Yuuma doesn't suspect anything.
"Oh…okay," I muttered in response to Yuuma's statement as I shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to act as natural as I could, "Shall we continue?" Although I desperately wanted to get out of here as quickly as I could, I needed to try and sound like I didn't so I could. Does that make sense?
[Skill acquired: Acting]
Luckily for me, Yuuma sighed and shook her head, "Mittelt ruined the mood for me. I don't mind if you want to continue, though."
"No, it's alright," I replied with the wave of a hand, "I don't mind ending it here. Do you want me to walk you home?"
"I should be fine, Issei. Thank you for the offer, though." With a small smile and the wave of a hand, she turned around and walked away, my eyes watching her retreating form until I could not see her anymore due to the shrubbery. Needless to say, I was internally jumping for joy at this sudden development. Does this mean I'm going to live to see another day!?
Although, now that I was suddenly all alone, I couldn't help but feel exhausted as today's events have drained me of my vitality. It didn't help that the prospect of sudden death was greater than it was yesterday, either, so I couldn't help but sit on the bench and lean back as far as I could to try and cope with the information.
"What have I gotten myself into now?" I muttered as I stared up at the stars.
[You have detected a dungeon in the area. Would you like to enter it?]
Acquired Skills
Sprinting: Level 1/10 – 2% EXP
Gotta go fast!
Heat Resistance: Level 1/10 – 0.5% EXP
You can masturbate furiously without sweating with this skill! Isn't that useful!?
Apology: Level 1/10 – 50% EXP
The ability to make people forgive you is important, especially if you're in a bad situation! Considering your school activities, though, this skill will improve quite quickly…
Light Magic: Level 1/10 – 0% EXP
You can manipulate the light in your surroundings to create things!? That's cool! Wait, it's effective against undead and demons?
Mana Manipulation: Level 1/10 – 0% EXP
You can manipulate the mana in the air to do some cool stuff like destroying someone's clothes at will! I know you won't do that kind of stuff, though…wait a minute.
Acting: Level 1/10 – 5% EXP
The journey to convince people of your emotions or status is kinda hard, so you should be glad there's a skill for this. You do have no charisma, after all.
Stat Sheet
NAME: Issei Hyoudou
LEVEL: 4
EXP: 100/400
AGE: 17
RACE: Human
CLASS: Hentai Fiend
Title: Leader of Perverted Trio
HP: 160/160
MP: 7/7
STR: 15
VIT: 16
AGI: 11
DEX: 10
INT: 7
WIS: 5
LCK: 15
POINTS: 10
I know this chapter took a while to come out. I won't promise anything but, starting next week, I'll try to upload every Monday. Don't expect greatness, though. My dedication to this will be pretty flimsy at times because that's the way I am.
Thank you for reading Rock-Paper-Scissors!