Chapter 24
My Reality is a Romance Game
Arc 3: Labyrinth of the Night Streets
Chapter 24
Of course, she’s also a capture target candidate . Since she’s ranked A, then there’s no mistaking it, that was why she appeared like so in the scouter . However, at a glance, her difficulty is way too high . I can’t even begin to imagine the kind of shitstorm the missions involving her hidden secrets would be like . To say something like ‘save me from this boredom’, just what kind of gargantuan underworld is she being kept sealed in? It’s way too different from the world I live in . No matter what, I had absolutely no intention of carrying any further conversations with her at my current level . Not even a thousand lives would be enough .
“Ah! Come to think of it, you avoided having sex with me, didn’t you, Oji-san? Why is that? Back then, even after you were so rock hard, even with such stimulation, to not have done it, do you perhaps have some kind ability to sense danger?”
“Well, you could say that . I’m quite sensitive to danger . If I had been moved by your words and had actually done you, then…?”
“Hm? It’s possible you’d be dead . Yeah, that’s not fun at all . If we actually did it back then, eventually, it would’ve turned out the way I expected . The bullet could’ve come flying from absolutely any direction, mind you, Oji-san . ”
“Hahaha…”
I was at a loss for words . But her expression from when she said she seemed quite dejected . So that would mean that even this woman has her own troubles to deal with . It’s possible that it’s related to the hidden missions involving her . However, now’s not the time . I obliquely stood up from the bench . She looked up at me from where she still sat .
“It’s about time I return home, I guess . You went back last time saying you had something to take care of, right? This time, it’s mine…”
“Fu—n . Fine, I’ll let you return for today . I’m getting sleepy too . I’m a night owl, so I tend to lie in bed during morning hours . To be honest, it kinda pissed me off being called out at this time, but I’ll let you off this one time . Ah, and, you still have the number I gave you last time, right? That’s not my residential number, but a direct hotline to me . Something akin to a cell phone, you could say . I don’t carry one around since it’s a pain in the ass… There are way too many people with the lack of common sense who keep bothering me with pointless requests and solicitation, but while that may be true, I can’t have just one person kill people one at a time, right? But I’ll give you my special permission to call me . However, if it’s anything dull, I won’t forgive you . See you again then, Oji-san . Also, this is an order but, it’d be in your best interests to drop whatever you’re doing and make haste towards me whenever I call for you . With that said, good night, Oji-san . ”
With those parting words, she walked away from the bus stop . Suddenly, a black sedan appeared . There were no words spoken . Of all things, to get entangled with a woman like that… There are just some things in this world that are better left unknown .
Ever since I took her into the love hotel, she had already kept her eyes on me, so even if I loaded back, there was no way to rid myself from her existence . That’s why, my top priority right now is to level up . In order to stay alive . And of course also in order to return to my original world . In any case, this isn’t the time to resist . I need to hurry up and find my next target to capture her .
I wiped off my earlier impression of Kusora . I thought of her to be a reserved and gentle girl, but that was no more than an illusion .
However, these complicated feelings… left behind a gaping hole in a corner of my heart . It’s possible that I might’ve fallen in love with the Kusora she was acting as . But what remained from that was a considerably stern demoness if one ever associated with her . Carrying the weight of my broken heart with me, I returned back home .
For the time being, I deemed Kusora to be way uninvolved with the social parties . She was only looking for something fun to do . If she was the real mastermind behind the scenes, then it should’ve been impossible to capture Akemine . There’s no way I’d be able to deal with a woman holding such indomitable power at my current level .
And like that, I reopened my long forgotten status window .
I was in such a huge shock that it completely slipped my mind…
To check if the capture was really successful or not .
«Hidden Mission ‘Face of Lies’: Cleared . Mission Difficulty: C . »
«Congratulations . A bonus of 30,000,000 ¥ has been deposited»
Like so, the message that oh-so longed for appeared .
As expected, Kusora and Akemine’s captures were separate issues .
If that would’ve been the case, then I’d load back and avoid coming into contact with her, and treat raising my level as my topmost priority . But… it’s not like I’d be able to keep avoiding her all my life . Some day or another, Kusora would’ve become a capture target anyway .
I absolutely have to garner up my strength . No matter what .
With that, I completed saving .
It’s not all bad news though . Since the capture difficulty this time was quite high, I profited from it quite appropriately, I’d say . Thirty million yen . A jaw-dropping amount of money . With this, the variety of items most definitely should have widened considerably .
After clicking on the message and having it disappear, I clicked to check my ‘Status’ .
Hasegawa Ryou
Age: 25 years
Occupation: NEET
Level: 3
Constitution: 55
Charm: 22
Savings: 32,870,530 ¥
EXP: 205/502
Entries that I’ve gotten used to seeing .
And more messages kept popping out one after another…
Due to my level rising .
