A/N: If you guys would like to support me, please check out my p treon! Early chapter updates are available for all tiers, while exclusive stories are available for higher tiers!
There is also free art available for everyone!
p treon dot com / BoringBone
Chapter 42: Blessing These Tired Souls With Some Relaxation!
Part 1
We played around on the beach for a while before heading back to the hotel.
It was dinner time by the time we finished, so we showered and changed into normal clothes, before heading to the hotel's restaurant.
Megumin's and my parents were already there, and they seemed to be in a good mood.
I could imagine why.
"Ah, Megumin and Komekko, did you enjoy your little swim?"
Yuiyui-san said, all while looking more youthful than ever, with her skin all glossy and refreshed.
And I didn't think she hit the spa to have that effect, either…
Hyoizaburo-san also looked very content, and he had his arm wrapped around Yuiyui-san.
That's the face of a man who got lucky.
I should know.
Meanwhile, I didn't even want to look at my parents, who were undoubtedly in the same state.
Once we finished dinner, Mitsurugi said to me,
"Oi, Satou, let's check out the gym. It's been a while since we worked out together."
It was true that it had been a while since the last time, and I did gain a lot of bonuses whenever I worked out with Mitsurugi.
"Alright, let's check it out."
"...That's surprising. I thought you'd say that you don't want to exercise during a vacation."
"If you thought that, why did you even bother asking?"
I was already wearing an active shirt and shorts, so I just went along with him to the gym as is.
We invited the others, but they wanted to check out the spa instead.
As for Kazuto, he wanted to spend time with Iris as much as possible and rejected the invitation.
"Heh… Seems that your little brother is getting along with Iris-chan, huh?"
Mitsurugi said, as he slid our room card into the reader. The mechanism clicked open and he held the door for me.
There were a few other guests in there, but noticeably, there were two attractive, foreign-looking girls working out as well.
They had unusual hair colors, one with maroon and the other with light green hair. Since Aqua had a natural blue hair color, I almost believed that their hair color was natural, as well, but upon closer inspection, it looked like a dye-job. It was probably professionally done, though, since I couldn't tell unless I stared really hard.
While Mitsurugi and I went to do some cardio to warm up first, I saw them glancing at Mitsurugi.
Since I was curious, I used the [Espionage] skill to read their lips.
The app then translated what they were saying in English to me,
"T-That guy is so handsome, Cremea…"
"D-Do you think we should talk to him?"
The ikemen factor was at play again.
No wonder Yunyun learned that [Lady Killer] skill from him.
Still, I understood what the right thing to do as Mitsurugi's friend was.
"Satou, why are you leaving a treadmill between us?"
Mitsurugi said, when he saw me leaving space between him and me.
However, before I could respond, the green-haired girl occupied the treadmill I left open, while the maroon-haired girl went to the other side of Mitsurugi, sandwiching him in.
"H-Hello… How are you…?"
They were trying to speak in Japanese. I guess they really were foreign tourists.
These girls must be quite rich if they could afford to stay in this hotel, I thought.
The girls were surprised when Mitsurugi smiled and responded in perfect English.
"Eh? You can speak English?"
"Yes, I did some studying!"
He pretended like it was his own skill, but all app-users could do this.
Well, not like I'd call him out on it.
They looked even more impressed with him than they were before, when he started speaking fluent English.
I discreetly left my treadmill and went off to do other workouts, letting them chat.
Since I didn't want to spend the whole first night working out, I kept the workout relatively light and simple.
Your Stamina and Willpower increased by 1!
Mitsurugi didn't even notice that I went off on my own, as he was engrossed in the conversation with those girls.
"I-If you'd like, do you want to hangout with us in our room?"
These girls sure were assertive.
Mitsurugi wasn't dense, so he just gave his best charming smile and nodded.
"Sure, I'd love that!"
The girls giggled and they finally got off the treadmill after walking on it for thirty minutes.
He finally remembered I existed and gave me an apologetic look. I just waved him off, letting him have his fun.
I guess that meant that I'd have the room to myself tonight…
Suddenly, I remembered that look Megumin gave me, all while teasing me with that popsicle.
"..."
I decided to give her a text, telling her that I had the room all to myself.
When I got back to my room, I took a shower and drank some more beer once I got out, enjoying the cool, refreshing taste after a hot shower.
Then I heard a knock on my door.
I opened it and saw Megumin, her skin flushed a healthy pink.
She was wearing her pajamas and gave me a smirk as she entered the room.
"How did you get Kyouya-san to leave?"
"...I didn't kick him out, or anything. He went with some girls."
"No wonder you two get along. You're both playboys."
"How am I a playboy?"
She gave me a flat look.
"...Putting all the girls you've been with aside, you just called me up to your room like it's nothing, you know?"
"I guess that is what a playboy would do."
"You finally admit it."
I watched her as she walked into the room, the tension growing even though nothing happened yet.
That seductive look she gave me was still etched into my mind, since it was the first time she looked at me like that.
I always saw Megumin as a cute, pretty girl, sure, but I never really considered her sexy before.
