4 Chapter 4: Invitations

Check Status chapter for updated description and level of all skills. I won't be mentioning them here since they just hog the space and are harder to maintain.

Also, this is my first time writing a fanfic based on RPG elements so I could fuck things up. I'd appreciate it if you guys could give me constructive criticism and not just bash me up.

…

Following their departure, I sat down on my bed since the living room was riddled with the scent of sex. I've got tons of notifications to check. But before that, let me take a look at my stats.

…

Levi the Immoral

Race – Elf

Level – 43

Class – Rogue – LVL 43/100 [18%]

Alignment – Neutral Evil

HP – 1450 (x2) = 2900 [400 per 30 sec]

MP – 500 (x5) = 2500 [540 per 30 sec]

SP – 500 (x10) = 5000 [1000 per 30 sec]

STR – 240

END – 50

DEX – 240

INT – 50

WIS – 45

CHA – 135

LCK – 20

Stat Points – 25

…

Precisely, I've distributed those 50 Stat Points I've been rewarded with after slaying the Orc Monster into END, INT, and WIS. My stats are still unbalanced but baseline, they aren't horrendously apart from each other, save STR and DEX.

A side note, Puck's Familiar Egg still doesn't show any signs of hatching. A shame, to be honest. He has a pretty fun character. But more importantly, he's insanely powerful and will be able to help me quite a lot.

[Sex Counter] (Active) – EX

Allows the user to see how many times an individual has sex in their lifetime.

[Affection Scouter] (Active) – EX

Allows the user to see an individual's affection

Interesting, so I actually get rewarded with skills too when reaching an Affection milestone with someone. That's pretty cool. Also, you can easily tell that the gained Skill reflect that individual's personality. Not sure how helpful [Sex Counter] would be but at least [Affection Scouter] looks useful.

Objective – Screw a woman

Optional Objective – Have a threesome

Optional Objective – Have sex only with the characters from the cast and before midnight

Reward – 10 Stat Point, Charm Crystal, 5 Free Levels

Optional Reward – 15 Stat Points, Big Charm Crystal, Noctis Cape

Optional Reward – 2x Lottery Token, Charm Halo, [Man with priorities] Trait

[Charm Crystal]

Can be used to raise someone's Affection by 10. Cannot be used on someone whose Affection is already above 50.

[Big Charm Crystal]

Can be used to raise someone's Affection by 20. Cannot be used on someone whose Affection is already above 50.

[Noctis Cape] (Passive) – EX

Allows the user's body and brain to work with full capabilities with little to no sleep.

[Charm Halo] (Passive) – EX

There's a 10% chance that when meeting a female for the first time, their Affection will be raised by 30

There's a 1% chance that when meeting a female for the first time, they will fall in love with you, their Affection will be raised by 50

There's a 0.1% chance that when meeting a female for the first time, they will be ensnared by your charm, their Affection will be raised by 80

[Man with Priorities]

You are the man to get the job done. Nothing new; everyone knows it. People are more likely to actively seek your help and may agree to your excessive demands in return.

[Ear for Deceit] (Passive) – LVL 1 [0%]

When the user's [WIS] stat is higher, you can tell if someone is lying or speaking half the truth

[Ghost Walk] (Active) – LVL 1 [0%]

Cost: 5000 SP

Allows User to become completely invisible from the rest of the world, from everyone who hasn't achieved Divinity. Lasts for 10 seconds. Cooldown: 10 min

…I think I have a talent for accumulating notifications. Anyway, let's start from the beginning. 25 Stat Points, what can I say other than I would take that any day of the week? Charm Crystals are pretty useful but I'll not spend them right now and wait for a good opportunity. [Noctis Cape], as I remember, is from Worm, and people who are called 'Noctis Capes' don't need to sleep or have severely reduced need to. With this, I can grind all night long. For someone as busy as me, it is a real life-saver.

[Charm Halo] is interesting. 10% chance may not seem much but that's 1 in every 10 people, mind you. That's huge! And by off chance, if I hit 0.1% or even 1% ones, then it's a game over. Wait, what if I increase my LCK to ludicrous amounts?! Won't everyone be falling for me left and right?! I snicker, untimely discarding the thought, as entertaining as it may be.