«You have leveled up . You can improve your ability points . (0/50)»
Constitution: 55/999 +-
Charm: 22/999 +-
There’s no need to even read it . I added 40 points to my Charm and 10 to my Constitution right away . Currently, the most important was Charm . It’s possible that the only reason Akemine took notice of me was because of Charm points . I wonder if she would still be able to make that kind of face and treat me so coldly if I was an ikemen overflowing with charm . I think the Charm points would be the most important factor in aiding me to approach more capture targets .
«You have leveled up . You can improve your ability points . (50/50)»
Constitution: 65/999 +-
Charm: 62/999 +-
It rose to 62 . With this much, it has to be able to cause some kind change on the physical level, right? 12 to 62 is quite the big leap . Having such thoughts, I went to check in the mirror of my washroom . But just like before, I looked exactly the same .
I wonder if it’s like the Morph Potion where even though I can’t find a difference, other people would still be aware of it . I kinda get that sort of feeling . As I answered my own questions, my hand made its way to the ‘Remaining Time’ window .
«Remaining Time: 8648 hours»
«Elapsed Time: 112 hours»
«Once the time remaining ends and capture isn’t completely cleared, your real body shall pass on . »
112 hours . There’s still plenty of time .
But I still have no clue as to what the condition for complete clearance is . Whatever I do, I have no choice but to continue on with my captures . That’s when the Game TIP window appeared before me like last time . So there’s no doubt that with each successive mission completed, the game will provide me with some kind of info . They were indispensable information in this game, that has no concept of a manual or the like .
«TIP: The women in this game world will receive the laws of the game systems . Even if the same people exist in your original world, they are completely different people . However, as a special privilege, once you’ve completely cleared the game, targets above 80 Affection Points will obtain accession into the real world . »
Just as I thought, this was a parallely existing replica of the real world . But other than that, this last part really caught my attention . Does this mean that people who I have high Affection Points, or a positive relationship with, would also be able to exist in the real world?
Pondering over just how absurd this system was, I got rid of the window with another click . I did find it regrettable if I had to get rid of my ties with someone I got close to after a capture was completed . This info is… not bad . Shrugging, I clicked on the Items next…
And read through the Owned Items section . The first thing that needed to be done was item strengthening .
«Owned Items»
«LV 2 Scouter»
«Master Key»
«Sleep Spray»
«Camera»
«Telescope»
Firstly, the Master Key .
«Master Key»«Enhanced 1»
«Has the ability to open absolutely any kind of door . »
«Can be used by touching the window after standing in front of the desired door . »
«Item enhancement is possible since you have leveled up . »
The item enhancement message for the Master Key also popped up like last time .
Click . [1]
«Enhance this item? Enhancement cost: 200,000 ¥»
The second stage enhancement costs 200,000, huh . Fumu . Well, I earned 30,000,000 anyway, so it’s not like I have anything to worry about .
Click .
«Enhancement complete . »
«Master Key»«Enhanced 2»
«Has the ability to open absolutely any kind of door . »
«Can be used by touching the window after standing in front of the desired door . »
«Remaining Uses: 10 times»
The usage limit got enhanced . A surprising total of 10 times . That’s plenty . As I recalled the time from when it was a mere 6, I became filled with emotion .
With this all OK, the next important item would be the one capable of being used as a weapon, the ‘Sleep Spray’ .
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«Sleep Spray»«Enhanced 1»
«Just as the name implies, a sleep spray . Boasts incredible performance . »
«After touching the item window, simply staring at the target is sufficient . »
«Range: 2 meters»
«Effect Duration: 2 hours»
«Item enhancement is possible since you have leveled up . »
Similarly, it was also possible to enhance the Sleep Spray . If so, there’s no need for any hesitation .
Click .
«Enhance this item? Enhancement cost: 200,000 ¥»
I completed my transaction of the same amount as the Master Key .
«Sleep Spray»«Enhanced 2»
«Just as the name implies, a sleep spray . Boasts incredible performance . »
«After touching the item window, simply staring at the target is sufficient . »
«Range: 3 meters»
«Effect Duration: 3 hours»
+Enhanced Effect Duration: 2 hour → 3 hours
+Enhanced Range: 2 meter → 3 meters
This too was quite satisfactory . The enhancement results were just as expected . It went so well with my expectations that the lack of the element of surprise kinda made this dull . Ah, has Kusora been living her whole life with this kind of feeling? Damn, out all the people, why’d I have to relate to her? I gave myself a tight slap .
«Owned Items»
«LV 2 Scouter»
«Master Key»
«Sleep Spray»
«Camera»
«Telescope»
Apart from the Master Key and Sleep Spray, it wasn’t possible to enhance any other item . Hence, this concluded the strengthening phase . And now, it’s time to put my attention towards the ‘Item Shop’ .
«LV 3 Scouter: 300,000 ¥»
«Sleep Spray: 250,000 ¥»
«Master Key: 600,000 ¥»
«Camera: 100,000 ¥»
«Morph Potion: 1,000,000 ¥»
«Telescope: 700,000 ¥»
«Stopwatch: 30,000,000 ¥»
«Glasses: 500,000 ¥»
«Imported Car: 50,000,000 ¥»
«Domestic Car: 8,000,000 ¥»
«Purchase LV 3 Scouter?>>
For now, the most fundamental entry to be purchased would be the ‘LV 3 Scouter’ .
