Preparations Complete

Everything was ready.

……Granted, what red-blooded male could sit still while a female like that moaned wetly and fought back.

But I absolutely cannot die.

I haven't even gotten close to an ending yet and I'm already logging out? There isn't a more pathetic death than that.

Even under their mockery, I stood firm and left a reply.

WhiteMage's words hit me right in the bone.

Tomorrow was twenty minutes.

Today's ten had worked because the stimulation was brand new to Ruby and she'd been too flustered to fight it — but tomorrow would be different. She'd come loaded with spite, and she'd have built up a tolerance to my touch.

Twenty minutes sober? Absolutely impossible. Within five minutes it'd be "Boring. Die." and a blast of fire turning me into a well-done steak.

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

With points to spare, I could buy just about anything. Collective intelligence really was magnificent. Following the gallery's advice, I opened the point shop at once.

"Where is it……? Hmm."

I scrolled for a long while, hunting through the items, until my eyes locked onto one spot.

"……Oh, holy shit. This is a god-tier item."

Just reading the description made my mouth water. It was the kind of item you'd only find in an eroge, but given this game's genre — God of Underworld, a game about rehabilitating wicked women and romancing them — the lore consistency was more than solid.

If I fed her this? The stimulation she'd felt over those ten minutes today would be a gentle breeze next to the tidal wave that would slam into her brain. No room for building tolerance. I'd pin her down under pleasure so overwhelming her mind would melt.

That was my winning strategy.

Eight thousand points left. Factoring in hotel and living costs, it was a serious hit — but if I conquered Ruby Scarlet and stacked her affection, it was a life-changing return. This wasn't waste. This was an investment. Ultra-high-risk, high-reward.

A palm-sized glass vial materialized in a flash of light. A colorless, odorless transparent liquid.

If I just handed it over with a "Here, this is good for you — drink up," there was zero chance Ruby would take it. An anger-management case with a full-blown paranoia complex would assume it was poison and try to burn me alive.

I needed a medium — something that would carry it into her system naturally, without a shred of suspicion. The perfect tool to set the mood and lower her guard at the same time.

"Alcohol would be perfect……."

And not just any alcohol — something that didn't taste harsh, something sweet and fragrant enough that the drug would go completely unnoticed. Preferably a top-shelf wine suited to the refined palate of a high-and-mighty high elf. Real-world wine was expensive, but food prices in this game were a steal.

I shot up from my seat.

"Alright. Time for a long-overdue shopping trip."

Stepping out of the hotel lobby, the warm midday air sank deep into my lungs.

"Ahh, refreshing……."

Ruby seemed to have completely crashed from yesterday's treatment, which made this the perfect window. If she woke up without me — her safety pin — around, things would get messy. I was acting as her brake for now, but she was still a ticking time bomb that could go off at any moment……

I had to get back with the defusing tools before this bomb opened its eyes.

I hurried toward the commercial district. Magic-powered streetlamps, bustling streets packed with humans, beastkin, and all manner of other races.

"Come one, come all! Golden apples for just one gold!"

"Gracia Underworld's specialty! Eden's Honey for only five gold! Hey, handsome young man over there!"

Barking vendors grabbed at my sleeve, but I offered a light nod and politely declined. The luxury of sightseeing was a waste I couldn't afford. Right now I had exactly one objective: securing the powerful detonator that would get me through tonight's twenty minutes.

"Let's see…… a decent liquor store……."

Avoiding the Moonlight Tavern — packed with informants and premium booze — was the smart play. If I showed my face there after getting tangled up with Ruby Scarlet, I'd get buried under a barrage of questions and burn through half the day.

I needed somewhere quiet, with good stock, and a tight-lipped staff.

I was about to pull up a map when a rich, deep aroma brushed past my nose — the heavy fragrance of wine freshly drawn from an oak barrel. Looking up, I spotted a quaint, old-fashioned signboard at the far end of an alley.

Neverland Liquors

"That's one hell of a pretentious name."

Jingle.

A clear bell chimed as cool air welcomed me inside.

"Welcome!"

The voice from behind the counter was far brighter and more cheerful than I'd expected. I turned toward the sound — and froze for a second.

……Damn.

A short-haired beauty in a perfectly fitted bartender's uniform. But what seized my attention was the pair of white rabbit ears twitching atop her head, and the shirt stretched to its absolute limit over a figure with a hip line that could stop traffic.

A flawless rabbit beastkin, straining on tiptoe to arrange bottles on a shelf taller than she was.

"Upsy-daisy…… why can't I reach this……."

I strode over and pulled down the bottle she'd been reaching for.