That changed now, though.
"So… If you came here… That means you're ready, right?"
Despite how confidently seductive she was, Megumin was still inexperienced. She blushed and sat on the bed, putting her hands together over her lap.
"Yeah, I think I am."
This was a continuation of that night.
But this time, the mood was perfect.
I sat beside her on the bed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
"...I wanted to do it that night, you know? I was really holding back."
"Yeah, I know."
She giggled and shyly turned to me, closing her eyes and tilting her chin up.
I took the clue and leaned in for a kiss.
And that was just the start of our night.
Part 2
It was only our second kiss, so I made sure to go easy on her, even if my lust and desire for Megumin had been building up ever since she seduced me earlier.
"You're so gentle, Kazuma."
She said, after a drawn out kiss that was still made with superficial contact, a light peck that got me excited nonetheless.
"...You really see me as some kind of brute?"
"No. I know that you're actually really nice inside, even if you act all mean. That's why I like you."
I blushed at that, which she ended up giving a chuckle to. I shut her up with another kiss, this time parting my lips to make it more intimate.
Once she opened up her mouth as well, I maintained the deep kiss before letting my tongue tangle with hers. She didn't know what to do, so I dictated the pace. Still, I was surprised when Megumin eventually moved her tongue and even started taking over the motions.
When we parted for breath, I said,
"Oi… It's not a competition. Just let me lead."
I leaned in for another kiss, but she kissed me first.
…This girl is really something.
Rather than allow me to take control, she got all prideful, even though she was far less experienced than me.
When we separated again, she had a disapproving look on her face.
"...You can lead, but I won't make it easy for you."
"Hah?! What does that mean! You sound like I'm forcing you to do this! Why are you resisting?!"
"...Because if I show that I don't have backbone now, Kazuma will think that he's the top dog in the relationship forever!"
"Stop being difficult."
In order to distract her from her overly competitive personality, I started to touch her thighs.
"Mnn!"
Rather than keep complaining about inane matters, she let out a little moan as I caressed her thighs.
"You know, Megumin… You unexpectedly have a lot more 'meat' on you than I assumed."
She was nowhere near someone like Darkness or even Aqua, but she wasn't stick and bones, either.
"...Your touch is so perverted, Kazuma."
She said, while going beet red as I massaged her thighs through her pajamas.
"You are aware of what we're doing, right? How can we proceed without doing perverted things?"
"Well, I guess you're right."
We resumed making out, while I slowly touched more of Megumin's body, getting her acclimated to my touch before moving to the truly erogenous zones.
From the top of her thighs, my hand slid underneath to the posterior, feeling the thick, suppleness of it. I lifted her up a little and said,
"Get on my lap."
Her face was red, but she nodded, listening to my instructions despite how she acted earlier.
Defiant but rational, just what I'd expect from her.
Once she was sitting on my thighs, facing me, my hands went around to her butt, getting a good squeeze.
"Nn…!"
She didn't complain about my perversion this time, as I expertly fondled her cheeks, rubbing along them to feel her thighs as well, making fondling, up and down motions between the edge of both lovely areas.
"You have a great body."
I said, knowing that she was pretty insecure about that sometimes.
She couldn't even meet my eyes, even though she put on an arrogant expression.
"W-Well… Of course I do."
However, that arrogance faded away and she surprised me with a gentle smile.
"...Thanks for being so considerate."
"..."
Even though her statement was way more innocuous than mine, somehow, I was the one who ended up blushing more.
"You really are kind, Kazuma."
"...What kind of teasing is this? Is this a new meta I hadn't discovered?"
She gave me a blank look.
"So kindness is considered teasing now?"
"As expected of the domestic terrorist, Megumin… You even managed to find a way to weaponize kindness."
"Heh… Typical Kazuma, joking around and deflecting when things get serious. Hey, I was willing to let you lead, but you're the one acting like a shy maiden, you know?"
Having someone know you so well is both a blessing and a curse.
I squeezed her ass especially hard as a form of mild retaliation.
After eliciting the kind of moan I wanted to hear from her, I grinned and moved my hands from her ass, up the delicate curve of her spine, before going down her shoulders into her modest chest.
"...You better not be calling it a 'modest chest' in your mind right now, Kazuma."
Is she a mind reader?
"Of course not. I was thinking that it's appropriately sized."
"Wow, I didn't know Sena gave you PR training. Well, I guess it's no surprise someone of your position would need that."
"...You blamed me for deflecting when I'm complimented, but you're a worse offender than me, Megumin."
I squeezed her chest through her top, earning another delicious moan from her.
Then, I started to unbutton her top, until I saw her black bra underneath.
She allowed me to slip the top down from her shoulders, looking at the bra she was wearing.
"...Surprisingly bold choice."
I said, looking at the patterned lingerie with a red bow underneath where the cups were connected.
"It's not fair if I'm the only one exposed, you know?"
She said, blushing as she was clearly fighting not to cover herself.
I was so excited to strip her that I almost forgot that she'd want to see me naked, too.
