Things developing like this were completely beyond my expectations.
I originally only held a purely altruistic intention to help others, yet I never expected that Momoi, who usually looked the most simple minded, was actually the one hiding things the deepest.
Thinking about it carefully, it was not strange at all. As a hardcore gamer, Momoi must have played many galgames. She was simply more pure hearted. If one assumed she had no awareness at all in this regard, that would truly be underestimating her.
Of course, the truly decisive factor was still my own charm, so irresistible that even a game obsessed Momoi could not help but be moved by it.
Even after returning to Schale, I still remembered the sight of the girl fleeing in panic, and could still recall the peach like sweetness I tasted before that.
Just as I was about to take a shower, I received messages from the girl with whom I had inexplicably formed a special relationship.
Momoi: ...Forget it.
Me: I can't.
Momoi: It was just a reward CG, don't think too much!
Me: I can't.
Momoi: Ugh... so unfair...
Momoi: Th-then, today's matter should just be a secret between the two of us...
Momoi: Don't tell anyone else.
Momoi: Especially Midori!
The way she said that almost made me laugh. You really are a good big sister.
Me: I can do that.
Momoi: Why are you only replying with this sentence pattern? It's so annoying.
Momoi: Anyway, it absolutely has to stay secret!!
Me: Okay. Does that include our relationship too?
Momoi: W-what relationship!? Didn't I say it was just a simulation!
Looks like her mind was probably in complete chaos right now.
Because her reactions were too cute, I teased Momoi a few more times, until she sent more than ten pink cat emojis holding two kitchen knives. Only then did I put my phone down and go take a shower.
After soaking in the bathtub and washing away the fatigue from my body, I picked up my phone again and saw the last message she sent, which made me smile unconsciously.
Momoi: Th-that... I had a lot of fun today.
Momoi: Thank you.
Recalling everything that happened that day, I could not help but sigh. The ones I actively wanted to capture could not be captured, while the one I had no intention of capturing at all came over and offered herself up. Truly, intentional planting yields no flowers, while unintentional willows grow into shade.
Then, with everything ready, it was time to take a look at the true nature of this unexpected delight.
Sitting upright in front of the coffee table, I raised the card high, my gaze sharp. "Momoi. Right here and right now, show me your true talent!"
As I focused my attention, a light screen filled my entire field of vision. With anticipation in my heart, I looked directly at the newest sequence that had appeared at the very end.
——
Conversion Authority: [Creative Conception]
Description: Can transmit [Creative Conception].pdf to electronic devices
Source: Saiba Momoi capture successful
——
"...Huh?"
Confusion, comparison, repeated confirmation.
Contemplation, despair, beginning to question.
Honestly speaking, was there something wrong with Millennium's rewards?
The three Millennium students I had successfully captured so far, Yuuka, Kotama, and Momoi, all had this type of authority...
According to my previous conjecture, authority was most likely related to traits inherent to the captured target. Then what was the commonality among the three of them?
It could not be that they were all extremely easy, or that they all attended Millennium... actually, the latter might really be possible.
Compared to other schools, Millennium Science School had a major difference in that its students were generally better at research and learning than combat.
Although I was very unwilling to admit it, Momoi could barely be classified into this category as well.
And included within this category were also...
Just thinking further along this line sent a chill down my spine, and I hurriedly stopped myself.
Wow, that was way too scary. Better not guess any further.
If I really ended up getting more than ten of these... forget it, at least I would be able to launch even more intense DDOS attacks on Kei.
Incidentally, I later gave some more thought to the judgment conditions of the cards, and felt that harboring romantic feelings toward me was indeed a necessary prerequisite.
At the very least, those who met the conditions were clearly all in love with me.
But in Kivotos, how many girls, after having close interactions with me, could truly remain unmoved?
They had not even seen normal members of the opposite sex, let alone a high quality human male like me.
It was all my mistake. I had been far too modest all this time and failed to notice my true charm. I would definitely pay more attention to it in the future.
After handling some official duties, with a waste not want not mindset, I downloaded Momoi's corresponding file onto my phone as tonight's bedtime reading.
To my surprise, yet also within reason, [Creative Conception] mainly discussed creative principles of literary works, supplemented by an objective idealist philosophical perspective, which matched Momoi's identity as a scriptwriter.
Moreover, unlike the other two dry textbooks and problem sets, this book adopted a dialogue based format. The characters were vivid, the language elegant and ornate, and paired with exquisite illustrations. Objectively speaking, it was even more interesting and profound than the annual bestseller champion [Gun, Cute & Youth].
