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Two hours later!
"Congratulations, Host. You've completed a new achievement and obtained…"
The system's notification echoed in Steven's head.
He didn't have time to check it right now. He stood up and walked over to the camera nearby.
The Wolf Bro card's abilities were ridiculously useful. Mechanical Mastery and Genius Inventor were already god-tier, and it even came with a handy toolbox. Whatever you wanted, you could whip it up in minutes.
"What is that? Give it to me!"
Yukiko's face changed the instant she saw the camera in Steven's hand. She lunged forward to snatch it.
Too slow.
Steven dodged easily.
"You guys like playing along with me, don't you? You knew who I was and chose not to expose it. So I figured I'd keep some evidence. That way we can keep each other in check."
He waved the camera smugly.
"You despicable bastard. Don't ever show your face in front of me again."
Yukiko ground her teeth, tears spilling from her eyes.
"Heh. Like you get a say? If this footage were quietly put up for auction, with your worldwide popularity, it'd sell for a ridiculous price."
Steven had never claimed to be a gentleman. Doing something underhanded didn't bother him in the slightest.
Besides, if he wanted to turn Yukiko into one of his own, he had to hit hard.
"You asshole. You'll die horribly."
Yukiko glared at him, shaking with rage.
"Oh? Mad already? You didn't look mad just now. You were enjoying yourself, even humming a little tune."
Steven played the video and cranked the volume to max.
In an instant, the room filled with unmistakable, soul-melting sounds.
"Turn it off! Turn it off now!"
Terrified of waking Ran, Yukiko clutched her ears and screamed.
"I could turn it off," Steven said leisurely, a wicked smile curling his lips. "But you'll have to beg."
"I'm begging you. Turn it off!"
With no other choice, Yukiko dropped to her knees in front of him, all dignity forgotten.
That kneel shattered the last scraps of her pride.
"Good girl. I'm very satisfied."
"See you around. Remember to be ready whenever I call."
A queen who once stood at the peak of fame had ended up nothing more than a toy.
Steven looked down at Yukiko kneeling before him, put away the camera, and walked out casually.
Just as he reached the door, her voice came from behind him.
"Wait."
"What? Not satisfied yet? Want another round?"
He stopped and glanced back meaningfully.
"Can you… destroy the negatives?"
Yukiko had wanted to curse him out, but remembering she was the one asking for a favor, she forced herself to lower her tone.
"Why wouldn't I?" Steven smiled innocently. "But I don't get it. Why destroy them?"
"I'm afraid they'll get out."
"So what? Acting with you would be an honor. Maybe I'd get famous overnight."
"Name your price. What will it take for you to destroy them?"
Yukiko suppressed her fury, already cursing his ancestors a hundred times over in her heart.
Unless she personally watched the negatives and video be destroyed, she'd never feel at ease for the rest of her life.
"I'm not stupid. I know the difference between short-term gains and long-term profit. I've decided to dine on this secret for the rest of my life."
"So do you think I'd destroy them?"
He didn't hesitate for even a second. To do so would've been an insult to his own intelligence.
With that, he hummed a little tune and left.
Yukiko stared at his retreating back, then collapsed to the floor, her eyes empty.
For the first time in her life, the future felt pitch-black, without even a hint of light.
"What am I supposed to do? Am I really trapped by that man forever?"
"Even if it wasn't my choice, how am I supposed to face Yusaku and Conan?"
She murmured to herself, utterly lost.
In her daze, she even blamed Kudo Yusaku for being so wrapped up in murder cases that he'd given Steven an opening.
But blaming Yusaku was pointless. The most urgent thing was destroying the video and negatives.
Suddenly, a spark of inspiration hit her.
"Chris! She can help me. For a friend, she'll definitely find a way to get the negatives. With her testimony, we might even send that bastard Steven to prison!"
"But if Chris finds out about this…"
Yukiko hesitated.
They were friends, yes, but she was being blackmailed. One wrong move and someone could get killed.
