Yu watched Marin sitting in the Starter Core’s starlight.
She hugged her knees and smiled up at him, her slightly disheveled golden hair framing her cheeks while her lively eyes curved into crescents.
She was beautiful—beautiful enough to make his heart race.
She was beautiful, breathtakingly so.
A man and a woman, alone in a room, stranded in the middle of nowhere.
Suddenly, Yu felt his collar tightening and instinctively tugged at it.
Though the dilapidated wooden cabin lacked any heating and remained chilly, he felt an inexplicable warmth rising from his lower abdomen and spreading to his limbs.
For a moment, he even imagined catching a faint, sweet scent drifting from Marin’s body—a delicate fragrance that seeped into his nostrils and stirred his mind.
He needed to say something, to break the increasingly charged silence and divert his own straying thoughts.
“You…” Yu spoke.
“Aren’t you going back to repair your own cabin?
While it’s not completely dark yet.”
Amidst his restless thoughts, a sudden idea struck him: if Marin said she wanted to fix it, she had nothing—no wood, no tools.
In the end, wouldn’t she have to come to him for help?
When that happened…
perhaps they could “exchange” something?
His gaze involuntarily drifted back to Marin, this time as if he were truly seeing her for the first time.
Even in the dim light, her long golden hair shone brilliantly.
Her large eyes were wide, and her long lashes fluttered like tiny fans.
Her nose was straight and delicate, her skin fair and smooth.
Her elegant collarbones were fully exposed, and below that…
her loose clothing couldn’t completely conceal a body that would drive any man mad.
A deep cleavage hinted at in the shadows invited endless fantasies.
Her crossed-legged posture accentuated the length of her thighs, while her delicate feet, with their pink-painted nails, rested carelessly on the rough floorboards, making him long to hold them in his hands and play with them.
She was undoubtedly a beauty—and the kind with a vibrant personality and an incredibly hot figure.
In such a private, isolated setting, the impact of her beauty was magnified countless times over.
However, Marin’s response was completely unexpected.
“Eh?
No need!” she answered decisively, even patting the floorboards beneath her with both hands—pat pat—as she took it for granted, stating, “Isn’t this place already fixed?
I’ll just live here!”
Yu: “…”
The “deal” he had rehearsed in his mind was instantly aborted.
‘This girl’s train of thought really can’t be judged by normal standards,’ he thought.
He steadied himself and asked, half-joking, half-probing, “Aren’t you afraid…
I’ll do something to you if you stay here?”
The question was blunt.
After asking it, Yu’s heart hammered in his chest, wondering if he had been too rash.
Marin’s reaction, however, was even more unexpected.
Instead of jumping up in protest or showing wariness like a typical girl, she froze as if scorched by his words.
Then, she whipped her head away, avoiding Yu’s gaze, and covered her mouth with one hand.
From Yu’s angle, he could see her small ears and exposed neck flush a captivating crimson, the blush spreading rapidly to her cheeks, now hidden by her fingers.
After a few seconds of silence—just as Yu was about to assume she was angry or frightened—a shy voice whispered, so softly he could barely hear it:
“…If…
if you want to…”
Yu’s breath hitched.
He almost wondered if he had misheard.
But those words, that utterly shy posture, that crimson neck…
everything pointed to a possibility that sent his heart racing out of control.
‘Could it be…
I actually have a chance?’
A rush of blood surged to his head, mixing with the pent-up heat and the immense temptation of the moment, instantly shattering the dam of his reason.
The opportunity was right here, and it would vanish in a heartbeat!
‘If I hesitate now, am I even a man?!’
“Marin!” Yu growled lowly, taking a bold step forward.
He knelt down and placed both hands on her slender yet shapely shoulders.
Startled by his sudden movement and scorching gaze, Marin flinched slightly.
Her golden eyes were wide with panic and bewilderment.
“Eh?
E-Ehh?!”
“Let’s do it!” Yu said, staring into her eyes and articulating each word with forceful conviction.
“I’ll protect you for the rest of my life!”
“Is…
Is this…
a confession?!” Marin was completely stunned.
She unconsciously raised her hands to cradle her burning cheeks, her eyes wide as if she couldn’t fathom this sudden turn of events.
“That’s right!” Yu answered decisively.
Giving her no time to think or hesitate, he kept one hand on her shoulder while his other hand covered the back of her hand that was cradling her face.
He gently lifted her stunningly beautiful face, bringing it directly into his scorching gaze.
Their eyes locked.
He could clearly see his own reflection in her pupils.
He saw her long, curled eyelashes trembling violently from tension, and her rosy lips parted slightly in bewilderment, exhaling warm, fragrant breath.
This is it!
Yu didn’t hesitate for another second.
He gave in to his most primal impulse and lowered his head, pressing his lips against those tempting ones.
The contact was even softer and warmer than he had imagined, carrying a faint, sweet hint of apple.
After the initial touch, Yu didn’t pull away.
Instead, he moved closer, their noses nearly touching.
Marin’s long eyelashes fluttered wildly, and her red lips parted, her breath coming out even more fervently.