As for [Man with Priorities], I've to see how it works out. Time will tell if its useful or a waste.

[Ears of Deceit] is a another nice addition but nothing ground-breaking, I've got pretty good 'eyes' for deceit myself. [Ghost Walk] however is amazing even with the huge cost. It's definitely going to be one of my trump cards. And I am keen on gathering trump cards. As someone great said, 'Its not the one who has great strength wins, it's the one with more trump cards.'

A pretty cool line. Having said that, I think I'm done. Okay, let's put those Stat Points to work.

…

Levi the Immoral

Race – Elf

Level – 43

Class – Rogue – LVL 43/100 [18%]

Alignment – Neutral Evil

HP – 1500 (x2) = 3000 [480 per 30 sec]

MP – 600 (x5) = 3000 [600 per 30 sec]

SP – 600 (x10) = 6000 [1200 per 30 sec]

STR – 240

END – 60

DEX – 240

INT – 60

WIS – 50

CHA – 135

LCK – 20

Stat Points – 0

…

An interesting fact I discovered when looking at my Skills description is that [Assassinate] now deals 4x the damage on Critical Strike. Combined with my Rogue Class passive multiplier of 4x, I can output 16x my STR and that's not even considering other additional damages by Weapons or Perks! In total, one of my strike with [Assassinate] would deal a total of 3760 damage. Combine it with [Enchanted Steel Scimitar] additional damage, it quickly becomes 4377! That means if I dual wield, I can one-shot someone with 8000 HP! Too OP, plz nerf. On second thought, don't!

Amusingly enough, I could kill Basara just by stabbing him once and then activating [Ghost Walk] and then stabbing him again. Not that I'd do it. I'd have to be a hell of a lot stronger, or a hell of a lot dumber. I am neither. His guardian angels, Chisato and Jin Toujou would stop at nothing to butcher me. But that doesn't change the fact that this fucking Game is bugged and broken, and I love it. I am 100s of the levels behind him but he still can't escape if I want to assassinate him!

Taking a deep breath, I calmed my excited emotions. I was making progress, that's for sure but let it not get into my head. Come to think of it, didn't I have three Lottery Coupons? What good does it do by keeping?

[XP Ring] – Provides 20% extra XP

That went pretty well. An extra 20% XP, that means I'll gain 12 Levels when I should be getting 10. Nice. Let's keep it rolling.

You can't win then all. Again!

[Skill Merge] (Active) – EX

Allows the user to merge different skills to form a new skill. Warning: Merging isn't reversible.

No joke, this is pretty handy. My skills are already too much for me to keep track of and they'll only keep on adding. Without further ado, let's give it a test. After some thinking, I decided on the two skills I want to merge.

[Yes] [No]

Yes.

[Lewd Observe] (Active) – EX

Displays Affection, Lust, Perversion, Sex Count, Fetishes and Orientation of a target

Y-yay? Wa.. wahoo? Don't know what I was expecting but I'd say that it turned out pretty well? Let's try another one.

Once again, I gave the confirmation.

[Shadow Premonition] (Passive) – LVL 8 [11%]

User will get a premonition whenever a life-threatening attack is aimed at you. Increases [DEX] by 2x for 15 seconds. Cooldown – 10 min

Wow. Those two arguably not-so-useful skills merged into a ridiculously powerful skill. The increase in DEX is not that powerful however a premonition definitely is!

Unfortunately, I can't seem to find another pair of skills that would be compatible with each other. But I'm pretty satisfied with how those Lottery Coupons turned out. It could've gone way worse. I slipped the [XP Ring] on my middle finger, since why not?

I then looked at the clock. It was about 9:26 pm. I ordered some food online since the fight in Dungeon and sex earlier has left me with anything but full stomach. The food arrived soon enough while I was cleaning the living room. After eating an expensive Japanese delicacy, I sat down on the couch and took out the 100 Vials that were delivered today.

[Apprentice Alchemist] - LVL 1 [0%]

Cost – 100 MP per creation. Mix ingredients to create Potions or Elixirs.