Admittedly, it was hard not to feel a rush of pride, as I saw Megumin clearly fixated when I took off my shirt and showed off my body.
"...What's the matter? You already saw it at the beach."
"F-For some reason, it looks more impressive now, though."
I chuckled and pointed at the lights in the room.
"Probably the lighting… Also I got a good pump from my workout earlier."
She still kept staring and I chuckled, leaning in to kiss her lips, then her chin, before I went down to her neck.
She naturally slid down to the bed as I hovered over her, delicately leaving flutter kisses all over her smooth skin, my lips trailing down to her collarbone, then to her slight cleavage.
Eventually, I felt her hands on my biceps, but her touch was hesitant.
I rested my chin a little against her chest, looking up at her.
"Come on, I'm practically licking your chest. You can touch me however you want, you know?"
"...I'm not used to this like you! And I don't want to make it seem like I'm only attracted to you because you got muscles recently…"
…Knowing each other too well really was a blessing and a curse.
Along with the kind consideration, there was also a paralyzing fear of not wanting to evoke the other's insecurities. If we weren't honest with each other, we might not ever progress from here.
"...I've come a long way since I told you about my past. All that stuff got resolved now, a big part thanks to you. So… I'm more confident in myself now. I know that you really do like me, Megumin."
Her red eyes sparkled so naturally that I didn't even think of them as magic lenses anymore.
With a soft smile, she cupped my cheek.
"I think I would have fallen for you even when you were a skinny NEET, Kazuma."
My main instinct was to deflect again, but Megumin did a good job making me aware of that habit.
"Thanks… Me too. Any circumstance, any time… I think I would have fallen for you, too."
It's so cheesy… My old self would have never said things like this.
But I felt like I had to say it. And I knew it was true.
Vanir told me, after all. In the infinite expanse of realities out there, the girl I ended up the most with was Megumin.
And think about it. The majority of infinite realities is a hell of a big number.
So the affection we're feeling for each other now is the closest to canon as it gets.
Well, it's a thought, anyway.
I resumed kissing her chest, before I finally worked to remove her bra.
It opened from the front, and I easily snapped it open, revealing her naked breasts to me.
I admired her perky breasts, smiling to let her know I really did like them, before I touched them directly.
"Ah…"
"Just relax."
I brought the pillow behind her head, letting her enjoy these first sensations. I knew how mind-blowing it was to be touched in an erogenous zone for the first time by someone you really desire. It was several multipliers of lust, affection and biological need, working together to make every touch amplify into startling waves of pleasure.
Her heartbeat resounded against my palm as I groped her, and I felt her pink nipples stiffening immediately. My thumbs went over them, making her snatch her head back and moan as I played with the hard buds.
While one hand remained to grope her chest, the other worked on getting the last of her clothing off. She kicked off her pajamas once it reached below her knees, and I admired the matching lingerie panties she wore, before eagerly lowering them as well to reveal her full, naked self.
She was absolutely beautiful, laying there with her flushed face, chest raising and falling along with her racing heartbeat, her breasts perkily raised, a light sheen of wetness in between her legs.
My hand found her pussy, my thumb feeling the wetness of the entrance, spreading the moisture up to her clit.
"Ahhnn! Hnn!"
I knew that she experienced a small orgasm when I touched the most sensitive part of her body, her clit swelling as she briefly trembled.
Not wanting to overwhelm her, I didn't stimulate her nipples as well, just working on getting a finger inside her slit, slowly easing her insides to receive me.
"Kazuma… Mnn…!"
"It's OK. Just enjoy this. I want to give you good memories of your first time."
That was the reason why we delayed this.
I was sure she'd have wanted to take my first, too. She was just competitive like that.
But none of that competitiveness was apparent on her face now, as she was awash in pleasure.
If getting jerked off for the first time felt insanely good to me, I could only wonder how good a girl feels to be fingered for the first time. Going by Megumin's reactions, the experience almost seemed life changing. Even the smallest thrust made her shiver in the telltale signs of a small orgasm.
…It almost made me feel envious of those who could feel multiple orgasms.
Then again, there was also a lot of pleasure in being able to produce such a state in those I loved.
After Megumin shook for a third time, I knew it was time for the final step. Not only for Megumin's sake, but for mine.
I hadn't even taken off my pants yet, and my erection was getting painful.
Megumin watched as I removed my pants, then my boxers, showing her my cock.
I almost felt bad for her, since it probably looked pretty scary, all red, almost purplish, with just how erect and turned on I was.
"T-That's gonna enter me? Is it even gonna fit inside?"
"...Thank you so much, Megumin-san."
She looked at me in confusion, but she just said the line that all guys want to hear from their lovers.
I wasn't even that big, but I was so hard for her at that time that it must have looked like a monster.
Not to mention, she was looking at it from below, so the angle probably helped.
In any case…
"Don't worry, I know it's big, but I'll be gentle."
I milked the moment for all it was worth.
After telling Megumin to relax, I planted my cock in front of her entrance.
It occurred to me to wear a condom, but honestly, after seeing the efficiency of the morning after pill, I didn't know if I could go back to wearing condoms anymore.
