Chapter 45. Capturing Lumi (2)
Me: When do you want to meet today?
"Uh, what should I do?"
Even after sending the message, Lumi couldn't calm her pounding heart.
She clutched the bear plushie "Daya" under one arm and the rabbit plushie "Ruby" under the other while staring at her smartwatch as if her eyes might pop out.
Ever since that vulgar act she first did with Lee Hoyeon... Lumi's body had become increasingly lewd.
Now, it was to the point where she could barely calm herself alone. In the end, she overcame her timid nature and took the initiative to ask for a date.
Hoyeon: Want to meet up a little early and hang out? How about after lunch?
Me: Yes. Got it!
It was 9 AM. There was still plenty of time before their appointment.
Honestly, she wanted to go straight to drinking, claim she had a headache, and drag him to a motel... but that would seem too vulgar. Too perverted... He might even dislike her for it, Lumi thought.
"H-Huh? But what if he doesn't do it this time?"
Last time, Lee Hoyeon had been too drunk to remember, but this time could be different. Maybe a sober Lee Hoyeon would just lie next to her in bed and fall asleep instead.
"M-Maybe I should get him really drunk first... What should I do...?"
Finally, Lumi was facing a normal dilemma.
"Then, should I... should I ask him to date me? No, no, no, that's ridiculous. Hoyeon would date someone much prettier than me."
Like Lucy, for example. Lumi felt a little burdened by Lucy's overprotectiveness, but she loved her more than anyone else in the world.
Though her lust had driven her to ask for a date, Lumi's self-esteem was still low.
"Then, should I seduce him with my body...? Last time, I said I couldn't take it anymore, and then Hoyeon followed..."
Just imagining that moment made Lumi's face heat up, and she felt her pussy getting wet.
As part of her daily routine, Lumi slipped her hand into her panties before catching herself.
"N-No! I have to wash up and get ready...!"
Squish. Squish.
But she couldn't stop her fingers, already in motion.
"Hng, well... I do have time, so maybe just a little..."
Hngh. Haang. Huuuuh...!
As she lightly rubbed her now swollen clit, moans spilled from her lips.
"Hoyeon, ahhh, hngh! Haaahk!"
Pinching her already well-developed nipples and clit, she amplified the pleasure. Ever since meeting Lee Hoyeon, she had masturbated daily, and by now, even the slightest stimulation sent her over the edge.
"Ahhh... please... more, more...!"
She moved her fingers, recalling every detail of how Lee Hoyeon had pleasured her that night.
In the past few days, reaching orgasm just once wasn't enough. Her body became more sensitive after climaxing, but instead of slowing down, Lumi's fingers moved even faster.
"Hnnng... Hoyeon, there, right there... Haaang!"
Lumi indulged in hours of masturbation until Lucy messaged her, asking what she was doing on a weekend. Snapping back to reality, she hurried to get ready to go out.
*
I sent a reply to Lumi.
Lately, Lumi had been messaging me first more often.
That was pretty rare in the game. Was her body really burning up that much?
"Can someone really turn into that much of a pervert after just one time...?"
Of course, since the heroines in this eroge were modeled that way, once they experienced sex, their libido exploded.
The game was renowned for its top-tier H-scenes, after all.
"Eh, whatever. I don't care."
Since we were meeting after lunch, I decided to head to the black market early in the morning.
My goal was, of course, the 'pharmacy.'
This time, I had no time to browse, so I went straight there.
Passing by some familiar bulky figures, I entered the musty-smelling store.
"Welcome~ Oh? Isn't this the kid who ran off after just testing the samples? Finally here to make a real purchase?"
"Yeah, yeah. That's me."
I brushed off the pharmacist's greeting.
True to his drug dealer persona, his speech was as crude as ever.
"So? That girl must be going crazy for you, huh? What'll it be this time?"
"I need something that's not too obvious."
"Ahaha, I get it. Even guys like you crave a little extra spice sometimes, huh? Alright, gotcha."
While other miscellaneous drugs were displayed openly for me to pick and choose from, aphrodisiacs were kept in a hidden section behind the counter.
I had no choice but to rely on recommendations.
After a moment, the pharmacist brought out a bundle and spread it before me.
"Here, this is an incense. Good for setting the mood, but if you don't normally use stuff like this, it might feel awkward... well, your call. This is a powdered drug—odorless and tasteless, but expensive. Still, it's the safest bet. You can even mix it into bottled water without getting caught. And this..."
I examined the items using my status window as the shopkeeper introduced them.
One particular item caught my eye.
"What's this perfume?"
"Ahh, you've got a good eye. This is pheromone perfume. It's similar to the incense, but unlike incense, it enhances existing charm rather than just creating an artificial atmosphere... Hmm. Yeah, this is perfect for you."
