"Ta-da~"
Haruno made a peace sign, a bright smile on her pretty face, and her voice sweet as she said:
"Profession change successful!"
This Haruno was originally the type with a sweet smile and a changeable temperament. Now that she had successfully changed her profession to a succubus, she became even more captivating, full of charm in every gesture.
Natsuki was drinking tea nearby and said casually:
"Haruno-nee, congratulations."
"Congratulations..."
Komi's voice was soft.
"Next, it's time to work hard and become stronger." Haruno turned her head to look at Shoko next to her, smiling, "I just changed to a succubus, and there's still a lot I don't understand. Can Shoko teach me?"
"Eh?"
Komi tilted her head, looking over blankly.
Haruno extended a slender finger, smiling as she said:
"Doesn't the skill description say that you can become stronger through special means? Shoko-chan should have experience, right?"
"I, I don't..."
The the timid girl's pretty face quickly flushed red. She guiltily averted her gaze and shook her head like a rattle-drum.
That's right.
She lied.
Last week, when Natsuki helped her satisfy her succubus defect, her attribute points did quietly increase... But that kind of thing couldn't possibly be said out loud!
Haruno naturally saw Shoko's panic and guilt, and she turned to glance at Natsuki.
"That's right, it's me."
Natsuki sat upright, drinking tea, with no trace of shame on his face.
As a super scumbag, shame was something he had long since thrown to the winds.
"Well, Shoko is usually super self-disciplined and doesn't interact with strangers, so it's normal not to have experience." Haruno's eyes sparkled as she said with a smile, "Since that's the case, why don't we explore together and summarize the experience?"
"Th-that..."
The the timid girl wanted to refuse.
"Hm, research needs someone to sacrifice themselves." Haruno's eyes darted over, and her voice was sweet as she said, "Is anyone willing to sacrifice themselves for the benefit of everyone?"
Natsuki raised his right hand and said seriously:
"I'm duty-bound."
"Very good." Haruno announced, "The test subject will be Natsuki-kun."
Natsuki said:
"Please research me to your heart's content."
"..."
"Hm." Haruno turned her head to look at the the timid girl, "Shoko, come help me, let's take off Natsuki-kun's clothes together."
"Eh eh eh?!"
The the timid girl immediately panicked.
"T-take off clothes..."
Just thinking about taking off Natsuki's clothes, the girl's sense of shame exploded, and her voice became stuttering.
"That's right, it's taking off clothes." Haruno said earnestly, "There is no gender distinction in front of scientists."
We are not scientists at all!
Haruno continued:
"Shoko just said she has no experience, and I don't have any experience either. Besides researching Natsuki-kun, we can't possibly go research other boys, can we?"
Of course, I won't interact with other boys!
But, but researching with other girls... I can't do it!
No matter how I think about it, it's too embarrassing!
The the timid girl frantically shook her head, wanting to get up and run away:
"S-sorry... Mom is calling me home for dinner..."
Natsuki couldn't help but retort:
"It's not even three o'clock yet, Auntie definitely won't call you home for dinner."
I know you want to escape, but at least find a more suitable reason!
"Shoko, don't leave me alone." Haruno put her hands together, looking pitifully, "If you leave, I'll be the only one left. What if Natsuki-kun's beastly nature awakens during the research and he attacks me?"
"..."
Komi's footsteps paused at her words, and a look of hesitation appeared on her pretty face.
Haruno continued:
"If Shoko is here, Natsuki-kun will definitely restrain himself and won't mess around and tease me."
"Mmm..."
Komi's hesitation grew even more pronounced at her words.
"Shoko, don't worry." Haruno, observing her expression, quickly took out a black blindfold, "We can just cover Natsuki-kun's eyes."
Hey, hey, don't joke around. What's the use of covering his eyes? It's no different from burying your head in the sand!
"Shoko, wait for me."
Haruno acted on her words, getting up and going to Natsuki's side to help him put on the black blindfold.
Natsuki felt a warm, sweet breath on his ear, and the mischievous Haruno's voice quietly entered his ear:
"Natsuki-kun~ How are you going to thank me?"
Natsuki: "..."
No wonder Haruno knew Shoko was thin-skinned, yet insisted on Shoko staying. It wasn't because she was worried about some beastly outburst, but rather 'returning a favor' for that item lock card!