If this was the concrete manifestation of Momoi's talent, perhaps one day she really could win the Kivotos Game Awards Best Screenwriter prize, or even higher honors.
Of course, that did not prevent her current self from still being a third rate writer, full of wild ideas she could not fully put into words, with such weak literary fundamentals that typos and incorrect wording appeared constantly.
In any case, I held no small expectations for Momoi's future but big ones.
Because I got a little absorbed in reading, I went to sleep slightly later than usual, which made me a bit drowsy when I got up early to work the next day.
There was no helping it. To have more time with the girls... no, for the brighter future of Kivotos, I could only sacrifice a bit of sleep and allocate it to the work that had to be done.
Since the Justice Task Force student originally assigned as the duty officer had taken leave to prepare for exams, I worked alone until noon.
After hastily dealing with lunch and preparing to continue working hard, I received a momotalk from Tsubaki.
Tsubaki: Did you know? The world of cultivation is very profound.
...Why did this opening sound a bit familiar?
Come to think of it, I originally planned to wait a few days before saying anything, but I did not expect Tsubaki to contact me first.
Me: I have heard a bit about it.
Tsubaki: Ehehe~
Tsubaki: Besides the tools and methods mentioned a few days ago, there are other things that can affect cultivation results.
Tsubaki: Ancient texts from Shanhaijing record that there are four fundamental elements in cultivation, namely wealth, companion, method, and land.
This had absolutely nothing to do with the Inner Discipline Club's cultivation, did it?
Tsubaki: "Wealth" refers to cultivation tools, and "method" refers to cultivation techniques.
Tsubaki: Then there is the cultivation location, corresponding to "land".
Me: Then what about "companion"?
Tsubaki: That would be the partner who cultivates together with you.
Tsubaki: For example, I taught Sensei the way of cultivation, and Sensei also gave me a lot of help. Sensei and I could be called Dao partners.
What? That was pretty stimulating.
Tsubaki: Yawn... I talked a bit too much in the preface...
Tsubaki: I found a new place suitable for cultivation, Sensei.
At that point, Tsubaki sent me a location.
Tsubaki: This place, I wanted Sensei to be the first to know.
Me: Is that so? Thank you very much.
Tsubaki: No need to thank me. Actually, this place is very...
Me: Very?
Tsubaki: Very... ah, rabbit.
Me: Rabbit? What rabbit? What about the rabbit?
Seeing that word, the first thing that came to my mind was Rabbit Town nearby, which I had seen on a bus stop sign before.
But I specifically checked the address Tsubaki sent. It was a park located in the Hyakkiyako downtown district, with no nearby place whose name sounded similar to "rabbit".
Could it be that she encountered a wild rabbit...? With doubt in my heart, I waited for Tsubaki's reply.
However, for a period of time afterward, Tsubaki did not reply to my messages.
Based on her usual personality, she had probably fallen asleep.
Even so, I could not help but feel a bit worried. What if some unexpected incident had occurred?
Just in case, after estimating the remaining workload, I decided to go take a look myself.
Besides, if there was an opportunity, I might be able to strike while the iron was hot and capture Tsubaki as well.
Before long, I arrived at the location sent to me by the president of the Inner Discipline Club.
Perhaps due to its somewhat remote location, this park, which actually had rather nice scenery, felt quite deserted. But precisely because of this, it was not easily disturbed by outsiders, which was likely why Tsubaki considered it a good cultivation, sleep, location.
However, the park was sparsely populated yet quite large. I searched for a long time, activating [Listener of the Wind] several times, yet still did not find any trace of Tsubaki.
Just as I began to worry that something might truly have gone wrong and was about to contact Mimori, I caught a faint yet familiar snoring sound.
So she really was sleeping.
I let out a sigh of relief, deactivated the authority that consumed concentration, and walked in the direction of the sound.
Following the riverbank downward and passing through a dense patch of bushes, I finally discovered Tsubaki lying on her side on a lush, verdant patch of grass with a small tree growing there. At the same time, I clearly heard her current sleep talk.
"Hehe... hehe... Sensei, you can't do that there..."
Wait a second? She was having this kind of dream?
No wonder she went behind everyone's backs to find a new cultivation location and only told me about it.
So Tsubaki was actually the perverted type?
I was greatly startled by this, until the latter half of Tsubaki's sentence also reached my ears:
"Following a rabbit who keeps saying 'I'm busy' will lead you to a strange country."
So that was it, I had misunderstood.
Not knowing whether I should feel relieved or strangely unbalanced, I walked the last stretch and came to Tsubaki's side.
The beast ears atop the girl's head twitched, then she opened her drowsy eyes. After seeing that it was me, she revealed a pure, flawless smile.
