Chapter 91: This Must Be Fate
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 91: This Must Be Fate
I figured I’d just go for it, but I didn't think she'd actually accept.
Even though her jaw turned away at the last second, the fact that I actually kissed Frey is a huge leap forward.
When I first saw her, she gave off an aura that said she didn't even want to look at my face. Seeing how far we've come makes me feel like I’ve really put in the work.
She always had that grumpy expression whenever I gave her coffee, so I thought her affinity wasn't rising, but it turns out she just doesn't show it on her face.
My jaw is a bit sore, but now that we’ve broken the skinship barrier, I can just keep pushing the pace from here.
Frey is surprisingly cute, you know?
“Yo, Brute. Doing a good job?”
“Greetings, Seo Yeon-woo. Also, my name is…”
“I know, it’s Shura. But is a cute name like that really right for a face like yours?”
Arriving at the brothel, I pat the shoulder of the Brute, whom I still feel like teasing.
Call me petty if you want, but I can't help it. I’m the type of person who remembers every slight for a long, long time.
Still, since I’ve visited a few times now, the Brute treats me with respect.
“Is the Madame inside?”
“Yes, she is waiting for you. Please, go in.”
Just for the record, I didn't come here to get laid.
The Madame called me first, saying she had a favor to ask.
“Welcome, Yeon-woo. It’s a pleasure to see you again after so long.”
I gaze blankly at the Madame, who radiates "mature beauty" with every fiber of her being, before sitting on the sofa she points to.
I have to challenge her eventually…
By now, I should be able to handle someone of the Madame's level, right?
The Madame naturally brings over high-end liquor and glasses, pouring a drink as she sits down right next to me.
“So, why did you call me this time?”
“Hehe, what’s the rush? I’m just happy to see you, Yeon-woo. Aren't you happy to see me?”
The Madame’s sex appeal is incredible as she naturally emphasizes her chest while looking up at me.
Normally, I would have enjoyed the soft sensation of her breasts pressing against my arm, but maybe because I’ve been so stressed lately because of Akito, everything just feels like a chore.
“I don’t have much time. I have to go to my part-time job.”
“That’s a shame. But it’s only natural for a young, talented man to be busy.”
The Madame is quick on the uptake, as expected.
Seeing my lukewarm reaction, she immediately shifts her posture and stops the unnecessary flirting and clinging.
Handing me the filled glass, she gets straight to the point.
She says there’s a thug interfering with their business.
He’s not a member of the underworld but a civil servant—a government official. Because he’s connected to the government, the establishment can’t touch him even when he acts like a total prick.
He’s been causing headaches by claiming he’s conducting investigations or inspections, or saying a report was filed, all to intentionally disrupt business and drive away customers.
Even in a world where prostitution is legal, there’s nothing a business can do when they’re being squeezed through official channels like that.
“What does he want? Money?”
“Mmm… it’s a bit embarrassing to say.”
The Madame smiles bashfully, placing a hand against her cheek.
“It seems he wants to sleep with me.”
“…Can’t he just pay and do it?”
“It’s been a long time since I retired from the front lines. Who would want an old body like mine?”
Stop deceiving people by calling yourself an old lady when you look like you're in your mid-twenties.
Seriously, what kind of standards does this world use to judge age based on appearance?
“Well—at least one person definitely seems to want it.”
“It would have been nice if there were two.”
Look at this fox. The way she looks up at me with those smiling, sexy eyes is just too much.
“He’s a civil servant, but his rank is low. If you step in, Yeon-woo, he’ll back off.”
I suppose so. Being a Yggdrasil student means being a future elite with a bright path ahead.
Though it’s a bit weird that the "elites" include the Comedy Duo and Takeo.
In reality, even without an official rank, most civil servants find it hard to stand tall in front of the students.
Especially a civil servant who’s abusing the law like this; he’ll probably tremble as if he’s run into the police.
It’s partly because a high-ranking position is guaranteed in the future, but getting into Yggdrasil in the first place usually means coming from a well-off family.
There are paupers like Rio and me, but magic is something that costs more the more you learn. Training conditions and magical tools alone eat through money like water.
Wait. Setting me aside, doesn't that mean Rio, who passed despite his difficult environment, is actually a genius?
He’s been struggling for money ever since he got to Yggdrasil. If I invest in that guy, wouldn't he grow like crazy?
I’ll think about that later. Let’s settle this first.
“Fine. I’ll take care of it for you.”
“Oh my, I didn't expect you to agree so easily.”
“However.”
The Madame, who had been clapping her hands in delight, looks at me with a hint of tension at my words.
“Don’t get any funny ideas about trying to build a 'connection' with a Yggdrasil student using such petty tricks.”
“I… what do you mean by that…?”
The Madame’s smile freezes.
You can’t handle one low-level civil servant? Don't make me laugh. Do you know how many high-ranking officials are connected to the nightlife industry?
