A few hours earlier...
Silver Wolf released a sigh of relief as she worked out the kinks of her arms... not that there were any. Rather, she did so purely for spectacle. A small smile grew on her otherwise deadpan expression as she sat down at the edge of the river.
"Man... that was actually pretty fun. I think I'm starting to get it, even if you're still a bitch, a piece of shit, a dumbass, and a burger."
She mentally commanded her Menu to open. A moment later, a floating, digital screen appeared before his eyes, a progress bar filling up. Once her System was done loading up the Menu, a notification appeared on her screen.
[Your Bond has been repaired!]
[Your Bond has leveled up!]
[Your Bond has leveled up!]
[Your Bond has leveled up!]
[Your Bond has leveled up!]
[Your Bond has been maxed out!]
[You have unlocked new skills (x4)!]
Silver Wolf's windpipe suddenly decided that it didn't want to work overtime to keep her alive, which led her to coughing on her own spittle. She heard a muffled groan of concern beside her, but she ignored it.
'W-Woah...'
Wasn't he liking her a little too much? Wait, why did he like her more than his past self? Maybe her first impression on him back then was just that bad? But did getting a sword held to her neck really count as a better one? It was probably better when they were just silently staring at anything that wasn't each other...
Maxed out? How?! It took her years to get everyone on this stupid team of hers to at least Level 4, and that guy went straight for Level 10 when she only had a couple chapters of screentime!
...What did Level 10 even mean, actually? Level 6 and 7 were already ride or die territory, and she's never reached 8 on anyone. Why was this guy suddenly so easy?
She sighed, leaning back on her hands. Her left one found itself grabbing a convenient cushion. Well, who cared about any of that. She finally got those sweet edgelord Skills back, with a few more as compensation for her troubles. That was a win in her book.
Or screen, since she didn't read. Silver Wolf wasn't a fan of visual novels.
...She expected her Menu to finally pop up, but instead, she was met with another loading screen. She huffed as she pretended not to care, blindly believing that it would load faster that way.
Then, she felt her cushion move. Silver Wolf glanced down... then groaned in annoyance as she found herself with a handful of...
Boob.
She released her victim, who let out a questioning noise.
"It's like your brain went to your tits and your muscles..."
And thighs. But perhaps that fell into the muscle category? And she probably overexaggerated with the tits comment. Oh well. She ignored the indignant squeal as she returned her attention to the screen. Was it just her, or did it load way to slowly?
Finally, her System managed to get out what it had been trying to decipher.
[Congratulations, Silver Wolf!]
She paled. What kind of bullshit was her Innate Ability about to put her through this time? A special dungeon that she was going to be automatically thrown into? A Great Titan raid boss event? Or maybe BDSM toys were going to be added to the shop?
The very moment her System created the Bonds tab all those years ago, Silver Wolf knew...
That she was cooked.
[As a prize for bringing a particularly treacherous protagonist's Bond Level to max, along with accomplishing said feat without using any Skills to your advantage...]
'Here it comes...'
[You have unlocked the Romance submenu in the Bonds tab!]
'FUCK!'
She paused.
'Wait, what?'
She kind of pre-fired her complaints, but as she reread the message...
...Yeah, it still sucked.
'FUCK!'
As if to twist the knife(?) of utter ridiculousness and torment, her System graciously (mockingly) elaborated.
[Through your efforts, you have made yourself a viable love interest to our humble protagonist (yay! #Silverless). With this new feature, you can record his likes and dislikes, spend points to research your love rivals, and carve your way into his heart!]
Silver Wolf's expression has never been more dry. And that was really saying something.
'Oh, so it's useless—'
[...To incentivize the player, you will be rewarded with with the ability to unlock ten more Bond Levels, up to Level 20. As always, you will receive special Skills as you progress, with a one-of-a-kind reward at Level 20.]
One of Silver Wolf's eyes comedically bulged out of its socket, eying the window with utmost intensity. Suddenly, it didn't sound too bad anymore...
...Nah, too much work. If only there was an easier way to go about this...
[...Eliminating rivals also yields rewards, I guess.]
Silver Wolf's stare slowly rotated downwards towards the woman she had just beat the ever living crap out of. In return, she received a bruised gaze back.
After a few moments, she revealed an uncharacteristically sweet smile.
"Hey. Ever considered dying?"
She received some muffles in return.
"Bonce o' rice."
Silver Wolf nodded appreciatively.
"Hm... ah... but it would be so easy..."
Eventually, she shook her head. She needed someone to sit in the chair after she bagged that guy.
...Not that she was doing this for any reason other than the practical ones, of course!
Shaking off the fluster, Silver Wolf pulled out a lollipop out of her inventory. She undid the wrapper and popped it into her mouth — tasteless, as expected. She leaned to the side.
"Hey, pass me some aura."
An arm weakly rose up, just a few centimeters away from her lollipop. The hand's index finger tapped the end of the lollipop's edge, and a moment later, an emerald flame ignited. Silver Wolf nonchalantly sat there for a few moments, before rising to her feet.
She pulled the lollipop away from her lips before miming the act of blowing smoke.
'I'm so tuff...'
She took one step forward, an epic smirk on her face.
"Watch out, Firefly. I'll be taking the spot of the true heroine."
"Bro, chokay. Food buck."
She received more muffles. Silver Wolf blinked, before waving her hand.
"What are you even saying? You can heal now, idiot."
The body laying in the dirt was lit ablaze by verdant flames, flesh and bone reconnecting — there was a lot of ripping involved on both ends — until eventually, Firefly mustered the strength to sit up. After a few moments, a mere fragment of a second, her skin was completely unmarred.
She swiftly removed her headband, her only article of clothing, and inspected it. Seeing that it had no tears — because Silver Wolf did try to be considerate every once in a while, even to those who didn't deserve it — she placed it back on her head. She tried to wipe the grime off her body, but as a flash of annoyance appeared in her eyes, she simply burned it all away to the very last atom.
Shaking her hair in an attempt to smooth it out of its tangled form, Firefly beamed and said:
"I was just saying good luck! Uh... actually, isn't that a drug?"
She tilted her head as she jumped up to her feet.
"Oh, whatever. See ya!"
Silver Wolf hummed in response, before pulling out a random phone she stole from her inventory.
Then, she turned over to Firefly.
"...See ya? Girl, you're dying by the second."
Silver Wolf grimaced at the dumb look on her face. Then, Firefly gasped.
"O-Oh, I kind of forgot crap HENSHI—"