"I really need a Golden Treasure Chest..."
Yuuya stroked his chin, looking at the dozen or so golden icons scattered across his virtual map.
Golden Chests contained Level 5 abilities or items. If he got one, he could dominate this city.
His current abilities were strong but limited.
World Rejecter was an instant-kill, but it erased the target from existence. It wiped memories, photos, records—everything. It was too cruel to use on anyone who wasn't pure evil.
"If I exile someone, I'm effectively killing them in the most complete way possible. I can't be that indifferent to life."
"Hey! There's a Silver Chest over there..."
He watched a silver icon moving rapidly toward him.
"Excuse me! Onii-san?"
A very cute girl walked up to him.
She had blonde ringlets and a petite figure, dressed in a gorgeous, backless pink dress. She looked like a hostess from a high-end club, but upon closer inspection, she was clearly a middle school student.
As she approached, Yuuya felt a strange sensation in his chest.
His heart raced. A feeling of intense familiarity and affection washed over him. It was as if he were seeing his first love, or a childhood friend he hadn't seen in years.
'What the...?'
Information about her flooded his mind.
[Kaibi Gokusai]
[Affiliation: SCHOOL (Dark Side)]
[Ability: Measure Heart (Mental Gauge)]
Her ability allowed her to regulate the "distance" between people's hearts. She could make a stranger feel like a lifelong partner or make a best friend feel like a mortal enemy.
'Even Level 5s struggle to defend against this. It's not an attack; it's a recalibration of trust.'
'The Star Grail blocks damage... but this isn't damage. It's affection. That's a loophole.'
Yuuya looked into her eyes. To be honest, she was very cute.
"Why are you staring at me? It's rude!"
A pleasant voice rang out.
Kaibi smiled sweetly at her target.
Internally, she had already set the "distance" to 0.
To Yuuya's brain, she was now his passionate lover. They had no secrets.
"I'm sorry!"
Yuuya's eyes widened. He stepped forward quickly, grabbing both of Kaibi's hands.
"Although I don't know you... the moment I saw you, I fell in love! Please marry me!"
He shouted it loud enough for the entire street to hear. Passersby stopped and stared.
"Eh?"
Kaibi froze. She tried to subtly withdraw her hands, but Yuuya held on tight.
"What did you say, Onii-san? You scared me!" she exclaimed, feigning surprise.
She knew the effect of her power. Usually, people would blush and stammer. But this guy? He skipped straight to marriage proposals?
[Ding! Unlock Condition: Embrace Kaibi Gokusai for 5 seconds.]
'Easy.'
Without a word, Yuuya pulled her into a tight hug.
He buried his face in her hair. She smelled like expensive perfume.
"Although I know I'm being presumptuous... I truly love you! I would give you everything! Even my life!"
"!!!"
Kaibi stiffened. Her fair cheeks flushed bright red.
She almost reflexively reached for the pistol strapped to her thigh. But his words stopped her.
'He... he would give his life?'
'Is my ability output too high? Did I break him?'
"S-Senior! I don't know you at all! How can you confess on our first meeting? I'm scared!" she squeaked, trying to push him away.
She wasn't feigning panic anymore. She was genuinely flustered.
"But I love you!"
Yuuya held her tighter.
'1... 2... 3...'
He knew exactly what she was doing. She planned to lure him to a quiet place and interrogate him. Or shoot him.
It was a classic honey trap.
"Senior! Please let me go! People are watching!"
Kaibi mentally adjusted the distance from 0 to 20. 'Calm down, you idiot!'
"Ah... I'm sorry. I was too impulsive."
'4... 5.'
[Ding! Reward Unlocked: Coordinate Movement (Level 4).]
Yuuya released her.
'Coordinate Movement! That's Musujime Awaki's ability! The strongest spatial teleportation in the city!'
'I can teleport myself or objects without touching them. I can bypass walls. I can enter research institutes freely!'
He suppressed his excitement.
"Senior... you really scared me," Kaibi huffed, patting her chest. "My name is Kaibi. Kaibi Gokusai. What is your name?"
"Takahashi Yuuya. I'm sorry, Kaibi-chan. I lost control myself."
Yuuya looked at her with affectionate, puppy-dog eyes.
'You want to play me? Let's have an acting contest.'
"Oh, I see..." Kaibi blushed, looking away. "Suddenly talking about love at first sight... it's embarrassing."
She grabbed his hand.
"There are too many people here. Let's go somewhere quiet to talk. Senior... you have to take responsibility for making my heart race."
She pulled him toward a side street, away from the prying eyes of the crowd.
Yuuya followed obediently, a hidden smirk on his lips.
'Success. Now... time to extract some intel from SCHOOL.'
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