Chapter 86: Love Is War [3]

“…”

One of Roy’s hands held his briefcase-like bag, and the other was on his glasses, looking down, as he tried to avoid Yosuke’s envy-ridden gaze.

“Bastard, I asked you a question,” he repeated, violently grabbing Takahashi’s uniform.

In the delinquent friend group, he was the tallest and had more muscle. But at a glance, it was obvious that the group’s power hinged on the individual standing at the left and further back, Pierre.

’Why does he want to know that? Did he eavesdrop on the conversation between Utahime and me?’ Roy wondered.

[Day 4: At lunch break, Pierre found Haruka Yosuke staring at Utahime Sasaki and figured out that he had a crush on her.]

Roy’s WTF.exe answered, reminding him of a line from Pierre’s previous attempt at challenging this level.

[A: W-Well, she is my girlfriend.]

[B: I-I had something to tell her, a-and we had lunch together.]

[C: Nothing concerning you, that’s for sure. (–1 Error Point).]

The dialogue options arose, and Roy wasn’t even expecting to have much of a say in the words he spoke since Pierre, the main host, was here. Hence, this sudden development caught him off guard.

In the three-seconds he had to decide, he didn’t have enough time to understand how a more authentic, Roy-sounding response would cost an error point. But he knew one thing for sure: he wasn’t going to spend his remaining error points on such foolish things.

And he chose Option A.

Bam!

“You?!” Yosuke voiced, after slamming Roy into the wall at the side. “What’s your fat ass doing with a girl like her?”

Right then, Pierre placed a hand on Yosuke’s shoulder, prompting the brute to calm down and step aside.

’Pierre’s weak as shit. How does he command this much control over you dumbasses?’

“Calm down, Yosuke-kun,” Nishi Sakamoto said, laughing. “But hey, how did you get a girl to fall for a guy like you?”

“I-I don’t know myself.”

Pierre laughed at that question and stepped forward, while Roy frowned. Although the love system controlled his expression to be more fearful than angry.

“You know what they say, there’s a man for every woman,” Pierre said.

“Tch. He pisses me off!” Haruka Yosuke mouthed.

“I saw your girl walking home with Aiko-chan today. Since when were they friends?” Pierre asked.

“I-I have no idea.”

“Fine. You’re gonna help me,” he said, patting Roy’s shoulder. “Tell your girl to tell Aiko-chan good things about me, okay?”

Nishi Sakamoto laughed. “Hey, you’ve got a crush on the Class Rep?”

“Piss off,” Pierre jokingly countered. “I wanna get laid too, y’know?”

He put his attention back on Roy.

“Help me out, ya hear?”

[A: I am sorry, I can’t do that.]

[B: What will I get in return?]

[C: I already did. (–2 Error Points.)]

’Telling him the truth will cost me two error points. I think I get it now. Acting out of line with my role in the love system will cost me error points, probably my what-the-fuck.exe trying to fix things.’ Roy surmised and chose Option A.

However, the selection went down to Option B, and he asked, “W-What am I going to get in return?”

Sakamoto laughed.

Pierre put his arm over Roy’s shoulder as though they were good friends.

“Maybe, we will start treating you a bit more nicely. Not so bad, eh?”

Roy hid his annoyed expression masterfully and considered it a proper compensation for the action he had already taken.

[A: Okay.]

[B: Ten thousand yen.]

[C: Ten thousand yen, plus free lunch for two weeks.]

Roy chose Option A to test something, but the selection the system registered was Option B.

His brows twitched. ’It really wants me to be a piece of shit.’

“Ten thousand yen, in addition to that.”

Pierre’s brows twitched.

“How about ten thousand punches?” Haruka Yosuke stepped forward and grabbed Roy’s uniform.

“It’s okay, Yosuke-kun.” Pierre forced a smile.

He paid Roy the cash and left with his gang.

[+10,000 ¥]

“Huh.”

Roy tilted his head in surprise.

This action of Pierre didn’t match his attitude. He was the type to use force when things didn’t go his way, not maintain civility. He was most likely very desperate to clear this level and didn’t want to take any foolish risks.