Besides, it’s not even illegal here, so the lines are even easier to draw.
They were heavily connected in the game, too.
If the Madame had really set her mind to it, that official threatening her would have been fired and unemployed already.
I lean in close to the Madame’s frozen face, close enough to feel her breath.
Perhaps shocked that her attempt to use me was discovered, her long eyelashes quiver.
“I’m not that easy. We’re already on good terms, aren't we? You don't need to pull stunts like this.”
“… …”
I gently stroke her cheek, but the Madame tenses up as if my touch is terrifying.
Step-by-step—is that a song lyric? Foot-in-the-door?
Anyway, I remember there was some psychological tactic like that, and that’s exactly what the Madame is doing right now.
She starts by asking for a simple favor that they could have handled themselves, all to create a bond.
Starting with a small request that’s hard to refuse, she’d keep asking for more to build a relationship.
…Honestly, if I hadn't played the game, I would have fallen for it.
Who wouldn't fall for a mature, sexy beauty in a low-cut dress clinging to your side and rubbing her chest against you while asking for a favor?
Akito, of course, falls for it and receives many quests from the Madame.
It’s not that the Madame has bad intentions; her goal is just to build a connection with a mage who will be successful in the future.
Is it me instead of Akito now, or did I just get caught on the Madame’s radar too?
After the Zone incident, I’ve decided not to take away events that Akito is supposed to be involved in whenever possible.
Honestly, I haven't really "taken" anything, have I? He threw Yukina away himself, so I saved her, and I practically served him the Chika corruption event on a silver platter.
It feels unfair, but regardless, I should be more careful and stay out of it.
I observe the Madame’s face—her "smiling mask" cracked for the first time, showing a hint of fear—before giving her a light kiss and pulling away.
I want to take her right here, but I’ll wait until I’ve leveled up my sex skills more. Then I’ll make it so she can’t live without my cock.
“If you want to build a connection, there’s someone much better than me.”
“Oh, are you back to being polite again?”
“The intimidation was enough.”
She recovers fast.
The Madame, quickly returning to her usual self, gives a bright smile.
“The person you’re talking about… is Daihara Akito, right?”
“…Have you already stretched your claws toward him?”
“Hey—don’t make me sound like a demon. I haven't done anything yet. I like you better, Yeon-woo.”
Even though I know it’s just flattery, it feels good coming from her.
Wait, I can understand her knowing his name since the Daihara surname is so famous, but she was debating whether or not to pull a stunt on him? Are they already involved?
“Does Akito come here often?”
“Occasionally.”
That motherfucker.
He definitely threw a fit in front of Shiori and Chika last time, saying he’d never go to a place like this, and yet he came anyway?
I’m busy cleaning up his shit, and he’s been having a grand old time?
It pisses me off, but since these are things Akito is supposed to take, I’ll let it go.
“Do whatever you want with him. He’s a good guy. Make sure to take good care of him and maybe teach him a thing or two about sex.”
“Hehe, you two must be very close.”
“We’re not, so don’t lump us together. And don’t mention me to him, either.”
Seriously, why does everyone keep linking me with Akito?
I hate that guy.
Since something like the Zone incident could happen again, I plan to push any events I can toward him.
After recommending Akito and agreeing to solve this current issue, I leave the room.
She had calculatedly called me exactly when that civil servant guy was supposed to arrive.
If I had refused, she probably intended to make us run into each other on purpose.
Everyone’s so damn sharp.
“Sir, you can’t do this here…”
“I told you, I’m not a customer, I’m here for an inspection! Go tell Lisbel to come out!”
Ugh, just hearing his voice is annoying.
Learning that the Madame’s name was Lisbel, I turn the corner and face the nuisance.
“Huh…? Mister?”
“Uh… Yeon-woo?”
“The guy using his position to cause a scene at the Madame’s shop was you, Mister?”
“N-No… that, that can’t be right.”
The man panics, looking around before quickly leading me outside.
Who is this guy? My next-door neighbor.
That’s right, this nuisance is Yume’s husband.
Typical eroge married woman's husband trait: The wife is insanely beautiful, but he doesn't have sex with her and cheats instead.
Ah, I guess the trend has changed lately because of NTR.
Still, if he had been a normal, wife-loving husband like in recent trends, I might have felt a bit conflicted, but since he’s a piece of shit, it’s a relief.
From the first time I saw him, he spoke down to me and treated me like an inferior, so I knew his character wasn't great. But to think he’d cause a riot just to sleep with the Madame—thank you.
Thanks to you, I can target Yume without a single shred of guilt.
“So, Yeon-woo. This is, you see—”
The typical excuses of a guilty man continue.
He claims it’s a period of intensive crackdowns, that the Madame actually set him up, that he was just doing what his superiors told him, and so on. By the end, he’s even hinting that he’ll "take care of me" too.
“Then it’s okay if I report what I saw on the CCTV to your superiors, right?”
“There’s CCTV?”
