The Super Genius Doesn't Lose to Common Sense Alteration (2)

Woom.

The elevator hummed softly as it began to move.

Maybe it was being alone with a woman in such a tight space, or maybe it was the person I was about to meet—either way, the pounding in my chest wouldn't stop.

I turned my head and stole a glance at the female employee guiding me.

She was staring straight ahead in silence.

An orange-haired woman with her hair loosely tied up. One of the middle buttons on her gray jacket was fighting a lonely battle all by itself, so I shifted my gaze to her name tag instead.

The name tag's blank.

She'd clearly introduced herself as Han Jisu, yet the spot where her name should have been written was empty.

Was it because she wasn't a major character in the chatbot? Or maybe because the model rendering this world was an older version? Either way.

I still don't know how far my bodily fluids can go. Spit dries fast. The less important someone is in the chatbot, the stronger the contamination—or whatever you want to call this ability to make them weird—seems to be. But I still don't know the exact limits.

It was like an infection ability, if I had to put it into words.

I'd assumed it was because I'd become part of the system, but the system's reactions suggested otherwise.

Is there some hidden secret about me?

Hmm.

No—I'd think about that later. It wasn't important right now.

Floor 19.

Floor 20.

Floor 21.

I was getting closer and closer to Kim Suyeon.

And with every floor, the fact that I would vanish from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠this world if I failed to protect her pressed down heavier on my chest.

That crushing pressure wasn't the only thing I was feeling, either.

This place was already practically the user's turf. Most of the people here had been hit with his Common Sense Alteration and were little more than his limbs.

Having to fight this lonely battle alone was frustrating as hell.

…Wait.

Limbs?

…Yeah. Why hadn't I thought of that sooner?

Would a user who was focused solely on Kim Suyeon right now even bother checking who some random front-desk employee was with?

No way.

So if I could just steal those limbs away one by one without the user noticing…

I jabbed the button for the 26th floor.

"…? Why are you pressing the 26th floor…?"

The front-desk employee looked flustered by my sudden move. Just as she reached out to press the 26th-floor button again to cancel it—

"…Huh? Why are you here…?"

She blinked a few times, staring at me in a daze.

Don't tell me the spit already dried.

I casually wiped the corner of my mouth with my palm, coating it thick with saliva.

I was already swallowing dry spit from all the nerves, so this works out perfectly.

I grabbed her hand.

"…Ah."

The moment I took it, her pupils dilated and she froze completely.

Making someone this defenseless at my whim sent a wave of guilty thrill through me, like I was doing something I absolutely shouldn't—but I had no choice.

One slip and I was dead. What did a little guilt matter?

Ding.

The elevator doors opened, and I led the unresponsive employee out with me.

We stepped into an office floor.

I scanned the surroundings—thankfully, no one was around. I quickly found an empty room, pulled her inside, and locked the door.

"Whew."

The click of the lock let me breathe a little easier.

Time to figure out exactly what my ability can do.

I'd confirmed that contact with my bodily fluids triggered the ability.

But the effect might change depending on which fluid I used and where I applied it.

Plus, I still didn't have a clear definition of what the effect even was.

This was a necessary process.

My lower half was practically screaming it.

More than anything, if I can turn the user's limbs into my allies without him ever knowing…

There was no better situation than that.

Inside the chatbot, the only thing the user could see was his current point of view. Unless he had some all-seeing eye ability, he wouldn't know what I was doing. And honestly, he probably didn't care what some unimportant extra like me was up to right now.

So right now…

I would start by making this front-desk employee mine.

"…This is. Huh? I was definitely in the elevator just a second ago…?"

The frozen employee snapped awake.

"Ugh, why is my hand so sticky…?"

She grimaced and rubbed the spit off her hand onto her clothes.

Damn.

It happened too fast for me to stop her.

"……Park Yushin? You're not even a special patron—why did I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bring you here…?"

She frowned while fixing her hair, then her eyes went wide as she took in the locked door and me. She stumbled backward.

"D-Don't tell me you locked me in here…?"

She whipped her phone out of her pocket, tapped the screen a few times, and shoved it toward my face.

