~ Thank you, We've hit 200 Powerstones. This is the Bonus Chapter
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Looking at "Fujikawa Fantastic Bunko" printed crisply on the business card, Sakiko Togawa gave a slow nod.
As one of Japan's top three elite publishing houses, Sakiko obviously knew of it.
"Your novel?"
She then turned to look at Kai, her eyes brimming with curiosity. She genuinely hadn't had the slightest clue that he had written a book.
"Well! I didn't tell you before because I was worried it might flop. After all, it's my first time writing anything like this. If it failed completely, wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?"
Kai explained smoothly, his expression perfectly natural.
Hearing this, the lingering tension in Sakiko's face completely melted away.
"It's completely fine. Even if you don't succeed this time, we will still have a next time, and a time after that."
"Well, you won't need to wait for a next time."
Sonoko Machida had completely regained her professional composure.
"After all, the novel your boyfriend wrote is absolutely phenomenal. Barring any unforeseen accidents, it's virtually guaranteed to become one of the most successful light novels in the entire history of Fujikawa Fantastic Bunko."
"Really?"
Even though she had just reassured him that failing was perfectly okay, hearing that Kai had actually achieved such massive success made Sakiko genuinely thrilled from the bottom of her heart.
"I told you, didn't I? I will take good care of you."
Meeting Sakiko's shining eyes, Kai suddenly flashed a warm smile and dropped the line perfectly.
'So... did he write it all just for me?' Connecting a series of entirely imaginary dots in her head, Sakiko looked at Kai with a gaze practically melting with deep affection.
"Ahem! Well, it's getting rather late, so I'll be heading back now."
Machida just wanted to get out of there as fast as humanly possible. She was barely holding her facade together.
"I'll walk you to the door!"
Snapping back to reality, Sakiko immediately offered to see her out.
"No need, no need!" Machida frantically waved her hands. But she hadn't taken more than two steps before her legs wobbled, nearly sending her collapsing straight onto the floorboards.
"Are you alright??"
"I'm fine, I'm fine! I just sat in that chair for way too long earlier, so my legs fell asleep."
Machida awkwardly spat out the double-entendre excuse, then hurriedly scrambled out the door.
Sakiko didn't overthink it, genuinely believing the editor's legs were just numb from sitting.
"That Editor Machida is a bit strange, isn't she? Showing up in person this late at night?"
Sakiko wasn't completely naive. She couldn't help but turn a slightly suspicious look toward Kai.
"What's so strange about it?"
Shrugging, Kai replied with absolute confidence.
"She's a junior editor whose entire shot at a massive corporate promotion is riding on my book. Of course she cares a lot."
Is that so? Having once been the elite heiress of the wealthy Togawa family, Sakiko actually understood the brutal, unspoken pressures of the corporate world quite well.
"Don't get too cocky, though. Since you obviously have a real talent for writing novels, you need to put your heart into it from now on."
For an ordinary person without a wealthy backing, writing successful novels was a highly lucrative and respectable career path.
"Let's not talk about work anymore. I saved some dinner for you in the fridge. Eat up, and then we can get some rest."
As he spoke, Kai smoothly stepped forward and pulled Sakiko into his embrace.
"You helped scrub my back last night. Let me return the favor and scrub yours tonight."
The intense proximity and his warm breath instantly made Sakiko forget about everything else. She subconsciously squirmed slightly against him, but made no real effort to push him away.
She simply blushed furiously and shot him a coy, reproachful glare.
"Then you're absolutely not allowed to do anything bad."
"Don't worry. I'll wait until you're completely ready."
"KAI!"
Her lover's gentle respect made Sakiko even happier. Deep down, she was already silently calculating that perhaps... she really wouldn't need to make him wait too much longer.
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"Phew!"
On the other side of town.
Having finally escaped Kai's apartment building, Sonoko Machida breathed a massive sigh of relief into the cool night air.
'I must be completely out of my mind!' She never would have thought that one day, she would actually become the "other woman" actively interfering in someone else's relationship. Wait, she probably didn't even rank as the third wheel. Given how openly he talked about his dating habits, she was likely fighting for fourth place at best.
"Scumbag!"
She muttered the curse under her breath.
However, now that she was alone on the empty street, Machida's expression quickly morphed into one of intense, fond reminiscence. That mind-numbing feeling of floating on cloud nine... no wonder so many people were completely addicted to doing that kind of thing.
It was simply incredible.
Inspiration isn't something you can just definitively lock down after one or two sessions, right? Yes. As Kai's editor—and an incredibly dedicated, responsible one at that—helping her star author continuously find his inspiration was simply part of her professional duty.
'So, I should definitely come back next time, right?'
Having perfectly rationalized her desires, Machida's footsteps instantly became much lighter and brisker as she walked toward the station.
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[Congratulations, Host]
[Reward Acquired: 200,000 Yen in Cash]
[Congratulations, Host]
[Reward Acquired: Zanpakuto]
[Congratulations, Host]
[Reward Acquired: Fire Style - Great Fireball Jutsu]
[...]
Later that night, with one arm wrapped securely around the sleeping Sakiko Togawa, Kai silently navigated his system menu, claiming all the rewards from the quests he had completed earlier.
Although most of the drops were fairly standard, there were a few highly unique ones this time around.
A Zanpakuto?
The signature weapon of a Soul Reaper. Naturally, Kai recognized it instantly. Glancing down at Sakiko to ensure she was fast asleep, he carefully used his free hand to materialize the Zanpakuto from his inventory.
Ah, it's just a standard Asauchi. According to the established lore of the Bleach universe, a Zanpakuto was the dedicated, soul-cutting weapon of a Soul Reaper. The abilities of each Zanpakuto were fundamentally unique, intimately tied to the wielder's own inner spirit. An Asauchi, meanwhile, was the most basic, nameless template of a Zanpakuto.
Only by communicating with the blade and calling out its true name could an Asauchi awaken and transform into its genuine, released state.
However, even if it was just a nameless Asauchi right now, Kai wasn't disappointed in the slightest. For his current self, Cursed Spirit Manipulation remained his absolute trump card and primary offensive method. The Zanpakuto was merely a highly lethal accessory—having it was great, but lacking it wouldn't have crippled him.
It'll be perfect for close-quarters combat, though.
Kai didn't actually know any legitimate swordsmanship techniques, but he could easily make up for that with raw, overwhelming brute force and speed.
Aside from the Zanpakuto, he had also rolled a ninjutsu from the Naruto universe. This proved that the system's quest rewards weren't locked to any single anime reality—he could potentially acquire overpowered items and abilities from absolutely anywhere in the multiverse.
'I wonder if the system will drop something from the Dragon Ball universe next time. I don't even need much, just give me the seven Dragon Balls!'
Wouldn't he become practically Omnipotent then?
Although the Great Fireball Jutsu was famously mocked by internet anime fans as the "fireball that never actually kills anyone," that was purely meme culture. Regardless of the jokes, it was undeniably a highly destructive, large-scale offensive technique. For his current power scaling, it was a fantastic addition to his arsenal.
"Kai..."
Just as Kai was admiring the cold steel of his new Zanpakuto, the sleeping Sakiko seemed to sense his shifting. She suddenly murmured his name softly in her sleep, shuffling closer and burying her face against his chest before settling back into a deep slumber.
Stowing the Zanpakuto away, he gazed down at Sakiko, her delicate features illuminated by the pale moonlight filtering through the window.
Kai suddenly chuckled softly in the quiet room.
"I'm going to eat you up sooner or later."
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