Available Recipes: Minor Healing Potion, Elixir of Minor Agility, Minor Poison

[Minor Healing Potion]

Ingredients – 1x Silverleaf, 1x Peacebloom, 1x Empty Vial

Effect – Restores 10% HP once

[Elixir of Minor Agility]

Ingredients – 1x Swiftthistle, 1x Silverleaf, 1x Empty Vial

Effect – Provides 10% Agility boost for 1 hour

[Minor Poison]

Ingredients – 5ml of Rotten Corpse Extract, 1x Empty Vial

Effect – Deals 60/s damage for 1 minute

After messing around, I discovered an interesting fact about Alchemy. Turns out, I don't need to prepare ingredients myself or even mix them together for that matter. No. As long as I have enough materials in my inventory, I could simply drag them into a prepared slot and the potions will be formulated on their own based on what ingredients I provide.

This is both a good, and a bad thing.

Good, obviously because this makes things quite easy. In essence, I only need to gather ingredients, and I'm done. The rest can be left to Game. It's bad because when I grow powerful and others would want to see or maybe learn how I create my potions, it will make things complicated. Oh well, my future self can take care of it. I believe in him.

The following procedures were anyone's guess. I dragged [Silverleaf] and [Peacebloom] into the slot and [Minor Healing Potion] would be created. I drag [Swiftthistle] and [Silverleaf] into the slot and [Elixir of Minor Agility] would be created.

[Minor Poison] was slightly different. I had to pay 1x Gold Bar to create the extract out of 10 Rotten Fleshes. Turns out not only Gold Bar but any type of Mineral are currency within the Game.

After a few hours, I looked at the 100 Vials, filled with colourful liquid and lining up on the dining table. I didn't had enough ingredient with me so I had to clear the same Dungeon a few more times to gather them.

The Dungeon resets by itself after I killed Orc Zombie in each run. The monsters there don't provide XP anymore but my Skills do level up. That's a good discovery in itself. Expectedly, the boss doesn't drop loot anymore, otherwise, it will be too broken.

When I reached level 10 with Alchemy which was around when I created 50 items, some new recipes were added.

[Apprentice Alchemist] – LVL 10 [25%]

Cost – 100 MP per creation. Mix ingredients to create Potions or Elixirs.

Available Recipes: Minor Healing Potion, Elixir of Minor Agility, Minor Poison, Minor Mana Potion*, Elixir of Lion's Strength*, Potion of Poison Resistance*

I only had ingredients for [Minor Mana Potion] and [Elixir of Lion's Strength] among the newly added recipes so I made some for each. The prior one restores 10% of overall MP while the latter boosts 10% of STR for 1 hour.

In the end, I was able to create these –

28x Minor Healing Potion

10x Minor Mana Potion

24x Elixir of Minor Agility

12x Elixir of Lion's Strength

26x Minor Poison

My Alchemy reached level 18. One more grinding session and I'd be a Journeyman Alchemist!

A glance at the clock revealed that its around 2'o clock in the night. It took longer than I expected.

Thankfully, I have [Noctis Cape]. Changing into the fighting gear, I used [Dungeon Traversal] and appeared before the boss's room of the newly unlocked exit. I pushed the door open. A bluish figure was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the massive hall.

[Observe]

…

Target – Blue Minotaur

Level – 50

HP – 15000

MP – 100

SP – 100

Primary Stats – STR (250), DEX(250)

…

A confirmation, similar to the last time when I entered the boss room popped out, which I confirmed and the battle began.

Without further ado, I used [Sneak] and [Assassinate], crept up to its back, and attacked, taking out more than half of its HP!

The Minotaur bellows and raises its colossal axe in anger, hurling it towards me at breakneck speed when I was retreating. Using [Dash] which I had kept active since my SP Regen is faster than [Dash] would even use, I dodge effortlessly. 2x [DEX] makes this fight incredibly easy. I could just use [Ghost Walk] and do another double Critical Hits to finish this up but I started using [Psychic Blades] instead. It is at Level 21 and deals 3x [WIS] damage with a range of 20 meters. Sorry Minotaur, you sacrifice for the advancement of my skill will be remembered.

[Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Dash] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Dash] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades] [Psychic Blades]…

…that happened. And I found the corpse of Minotaur lying right in front of me. Poor guy didn't stand a chance. Honestly, what did you expect? Not every battle has to be epic.

