Today, Yukina and Rinko couldn't come to Yuji's place due to Roselia's practice.
In times like these, it was troublesome to be in the same band as them. Yuji couldn't show any reluctance after he had asked them to cherish Roselia, but he couldn't help feeling disappointed.
Yuji then, remembers the girls he had set his eyes on during a previous live performance. He had obtained all the information and contact details about them from Yukina and Rinko. He considered going to capture them, but this time, he decided to change his preference.
The place Yuji headed to, is Shibuya, with monster markers set at 71 points or higher.
On a Sunday, Shibuya was, as expected, crowded, and monster markers were scattered all around. Could he capture the third person somehow? Yuji was hopeful when he noticed an unfamiliar icon on the screen.
It wasn't a monster icon. Yuji walked towards the location of the icon. It was near Hikarie. As he approached, he saw a man there. The man appeared to be around the same age as Yuji, or slightly older. The man also looked at Yuji with an expression that seemed to have noticed something on his smartphone.
Yuji also guessed the true identity of this man.
"Hello. The app you're using..."
Yuji raised his smartphone.
"Do you catch monsters with your basket? Or perhaps arrows?"
The man smiled as if he had found someone who shared his interests.
"I use arrows. Seems like we're fellow players."
The man showed Yuji the screen of "Love Hunter."
"I'm Gibson. Nice to meet you."
"I'm John. Nice to meet you too."
"John? Hmm. It looks like we could get along. Is this the first time you've met other players?"
"Yes. I knew there were other players besides myself since I've seen "monsters captured" error, but meeting in person like this is the first time."
"I see. It seems the player population in this game isn't that large, so many people might be playing without ever meeting each other. "
Yuji saw player icons for the first time in Shibuya. He wondered how many players there were.
"That's why players voluntarily create places to gather and exchange information. For example, here in Shibuya. There's also one near Shinjuku, and a bit further away, there's one in Yokohama."
"I see... I didn't know that. I've been using this app for about a month, I think. I've been focused on training monsters the whole time."
Yuji admired the initiative of the man calling himself Gibson, since he realized that he had been neglecting information gathering while being engrossed with Yukina and Rinko.
"For adults like us, raising monsters while holding down a regular job is tough, so it can't be helped."
Gibson chuckled, "I've had some tough overtime recently too." Yuji could relate all too well. Lately, he had been working hard to leave on time because he wanted to see Yukina and Rinko.
"Right, John-san, let's show each other our monsters."
"Sounds good, let's do it."
Yuji looked at the app's screen and discovered that a sub-menu, which he couldn't use before, was now available.
"Yes, that's it. Just bring your smartphone closer like this, tap [View], then check the monsters you're willing to show and tap [Confirm].
"I see."
"How many monsters do you have, John-san?"
"Two."
"Alright, I'll show you two as well. Is that okay?"
"Sure, that sounds good."
Saying that, Gibson operated his smartphone and then turned it towards Yuji. Yuji followed the instructions.
They showed each other their screens. Each image displayed a close-up and a full-body shot of each monster.
"Having only SSR and UR as a beginner is impressive. Especially the SSR one, it seems pretty rare even for me."
"I think I had good luck with pulls. Do you have the same ones? Or do they differ at your end, Gibson-san? Could the rarity vary between players?"
"That's right. The rarity can change depending on the owner of the same monster. For example, a player who likes Lolis might have them in the 30s, while a player who likes MILFs might have them in the 80s, and level up sooner than the first one."
"Oh, so the initial image ratings I was given were to set the rarity?"
Yuji nodded in understanding.
"By the way, Gibson, your monsters are quite beautiful too."
Yuji commented after looking at Gibson's first image.
Rarity: UR, Score: 83
Name: Chika Himekami
A beautiful girl with long black hair and sky-blue eyes.
Rarity: SR, Score: 78
Name: Himeko Kurusugawa
A simple-looking girl with amethyst-colored eyes and tea-colored hair, tied with a big red ribbon at the back.
While Yuji had no complaints about Yukina and Rinko, he could still acknowledge the attractiveness of these women.
"Uh, what does [Target: Opposite Sex (Exclusive)], mean for both of them?"
"Oh, that's just a preference for the opposite sex, limited to me. I'm not interested in anything else. These two bitches used to be lesbians, you see."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?"
"In other words, originally, they were monsters who liked women and had no interest in men or even disliked them. I captured and trained them. Thanks to that, now they only have feelings for me and no longer have interest in women."
"Wow, that's quite..."
"Oh, you're confused, aren't you? Well, I can't blame you."
Yuji didn't know how to respond.
"I like training and subduing lesbians, so most of my monsters (Waifus) is made up of former lesbians (Yuri's)."
"You certainly have quite a technique, Gibson-san."
Yuji tried to find a neutral-sounding response.
"No, no, John-san, you're the one who's more impressive. To max out the Affection level for two of them in about a month is quite remarkable, you know?"
"Is it really?"
"Yes, indeed. You might have already realized, but to increase Affection, it's not just about having sex. You have to make the monsters feel and satisfy them (make them cum). However, some players who don't understand this or are not good at it tend to have slow progress in levels and Affection."
"...I never had any issues with Affection."
Gibson nodded in admiration.
"It seems like I've met an unexpectedly important person after all... John-san, would you like to make a deal with me?"
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While the chapter didn't introduce the heroine, it was the first chapter featuring another player.
Mr. Gibson: is A Love Hunter player who enjoys training lesbians and bisexuals to love him.
Gibson's Owned Monsters:
Himeko Kurusugawa (Shrine Maiden of Kannazuki)
Chika Himekami (Shrine Maiden of Kannazuki)