In addition to earning a generous reward, Kurosawa Ren thought it would be even better if Mizaki and her mother could craft concept outfits with special effects.
For him, those outfits were the real treasure.
And if delicious food could also boost his favorability with Mizaki and her mother? Even better.
After dinner, Kurosawa Ren headed back home.
It was already late, and with school the next day, he went through his evening routine quickly. After a hot shower and brushing his teeth, he crawled into bed and drifted into a deep sleep.
The Next Morning
Ren had barely opened his eyes when his phone buzzed loudly on the nightstand.
[From: Shiyu Kasumigaoka]Good morning, boyfriend. I took three days off to focus on my manuscript, so I won't be at school for a bit.P.S. Here's a little something to make up for my absence 💋[Attachment: Stocking-clad legs you asked to see]
Hehe (^ω^), just think of it as your girlfriend's morning gift.
"Geez, and this is how my day starts…" Ren muttered, suddenly wide awake.
He tapped on the image and opened it.
Shiyu Kasumigaoka—what a woman. Now that she was an adult, she really knew how to be seductive.
In the photo, her silky black hair was tied into flirty twin tails. She had a porcelain-smooth complexion, sharp features, and lips tinted a soft rose.
She was wearing a bold bunny-girl outfit.
The sheer black stockings clinging to her long, toned legs were enough to give any guy heart palpitations. Taken from a bird's-eye view, the shot was intentionally provocative.
Ren blinked hard.
A bunny suit? Shiyu-senpai, you're seriously playing with fire.
Without hesitation, he took a screenshot and saved it to his private album.
[Ren]: When did you buy this?[Kasumigaoka Shiyu]: Do you like it? Next time you come over, I'll wear it just for you. I also bought two nurse uniforms… Oh, and don't worry, the fabric is pretty tear-resistant. 😉[Ren]: Wear both next time. No exceptions.
Still buzzing with energy, Ren gave up on going back to sleep.
After a cold shower to cool off, he grabbed his bag and left for school early.
"Morning," he greeted as he slipped into his seat.
Mizaki Ming was already there, nibbling on a sandwich with her usual poker face.
But clearly something was off.
After eating Ren's cooking the night before, convenience store food now felt… flat.
"Morning," she replied, eyeing Ren's breakfast curiously.
He unwrapped a burger from his bag.
Grilled steak, juicy tomato slices, fresh basil, and sweet mayo—simple, but heavenly.
The short-haired girl stole glances at his burger, feeling more and more betrayed with every bland bite of her store-bought sandwich.
Did he bring that just to spite me?
"Ren-kun, good morning!"
A bright, cheerful voice rang out as Kitagawa Haimu bounded toward them.
With her sun-kissed skin, twintails, and energetic smile, she lit up the room.
"Whoa, that burger looks amazing! Did you make it?"
Haimu's nose twitched as she leaned in closer, practically hypnotized by the smell.
"Yeah, I made a few. Want one?" Ren offered, chuckling as she gave him puppy-dog eyes.
"Don't mind if I do!"
She beamed, taking the burger like a treasure and sinking her teeth into it.
"Mmm—this is insanely good!"
Just then, another quiet voice piped up behind them.
"Ren-kun… I'd like one too."
"Wah! Megumi?! You scared me!"
It was Kato Megumi, as soft-spoken as ever, using her uncanny ability to appear without warning.
Ren handed her a burger as well. Even Mizaki, who was trying to act disinterested but had been staring the entire time, received one with a slightly smug smile from him.
Before long, the four of them were sitting together, enjoying breakfast.
Meanwhile, murmurs and whispers rippled through the classroom.
"Dang, surrounded by three gorgeous girls—Ren really is built different."
"I heard third-year Kasumigaoka-senpai is his girlfriend too… Isn't he worried about her getting jealous?"
"Psh, as if! They had lunch yesterday with Yukinoshita from the next class too."
"Wait—he even gets along with the main girlfriend and the others? What is this harem sorcery?!"
The gossip wasn't exactly subtle.
But surprisingly, none of the three girls seemed embarrassed or awkward. In fact, they stayed by Ren's side, chatting and laughing, unfazed by the rumors.
The school bell eventually rang, ending their breakfast break.
First Period: Ancient Literature
Their homeroom teacher, Kirisu Madoka, was still out sick. Yukino Momoka, her soft-spoken substitute, resumed her place at the front.
Ren leaned back in his chair, bored.
As one of the top students in school, he had already mastered most of the content in the textbook. His mind started to wander.
Let's see what the gacha has in store today…
He opened the familiar card-drawing interface.
35 Saint Quartz—enough for a 10-pull.
The screen glowed, dramatic music swelled, and a dazzling silver magic circle bloomed on the screen.
[Pull Results]
Concept Outfit: "Green Black Key" ×3
Concept Outfit: "Grimoire" ×1
Heroic Spirit Fragment: Cu Chulainn ×1
Concept Outfit: "Projection Magic" ×3
Concept Outfit: "Reed Sea" ×1
Heroic Spirit Fragment: Emiya (Alter) ×1
"Ugh… another Reed Sea. And Green Black Key is finally maxed out. Projection Magic's still one card short."
Today's pull was decent, but not nearly as exciting as the last time when luck had been on his side.
Still, there were silver linings.
The Reed Sea outfit had weak defensive value—only good for blocking one hit. He'd already given the previous copy to Shiyu for protection.
The Green Black Key, however, specialized in anti-magic and was now fully upgraded.
This boosted his ghost-slaying and spell-breaking power significantly.
[New Skill Unlocked: E-Rank Baptism Chant]("Kyrie eleison, may this soul be shown mercy.")A holy chant for exorcising evil spirits. Deadly against supernatural beings.
Spiritual Integration – Cu Chulainn & Black Emiya
"Not bad," Ren muttered.
He glanced over the remaining items.
Concept Outfit: "Grimoire" — A tome filled with magical theory and the life story of its mage author. A great supplement for his self-taught spellcraft.
Projection Magic ×3 — Just one more needed to max it out. With four slots already open, he was starting to absorb deep knowledge of magical projection.
Heroic Spirit Fragments: Cu Chulainn (3★), Emiya Alter (4★)
Unlike top-tier spirits like Artoria (5★), Cu Chulainn and Emiya Alter only allowed for a single skill inheritance.
Ren examined Cu Chulainn's three abilities:
A-Rank: Battle Continuation
B-Rank: Protection from Arrows
C-Rank: Return from Death
No wonder people call him the "Dog Brother."
Cu Chulainn's survivability skills were legendary.
Now Ren just had to choose which one to inherit.