I haven't seen it, but of course there is, you idiot.
Hey, those people aren't ones you should take lightly.
They record everything and have all sorts of ways to use it.
They’re experts in this field; how lowly did you think of them to not even consider CCTV?
“Yes. They said they’re planning to file an objection with all the materials. That’s why they asked me if I had any connections with the higher-ups.”
“Yeon-woo, surely… we’re neighbors, aren't we? You’re not going to listen to a whore like that, are you?”
Yep, hearing that just now solidified my decision.
Isn't this the perfect setup for an NTR route?
Using this as leverage to threaten him into handing over his wife, and Yume, forced into it, gradually falling for my sex techniques…
In an instant, I’ve cooked up and devoured an entire eroge plotline.
No, I want Yume to come to me of her own accord. I can’t just skip all the suggestive emotions and events and jump straight into carnal lust.
“That depends on how you act, Mister.”
“Depends…?”
A short while later, the man is on his knees in front of the counter, apologizing to the Madame.
How does it feel to be kneeling while surrounded by the Brute and the other staff?
One of the girls, looking satisfied, pulls out her smartphone to take a picture, but she flinches and puts it away after making eye contact with the Madame.
She’s thorough. Since they have the CCTV, she probably only intends to keep records within legal boundaries.
If it were me, I would have shoved a camera in the prick’s face and told him to apologize, but she’s calm enough not to create potential problems for later.
After receiving a promise that this would never happen again, the Madame let the man go easily.
As he tries to leave dejectedly, the girls even link arms with him and lead him to a room, saying they’ll provide "service."
It’s a bit of an anticlimactic ending compared to the trouble he caused, but this is how business is done.
With this, that man is now under the Madame’s thumb.
And yet, he goes in looking happy. No pride at all. Do you even care about me?
“How should I repay this favor?”
“Repay it to Akito.”
“Fufu, you really do like him, don't you?”
Whatever. My shift is starting. I have to go.
I’ll come back later to punish you with my cock, so just wait.
I head to my part-time job, sent off by the Madame and the girls.
This job is something that didn't happen in the game.
Gentlemen. If you suddenly became handsome, tall, and had a perfect body, what would you want to do?
At the very least, I wanted to be a model.
I know I have no talent for singing or acting, so I’m not confident in those professions.
I know models have to learn a lot about posing and walking, too…
But it’s me, right? It’s me. I’m a walking photoshoot even when I’m just standing still.
Even if I’m just staring at a trash can wondering what to eat for dinner, I look like a mysterious, handsome man agonizing with soulful eyes.
So, when I saw a post online looking for a model, I applied immediately.
And the place I arrived at was…
“A… nude model?”
“Ah, yes. Didn't you know? It should have been in the job post. If you suddenly say you can’t do it…”
I never said I couldn't.
A model is a model, but it’s a nude model. And not for a photoshoot, but a drawing model.
Well, that’s still a model.
I should have realized something was weird when the location was some district community center.
Come to think of it, professional models have their own agencies.
“Everyone is already gathered, so it would be difficult for us if you suddenly backed out… Please, you’re such a perfect model. Can’t you just do it once?”
As I stand there blankly, the woman with glasses, who said she was the instructor, practically begs me.
I said I’m not backing out.
It’s my fault for not reading the post properly, so I have to fix it.
A drawing model… that’s hard work, having to stay in one pose for hours, right?
Besides, they said it’s a local drawing class.
This is my neighborhood…
It feels a bit weird to show my nude body to the locals.
There might be men, too. Ugh, I hate that.
But unlike Akito, I’m not an inconsiderate person who leaves a mess behind, so I decide to do it.
I strip down, cover myself with a cloth, and step inside.
“… …”
Oh… this might be better than I thought…?
The people gathered for the hobby class are all women.
It was a drawing class for housewives? You should have told me sooner.
The atmosphere in the classroom is strange, perhaps because they’re also a bit nervous about drawing a nude.
Since they’re amateurs, they can’t focus on the drawing and seem to be imagining the body hidden under the cloth of this man they’ve never seen before.
And as soon as they see my face, some of the "ajummas" have their eyes go wide as they gulp.
What are ajummas in an eroge world? They’re women who insist they’re ajummas while looking like they’re in their mid-twenties.
At the same time, they’re perfect women who possess mature beauty, ripeness, and the deep sensuality unique to married women.
“This is Seo Yeon-woo, who will be our model today.”
“Wow…”
“Please take care of me.”
Look at these women, gazing at me like I’m a delicious meal and subtly acting coquettish.
My choice wasn't wrong.
Walking through the women who can’t hide their strange excitement, I spot someone with a different expression from the others.
Her pupils are shaking violently in shock, and her body is frozen stiff.
Defenseless, large breasts; slightly drooping eyes; and brown hair tied back simply for drawing, without any flair.
It’s the lovely married woman next door, Yume.
I just met her husband, so if this isn't fate, what is?