Natsuki responded in a low voice:
"Stay tonight, I want to properly thank Haruno-nee."
"Pfft~"
Haruno's pretty face flushed slightly, and she couldn't help but lightly spit.
During her days of extreme challenges around the world, although Haruno had secretly used her Possession Skill many times to possess Sayu for experiences, staying alone for tutoring at night… she was still a little scared.
"Clap clap~" Haruno helped put on the blindfold, stood up straight, and nodded with satisfaction, "Shoko-chan, shall we begin?"
"Th-that…"
The the timid girl's pretty face was crimson. Even though nothing had happened yet, she was already like a ripe apple, and the urge to turn and run away once again gained the upper hand.
Unfortunately, Haruno didn't give her any chance.
"Shh~" Haruno reached out and pulled the the timid girl closer, "Shoko-chan, don't speak from now on. That way, our identities won't be exposed."
Natsuki: "..."
Don't be ridiculous, the two of you smell completely different. One sniff and I can tell who is who!
"Shoko-chan, let's start. We'll leave once we get the research results."
"Only the two of us will know about today's matter."
"Once we walk out this door, we definitely won't tell a third person."
"..."
Natsuki had already taken off his shirt, wearing a blindfold, and was lying on the sofa.
He wasn't sure how Haruno had brainwashed Shoko, but soon enough, Natsuki felt a hand hesitantly, timidly reaching out. The fingertips barely touched him before frantically trying to pull away.
Even with his eyes closed, ears blocked, and five senses shielded, he could instantly tell… it could only be the the timid girl, no one else!
"She's too easy to fool."
Natsuki silently complained in his heart.
This was the flaw of naturally kind people.
Kind people are very empathetic, always like to stand in others' shoes, consider things from their perspective, and even sacrifice themselves to satisfy others.
Without a doubt, Shoko was a typical kind personality. Once asked or begged, she couldn't refuse, even if it meant inconveniencing herself.
"It's a good thing she met me. If she had met the wrong person, she would have been completely taken advantage of by now, right?"
Natsuki sighed silently.
Well, meeting him was pretty much the same. She was only one step away from being completely taken advantage of…
In a blink of an eye, it was evening.
The sun was setting in the west.
Tired birds returned to their nests.
There was a colossal fiery cloud in the sky, its colors splendid and magnificent, exceptionally grand.
Click.
The door opened.
A girl with long black hair hurried out, her expression flustered, as if there were a flood monster in the house behind her, capable of dragging her back at any moment.
However, a closer look would reveal that besides panic and shame, there was also a lingering blush on the black-haired girl's pretty face, seemingly more vibrant than the clouds in the sky.
It was the the timid girl.
"Shoko-chan, walk slower." Another black-haired girl walked out from behind, with a sweet smile and a lazy voice, "Today's research ends here. Thanks to Shoko-chan, we obtained some very good research data."
Hearing Haruno's words, the the timid girl's chin dropped even lower, almost burying itself in her chest, clearly too embarrassed to face anyone.
Natsuki followed behind the two girls, still wanting more, and tried to persuade them to stay:
"Shoko-chan, Haruno-nee, why don't you two eat dinner before heading back?"
The the timid girl's black hair trembled, and she quickly shook her head like a rattle-drum.
Haruno lazily waved her hand and said with a smile:
"No dinner for us. Natsuki-kun, you worked hard this afternoon, so have a good rest tonight."
To be honest, the three of them didn't do anything indescribable.
Although Shoko was soft-natured and couldn't refuse people, she wasn't a doll who would do whatever she was told. Shoko definitely wouldn't agree to anything too excessive.
So, the afternoon's research process primarily involved intimate contact like kissing and hugging.
It proved that.
A succubus doesn't necessarily need deep interaction to become stronger; physical contact, kissing, and hugging also have an effect. Just like Natsuki's passive ability 'Get Stronger by Lying Flat' that he drew before, where being stepped on the back could increase attributes. lewd should produce a similar energy field, and succubi, as creatures, become stronger by absorbing this magnetic field energy.
Of course, this method of improvement certainly has some kind of upper limit. For example, the 'Get Stronger by Lying Flat' passive can no longer gain any attributes, and its efficiency might also be much slower. Deep interaction is the true unlocking method… Of course, the specifics will have to be slowly researched and verified later.
"Shoko-chan~" Haruno smiled, "Let's go."
