Morning sunlight filtered through the thin curtains, casting a faint gray-blue glow across the apartment in Chiba City.
Fujiwara Ai slowly opened his eyes.
Unlike usual, he did not immediately get out of bed.
Instead, he quietly lay there, carefully feeling the subtle yet undeniable changes happening within his body.
After an entire night of integration, that single point of [Charm] had completely fused with him.
If his previous body had resembled a rusty machine, then now it felt as though invisible lubricant had finally been poured into every joint.
His fingers moved more smoothly, his breathing became lighter, and even the tiny dust particles floating within his vision appeared slightly clearer than before.
“System.
Open detailed panel.”
The moment the thought appeared, the ordinary status screen vanished.
This time, Fujiwara Ai directly connected his consciousness to the deeper layers of the [Romance Strategy System].
A pale pink holographic interface slowly unfolded before his eyes.
The entire UI radiated an absurdly girlish atmosphere.
Heart-shaped bubbles floated around the screen while beautiful anime-style backgrounds continuously shifted behind the menus.
Fujiwara Ai stared at it silently.
This was his first time seriously examining the internal structure of the system.
The interface was divided into three major sections.
[Quest Hall]
[Conquest Target Encyclopedia]
And the area Fujiwara Ai cared about most:
[Myriad Realms Mall]
His gaze immediately focused on the mall interface.
“If this really is a conquest system, there should be another currency besides Charm points.”
The moment he opened the shop, countless dazzling item icons nearly blinded him.
Then the corner of Fujiwara Ai’s mouth twitched slightly.
[Item: Absolute Favorability Perfume (One-time Use)]
[Description: Instantly increases designated target’s favorability toward host by +5 after use.]
[Price: 5000 Affection Value]
[Item: Pseudo Time-Stop Pocket Watch]
[Description: Temporarily freezes time for 5 seconds.
Limited usage within this sour-smelling world overflowing with romance.
What exactly do you plan to use it for…?]
[Price: 100000 Affection Value]
[Item: God-Level Singing Voice]
[Description: Grants a voice overflowing with irresistible charm.
Listeners may fall to their knees after hearing you speak.]
[Price: 3000 Affection Value]
Fujiwara Ai looked toward the top-right corner of the screen.
[Current Affection Value: 28]
“…”
Poor people really had no qualifications for romance.
“System, explain how Affection Value is obtained.”
[Ding!
Intelligent Assistant ready to answer host’s questions!]
[Affection Value is the core currency of this system.
It originates from emotional fluctuations generated by conquest targets toward the host.]
[Including but not limited to: shyness, accelerated heartbeat, dependence, possessiveness, jealousy, excitement, extreme fear relieved by the host, etc.]
[The more intense the emotional fluctuation, the greater the Affection Value generated.]
[Additional Note: Yotsuya Miko generated 28 Affection Value for the host yesterday.
She is classified as a high-potential target.
Please continue your efforts.]
Fujiwara Ai fell into thought.
So the important factor wasn’t simply making heroines fall in love.
The real key was generating intense emotional fluctuations.
Because Yotsuya Miko constantly fluctuated between fear and safety around him, the emotional contrast generated unusually high returns.
His gaze shifted downward toward a small wheel icon hidden in the corner of the interface.
[Daily Random Gacha (Basic)]
[Cost: 10 Affection Value per pull]
[Prize Pool: Includes cash, life skills, special items, and small amounts of attribute points.]
[Guaranteed Mechanism: Every ten pulls guarantees Blue-rank reward or higher.]
Fujiwara Ai stared at the wheel silently.
“Gambling never ends well…”
“…but transmigrators usually get beginner luck, right?”
After hesitating briefly, he decided to try it.
After all, aside from cooking and slightly improved charm, he currently possessed almost no useful survival skills.
And living alone in Chiba as a student wasn’t exactly cheap.
“System.
Two pulls.”
[Ding!
Consuming 20 Affection Value.]