The dial pad showed 112.

"C-Come any closer and I'll call the cops! So don't even think about trying anything funny!"

"…I think there's been some kind of misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding? What misunderstanding?!"

I took one step forward; she took one step back.

If she makes a scene here, I'm completely screwed.

I raised both hands in a placating gesture and slowly closed the distance, pretending to soothe her.

After all, if I stayed too far away, she might dodge or I might miss when I spat.

"Honestly, what reason would I have to lock Han Jisu in a room like this? I've got nothing on me. No weapons, nothing."

"Th-That's… y-your goal is my body, isn't it?! There was even a guy who came to donate and grabbed my ass—you're one of those types too, aren't you?"

"I'm not that much of an animal."

"Then why are you… standing like that?"

"……That's because Han Jisu is pretty."

"That doesn't make me happy at all?! Stop coming closer!"

While we traded pointless banter, she eventually ended up cornered.

"A-Achoo!"

I faked a sneeze and spat toward her face.

"Kyaa! Gross—!"

Han Jisu froze mid-motion, hands raised to shield her face.

In that opening I closed in and smeared spit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠thickly around her neck.

What the hell am I even doing…?

A brief wave of existential dread hit me, but I shook my head and shoved it aside.

Then I grabbed her hands so she couldn't wipe it off if she came to her senses.

"Hey! What do you think you're—!"

"Calm down. I'm not doing anything to you. What exactly did I just do to you?"

"That's…"

Her struggles to pull her hands free gradually quieted.

"You… didn't do anything."

Now it was time to check the effects.

"How are you feeling right now?"

"All of a sudden?"

Was that too out of nowhere?

"I'm a little flustered. My memories keep cutting out in places… I'm sorry for misunderstanding earlier. I was panicking too. But… how long are you going to keep holding my hands?"

Contrary to my worries, her reaction just seemed to come from genuine confusion.

"Is it not okay if I hold them?"

"No. I was just asking."

"So it's fine if I keep holding them."

"Uh, yes. If that's what you want."

Her attitude was strangely obedient. Did she even realize it herself?

"Is this the kind of person you usually are? Letting a guy you just met today hold your hand and not let go?"

"N-No! Why would I? I'd obviously shake him off."

"But you're not doing that with me."

"That's… um. Why is that? With you, Yushin, it just feels like it's okay somehow. I don't really feel any resistance."

A state with no sense of rejection.

"Then if I told you to submit your resignation, would you do it?"

"That's a bit… why would I? If I lose my job I won't be able to eat…. Can you give me a reason?"

I narrowed my eyes.

It was clearly an unreasonable demand. I'd expected either outright refusal or obedient acceptance—but instead of either, she asked for a reason.

She's asking for a reason, huh.

Did that mean anything was possible as long as there was a rational justification?

I was about to answer after reading the system's message when, suddenly, I closed my mouth.

"……."

Why?

In the end, this was a chatbot world. The place I'd believed was reality was nothing more than a space someone had built to vent their desires. Until a few hours ago, I'd been part of that world myself.

So how was I supposed to treat these people?

I…

"……No. I was just asking. It was a joke."

"Right? Haha, getting into this place was already hard enough. I wouldn't even know where to go if I had to switch jobs."

Watching her scratch her head in relief, I sank into thought.

…I won't give unnecessary orders. I'll make that my policy.

It wasn't some grand reason.

Even if I'd originally been a scrap of dummy data and suddenly lucked into this broken ability, if I used it without restraint according to my desires, I'd eventually make a mistake.

And if those mistakes piled up, I was terrified I'd turn into some beast of a person someday.

That was why.

Then is there a good way to maintain this infection state? Spit keeps drying up, so that's a dead end.

…….

……What?

Any other methods…?

Aaaah! Fine, I get it! I'll do it! But what if she gets pregnant?

…Aha!

What a convenient form of birth control.

Then… it should be fine if I do it, right?

I never expected to graduate from virginity like this.

"H-Han Jisu?"

"Yes?"

I looked at her and casually said,

"Want to have sex with me?"