[Rewards for clearing Dungeon – 50 Stat Points, Minotaur Horn, 2x LCK crystal, 2 Million Yen, 1x Lottery Coupon]

[LCK crystal]

Can be used to increase LCK by 10 permanently

Not finding any reason to keep it in inventory, I used both of them directly, raising my LCK to 40. Honestly, what does LCK even do? Does it affect loot or does it deal with critical hits and things like that? It'll help, even if I'm still not sure what it'll help with. I also use the Lottery Coupon rather than storing it.

[Remote Egg Vibrator]

Egg vibrator and remote with a 100-foot range, unlimited battery, and is 100% silent!

...why? Why is this even here? This isn't remotely zombie-themed at all. Now that I think about it, I was better off not using LCK crystals.

Noticing that it was only around 3, I decided to keep clearing the next part of the dungeon. I kept at it until 7 in the morning before I stop. By then, I've already cleared halfway through the 3rd Part, raising my level to 52.

-Tuesday 12:13 am-

Next day passes pretty much the say way as yesterday, except Aika kept finding reasons to lead me into a desolate corner to perform some questionable things. I fell for it once but other than that, I managed to stay clear of her clutches. Not that I mind fucking but there was a problem. A white Neko was stalking me. Really? Stalking a Rogue?

In any case, Koneko's presence here signifies that I've somehow managed to shift Rias's attention from Ikumi to myself. It does make sense if you think about it. My Magical Power rose more than twice in just a single day. Though the amount was still fairly insignificant, I perfectly fit the criteria Rias was aiming for. She'll most likely try to recruit me into her peerage. On that account, someone must be approaching me with invitation to Occult Research Club anytime soon. I'll accept the invitation but there's no way I'm working under that girl or Sona for that matter. I preferred Sona over Rias any day of the week by the way. She's cute.

"What are you thinking about that deeply?"

Aika's voice pull me out of my thought. Ah… We were having lunch together with Ikumi and Sanju when I suddenly zoned out. I need to stop doing that.

"I've just been thinking about going shopping this weekend," I reply as everyone's paused chopstick starts moving again. Currently, we were eating in our classroom. Turns out Aika was good friends with Ikumi and being a good wingman, she made her join us. Sanju just appeared out of nowhere. She is mysterious like that.

"You shifted here not long ago, and I suppose it makes sense that you didn't bring many clothes from states," Aika theorized.

"Then that means…" Sanju added, trying to create suspense.

However before she could finish, Aika interjected, making Sanju scowl. "That means as our friend, we have to show you around our own town and join you in your shopping!"

"Aika, I was supposed to reveal that," Sanju growled.

"It's not my fault you're slow." Responds Aika with a shrug, unperturbed.

"You guys…" Ikumi sighs.

"Are they always like this?" I ask Ikumi.

Other than the fact that she always peeks at Mio's breast, she was pretty much a normal teenage girl. There you go mom, I did something productive for the world.

"Yeah. Sorry, Levi. They're always fighting over something." She responds while glancing at the fighting duo before looking at me, adding, "By the way, I can call you Levi, right?"

"Yeah, I see no problem. Everyone calls me that. I should call you Ikumi then?" I smile as she blushes. Apparently calling a Japanese girl by their given name is quite a delicate matter.

But I knew there was another reason for her shy attitude.

Free from any fear of Devils catching me, I've been using [Aura of Arousal] on her whenever her eyes matched with me throughout the classes. I did the same with Mio, gaining 5 Affection from both. I didn't try it on Maria. She was a succubus, someone especially sensitive to lust and thus, she may end up discovering the abnormality. Not worth the risk, I concluded.

Ikumi nods briefly to my question and continues eating while looking down.

Come to think of it, I still haven't tried [Lewd Observe] till now. Now would be a perfect time for it.

[Lewd Observe]

…

Target – Ikumi Hyoudou

Perversion – Average

Lust – High

Affection – 20

Orientation – Homosexual

Fetishes – Boobs

Sex Count – 0

…

Her perversion is only Average? I thought it would be high at the very least. And she's homosexual. Well, nothing a good night of fucking from me wouldn't fix. Lets try it on the other two.