Besides, I wanted to feel Megumin's virgin pussy.
I pushed in bit-by-bit, the rock hard flesh already meeting resistance from her cramped insides.
Then, I came across her hymen.
I held her hand and told her to take a deep breath.
I plunged forward.
"Nghk!"
…I felt like a sadistic bastard, but seeing Megumin's face contort in pain for a brief moment, along with seeing her virgin blood run down from the place where we were connected…
…Well, it might have awakened something in me.
I let her take a few seconds to adjust, until she seemed to calm down and met my eyes once more. Taking that as the go ahead, I held one of her hands and held her tiny waist with the other, before I started moving.
She was so tight that her ridges felt like they were trying to imprint themselves on my cock. It felt so good that I probably left a long trail of thick precum as I slid out to her entrance, only for my tip to submerge itself up to the root once more.
"Oh, wow…"
I was supposed to be the most experienced one, but I was honestly losing myself in her pussy. It took all my concentration to not go too hard and pay attention to her reactions.
Megumin looked up at me with a flushed, happy expression, her eyes half-lidded in contentment, with desire flaring within her pupils, a spark of primal lust within all the innocence. Her small chest gave perky, little semi-circle bounces whenever I thrusted inside her, those surprisingly meaty thighs providing a nice reverb, so that I felt the erotically charged impact of our collisions.
I could only feel grateful as Megumin's moans increased, and the frequency of her squirming increased. I knew her orgasm was on its way, a big one this time. I wasn't sure if I could last another minute, so I rode along the wave of her orgasm, as mine soon came along as well.
"Hnnngh…!"
Her back arched and I pressed my cock deep inside her. I groaned from the pressure of my core flexing as it seemingly tried to expel all the cum out of me. Megumin writhed underneath me, moaning with each spasm her body went through, her mouth agape adorably as she experienced her first real sexual orgasm.
There was a suspended moment of hot breaths and feverish gazes, the final twitches of limbs and muscles, as bodily pleasure dwindled into an instance of chemical bliss.
I pulled out, seeing the creampie I gave her, too much for her body to handle as it spilled out between her thighs.
We met each other's eyes and ended up sharing a giggle.
Part 3
I woke up the next morning with a sleeping Megumin right next to me, head laid on my shoulder, my arm around her small body.
…Having your lover's warmth right next to you, feeling their familiar body weight, it was the best thing to wake up to.
Yeah, my old self would really hate my current self. I keep on having to repeat that, since it's true.
I watched her for a bit, enjoying seeing her pretty face up close. It was so easy to just see Megumin as a troublesome explosion-addict, but she really was beautiful.
After watching her for a bit, I got curious.
I pulled one of her eyelids up.
"...Slept with the contacts on again, huh?"
And she said that last time was an accident. Were the contacts a part of her body now, or something?
She stirred awake, pulling her face away from my hand.
"...Why were you pulling my eyelid up like that?!"
She said, rubbing her eye where I touched it.
"You left your contacts on."
"Ah… I guess that's because I immediately slept after…"
She blushed when she remembered what we did last night.
I started clapping for her.
"Congratulations. You have rid yourself of the yoke of your virginity."
"You always manage to say the most despicable things, Kazuma."
While she was sitting up, she noticed that I could see her breasts, and she moved to cover it, but she seemed to realize that there wasn't any use hiding it now, so she just shyly removed her hands.
"There we go. Just get comfortable with the fact your body is mine now."
She glared at me as I pulled her to me for a naked embrace.
"Gross! That kind of over possessiveness is gross!"
She pushed my head away.
"...You know, Megumin, you like to say that I push people away as a defense mechanism, but you do the same thing."
"And? Just because we both have negative traits, it doesn't excuse your display of them."
"Fair point."
She didn't push me away this time and let me hold her. While I was doing so, I noticed that she had a contemplative look on her face.
"What are you thinking about? Trying to replay last night's events in your head? You don't have to imagine it, we can do that kind of stuff whenever you want."
"...With how much you poured into me last night, you have no reason to act this horny. And I was just thinking… I don't really feel any different. Is that weird?"
I stared at her for a moment.
"Are you one of those people who think that things will change once you lose your virginity?"
Like a class change, or gaining a title.
"I-I'm just wondering!"
I rested my chin on her shoulder while I thought of an answer.
"Based on my personal experience, I guess you'll feel more confident? It's like… people make such a big deal out of losing your virginity, so I guess it's a sense of relief that you finally lost it?"
"A sense of relief… I'm not really the type to care about what others think, so maybe that's why I don't feel any different. And I don't lack any confidence, either."
I didn't doubt that at all.
"Well, I guess some people are less of a virgin than others. Megumin was only a virgin in the physical sense, but you're quite experienced at heart, huh?"
"...That sounds like some kind of accusation."
Seeing that she wasn't satisfied with my answer, I stopped joking around and said,
"Fine, I'll give you a serious example. I have a female classmate I get along with these days. I ended up casually offering to clean her room, without even thinking about it. I only made that offer since I'm so used to being around girls, that I didn't even consider that she'd think it was weird. I guess my confidence grew to such an extent that I don't even think twice about that kinda thing now, when my old, virgin self would have made a big deal out of it."
