Image: Himeko In another world, Himeko stared at the two lovebirds on her phone screen, feeling an overwhelming sourness in the air.
The sheer sweetness of their interaction was so overwhelmingly sour it made her teeth ache, feeling like they might rot right out of her mouth.
Remembering that she had been single since birth, Himeko desperately wanted to smash her phone against the wall.
Did I violate some heavenly law or piss off the underworld?
Why do I have to watch this?
System, damn you to hell!
[Friendly reminder: if you don’t want to watch, you can always turn off the screen.
I told you, this is an idle dating sim.
If there are any important messages or reward distributions, I’ll notify you in advance.] Tch.
Dating sim, my ass!
You’re just making me watch someone else’s romance!
[Ahem.
The main system is currently slacking off, so just be patient.
You’ll get your own sweet romance with Kai, I promise.] Himeko curled her lip.
It was all this System’s fault for showing her Kai in the first place.
Now, all the handsome guys she used to find attractive looked utterly unimpressive compared to him.
She certainly wouldn’t refuse a sweet romance with him, but right now, there wasn’t even a spark between them.
She couldn’t shake the feeling that this System was just stringing her along.
Let’s change the subject.
Does your System Shop sell companions?
I watched the Dungeon carefully yesterday, and it’s obvious that place is meant for party play.
Your system has to have a feature for that, right?
[Hehe, I didn’t expect you to figure it out so quickly.] The System’s tone grew slightly excited, exactly like a sleazy merchant watching a customer take the bait.
A bad feeling immediately welled up in Himeko’s chest.
[Of course there’s a Companion System!
I was just wondering how I should subtly point it out to you.
Hahaha!
Miss Himeko, allow me to introduce our proudest creation: The Gacha System!] Suddenly, digital fireworks exploded across Himeko’s phone screen, followed by a massive roulette wheel appearing right in the center.
[If we hadn’t signed a strict contract with the World, I would have shoved this in your face immediately.
Direct purchases are boring and not profitable at all!
Gacha is the only true path!] Is it really okay for you to say that right to my face?
[Hmph, we are incredibly confident in this gacha system!
Once someone discovers it, they can never refuse the pull!] The System began enthusiastically pitching its so-called “perfect creation.” To put it simply, the mechanics were exactly the same as the gacha mobile games Himeko was familiar with.
There were two banners: Character and Equipment.
If crucial things like talents and skills hadn’t been forced into a direct-purchase format by the Main System, these sub-systems would have turned absolutely everything into a loot box.
The Character Banner contained the souls of individuals the System had collected across various worlds, currently sleeping in the System Space.
Pulling them would allow the System to resurrect them.
Some were immensely powerful warriors with unique talents, while others were physically weak but brilliant geniuses in their respective fields.
In short, there were no “dud” pulls; every single one would be a valuable companion for Kai.
However, because resurrection required a massive amount of energy, each pull was quite expensive.
It was also worth noting that because this was classified as an “idle dating sim,” the Character Banner exclusively featured girls.
Unlike certain other games, this System had standards!
The Equipment Banner operated on a similar logic, offering unowned artifacts collected from across the multiverse.
The absolute worst items were swords that could cut through iron like butter, while the highest-tier grand prize was a universe-restarting cannon from some intergalactic civilization.
Although the Equipment Banner was cheaper to pull on than the Character Banner, it was divided into distinct tiers—a different kind of fixed pricing.
Himeko had absolutely zero desire to roll on the banner containing the universe-restarting cannon, because a single pull cost the equivalent of ten years of Earth’s total GDP…
Gacha…
Isn’t this relying way too much on luck?
Himeko hesitated.
Even though the System assured her that the “normal” people in the pool were geniuses in their fields, what if she pulled a criminal mastermind?
What if she got a fishing prodigy who couldn’t help Kai survive the Dungeon at all?
[Don’t worry!
We strictly vetted the candidates during the selection process.
I guarantee that every single girl in the Character Banner is highly capable and independent.] While the System’s pitch was incredibly tempting, Himeko checked her bank account balance and could only pray that Theresa processed her back pay soon.
Though, knowing that old loli, even if she secured funding from her grandfather, she would probably blow it on something else immediately.
Himeko knew full well that Theresa couldn’t spend that much on Homu merchandise and comics anyway.
The vast majority of those embezzled funds went straight back into St.
Freya, which was why Himeko never pushed hard for her salary.
But right now, that money could be put to much better use.
Given the random nature of the System’s rewards, Himeko absolutely refused to reveal its existence to Theresa until it provided a stable cure for the Artificial Stigmata.
[Himeko, Hestia is about to update Kai’s status for the first time!
If everything goes well, you’re about to get another massive wave of rewards!] It’s that easy to get rewards?
[This is his very first status update, so the System provides a bonus multiplier.
In the future, you’ll only get rewards after major milestones.
Plus, because of that talent you bought for him, his stat growth should be astronomical.
You might even break straight into the ranks of an S-rank Valkyrie!] Himeko eagerly whipped out her phone, her eyes practically shining.
However, the exact moment the screen lit up, Kai was taking off his shirt.
Staring at his perfectly sculpted, youthful physique, a very distinct pink hue crept into Auntie Himeko’s expectant gaze.
[Wow…
Himeko, you’re such a massive weeb.] Shut up!
Kai isn’t a 2D anime boy!
How does thirsting over him make me a weeb?!
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the ruined church basement wasn’t nearly as lively.
Seeing the patchwork of bruises covering Kai’s torso, Hestia looked like she was on the verge of tears.
“Kai, does it hurt terribly?” “It’s okay.
It stings a bit, but I’ll get used to it!
I’m going to train hard so those monsters can’t even touch me anymore.” “Okay.
You have to grow strong quickly, Kai.” Hestia pricked her finger with a specialized needle, allowing a drop of divine blood to fall onto Kai’s back.
The sacred text began to glow faintly, shifting and rearranging itself.
The numbers representing his basic attributes rapidly ticked upward in her vision.
When the numbers finally stopped, the final stats left Hestia entirely speechless…