At this moment, their posture became extremely ambiguous.
Ai leaned against the handrail next to the train door with his hands in his pockets, while Yotsuya Miko was pressed almost entirely against his chest.
Due to the swaying of the carriage and the crowding of the masses, their bodies were tightly pressed together.
“Mm…”
Yotsuya Miko let out a whimper like a small animal.
She buried her face in Ai’s chest, her nose filled with the boy’s crisp, pleasant scent.
It wasn’t just the smell of laundry detergent, but a scent with a fatal attraction for the opposite sex, enhanced by the system’s charisma stat.
To the current Miko, this scent was more effective than any sedative.
It even…
brought a strange sensation.
As the train swayed, friction between their bodies was inevitable.
Miko could feel the rise and fall of the boy’s chest and the warm body temperature beneath his clothes.
That heat transferred through the thin fabric of the school uniform, making her whole body tremble.
Fear gradually faded, replaced by a strange feeling she had never experienced before.
It was a sense of prostration brought on by the relief of extreme tension, mixed with a certain shameful excitement.
Her cheeks were burning, her breathing became rapid and moist, and her hot breath sprayed onto Ai’s collarbone.
Her hands tightly gripped the hem of Ai’s shirt at his waist, her knuckles turning white from the force, and her legs were so weak she could barely stand, leaving her to rely entirely on the boy’s body for support.
‘So warm…
so comfortable…’
‘As long as I’m pressed against him…
those scary things disappear…’
‘I want…
to be even closer…’
Miko’s gaze began to turn hazy.
She kept telling herself in her heart that this was to avoid the evil spirits, that she was forced to do this.
But her body was very honest.
She unconsciously rubbed her cheek against Ai’s chest, like a cat marking its territory, greedily soaking up the boy’s scent.
Ai was also suffering at this moment.
Though he had a poker face, he wasn’t a block of wood.
The girl in his arms was incredibly soft, and with the jolting of the train, that elastic sensation constantly bombarded his nerves.
Especially Miko’s current state—her body burning hot, her breathing rapid, and the occasional suppressed groan escaping her lips—anyone who didn’t know better would think they were doing something scandalous.
‘Could this favorability panel be broken?’
Ai took the opportunity to glance at the system panel.
[Target: Yotsuya Miko]
[Current Status: Fear/Indulgence]
[Favorability: 80/100]
[Description: Because the host’s special constitution can dispel evil spirits, the target has developed an extremely strong imprinting complex and physiological dependence on the host. In this world full of malice, you are her only poison and antidote.]
80?
Ai remembered it was only 25 yesterday; had it skipped the friend stage and fast-forwarded straight to dependence?
(This is an inflated value caused by the suspension bridge effect; it will return to normal later.)
“We’re here.”
After an unknown amount of time, Ai’s cold voice rang out.
Yotsuya Miko snapped back to her senses; the train doors were already open.
She frantically backed out of Ai’s embrace, only to find her legs so weak she couldn’t take a step, nearly kneeling on the spot.
Ai was quick, catching her arm with one hand.
“Can you walk?”
I…
I can!”
Yotsuya Miko’s face was flushed red, so ashamed she wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
Just now on the train…
she had actually been rubbing against him in his arms like a pervert, and…
and she even felt comfortable…
The two walked out of the station.
The sky outside was completely dark, and the streetlights were a dim yellow.
Ai didn’t leave directly, but silently accompanied her to the park intersection near her home.
This was only a few hundred meters from Miko’s house, and the streetlights were bright with plenty of people around.
“I’ll leave you here.”
Ai stopped, not intending to see her all the way to her door.
Excessive attentiveness would break his ‘aloof’ persona; maintaining an appropriate distance would instead make the other person more anxious about losing him.
“Eh? Ah… okay!”
Yotsuya Miko felt a bit disappointed, her heart feeling empty.
The feeling of being wrapped in warmth just now had vanished, and as the cool night breeze blew, she subconsciously hugged her arms.
“Um… Fujiwara-san!”
Just as Ai turned to leave, Miko suddenly called out to him.
Ai looked back, slightly raising an eyebrow.
Yotsuya Miko bit her lip, her hands behind her back.
After hesitating for a long time, she finally plucked up the courage and said softly:
“Tomorrow… tomorrow morning, can I wait for you at the station? I mean… if it’s on your way…”
After saying this, she felt like her heart was going to jump out of her chest.
This was practically a disguised confession!
But at the thought of having to face those terrifying things alone again tomorrow morning, she couldn’t bear it.
Having experienced that heavenly sense of security, she could no longer tolerate the drop back into hell, forcing her to make a humble request.
Ai looked at her.
Under the moonlight, the girl’s eyes shimmered with hope, and the tear mole at the corner of her eye made her look particularly pitiable.
On his face with 71 charisma, there was still no extra expression.
A few seconds of silence passed.
To Miko, these few seconds felt as long as a century.
“Suit yourself.”
Ai left those two words, put his hands in his pockets, and turned into the night.
Though his tone was still cold, those words sounded like a pardon to Miko’s ears.
She stared blankly at Ai’s departing back, her lips curling up uncontrollably as a sweet warm current surged in her heart.
‘He agreed…’
‘Great…
I can see him again tomorrow…’
Yotsuya Miko stood under the streetlight, her hands covering her burning cheeks, that scene on the train replaying constantly in her mind.
That solid chest, that pleasant scent…
she felt like she was sick.
A sickness called “Ai”…
Back at the apartment.
Ai let out a long sigh and slumped onto the sofa.
“I’m exhausted… pretending to be aloof really isn’t a job for humans.”
He rubbed his face, which was a bit stiff from smiling, and began to settle the mission.
[Ding! Mission “Mobile Safe Haven (I)” completed.]
[Evaluation: Perfect. You successfully planted the seed of “dependence” in the target’s heart and used the suspension bridge effect to significantly close the distance.]
[Rewards Issued: Charisma +1 (Current: 72), Special Ability: Malice Perception (Passive).]
[Charisma: 72 (Just like a small lotus bud showing its tip, your looks are starting to diverge from the average face, possessing a hint of unique, cool temperament. Now, walking on the street, you will have a 30% head-turn rate.)]
[Special Ability: Malice Perception]
[Source: Mixed Anime World Rules]
[Description: Without needing to activate Spiritual Vision, you can intuitively perceive the presence of entities harboring malice toward you or your target (including humans, ghosts, and demons). This allows you to react one second before danger arrives.]
“Malice Perception? Quite practical.”
Ai nodded.
He got up and walked into the bathroom, looking at himself in the mirror.
Although the effect of Charisma +1 was subtle, it definitely existed.
His facial features seemed to have become a bit more defined; the lines that originally looked a bit stiff due to gloominess were now soft and mysterious.
Especially those eyes, which were so deep they seemed to suck people in.
“If it continues at this rate, by the time charisma hits 80, something might really happen.”
Ai rubbed his chin.
Just then, the phone on the table suddenly vibrated.
It was a LINE message from an unknown number.
[Um… this is Yotsuya Miko. I got your contact info from Hana-san…]
[Thank you so much for today! Also… good night, Fujiwara-san.]
Followed by a cute emoji of a kitten bowing.
Ai looked at the screen, the corner of his mouth curling into an imperceptible, very slight arc.
But he didn’t reply; instead, he turned off the screen and tossed the phone aside.
For the current Miko, replying instantly would instead lower his value.
Reading but not replying is the greatest psychological blow to a girl in her dependency phase.
That night, Yotsuya Miko clutched her phone, tossing and turning in bed until late at night, staring at the unreplied dialogue box before falling into a deep sleep with a hint of disappointment and anticipation.