Meanwhile, on the other side.
While Kikyō Kushida’s psyche was undergoing a dramatic shift, Axel End was busy getting a deeper understanding of the functions of this [Reversal System].
As a veteran connoisseur of web novels, he knew exactly what a “system” was.
There was no need to rack his brain wondering whether some conspiracy was afoot—after all, what value did an ordinary guy with nothing going for him but his good looks have that would make him worth conspiring against?
Just honestly enjoy it and be done with it.
[Host: Axel End]
[Core Ability: Master’s Task (Lv.1)]
[Experience Points: (10/50)]
[Current Number of Available Task Targets: 2 (Suzune Horikita, Kikyō Kushida)]
[Current Number of Issuable Tasks: 2 (Up to three tasks can be issued per day; if an issued task goes uncompleted, it does not count toward the total)]
[Points Held: 100]
“The number of tasks I can issue per day is limited…
but it should increase as my ability level rises, and it might even unlock new permissions?”
“The number of task targets is fine, though—after all, there are a decent number of named, prominent female characters in COTE; it’s unlikely I’ll ever end up in a situation where I can’t use up my task slots.”
After giving it a quick assessment, Axel End turned his attention to the Exchange Store—after all, everything was for the sake of the rewards.
[Basic Cooking]
[Intermediate Combat]
[Advanced Bedroom Arts]
The various skills straight out of an urban slice-of-life novel were very appealing to him right now, because in the mid-to-late stages of COTE the story would pivot to a might-makes-right paradigm, and his top priority was ensuring his own safety.
Axel End kept scrolling down, and then his eyes suddenly went wide.
[Anywhere Door]
[4D Pocket]
[Time Machine]
[Friend Circle]
[Super Gloves]
Bro, seriously?
Did you go restock your inventory straight from Doraemon or something?
Fine, fine, fine—great job you did there.
But then a thought struck Axel End, and he pressed on with his questioning: “Can the task targets use Points to exchange for these items too?”
He was worried there might be a gekokujō plotline.
After all, this system was clearly running a behind-the-scenes-mastermind kind of script; if his cover ever got blown…
[Sub-system owners cannot harm the main system’s Host in any form.]
That answer was as good as a confirmation.
After mulling it over, Axel End felt it wasn’t unacceptable—after all, as long as he conquered every one of them, any “gekokujō” would just become part of the marital bedroom play.
“Now arriving: Advanced Nurturing High School.”
“Passengers, please board and disembark in an orderly manner.”
The announcement suddenly rang out inside the train car.
But Axel End was in no hurry to get off.
He simply strolled leisurely at the very back of the crowd, among the last batch of people to disembark.
Suzune Horikita was one of them.
“You glanced at me on the train just now—what was that supposed to mean?”
What was bound to come had come at last.
As Axel End pondered what task to issue Suzune Horikita, he delivered the lines he’d already prepared in his head.
“Classmate, aren’t you being a little too sensitive?”
“Anyone walking down the street is going to be seen by others—that’s an irresistible force of nature…
but by your logic, wouldn’t that mean nobody’s allowed to look at you at all?”
At those words, Suzune Horikita furrowed her brow.
She was not willing to have her meaning twisted like that.
“I won’t deny the first half of what you said.
As for the second half…
heh, you clearly looked at me on purpose.”
“Because ever since I was little, I’ve felt that kind of gaze far too many times.”
Axel End shrugged.
He didn’t want to get into a pointless verbal tug-of-war with the fresh-out-of-enrollment Suzune Horikita; he’d just go straight for the task.
[Ding—Perfect Life System binding in progress…]
Huh?
What the heck is this?
Suzune Horikita instantly snapped into battle mode.
[Task Issued: Your rebuttal left the man speechless.
Continue tearing away his last disguise with your words: “Do you like me?”]
[Upon completion, you will receive Points, which can be used to exchange for items in the Exchange Store.]
[Upon failure, you will receive a punishment: share a couple’s embrace with the boy before you for 30 seconds.]
What’s the meaning of this?
A flicker of confusion flashed through Suzune Horikita’s eyes.
Even if she did feel offended by this boy’s gaze, she hadn’t leapt to any conclusions like that, had she?
And besides, what on earth was this thing?
[59…58…57]
A countdown had even appeared in her field of vision.
Was this boy pulling a prank on her?
It wasn’t as if Suzune Horikita had never run into this kind of situation growing up—after all, by human standards of beauty, she really did qualify as a beautiful girl.
There were always some immature boys who wanted to grab her attention, and so they’d pull all sorts of stunts that essentially amounted to bullying.
An ordinary person might be helpless against it, but she was Suzune Horikita—she naturally wouldn’t indulge those boys, and had long since developed a practiced set of countermeasures.
“You pretentious fraud, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but this is my final warning to you—”
“Don’t come provoking me, or you’ll regret it.”
Oh-ho-ho, her mouth was as stubborn as ever.
No good—he couldn’t laugh yet.
As Axel End watched Suzune Horikita’s retreating back as she turned to leave, he silently counted down in his heart.
[10…9…8…7]
The countdown digits in her vision turned a terrifying shade of crimson, but Suzune Horikita still paid them no heed, her steps only growing more resolute as she headed toward the school building.
But the instant the number hit zero, even more unnerving crimson text refreshed onto the panel—
[Task Failed!]
[Commencing forced execution of punishment.]
“Heh…”
Suzune Horikita instinctively went to curl her lips into a cold sneer and tack on a mocking remark, only to find that her body was no longer under her control.
Her pupils contracted violently, the words she’d meant to blurt out lodged in her throat, and she could only helplessly “watch” as she turned around and walked back to stand before that boy, then spread her arms wide—
“No!
Don’t!
I can’t!”
Seeing herself about to throw herself into a boy’s arms like some shameless, boy-crazy girl in full view of everyone, Suzune Horikita let out a shrill scream inside her heart.
Unfortunately, she could only watch as her own arms wound around the boy’s neck, pressing their two bodies together with zero distance between them.
Her face turned red—but red from fury.
Because she could feel that the other party’s hands were anything but honest, and had this not still been the school gate, Suzune Horikita didn’t dare imagine whether he might do something even more outrageous.
Thirty seconds was actually quite short.
But to Suzune Horikita, it was the first time she’d ever felt that thirty seconds could be so long and so agonizing.
Even when the chime signaling the end of the punishment sounded, she didn’t immediately come back to her senses.
“Classmate, what’s the meaning of this?”
“If you don’t let go soon, I get the feeling the two of us are going to end up on the school forum’s gossip threads on our very first day.”
Although Axel End would have liked to keep enjoying the beautiful girl’s sweet, soft body, given the situation he figured he needed to give Suzune Horikita a heads-up.
“You scumbag!”
Suzune Horikita’s brain successfully rebooted.
She wrenched herself back and, without a moment’s hesitation, swung her hand to slap this boy across the face.
Having long since anticipated exactly what Suzune Horikita would do, Axel End effortlessly caught the girl’s wrist, a thoroughly punchable smile spreading across his face at the same time.
“Classmate, the way you curse almost sounds like flirting.”
“Besides, you were the one who threw yourself into my arms—it’s not like I did anything to you.”
“So please, have some self-respect.”