[Starting Gacha Machine…]
The pink roulette wheel began spinning wildly while cheerful anime sound effects echoed in his mind.
Two capsules popped out.
The first capsule burst open with white light.
[Congratulations!
You obtained: 50,000 Yen Cash]
[Description: Legal pocket money automatically transferred into host’s account.]
Fujiwara Ai quietly relaxed slightly.
At least his food expenses for the next two weeks were secured.
This system still possessed a tiny bit of conscience.
Then the second capsule opened.
This time, faint green light emerged.
[Congratulations!
You obtained: One-time Absolute Silence Earplugs x1]
[Description: Once worn, all surrounding sounds become completely blocked.
Duration: 1 hour.]
“…”
That’s it?
Fujiwara Ai silently stored the item away.
Though disappointing at first glance, silence was honestly quite valuable in this noisy world.
After organizing his newly acquired items, Fujiwara Ai finally got up to wash.
Standing before the mirror, he quietly examined himself.
Following the subtle optimization from 72 Charm points, his complexion had become cleaner and healthier.
Although his facial features remained mostly unchanged, the cold detached aura surrounding him made him resemble a beautifully melancholic anime protagonist.
After changing into Sobu High School’s black uniform and picking up his school bag, Fujiwara Ai left the apartment.
The morning train station was filled with damp mist.
The moment Fujiwara Ai passed through the ticket gate, he immediately spotted a familiar figure.
Yotsuya Miko stood nervously beside a pillar while tightly gripping her school bag straps.
Her eyes constantly scanned the crowd anxiously.
Compared to normal, she had clearly spent extra time fixing her appearance this morning.
Her long black hair hung neatly over her shoulders while her ribbon was tied exceptionally carefully.
Yet directly at her feet crouched a disgusting three-eyed wild dog spirit.
Black saliva dripped from its mouth while its rotten tongue nearly touched her shoes.
Miko’s face was pale.
Her body trembled slightly.
Yet she didn’t dare move at all.
Then suddenly—
She saw him.
Fujiwara Ai.
One hand casually inside his pocket, expression indifferent as always, calmly walking through the crowd as though everything around him existed separately from his world.
The fear inside Yotsuya Miko’s eyes instantly disappeared.
In its place emerged relief and joy so intense it almost resembled worship.
Ignoring the monster at her feet, she hurriedly approached him.
“Fu…
Fujiwara-san!
Good morning!”
Her voice trembled slightly from nervous excitement while her cheeks rapidly turned red.
Fujiwara Ai glanced at her calmly.
At the same moment, the three-eyed spirit beneath her feet suddenly let out a miserable howl before fleeing into the nearby sewer like a beaten stray dog.
“Morning.”
His response remained brief and cold.
Without stopping, Fujiwara Ai continued walking toward the platform.
Yet Yotsuya Miko showed no sign of disappointment.
Instead, she happily followed behind him like a puppy receiving praise.
Naturally, she moved toward Fujiwara Ai’s rear left side.
Yesterday had already proven that this was the safest possible position around him.
The two boarded the train together.
Fortunately, today’s train wasn’t nearly as crowded as yesterday’s, so they no longer needed to squeeze tightly against one another.
Even so, Yotsuya Miko still deliberately stood extremely close beside him.
Their shoulders nearly touched.
After hesitating nervously for several seconds, Miko finally gathered courage.
“Um…
Fujiwara-san…”
“H-have you eaten breakfast yet?”
She slowly removed a small beautifully wrapped paper bag from her school bag.
“I…
made some extra cookies…”
Her voice became quieter and quieter.
She had stayed up extremely late last night preparing them.
Partly to thank him.
Partly to make him happy.
And partly because, within this terrifying world, Fujiwara Ai had already become her only safe haven.
She absolutely could not lose him.
Fujiwara Ai lowered his eyes toward the small pink paper bag.
Immediately, the system panel appeared.
[Ding!