Seeing her like this, long-suppressed desires began to grow wildly in Yu’s heart.
He said nothing more, simply following his instincts as he lowered his head and kissed her again.
This time, it wasn’t just a brief touch.
He took those soft lips into his mouth, gently sucking, his tongue tracing the shape of them.
Marin’s hands rested unconsciously against Yu’s chest, but there was no strength in her push—it was more like a place to lean when she had nowhere else to go.
Once, then again.
The kiss grew long and deep, a clumsy yet passionate exploration.
In the silent wooden cabin, the only sound was the wet noise of their lips and teeth tangling.
After an unknown amount of time, Yu finally pulled back slightly, panting, his forehead resting against hers as he gazed into her shimmering, watery eyes.
“Marin…”
“Mmm…
Shinjo-kun…” Marin’s voice was incredibly soft, her face even redder than before, like a ripe peach that made one want to take a bite.
As if suddenly remembering something extremely important, her eyes darted around flusteredly, and she stammered, “Um…
my Talent…
[Cosplay]…”
“Hmm?” Yu’s thumb gently stroked her burning cheek, signaling her to continue.
“It…
it says I need to complete the mission to increase my Cosplay Progress…
to get a bonus…” Marin’s voice grew softer and softer, her head lowering until it was almost buried in her own chest.
“The…
the current mission…
is…”
She choked up, her cheeks turning a shade of red that looked like it was about to drip blood.
Her lips trembled, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the mission’s contents.
Yu’s heart stirred.
He immediately focused his mind, silently activating the [Eye of Omniscience] as his gaze locked onto Marin.
Sure enough, next to her personal status, beneath the [Cosplay] Talent, the current mission details materialized:
[Current Character: Shizuku-tan]
[Compatibility: 0%]
[Character Mission: Complete one sexual act]
Shinjo instantly understood why Marin was so mortified.
It was as if it were deliberately pushing some kind of relationship forward.
No wonder her reaction earlier had been so strange.
‘As expected of a character from an eroge,’ he thought.
The missions are just that fitting.
“I saw it all,” Yu said softly, meeting her eyes.
“Eh?!” Marin froze, her head snapping up.
“W-what did you see?!”
“Your mission,” Shinjo Yu said with a smile.
“Uuu—!!!”
Marin let out a mournful cry, her entire body turning red as if she were being steamed alive—from her cheeks and ears down her neck to her collarbone.
She covered her face with her hands, steam practically rising from the top of her head.
“D-don’t look!
You’re not allowed to look!
It’s…
it’s too embarrassing!!” she muffled into her palms.
Watching her flustered and desperate state, Yu felt an itch in his heart—she was just too adorable.
He gently pulled her hands away from her face, forcing her to look at him.
“So…
those few times just now…
weren’t enough, were they?”
Marin’s eyes widened, shimmering with unshed tears.
She looked at him, then quickly averted her gaze.
Finally, she gave a small, barely perceptible nod and whispered a soft, “Mhm.”
Taking a deep breath, as if summoning her courage for a monumental decision, she stood up.
Her movements were a bit unsteady, but she managed to find her footing.
She turned her back to Shinjo, clutching her clothes with both hands.
After a few seconds of silence, seemingly gathering her resolve, she slightly turned her head, stealing a glance at him from the corner of her eye.
Her voice trembled as she spoke:
“Y-Yu…please…turn around…”
Shinjo Yu’s heart pounded like a drum as he stared at her crimson cheek and tense back.
“Okay,” he replied, but his body refused to turn.
What was blinding his vision?
A vast expanse of pale, creamy skin.
Marin, clutching her discarded clothes to her chest, slowly turned around.
Her head was bowed, her long blonde hair cascading messily over her shoulders and partially obscuring her face.
When she lifted her eyes and saw his gaze fixed intently upon her, a shiver ran through her entire body.
“W-why didn’t you turn around…”
Yu’s gaze swept from her flushed face down to her stunningly curvaceous figure, which the clothes failed to conceal in the slightest.
His Adam’s apple bobbed as he answered candidly, “Because…
you look too beautiful.”
Marin bit her lower lip, as if throwing caution to the wind.
She stopped trying to hide herself and, facing Yu, knelt down and whispered softly:
“…It’s y-your turn.”
It was his turn.
As Marin’s clear, innocent gaze fell upon him, an inexplicable wave of shame washed over his heart.
He now understood how Marin must have felt when he had been staring at her.
It was…
truly excruciating.
But the arrow was already on the bowstring; the atmosphere had been built up too far to allow for any retreat.
Moreover, the sight before him was a temptation no normal man could resist.
Shinjo hardened his resolve and stopped hesitating.
He reached out and began to unbutton his shirt, which was already stained with sweat and grime.
Because Marin’s gaze was fixed unblinkingly upon him, his movements were still a bit clumsy.
Unlike Marin’s sexy allure, which blended youthful innocence with temptation, Shinjo’s physique was more robust.
Though not exceptionally muscular, his clearly defined lines and lean build, maintained over the long term, displayed a powerful kind of beauty.