"A stiff muscle means you need to apply more pressure. And don't just squeeze and release...use your fingers more, vary the motion."
"Mm… yes… understood."
The moment Masami heard his instructions, the unfamiliar sensation in her body intensified.
It was strong enough that she nearly let out an odd sound mid-response.
She cautiously glanced at Ethan.
Seeing no change in his expression, she quietly let out a breath of relief.
Then she focused harder on the massage, trying to drown out the sensations building inside her.
Ethan subtly pressed his legs together and observed her from the corner of his eye.
She looked completely focused.
Clearly, she hadn't noticed anything unusual.
Her flushed face and the light sheen of sweat...
Those were normal, right?
The room wasn't exactly cool, and she had been working continuously for a while now.
It made sense.
Even so...
Ethan felt a strong impulse rise within him.
Right now, with someone like Masami this close...
It wouldn't be difficult to take things further.
But reason held him back.
Her Affinity was already above eighty.
If he really made a move, she probably wouldn't resist.
But...
They had only known each other for less than two hours.
That pace was too fast.
Even if he wasn't exactly innocent...
And even if he had plenty of experience consuming… less-than-wholesome content in his previous life...
This was different.
He wasn't comfortable rushing into something like that without getting to know her better.
Maybe in a few days…
That would be different.
Of course...
If he knew exactly what state Masami was in right now...
His self-control might not have lasted.
To steady himself, Ethan shifted his focus back to the report in his hands.
"Rasa… what do you think?"
Masami spoke softly from behind him.
By now, her technique had improved noticeably.
As a skilled puppet master, her hands were naturally precise and flexible.
At first, she had lacked experience...
But with guidance and a bit of time, she had adapted quickly.
Now, her fingers moved with much greater coordination.
Each motion is more controlled.
More deliberate.
"No problem at all."
Ethan answered casually, assuming she was asking about the massage.
"Really? That's good…"
Masami's tone brightened immediately.
"For a moment, I was considering… making a move tonight to interfere with Aoki."
"From everything I've seen, your chances don't look great."
"But since you're confident… I feel reassured."
Her eyes lit up with clear admiration.
At the same time, her hands unconsciously applied a bit more pressure.
After spending over an hour with him...
Her trust in Ethan had already gone far beyond reason.
Even before meeting him, her Affinity had already been at a near-fanatical level.
Now...
That trust had only deepened.
At this level...
Doubt didn't even occur to her.
"What...oh. Right."
Ethan caught on quickly.
"As long as nothing unexpected happens tomorrow, it'll be fine."
Then, after a brief pause, he added
"I want a fair fight."
"Don't interfere."
Even without knowing her exact strength...
He was certain of one thing.
Someone who could hold her position in the Guard Platoon wasn't weak.
If she really wanted to interfere...
Subtly affecting Aoki before the match wouldn't be difficult.
"Understood."
Masami's tone turned firm.
"I won't allow anyone to interfere with your match."
"Good."
Ethan closed his eyes slightly.
"And one more thing…"
"Just call me by my name. Drop the formalities."
He had already started adapting to this world's hierarchy.
But...
He didn't like distance in personal relationships.
Especially not with someone he already saw as part of his inner circle.
Masami froze for a brief moment.
Then...
A soft smile spread across her face.
"Understood."
The conversation drifted into something lighter after that.
.
.
.
Sunset light streamed through the window, casting long, overlapping shadows across the room.
When the sun had fully set, and the conversation ended, an hour later...
Ethan now stood at the doorway, watching her leave, the room quieter than before.
Only after her figure disappeared from view did he close the door and stretch.
That conversation...
Had been the most natural, relaxed interaction he'd ever had with a woman.
Before this life...
His conversations rarely went beyond basic greetings.
Pakura didn't count.
That had barely lasted a few minutes before being interrupted.
As the thought crossed his mind...
He unconsciously remembered the earlier sensation at the back of his head.
He let out a quiet laugh.
Then returned to his seat and opened the system interface.
One by one...
He raised the remaining targets from eighty Affinity to one hundred.
Then, I used the Affinity-doubling items.
Once midnight passed...
Their Affinity would jump to two hundred.
At that point...
He would be sitting on around a thousand Skill Points.
And after the increase...
Nearly two thousand.
With that in mind, Ethan began searching through the exchange pages again.
Looking for something that could quickly boost his combat ability.
The first page was immediately ruled out.
Too expensive.
Too complicated.
Even if he could afford something like the Sharingan...
How would he explain it?
He flipped to the next page.
And kept going.
After a while, he stood up and stretched again.
The sky outside had already darkened.
His stomach reminded him he hadn't eaten.
After a quick meal...
He returned to his bedroom and sat cross-legged on the bed.
The system interface hovered in front of him.
[Page 70]
He had already gone through dozens of pages.
There were plenty of interesting items...
But most were either unrelated to combat or had limited practical use.
What he needed...
Was something efficient.
Something immediate.
He kept scrolling.
Faster now.
Then...
He stopped.
"There it is."
He stood up abruptly, clapping his hands once in excitement.
He took a breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Then sat back down and focused.
[Page 123]
[Perfect Substitution : 1000 SP]
"Temporarily grants the full combat ability of a selected individual
Condition Requires complete memory synchronization with the target"
Ethan stared at it.
At first...
Excitement.
Then...
Slowly...
His expression cooled.
That last condition.
Without it...
This would have been absurdly powerful.
But now...
It wasn't that simple anymore.
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~Support with 200 PowerStones = 1 Bonus Chapter
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