And saying something like that out loud was just too humiliating.
"What should I do?"
She grabbed her hair in frustration.
"Forget it. I'll take a shower first. That bastard left his filth behind. I need to wash it all away."
Looking down at her own body, her stomach churned with disgust.
…
Steven returned to the villa. It was quiet inside, so he guessed Vermouth was still out on a mission.
After tormenting Yukiko for two hours, he was exhausted. He decided to shower and go straight to sleep.
As for whether Vermouth might run into danger, he wasn't worried at all.
If anything really went wrong, she'd call for help herself.
The next morning.
"The sun's already up. Still not awake?"
"Did going one-on-one with Yukiko wear you out? I thought you were tougher than this. Guess not."
"Huh? Don't tell me you crawled back here. No way. Even crawling, you still came back? What, not addicted to the tender embrace?"
Vermouth stood by the bed, mercilessly teasing him.
"Beautiful women are the graves of heroes. Compared to that, I'd rather die beneath your skirt."
"Morning is the best time to work out. How about some radio calisthenics?"
Steven opened his eyes, grinning.
"Pfft. What are you dreaming about? I'm more curious. Did you really take down Yukiko in just one night?"
Vermouth took a step back and crossed her arms.
"Of course. I'm a legend."
He paused, then frowned. "Wait. Don't tell me you're jealous?"
He was already imagining her smiling sweetly while plotting murder, complete with the classic trio: crying, throwing a tantrum, and threatening to hang herself.
But reality didn't follow his script.
"Hah! I've seen narcissists before, but you've got skin thicker than anyone."
"Why would I be jealous? You and I just fill in each other's gaps. In plain terms, we're tools using each other. Have you ever seen pots and pans fall in love?"
"Enough talk. Get up. I've got something important to tell you."
With that, Vermouth turned and left the bedroom.
Interesting. She's sharper than I thought.
Steven was genuinely surprised by her attitude.
People always said feelings grow with time, but that clearly wasn't universal.
At least not for Vermouth.
That was fine. It saved him a lot of mental baggage.
He was about to nap a bit longer when he remembered the system notification from last night. With a thought, he opened the data panel.
[Five-Star Good Citizen System]
Host: Steven
Achievement Points: 5
Active Achievement: Explosions Are Art
Achievement Title: Outlaw
Basic Skills: Size Manipulation, Explosion Fruit Ability, Awei's Eighteen Moves (Low-End Version)
Card Skills: Mechanical Mastery, Genius Inventor, Master of Eighteen Weapons, Full HP Revival, Auto Target Lock
Inventory: Wolf Club, Wolf Claw Gloves, Strength Belt, Tool Toolbox, Materials Toolbox, Identity Trio (Household Register, ID, Passport), Bank Card
Shop: Open
PS: Young man, you have great criminal potential. New achievement unlocked: Ruthless Flower Slayer. Replace your current achievement? Choose carefully.
Note: Equipping the new achievement will replace the current one's skill. If you decline, it will convert into achievement points.
"Ruthless Flower Slayer?"
"Just hearing the name feels shady. But then again, this dog system was never proper to begin with."
A new achievement was tempting, but Steven knew the system's personality well. It was probably another trap.
After some thought, he opened the system shop to see what cards were available before deciding.
"As expected. Almost fell for it. Good thing I kept my head."
Looking at the cards in the shop, Steven felt a chill.
Kato Hayabusa. Aoi Nirvana. Hata Yui…
What the hell were these?
His scalp tingled.
Every card was an adult film actor from that island nation. Some even let you change gender after use.
Sure, they boosted performance in one-on-one situations, but there were no AoE abilities, and they didn't significantly enhance raw destructive power.
Good thing he'd stayed cautious. Otherwise, the system would've stripped him clean again.
After weighing his options, Steven decided his current achievement was still the best choice.
Just as he was about to exit the shop, he caught sight of an attribute card at the very bottom.