"Mhm mhm."
The the timid girl nodded quickly as if granted a great pardon.
"..."
Watching Haruno and Shoko leave together, Natsuki went back into the house, found the leash, and prepared to take his dog for a walk in the park.
Speaking of which, the first time he was chosen by the game was not long after school started. That evening, he went out to walk his dog, and while he was squatting to tie his shoelaces, when he looked up again, he found himself in the novice dungeon, with only an empty leash in his hand.
"Unknowingly, a long time has passed…"
Natsuki sighed, patted the dog's head, and attached the leash.
Since becoming a player, he had something going on every other day, and the person who walked the dog the most was Miko.
Leading the dog out of the house, Natsuki arrived at his childhood friend Miko's house next door and raised his hand to press the doorbell.
Dong dong dong.
Footsteps quickly sounded from behind the door.
The door opened.
A girl in pajamas with sleepy eyes opened the door.
"Good afternoon." Natsuki smiled, "Miko-san, would you like to go for a dog walk together?"
"No, goodbye."
Bang!
Miko puffed out her pink cheeks, and the door slammed shut with a bang.
Natsuki: "..."
They hadn't seen each other for several days, shouldn't they be happily going to the park to walk the dog together?
What was with this hostile attitude!
Leave now?
Of course, he couldn't leave.
If Natsuki were thin-skinned or had strong self-esteem, he wouldn't be able to have a harem. As a scumbag, knowing Miko was angry, how could he leave easily?
"Miko-chan, open the door, open it quickly."
Natsuki raised his hand and continued to press the doorbell.
Soon, the door opened again. the child Kyosuke stood behind the door, looking up and saying:
"Natsuki-kun, why haven't you been home lately?"
Natsuki reached out and stroked the child's head, saying earnestly:
"You'll know when you get to high school. After joining the Student Council, you won't even have a relaxing summer vacation."
The child heard this and said:
"That sounds so tough. When I go to high school, I definitely won't join the Student Council."
"Wait until you're in high school." Natsuki handed over the leash, "Kyosuke, you go walk the dog in the park."
"Eh?" The child was startled, then quickly realized what Natsuki wanted to do. A troubled expression appeared on his face, and he whispered, "Natsuki-kun, my sister said not to let you in."
"Is that so…"
Natsuki smiled as he looked over, pulled out a thousand-yen bill, "Then I'll hire you to walk the dog. This is your payment."
The child's eyes lit up. He took the bill and the leash, then stepped out:
"Natsuki-kun, I'm going to the park!"
"..."
Natsuki waved his hand, stepped into Miko's house, closed the door behind him, and walked into the living room.
Miko was sitting on the sofa, hugging a pillow and watching TV. The TV was showing a children's anime.
"Did he leave?"
Hearing footsteps behind her, Miko asked without turning her head.
"..."
The air instantly fell silent.
After a brief silence, Natsuki's voice sounded:
"Kyosuke went to walk the dog."
"Eh?"
Miko turned her head in surprise, only to see Natsuki had taken off his shirt at some point, and surprisingly, he also had a whip in his hand.
Thump.
Natsuki knelt on one knee, offering the whip with both hands, and said seriously:
"Miko-sama, I have come to apologize bearing thorns."
Miko: "..."
Her lips twitched slightly. Miko tightened her pretty face, turned her head away, and lightly snorted:
"Go away."
"No." Natsuki's voice was aggrieved, "Even a judge's sentencing must convince the suspect… Why is Miko-chan still angry with me after not seeing each other for so long?"
"Why?"
Hearing this, Miko's cheeks puffed out again.
He had sent a message yesterday morning saying he had safely cleared the dungeon, but he didn't come back last night at all… What he did outside last night was obvious just by thinking about it!
And that wasn't enough; he even brought a girl home at noon… Even a lazy girl would be angry about that!
Miko didn't want to say anything, but she couldn't hold back in the end, puffing out her pink cheeks and saying:
"I was going to feed Pochi at noon… and then I saw everything!"
"...I see."
Natsuki suddenly understood.
No wonder Miko was so angry; it turned out she saw Shoko and Haruno.
Unlike Kaguya and Chika, they were all players who had shared life and death in the dungeon, which made it acceptable. Although Miko could see various evil spirits, she wasn't a player. The adventures in the dungeon were, after all, hearsay to her; she couldn't truly empathize…