"I see… I think."
"That's what I meant by 'confidence'."
I must have explained myself relatively well, since Megumin slowly nodded and didn't complain.
"Alright, unless you wanna go for round 2, we should get going now."
I said, getting up, even though I wanted to enjoy the morning after pillow talk a bit more.
"What's the hurry? I thought you'd wanna take it easy, since it's our vacation."
I explained the thing about the shrines with her, and how I wanted to make use of this chance.
"If I finish it quickly, I might still have time to do stuff later on in the day."
"I see. Well, good luck, then."
"Eh? You're not coming?"
"Explosion magic doesn't rely on the luck stat, and my luck is pretty decent now, anyway. It's not like I need to raise it."
Unlike me, who had several key skills that relied on luck, she didn't need to focus on raising it.
Megumin wanted to relax in bed a bit more, while I took a shower, put on some comfortable clothes to hike around in, and went downstairs to the hotel restaurant.
There was a free breakfast buffet service, which I wanted to take full advantage of, especially since I was going to be doing a lot of walking and climbing up mountains.
In the restaurant, I saw Mitsurugi, along with the two girls from last night, Fio and Cremea.
The girls were both clinging to his arm, giving him googly eyes. I guess someone got lucky, too.
"...I didn't know you had the [Dual Wielding] skill, Mitsurugi."
Now, normally, Mitsurugi would have a quick response for me like 'You're as crass as ever, Satou'.
But instead, he just gave me a nonchalant smile.
"Ha~ha~ That's funny, bro… You gonna get some grub? This place has some good eats. Enjoy it, my guy… Ha~ha~"
"..."
When did he become so relaxed?
Well, I guess if he had two of those girls at once, it was natural for him to be in such a chill state.
"Ah, Kyouya-kun's friend, do you want to eat with us?"
"We got room for one more!"
I thought that Mitsurugi would be glaring at me, giving me a clue not to ruin his moment, but he just started doing that pretentious laugh again.
"Yeah, Satou, go ahead and grab a seat. It's cool. Ha~ha~"
Who the hell does this guy think he is?
He was acting like some big shot actor hanging out with a bunch of groupies.
Still, there wasn't really any valid excuse for not joining them, so I grabbed a plate from the buffet first before taking a seat.
"So, we're gonna be staying in Japan for another month or so… Can we see you again after this, Kyouya-kun?"
"Yeah… We both really wanna keep seeing you…"
Mitsurugi grinned and pulled them in, hands around their shoulders.
"Of course… Actually, why don't you two get permanent residence here? Heh… Just kidding… Unless?"
"Kyaaa~! Kyouya-kun~!"
"Maybe we should actually stay in Japan forever?!"
"That's what I'm saying, baby. Or should I say, babies?"
They squealed even more at his corny joke.
I didn't care if it was rude. I took my plate and went somewhere else.
Part 4
As for the ones who ended up coming along with me for the shrine visiting marathon, it ended up being Darkness, Kazuto and Iris, with Sena driving us.
"...Maybe if I raise my luck high enough, it might improve my weapon accuracy, too!"
Darkness said, her voice filled with hope.
"Well… Good luck with that. No pun intended."
I looked at Kazuto and Iris, who were happily chatting away.
"That arcade we went to last night sure was fun, huh, Iris?"
"Yeah! It's my first time going to one!"
…Wait. Arcade? Last night?
"Oi, don't tell me you two went out last night!"
Without telling me?!
"What's the matter, onii-sama? We got permission from the adults."
"Yeah. Our parents said we could go, too."
I looked at Sena to confirm their words, and she just nodded.
"They promised to stay near the hotel, so I didn't see any problems with it."
"Who cares what you think! Iris, I'm your guardian, so you need to ask me!"
"...Onii-sama, you're not an adult, though."
Darkness sighed and told me.
"Listen, I know you see yourself as Iris's older brother, but you're only 16. You're only 4 years older than her, so you shouldn't act like she needs your permission to go out with a friend."
"Besides, nii-san, we had a deal."
"Urk…"
Kazuto just had to remind me about our little deal.
I kept my mouth shut throughout the drive as Sena drove us to the first shrine. Meanwhile, Kazuto and Iris kept chatting away.
Since Darkness and I were the only ones who were going to the shrines for the bonuses, when we arrived, Kazuto and Iris went around the shrine to have fun. Meanwhile, Darkness and I checked our phones.
You have arrived at a lucky shrine! Making a prayer will earn you 1 luck! You can also take a challenge to gain 2 luck instead!
As for the challenge…
You must challenge and beat a miko at janken! If you lose, you will not get the bonus!
What kind of challenge is this?
Rather, I felt like it was more of a challenge to get a miko to randomly play janken with a visitor.
"Oh… Those shrine maidens are so pretty!"
Darkness said, taking pictures of a miko who looked like she was college aged.
