Ding!

_____

[Side Quest Triggered!]

[Task]

[Dominate this conversation, be the head and not the tail.]

[Rewards: +5 Stats Points, +6 Bond Points]

[Penalty: Soul Torture Chamber]

_____

"..."

Before he could think, another notification chimed in.

Ding!

[Temporary Passive Skill: Command Presence Activated!]

[Effect: Boosts confidence, enhances composure, and strengthens the Host’s vocal authority!]

[Note: This does not control the Host. It amplifies his intent. The stronger the intent, the stronger the skill!]

[Skill Time Duration: 04:59]

Reiji suddenly felt something inside him shift.

It was as if every doubt, fear, anxiety, and hesitation in his chest had been forcefully pushed aside.

His thoughts became clearer and sharper.

His heartbeat slowed.

’...So this is what it means.’

Reiji exhaled softly. He could feel something buried deep within him start to surface.

Then he looked at Hina again. He took a step forward. There was no hesitation, no anxiety, no fear.

Just a sharp, domineering mind.

Hina, who had waited a long time for Reiji’s response and hadn’t heard him say anything, suddenly felt something heavy stir in her heart.

But then she suddenly heard Reiji call out to her.

"Hina."

Hina raised her head.

She noticed that something seemed to shift, like the Reiji in front of her had changed, like his presence was different. And his voice, though calm, carried weight.

Reiji narrowed his eyes dangerously and it made Hina feel inferior under his gaze.

’What happened to Rei-kun...? He’s so hot right now.’

Hina’s mind was racing with different thoughts.

Reiji then reached out his arm and gently grabbed her by the waist, pulling her close and pulling her out of her thoughts.

It wasn’t rough, but firm enough that she couldn’t ignore it.

Despite her wearing only a towel, Reiji’s mind didn’t seem to be filled with any lewd thoughts. His mind was clear and focused thanks to the effect of the Command Presence skill.

"Look at me." Reiji said, there was no hesitation in his tone.

Hina’s breathing stalled slightly as she slowly lifted her gaze to meet his.

For a brief moment neither of them spoke.

Then Reiji let out a sigh.

"When did you start thinking like that?" he asked calmly, his voice carrying a quiet authority. "That I’d stop loving you."

Hina’s lips parted slightly, but no words came out.

Reiji didn’t let go.

Instead, he stepped even closer, closing the small distance between them.

So close that Hina could feel his warm breath and the fresh fragrance coming from him after bathing.

"If I was really distant..." he continued, "do you think I’d still be here with you like this?"

His grip tightened just a little, not enough to hurt, just enough to ground her.

"Hina... you’re overthinking."

Her eyes trembled.

Reiji lifted a finger and placed it gently under her chin, tilting her face up fully toward him.

"Listen carefully," Reiji said as his gaze locked onto hers.

"You’re mine."

The words weren’t loud. But they made Hina’s heart skip a beat. Her face flushed red instantly.

"And I’m not going anywhere."

For a second, the air felt heavy.

Then Reiji’s expression softened just slightly.

"So stop imagining things that don’t exist."

He slowly loosened his hold around her waist, but his hand lingered at her chin for a moment longer before letting go.

"Got it?"

Hina stood there silently, her face slightly flushed, her thoughts completely thrown into disarray.

"...Yes," she nodded sheepishly. Her face felt hot. And the way her fingers tightened around the towel and the faint smile forming on her lips, it was clear those words Reiji had just said hit deeper than anything else.

Reiji walked over to the closet while Hina hurried into the bathroom shyly. Even her ears were flushed red.

Ding!

[Side Quest Completed!]

[Congratulations Host! You’ve received +5 Stats Points, +6 Bond Points.]

A small smile played on Reiji’s lips as his gaze drifted towards the bathroom door.

He put on a simple white T-shirt and black pants as he headed downstairs.

He plopped straight onto the couch and couldn’t help but feel nostalgic.

This was where he transmigrated after Truck-kun rammed him over.

"I wonder how they’re doing?" Reiji muttered to himself. It had only been three days, but it felt like a month to him.

Reiji took out his phone and began scrolling through a guild website he had registered on as a girl.

—we won’t judge.

Reiji had registered because he could gain valuable information about Gates and the current system of the world, which he did.

He learned that through Gates there were dungeons, though not all Gates contained one. Each Gate was ranked from F to SSS.

But SS and SSS Gates had never been seen.

There were three gate classifications: Blue, Yellow, and Red.

The shades also mattered.

Light blue meant an F-rank gate, normal blue meant an E-rank gate, and deep blue meant a D-rank gate.

The same thing applied to Yellow and Red Gates.

And it just so happened that an F-rank gate had suddenly appeared just 20km away from his apartment.

The problem now was getting there without being seen and whether he could even arrive on time.

F-rank gates weren’t cleared by parties of F-rank awakeners, but by D-rank squads.

And the gates were usually guarded to prevent monster outbreaks.

F-rank awakeners weren’t even registered as adventurers.

Reiji could somewhat understand the reason behind this.