Detected active goodwill from conquest target “Yotsuya Miko”]
[Item: Handmade Cookies Filled with Love (and Fear)]
[Accepting Reward: Affection Value +2, slight stamina recovery]
[Refusing Reward: Affection Value +5 due to disappointment-generated emotional fluctuation.
However, target may develop self-doubt.]
Fujiwara Ai stared at the options speechlessly.
Rejecting actually gave more points?
What kind of twisted romance system was this?
Still, he chose not to intentionally hurt Miko for a mere three extra points.
Her mental condition was already unstable enough.
Excessive emotional pressure might easily backfire.
He quietly accepted the paper bag.
The moment their fingertips brushed against each other, Fujiwara Ai felt Yotsuya Miko’s hand tremble slightly.
“Thanks.”
His tone remained calm and cold.
Then he casually placed the cookies inside his school bag.
Yet this tiny action alone caused visible light to bloom inside Yotsuya Miko’s eyes.
[Ding!
Favorability increased slightly!]
[Current Favorability: 30/100]
[Current Status: Slightly Lovestruck / Dependent]
[Affection Value +5]
“Th-that’s great…”
Miko lowered her head while desperately suppressing the smile trying to spread across her face.
He accepted it.
That meant he didn’t hate her.
As long as he didn’t hate her, she could continue staying near him.
Lunch break arrived at Sobu High School once again.
This time, Fujiwara Ai chose not to remain inside the classroom.
The noise was irritating enough already.
Combined with Yotsuya Miko’s increasingly intense gaze, he genuinely felt digestion becoming difficult.
Maintaining some mystery and distance was important.
If they stayed glued together constantly, the emotional tension would weaken significantly.
Carrying bread and milk purchased from the cafeteria, Fujiwara Ai headed toward the Special Teaching Building.
According to both anime logic and his own observations, rooftops and stairwells were usually ideal places for solitude.
The building remained nearly empty during lunch break since most club activities occurred after school.
As Fujiwara Ai reached the stairwell between the second and third floors, his footsteps suddenly stopped.
Because he heard muttering.
“Ugh…
why would somebody come here too…”
“I just wanted somewhere quiet to eat lunch…”
“I’m going to die…
they’re definitely going to laugh at me…”
“I want to go home and hide inside my closet…”
Fragmented self-deprecating whispers drifted from the shadows beneath the staircase.
Fujiwara Ai raised an eyebrow slightly.
Could it be…
He quietly descended several steps.
Inside the triangular storage area beneath the staircase sat a girl with long pink hair wearing a pink tracksuit jacket while clutching a guitar bag tightly against herself.
She had curled into a tiny miserable ball while facing the wall.
Black depressive aura lines practically radiated from her body.
No.
At this point, it looked less like “keep away” and more like “please don’t approach or I’ll explode from embarrassment.”
Goto Ichiri.
Also known as Bocchi-chan.
The protagonist of “Bocchi the Rock!”
A girl possessing extraordinary guitar talent alongside catastrophic social anxiety.
The system immediately reacted.
[Ding!
New conquest target discovered!]
[Name: Goto Ichiri (Bocchi)]
[Current Status: Extreme Social Anxiety / Self-Loathing]
[Current Favorability: 0/100]
[Mission Triggered: Pink Guitarist Capture Plan (I)]
[Description: This talented guitarist is currently trembling alone inside a dark corner.
Please establish initial contact without frightening her into psychological death.]
[Objective: Successfully make her aware of your existence without generating resentment.]
[Reward: Affection Value +10, 10,000 Yen]
Fujiwara Ai stared at the curled-up pink creature silently.
Establish contact?
For Bocchi-chan, even basic greetings probably counted as psychological warfare.
After thinking briefly, Fujiwara Ai abandoned the idea of directly approaching her.
If he suddenly tapped her shoulder, she might genuinely explode.
Instead, he calmly sat several steps away from her.
Even though his movements remained quiet, the faint sound still reached Bocchi’s ears.
“Eeeek!!!”
Goto Ichiri instantly stiffened.
