Lucia frowned slightly.
"…Anyway, what are we going to do with her?" she asked, glancing at Rachel.
Ren waved his hand casually.
"Ah, about that… just forget it."
Lucia raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
"Yeah. Am I joking with you at a time like this? Of course not," he replied with a shrug. "Let's just leave her. She'll stay tied up here anyway."
Tch.
Ren clicked his tongue internally.
What's the point of doing anything if I can't kill her…?
My instincts are screaming that she'll become a big threat later…
…Whatever.
He turned toward the exit.
"Let's go."
Lucia followed him, but as they passed the floor, her eyes briefly fell on Rachel still bound tightly by the ropes.
Soon the two stepped outside.
The store fell silent again.
Only the faint sound of struggling remained inside.
Rustle…
Shuffle…
After a moment—
Ren suddenly stopped.
"Oh. I forgot something."
Lucia brightened immediately.
"Really? Then let's go get it together," she said with a gentle smile.
Ren scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
"Uh… you wait near the bike. I'll grab it and come back before you even notice."
Before she could reply, he quickly jogged back into the store.
Lucia stood there alone.
A strange feeling spread through her chest.
Her hand slowly moved over her heart.
"…Why is it pounding so hard?"
Her face turned bright red.
Wait…
Don't tell me…
Am I… in love with him?
Lucia stood near the bike, still lost in her thoughts.
We sure spend moments like those…
Memories flashed in her mind.
Those heated moments.
Those close breaths.
Those reckless, intense times together.
Her face turned even redder.
"W-What am I even thinking…?"
She quickly shook her head, trying to push the thoughts away.
---
Inside the shop…
Rachel was still on the floor, struggling against the ropes.
Rustle…
Strain…
Ren crouched in front of her, resting his chin on his hand while watching her struggle.
A slow, evil grin crept onto his face.
"Well… looks like I can't kill you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"But that's not really a problem."
The grin widened.
"I'll just—"
Suddenly his expression turned bright and cheerful.
"—do something else."
He pulled a marker out of his bag.
Click.
Rachel struggled harder.
Ren didn't care.
He leaned forward and started scribbling on her forehead.
Scribble… scribble…
Then on her cheeks.
Then across her arms.
Then on random spots of her body.
Scribble… scribble… scribble…
After finishing, Ren leaned back proudly.
"Hehehe."
"That's perfect."
He tossed the marker back into his bag and waved casually while walking away.
Rachel continued struggling on the floor.
Rustle…
Strain…
---
Outside.
Lucia looked up as Ren returned.
"Did you get what you wanted?" she asked, still slightly flustered.
Ren paused and looked at her face carefully.
"…Hmm?"
He stepped closer.
"Do you have a fever?"
Before she could react, he leaned forward and touched his forehead to hers.
"It doesn't feel like it…"
Lucia froze.
Then instantly jumped back.
Her face exploded red.
"H-Hey!"
Ren blinked.
"What?"
She turned her face away shyly.
"I-It's nothing…"
Then she muttered softly,
"Just… please warn me before coming that close…"
Ren stared at her with a confused expression.
What's her deal…?
Did I done something wrong?
Ding!
A message poped up.
[ Granting reward for satisfying the assigned target… ]
Ren's eyes instantly lit up.
Ohhh?
Let's see what I pulled this time, he thought with an excited grin.
He rubbed his hands together.
"Alright…"
His grin widened.
"Gacha Time!"
Right in front of him—
A golden card suddenly materialized in the air.
Shiiiing—
Ren's eyes sparkled.
He clasped his hands together dramatically.
"Please… please… let this be a guaranteed pull…"
His grin twitched.
"…If not, I'll just try one more time."
A small pause.
"…Yeah."
"Just one more time[1]."
"Hehehe…"
Without wasting another second, he reached forward and touched the card.
Ding!
The card flickered.
Then a system message appeared again.
[ Evaluation failed due to the pleasure provided to the target… ]
Ren blinked.
"…Huh?"
Another line appeared.
Re-evaluating reward…
Ren's eyebrow twitched.
"…Wait."
"…Why does that sound bad?"
The system continued.
[ New reward selected… ]
The golden card burst into light.
[ You have obtained a permanent skill. ]
Ren froze.
"…Umm?"
Then his eyes widened slowly.
"…Permanent skill?"
His face lit up like a kid who just found treasure.
"WAIT."
"Permanent skill?!"
His excitement exploded.
"Is this like… my actual permanent skill?!"
His fists clenched with excitement.
"Finally!"
"Finally the system stopped trolling me!"
Ren grinned wildly.
"I'm getting an OP skill, aren't I?"
His eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Ohhh this is gonna be good."
Permanent skill…
His heart started racing.
Wait… wait… wait…
A slow grin spread across his face.
"Did I hit the jackpot?"
His imagination instantly went wild.
"Blade God Technique…?"
He imagined himself cutting through hordes of zombies with a single swing, sword flashing like lightning.
"No… even better…"
"Martial Arts King!"
Ren pictured himself punching the ground and sending shockwaves through the battlefield while enemies flew in every direction.
His grin widened further.
"Or maybe something elemental…"
"Fire Manipulation!"
He imagined flames erupting from his hands, turning entire zombie swarms into burning piles of ash.
"Hmm… Ice would also be cool."
"Ice Control!"
He pictured freezing an entire street, trapping dozens of zombies in solid crystal before casually shattering them.
Ren rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"…Air manipulation?"
He imagined himself floating slightly above the ground while slicing enemies apart with invisible wind blades.
His eyes suddenly widened.
"Wait."
"…What if it's Time Stop?"
Ren gasped dramatically.
"Everything freezes…"
"And I just walk around like a god…"
His grin turned almost manic.
"Hehehe…"
"Yeah…"
"That would be perfect."
"Come on system…"
"Give me something legendary this time."
[ Skill - Pleasure Sensitivity Detection
Description - You can now perceive the sexual desire, arousal, and pleasure state of women within your perception range.
Whenever a woman experiences strong sexual desire, arousal, or pleasure, you will be able to sense it instinctively and understand the intensity of that feeling.
The ability does not reveal thoughts or intentions, only the current state of desire or arousal.
The stronger the feeling, the clearer the perception becomes.
CAN ONLY BE USED ON WOMEN'S ]
Ren stared at the system window.
His eyes scanned the words once.
Then again.
Then a third time.
Silence.
"…."
His eyebrow twitched.
Then suddenly—
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SKILL?!"
He threw both hands in the air.
"I was expecting something cool!"
He started counting on his fingers.
"Blade God… Martial Arts King… Fire manipulation… Ice manipulation… Wind control…"
His voice rose dramatically.
"TIME STOP!"
He pointed at the invisible screen like it had personally betrayed him.
"And what do I get?"
He squinted at the words again.
"…A woman lust detector?"
He scratched his head slowly.
"System… be honest with me."
"…Are you trolling me?"
He sighed deeply and rubbed his face.
"Man… I thought today was the day I finally became an overpowered protagonist…"
He looked up at the sky in disappointment.
"Instead I became…"
A pause.
"…a walking horny radar."
He slumped slightly.
"Great."
"Just great."
A few steps away, Lucia stood beside the bike.
She watched him the entire time.
Ren had just spent the last thirty seconds shouting at the air… arguing with absolutely nothing.
Lucia blinked.
Her face remained completely blank.
…
What happened to him now?
She tilted her head slightly.
Did he finally snap?
[1] Gambler mindset in gacha games usually gamers have—