"Since all men are gone, humanity would definitely be wiped out if all the women started dying in Gates."

Reiji suddenly remembered that he now had ten free stat points and also a mystery item.

"System... open the mystery item."

Ding!

[Mystery Item: Soul Torture Blade (D)]

[Courtesy of the Soul Torture Chamber ;) ]

Reiji’s mouth twitched as he glanced at the system notification while the robotic yet taunting voice sounded in his head.

Then suddenly a bright light enveloped the room for just 0.01 seconds before vanishing as if it had never existed.

A short dagger appeared out of thin air and Reiji immediately caught it.

Reiji held the 20-inch dagger in his hands.

Ding!

[Soul Torture Blade (D)]

[Effect: Torture the soul of any target from D Rank below and reduces their life forces by 5% each time after a successful strike.]

[Weapon (Soul Torture Blade (D)): Attack – 150 | Durability – 170 | Sharpness – 200]

Reiji’s eyes widened in disbelief, the stats of this blade was crazy.

The light overhead shone across the blade filled with complex intricate patterns, making it gleam with deadly intent.

Even Reiji didn’t dare touch the edge of the blade because it was giving off a dangerous aura and from the stats it sharpness was no joke.

There was a snake design on the handle that made it look like the blade was coming out of its mouth.

It gave Reiji goosebumps.

"What the hell is in the Soul Torture Chamber?" Reiji muttered to himself as he stared at the dagger in his hands.

Reiji thought for a moment and suddenly the dagger disappeared into his inventory.

"So it actually exists."

He had thought that he would have to level up to get an inventory space, but it had been there all along. He simply couldn’t feel it because nothing had been inside it.

Ding!

The system interface popped up and Reiji saw in bold text at the left corner:

"Inventory"

And the dagger now rested silently inside it.

While Reiji was busy looking at his phone, a figure slowly approached him.

Reiji had already noticed but decided to play dumb.

"Haaa!" Hina yelled as she wrapped her arms around Reiji’s neck.

"Ahhhh!" Reiji pretended to be scared.

"Hahaha!" Hina laughed. "Rei-kun... mwah."

Hina planted a soft kiss on Reiji’s cheek.

Remembering what happened with Hina in the bedroom earlier, Reiji’s face couldn’t help but flush a gentle shade of pink.

The temporary skill’s effect had worn off long ago, but Hina wrapping her arms around him now brought back the feelings he had been quietly suppressing.

"Rei-kun, let’s watch a movie together tonight," Hina suddenly suggested.

"Okay, let’s do it. But first I’m really hungry."

"Alright let me go whip up something for my love." Hina said as she headed towards the kitchen.

***

Night fell quietly over the city.

The movie playing on the television cast a soft glow across the dark living room, lighting up the faces of the two people on the couch. Hina’s body rested gently on Reiji’s, while he gently caressed her hair.

She had long since stop paying attention to the movie. A small smile was on her lips as she felt as though she wanted this peaceful life of the two of them like this to stay the same forever. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Reiji glanced down at her.

Her eyes half-lidded, slowly blinking until sleep eventually overtook her. Every now and then she would mumbled something under her breath while snuggling even close to him.

And honestly, it was kind of cute.

Reiji continued stroking her hair while the light of the television flickered across the dark living room.

A few minutes later Hina’s breathing became slow and steady. She had fallen asleep.

Reiji stared quietly for a moment before carefully adjusting her position and lifting her up into a princess carry. Hina instinctively clung tightly in he sleep.

"Rei-kun..." She mumbled softly.

"Yeah, yeah.... I’m here." Reiji said as he carried her to the bedroom.

He gently placed her on the bed, but Hina immediately grabbed onto his shirt before he could pull away.

"...Don’t go..." she whispered sleepily.

Reiji froze for a second before letting out a helpless sigh.

"You really are troublesome."

He sat beside her and gently patted her head until her grip slowly loosened.

Only after making sure she was fully asleep did Reiji carefully remove her hand from his shirt and stand up quietly.

Ding!

Reiji’s gaze shifted toward the system interface floating before him.

_____

[Free Stats Available: 10]

_____

Reiji narrowed his eyes slightly. Without hesitation he distributed the stats. "Add 3 to strength, 5 to speed and 2 to Stamina"

Ding!

_____

[Strength: +3]

[Speed: +5]

[Stamina: +2]

_____

A warm sensation spread through his entire body. His muscles tightened slightly. Reiji clenched his fist as he felt much more alive. He could feel the changes, his body felt lighter, stronger and more stable.

If before he still barely felt like an ordinary weak guy, now he finally felt like his body was beginning to surpass normal human limits.

Reiji grabbed the base ball cap and hoodie he had prepared in advance and put them on.

"Alright" Reiji said as he walked towards the window and slowly opened it.

A cold night breeze entered the room.

He glanced back one last time.

Hina was sleeping peacefully on the bed while hugging his pillow tightly against her chest.

"...I’ll be back right back."

With that, Reiji quietly climbed out through the window before carefully making his way down.

The city lights glowed faintly in the distance.