Ch.152Ghost Mansion (1)

After helping out at the kindergarten for the day, we returned to our normal lives.

Achieving max intimacy with Sasith and Ms. Mishiko was just a bonus.

With this, Sasith unlocked the Psychorobo and Admiral Drake as community max rewards. These could be used to create the Storm Guide, the highest-tier Psychorobo. Though we’d need to build other community relationships to make it, the Psychorobo unlocking was progressing smoothly.

‘I’ve pretty much figured out Sasith’s behavior patterns…’

After observing Sasith’s actions, I immediately understood.

Sasith was a player, and gamers’ behavior patterns differ based on their preferences. If I were to possess Sasith, what pattern would he follow? I pondered this question deeply.

‘Sasith’s actions… are the ultimate efficiency play aiming for all community relationships in a single playthrough.’

Usually, in the first playthrough, humanity stats are rock bottom, making it difficult to achieve all community relationships without a guide. You’d have to meticulously divide time between part-time jobs and community building.

Sasith’s schedule followed that strategy precisely. The only difference was that he didn’t spend personal time with Umi and Taiga. Strangely, their affection levels were already considered maxed out.

Thanks to that, I had a rough idea of how far Sasith had progressed with community relationships.

When I meet Sasith later, I planned to create all the Psychorobos we could make.

‘This is what vicarious satisfaction feels like…!’

Honestly, I wanted to make my own Psychorobo too. Seeing that idiotic Pinocchio made that desire grow stronger by the day.

———-

“So the next target is… the June dungeon,” Sasith said.

“Yeah. We should start tackling it soon,” I replied.

And… there would be a first encounter with someone who would become a companion in June. It could be considered a rather meaningful dungeon.

“I’ll leave the schedule to you, Shota. When should we tackle it?”

“Hmm… let’s do it today. If we spread it over today and tomorrow, it should be manageable,” I said.

By this point, dungeons get pretty intense. There were signs of this starting with the spaceship dungeon, but it only seemed easier because we borrowed Doradogang’s power.

‘I’m a bit reluctant to use Doradogang this time.’

It was just too expensive. So we decided to split the dungeon run over two days.

“Got it. And… sorry, but I’ll leave the necessary supplies to you,” Sasith said, handing me an envelope of cash.

“No… Sasith, this is!!”

“I feel bad making you shoulder all the costs alone. Please accept it as a token of my sincerity,” Sasith said.

“Ugh… this is… our leader!!!”

I immediately shed tears of gratitude.

Afterward, I displayed proper Korean etiquette by refusing three times. Then I promptly accepted the money.

“Seriously… Shota, you’re way too flattering with Sasith,” Umi said.

“What! Flattery?! This is loyalty!!” I immediately retorted at Umi.

“Loyalty… don’t say such burdensome things,” Sasith said, slightly blushing.

Anyway, we decided to tackle the dungeon tonight.

——–

Until that night, I continued my web novel writing as usual. The key was always building up a reserve of chapters for unexpected schedule changes. My real life was just so busy…

“Wow… Shota. Your view count has really increased?” Eri said, looking at me.

Ah, come to think of it… Eri had been watching this scene since I first created my account and wrote my first chapter… she’s truly my first and legitimate partner.

Certainly, I had grown tremendously since then. Forget the view count, my royalty payments had skyrocketed.

“Shota! Amazing!!” Eri patted my head.

“Well… I thought I should put in more effort…”

During breaks, I was checking out the top-ranked works. I needed to research what sells well. And I squeezed in time to plan my content.

“If everyone ends up in a harem setup, we’ll need a lot of money. There will be many dependents.”

That’s where the pressure came from.

I needed to increase my income through novels somehow.

“Shota… you’re really thinking about our future, aren’t you?”

Eri kissed me as she spoke.

“Yeah. Once this work gets more established… I’m planning to start a new one,” I said.

——

The story goes back to a few days ago.

My connection with Shotaro was still valid, and he gave me a tip.

“There’s going to be a competition soon. It’s quite big. The prize is 30 million yen,” Shotaro said.

Judging by the prize money, it was definitely backed by a major company. I sensed that immediately.

“If I place, there would be significant exposure, right?” I asked Shotaro.

“That’s right. Actually, that’s the purpose. Plus, you get a contract right away without the tedious exclusive serialization procedures. Want to give it a try?”

Shotaro asked.

“Of course… I have to.”

Not participating wasn’t an option. I had a clear purpose: protecting my harem. I needed at least one breakout work.

“Hmph. I see. Then… I could offer you some special treatment. I could put in a good word to help you achieve good results…”

Shotaro added another sentence.

“No, that’s okay,” I immediately rejected Shotaro’s offer.

“I want to achieve my dreams fair and square, with my own strength,” I said.

“Ha. Is that so.”

Shotaro smirked.

“You really are like a manga character. Saying such embarrassing things without shame.”