…

Target – Aika Kiryuu

Perversion – High

Lust – Average

Affection – 100

Orientation – Bicurious(Straight orientation changed by goal of gathering harem for you)

Fetishes – Deepthroat, Big Cock, Rough Sex, Group Sex

Sex Count – 3

…

Target – Genshirou Sanju

Perversion – High

Lust – Low

Affection – 50

Orientation – Bisexual

Fetishes – Big Cocks, Submission, Orgasm Control

Sex Count – 7

…

I've learned some interesting facts. So Sanju gets off from Orgasm Control, huh? And as I expected, she's the submissive type.

…

"Then it's decided! We'll be going shopping this weekend!" Came Aika's voice who had finally ended her tussle with Sanju.

I wanted to say that I'll be going alone when I noticed Maria and Mio making their way here. I pause in tracks. Let's hear what do they want first. Figuring why the hell not, I used [Lewd Observe] on both of them too.

…

Target – Maria Naruse

Perversion – High

Lust – Low

Affection – 10

Orientation – Straight

Fetishes – Vanilla, Masochism, Big Cock, Domination

Sex Count – 0

…

Target – Mio Naruse

Perversion – Low

Lust – Moderate

Affection – 20

Orientation – Straight

Fetishes – Kissing, Vanilla, Submission, Master-Servant Play

Sex Count – 0

…

I'm not mildly surprised by the result to be honest. I've watched the anime, albeit just the first season, but I have a keen grasp of their personalities. Closing the prompts mentally, I focus on the duo.

"Are you guys going shopping too?" Maria stopped just on my right. Her voice soft and friendly. She looks a bit older than in anime, and more seductive too. Her platinum-silver long hair has quickly become an attraction of sort. I'd watched many boys trying to talk to her throughout the day, which she completely ignored. The same is for Mio, who has been proclaimed as number one girl of second year due to her massive breast and attractive face. Her calm and silent demeanor only adding to her mysteriousness.

"N—Yes, we were planning to, why?" I decided to play along at the last moment. At any rate, she won't try to do anything in school. And I'll be powerful by weekend, if nothing terribly goes wrong in between. It's better to not reject her advances and make her think that I'm suspicious of her.

"Great! I am Maria and this is Mio. Actually, we are both transfer students too and have no idea about ins and outs of this town. It'd be quite helpful if you let us tag along." Towards the end, Maria leans down a bit, giving me a view of her bra. Mio's face is blank throughout the talk, and she only gave a slight nod when I looked at her during Maria's brief introduction.

"Why not? The more the merrier." Aika responds in my place, earning a brief glare from me. In response, she mischievously winks.

"I see no problem, Maria. You and Mio can join us." I confirm with a smile to Maria, who was awaiting my response.

"Alright! Thank you! We won't disturb you any longer." Flashing a seductive smile, Maria took Mio away and they went to their own seats.

"Wow Levi, you are already putting your paws on the transfer students, you sure work fast." Aika 'compliments' with a grin.

I sigh and knock on her head, gaining a surprised yelp from her and a giggle from Ikumi. "As if! Just eat your lunch."

Aika rubs her head and pouts, and then glances at giggling Ikumi. "What about you, Ikumi?"

"Huh? What about me?" Ikumi was taken aback at the sudden question.

"Will you be tagging along?"

"I— there's no reaso—" Ikumi hesitates.

"Mio is going, you know. She'll be in her everyday clothes. You may end up helping her in the changing room if I pull Maria away for some time. Doesn't that sound wonderful?" Aika entices like the devil she is. I look at Sanju to see her reaction but she simply shrugs.

Ikumi gulps and stutters after some time, the enticement proving powerful. "I-I think I can make some time."

"I thought so." Aika gave a knowing look, making Ikumi look away.

After that, we talked about some mundane things till the end of lunch.

Just as Sanju was about to go to her own class, she said to me suddenly, "Ah, before I forget. Student Council President has called for you, be sure to come by after classes end."

"Called for me? Do you know the reason?" I ask as a wince appears on her face briefly.

"No, not really. Anyway, be sure to come by. You don't want to make her mad." She looks away.

Before I could ask more, the bell rang. I could only nod. "Alright then."

[+5 Affection with Genshirou Sanju for accepting Sona's invitation]

The classes resumed after teacher entered the class. When I was zoned out during the class, a series of notifications suddenly popped up.

