Chapter 89

"Hi. Long time no see. How have you been?"

"...Ugh."

To that incredibly nonchalant greeting, Hideo didn't know how to react.

It wasn't because the one greeting him was a stranger. If that were the case, it would have been much easier to react. He could just push through with his unique audacity and brazenness.

The problem was that, contrary to that, the person who visited Hideo was someone he knew.

No, could he even say he simply knew her? He had doubts.

"You... don't remember me?"

The woman's voice, as she asked ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that, didn't even seem to hold a hint of regret... or so it seemed.

Though, he even wondered if her voice could even carry any kind of emotion in the first place.

"Uhm, no. Of course I remember. You're Shiromi Kagami, right?"

"That's right. You remembered. I'm relieved."

Despite saying she was relieved, Kagami's expression remained unchanged, as always.

Hideo basically wasn't the type to remember other people's names well. Among the countless women Hideo had fucked until now, he could count on one hand the number of women whose full names he properly remembered.

They were basically disposable Onaholes, and even for the women he liked, remembering their names was the limit.

After all, he was a man who didn't have a lot of memory cartridges.

But even for such a Hideo, forgetting Shiromi Kagami's name and face was simply impossible.

Her overwhelming presence was simply too much to be covered up by the passage of time.

Besides, it had only been about two weeks since he met Kagami.

But the important thing wasn't that. Meeting Kagami again was something that could happen anytime.

But... but the important thing is.

"I, I haven't even rolled the gacha yet."

So why are you coming here?

Isn't this violating the rules?

It's not like he's complaining. The fact that a beautiful girl like Kagami was visiting Hideo was purely a happy thing.

But to shatter the routine he had built up until now and come to Hideo's house without even rolling the gacha was almost like a traffic accident to Hideo.

He was slightly scared, even before getting excited.

Especially since the other party was Shiromi Kagami.

If it was another woman, he wouldn't be this scared, but Kagami is... it's hard to put into words, but she's a bit much.

"Do you not like it?"

"Uhm, no, it's not that I don't like it. It's just that, how should I put it..."

Even Hideo himself was hesitant about how to express this feeling. He wasn't someone who felt complex emotions like ambivalence.

"I was thinking of visiting, but if I'm bothering you, I'll go back."

"...No. You're not bothering me. You don't have to go back."

Rarely, Hideo acted like a light novel protagonist. He was a bit seriously flustered, but Kagami visiting Hideo's house didn't make him uncomfortable. Rather... isn't this quite an interesting situation?

Breaking away from the routine he had built up until now was a bit flustering, but at the same time, it also meant replenishing new stimulation.

"I'm glad you came."

"...Yeah. I'm happy."

Kagami's face, of course, still, still didn't change. Her statue-like face seemed like it would be eternally unchanging.

But he felt like the strange atmosphere she was wrapped in had loosened just a little bit. Even though it wasn't expressed on her face, she seemed to be genuinely happy.

Satisfied that she wasn't rejected, Kagami held out her pale, small palm to Hideo.

"Lend it to me for a bit."

He probably didn't even need to ask what she wanted to borrow. Even Hideo, who was second to none when it came to being oblivious.

Hideo hesitated for a moment, but soon even that became a headache, and he ended up handing his ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠phone over to Kagami.

If he could use his brain even a little bit, he would know that this was a very dangerous thing to do, but you couldn't expect rationality from Hideo.

"Hmm."

Kagami, who was fiddling with Hideo's phone, asked Hideo with her unique expressionless face.

"Did you use the function I gave you well?"

"Uh, uhm..."

So the Modification Contagion function was created by Kagami after all.

He had stopped thinking about it because an incomprehensible additional setting called a higher access authority or something had appeared.

Since Kagami was expecting an answer, Hideo answered honestly.

"Yeah, it was useful. I've only used it once, but it was fun. Thanks."

"I see... I'm glad."

Thanks to that, he was able to extend his reach to Eri through Shiori.

