Just as I was being psychologically devastated by the shitty system, the pain in my scalp suddenly vanished.
“It’s all free now, Evelyn.”
“Big sis, you can lift your head.”
Could I sneakily kiss the back of his hand now?
Unaware of what was about to happen, Holloway tidied my messy hair.
Cletta also reached toward it.
I slapped his hand away.
Smack!
“Ow.”
“If Miss Evelyn doesn’t like it, you shouldn’t touch her without permission.”
Moran firmly scolded Cletta, then helped Holloway fix my hair.
Before selecting option 1, I carefully checked Moran and subtly moved much closer to Holloway.
I couldn’t risk pressing the wrong thing and accidentally licking Cletta’s hand or performing some courtship dance.
That kind of catastrophe absolutely could not happen.
[Affection increased by 2%.]
[Attachment increased by 1%.]
I hadn’t even done anything.
The sudden increases confused me, but no one was kind enough to explain why.
Instead, the timer began flashing.
I firmly pressed number 1.
[You selected option 1: ‘Kiss the back of Holloway’s hand. Smooch. ((˘ ˘)) ❥’]
My body began moving automatically.
Just before my lips touched the back of Holloway’s hand—
Tap.
Holloway blocked my forehead with his palm.
“What are you trying to do?”
How am I supposed to say that out loud?
It’s embarrassing.
“A kiss……?”
“Why?”
“Because I want to.”
“Why?”
“My heart told me to?”
“Why?”
“…….”
If you don’t want me to, just say so!
Why are you interrogating me so terrifyingly?
I quietly released Holloway’s hand.
It wasn’t that I refused to follow the option.
Holloway physically stopped me.
So I’m innocent.
Apparently the system lost its mind.
[If you do not perform the selected action, option 2 will automatically be selected.]
Why?!
Holloway is blocking me!
What do you expect me to do?
The floating window remained completely indifferent.
……Would licking Cletta’s hand actually be better?
At least it’s better than dancing.
[If you do not perform the selected action, option 3 will automatically be selected.]
“Hey!”
That’s not right!
You just said option 2!
I shot upright and yelled at empty air.
Unfortunately, Cletta was right in front of me.
Instead of being startled, he placed a hand against my forehead.
“Are you sick?”
“Be quiet.”
“You’re the loudest person here.”
No.
I have to kiss him somehow.
I suddenly grabbed Holloway’s hand.
Apparently reading the determination in my eyes, Holloway immediately refused.
“No.”
“Just let me do it once.”
If you don’t, I have to dance.
What even is a courtship dance?
I don’t want to do that.
“What will you give me if I let you?”
“Anything.”
Anything except dancing.
“Ah. Except dying. And don’t ask for one of my body parts. And……”
“I’ll ask for something that doesn’t hurt you.”
[Holloway begins happily deciding what wish to make.]
Holloway willingly extended his hand.
Looking at the smooth back of it, I briefly wondered whether dancing might actually be better.
But I couldn’t let one more person witness my terrible dancing.
If it were only Moran and Holloway, maybe I could……
Wait.
Then I can just throw Cletta out.
Moran and Holloway had already watched me embarrass myself completely.
I pointed toward the door while looking at Cletta.
“Leave.”
Cletta smiled and shook his head.
“Could you step out for a minute? I’m asking nicely.”
“Hmm. No……”
I pushed Cletta toward the door.
He didn’t move a single step.
……Damn it.
“Big sis.”
Holloway urged me.
[5 seconds remaining until the courtship dance.]
The window flashed obnoxiously.
Dance?
Or Holloway’s wish……
I kissed the back of Holloway’s hand.
Someone is definitely going to say that since I’ve already humiliated myself before, I should’ve just danced.
Right?
But just because I’d already lost most of my shame didn’t mean I’d lost enough to dance a second time.
“Smooch. ((˘ ˘)) ❥”
The kiss came out with such a cheerful and vulgar sound that Holloway immediately wiped the back of his hand against my clothes.
That hurt my feelings.
I checked Holloway’s values.
[‘Future Conqueror of This World’ Holloway’s Emotional Values!
Affection: 29.5%
Attachment: 28%
Possessiveness: 26.2%]
[※Unconsciously wants to protect you. His gaze is drawn toward you.]
[※Unconsciously rejects you. Reaching 30% or higher has become difficult.]
