y Geli Cake
[Main Quest: ??'s Proposal
An ancient magic awakened by someone, 'A Protective Heart,' is wary of outsiders.
'A Protective Heart' loses its aggression as long as it senses a familiar scent from the possessor. Within this mansion, the only one in danger is you!
?? wants to offer you a chance at safety. Each time you accept his offer, you will receive a clue.
Who is ?? ?
Condition: Complete the Character Encyclopedia
Reward: 1 Quest Point per accepted proposal]
Who cares who he is? I roughly wiped my mouth and flopped face-down onto the bed.
[Would you like to view the Character Encyclopedia?]
Haylan was on the first page of the Character Encyclopedia, and Lena was at the very back. Lena's name was still represented by two question marks.
[Haylan: A half-vampire living in seclusion in a haunted mansion. Due to an incident at the age of 6, he's trapped in a body that doesn't age.
Relationships: Christine, Snow, Joe, Yur,
⋮
Affection towards you: 220
Social Relationships: Doesn't seem to have any friends.
Trauma: Blood, Glass Greenhouse
Likes: Sweet desserts, Reading
Dislikes: Sour food]
The description of the protagonist, Haylan, spanned over two pages, whereas:
[??: He introduced himself as Lena.
Likes: You]
Lena's description was the most concise. This wasn't enough to determine what kind of person he was.
I recalled last night's events.
'In return, will you do something dirty with me?'
The moment I heard Lena's words, all sorts of indecent images flashed through my mind. That crazy pervert was trying to indecent my pure self… I tried to maintain my composure and replied,
'I'll refuse. I want to do that with someone I like.'
'Do you have someone you like?'
'Not really…'
'Then it's fine. Try it with me first, then decide.'
'So, we're friends…'
'Whether it's with a stranger or a friend, doing dirty things doesn't matter.'
'....'
I was speechless. Alright, go out and ask a random stranger on the streets if they want to do dirty things with you. Let's see if anyone agrees…
'You'll change your mind after we do it. You'll like me soon enough. There's a reason why they say physical intimacy is powerful.'
He said it with a straight face, staring right at me as if trying to brainwash me. Where did he even learn such things…?
I glared at Lena and said reprovingly,
'Is that all you think about all day?'
'That's what I want to know. I don't know why I can't stop thinking about you.'
'....'
'I think you must have done something to me.'
What did you do? He said.
I became the one who was slapped for no reason. This crazy guy… What did I do?
Lena was the one who suddenly kissed me, told me to try loving him, and even confessed. And he was blaming me after doing all of that himself? I just scoffed instead of arguing.
'Can I hold your hand?'
Before I could answer, Lena gently took my hand.
[?? proposes holding hands.]
'Don't you usually ask before grabbing someone's hand?'
Lena chuckled as I raised the hand he was holding.
'That means you don't dislike it.'
His cool fingers slipped between mine.
'Not disliking it means you like it.'
So you like holding hands with me. He was attempting to brainwash me again.
[Invincibility duration extends while in contact with ??]
There was a separate reward for me for being in physical contact with him. This was actually more appealing, to be honest.
'How much time does it increase by holding hands?'
The moment I looked away at the system window, something softly brushed against my lips. It was so fleeting that I only thought, 'What was that?' a moment later.
Lena asked me,
'Can I kiss you?'
[?? proposes a kiss.]
'...?'
This guy was a habitual offender. He had stolen not only my first kiss but also my second. I raised my hand and pushed his face away, replying,
'No.'
'I already did.'
'…That's what I'm saying. Don't you usually ask before doing it?'
'I thought you wouldn't allow it if I asked beforehand. So I did it first.'
At his utterly shameless attitude, I was so dumbfounded that I kept letting out a hollow laugh. Lena stared at me intently, observing me, before leaning his face closer.
I could have dodged him this time, and I should have. But…
'Since when has he been looking at me like that?'
I must have been momentarily mesmerized by his gaze, which seemed to yearn for me. He lowered his head and gently pressed his lips against mine.
