"Eh?"
"Ehh??"
"Euuhhhhhhh?!!!"
Tsubaki stumbled back, eyes widening. She stared at Yusuke in disbelief, her mind going completely blank as strange noises poured out of her mouth. Her brain hadn't even recovered from Yusuke's first 'attack', and now he had hit her with an even more devastating 'attack'!
How? How did he know? How did he know that she liked him?
Was she that obvious? Thinking about it, yeah, she had probably been too obvious. Even if Yusuke-kun was a little slow, he would still notice eventually.
But... why is Yusuke-kun asking something like this? Did he find her annoying and want to push her away?
No, that was impossible! Yusuke-kun just said she was beautiful! He wouldn't say that if he wanted to dump her!
But... if he did dislike her... what should she do? Kidnap him? Drag him off to some remote place and live with him forever? But if she did that, he would never come to love her. He'd hate her forever. And besides, there were still those other women chasing after him.
What to do...
What to do...
As she spiraled deeper into thought, her expression flickered through anxiety, happiness, sadness, and more. It was a chaotic cocktail of emotion that Yusuke had never seen on a person's face before.
"Tsubaki-sempai," Yusuke patted her head gently, his hand softly brushing through her hair as he spoke in a very calm voice, "You don't have to answer. I already know what your answer is."
"I'm really happy that you have feelings for me." His hand slid down to her face as he caressed her cheek, speaking with a gentle smile.
"R-really?!!!" Tsubaki snapped out of her mental storm and shouted, her eyes shining with excitement and overwhelming happiness.
Yusuke's words weren't just what she had been hoping to hear right now! No! They were the exact words she had been dreaming of ever since she fell in love with him, ever since the very first time she laid eyes on him!
Her already red face turned crimson with excitement. Her pupils transformed into pink hearts. Her heart pounded so loudly it felt like a drum solo in her chest. Her breathing became heavy, steam practically puffing out from her mouth like she was a love-struck kettle on the verge of explosion. Her lower stomach fluttered like butterflies were throwing a rave inside, and her nether region started to grow wet at an increasingly alarming pace.
"However..." Yusuke waited silently for her to calm down before he continued speaking, "Tsubaki-senpai, you won't be like the others, right?"
He had hesitated for a long time before saying this. If it wasn't for the bitch system repeatedly assuring him that this method would work, he would have never chosen it. He wouldn't have even thought about it.
"Ehh? What do you mean, Yusuke-san?" Tsubaki blinked, completely puzzled. Her eyes sparkled with confusion. Why did the conversation suddenly veer off like this? Weren't they supposed to be confirming their feelings? Deciding whether to go to her place or his to fuck? Why was he asking her such strange things now?
"Is this really going to work?" Yusuke asked the system.
[There is an 80% chance that this method will work on this woman,] the system replied confidently.
Yusuke gently took Tsubaki's hand and led her to a nearby bench. After sitting down beside her, he spoke with a slightly melancholic tone, "There have been a lot of women who claimed to be in love with me, but all of them ended up trying to force that love on me, one way or another."
"Even Murayama and Aika are like that. They've been stalking me for a long time, sneaking into my place, spying on me."
"Just last night, Kalawarna-sensei tried to kidnap me with one of her friends. Luckily, I managed to escape."
Yes, this was the method the system had proposed. It reasoned that although Tsubaki was just as obsessive as the other women, she was much tamer than even Aika. All this time, she had been restraining herself, never making any move against Aika or Murayama, and not even trying to kidnap Yusuke.
Even when she tried to approach him, she had been very cautious not to scare him, which showed that she was someone who wanted to earn his love first before even considering the idea of forcing him.
The system's idea was for him to be open with her about his problems and make her feel like she was a special woman to him, someone he could trust and fight alongside against the other women.
Yusuke was skeptical about this. After what happened with Kalawarna, he did not trust any of the yanderes around him, not even Aika or Murayama.
But the system guaranteed there was a high chance this method would work. After thinking it over for a long time, Yusuke decided to give it a shot. The bitch system had a very bitchy attitude and always threw low jabs at him. Still, aside from her trash-scanning abilities, she had been somewhat reliable all this time.
"Yusuke-kun!" Tsubaki's horniness vanished in an instant, her face turning pale when she saw his sad expression. Without thinking, she reached out and took both his hands in hers. The more she listened, the heavier the guilt weighed on her.
