Sasaki Fuyumi pressed his face against the back of Sato Ruri's skirt, simultaneously wrapping his arms around her to prevent her escape. The task required him to maintain this pose for at least ten seconds. He'd already gone this far; if he let her break free now, it would all be for nothing.
Sato Ruri's small hands tried desperately to pry his away, but she wasn't strong enough to break his grip. Moreover, the shameful contact seemed to have sapped the strength from her limbs.
In their struggling, Sasaki Fuyumi couldn't help but breathe heavily.
Sato Ruri felt something and her body stiffened, as if hit by a paralysis spell. Sasaki Fuyumi, in close contact with her, could feel the delicate area, separated from his face only by a thin layer of fabric, trembling slightly. A faint, moist warmth seemed to emanate from it.
They remained entangled like this for over ten seconds until Sato Ruri let out a sob. Finally breaking free from Sasaki Fuyumi's grasp, she stumbled forward a few steps, turned around, and stared at him, her face a mask of humiliation.
For a moment, Sasaki Fuyumi felt a bit awkward. Just as he was about to speak, trying to soothe the girl, he saw her eyes redden. She shot him a look filled with hatred. "Pervert!"
After cursing him, the girl turned and fled. In the air, he could faintly see teardrops scattering.
Sasaki Fuyumi was stunned for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. He suddenly began to question if his choice had been right. Maybe, compared to being slapped or verbally abused by a guy, being treated like this was the most hurtful of all.
...
After a long while, Sasaki Fuyumi composed himself, got up, and left the park.
...
Dejected, Sato Ruri returned home and hid in her room. Hearing the door close, her mother poked her head out from the kitchen and called out:
"Ruri, dinner's ready!"
"I'm not hungry. I'll eat later."
After answering her mother, Sato Ruri could no longer hold back. She crouched down, hugging her knees in sorrow, on the verge of tears. But she didn't dare cry, afraid of worrying her mom.
She stayed crouched there, dazed for a while, then suddenly remembered something. She stood up, took off her skirt, and then removed her underwear as well.
Glancing down at the damp spot on her underwear, she froze. Her cheeks flushed crimson instantly, a look of panic in her eyes.
What's going on? He was bullying me, so why did I react like this?
The girl didn't dare think further. Flustered, she crumpled her underwear into a ball, hid it in an inconspicuous corner of her room, and then lay down on her bed, not wanting to move.
...
Sasaki Fuyumi arrived home and took out his keys to open the door. Just then, he heard the door across from him open and turned to look.
A young couple emerged from the opposite apartment. The man, in a sharp suit, had a young, handsome face. The woman had a slender figure, clad in a purple dress that accentuated her graceful form. She had clear, bright pupils and curved, willow-like eyebrows. A faint smile graced her lips, giving her a very gentle aura.
Sasaki Fuyumi recognized the couple. He remembered they were new residents, a young, newlywed pair.
"Hello, I live across the hall. I'm Sasaki Fuyumi," he greeted them proactively. While befriending the neighbors across the way wasn't strictly necessary, it was best to avoid any conflict.
The couple appraised Sasaki Fuyumi. They exchanged a glance, then the man smiled and nodded at him. "Hello, I'm Tanaka Yu, and this is my wife, Yuki Rei. We just moved in. We might be disturbing you from time to time."
The woman, Yuki Rei, also smiled at Sasaki Fuyumi. Her smile was very pleasant, and Sasaki Fuyumi couldn't help but glance at her.
After exchanging some pleasantries with Tanaka Yu, Tanaka Yu asked him, "Fuyumi-kun, you're still a student, right? Are your parents home? We haven't had a chance to say hello to them yet."
Sasaki Fuyumi replied a bit sheepishly, "I usually live by myself."
Tanaka Yu was taken aback, seemingly about to ask him something, but beside him, Yuki Rei gently nudged his shoe.
Tanaka Yu caught himself and flashed Sasaki Fuyumi an apologetic smile. Whether it was his imagination or not, Sasaki Fuyumi felt the man's gaze towards him had become considerably warmer.