Shotaro chuckled and looked out the window.

“I see. I spoke out of turn. Sorry about that.”

Afterward, Shotaro apologized coolly.

Later, I left Shotaro’s room.

In the hallway of Eri’s house, Eri was standing there.

“Kuuuugh…!!”

I immediately shed tears of regret.

“Eri mama…!!”

I immediately hugged Eri.

Damn… that was really a waste. Kicking away a chance to receive special treatment…!!!

“There, there. It must have been hard to pass up, but you did well. I think Shota who plays fair is very cool.”

Eri stroked my head and kissed my forehead.

Anyway, that’s what happened.

———

“I should start preparing for the competition too…”

My daily life was about to get incredibly busy.

But first, the dungeon.

I tried to recall my gaming experience in my head. I needed to remember the dungeon’s structure somehow.

“By the way, roughly how much are you earning from royalties?” Umi asked, slurping her ice cream beside me.

Whirrrrr-!

Since we limited using the air conditioner to only when it was really hot, our harem had to rely on electric fans.

But… when you eat ice cream in front of a fan, the ice cream melts incredibly fast.

A battle against melting ice cream was unfolding. Umi was diligently licking her ice cream to prevent the melted parts from falling to the ground.

The way she flicked her tongue was strangely erotic. Ahem.

“Just turn off the fan while you eat,” I said to Umi.

“No!! I’ll die if it’s turned off!!! My respiratory system will cook!!”

Umi shouted loudly. This girl… such exaggeration.

“Shota, you saw it last time too. The heat rash under my chest.”

Umi said.

“Ah. Didn’t I lick it to treat it last time?”

I laughed and hugged Umi.

“Shota. You’re naughty!”

Umi giggled.

“That’s right. Heat rash… I got a lot too.”

Taiga leaned her back against me as she spoke. Right. Taiga had heat rash in the same area. The struggles of having large breasts.

“Anyway! How much do you earn?”

Umi’s eyes sparkled.

“About… 200,000 yen?”

I said. If I worked hard, it could be around 300,000 yen.

“Ooh… that’s quite a lot!”

Umi’s eyes lit up.

“It’s all to become a man worthy of Umi.”

I smiled and caressed Umi’s body.

“I’m happy… hehehe.”

Umi smiled as she spoke.

“Hey. You said you’d treat us when your royalties came in,” Taiga interjected.

“Geez… Taiga has such a good memory for these things.”

I clicked my tongue.

“You punk! You promised!”

Taiga pushed me away with her back. Though she was drenched in sweat… she smelled incredibly good. Is this some kind of magic women use? I made such a guess. They all seem to care about their scent. I don’t mind though. I actually prefer when the scent is strong.

“After we tackle the dungeon… let’s go then, okay?”

I said.

Right. It would be a post-dungeon celebration.

“Well… if that’s the case.”

Taiga immediately accepted. Hehehe. I like how simple she is.

———–

Anyway, it was getting late. 10 PM. We’d be heading out in two hours.

That’s when I got a call. It was Tina.

“Ah, Tina.”

I answered the phone.

“Hey, Shota! Listen! Madoka got permission for the hideout.”

Tina said with a big smile.

“Oh! Really?!”

My face immediately brightened.

“Yeah. You guys can use Madoka’s place,” Tina said.

“I’m surprised her father would allow his elementary school daughter to live alone…”

Is Mr. Kujo secretly permissive? He didn’t seem that way.

“Well… Madoka worked hard for it. Make sure to praise her later. She’ll get upset otherwise.”

Tina smiled as she spoke.

“Okay. So we can go right away?”

I asked.

“Yeah. I hope you come quickly. I… miss you too, Shota.”

Tina chuckled as she spoke.

So, we all decided to go to the hideout.

“Eri… do you want to come too?”

I asked Eri. It didn’t feel right leaving her alone in this house.

“Of course I’m coming.”

Eri hugged me as she spoke.

“Ah… I wonder if I’ll ever awaken some exorcist ability or something?”

Eri said somewhat petulantly.

Well… such convenient developments probably won’t happen. I gave a wry smile and stroked Eri’s head.

I contacted Sasith separately.

“Sasith. We’ve got a hideout for our activities.”

I told Sasith.

“What…!!”

Sasith’s eyes widened.

“D-does this mean I won’t have to get my blood sucked by white-striped forest mosquitoes anymore?”

Sasith exclaimed loudly.

This guy… really hates mosquitoes, huh.

“Hehehe. You’ll be amazed when you see the facilities. Get this!! It has a ceiling!! It’s not outdoors!”

I shouted loudly.

“Well… that’s obvious for a building.”

Sasith objected after a few seconds.

Anyway, we decided to unpack at the hideout first, then head out.

Well… we were accumulating weapons and items, so we needed a place to store them. Keeping them at home would make things messy. In that sense, a hideout was essential.

We all gathered our equipment and headed to the hideout.