"Bio-Demon. Bouncy and elastic. Allows you to alter your body's flexibility, stretching and compressing freely to perform high-difficulty movements."
"The name sounds familiar. Like that flying warrior from LoL. The properties feel a lot like the Rubber Fruit."
"Cost: 10 achievement points."
Steven's eyes widened at the price.
Just an attribute card, and it cost way more than character cards.
"Expensive for a reason, I guess. Sounds fun, and it doesn't overwrite existing achievement skills. Worth buying just to mess around."
Gritting his teeth, Steven decided to go for it.
He chose not to equip the new achievement, converting it into points. Combined with his existing 5 points, it should be enough for the Bio-Demon card.
After all, the shop was only open for a limited time.
"Host declined the new achievement. Converted into 6 achievement points."
"Redeem Bio-Demon card."
Steven let out a breath and confirmed without hesitation.
"Redemption successful."
"Congratulations, Host. Bio-Demon acquired. All attributes automatically fused."
"Warning: Bio-Demon is vulnerable to sharp objects. Punctures may cause air leakage."
Holy crap.
The system was actually considerate enough to warn him about the downside.
Steven didn't mind. He'd just be careful when using it.
He tested the Bio-Demon's abilities right away.
And damn, it was good.
Moves he couldn't do before, like folding his body or spinning his head a full 720 degrees, were effortless now.
More importantly, he could thicken and stretch any part of his body however he wanted.
A true low-end version of the Rubber Fruit.
Steven grinned. Those 10 points were well spent.
After testing it out, he glanced at the data panel again. A new skill, Bio-Demon, had appeared, and he had 1 achievement point left.
He closed the panel and was about to get up when Vermouth walked back in, arms crossed.
"Still dragging your feet? Can't bear to leave the bed?"
"You already ruined my morning sleep, and you didn't even want to do calisthenics. What's with the rush? Just say what you need."
Steven complained as he slowly got dressed.
Being rushed like this was seriously annoying.
"Gin asked me to tell you your mission bonus is in. Base pay for a D-rank mission was two hundred thousand dollars, plus fifty thousand for completion. Total: two hundred fifty thousand."
"It's all been transferred to your account. Check it."
Vermouth spoke casually.
"That's it?"
Steven frowned, clearly displeased.
Even if she hadn't said anything, he'd have checked eventually.
After all, this was work that put his life on the line. Risking death for pocket change wasn't acceptable. If the Organization dared to short him, he'd burn the place down.
"Also, there's a new mission for you…"
"Hold it."
Steven cut her off as he put on his shoes.
"Problem?"
"Plenty."
"I just finished a mission. Can't I rest a couple of days before taking another? And when is the Organization going to let me visit HQ?"
"And this is Japan. Can't you pay me in yen? Wiring dollars is inconvenient when I actually need to spend money."
He rattled off three questions in a row.
What he really cared about, though, was finding the Organization's headquarters and tracking down Miyano Shiho.
A genius scientist. The sooner, the better.
"This time it's a C-rank mission. Gin personally named you. You don't have the right to refuse. If you don't want it, take it up with Gin yourself."
Vermouth shrugged. It was out of her hands.
Whether Steven got rest time was entirely up to Gin.
"Why me?"
Steven was both confused and unhappy with the Organization's authoritarian rules.
"You're new. A fresh face. The target is a peripheral member. Gin thinks you're the best fit."
"The target and mission details are all here. I've delivered the message. Whether you accept or not is your choice."
She tossed a photo onto the table in front of him.
Just like last time, the details were written on the back.
"Her?"
Steven had been ready to refuse, just to challenge Gin's authority.
But when he saw the familiar figure in the photo, he changed his mind.
Miyano Akemi.
If he could pull a switch and keep her alive, he'd gain leverage over Miyano Shiho later.
"Tell Gin I'm taking the mission. Transfer the operation funds to my account as soon as possible."
As he spoke, Steven flipped the photo over and began reading the mission details.
"....."