After a few more exchanges, Sasaki Fuyumi used hunger as an excuse to retreat into his home.
Once the door was closed, a sudden impulse struck him. He pressed his eye to the peephole and peered outside. When he'd shut the door earlier, he'd sensed that the couple's gaze towards him was a bit strange. Could they be bad people?
As a student living alone, Sasaki Fuyumi was actually quite vigilant.
Through the peephole, he saw Tanaka Yu and Yuki Rei still standing outside, not having left yet. Tanaka Yu seemed to be saying something to Yuki Rei, which displeased her, while Tanaka Yu looked abashed and apologized.
What were they talking about?
After watching the couple leave, Sasaki Fuyumi sat on the sofa, puzzled. But he soon forgot about it. His aunt called, asking if he'd eaten. He told her he had. She was busy, so she just told him to take care of himself and hung up.
...
Late at night.
Sasaki Fuyumi was in bed, about to sleep, when ripples appeared in his vision. Then, like a slideshow, images flashed before his eyes: Sasaki Fuyumi hiding by the back door, filming Sato Ruri; Sasaki Fuyumi threatening Sato Ruri to her face; and Sasaki Fuyumi pressing his face against the back of the girl's skirt.
The final image froze on a scene in a room saturated with a girl's presence. Sato Ruri, her face flushed crimson, was taking off her underwear, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Then all the images vanished, and text emerged.
"Today's Scumbag Level: Average."
"Reward: 100 Scumbag Points."
"Comment: The Rookie Scumbag."
Huh?
Are you sure that comment isn't just an insult?
"Beep..."
"Exchange interface unlocked."
Sasaki Fuyumi heard a prompt sound in his ear, followed by the appearance of a light screen before him. At the top of the screen were the words "Exchange Interface."
Sasaki Fuyumi's heart raced with excitement. Although the Life Achievement System was a pit, seeing the exchange function appear made him feel everything he'd done up to now was worth it.
He quickly opened the exchange interface and browsed the available items. To his slight disappointment, the exchange interface only allowed the purchase of three items per day, refreshing after midnight. Moreover, the exchangeable items were somewhat different from what he'd imagined. At the very least, the cool superpowers he'd hoped for weren't there.
"Bare-Handed Blade Seizure: 200 Scumbag Points. After learning, the success rate for seizing a blade bare-handed is up to 60%. As proficiency increases, the success rate can be raised to 100%."
The corner of Sasaki Fuyumi's mouth twitched. He continued scrolling.
"Tough Skin: 50 Scumbag Points. Your skin becomes tough. Being slapped won't hurt."
"Keen Scent: 50 Scumbag Points. A keen sense of smell will help you remember every girl you've scumbagged. Once they enter within a ten-meter radius, you'll immediately detect them, avoiding the fate of being suddenly stabbed."
Sasaki Fuyumi: "..."
Damn it. Why are all the skills like this?
Sasaki Fuyumi's head spun just looking at them. It felt like every skill foreshadowed his future destiny. It seemed being a scumbag really wasn't easy.
However, even though he found these skills rather ominous, aside from "Tough Skin," the other two were actually quite valuable.
The problem was, he only had 100 Scumbag Points. Bare-Handed Blade Seizure required 200 points to exchange, and he wasn't entirely satisfied with Keen Scent.
Sasaki Fuyumi hesitated but ultimately decided against exchanging anything this time.
He checked the time. It had just passed midnight. It seemed that based on his performance during the day, a settlement happened every night at midnight. Most of the day he could act freely, with the system occasionally issuing route choices.
It was now past twelve, the start of a new day.
An idea struck Sasaki Fuyumi. He picked up his phone and sent Sato Ruri a message.
"You're not allowed to tell anyone about what happened yesterday. If you do, you know what'll happen."
Having threatened Sato Ruri, Sasaki Fuyumi went to sleep contentedly.
Sato Ruri, staring at the message he'd sent, had a very dark expression on her face.