"Seven, seven or eight... isn't that too many, Hayato-kun? I... I definitely can't have that many."
Hoshino Ai's face flushed red, her expression trembling. Her hands gripped the bedsheets, tensing up as she tried to cope with the overwhelming embarrassment.
"Two... three, three is the limit, any more than that is really... impossible."
After saying that, she immediately dropped her head, completely unable to look at Hayato anymore.
Hayato's mouth twitched.
She's actually willing to have kids?! Is this what anime heroines are like?
Damn, I love it. Two-dimensional girls are seriously the best.
Back in his previous life, forget three kids, plenty of people wouldn't even want one.
"That was just a joke, you know."
"Eh!"
"I was just trying to show how naive you are. This level of innocence and purity... someday in the future, someone with bad intentions will definitely take advantage of you. They'll sell you out, and you'll still be counting the money for them."
"But..."
Hoshino Ai looked up. Her starlit eyes reflected Hayato's face.
"But Hayato-kun won't take advantage of me, and won't sell me out either. If you really wanted to sell me... then, then just don't tell me... okay? I... I'd be heartbroken."
What an adorable girl! Just take her home and keep her for life!
Totally worth it.
"I'm starting to think you're acting again."
"Eh, eh eh eh... no, no, I'm not! I'm really not acting! Hayato-kun, you have to believe me."
If I didn't know your personality from the anime, I might have been deceived...
After Hayato reached out and vigorously ruffled Hoshino Ai's hair, the purple-black-haired girl finally calmed down from her frantic explanations.
"For the monthly mandatory instance games, you can summon me to help."
Hayato gave her his word.
"Uwu, Hayato-kun is so good to me, you're such a good person."
The girl excitedly threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around Hayato and rubbing her face against his clothes with soft rustling sounds.
Hayato's expression changed immediately. "Don't call me a good person. I don't want the good person card."
She looked up at him with confused, questioning eyes.
Hayato explained.
"When confessions get rejected, girls usually hand out a good person card with 'you're a good person, but we're not right for each other.'"
That one sentence immediately triggered Hoshino Ai's memory. She'd rejected Hayato's confession just recently, hadn't she?
Regret hit her hard. Why did she reject him?! Could she take it back and do it over?
"I don't want to get the good person card, and I'm not planning to be a pure good guy. If I'm going to support you in instances, I want compensation. Let's talk about payment now."
After Hayato patted the girl to signal her to let go, he naturally sat down beside her.
From this angle, Hayato could see Hoshino Ai's beautiful, delicate profile.
"Ai-chan doesn't have money."
She looked down, thinking about her bank account balance. The sadness hit her immediately. That little bit of money really didn't amount to much.
"You have other things."
"Ai-chan can have three babies."
Hayato: ???
That's a bit too explosive a statement!
"Think about what you gained from clearing the game."
Game points could be transferred. That was basically the currency of the 'Mystery Game.'
But Hayato watched as Hoshino Ai slowly moved and lifted her black-stocking-clad left leg onto Hayato's thigh. Seemingly feeling it wasn't enough or the position wasn't comfortable, she brought her right leg up as well.
Under the bright fluorescent lighting, the black stockings gleamed with an alluring sheen. Even through his clothes, Hayato could feel the soft, elastic sensation of those stocking-wrapped thighs.
"Hayato-kun, you... You can touch them! This is my payment."
I wanted game points!
Really...
More genuine than pure gold.
That's what Hayato's brain was thinking. But his hands had already moved to the girl's black-stocking-clad thighs without permission.
My hands aren't listening to me! This isn't my fault, this has nothing to do with my conscious mind. It's all my hands' fault!
My hands must be possessed by a demon rightnow!
Hoshino Ai trembled nervously, her face turning even redder. She bit down hard, her eyes glistening with moisture, as if tears might fall at any moment.
"Mmm..."
Occasionally, she tensed her thighs, letting out soft, low sounds.
A few minutes later, noticing the girl was getting so tense she was nearly cramping up, Hayato quietly withdrew his hand.
Hoshino Ai let out a breath of relief.
This was her first time being continuously touched by a member of the opposite sex like this. Even during the time-stop before when Hayato had taken advantage of her, it was only for a few seconds. That hardly counted.
But this time was completely different.
"I've received the payment. Next time..."
"Next time I'll switch to white stockings, don't worry."
Hoshino Ai nodded directly, seeming to understand.
I meant for you to change the type of payment next time, not the stocking color.
But white stockings... weren't bad either.
Hayato patted the girl's black-stocking-clad thigh. Hoshino Ai seemed to understand and sat back properly, straightening her posture.
"What I'm about to tell you next, you need to remember carefully."
"Mm-hmm."
"You absolutely cannot tell anyone else that you've become a 'Mystery Game' player. Not even your manager, Saito."
Without understanding this world's situation regarding the 'Mystery Game' and related players, keeping it secret was the best choice.
Especially for weak players like Hoshino Ai. Once exposed, she'd definitely become a target for every player.
"I won't tell anyone. Except for Hayato-kun, I won't tell anyone."
Hoshino Ai understood that Hayato was thinking about her safety.
One thing was clear: listening to Hayato was never wrong. Hayato was someone who genuinely cared about her.
"Don't talk about 'Death Game' related matters in daily life. Even if friends occasionally bring it up, watch your words carefully and avoid exposing your player identity."
"I understand. I'll definitely do as you say."
Hayato gave a few more instructions, reminding the girl to be extra careful.
After that, the two sat on the bed and began discussing character panels. Hayato also got to see Hoshino Ai's attribute values.
When he saw her Charm stat, he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise.
[Name: Hoshino Ai]
[Character Nickname: Unnamed]
[Strength: 6]
[Agility: 6]
[Constitution: 8]
[Charm: 15]
[Mental Power: 10]
15 in Charm.
According to the description, the average human value at age 24 was set at 10 as the baseline. That meant Hoshino Ai's Charm was far above the human average.
With her looks and aura, it really was exceptional.
Hayato guessed the 'Charm' attribute was connected to other factors, like popularity. Idols were in a profession that naturally attracted attention, so there'd be additional bonuses to Charm.
If an idol didn't have enough Charm, how could they even be an idol?