After the intense session with the Yuki Onna.
She had briefly passed out, but quickly dressed and fled from the shrine. I, meanwhile, spent a good while tidying up the mess before heading down myself.
Well, it wasn't all bad.
'I proved a snow woman's pussy can be warm, didn't I? Time for a drink~'
Even setting aside that rather foolish justification, the gains this time were substantial.
Aphrodisiacs worked on yokai too, and…
[Status]
[Yuki Onna]
[Corruption: 20%]
[Lustfulness: 2%]
[Developed Areas▼]
[Capture Progress: 20%]
A dedicated screen appeared for those I'd slept with.
Staring at the Yuki Onna's panel, I mused.
'It's lower than I expected overall?'
Given her behavior, I'd figured everything would top 50%, but it wasn't even 30%.
'I wonder what happens at 100%.'
With that thought, I dismissed the screen.
Then I strolled along the sidewalk, pondering.
'For now, things are mostly on track.'
Capturing Miyuki was now just a matter of money, and the Yuki Onna experiment had succeeded.
Pretty solid progress.
But one thing still wasn't clicking.
'Bitcoin.'
Bitcoin, of all things.
It wasn't an issue with Bitcoin itself.
The problem was…
'Gathering the starting capital is brutal.'
A severe shortage of seed money, and…
'It's messing up my mining plans.'
I had grander ambitions.
Originally, the idea was to buy some Bitcoin, hodl it, and head to Mars.
But…
'I've regressed to the past. Am I really settling for that?'
Any other returnee or reincarnator would laugh.
I would too.
So I couldn't waste this money-multiplying glitch.
That's why I planned to scale up the operation, but sadly, I lacked one key thing.
Yes. Money.
Initial capital was essential for anything.
I needed it, but I was flat broke.
If that were all, it might not be disastrous.
Conquering Miyuki would solve the money issue somewhat.
But there was another critical hurdle.
'I have no talent.'
Manpower.
If I were just buying Bitcoin, no worries.
But mining required skilled people.
Here's the thing: does anyone here know how to mine Bitcoin?
Probably not. It's fine—I don't either.
I needed experts, but…
'No connections. It's killing me.'
I didn't know a soul in the field. Everything was lacking.
Time would fix it, sure, but…
'Then it'll be too late.'
By the time I found a computer whiz or crypto guru, the first halving would've hit—the point when mining rewards halve.
The losses in that window…
'Ugh. My gut's twisting!'
It hurt like hell. If it were an unclimbable tree, fine. But missing a climbable one due to my own shortcomings?
Of course it stung worse.
After walking a while with that ache in my stomach.
I snapped out of it and pulled myself together.
'Hoo. Alright. First, finish conquering Miyuki, secure the funds, then hunt for talent.'
Whining wouldn't help now.
Takuya thought as much and continued down the sunset-lit road.
***
A few days later.
Still no word from Miyuki.
No contact made me worry something had happened, so I checked the screen and asked Souta. He said she was fine.
Then why the silence?
My mind spun wild scenarios.
'Did her husband find out? Did she betray me?!'
I even pictured the worst, but it seemed unlikely. I shook it off with a quick tilt of my head.
While waiting, I hadn't been idle.
-Clack!
"Oh! It went over!"
"5252~ No way, for real~!"
"Kuh! You're too good?!"
I'd been hitting the neighborhood, dominating mini-games.
Preparing for the chance Miyuki couldn't lend the money.
Thanks to that, I crushed various games, and along the way…
"As expected of the [King of Ddakji]! Insane skills!"
"Huh? I heard he's the [Emperor of Chicken Fights]?"
"What're you on about! He's the [God of Jump Rope]!"
I'd gained quite the reputation among kids and adults alike.
It made sense. Any time someone bet on a game, I'd challenge them.
Not just one or two, but nearly eight different kinds.
I'd built a solid following.
"Win! King!"
"Show us your power!"
"You gotta win!"
The park echoed with cheers, but I just thought…
'What am I, some kind of Pok*mon…'
That's all.
After another victory, Takuya addressed the hyped crowd.
"I'll call it here to pace myself!"
I wanted more, but the crowd was too fired up. Had to stop.
After dispersing them, I left the park and sighed.
"Hoo… So boring. Why do they show up every day?"
My so-called fans never tired of watching.
No idea why. They claimed I had captivating charisma.
Really? Did I?
'Honestly, no clue.'
Either way, the nuisances multiplied, and my earnings dwindled.
I gauged today's haul by the jingle in my pocket.
'About 1,000 yen.'
Roughly 10,000 won for some games, but I'd made 50,000 won the day before yesterday. Felt like a rip-off.
Anyway, after wrapping up the mini-games and wandering for item drops, a woman on the roadside caught my eye.
No. More precisely, she demanded attention.
'Whoa. Massive.'
Her breasts and ass were enormous—beyond generous.
'Is that what they call a "boob-monster"?'
She perfectly fit the crude term I'd seen online.
That vulgar thought flashed, then…
'Well, free eye candy.'
I was about to move on.
Naturally.
What, approach her just because of those tits?
I had to conserve aphrodisiacs. No wasting them here, and…
'Something's off.'
She didn't seem normal.
Because…
'She's been staring at ants hauling food for minutes.'
In the time I ogled her chest, she hadn't budged, fixated on the ground.
And it wasn't just that.
"Hehe. You guys are working hard, huh? Fighting! Fighting!"
Who talks to ants and stays sane?
I decided she was a bit unhinged and moved to pass by.
Just as I neared the boob-monster.
-Baaang!
A car barreled from behind. I barely dodged, but…
'She won't make it!'
The woman, lost in the ants, had no chance.
For a split second, I considered looking away, but…
'I can save her! I should!'
I couldn't ignore it. I lunged, shoving her into the adjacent field.
"Whoa?!"
"Hang on!"
We tumbled into the farmland.
Luckily, no rocks—just dirt on our clothes. We landed safely, unharmed.
"Ugh."
She groaned in pain but seemed fine otherwise.
I checked on her, then climbed out of the field.
The car was long gone.
I unleashed a tirade in its direction.
"You bastards! Drive like that again, you sons of bitches!"
It vented my frustration.
After cursing freely, I returned to help her up.
"Wow, a prince?"
Those words hit me first.
For some reason, a headache brewed, just like when I met Misaki.
Damn it.