"Is this the one?"

"Huh? Oh — thank you! My stepstool broke, so I've been struggling."

The rabbit clerk's ears fluttered as she beamed.

"Don't mention it."

I gave her an easy smile and settled naturally onto a counter stool. Not intentional — just a habit ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠baked into my body at this point. Scanning the bottles on display, I got to business.

"I'm looking for wine. For someone extremely particular."

"Heeh, particular how……?"

"An elf. One with an exceptionally refined palate."

No need to specify high elf and invite unnecessary trouble.

"Hmm, an elf, huh……."

She propped her chin on her hand and pouted, looking troubled.

"They're famous for how sensitive their taste buds are. They won't even touch ordinary liquor, you know?"

"Which is why I came looking for the absolute best. I have conditions."

I leaned my arms on the counter and added the requirements in a low voice.

"First — the aroma has to be intensely strong and sweet. Floral or fruity notes so rich that even if something else is mixed in, no one would notice. Second — high alcohol content. Strong enough that one or two glasses leave the drinker's reason hazy."

The rabbit clerk's eyes narrowed at my order. A wine that was sweet-scented yet brutally strong. And "reason hazy."

As if she'd pieced something together, she looked up at me with a mischievous smile.

"By any chance…… is this elf a woman?"

"Ah — yes. She is."

"Heheh…… of course. Men really are all the same."

She clicked her tongue with a knowing look.

"Customer, you look younger than me, so mind if I offer a little advice?"

Anyone with eyes could tell I looked older than her.

……Ah. Right — humans and beastkin measure their years differently, don't they?

Ahem. Anyway, I tilted my head at her.

"……Pardon?"

"When you're seducing a woman, atmosphere is everything. Just being handsome like you isn't enough, you know. Heheh."

She had the wrong idea entirely. She seemed to think I was some golden-boy playboy about to drop lines like "Uhyo~ Getto daze!"

……Well. The end result might not be that different.

"Ahem! Anyway, let me dig something up. I've got one treasure that matches your conditions perfectly."

A short while later, she brought out a dusty red bottle and set it down with a soft thunk.

The moment the cork came free, a rose fragrance so intoxicating it made my head swim billowed out — and buried beneath that sweetness, a heavy, dangerous undercurrent of pure alcohol.

"It's a vintage wine fermented from the Demon Realm's red roses. The scent is sweet as juice, but it clocks in at forty-five percent."

She pressed a finger to her lips and whispered.

"Its nickname is the Lady Killer. Even the hardest-drinking elf lady turns into a meek little lamb after half a bottle of this."

"……Oh. That's perfect."

My mouth curled up on its own. With an aroma this potent, the bland taste of the Sensory Amplifier would be completely buried. And forty-five percent? Stack the drug's effects on top of that intoxication, and even Ruby Scarlet wouldn't stand a chance.

"How much?"

"Normally it goes for about fifty gold on the market……."

Fifty gold…… fifty PT. Pricier than expected. I'd figured ten would cover it.

She stopped tapping at her calculator, looked me dead in the eye, and broke into a bright grin.

"Heehee, but you've got good manners. Special price — twenty gold."

"Twenty gold? You're not even charging half?"

"Heh…… you helped me out earlier. Proper gentlemen like that are rare these days."

She threw me a wink.

"Just call it a discount with a little personal interest mixed in."

"Haha. Thank you. I'll enjoy it."

I settled the bill in high spirits and was stepping out of the shop when —

Ding.

"……Ah."

I glanced back. Inside the shop, the rabbit clerk was waving. I'd thought it was simple kindness — turns out it was the passive I'd earned from Elara.

Not just a lifesaver against fatal attacks. It worked on NPC conquests too.

"Guess I should try living a little more virtuously from now on."

Of course, the fact that what I was carrying was a poisoned apple meant to corrupt a wicked woman remained a secret.

I smirked and hugged the wine bottle tight against ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my chest. All the preparations were in place. All that remained was tonight — setting the stage for a spectacular corruption party in honor of that arrogant high elf.

My steps back to the hotel were light as feathers. Nestled against me: a twenty-gold Lady Killer and a three-thousand-point Sensory Amplifier.

Preparations: complete.

The clock read ten at night. Perfect timing. I needed to finish the scenario — spike the wine, set the mood, and casually offer her a glass as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

Creak.

I opened the door to a room still wrapped in silence. But my heart was already hammering, as if it could sense the battle to come.

……Just you wait, Ruby Scarlet.

I set the red wine bottle down on the table with a solid thunk and muttered under my breath.

Tonight…… I'm really going to send you to heaven.