"We're not here to sightsee. I'm gonna be fine at janken, but how about you?"
"...I can't say I'm confident enough to win the first try."
Not everyone had my insane luck stat, after all.
First, we went to the miko to see if she'd agree to it.
She gave us a strange look when I made my request.
"Hah? Janken? …Why?"
Understandably, she was confused about it.
"Oh, is this one of those TikTok trends?"
"...Sure, I guess."
She conveniently gave an excuse, so I just went along with it.
We had to start filming with our phone, since the premise was that we were filming a video.
I went first, with Darkness filming.
"Janken… pon! Saisho wa guu!"
If I could beat a mind-reading devil in a game of wits, there was no way a random miko could do it.
"Alright, so it's the foreigner jou-chan's turn…"
Before they could start, I said,
"Ah, hold on, can you intentionally lose to her?"
"...What?"
The miko seemed to take offense to that.
"Well, it's just for a video… Do you mind?"
"Of course I mind. I hate it when influencers make fake videos!"
She's one of those purists, huh?
I couldn't say I disagreed, though.
"Look, it's not a big deal. It's not like it's a loss to your pride if you lose a game of janken, right?"
"It is a big deal to me, dumbass! I don't like losing, especially not on purpose! Screw that!"
What kind of miko is this?!
Not only was she rude to visitors, but she had a foul mouth.
"K-Kazuma… Maybe we shouldn't push the issue…"
Darkness tried to take the civil way out, but this miko was starting to piss me off.
In terms of pettiness, there was no one who could out petty me!
"...Alright, name your price."
"Hah? You trying to bribe me, kid?"
I took out cash from my wallet and held it in front of her.
"..."
She paused and stared at it.
"W-Well, I do need the money… And it's just a stupid TikTok video, anyway. It's not like you're asking me to shake my ass for a vid."
…Where did the shrine find this miko?
There was nothing maidenly about her at all!
I gave her 8,000 Yen.
Congratulations! You gained 2 Luck! You also gained 1 Cunning!
We went to look for the others after gaining the luck bonus, and we found Sena first.
…She was drawing for 'romance fortune'. She also had quite an intense look on her face.
"M-Moderate luck, huh…?"
She said, sighing in defeat.
"Don't worry, Sena, Just be glad you didn't come here with Aqua, or your marriage chances might have dipped into the negatives just now."
"...That's why I didn't even greet her this morning."
She really was taking this seriously.
We gathered Iris and Kazuto and went back to the bus.
When I told them that we'd go on our way to the next shrine, Kazuto said,
"Eh? Why are we going to another shrine?"
Was this kid not listening?
He just heard that Iris was coming along and decided to tag along. Was that it?
"...I told you that we're going to visit a bunch of shrines today, right?"
"Hah?! Why?! I figured we were only going to visit one 'coz Darkness nee-san here wanted to go sightseeing!"
This kid sure was fast at assuming things.
"Listen, I know a kid like you won't get it, but sometimes, we need to cleanse ourselves from the negativity we accrue in our daily lives. We do that by going on a spiritual journey like this every so often. You'll get it once you mature…"
He looked at Iris, then puffed his chest out.
"O-Of course, I get it! Let's hurry up and get to that next shrine, then!"
This kid's too easy.
Or more like, kids his age are way too easy to trick when they have a crush on a girl.
I would know.
And so, we went around the rest of the shrines, challenging mikos in janken.
Since the other mikos were reasonable people, unlike that greedy miko, I didn't have to bribe them.
Your luck stat has increased to 101! You were able to surpass the 100 stat points limit thanks to the [Growth] skill! Your current stat point limit without unlocking an advanced class is 110 for each stat!
That skill I got from Mary finally paid off…
Also, one of my stats surpassed the 100 benchmark, huh?
From what Appuri-chan told me, the 100 mark is when app-users become superhuman in that stat. Normally, one can't even surpass 100 in a stat without an advanced class. I suppose I should be grateful to Mary that I can do it even without one.
Part 5
When we got back to the hotel, there were still a few hours before dinner time.
Thanks to Sena making an efficient travel route between the shrines, we could still spend the rest of our last day of vacation relaxing.
Iris and Kazuto went out into the arcade again, but I was already pretty tired from going around a bunch of shrines. I didn't know how they still had the energy to walk around.
"Hah… Kids these days…"
"...You're too young to be saying things like that, son."
My dad said, as my parents and I headed into the spa.
I was with the adults of the group, my dad, mom, Yuiyui-san, Hyoizaburo-san and Sena.
It seemed like they had been spending time in the spa most of the time, since this hotel was famous for its spa's relaxation and even anti-aging properties.
I didn't care about the anti-aging properties, but I did want to relax.
"Hm… This is the first time I've ever gotten a massage."
I said, when I entered the massage room with my dad, where the masseuses lead us in.
"Ah, sometimes I feel like I can't even function without getting one every so often. I spend every day hunched over a screen, after all.
…I never want to become a corporate slave when I grow up.
Although, I did have to admit, the massage felt very good.
Special service unlocked!