Her entire body turned pale as though her soul had already left her body.
She buried her face between her knees while screaming internally.
Someone’s here!
A normie?!
I’ve been discovered hiding beneath the stairs like some creepy introvert!
It’s over!
My social life is finished!
I want to go home…
Fujiwara Ai remained silent.
He simply opened the bread packaging and inserted the straw into his milk carton.
Slurp.
The sound echoed clearly throughout the quiet stairwell.
Goto Ichiri trembled even harder.
Every second of silence became unbearable torture for her.
Why isn’t he saying anything?!
Is he silently judging me?!
Has he already decided I’m weird?!
Just as Bocchi’s imagination began spiraling toward complete societal annihilation—
Fujiwara Ai finally spoke.
“Gibson Les Paul.”
His calm voice echoed lightly.
He looked toward the guitar case in her arms.
Although the zipper remained closed, Fujiwara Ai immediately recognized the guitar model from the shape and visible logo.
Goto Ichiri suddenly froze.
Eh?
He…
recognized my guitar?
He’s not making fun of me?
He’s actually looking at the guitar?
For musicians, their instrument represented a part of their soul.
Being recognized through it carried enormous meaning.
Very slowly, Goto Ichiri cautiously lifted her head enough to peek at the boy sitting nearby.
Against the stairwell lighting, Fujiwara Ai’s profile appeared cold and refined.
His dark hair partially covered his eyes while he casually drank ordinary milk with the elegance of someone tasting expensive wine.
Most importantly, he lacked the suffocating “normie aura” that usually terrified Bocchi.
Instead, he carried a detached and lonely atmosphere that strangely resembled herself.
That was the effect of his 72 Charm points.
To ordinary people, he merely looked somewhat handsome.
But to an extreme introvert like Bocchi, his cold detached temperament practically screamed “fellow outcast.”
Fujiwara Ai naturally sensed her peeking.
Without turning around, he added calmly:
“That’s a heavy guitar.”
“Must be tiring carrying it around every day.”
The Gibson Les Paul series was famously heavy.
For a girl like Bocchi, carrying it around school daily genuinely required effort.
“Ah…
um…
th-that…”
Goto Ichiri stammered like a broken radio.
Yet a strange feeling slowly spread inside her chest.
He understands…
He knows the guitar is heavy…
Maybe…
he’s actually nice?
Fujiwara Ai said nothing else.
Nor did he intentionally continue the conversation.
He simply finished his bread quietly before standing up and brushing dust from his uniform.
For Bocchi-chan, excessive interaction would only become counterproductive.
Today’s goal had already been achieved.
A cool mysterious upperclassman who understood guitars.
That impression alone was enough.
Fujiwara Ai casually walked past her and headed upstairs.
Only after his footsteps completely disappeared did Goto Ichiri finally collapse onto the floor while gasping heavily.
Her entire face had turned bright red.
Her heartbeat pounded violently inside her chest.
H-he talked to me…
And he didn’t make fun of me…
That back just now…
So cool…
Clutching her guitar bag tightly, a faint trace of curiosity appeared within the eyes previously filled only with self-loathing.
[Ding!
Mission completed!]
[Goto Ichiri Favorability +3]
[Source: Feeling slightly understood]
[Current Favorability: 3/100]
Walking along the third-floor hallway, Fujiwara Ai looked calmly at the system notification.
Three favorability points wasn’t much.
But for someone like Bocchi-chan, who couldn’t even maintain eye contact properly, this already counted as massive progress.
Then suddenly—
A sharp warning alarm exploded inside his mind.
[Warning!
Warning!]
[Detected: Yotsuya Miko is encountering a high-level supernatural entity!]
[Location: Class 2-F Classroom]
[Description: A wandering “Hundred-Eyed Ghost” has taken interest in your target.
Please provide immediate support!]
Fujiwara Ai’s eyes instantly turned cold.
All traces of laziness vanished.
Without hesitation, he turned around and sprinted toward Class 2-F.