Bikini Costume Acquisition Operation (2)

"Changjae! Let's buy this! We have to buy this!"

Mom shoved her face so close to the phone it looked like she was trying to climb inside the screen. The description read: Removes all insects within 100 meters of the wearer. Just hearing the raw excitement in her voice told me exactly how serious she was about this option.

But wanting something didn't mean we could afford it.

"Mom. We don't have enough coins."

Exactly. We were short on coins. This bug-removing bikini cost thirty coins, while we only had nine.

I wasn't as extreme as Mom, but I hated bugs too. I'm so sensitive that even a single mosquito in my room at night ruins my sleep completely.

If the insect-repelling effect actually worked, of course I'd want to buy it.

"Wh-what do we do? The time's running out!"

"Calm down, Mom. We still have a whole day left."

The remaining time was 23 hours and 35 minutes. Even now, that number was ticking down second by second.

"Even if we can't buy it right now, there'll probably be similar items later. We don't even know if this option actually does what it says."

Of course there was no review system here. We had no way of verifying whether bugs would truly vanish like the description claimed, or if it simply released a smell that repelled them.

"But it's limited edition..."

Mom looked increasingly desperate as she watched the countdown. Limited stock plus a time limit. It was a vicious combination that could make even uninterested people desperate to buy. And if it was something you genuinely needed, resistance was impossible.

"Isn't there any way to get it? Can't we use a card?"

"With a card... probably not."

This wasn't something money could buy. In normal mobile games, this was the moment they'd push you to spend real cash. Powerful equipment, quality-of-life items, all kinds of conveniences. Most problems could be solved with money.

But here, it wasn't money. It was coins. In other words, the microtransaction system from games had been replaced with coins in this place.

And the method of earning those coins was absurd. Peeping at your partner's underwear or making physical contact. I didn't understand the intention behind it, but performing lewd acts would earn you coins.

To put it bluntly, the system was telling us to commit perverted acts if we wanted smooth progress.

"Then what do we do? We can't buy it?"

Mom looked up at me with an expression that suggested she might burst into tears at any moment.

Of course there was a way. We just had to collect coins. And I could roughly guess the methods available to us.

......But I couldn't say it out loud.

'Mom. Let's start doing naughty things together from now on. Then we can buy the bug-removing bikini!'

How the hell was I supposed to say something like that?! I couldn't. I'd rather die than say it.

"Mom, we still have time left, so let's take it slow and think of a way to—"

"—Kyaaaaah!!"

Just as I was trying to calm her down, Mom suddenly let out a piercing scream and threw herself into my arms.

"Spider! Spider spider spider!"

Mom was in full panic mode, chanting the word like a mantra. Sure enough, a pitch-black spider sat on the shoulder of her nightgown. It was surprisingly large. A huntsman spider, maybe? It looked at least five centimeters long.

The only saving grace was that it was sitting calmly on her shoulder. If it had crawled inside her clothes, things would have been much worse.

I pinched the spider between my fingers and tossed it aside.

"Mom. I caught the spider. It's gone now."

I brushed off her shoulder as I spoke.

"Huuuuhng—! I hate spiders~!"

Mom burst into genuine tears. She hated most bugs, but spiders were at the very top of her list. Personally, I didn't mind them that much. They ate pests, and the process of building webs was strangely artistic. Up close, they could even be kind of cute.

"It's okay, Mom. It's really gone now."

I gently patted her back. How long had it been since I'd last hugged her like this? This might actually be the first time. For the first time, I wondered if what she'd said earlier—that someone had brought us here to reconcile our relationship—might actually be true.

"Hic. Changjae... can't we buy that thing from before?"

Her eyes were brimming with tears as she sniffled. Having a spider on her clothes must have been that traumatic. Especially one that big.

"...Alright. We'll buy it."

I'd hesitated, but it seemed we really did need to get that bikini somehow. At least for Mom's mental stability.

"Mom. Give me a moment."

"Huh?"

I pulled away from the hug she'd initiated and instead took one of her hands in mine. Her hand was much smaller and softer than mine, yet these were the incredible hands that had raised me.

"Ch-Changjae?"

