There is a saying in this world.
There may be people who have never touched a gacha, but there is no such thing as a person who only pulled once.
True to that, I continued to pour the Crystals I earned from completing the first two chapters back into the gacha.
The catalyst was simple: I had just pulled an [S-Rank Bronya Zaychik: Black Nucleus (B)] Stigma.
This is precisely where the trap of gacha lies.
Once you pull a high-tier item, you suddenly feel a compulsive need to complete the set. You start thinking that since you were lucky enough to pull this, surely the next piece is just around the corner.
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[B-Rank Raiden Mei: Crimson Impulse (B)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[B-Rank Bronya Zaychik: Valkyrie Chariot (B)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[B-Rank Bronya Zaychik: Valkyrie Chariot (B)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[A-Rank Raiden Mei: Valkyrie Strike (T)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[A-Rank Bronya Zaychik: Yamabuki Armor (M)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[B-Rank Bronya Zaychik: Valkyrie Chariot (M)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[B-Rank Raiden Mei: Crimson Impulse (T)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[A-Rank Raiden Mei: Valkyrie Strike (B)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[A-Rank Bronya Zaychik: Yamabuki Armor (M)]
*Whirrrrr—Thump, Clang!*
[A-Rank Bronya Zaychik: Yamabuki Armor (B)]
I spent 3,165 Crystals from the main story and 195 from the Affection stories—a total of twelve 280-Crystal pulls. This was the harvest.
For Senior Mei's Valkyrie Strike set, I had everything except the (M) piece. For Bronya's Yamabuki Armor set, I was only missing the (T) piece.
As far as gacha results go, it wasn't a perfect meta-build, but it wasn't a bad run either.
I had basically secured almost every set except for one piece each.
"Move! I'm going to smash this trash game to pieces!"
"Kiana, please! Calm down!"
"Breaking the console won't change the RNG, Miss Kaslana!"
The problem was that someone else—someone who hadn't pulled a single piece of herself—was currently being restrained by Senior Mei and Welt. She was threatening to pull out a Greatsword and delete the game from existence.
Me? I was currently positioned in front of the console, physically blocking Kiana's blade-catching-tier overhead strike with my entire body.
Finally, we reached a dramatic compromise: I would focus on Kiana's Affection Story next. Only then did she finally settle down.
"...Maybe I should have thrown a tantrum too."
"Senior Mei, please, give me a break."
"I'm just kidding~"
Senior Mei stuck her tongue out and gave me a cute, mischievous look. I let out a long sigh.
That... was definitely a joke, right?
Regardless, I took Kiana into a few missions to start grinding her Affection levels. Once I reached the threshold, I unlocked the Bond Story.
[Oh, it's the Captain. Did you come here to watch a movie too?]
In the game, the story began with 'Me' going to the cinema on a day off and bumping into Kiana.
"Alright, that's where I need to pin you down! Fast!"
"Why are you trash-talking your in-game self...?"
Now that I think about it, I don't recall the Kiana from the past ever charging at me in a naked apron (with a swimsuit underneath) or following me on a couples' trip just to lick my back.
Back then, just like the original story, she seemed more interested in girls. She was constantly glued to Senior Mei, occasionally crossing the line into light harassment. To me, she was just a casual, easygoing friend. How did she turn into... this?
[I'm going to become the strongest Valkyrie ever. So... will you keep sticking with me?]
[I nodded at her words, and spent the rest of that day with her until late at night.]
"#Prime #Youth #LateAtNight #Maybe?"
"No, we just stayed late for combat training."
Stop adding suggestive tags to everything.
Besides, the characters in this game are minors. Those tags are going to trigger a content warning.
[...Huh? When did I fall asleep... Eh?]
[Are you awake?]
[Wha— Wait! Why am I on your back?!]
"Huh? Wait! I never did that in real life! I definitely never fell asleep on your back...!"
"Don't get jealous of your in-game self, Kiana..."
"Fine! Then do it for me this time!"
"That much isn't exactly hard."
"Yahoo!"
I gave a wry smile as Kiana cheered. Is being carried on someone's back really that exciting? To me, it felt like an odd thing to get so happy over.
As I was wondering, someone tapped me lightly on the shoulder.
"Yes? Senior Mei?"
"Um... me too... well..."
Senior Mei was blushing slightly, looking shy as she struggled to find the words. I knew exactly what she wanted.
"Ah, yes. If you'd like, I can give you a piggyback ride too, Senior Mei."
"Really?"
"Of course. It's not difficult at all."
A bright smile, like a blooming flower, spread across her face. I felt a sense of relief that my guess was right. However, I noticed Kiana suddenly puffing out her cheeks in a pout, looking disgruntled that I'd offered it to Mei as well.
After that minor episode, the Bond Story approached its climax.
[I won't give up...! Because you're always by my side! Because you're right there behind me, accepting even the weakest parts of who I am! That's why... this time, I'm going to stand right next to you!]
"Now, for the finale of the Bond Story, you just need to win a battle using her. Do that, and you'll get the ending along with her signature weapon," Welt explained.
"Got it."
Following Welt's advice, I watched the screen as an Emperor-class Ganesha prepared its rolling attack. I sighed and gripped the controller.
[Well, of course I'm going to win! What, you got a problem with that?]
Since it was a large boss, it was a bit of a struggle. I had to time my Time Fractures and whittle down its elite shield until it entered a stunned state. Then, I triggered Kiana's Ultimate, entering Burst Mode, and unleashed a flurry of attacks to finally take it down.
