Chapter 4
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: Solid Foundations!
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Blbl has romance stories that are great, but at its core, it's the main storyline.
In other words, the protagonist Isihoon's growth story is hugely popular too.
He gradually gets stronger, grows closer to the heroine he chooses, defeats monsters, takes down strangers, and finally beats the final boss who's out to destroy the world.
It follows a perfectly classic, heroic progression.
And according to the story setup, taking down the final boss requires the protagonist Isihoon to play a crucial role.
To be precise, it's Isihoon's bloodline that's key.
The classic trope: he monologues early on about being ordinary, but later it's revealed he has hidden lineage.
Using that bloodline's power, he teams up with the heroines and allies to defeat the final boss.
Of course, that role is mine to claim—after scooping up all the heroines!
That's right: Rubelt Eldra here will take it on.
And for that, the foundations I've laid.
Specifically...
"Good morning, Isihoon, and Yume."
"Good day, Isihoon, Yume."
"Oh. Rubelt, Rize, you're here?"
"What happened yesterday? Neither of you showed up."
"Hahaha, something came up that we had to handle."
"That genius education stuff you always talk about? Must be tough for you, Rubelt—and Rize too."
"What can I say? This is just the burden the privileged have to bear!"
"As Young Master's maid, it's only natural that I follow."
Before enrolling in the academy.
I attended the same high school as the protagonist Isihoon and his childhood friend Seo Yume, building our friendship.
The goals? Threefold.
First: to build a good relationship with Isihoon, who'll become a powerhouse later on.
Isihoon was the character I manipulated all the way to 100% achievement rate.
No way I'd hate him—in fact, getting close sounds perfect.
Even if I'm the one taking down the final boss as the lead, Isihoon's skills will be a huge help going forward.
Second: to get friendly with the heroine Seo Yume.
This overlapped with my second foundation.
Seo Yume.
The protagonist Isihoon's childhood friend, with a Korean-style family name and Japanese-style first name.
Brown hair that just barely reaches her shoulders, and pale blue eyes.
She's sociable as a rule, but a bit timid about romance—no real progress even by academy enrollment.
She's the heroine who starts with high affection for the protagonist, but in other heroine routes, she pushes him toward saving the heroine in crisis.
The community dubbed her the "Horamogenzen heroine"—the quintessential childhood friend type.
Before the game launched, her name was meme fodder galore.
'How is someone's name Seo Yume lololol'
Posts like that popped up twenty times a day.
Back in high school, Yume had that childhood friend familiarity with Isihoon, but not the solid affection she'd have by academy start.
According to her route, the moment she fell for him was early freshman year.
On the walk home, a soccer ball from the soccer team flew her way, and Isihoon blocked it.
Of course, I intercepted that event.
As they walked home together, a soccer ball came flying at Yume—and I caught it with my hand before Isihoon could.
It was supposed to be the event that made Yume fall for Isihoon, but by stepping in, I turned it into a bonding moment for all three of us.
"Kyaaaa! Lord Rubelt has graced us with his presence~!"
Not just the girls in our class—others from different classes peeked into the room, cheering wildly.
"Haha, still Mr. Popularity, huh, Rubelt?"
"It's the refinement and grace I've cultivated since childhood, plus the Eldra name."
"Man, must be nice having all that popularity, Rubelt."
"Isihoon, you could have it too if you put your mind to it."
Blbl does have a harem route, after all.
Not that I'll let him near it.
"Thanks, even if it's just empty words~."
We're close enough now that I can chat casually with the protagonist Isihoon like this.
And it's not just him making progress in intimacy.
"Hm? Oh, yeah. Yume, you cut your hair. It suits you."
"Ah, yeah. Thanks. You noticed right away?"
"Of course. Noticing a woman's changes is basic gentleman etiquette. Especially when it's Yume—you're so pretty, any change stands out."
"P-Pretty...? Rubelt, you... "
Yume scratched her cheek, blushing shyly.
We'd had similar exchanges multiple times since getting close.
She was mortified at first, but now? Not purely displeased.
Proof that her affection is steadily building.