The pharmacist shoved the perfume toward me before even finishing his sentence.
I had already read the description and decided it was perfect for me.
This guy knew how to do business.
"Perfume's a bit pricey. You sure?"
"Yeah. It's fine."
I had brought a fat stack of cash, so no worries there.
After finishing my shopping, I left the pharmacy.
"Shit, why the fuck does a single bottle of perfume cost millions? Damn thieves."
────[ Pheromone Perfume ]────
▶ Grade: High
▶ Contains an enchantment that amplifies and strengthens male pheromones.
▶ Processed with ritual magic rather than mana, making it undetectable by mana detection spells.
-────────────
Ritual magic.
That's why this tiny bottle of pheromone perfume was so damn expensive.
There are various ways to process mana.
Just as people have different talents, the ability to manipulate mana also varies from person to person.
Some individuals are born with unique abilities and have refined them over generations.
Most of these people belong to small ethnic groups in Africa or China, where they have developed a discipline separate from magic—shamanism.
Since few people understand shamanism and it remains largely hidden, most would have a hard time detecting it.
If it had a direct physical effect, someone might notice, but in the case of something like perfume, it would be nearly impossible to tell.
Of course, there's a bit of convenience in this eroge's setting. In the end, shamanism still utilizes mana, so wouldn't it be a setting flaw for magicians to be unable to detect it?
Maybe someone like Im Sol could recognize it.
I thought about testing its effect on my way back, but my status window wouldn't lie.
Even after finishing my shopping, I still had plenty of time left, so I returned to the dormitory.
Liliana had been holed up in her room since yesterday.
She used to come out, eat meals with me, and chat about random things, but lately, she seemed to be ordering delivery food when I wasn't around.
'What's up with her?'
A rebellious phase?
I should probably talk to her after I finish my urgent business.
And that urgent business was, of course, my date with Lumi.
I had taken a light shower in the morning, but today, I needed to make sure I smelled perfect.
I washed up thoroughly and dressed sharply.
Checking my reflection in the mirror, I felt satisfied with my appearance.
As the appointed time approached, I headed to our meeting spot.
We had agreed to meet at the Victoria Academy shopping district, so I walked there at a leisurely pace.
When I arrived, Lumi was already waiting for me.
She spotted me first and waved excitedly.
"A-Ah, hello!"
Lumi was wearing a pink one-piece dress.
The overall look was cute, but her curvy figure gave off a sexy vibe as well.
Normally, Lumi always stuck to her academy uniform as part of her image, so the fact that she wore casual clothes today meant she was determined to make something happen.
Her nervous, stiff demeanor was adorable, so I smiled as I approached her.
"Why are you dressed up so prettily today?"
"W-What? Oh, um... I just haven't gone out in a while..."
Well, considering she had no friends besides Lucy, she probably hadn't gone out since our last outing together.
Lucy was so overprotective that she never took Lumi to crowded places.
"Yeah, Lucy is way too protective."
"R-Right! I can do things on my own now!"
I matched my pace with Lumi as we walked.
She chatted about training, anime, and street food, while I responded with the most enthusiastic reactions I could muster.
Since the shopping district was packed, we naturally drew attention just by walking around.
Walking with a beautiful girl like this definitely boosted my confidence.
"Whoa, that guy is seriously good-looking."
"The girl next to him is super pretty too."
"Yeah, but... I dunno. She's pretty, but the guy just overshadows her."
"Shut up, dude. Like you'd ever date someone that hot in your life."
"You bastard—! Hey! You wanna die?!"
Some people were just full of energy.
Still, talking that loudly where everyone could hear was a bit much.
"S-Sorry. You probably don't want to be seen with someone like me..."
"What are you talking about? I love walking around with a beauty like you."
Every passing guy stole a glance at Lumi.
That's just how stunning she was.
To the point where I wondered if I even deserved to be next to her.
"T-Thank you."
Her cheeks turned red just from a simple compliment. Cute.
"S-So, where are we going?"
Lumi asked as we kept walking through the shopping district.
Oh, I had planned everything but forgot to tell her.
"You already had lunch, right? We've got time before dinner, so let's go have some fun. There are tons of places nearby."
"Sounds great!"
Lumi beamed at the idea of going out to play.
----------------------
『A sub-quest has been transmitted.』
[From Start to Finish!]
Lumi's affection and libido have reached a level where she is fully capturable!
Complete today's date perfectly from start to finish!
Clear Conditions: Experience 3 new things with Lumi (0/3). Take Lumi's first time (0/1).
- Reward: +3 Random Stats, Body Becomes Sweet.