The rare experience of eating a mother-daughter rice bowl was all thanks to Kagami. Hideo, who usually lived without knowing the word gratitude at all, gave a sincere thank you this time.

"Hmph!"

Kagami puffed out air from her nose with a hmph! while still expressionless, boasting about her achievement. She was truly an unpredictable character.

"Are you going ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to use the Continue function today? Who are you thinking of using it on?"

"Huh? Well... I was just about to start thinking about it."

There were many, many candidates.

Even if he excluded Shiori, who he had already used the Continue function on twice, there were many, many Sluts Hideo had fucked until now.

If he were to narrow it down to those with distinct personalities, there was the kendo girl Tsurugi, or the tutor, Reika-sensei. He was also a bit curious about Yuu's whereabouts after she quit the maid cafe...

Picking one from such a strong group of candidates was a tough task. Of course, it was a 'happy problem' that a dirty human like Hideo shouldn't have in the first place.

"I see... then should I give you a new function here?"

"Huh? A new function?!"

Hideo eagerly took Kagami's bait.

The Modification Contagion function that Kagami had opened up was already amazing, but she was going to add another new function on top of that!

Then wouldn't that mean that the scope of Hideo's games would also increase dramatically? It was a welcome thing.

"Yeah! Do it! Do it quickly! What kind of function is it? Fuhhihihit, ahh, it sounds really fun, doesn't it? I hope it's a doggy-style-inducing function."

Perhaps as a reaction to living his life too easily, Hideo thought that the new function Kagami was giving him was naturally free, with no strings attached.

What a weak-brained man he was. Just because it was free last time doesn't mean it would be free this time.

"But there's a condition."

"Huh? A condition? What is it? Tell me."

Hideo asked without thinking too seriously. He didn't understand at all that the law of this world was that great power was always accompanied by great responsibility or cost.

But that didn't matter.

Because all those laws were exceptions for Hideo.

"All of today's cumming has to be done inside me. That's the condition."

"Hmm. So that means all the Vagina I'm going to fuck today are just for warming up your Vagina?"

"Yeah. Will you do it? Or won't you?"

"If I don't do it, I'd be a fool. Of course I'll do it. All of today's cumming is exclusively for you."

"Yay"

Kagami raised both hands high in the air to express her joy. Even in the midst of that, her expressionless face remained the same.

Hideo was slowly getting a little used to Kagami's strangeness.

She's just like that. A little strange, and also incredibly amazing, but that's not something Hideo should care about.

He just had to get used to her as she was, a good friend who was better to have by Hideo's side.

"Then shall we pinky swear?"

This was another childish method. There was no reason not to, so Hideo offered his thick finger as a symbol of the promise.

"Pinky swear. If you break it, you have to give up your life."

"......"

...It didn't sound like a joke at all, so it seemed that she needed to be handled with very special caution.

※

One day, Kanzaki Hana's life was ruined.

The reason was unknown.

It wasn't that she was trying to give a Zen riddle, but literally. It was unknown.

Hana couldn't understand at all why such a thing had happened to her.

One day, suddenly, a disgusting-looking man approached her at the cafe, and then... and then...

He presented Hana with a hell that she didn't want to describe in words, and certainly couldn't describe in words.

The reason was Primae Noctis.

Hana didn't know why such a thing existed, or why she had to follow it. She didn't know, but it was absolute.

The man unleashed all of his sadistic desires on Hana, and then left without a word.

There were ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠various unfortunate events that occurred because the police found Hana unconscious, but none of that mattered.

Trauma.

The cruel trauma that the man left behind in the name of Primae Noctis stabbed Hana more cruelly than any social stigma or face-saving.

Every day, the unfair treatment she had suffered appeared in her dreams.

There wasn't a day that went by without her shedding tears of hatred and sorrow that suddenly came to mind.

Everyone says that time solves all problems, but she couldn't know when that would be.

If forever was time, then that would be time.

But... but.

In the end, time didn't solve anything.

"Oh, long time no see? Your name is... uh... uh... I can't remember... well, whatever."

Before anything was resolved, that man appeared in front of Hana again.