He thought he had gone too far with his words.
Yet…
Saki Kawasaki hadn't gained any disgust points.
Her face was flushed as she looked away.
Takumi Yuuya began to make some deductions.
Could it be that, because of what happened yesterday, Saki's affection level had remained stable?
Then he thought of Eriri Zaimura just now.
Mentioning Riki Aki had triggered her affection points.
What did this mean?
Answer: once someone enters a specific state, they won't gain disgust points.
Saki was in that state because of yesterday's events.
Eriri's state had been triggered by Takumi's apology.
The former could gain affection without disgust.
The latter could only gain affection when Riki Aki was mentioned.
Understanding this, Takumi sat up.
"Saki."
"Hm?"
Saki's face deepened in red as Takumi shifted the way he addressed her.
"Given your current grades, do you think you can get into your ideal university?" he asked.
"It's difficult. That's why I've been saving for cram school and planning to work even harder in my senior year," Saki replied, a little surprised.
"Why not start now?"
"Now?"
"I'll pay. You'll go to cram school."
"And what about my work?"
"You'll attend cram school, improve your grades, and then tutor me. I don't feel like going to regular classes, but if you tutor me, I'd actually listen."
"But…"
Saki hesitated.
Takumi gently held her small hand.
"No buts. I'm helping you purely to earn your affection."
"You'll be my maid now, and in the future, my secretary at my company."
"If you want, we can talk about romance; if not, you'll remain my most trusted confidante."
"Affection from Saki Kawasaki +50"
Takumi watched the virtual notification pop up on his screen.
He stood.
"Let's go. We'll find a cram school nearby, enroll today, and tomorrow after school, you can start classes."
"Th… thank you."
Saki got up and bowed to him.
At Soubu High, classes ended at 3:30 p.m.
Cram school ran until 6 p.m., and weekends had slightly longer sessions.
The annual fee was 700,000 yen.
Takumi didn't hesitate and paid it.
Saki filled out the paperwork beside him.
"Affection from Saki Kawasaki +50"
Takumi smiled at her.
With 100 affection points contributed by Saki, it was equivalent to unlocking a bronze treasure chest.
Minimum reward: 10 million yen.
He had spent only 700,000 yen and secured at least 10 million yen.
A major profit!
Even better…
Saki's affection level had probably crossed a critical threshold.
Once the forms were done, they left the cram school building.
Takumi naturally reached for Saki's hand.
She glanced at him and didn't pull away.
Not pulling away meant her affection was beyond mere friendship.
Not holding hands first meant it hadn't yet reached the "crush" stage.
Takumi understood Saki's status and planned his next moves carefully.
Back home, Saki changed back into her maid outfit.
Takumi opened his laptop.
"Saki, come watch a movie."
"Oh."
She went to the fridge, grabbed snacks and drinks for two, and sat beside him.
Takumi pressed play and held her small hand.
7 p.m.
Saki cleaned up the dishes, left the kitchen, and changed back into her regular clothes.
Takumi stood from the sofa.
"I've ordered a bed and wardrobe. They'll arrive tomorrow afternoon. Your maid outfit can stay in this room. If it's late, you can rest here for the night."
"I'm fine with that."
"You keep changing in my room. I'd develop… improper thoughts, but I don't have a girlfriend. So if I have those thoughts before bed, what should I do?"
Saki's face flushed as she turned away.
Takumi approached her.
"Let's go. I'll walk you home."
"Okay."
Saki nodded.
They rode bicycles together, winding through the streets until they reached the Kawasaki household.
"Thank you for bringing me home," Saki whispered.
"I've walked you home. Can I get a hug, Saki?" Takumi stopped the bike.
Saki froze for a moment.
When she recovered, Takumi was standing in front of her.
Blushing, she looked away.
He hugged her.
"My first hand-holding and my first hug… you got both. Any comments?"
"I… this is my first time holding hands with a boy. My first hug too," she admitted softly.
Takumi kissed her gently on the forehead.
"Alright, my first kiss is yours too."
"I…"
"Wait until you're ready to speak about it."
"Thank you."
"Saki, good night."
"Good night, Takumi-kun," she replied softly.
"Affection from Saki Kawasaki +50"
9 p.m.
Takumi changed into pajamas and left the bathroom.
He grabbed a can of cola from the fridge and sat on the sofa.
Opening the virtual screen, he checked his 160 points.
He tapped to open a bronze treasure chest.
"Congratulations, host, you've received 50 million yen."
Bronze Treasure Chest: 10
System: "Host has opened ten bronze treasure chests. Silver treasure chest unlocked."
Takumi stared at the new silver chest.
Checking the reward range, he gasped.
Silver treasure chest: 1,000 points each.
Rewards included company shares, real estate, and potions.
Shares were worth over one billion yen.
Real estate similarly valuable.
Potions were special items from a high-tech world.
Basic Physique Potion—enhances physical attributes.
Even a single bottle was worth over ten billion yen.
Its research value was unimaginable.
Of course, Takumi wasn't naive.
Handing it over for research? That would reveal his secrets.
Without absolute power, giving out rare items was like putting his life in someone else's hands.
He looked at the 1,000-point cost.
Ten bronze chests unlocked the silver chest.
Ten silver chests probably unlocked a gold chest.
Judging from bronze and silver prices, a gold chest would be 10,000 points.
Takumi sipped his cola.
10,000 points—this was tough to grind.
Unless…
"Add more targets," he thought after finishing the can.
But another worry appeared.
He only wanted affection or disgust points—he shouldn't trigger the Sei-go ending, right?