This famous spa service gives you a one time boost of 5 Attractiveness!
I got a message like that from Appuri-chan.
Well, I guess the spa's reputation had a lot of truth in it.
With 66 Attractiveness, I wasn't at a supermodel level now, or anything.
But it was a good deal above average.
At this point, I was just happy that I wasn't sub 50 in looks anymore, like what I started out with.
Once I finished the massage, I went into the sauna.
Unlike normal saunas, this was a spacious area that was treated as mix-gendered.
There were staff regulating the temperature to make sure it was comfortable for everyone.
My dad had high blood-pressure, so he avoided the sauna and went into the warm pool instead. I went into the sauna with everyone else.
"Yuiyui-san, you look so youthful! I'm jealous! Can you share your secrets?"
I heard my mom say, as I arrived inside with a towel around my waist.
"Ah, the secret is avoiding processed and oily foods, and eating natural foods instead!"
"Oh, I see!"
…By natural foods, she probably meant whatever they could catch out in the woods that day.
It wasn't as if she was trying to avoid processed foods, it was just that they couldn't afford to buy it back then.
Still, both Yuiyui-san and Hyoizaburo-san did look like they were ten years younger than what they probably were.
While those two were happily chattering away, Sena leaned back against the wall with a sigh.
"...None of my love fortunes went above 'moderate' luck."
"I don't think those really mean anything."
I tried one, but the app system didn't give me any notifications, and Appuri-chan didn't say anything either.
That probably meant that unlike the luck increase, those love fortunes didn't provide anything.
The door opened and more guests came in.
My eyes naturally wandered to them and I saw three girls walking inside.
"Ah, there's a lot of people here already…"
"Oh, t-there's men here…"
"Ack…?!"
A trio of girls with pink hair, blonde hair and black hair…
They were also incredibly attractive, the type who could be idols.
Actually…
They were idols.
I recognized them soon after. They were Axel Hearts.
Which meant that…
Konno-san, now with her class-rep disguise taken off, was staring at me with panicked, wide eyes.
"..."
I casually looked away.
Seriously?
After all I did to preserve her secret, she was just going to walk in here with the rest of the group?!
The best I could do now was pretend like I didn't recognize her at all.
"P-Phew…"
She exhaled out in relief and found a bench to sit down in this spacious sauna.
Don't be so obvious about how relieved you are!
Also, stop looking at me!
"Hah… We can finally relax after that event! Oh? Lia… You're looking at that guy a lot. Is he your type?"
The pink haired girl with pigtails, Erika, said to Konno-san.
"D-Don't say my name…! A-And I wasn't looking!"
It took all I had not to react.
Also, she was just looking because she was scared I'd recognize her.
"...You know what, let's get out of here already… We don't want Cielo-chan to cause any incidents, either…"
"Ehh… We just got here, though. Cielo-chan, you're fine as long as you don't get too close to the men, right?"
"Y-Yeah… I won't start butchering them as long as they don't get close…"
Oh, right… Cielo was known to have androphobia.
Although she could control it to an extent, she was the only one in Axel Hearts who didn't do handshake events.
Otherwise, she'd start punching the fans.
Although, some fans do like that.
"See, Cielo-chan is fine! So, Lia-chan, go on and make your move! I mean, he is pretty cute! And he's so muscular…"
"Geez! An idol shouldn't be saying such things!"
"Hah? It's fine as long as the fans don't hear about it, right?"
Hey? A fan is hearing all this right now, you know?
In fact, an idol otaku would consider this blasphemy…
Not that I'm an idol otaku.
"Ah… I think I'm gonna head out now."
I said to the others, as I sat up.
I started to walk out without looking at the Axel Hearts girls.
I heard Konno-san whispering as I walked by.
"See what you did, Erika…? You scared him away."
"...Oh, come on… If you just started talking to him, he wouldn't have thought it was weird…"
Once I got out of the door, I used [Espionage] to eavesdrop on them, as the door was closing.
I wanted to make sure Konno-san didn't suspect anything, after all.
Even though they were whispering, I heard what they were saying with the skill activated.
"Erika… That guy is my friend! You almost blew my cover!"
"Oh, well, you should have told me about him beforehand! How could I have known?! Besides, what's he doing here in Kyoto, in a hotel like this?!"
"I don't know! Ahh… I don't think he noticed. Thank goodness…"
She must really think I'm dense, huh?!
I was almost tempted to go back there and expose her, but I held myself back.
Part 6
After we had dinner at the restaurant, it was time to head back.
All of us had school and work tomorrow, so we couldn't stay another night.
"Kyouya-kun, be sure to call us, OK?"
"Yeah, we'll come to Tokyo after this!"
"Hehe… I'm looking forward to it, girls."
Mitsurugi was in a good mood as he waved goodbye to Cremea and Fio and entered the bus.
"Oho… So you're someone like me, huh, Mitsurugi-san?"
Kazuto said, still wearing those stupid shades even though it was already nighttime.
"Hm? What do you mean?"