"Sensei… you're here…"
I sat down on the grass so Tsubaki would not have to crane her neck too much. "Yeah. Sorry for disturbing your cultivation."
The wild grass, of a suitable variety and grown just right, was unlike the one Haruka had given me. It was not tough at all, but instead soft and comfortable, almost like a blanket.
No wonder Tsubaki did not even use a pillow.
"There's no need to say that, I'm the one who called Sensei over in the first place."
Tsubaki looked at me with gentle eyes and asked softly, "I'm meditating right now, you know. Would Sensei like to join me?"
Recalling what Tsubaki had taught me the other day, I noticed the issue. "Isn't the premise of meditation that you're sitting?"
"I'm not dozing off at all… this is also… part of cultivation…"
The girl refuted me with absolute confidence, and I simply smiled knowingly.
Looks like she was slacking off and taking a nap.
After that, I happily accepted Tsubaki's invitation, imitated her posture, and lay down sideways on the soft grass, facing her.
"Ah, this feels so blissful, just like a dream…"
Tsubaki gazed at me and murmured, "I never thought there would be such a good cultivation spot nearby, and that I could be together with you like this… is this happiness also something you brought me…?"
Such an enchanting atmosphere, such ambiguous words, left me unable to think of how to respond for the moment. I could only return a gentle smile.
Thinking about it, Tsubaki really did like me.
"You like me, don't you?"
For an instant, I wondered if I had misheard.
But Tsubaki's eyes, gentle like water, and her cheeks flushed with shyness, both proved that she had truly said something very bold.
And shouldn't that have been my line!? Did Tsubaki also know mind reading like Mimori!?
Seeing my surprise and lack of response, Tsubaki smiled and continued:
"Actually, Mimori already told me everything before."
…What!? Mimori told Tsubaki so directly!?
But one thing I could be certain of was that Mimori, who dreamed of becoming a Yamato nadeshiko and was already of one heart with me, would never betray my expectations once she agreed to help me.
"We've been close childhood friends since we were little, very important ones. And you also know that Mimori is very 'good at understanding people'."
Tsubaki paused, her tone lazy and relaxed. "So… Mimori knows my feelings very well…"
As she spoke, the girl held my hand. The warmth she passed over felt as if it seeped straight into the depths of my soul.
My heart stirred, and I probed carefully, "So that means…"
Before I could finish, Tsubaki interrupted me with slight dissatisfaction. "Mm. That's embarrassing, please don't say it out loud."
Even though she did not admit it directly, I understood. My thoughts had been completely correct.
In that instant, joy bloomed in my heart, and I subconsciously began rubbing the girl's smooth, jade like little hand.
"Please don't be so hasty… I'm not done being upset yet, you know?"
Hearing that, my heart jolted again.
That was true. Even with a gentle personality and a solid base of goodwill, if pure feelings were mixed with ulterior motives, anyone would get angry…
This was probably the reason why Tsubaki had not been captured by me until now.
"Why didn't you just ask me directly?"
However, what Tsubaki truly cared about was completely different from what I had guessed. "You trusted Mimori, but does that mean you didn't trust me at all?"
That way of thinking was strange, wasn't it?
So hard to understand. Girls really were hard to understand. I, who thought I could easily grasp other people's thoughts, was truly foolish.
"Uh…" I hesitated for a while. "This kind of thing… normally, would you tell the person directly?"
"Normally, you wouldn't tell the person's close friends either."
…That actually seemed true.
"I'm sorry," I asked uneasily. "Then what should I do to make it up to you?"
"Ehehe. You're quick to learn from your mistakes." Tsubaki nodded in satisfaction. "That's right. Don't rely only on Mimori… when you run into trouble, please ask me openly too, okay? I can be serious when it counts… when fighting and… and when I'm with you…"
That was true. Tsubaki, who usually appeared absent minded, always seemed particularly spirited when she was alone with me.
I had thought it was because we were talking about her interests, but I never imagined she harbored feelings like this toward me.
"Being able to help you makes me very happy… but… let me think for a moment about what I should do… huff…"
As she thought, under the warm afternoon sunlight, the girl seemed to come up with a good idea.
"Sleep… together with me?"
I was instantly stunned.
Then I saw Tsubaki close her eyes. "Huff… I'll go wait inside first… please don't make me… wait…"
So that was the kind of sleeping she meant. I felt a bit ashamed of my own impure thoughts.
Looking at Tsubaki's defenseless sleeping face, I also felt a wave of drowsiness.
"Good afternoon."
I mouthed the words, stopped thinking any further, and let my consciousness sink into a distant dream.