[Current Location: Kyoto, Gion District - 11:47 PM]
[Current SP: 690 | Level: 3 | HP: 150/150 | MP: 80/80]
[Days Until Rating Game: 8]
[Active Quest: "Kyoto Tag - Yokai Edition"]
[Status: About to play tag with supernatural catgirls. At night. This is either heaven or death.]
"Rules are simple," the lead nekomata, Kuroka-looking one, said. Her name was apparently Kurumi. "We give you a 5-minute head start. Then we hunt. If we catch you before sunrise, you leave Kyoto. If you tag me, you win."
[Ding! Quest Details Updated:]
[Objective 1: Tag Kurumi - Main Win Condition]
[Objective 2: Don't let Issei get caught - He'll snitch our secrets]
[Objective 3: Don't let Rias start a war - She looks angry]
[Reward: 200 SP, "Flash Step Lv.1", Koneko Affection +10]
Rias crossed her arms. "Kazuki, Issei, you two are the runners. The rest of us will act as interference if they cheat."
"Why us?!" Issei whisper-yelled.
"Because you're the weakest," Koneko said bluntly. "Good bait."
[Koneko Toujou: Respect +2 for taking the insult. Current Affection: 10]
"5 minutes start now," Kurumi purred. "Run, little devils~"
Issei and I bolted into the alleys of Gion.
[Ding! New Temporary Skill: "Kyoto Home Field Advantage" - Yokai get +50% AGI in Kyoto. You get +50% chance to get lost.]
"System, you're not helping!" I hissed.
[System: Spend SP to buy "Flash Step Lv.1" now for 200 SP. Recommendation: Yes.]
"FINE! Buy Flash Step!"
[-200 SP. Skill Learned: "Flash Step Lv.1" - Short-range teleport 10m, 5 sec cooldown. Scales with AGI.]
[Total SP: 490]
The world blurred and I reappeared 10m down the alley. "Holy crap it works!"
Issei stared. "BRO YOU CAN TELEPORT NOW?!"
[Issei Hyoudou: Bro Points +20. Status: Jealous but impressed.]
[Danger Sense Lv.1: Tingling. Behind you.]
I grabbed Issei and Flash Stepped to a rooftop just as three nekomata landed where we stood.
"Ufufu~ The little Pawn learned tricks," Kurumi called from below. "This makes it fun."
She vanished. She was on our roof in 0.2 seconds.
[Party Interface: Kurumi - Lv.?? | AGI: 150. Your AGI: 6. This is fine.]
"Split up!" I shoved Issei. "You draw them left, I'll go right!"
"Why do I feel like I'm the sacrifice?!"
Because you are, Bro. But I didn't say that.
I Flash Stepped across rooftops, cooldown counting in my head. 5...4...3... Kurumi was literally running on air behind me, smiling.
[Ding! Pervert's Intuition Activated: Hiding in a bathhouse will confuse their scent tracking. 80% chance they check there first.]
"You want me to hide in a bathhouse?!" I yelled at the System. "That's literally the plot of every ecchi manga!"
[System: Correct. High risk, high reward. Ecchi Protagonist Buff may apply.]
I crashed through a window into a building. It was... a traditional women's bathhouse. Closed. Empty. Mostly.
[Peeping Protection Lv.1: No one is here. Threat Level: Low. Ecchi Level: High.]
I hid behind a basket of towels. 30 seconds later, Kurumi dropped through the same window. She sniffed the air.
"Your scent... it's all over this place," she said, walking slowly. "But it's mixed with... soap? And teenage hormones?"
[Poker Face Lv.1 Activated: You are not panicking. You are a rock. A very scared rock.]
She walked past my hiding spot. Her tail flicked. "Come out, little devil. I promise I'll only scratch a little."
[Ding! Trickster's Hand Off Cooldown. Target suggestions: 1. Her obi - Make her kimono fall off. 2. A bar of soap - Throw it to distract. 3. Her bell collar - Make noise elsewhere.]
"System, you are a menace."
I chose Option 3. Trickster's Hand yoinked her bell collar and I threw it out the window.
Jingle.
Kurumi's ears twitched and she shot after it. "A trick? Clever boy!"
[Flash Step Off Cooldown] I teleported to the roof and ran.
2 hours later. Sunrise in 40 minutes. I was exhausted. MP: 12/80. HP: 90/150 from slamming into walls.
Issei was already "caught" and being forced to drink tea with two other nekomata. He gave me a thumbs up. "Go on without me, Bro!"
I found Kurumi on the Kiyomizu Temple stage, waiting. "Last chance, Pawn. You're tired. Just give up."
[Danger Sense: She's not even breathing hard. You are outclassed.]
"One last Flash Step," I muttered. MP: 12 - 10 = 2. If I miss, I'm done.
She smirked. "You can't reach me from—"
I didn't aim for her. I aimed for the air 1m above her, then dropped.
[Flash Step Activated! MP: 2 → 0]
I appeared above her, gravity did the rest, and I fell. My hand reached out. Not for her face. Not for her kimono.
For her tail.
Poof. I tagged the fluffiest part.
[Ding! Main Quest "Kyoto Tag - Yokai Edition" Complete!]
[Rewards: +200 SP, "Flash Step Lv.1" already owned, bonus: "Flash Step Lv.2" - Cooldown 3 sec now]
[Koneko Toujou: Affection +10. Current: 20. Status: "He won against Nee-sama? Interesting."]
[Total SP: 690][Harem][Romance]
Kurumi froze. Her tail puffed up. Her face went bright red. "Y-you... grabbed my... you perverted little..."
[System: Nekomata tails are erogenous zones. You have won and also signed your death warrant.]
She vanished in a puff of smoke, yelling "This isn't over, Rias's Pawn!"
The other nekomata let Issei go and disappeared too.
Rias, Akeno, and Koneko appeared on the stage. Rias was staring at me.
"You won," she said slowly. "Against a high-class yokai. By grabbing her tail."
"Strategic targeting," I wheezed, collapsing. "100% tactical."
[Poker Face Lv.1: Failure. Everyone knows you're a pervert.]
Akeno was covering her mouth, shaking with laughter. "Ufufu~ Kazuki-kun, you really are the Perverted King~"
Koneko walked over and dropped two strawberry daifuku on my chest. "...Payment. For the yōkan. And for winning."
[Koneko Toujou: Affection 20. Bribe Quest permanently closed. New Quest: "Date the Kitty?" Locked.]
[Days Until Rating Game: 8]
[Days Until Riser Learns You Beat A Yokai: Probably Tomorrow]
[Days Until Kurumi Gets Revenge: Unknown]
We won Kyoto. Now we just have to survive Riser.
[End of Chapter 9]