The Beginning of Obsession
Hot. Sweat was pouring out like crazy. I thought I'd sell my soul for just one cold beer right now. But damn it, I was still a minor...
"Hey, you're sweating buckets. Want this at least?"
Umi came trotting over to me as I took a break. She had an ion drink bottle in hand, cap already twisted off for easy drinking.
No way. Seriously... why was she acting like this? This wasn't her. She was supposed to be way bitchier. Please just act normal. From a possessor's standpoint, nothing was scarier than this.
But Umi was gazing at me with some weird expectant look.
"Uh... a bottle with the cap off is kinda..." I waved my hand dismissively right away.
"Why not!! It's brand new! Not even half empty!" Umi yelled.
"You could've slipped something weird in while twisting the cap. Smells like a crime."
"No I didn't!! Just accept people's kindness!! You're so suspicious!" Umi shot back immediately.
Okay, half-joking there.
"The whole situation's too suspicious. A hot girl being nice to me? That's straight fantasy."
"You... must've had a pretty depressing youth."
For some reason, Umi gave me a pitying look. Shut up. Don't look at me like that.
"Haa. Thanks." Jokes aside, I took the ion drink. Gulp! Not beer, but it soaked into my bones just fine. Thirst quenched. Now if I could just light up a smoke... Ah. Minor. Fuck. Was this the curse of being underage?
"Fwaaaah... pure bliss."
A moan of pleasure slipped out automatically.
"........."
But Umi's reaction was oddly subdued. She was staring right at my throat. What? Something on my neck? When I looked back, she blushed a bit late and sniped, "What are you, some old geezer?"
Ah... timing off on that retort. Ruins the banter. Whatever.
"Thirsty, huh?" Umi had plopped down squat next to me before I knew it. Wait. Why sit so close all of a sudden? What was this distance? Was this what an insse felt like?
And... Something smelled good. Like flowers. Probably lotion or whatever. My chest tickled. Mentally mid-20s uncle, but body was high school boy. The stimulus was too much from that angle.
"I stink of sweat. Scoot back."
"Yeah... you do kinda."
Umi sniffed blatantly.
"Hey. You actually say that out loud?"
"Uhuhuhu. Sorry." Umi flashed a playful grin. Said I stank but didn't budge an inch. What was wrong with this girl?
"Anyway, dojo evening session ends at 7, right? What're you up to after?"
"Shower, dinner, night stroll?"
Stroll... sounded nice, but it was monster-hunting in the Other Side. Not peaceful at all.
"Oh? Mind if I tag along for a stroll?" Umi tossed out the absurd idea.
"Sorry. I wanna stroll solo."
Umi joins as a party member after the Week 1 March incident, when she contacts the player. Before that, she's just a normal high school girl clueless about the Other Side or monsters. Might sense the city vibe's off, that's it.
Give Umi a taste of the Other Side early? As a possessor, the thought crossed my mind. Level her up ahead to make future hunts easier.
But too risky. Her jumping in before the player could butterfly-effect the whole story. Couldn't ignore that.
Don't mess with the game's flow except avoiding my death. That was my motto.
Solo opportunities? Preempt black幕? As a webnovel writer, I got the temptation. But webnovels assume best-case plots. One slip and it all unravels.
"Got solo thinking to do. Appreciate the offer, but no."
So I refused.
".........." Umi looked pissed, face red.
"Number!!"
Suddenly Umi shouted.
"1! Number off!!"
Military roll call trauma hit. I snapped my head 90 degrees and barked back.
'Tomorrow's shooting range, so if your rifle's dirty, clean it yourself. Patients... none?' Duty officer's dead voice.
'No TV lights out tonight?' Buddy's snark.
'Ah!! Gotta watch Show Me!' Barracks uproar.
Even the night watch fumbling into uniform. Fuck... years post-discharge and still vivid. PTSD?
Anyway, snapped back to reality.
This Japan... no conscription. Heart warmed. Japan... best!!!
"Wh-what? Yelling out of nowhere."
Umi looked flustered.
"Ah... sorry. Ignore it."
"Uhuhuhu. You're so weird." Umi half-laughed, then got serious again. "Phone number? You use LINE?"
"Yeah... LINE."
Even hikikomori use messenger apps, huh. Learned something.
"LINE swap then. Yeah?" Umi looked like she was swallowing pride. Her expressions changed every second. Never boring.
"Sure." I pulled out my phone. We exchanged contacts.
Haa... this deviated from game flow too. No helping it now.
"Th-then!! Let's hang out sometime!" Umi bolted back upstairs.
Kiryu Umi... starting to stray from the script. Gotta stay cautious.
Meanwhile, Kiryu Umi was yanking her hair in frustration.
I asked for her number first!!!
Her pride stung bad. Shota showed zero interest, so she had to step up. Otherwise, the pursuit would've stalled.
But whatever... poison in the ion drink? Uhuhuhu. What kinda thinking is that?
Umi shuddered laughing alone.
And... rejected me again? Rage flared quick. She'd suggested a sweet evening stroll, but Shota shut it down hard. Not playing hard-to-get—just straight no. That pissed her off more.
I'll make him look at me. No matter what.
Umi's obsession with Shota was quietly intensifying. Beyond stubbornness now—a matter of pride. Lose and her self-image crumbles.
Anyway... his Adam's apple was kinda manly... She'd absentmindedly eyed it gulping the drink.
Sweat smell... wasn't gross... Kinda arousing even.
Wh-what am I thinking?!
Umi shook her head wildly.
"Ufufu. Our girl's got complicated feelings, huh."
Asuna chuckled knowingly at the scene.
"Good work!!"
Evening session done, I called to Gonzaemon.
"Uhahat! Yeah! Slack off and I'll drag you back!!"
Gonzaemon slapped my shoulders.
"Fuu..." Back in my room, prepped for slime hunt again.
Perfect timing—hit Level 4. Thanks to the sandbag? Or last night's slimes stacking EXP? Early Week 3, Level 4.
Not huge gains. Strength up 2 to 20, rest stagnant. In a game, instant save-scum material.
"Strength hero."
But that tens digit flip? Gamer high only we know. Posed in the mirror flexing. Body still scrawny, but residual muscles firmer.
Anyway.
Growth's slowing... Level gaps stretching. Full-day training barely nets +1. School starts, stagnation hits.
One thing clear from 2 weeks: my EXP gain way slower than protagonist. Extra life sucks, I guess.
Whatever. Deal after dodging Week 1 March event.
Grabbed the iron pipe from the closet back. Survival first, or EXP means jack.
Midnight hit—I cracked the window, headed to Old Town again.
Old Town reached, gripped pipe and leaped in.
"I descend."
Shwick! Aimed at the wriggling slimes.
"Gururuk!!"
"Gruruk!!!"
Slimes charged.
"Urraaaah!!!"
Trusted my strength, swung wide horizontal slash. Plop plop plop ploosh! Direct hit—bodies burst apart.
"Weak... too weak. Someone... please."
Stepped over exploding corpses, strolled on.
"Someone... kill me."
Free me from this tedium. World's top dog's dilemma washed over me. Sigh... power's price? Melodrama over.
"Gurururuk!!"
My nemesis approached. Magic-using Mage Slime. Dodged last time, but now? Victory certain.
"Kkieeeeeek!!!!!!"
Screamed, charged the Mage Slime.