[+5 Affection with Sona Sitri for accepting her invitation]

[+5 Affection with Tsubaki Shinra]

[+5 Affection with Momo Hanakai]

[+5 Affection with Reya Kusaka]

[+5 Affection with Tomoe Meguri]

[+5 Affection with Tsubasa Yura]

[+5 Affection with Ruruko Nimura]

[+10 Reputation with Student Council]

…

After classes ends, I bade Aika and Ikumi farewell and then made my way to the Student Council Room, only to be intercepted in the middle by a blonde-haired guy with a princely aura similar to my own.

"Can I help you?" I ask as I operate [Observe].

…

Target – Kiba Yuuto, The Prince of Kuoh Academy

Race – Reincarnated Devil

Level – 82

HP – 9600

MP – 6250

SP – 7800

STR – 110

END – 105

DEX – 121

INT – 89

WIS – 72

CHA – 100

LCK – 67

Thoughts about you – Caution, Interest

…

"You must be Levi, right?" He smiled slightly, giving off a radiance completely unexpected from a dude. Even my eyes get blinded for a moment.

"It's me. And who might you be?" I rub my eyes before replying.

"Pardon me. Where are my manners? I am Kiba Yuuto." He extends his hand for a shake which I meet.

"So, Kiba, why don't you state your business? I am occupied presently." I ask bluntly.

He nods. "I don't intend to take much of your time. I just wanted to extend an invitation for Occult Research Club to you."

"Occult? I am not really good with that stuff. So I don't think I'll be joining you guys." I shrug.

"Haha. Don't worry, if you don't want to, we won't force you. Though be warned, I'll be inviting you until you agree to at least take a look." He gave a gentlemen's smile and shamelessly proclaims, his last sentence contradictory to the first one.

"Ugh. Fine, you won. But, not now." I raise my hand, seemingly in defeat. There's a point for this whole charade. To not make them suspicious that I expected this inviting.

[+5 Reputation with Kiba Yuuto for accepting Rias's invitation]

[+5 Affection with Rias Gremory for accepting her invitation]

[+5 Affection with Akeno Himejima]

[+5 Affection with Koneko Toujou]

[+10 Affection with Occult Research Club]

Easy Affection Points. Nice.

"That's fine. You can drop by anytime you want today." He smiles in his 'victory'. Then, he adopts a serious face and asks suddenly while watching my reaction, "By the way, have you felt anything strange these days? Maybe last night?"

I only raise my eyebrows before chuckling. "I'll commend you for trying. But I am not that bad with Occult. You can't spook me out that easily. Honestly, I'm starting to question my decision."

As if getting caught in the act, he scratches his head awkwardly. "You are quite perceptive to catch that. Anyway, see you later. Be sure to come." Saying so, he went ahead first with an unreadable expression on his face.

Humph. Kids acting mysterious and all.

That aside, let's hear what Sona has to say. Arriving by the Student Council Room, I knocked for a couple of times. "You can come in," came Sona's reply. I enter inside and find that there were only two people in the room, Sona and Tsubaki. Tsubaki gave me nod of acknowledgment when I glanced at her. On the desk, a Chessboard with neatly arranged pieces was set up. I thought for a moment and used [Heart Crystal] on Sona, raising her Affection to 20.

"Thanks for coming, Levi, please, have a seat." Sona gave a small smile of greeting and gestures me to the seat opposite to her.

I nodded and settled my butt easily.

"How are you settling in? Although I doubt it, I should still ask if any classmates are picking on you for being a foreigner or something. There's a couple of problem students in your class after all." She shifts her spectacles and asks professionally.

I reveal a suggestive chuckle. "I think I've an idea who those problem students might be. But fret not, the reception here has been anything but cold." Almost too warm to be honest. Two warm pussies in two days. Keep going, me!

"That's reassuring. With that, my official duty as Student Council President is over. You can go now or…" She glances at the Chessboard and continues, "Indulge me with a game of chess."

"Don't worry, I'll go easy," She adds as an afterthought.

"A game? Not to sound like a nerd, but games are my specialty. I'm not great at chess but I'm not bad either." I didn't lie. Although I don't I can beat her, I believe I can give her a challenge.