[‘Future Conqueror of This World’ Holloway’s ★★!
Jealousy: 13%
Anxiety: 10%
(=Linked Emotion: Possessiveness)]
Huh?
Those are pretty high!
The values had risen and fallen so chaotically that I hadn’t realized how high they had become.
Maybe that was why kissing him didn’t cause much of a reaction.
If I raised everything just a little more, I might finally be able to examine ‘Happy Us’ again.
The system had said I needed every value to reach at least 30%.
Maybe I’d get a different reaction then.
Still……
He must really have hated that kiss.
Not even 0.1%.
He sure is strict.
The numbers can get this high, but kissing is still too much?
Was he secretly a conservative boy?
No.
Wait.
Only then did I notice the text under the values.
It had become difficult to reach 30%……?
‘Unconsciously protects me while simultaneously pushing me away.’
That meant this demon was refusing to give his heart to a human.
Ah.
It keeps getting harder.
This wasn’t the time to celebrate because his values had risen easily.
It was already brutal.
Now raising Holloway’s affection had entered Hell Mode.
Blocked exactly at the 30% threshold.
That was disappointing.
But for my survival, I first needed to recover the weapons I had worked so hard to obtain.
“Where’s my flamethrower?”
Moran looked puzzled as though hearing the word for the first time.
“A flamethrower? I don’t know. Did you have something like that?”
Yes.
I did.
And my gun is gone too.
Thinking they might have hidden them somewhere inside the guest room, I started getting out of bed.
Moran immediately grabbed me and forced me back down.
“You mustn’t move. We only gave you emergency treatment. Your shoulder and waist were so badly injured that we used almost all the potion. Your butt—um. Anyway, that area and your arm still haven’t been treated properly.”
Why is Moran blushing while talking about my butt?
“I need to find a potion…… Wait. There were potions in this hotel?”
“Yes. We found basic things like potions and first-aid supplies. Isn’t that fortunate? Apparently the old hotel even had an infirmary.”
“You went to the infirmary?”
“No. We happened to find abandoned supplies.”
An infirmary……
There might be some sick monster living there.
Let’s avoid that place.
“But I need to find the gun and flamethrower I was carrying……”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but Evelyn, you were lying unconscious in the hallway. There was no flamethrower or gun anywhere near you.”
“……Huh?”
“There was no flamethrower or gun.”
“Huh?”
“…….”
“Huh?!”
I almost looked toward Holloway.
Anyone could tell this was his doing.
Not only the flamethrower.
My gun had vanished too.
No.
He took them from me.
Do you know how hard I worked to obtain those?!
[Holloway happily watches your despair.]
May lightning strike you……
The only reason I had been able to act confident was because of those weapons.
Will you only be satisfied once I have to undertake another epic journey to find weapons?
“My weapons……”
My wide-area weapon capable of burning everyone had disappeared.
Unable to suppress my frustration, I jumped to my feet.
My vision immediately spun.
Thud.
The instant I sat back down on the bed, I wanted to stand again.
Every time my butt touched the bed—or anything else—it throbbed.
Moran cautiously sat beside me and comforted me.
“Miss Evelyn……. Don’t be too upset.”
“Without those, another monster might attack……”
At the word ‘monster,’ Moran went pale.
This didn’t seem like fear that I might expose what happened with Holloway.
It looked like genuine fear of monsters.
Cletta inspected the trembling Moran.
“Moran, are you okay?”
“Ah, yes……. I’m just scared……”
I ignored the intensely romantic atmosphere between them and flopped backward onto the bed.
The thief who stole my life-preserving weapons lay down beside me too.
I don’t want to do anything.
Every weapon I had painstakingly collected was gone.
It felt like I had carefully built a tower only for Holloway to kick it over.
What can I do to make that bastard cry?
I’m always the one crying……
I want to make him sob too.
Make him kneel beneath me and—
Ding!
[Hotel difficulty increased by 1 level.]
[Current Hotel Danger Difficulty: ‘You’re Already Dead.’]
[Watch above, below, left, and right carefully. A moment of carelessness may lead you to death.]
“……What?”
“Big sis, what did you say?”
No.
Wait.
Wait!
What is this supposed to mean, System?!
I bolted upright.
[‘Demon of Temptation’ Suriel has realized that you are the culprit who destroyed his collection.]
Sharp bastard……
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