She felt disgusted with herself because just moments ago, the idea of kidnapping him had crossed her mind.
She had always been focused on how to get him and how to deal with the other women, but never once spared a thought for how Yusuke was feeling. The more she thought about it, the deeper her guilt and disgust grew. How dare she claim to love him? Wasn't she just as selfish as the other women who tried to hurt him?
At the same time, a fierce fury ignited inside her when she learned that bitch Kalawarna had actually tried to attack him. But wait, Yusuke was already incredibly strong. How did that woman even manage to try kidnapping him? Was she a mage or some kind of supernatural being? If so, how had she hidden from them all this time?
Yusuke's eyes turned red as he gripped Tsubaki's hand tightly. "I've been living in constant paranoia lately, always afraid someone might suddenly kidnap me and lock me away somewhere."
"It got so bad that I couldn't even walk into a place with women without feeling scared."
"Earlier, when I spoke to Rias-senpai and Akeno-senpai, they gave me the same vibe as Kalawarna-sensei. Maybe they'll try to attack me someday, too."
The more he spoke, the more emotional he became. At first, he was just following the system's plan, but soon he found himself venting all the feelings he'd been holding inside.
[Tsk, tsk, you're getting the hang of this. This is your first step in learning how to manipulate women,] the system commented on his performance.
"I don't have any family or friends in this world," Yusuke stared at Tsubaki with desperate eyes, "Tsubaki-senpai, you are the only person I feel I can trust. Can you promise you won't betray me?"
'You are the only person I can trust!'
'The only person!'
'The only person!'
'The only one I love!'
'I love you!'
His words echoed in Tsubaki's mind on a loop, twisting and warping into things he never actually said. Her breathing grew heavy as she leaned closer and whispered, "Yes! I love you too, Yusuke-kun! You can trust me. I'll do anything for you!"
The moment she said it, she squealed in her mind like a little girl. 'I did it! I confessed my love! There is no turning back! Kyaaaa!'
"Really? You're not lying to me, right?" Yusuke stared at her with hopeful eyes. It was as if he couldn't fully believe what she had just said, or maybe he was afraid that she was only trying to deceive him.
"Mmm, I will always be by Yusuke-kun's side. I'll always support you no matter what happens. Isn't that what lovers do?" Tsubaki smiled gently. Despite the obsessive look in her eyes and the hot breath escaping her lips, she reached out and pulled Yusuke into her embrace, pressing his face into her large breasts.
"It must have been hard on you, Yusuke-kun, but it's alright now. You're no longer alone."
"You can depend on me."
"Tsubaki..." Yusuke let his face stay buried between her large, soft breasts, his arms wrapping around her waist. However, unlike Tsubaki, who was drowning in happiness, Yusuke was in full alarm mode. If Tsubaki did anything suspicious, he was ready to snap her spine on the spot.
'Her submission value is still stuck at 60. Is this really going to work?' Yusuke waited for the system notification, but even after a long pause, nothing showed up. So he asked.
[No wonder you always get dumped. Seal the deal, motherfucker. Kiss her!] If the system had arms, she would've facepalmed at his stupidity.
'I'll let it slide for now, bitch.' Yusuke's face darkened. Why did this bitch always know where to hit?
He broke free from Tsubaki's soft pillows and stared at her with affectionate eyes. Her heterochromic gaze met his, and no matter how many times he looked into them, they always managed to mesmerize him. If this were a normal situation, he might've died from happiness just having a beautiful woman like her fall in love with him.
Unfortunately, he could no longer bring himself to believe any of these women. They were too unstable, too unpredictable. One second, they were confessing their eternal love, the next, they were stabbing a plushie version of him while whispering sweet nothings.
"Yusuke-kun..." Tsubaki muttered; her breath was shaky and uneven. She could feel what was about to happen. His eyes were locked onto her, and in them, she saw her reflection. Her heart pounded harder. Her head felt light. Everything about today felt like a dream that refused to end.
"Tsubaki," Yusuke said as he leaned in, feeling her heavy breath brush against his face before he pressed his lips to hers.
[Ding!]
[Tsubaki Shinra's submission +1]
[Tsubaki Shinra's submission: 61 (Dependent)]
[Tsubaki Shinra's submission +1]
[Tsubaki Shinra's submission +1]
[Tsubaki Shinra's submission +1]