Still, the damage scaling on White Comet Kiana is pretty low, even in this game.
She isn't exactly the fastest type, either. She can juggle enemies, stun them, and trigger Time Fracture on her own, but that raw damage coefficient is just underwhelming. Fortunately, her shield-breaking capability is decent; otherwise, Ganesha would have taken all day.
"Captain, hurry! Let me see the ending!"
Unable to withstand Kiana's intense, sparkling gaze, I skipped to the ending cinematic immediately after the victory.
The screen showed Kiana framed by a golden sunset. She stood with her hands behind her back, grinning brilliantly at the camera.
[Thanks, Captain. I only won because you were there with me. So, I'm giving you a special privilege! You get to stay by my side and watch me become the strongest ever! So... um... I hope you'll always stay with me~]
With a flash of white light, the Bond Story concluded.
"...Huh? That's it?"
"Looks like it."
"What about what happens next? What about the marriage?!"
"Kiana, they're minors. Why would there be a marriage ending?"
In reality, they might be adults now, but in the game, these versions of them were still students. Since every Stigma had a different Bond Story, a 'best friends' ending was honestly more logical than a romantic one. If every Stigma pull ended in a marriage, the game's continuity would be a disaster. Plus, if they gave away the wedding ending now, who would bother playing the rest of the game?
"I don't accept this! They could have at least said they started dating, or showed them ten years later! This is just a 'friendship' ending! At least hint that they... you know... felt the vibe and had sex or something!"
"Mhm, mhm. Kiana is right," Senior Mei agreed, nodding along as she sided with her friend.
I let out another sigh, putting down the controller and stretching my stiff limbs. "Even if you say that... the characters are still minors. They wouldn't put scenes like that in. I bet even the adult characters in a game with this rating don't have those scenes."
"Actually, they do," Welt chimed in calmly.
"Excuse me?"
"For characters that are established as adults, the endings are... notably different."
A heavy silence descended upon the room. Slowly, I picked up the controller again.
Now that I thought about it, completing Chapter 1 unlocked the 'Side Story' modes. I had already unlocked Yae Sakura.
"Alright, let's play through Yae Sakura next!"
Both girls looked horrified and immediately tried to stop me. According to the game package, Yae Sakura was a special case; having been sealed for over 500 years, she was technically 555 years old, despite looking seventeen. She was classified as an adult.
In simple terms: there might be a 'special' scene.
"Are you planning to cheat on us?! With a wife and child in the other room!"
"Captain, think of how sad Bronya and Bronie would be! Let's stop here."
You two have absolutely no right to say that to me!
"I don't care! A fox-eared, busty shrine maiden... how can I possibly resist that combo!?"
Seeing my determination, Kiana changed tactics. She cupped her own chest and pushed it forward to emphasize her curves. "H-hey! I'm fairly well-endowed too! Am I not good enough for you?"
"No animal ears. Disqualified!"
"What?! Such an unfair reason!"
Kiana stared at me in disbelief, while Senior Mei began muttering to herself with terrifying seriousness. "...Does that mean my chances with the Captain would increase if I dressed up as a cat...?"
"Wait, is that what he means? No, wait! Mei, stop him first!"
"Let go of me!"
"You three... I think you all need to calm down for a second—"
I managed to peel the two of them off my arms as they tried to sabotage the console. Welt was saying something, but it didn't matter. The prospect of an adult fox-eared miko ending and the potential 'adult' scene was my priority. Expectation filling my chest, I began the Sakura story—
"Hoooh~ Is that so? Is that the kind of thing you're into, Dear?"
Or, I would have. If I hadn't been interrupted.
"Master Welt. It has been a while."
"You look well, Bronya."
"Hehe~ More than well. I'm feeling so energetic I feel like going wild."
The familiar voice behind me made my neck go stiff. I slowly turned around to see my wife smiling brightly as she greeted Welt.
"...Uh, how long have you been standing there, Wife?"
"Since the moment my Dear said, 'I don't care! A fox-eared, busty shrine maiden... how can I possibly resist that combo!?' right to Idiot Kiana and Mei's faces."
I immediately set the controller down and dropped into a polite, kneeling position.
"L-listen, please don't misunderstand. This is strictly for the sake of gaming. In reality, you are my absolute number-one priority, Bronya!"
"That is truly wonderful to hear. Fufu~"
"Hahaha..."
"Fufu~"
"Ahaha..."
After we shared a tense moment of 'laughter,' Bronya approached and gently stroked my hair with an affectionate hand.
"It's okay. To make sure you don't have any more naughty thoughts, I'm going to make sure you don't get a wink of sleep tonight. So don't worry, De.ar."
"...Eh?"
*Click!*
Before I knew it, a collar had been snapped around my neck. Bronya took hold of the attached chain and began dragging me toward the master bedroom.
A cold sweat broke out. As the leash tightened, I reached out one hand toward the others, my eyes pleading for a savior, for someone to stop this—
"Alright, my turn now!"
"It might be fun to make a custom avatar with the opposite gender and see what happens."
"I mean, seeing yourself get romanced might be weird... Master Welt, what's the drop rate for an S-rank again?"
"About 20%."
None of them so much as glanced in my direction.
You traitors!
The moment my body was fully dragged into the bedroom, the door slammed shut and locked automatically.
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