Since Kazuto was talking to him, he sat beside me and faced Kazuto, who was sitting alone for now as he waited for Iris to take her seat. As for why Iris wasn't seated yet, it was because she was trying to store a giant plushie Kazuto won for her in the arcade.
Kazuto grinned and pulled his shades down midway past his nose.
"You know what I mean, playa."
"...No, I don't know what you mean."
I could understand why Mitsurugi was confused, since Kazuto was being cryptic and acting mysterious for no reason.
"Fufu… We're both popular with the ladies… Well, I guess all of us here are, including nii-san."
Mitsurugi was just confused, so I said,
"He's just trying to join the big boys club, Mitsurugi."
Kazuto took offense to that and quickly stood up.
"Hah?! What do you mean by that, nii-san?! Are you trying to insult me?! I'm not some kid!"
"...You stood up to your full height and you still look like a short stack, yet you dare claim that you're not a kid?"
"Why you…!"
He immediately quieted down when Iris finally came over and sat next to him.
"Hm? What were you guys talking about?"
"N-Nothing…"
Kazuto was the type who completely changed around girls.
Sena began to drive and the bus was filled with separate conversations about the trip we had.
It was only two days and one night, but it was still a welcome reprieve from everything we had to deal with.
After all, the future was uncertain, so we should treasure the times we can just have fun and relax.
…
…
The next day, I was refreshed from the trip and went to class in a good mood.
To add to my good mood, I had some fun in the morning with Rin in bed, before we took the dungeon door to school.
I really hope that it becomes a daily routine…
When I arrived in class, Konno-san gave me an intense look.
"Hm? What's up, Konno-san? Is there something on my face?"
I pretended to be a dense MC and felt around my face.
"..."
Crap.
I forgot that Konno-san's intuition was very high.
She was almost like Aqua in that regard, a person with unexpectedly high intuition.
Although, since Konno-san's bond rewards actually raises my intuition, I'd say that hers are higher than Aqua's.
"...Say, Satou-san, what did you do this weekend?"
She really was starting to suspect me.
The best option here is to just tell the truth.
"Actually, I had a chance to go to this hotel in Kyoto with my family."
"Ah, I see. That sounds like fun!"
"How about you, Konno-san?"
"Hm… I didn't do much. Just stayed at home."
…What a good liar.
As expected of someone who led a double life.
Although her home was filled with Axel Hearts memorabilia, so maybe I should take that back.
"By the way, the naginata club tournament is in a couple days. Are you ready for that?"
She asked me, reminding me about that tournament.
To be honest, I wasn't planning on staying in the naginata club after the tournament, but there wasn't a reason for me to leave before then.
Soccer club activities were starting up again, though, but that will happen after the tournament.
Both clubs gave me chances to raise my stats, but I had more of an obligation with the soccer club.
Plus, I wanted to actually win nationals next year.
"Alright, class, settle down."
The homeroom sensei came in.
"Sensei, are our exam results out yet?"
"Hah? We only had one weekend to grade those! Do you think us sensei don't have lives of our own?!"
I suppose I still had to wait some more to see if I completed that quest.
When classes ended, Konno-san and I both went to the naginata club. Darkness was already there, along with the club president.
However, there were other people present, wearing another school's uniform.
"Hmph… So this is the quality of this year's recruits, huh? Your club is in trouble, isn't it, Terada-san?"
I leaned over to Konno-san and whispered.
"Who are these guys? And who's Terada-san?"
"...Are you telling me you didn't know the president's name until now?"
"Oh. So the president has a name, huh?"
"Of course he does!"
Terada-senpai went over to the visitors wearing other school uniforms and said,
"We're just doing this for fun, so no need to try and intimidate us."
"Hah… If you're only doing this for fun, then drop out! It's an eyesore to have you and Konno Lia showing off in tournaments, only for your school to lose in total points because you only have two members!"
I see. So it was this kind of event.
Before every school tournament arc, the rival club always comes to instigate things.
Normally, what would happen is that the protagonist will then have to face someone in the rival club in a practice match.
Of course, the protagonist will lose at first, but the rival club will see the protagonist's potential. The rival will then lose to the protagonist in the tournament and have a change of heart…
And so on.
However, I hate cliches like that, so I stepped forward and pushed one of the male rival club members.
"Hey, what are you…"
He then fell into Darkness's chest.
"Snap!"
I took a picture.
"..."
Silence spread through the room.
I held up the picture for them to see.
"Oh, look. Delinquents from another school not only trespassed into our school, but they even assaulted one of our club members… Not to mention she's a foreign exchange student. Ah, this could end up being an international incident, you know?"
"...?!"
The rival club members went pale at that.
"...Oi, Kazuma…"
Darkness started to speak, but I interrupted her.
"You punks think you can come here and start cliched encounters like this?! At least be a little original! Get out of here before I report you to the school security!"
"W-We're sorry!"
They hurriedly ran away.
While I was satisfied with my work, the others stared at me in disbelief.
"...What? Those guys would have become annoying later on, so it's better to get rid of them now."
"Kazuma… You're really something else. I like it."
Of course Darkness said something like that.