"Even cringey lines sound convincing when you say them, Rubelt."
"Isihoon, why not try praising Yume like I do?"
"Nah, I'm good. It wouldn't suit me like it does you."
And by bantering like this, I'm smoothly nipping any chances for Isihoon to build affection with Yume.
Of course, as things progress smoothly, even I—as not just a game character player, but as a friend—feel genuine camaraderie toward Isihoon.
For starters, he's righteous with stellar character.
Plus, he was the protagonist of Blbl, which I grinded hard.
In a way, he's like an extension of me.
I'll claim all the tasty, pretty Blbl heroines and any girls I fancy.
But hey, hooking Isihoon up with a decent extra girl? That's fair game.
It'd be sad if the protagonist—once like my other self—stayed a lifelong virgin, right?
I'm not even taking girls who like him—I'm just pairing him with a nice partner out of friendship. No harm done.
Finally, the last reason I'm at the same high school as Isihoon and Yume.
To exploit the hidden power in Isihoon's bloodline.
"Isihoon, Yume. How about coming over to my place today? Mom and Dad loved meeting you last time—they've been wanting to see you again."
"Huh? Really?"
"Yeah! Let's go!"
After getting close, I've invited them to the Eldra estate a few times.
Partly to deepen our bond, but the biggest reason? Collecting data on Isihoon.
The moment he steps into the house, the entire Eldra surveillance network focuses on him, kicking off data-gathering ops.
For example: during meals, we'd collect and analyze his used plates separately.
If he blew his nose on tissue, we'd retrieve it later for study, ramping up investigations.
Sometimes I'd serve finger foods like geoduck or king crab to make pricks easy, or when his thumb got nicked and bled a bit, we'd swab it with alcohol cotton or handkerchiefs for later analysis.
Now, we've finally uncovered the secret tied to his blood—and we're deep into applied research.
Once it progresses enough, we'll mobilize Eldra's medical affiliates for a "free school health checkup" to harvest his blood in bulk, then culture it later.
Today's invite? Just friendly hangout time to build bonds and boost Yume's affection.
That's my third foundation.
And now, the fourth one I laid.
As vital as the third—and the most critical for the life I want.
I'll explain it now.
Blaze Blood.
Or Blbl for short—you remember it's high-heat content, right?
And that the developer studio's previous game was straight-up erotica.
Blbl is packed with steamy heroine events.
And among the higher-heat ones? Those orchestrated by Blbl's strangers.
Specifically, by Furuta Yoichi—the boss of one chapter, the ero scientist.
The community praises him for crafting those spicy scenes, nicknaming him Dr. Hubunkun.
Furuta Yoichi.
Dr. Hubunkun is like the leftover traces of the studio's prior ero game.
Other strangers follow similar patterns in non-related heroine routes.
But not Hubunkun.
He's a fallen inventor and scientist who loves sowing chaos with his gadgets, brainwashed by the final boss into humanity's enemy—a true villain.
And Hubunkun tailors his inventions per heroine, mostly varying wildly.
Tentacles, walls with forced holes, intoxicating gas on one whiff, equipment-melting liquid, hypnosis beams, femme-only doppelganger slime, temporary invisibility potion...
And more.
With his arsenal, he ensures every route gets spicy moments—baring more skin on heroines or tossing in lewd events amid protagonist-heroine struggles, no exceptions.
His inventive genius!
Especially for crafting such a diverse array of naughty tools—Dr. Hubunkun's a prodigy!
He's the guy who makes devouring heroines varied, stimulating, and never dull.
Plus, a vital inventor and scientist for researching and developing Isihoon's bloodline.
Recruiting Dr. Hubunkun Furuta Yoichi? That's the cornerstone of my foundations.
Like bosses in games spilling their backstories mid-fight.
Hubunkun does too.
So I knew when and why he fell.
And I used that to recruit him.
Back when I was fifteen.
"Dammit! Damn iiiit! Die! Die, you bastards! What the hell did I do wrooooong?! Ueghhh!"
A dark night.
In a deserted alley, I found Dr. Hubunkun wasted, spewing curses before puking on the ground.