Hayakawa Aki tentatively called out Arthur's name, her voice growing soft and delicate.
Unknowingly, she had stopped chopping vegetables. Her hands turned limp, her body weak, and her legs trembled uncontrollably, barely able to hold her up.
Arthur was standing so close to her that the masculine scent of his pheromones overwhelmed her senses, rushing straight to her head.
Feeling the changes in Aki's body, Arthur couldn't hold back.
"Let me help you. You're injured after all. It'll be easier with my assistance."
As he spoke, Arthur gently reached out and held her small hand that was instinctively trying to pull away.
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's flustered emotion. System rewards 20 points.]
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's shy emotion. System rewards 20 points.]
"Don't be afraid, Aki."
Then, Arthur guided Aki's hand to grip the kitchen knife again.
Feeling the warmth of Arthur's body pressing tightly against her back, Aki's heartbeat accelerated rapidly, her breath becoming shallow. Her mind started racing with wild thoughts, and her eyes began to dart around uncontrollably.
Arthur, on the other hand, was doing great — the system's "ding ding ding" notifications were going off in his mind nonstop. Emboldened, he decided to push a little further.
His other hand slowly wrapped around Aki's slender waist, and he rested his chin gently on her shoulder. Warm breaths brushed against her ear rhythmically, teasing her nerves.
But just a few seconds later, Arthur suddenly frowned. Something felt off.
That sensation…
Underneath her Public Safety uniform, Aki's stomach was also wrapped in bandages. Judging from the feel of it, the bandaged area wasn't small.
Adding her abdomen to her already bandaged wrist and neck, that made three injuries in total — this wasn't a "minor" injury at all. It was definitely severe.
Arthur began to suspect that Aki had secretly sneaked out of the hospital. With injuries like that, no doctor with even a shred of ethics would've allowed her to get out of bed, let alone go out.
What the hell was she thinking? If she moved too much and her wounds reopened—
Alarmed, Arthur immediately let go and stepped back. Aki, sensing him pull away, secretly felt a wave of relief and could finally breathe properly.
However, along with that breath of relief came a faint sense of loss. Her heart felt complicated.
"Why… did you stop?"
She turned to Arthur, her eyes pleading, full of fragile charm.
Arthur didn't respond. Instead, he gently pushed her back toward the bed, made her lie down, and tucked her in — not even letting her sit up.
"Just lie here and don't move. I'll make the food."
Aki tried to protest, but seeing Arthur's serious expression, her lips trembled, and she finally nodded.
Satisfied, Arthur returned to the kitchen, picked up the ingredients she had been chopping, and continued cooking.
A while later—
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's euphoric emotion! System rewards 50 points!]
The system suddenly rang out in Arthur's mind, louder than before — and with a surprising 50-point reward.
Arthur paused, confused. He placed the lid on the pot and glanced toward his bed, only to see Aki curled up under the blanket, trembling slightly as if doing something strange.
He thought about it, then chose not to ask and just let her be.
Eventually, everything was ready. Arthur brought all the food to the heated kotatsu table and called Aki to eat.
Aki obediently came over. But Arthur couldn't help noticing her face — flushed red like a ripe apple, with visible steam rising off her body. She looked dazed, and he couldn't help but wonder what exactly she had done under his blanket.
The meal passed in silence. Neither of them spoke. By the second half, Aki seemed to have recovered somewhat, though her face remained deeply flushed.
"Ahh~ I'm stuffed~ So full~ This is the first time I've had Kobe beef since coming here. Thanks, Hayakawa Aki."
Arthur patted his full belly, satisfied.
Aki stared at him for a moment, then hesitated before speaking.
"Um… Arthur, I actually came here today because I have something important to ask you."
"Oh? What is it?"
"Our Division of Public Safety's Anti-Demon Task Force… my direct superior assigned me a mission yesterday. I'm supposed to go to a certain location tomorrow and eliminate a zombie devil hiding there. But… because of the unexpected bat devil incident at the mall today, I got injured. I'm afraid I might not be in the best shape to complete the mission, so I wanted to ask you… as a mercenary, would you help me? Of course, I'll pay you. Here's the down payment."
As she spoke, Aki pulled out a bank card from her pocket and placed it on the kotatsu.
"There's 200,000 yen on it. Sorry, this is all I can offer upfront for now."
Arthur suddenly remembered telling her he was a mercenary. At the time, it was just something cool he'd said offhand.
"You know… you should really be in a hospital resting. That bat devil wasn't your fault. Your injuries count as work-related, so you could just explain it to Makima. I'm sure she'd approve a leave for you."
Aki looked surprised. "You… know Miss Makima?"
Arthur smiled. "I read the papers from time to time."
It wasn't a slip-up. The Public Safety Anti-Demon Task Force was an official organization, so Makima's name and photo had appeared in the news before.
Aki looked down, her expression dim. "I… I admire Miss Makima a lot. She's the person I respect the most. I don't want to let her down. You're strong… and a mercenary… so I thought…"
Her voice gradually faded until it was inaudible.
Arthur looked at her and sighed.
"Alright, I'll help. Just give me the location."
Aki's eyes lit up.
"Thank you! Arthur!"
[Ding~ Detected Hayakawa Aki's grateful emotion. System rewards 5 points.]
With that, everything was decided. They agreed that Aki would come find Arthur the next afternoon, and together they would eliminate the hidden zombie devil.
They chatted a bit more about daily life. Aki laughed heartily at Arthur's jokes, unable to stop smiling.
As night fell, Aki finally left.
Arthur walked her out and then returned to his bed, lying down and thinking about tomorrow's plan.
"Zombie devil, huh…"
Clenching his empty hands, Arthur decided to buy a weapon for protection.
He opened his system panel to check his current points. After all the "close-contact games" with Aki, he had earned 632 points in total.
"More than I expected."
Arthur opened the store and searched for the name "Sasaki Kojirō."
---
[Available Playable Character]
[Sasaki Kojirō]
[Class Abilities:]
– Presence Concealment
(All skills and weapons automatically unlock upon purchase)
[Unique Skills:]
– Mind's Eye (Fake): 100 points
– Transparency: 300 points
– Munen Musō's Technique: 500 points
[Weapons:]
– Monohoshizao (Drying Pole): 50 points
[Noble Phantasm:]
– Tsubame Gaeshi: 5000 points
[Total System Points Required: 5950]