----------------------
A quest popped up, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
'My goal today was to take her virginity anyway, but she's already capturable?'
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lumi]
- [ Affection: 70 ]
- [ Lust: 85 ]
- [ Appetite: 15 ]
- [ Fatigue: 50 ]
I checked Lumi's status window.
'What the hell did I do to make both her affection and libido spike like this?'
Her affection was still a bit low for a full capture, but with libido at 85 or higher, sex could boost her affection to the necessary level.
The original players called this the 'Self-Locking Route.' Of course, in the game, setting up the right conditions for sex was much harder.
I had already planned a full date and prepared for the big moment, but the reward bothered me.
'What does "Body Becomes Sweet" even mean?'
Ah, whatever. A reward is a reward.
"Hoyeon?"
Lumi called out when I stopped walking, looking at me curiously.
"Sorry, I got distracted for a second. Let's go. First, we're hitting the claw machine shop. That okay?"
"Yes! Do you think they'll have rabbit plushies there?"
"Probably."
*
The sky was darkening.
Lumi and I sat in a bar called 'Old Man's Soju' and chatted about our day.
"Today was seriously so much fun!"
Lumi grinned, hugging a rabbit plushie that was almost as big as she was.
Capturing Lumi was simple.
First, she loved cute things. Second, she loved sweets.
We started with the claw machine shop, then hit a macaron café that was popular among female students—I had luckily managed to reserve the last available spot yesterday.
After that, we went to karaoke, where I sang Lumi's favorite anime songs with her. Good thing I had crammed some lyrics beforehand.
I made sure we only did things she enjoyed but had never tried before. If she hadn't had fun, I would've been disappointed.
Watching Lumi happily eat her favorite tteokbokki at the end of our day made me feel good as well.
"I'm glad you had fun. I had a great time too—especially the claw machines and karaoke."
"Me too! I haven't named it yet, but I won a rabbit plushie! And we sang together... and, um..."
Lumi continued chatting with me while finishing off her tteokbokki.
Even after we paid and left, we kept enjoying our conversation.
"Now that I think about it, we haven't actually had any alcohol yet. That was the whole point of meeting up."
"A-Ah! H-How could this happen?"
Lumi's eyes widened in shock, as if she had made a huge mistake.
"But since that was the reason we met... should we go back?"
She asked in a cautious, soft voice while glancing at me for approval. It was incredibly cute.
"I mean, we had fun, didn't we? How about we just call it a night here?"
"Uh... um..."
I teased her while watching her flustered reaction.
"It's already late. Unless you get drunk like last time and things just happen, shouldn't you head back to your dorm?"
"Y-Yes... Y-You're right..."
"Then let's call it a night. We can hang out again next time."
I turned around as if I was about to leave.
Grab.
Lumi clutched the hem of my clothes from behind.
When I turned back to look at her, her face was completely flushed, and she hung her head low.
"Uh... um..."
"Hmm? What's wrong? Got something to say?"
"I... um..."
Sigh, this wasn't going to go anywhere at this rate.
While Lumi mumbled with her head down, I took out my [Pheromone Perfume] and sprayed it on myself.
Then, I firmly grasped the hand that was gripping my clothes and gently lifted her chin with my other hand.
"H-Huh?"
★ Heroine Status Window
[Lumi]
- [ Affection: 82 ]
- [ Lust: 94 ]
- [ Appetite: 15 ]
- [ Fatigue: 50 ]
The date had increased her affection, and now that I was about to leave, her libido spiked to 94.
That should be enough.
I closed the distance between us just enough for her to take in my scent.
"Lumi, we're friends, right?"
"Y-Yes. Of course! W-Why do you ask...?"
She spoke in a small, nervous voice, slightly shrinking back.
"Actually, I remember everything from the last time we drank. And I know you do too."
"Huh? Eh? W-Wait—AHHH! Mmph!"
Lumi started to scream in embarrassment, so I quickly covered her mouth.
"Mmph!"
"Lumi, we're friends. But I think it's time to take a step forward. I'll let go of your mouth, so calm down and answer me."
"Phew. What do you mean by taking a step forward? And if you remembered, you should have told me...!"
"You hid it too."
"W-Well, yeah, but...!"
"That's why we should deepen our relationship. We already share secrets."
"S-Secrets... friends...?"
The name didn't really matter. What mattered was that we were more than just friends.
"Yeah, let's be secret friends. We can't tell Lucy about this."
"K-Keeping it secret from Lucy too..."
"Yeah, especially what we're going to do tonight. That has to stay a secret. Got it?"
"Y-Y-Yes... I'll keep it a secret..."
Holding Lumi's hand, I started walking forward.
Lumi's face turned completely red, as if she had an idea of what was coming next.