'Well, does it even matter…?'
Whether it was holding hands or kissing, it wasn't that different. It was just a difference in body parts. While I was lost in thought, his lips parted slightly, and he lightly traced the inside of my lips with his tongue.
'...?'
[Mucosal contact doubles the invincibility duration extension.]
Flip. At the sound of a page turning, I inadvertently glanced at the system window.
[Body Sensitivity System added.]
[New! Hand: D]
[New! Lips: F]
'Don't look away.'
Lena firmly held my cheeks, forcing me to look at him. He nibbled on my lip, hard enough to sting, and whispered,
'I'm the one thinking about you the most right now. So you should only think about me too.'
That's only fair.
[Sensitivity
Hand: D
Lips: E (▲)]
'Crazy… Has this really turned into an erotic game?'
I had a rough idea of where this was going… but I still didn't understand how the genre of this game had changed.
─── ⋆⋅☼⋅⋆ ───
This game wouldn't give me a break.
[Sub Quest: Trap Deactivation
There are no more safe zones.
Unlock the locked doors and deactivate all the traps in the rooms!
*The number of remaining rooms affects the progress.
Progress 0%
Reward: 100 Quest Points]
I recalled the notification from last night.
['Library' and 'Player's Room' have been removed as safe zones.]
This was dangerous.
I seriously considered what to do. By "capturing" Haylan, more than half of the bad endings related to him had disappeared. But now, the house itself had become a dangerous element, constantly watching menacingly.
Opening the doors during the day was dangerous. Others would get hurt. They might even die…
'I have to do it at night.'
I didn't want to leave the people around me to die.
A year ago, I had participated in a joint mission. It was a large-scale request involving four mercenary groups, and one of the mercenaries from another group died in an accident during the subjugation.
It was the first time I had witnessed someone else's death in this world. And I felt the weight of that death deeply.
Even though I didn't know his name and had only exchanged a few words with him, the thought of never seeing him again made me feel terrible.
I had been out of my mind with grief and shock when my parents passed away, but this was a different kind of feeling. I was in a daze for a while.
Perhaps it was because their deaths were unavoidable, while this one could have been prevented if I had tried harder. If only I had been more attentive to my surroundings…
'It's best not to try opening the doors of the locked rooms.'
That was the answer I received when I declared to the head butler that I had a talent for cleaning and offered to help open and close the windows for ventilation.
Did he know about the trap magic cast on the rooms? I wasn't sure, but he, along with most of the other servants, strictly adhered to the existing manual as if it were natural.
Even the windows that could be opened in this house were predetermined. Yur said that the window in my room was originally locked, and she was surprised that I had unlocked it without saying anything.
I nodded, remembering the window guillotine bad ending that had disappeared. This house was dangerous. The window frames were excessively heavy and could cause injury if handled carelessly.
That dawn, even Lena was taken aback when I suddenly announced I was going to open the locked doors in this house, where even the smallest things were governed by rules.
"Why are you doing something so pointless? Can't you see that?"
He said, pointing at the white figure floating down the hallway, implying that it was also my doing.
'A Protective Heart' now enters and exits my room at any time. I repeatedly checked my invincibility time, reassuring myself that I was still safe, but I couldn't help but flinch every time I saw its appearance. Its empty eye sockets were too eerie.
"I see it. I have eyes, you know."
"How many of those things are you planning to unleash in this house?"
"Just cooperate with me. You said you wouldn't question my actions."
Lena didn't know exactly what I could see, but he seemed to have some idea about the system. Considering he had pointed at empty space and had even asked, "Is that some kind of control key that tells you what to do?", he definitely had some inkling.
"You wanted to do dirty things with me too."
"That's not true, but I do need you."
I corrected his statement, wanting to clarify the facts.
Lena didn't seem to understand at all why I was suddenly trying to deactivate the traps in the rooms, but since I said so, he seemed to have decided not to pry any further.