And then there’s also the newly added ‘Glasses’ .
With the state of my current savings, there pretty much isn’t any item I can’t get .
On the contrary, they all feel cheap .
«Purchase Glasses?>>
With the transactions complete, it was time to check out the details .
«Glasses»
«Makes darkness seem as bright as daylight . >>
Quite normal for something worth 500,000 . I wonder if it’s because it’s just that cheap of an item floating about amongst ones on the levels of tens of millions of yen . It wasn’t really springing up my curiosity either . The use case would be when I’d have to get inside and navigate in some kind of dark room or something . The amount expended for enhancement was 1,200,000 ¥ . Since I got myself 30,000,000, it wasn’t really that much . In the end, the items are necessary expenses for the sake of captures, so there’s no point in being stingy with them .
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With that, I wanted to try out a pricey item for once . Although the 30 million yen Stopwatch and the 50 million yen Imported Car might be too much, it should be fine to check out the Domestic Car for now . I was curious about it from the very beginning . And with solid resoluteness…
Click .
«Purchase Domestic Car?>>
Praying to the game gods such that I hadn’t ended up pointless burning up cash, I decided to check the details
«Domestic Car»
«Item gacha~!!»
«A single click, and the random item drop will commence . »
«Best of luck ^^ »
I don’t know if it was for better or worse, but that was the message that popped up . Item gacha it says . So what, these guys also intend to promote gambling?! I feel like I got trapped or something . But I already bought it, so might as well go for a pull . That too worth 8 million . As I clicked on the message that appeared, I was greeted with some weird sound .
Tiririro tirorirororo~!!
And so the item gacha result are~
A dud . Good luck next time .
Uwooooh!!! I clenched my fist and swung at the message . Although I did that, it only ended up landing on air . I just lost 8,000,000 ¥ to nothing! With rage seething through me, I entered the Item Shop once again and ended up repurchasing the Domestic Car .
«Purchase Domestic Car?»
The burning urge to take it all back made me lose my sanity . By the time I regained composure, it was all already over . No, this time it’s really the last . If I actually get absolutely nothing after spending 16,000,000 ¥ I will legit go crazy . Enough to make me start crying .
Pressing myself onwards, I entered the Owned Items section . As I clicked for details, that accursed message appeared once again .
«Domestic Car»
«Item gacha~!!»
«A single click, and the random item drop will commence . »
«Best of luck ^^ »
Feeling a sense of my luck being a hundred fold greater than before, I clicked . Please, I beg of you!!
Tiririro tirorirororo~!!
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And so the item gacha result are~
«Acquired ‘Formless Sword’ . »
And so… ‘something’ appeared . Not a dud, but… something . A sigh of relief escaped me . The name of the item sounded pretty cool, if I must say . ‘Formless Sword’ . I wonder if it lives up to such a name . Without helping the curiosity welling inside me, I clicked on the Owned Items again .
«Owned Items»
«LV 2 Scouter»
«Master Key»
«Sleep Spray»
«Camera»
«Telescope»
«Glasses»
«Formless Sword»
Which is where I saw the entry of the ‘Formless Sword’ . My heart beating faster and faster, it felt like my chest was about to burst . As I kept mincing and quivering, I read through its details . With my eyelids half closed, I very carefully, and cautiously ran my eyes over it . Simply looking at the huge drop in my funds was enough to make me a hundred times more nervous .
«Formless Sword»
«This immaterial sword will parry any and all attacks in your line of sight . »
«However, it’s only possible for attacks that you can see . Useless against any surprised attacks that are impossible to predict . »
It’s somehow quite… awesome . Wouldn’t this pretty much be considered a rare item at this point? It was an item I was pretty much in dire need of at the moment . It was well worth the investment . It might be possible for me to repel even the bullets that Kusora would shoot at me . I was floating in such elation that I couldn’t help but reread its details again and again .
Let’s just say that it’s something quite reliable . I’m hella satisfied! I never want to resign myself to the fate of lotteries again, but nevertheless, I got my hands on something incredible . I wonder if I’m a man of luck . Fuhaha!
With everything reaching its conclusion, I happily lay down on my bed . Thanks to the numerous thoughts that sprung up with daydreaming about all the ways I would be able to face Kusora with this Formless Sword, I finally felt like I’d be able to get a good night’s sleep . Well, let’s rest now, shall we . Searching for the next capture target can be left for after I wake up the next day .
With all my fatigue pressing down on me in one go, I gradually fell into a deep slumber .
Translator: Angry Midget
[1]The sentence is ‘With another click, the next message showed up,’ but as someone who also writes, this continuous redundancy is really bothering me . I’ll be replacing the obvious sentences with something else from now on .
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