Warm mist—mixed with the sweet scent of milk tea—rolled toward him. Su Ming tried to use it as a screen, but the thin white haze was never going to create any real physical obstruction.
How on earth did Mei dare to let me come out alone to meet Kiana?
Su Ming rubbed his temples, troubled.
Across from him sat a girl who looked like she was focused on her cake—head lowered, fork moving—yet was clearly sneaking glances at him the whole time.
A white cable-knit sweater draped over her slender frame. The relaxed, dropped-shoulder sleeves piled into soft folds like clouds, exposing just enough of her pale forearms. When she leaned forward ever so slightly, the diamond-shaped cutout pattern at the collar revealed a fleeting hint of collarbone.
A light-blue A-line skirt curved in a gentle wave at the knees—inviting the mind to wander. And the skirt hem, "accidentally" lifted now and then, flashed the corner of a thigh strap digging lightly into soft skin.
Su Ming inhaled sharply.
This woman is terrifying. I cannot stay here.
The moment he realized that looking directly at Kiana would mean getting swallowed by her charm, Su Ming turned his head toward the distant view outside the café and finally managed to breathe.
All the tastes that cursed miHoYo had cultivated in him collapsed under a pinpoint critical hit.
She's serious.
It was like she'd driven a bulldozer straight through his defenses—flattening walls, taking ground, breaking gates. The gate collapsing was bad enough. The real question was whether she'd roll up her sleeves next and push the entire city wall down.
Noticing his retreat, a flicker of satisfaction crossed Kiana's eyes. She pumped herself up and pressed the advantage.
"Is the cake not good?"
"It… it's good…"
Su Ming—an outright deserter—was dragged back by her voice and forced to look at her again. But a single glance was enough to make him drop his gaze and mechanically shovel cake into his mouth, using chewing as a shield against her devastating presence.
Kiana's feet are so pale…
No. Absolutely not.
The instant that filthy thought surfaced, Su Ming roared at himself internally.
So you even planned for this? Kiana, you…
At that moment, a line of floating text flashed before his eyes.
[Ding—]
Huh? Don't tell me—
Su Ming's excitement spiked. Sure, this was a peaceful everyday timeline with no Honkai, and he'd already married a rich, beautiful heiress and reached the top of life… but having a system meant even wider horizons, didn't it?
[Conditions met. "Degenerate Romance System" has been loaded. Please use whatever shameless methods you like to win over the heroine!]
What the hell?
Setting aside the word "degenerate," I'm a married man—how am I supposed to "win someone over" now?
…Well, maybe it's one of those late-arriving systems that lets you farm rewards off an already-maxed affection meter. That wouldn't be bad…
While Su Ming was thinking, another line appeared.
[Ding—]
Huh?
[Conditions met. "Classic Heroine Route System" has been loaded. Please use righteous, straightforward methods to win over the heroine!]
Su Ming personally preferred the classic, straightforward approach, but…
Would the rewards be doubled?
He drifted into fantasy again—imagining he could get two sets of rewards for free, rocket into a second peak of success, become the Archbishop of Schicksal, and save the world.
[@*&%#￥!! getUserInfo()]
[System conflict detected. Forcibly merging—]
[Interface protocol approved. System starting.]
[This system is the Classic/Degenerate Romance System. Its purpose is to help the player win over heroines quickly, efficiently, and economically—so you can reach the peak of life and embrace happiness.]
[Disclaimer]
[This system provides tasks and rewards only. All actions must be performed by the player. Please balance emotional conflicts among heroines. If incidents such as "knife endings," bloodbath love triangles, harems imploding, etc. occur, this system bears no responsibility.]
In other words: take it easy. Don't toy with girls' feelings and get yourself killed.
Why does it assume I'm going to build a harem? I'm a faithful man! Mei is the best in the world! Su Ming objected internally.
[Any major social impact caused by player behavior is unrelated to this system.]
A universe-level disclaimer.
Heh. A dancing-cat-platform system that won't share hardship with me. I should just go home.
[Completing tasks and clearing instances grants Classic/Degenerate Points and experience, used to draw rewards or level up. Completing bond tasks grants substantial rewards.]
…But, then again, sharing wealth is still pretty nice.
Su Ming's verdict: at least this system has studied abroad at the finish line.
"Hey! Are you even listening to me?"
Kiana had called him several times without a response, and she was about to laugh from anger.
This bastard. I dressed up carefully, timed it perfectly with Mei being "suddenly busy," planned to shove my charm right in his face—
and he dares to zone out while eating cake?!
"Huh? Right, right."
Su Ming snapped back, only to realize he'd finished the cake already. He'd been scooping empty air into his mouth for a while, so all he could do was nod repeatedly.
"Right what? You zoned out, you dog! Are you sick of living?"
Kiana slammed the table and glared.
I'm so beautiful that fish sink and birds fall, my face is a national treasure—no, wait! Graceful and gorgeous! Look at this great face! Look at these blue eyes like autumn water! Look at this slim waist! Look at these long legs—these legs that are barely being squeezed by the strap! You bastard! Look at me!
Every idiom she'd ever learned from the class rep flashed through her mind. She practically wanted to poke every attractive feature she had straight into Su Ming's eyeballs so he'd never forget her beauty.
Seeing her like this, Su Ming finally exhaled and sat up properly.
"Sorry. I was thinking about work."
Yes. That's the Kiana I know.
That lazy, quiet beauty from earlier had to be an impostor.
Kiana nearly ground her teeth to powder.
Not only does he think about work during a date—now he can look at me directly without dodging?!
Calm down, Kiana. You must work for monogamy.
She realized she'd lost control, so she used the breathing method she'd learned from the class rep and forced herself back into that gentle, elegant persona.
"…It's okay. Men who love their work are handsome, too."
She adjusted her clothes, sat down again, and smiled sweetly.
Su Ming inhaled sharply again, contributing to global warming.
Even knowing she was acting to "win him over," he couldn't resist the radiating allure.
His peripheral vision drifted to a giant ad screen on a distant building. It happened to switch to a new image.
Thank goodness—it's Elysia. We're saved.
He stared at the billboard photo of Elysia winking, calm to a terrifying degree.
One "Ely" a day keeps the married man steadfast.
A new prompt appeared.
[Beginner Task: First "Operation"]
[A thousand miles begins with a single step. Please begin your first "operation," and take the first step on your great journey!]
[Requirements: Speak from the heart / perform a shameless move that makes a girl's heart flutter.]
[Reward: Unlock personal panel and instances.]
"Operation"? So we're not even pretending anymore, huh?
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