Listening to me, she raises her eyebrows with interest. "So you accept. Very well. Then, I won't hold black. What colour do you prefer?"

"Black," I respond simply. She flips the board around, giving me white piece, making my lips twitch. I look at her with questioning eyes.

"If you win, I'll let you use black from next time." She reveals a coy smile, a hint of teasing in her tone. This surprised me internally. Is this the effect of Heart Crystal? Sona seems like one of those people who have very little love in their heart and she gives importance to even fewer people. I'm probably the only male around her age with such high Affection.

"That seems unlikely," I say honestly as I move my pawn forward, starting the Duel of Destiny. Cringe, that wasn't what I expected from myself.

"An unconfident man isn't attractive, Levi." She says jokingly, moving her pawn too.

"Nor is an overconfident one. I am a realist. One glance and I can tell that your Chess pieces hasn't seen light for years. Unless they were used by someone else, you are a master at this game. I know a losing battle when I see one." I retort casually, not at all put off by her statement.

[+5 Affection with Sona Sitri for staying calm and collected]

[+5 Affection with Tsubaki Shinta for the same]

As I expected, those were one of the things female subconsciously throws at a man to check his reaction. I am pretty sure my past self in school would've been hurt or worse, freaked out by what I would've perceived as a subtle rejection. The key to overcoming these situations is to do the exact opposite of what your heart says.

Sona nodded and moved from the topic. To keep the conversation going, she asks, "You say that you like Games. What kind of games do you enjoy?"

"Just about anything, to be honest. Board games, Retro games, Social games, Computer games… the list goes on."

"Interesting. And what kind of games are you playing these days?" She raises her eyes and looks at me briefly.

"These days…" I send a mysterious smile to her. "Hmm. I seem to have found a new type of game. It's risky but far more enjoyable than everything I've ever played. There's Gods… there's Devils… there's Dragons… there's romance… there's treachery… there's desperation… its like a completely new genre of game."

Sona's hand halts as I mention those things, especially at Gods and Devils before resuming. "That's an interesting game; you seem to be having quite some fun," she says, moving her Rook forward three steps, checking me.

"I won't deny that it's entertaining…" I move my Queen, eliminating her Rook.

"You are pretty good at this," She compliments after ten minutes of silent battle even though we both know that I am trapped.

"So are you. Can't say I didn't see that coming, however." I move my remaining Rook, falling for her trap as she checkmates me.

"That settles the game," I admit.

"It does. You were much better than I expected you to be. And you said you were only 'not bad'. Apparently, you're quite humble." She smiles in genuine appreciation.

[+10 Affection with Soma Sitri for proving to be a powerful challenger]

"Dissatisfied?" She asks, seeing my eyes linger on the board.

"A bit. But I don't want to appear as a sore loser. I suppose I'll put in some effort into Chess."

Although I said that, the only reason I lost was because her INT stat is higher than mine. She is able to predict more outcomes of each move faster and process them quickly to come up with the best possible move. I am doing the same. Except my brain can't keep up… can't simulate those scenarios fast enough. If I even had as much as half of her INT stat, I would've won. This bitter feeling once again made me remember why I hate losing. These complicated feelings were shackled inside my heart however, on the outside, I just pouted slightly and even that quickly turned into my usual calm smile.

"I don't think you can beat me, but if you do, know that there's a prize. Does that gets you riled up?" Sona blushes slightly which was hidden as quickly.

"I'll hope the prize isn't the discount coupon of a nearby ramen shop," I say bluntly, still bitter about my loss.

She almost choked at my blunt statement. "Don't worry, it's not that."

"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to the gift." Saying rhetorically, I stand up from the seat. "Well then, I think I've entertained you long enough, Student Council President. Souna and Tsubaki, I think? See you tomorrow." I waved my hand as I exit after seeing Sona nod and Tsubaki wave her hand slightly with an amused face.

…

Well, well. Wasn't that interesting? Trying to judge my character through a mere Chess game, you are still too young for that. I'll gladly take those free Affection Points. Actually, they aren't really free. I did work for them, albeit only a little.

Next is the meeting with Occult Research Club. I've a feeling I'll get a different type of enjoyment there. An immodest one. Yeah, I prefer Sona after all.

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