We stayed like that for a few seconds before the familiar notification sound came from the phone.

"Ah!"

Mom let out a small exclamation when she heard it. Then, as if testing something, she grabbed my other hand too. But even after holding it for a while, no new notification came.

"...It didn't work."

Mom sounded disappointed.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"Yeah. Looks like it only works the first time."

Earlier when Mom had crouched down and I'd accidentally seen her panties, the system hadn't reacted either. We'd already earned coins from panty peeping once, so it probably didn't count a second time.

Starting with the original nine coins, plus five from the hug and two from holding hands, we now had sixteen coins total. That meant we still needed fourteen more.

What else could we do?

"Mom, just a second."

"Ah."

I gently brushed her bangs to the side, revealing her smooth forehead. It was flawless, without a single blemish. I leaned in and gave it a light kiss. Just a quick press of lips against skin.

Mom looked at me with slightly widened eyes.

Kiss on the face, huh. So even if the location on the face was different, it counted as the same category?

I tested it by kissing her cheek. No notification this time. So it really was treated as a duplicate. A kiss on the lips would probably count separately, though...

"Ah..."

Mom must have noticed me staring at her lips. She lowered her head shyly.

...I'd save that for last. As a final resort.

"Ahem. Then next..."

I took her hand and pressed my lips to the back of it.

Mom watched with a slightly embarrassed expression as I kissed her hand.

Only two coins? Considering the level of contact, it made sense, but it still felt low.

Damn. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠We were still nine coins short. What now? Should I try kissing her foot? Or just close my eyes and touch whatever?

"Changjae."

While I was worrying, Mom suddenly pulled my hand toward her.

-Chu.

She kissed the back of my hand, just like I'd done to her. The warm, soft sensation lingered on my skin, along with the faint trace of her body heat.

"Oh."

So it worked when she kissed me too. And this didn't count as a duplicate.

"Hehe."

Mom smiled innocently, like a child who'd successfully pulled off a prank. I was glad to see her smiling again. It seemed the shock from the spider had mostly faded.

"Changjae. Can I kiss your face too?"

"Yes. Please do."

Naturally. Stay natural.

I lowered my posture and offered my face to her. Mom cupped my cheeks with both hands and pressed her lips to my right cheek.

-Chu.

It was a light, innocent kiss. The kind of affectionate peck a mother gives her son. Yet my face grew hot anyway. My heart was pounding ridiculously hard. I hadn't even been this nervous my first time with a woman. Mom probably wasn't thinking anything of it. What an idiot I was.

"Twenty-six coins. We only need four more."

Naturally. Stay natural. I wasn't a kid anymore. I couldn't get flustered over a simple kiss on the cheek. I tried to sound as casual as possible.

"Okay. What's next?"

Mom looked at me with expectant eyes. There wasn't a trace of suspicion ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or hesitation in her pure gaze.

Four coins. What should we do next?

A few ideas came to mind. Kissing her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠lips or neck. More sexual touches or direct contact. The higher the intimacy, the more coins we'd probably get.

But I couldn't do anything that felt overtly sexual. There was an invisible line between Mom and me that had to be respected.

"...Then, Mom. Can I hug you?"

After thinking it over, I chose that. She'd gotten five coins when she hugged me, so I figured I'd get five when I hugged her. If it counted as a duplicate, we could just try something else. A simple hug shouldn't make Mom uncomfortable.

"Of course. As much as you want."

Mom readily spread her arms in the classic 'hug me' pose. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close.

"Mm... Huh? It's not working?"

Mom tilted her head in my embrace. As expected, she didn't seem to be thinking anything inappropriate. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"Yeah. I thought maybe it would work if I was the one hugging this time. Guess not."

"That's too bad~."

I didn't want to let go. I wanted to stay like this, sharing our warmth a little longer. No. I couldn't treat Mom as an object of my base desires.

As I fought my inner turmoil and started to pull away—

"Ah."

The familiar sound gave me hope. So the reverse worked after all?

That naïve thought was shattered instantly.

"......"

"......"

Both Mom and I were rendered completely speechless. An awkward silence settled over us.

The unmistakable bulge in my groin was pressed firmly against her lower belly.