"Focus on your food. Am I really that good-looking?" Alistair complained, looking at Kasumi Haruno, who kept glancing at him with curious eyes.
"Slurp, slurp, slurp..."
Alistair was answered only by the sound of her slurping noodles and the unchanging frequency of her glances.
"Fine, whatever. If you accidentally spill it, you have only yourself to blame."
Alistair turned away, walked to the window, glanced at the modest crowd below, and shifted his attention to the Demonic Eye Ring on his finger.
After last night's absorption, all the black gas on Kasumi Haruno had been completely absorbed by Alistair. Now, even in the vision that revealed the black gas, Kasumi Haruno was a pure entity, starkly different from her surroundings. At the same time, the fusion level of his ring seemed to have reached one-tenth, and Alistair gained some new information.
Alistair didn't know how to judge the fusion level; it was just a feeling that suddenly occurred after reaching that threshold, accompanied by some "knowledge" in his mind.
Regarding the black gas, calling it desire wasn't entirely accurate. Its definition was broad, encompassing anger, sloth, pride, and all the Seven Deadly Sins. It even included some things that might be considered positive, like the desire for progress or the wish to possess the same excellent abilities or appearance as someone else. Alistair thought a broad definition was good—it meant he wouldn't have to struggle to find those strange items. But clearly, it wouldn't be that simple.
To absorb the black gas, one must first establish a connection. Otherwise, if the definition was so broad that it was everywhere, he could just lie down and absorb it daily. Why bother running around?
The most basic way to establish a connection was through conversation, but this link was very weak, and the amount absorbed was minimal. A deeper connection was like the one with Kasumi Haruno—a direct "in-depth exchange" and "water-and-milk blending"—which allowed Alistair to completely absorb the "desire" from her to strengthen himself. In a way, Alistair's previous guess that lust was the most effective wasn't wrong.
Another method was what he did to Takaaki Anjō last night: using an item on the person. This also counted as mastery over them, allowing Alistair to completely drain the "desire" from their body.
So, it was a real shame Alistair hadn't completely sucked that Takaaki "N-word" dry and turned him "white" that night. But no matter, they attended the same school; he'd find him. A connection established by an item wouldn't break as easily as one from simple conversation. He could still drain him dry the next time they met.
Furthermore, this stuff was renewable. The regeneration speed was determined by the person's inherent desire. The stronger the desire, the faster and darker the black gas regenerated. Just like Kasumi Haruno, who was currently eating her noodles.
Alistair turned his head, his gaze meeting Kasumi Haruno's, who had just looked up at him. Her cheeks were puffed out, still chewing. Clearly, she had taken a large bite and then looked up at him. Upon realizing they were making eye contact, she immediately ducked her head like a startled rabbit and took a sip of soup.
Alistair looked at the very faint black gas slowly drifting off her body and sighed. Girls in the R-rated dimension are something else. Every single one has a "lustful whore" attribute. This black gas regenerates so fast; her desire must be enormous. Does this mean I have to fuck her day and night now?
Speaking of which, the Demonic Eye Ring shouldn't collect the necessary "desire" this quickly, right? That would cheapen it too much. I only absorbed all of Kasumi Haruno's "desire" and a little bit from the gathering. Other bits and pieces aren't worth mentioning. And that's already 10%?
Alistair felt strange. If one person could satisfy about 8% to 9% of the requirement, then he could nearly fill this thing just by absorbing the desire from the few girls at his house and tossing a few items at the Blond Guy. Could it really be this simple?
Alistair looked thoughtfully at the ring, to which a new "vein" was connected, extending into his finger.
Thud.
The soft sound of the bowl hitting the table pulled Alistair's thoughts back.
"Done eating? If you're full, put your clothes on and let's go, or do you want to rest a bit more?" Alistair opened the other bag, pulled out the clothes, placed them on the bed, and casually asked. Although the Horse Talisman could dispel abnormal physical states, what if she just wanted to be lazy? He didn't have control over that.
"Mmh, let's go."
Kasumi Haruno obediently agreed, took the clothes, and put them on one by one. Soon, Kasumi Haruno was fully dressed. She stood in front of Alistair, seemingly waiting for him to speak before taking the next step.
"It looks great, even one size up fits perfectly." Alistair looked at Kasumi Haruno and nodded.
Kasumi Haruno was now wearing a light blue jacket over a white woolen knit shirt. The weather was still a bit cool. Her two large, spherical soft mounds strained the front of her shirt. Alistair couldn't resist reaching out to feel them again. Kasumi Haruno didn't refuse; she even thrust forward slightly, her face flushed, looking so tempting he wanted to kiss her.
She wore a miniskirt and black tights. Alistair didn't choose these himself. He didn't know much about fashion. He just had the clerk pick them based on the size, who insisted that for this weather, she should pick slightly thicker, fleece-lined tights. Alistair didn't understand the details, so he just had them packed up. Now, it seemed the clerk had good taste. The tights looked great on Kasumi Haruno's legs, making them very appealing.
Alistair had asked for all the clothes, including the underwear, to be one size larger. The current fit suggested it was perfect. Her family wouldn't possibly buy her clothes a size too small. She must have intentionally bought clothes a size smaller herself to emphasize her naturally ample figure. Alistair didn't believe there wasn't a hidden motive in this, but it was normal. In this world, Alistair would be suspicious if there were people without some "lustful" tendencies.
"Alright, let's go then."
"What's wrong?" Alistair walked to the door, opened it, and noticed Kasumi Haruno was still standing by the bed. He asked curiously.
"There are still some things here. Don't you want them?" Kasumi Haruno looked at the snacks in the bag. They were expensive treats she rarely bought. She had also looked at the tags on the clothes—they were expensive brands she couldn't afford. There were even some small gifts in the clothing bag.
"Take them if you want. They're just some snacks and small gifts. If you want more later, I'll take you shopping." Alistair said indifferently. Since he gained the Golden Rule, he basically didn't have to worry about money. Even the cash he picked up and the money from some casual lottery tickets were enough for him to splurge. He didn't have many major expenses himself, so he had lost all concept of what was considered relatively expensive for a normal family.
Kasumi Haruno picked up the bag and followed Alistair.
"Um, hey..."
Kasumi Haruno followed Alistair. She wanted to ask a question and instinctively tried to add a form of address, only to realize she didn't know the boy's name. A sense of absurdity welled up in her—she had spent the night with a boy whose name she didn't know, and now she was acting like his girlfriend...
"Subaru Naoji. The guy who sits not far behind you every day." Alistair turned his head and gave her his name.
Looking at Alistair's profile in the sunlight, the person in front of her gradually merged with the memory of the person who sat in the desk behind her. Her mind felt like it had briefly shut down.
The boy I want to date after he fucked me all night is my female classmate's boyfriend?