What if, after he beat Takahashi up, Utahime says bad things about him instead to Yoshida Aiko?

Roy kept the money in his bag and checked if Daichi-sensei was still around, but the man had already left. He tried to sneak into the staffroom, but he didn’t have the key.

With that, he decided to call it a day and left the school premises too.

However, before he reached the gate, his vision darkened, and after a few minutes, he found himself on the path to school early in the morning.

Roy quickly realized that his experiences in this world truly hinged on Pierre, because when his day ended, Roy’s day automatically ended too.

“Sigh…”

Roy walked along the path until he reached the school gate, where Sasaki Utahime was waiting for him.

Just like that, the second day commenced.

’Now that I have some money, I wonder what I can spend it on. Wait, do I also have access to Pierre’s Love Shop?’

[Yes. Would you—]

’Of course!’

+

[Love Shop]

1. Apple — 10 Love Points.

2. Gift Ticket — 15 Love Points.

3. Blank Love Letter — 20 Love Points.

4. Rose Bouquet — 30 Love Points.

5. Box of Chocolate — 30 Love Points.

…

+

“Nothing out of the ordinary. His love shop hasn’t been updated since we got linked. Wait a minute, that doesn’t sound right,” he muttered.

Roy had a nagging thought after staring at the shop items.

’Hmm. Since I can’t receive quests, how do I get love-points?’

[Host, you can convert error-points to love-points, or any native energy currency of an executable.]

’Wait! Really? What’s the conversion rate?’

[One error-point = 30 love-points.]

“Tch.”

’So many things to do with error-points, but so few available. Will the 2x Multiplier make it sixty love points?’

[No.]

’Why?!’

[2x Multiplier Skill Description: Multiplies the base value of effects and sign-in rewards by two. Host, converting error-points to love-points does not count as—]

“Yeah, yeah. I got it. My goodness,” Roy mumbled.

At recess, he had lunch by himself this time as Utahime was hanging out with the Class Rep and Sato Himari.

Meanwhile, he spotted Suzuki Kyouno acting normal with her friends, walking by in the hallway. Same for Pierre.

…

[+3 Affection (Yoshida Aiko)]

Pierre’s eyes widened in surprise, and the corner of his lips slowly curled up.

“Pi-senpai!!!”

’Dammit.’

Suzuki Kyouno screamed after spotting him and jumped into his arms for an embrace.

Pierre stopped her and asked with an unfriendly gaze, “What do you want?”

She stepped back and pouted, folding her arms.

“Why are you speaking rudely? I’m just happy to see you.”

Pierre facepalmed.

“We walked to school together this morning.”

“Hm! No fair. Aren’t you happy to see me, too?” she asked, flapping her yellow pigtails and wearing a cute smirk.

Suzuki Kyouno was quite short and petite with large cat-like eyes, and gave off a sense of purity and innocence.

However…

“No. I’m not.”

“Mm!” She frowned and looked down sadly.

[+10 Affection]

With every interaction they had, she grew more affectionate towards him.

<Affection Rate: 90%>

At this point, it was safe to say she was madly in love with him. And he hadn’t used Je T’aime on her even once in the past levels.

“Hey, Pi-kun, don’t be so harsh on her,” Nishi Sakamoto said in his usual playful manner.

“She’s like a goddamn pest.”

Pierre didn’t bother looking at her and went on his way while Nishi Sakamoto oscillated between apologizing to her and calling for him.

[+15 Affection.]

Of course, he gained her affection. Five affection meant a percentage increase in her affection rate for him. So now, it is:

<Affection Rate: 93%>

’Tch. Crazy bitch.’

Pierre wondered if being nice to her, like in the beginning of level one, would make a difference, but that would surely only add to the rapid growth of her mad love for him.

He was one hundred and one percent certain that her love was what drove her to plot Aiko’s death. She was most likely also the one who spread the rumour about her and the maths teacher that caused Aiko to kill herself.

…

’I can’t see her affection rate for him, but I am certain it increased again. This crazy girl…’

Roy watched the entire drama that just transpired and had a unique, radical thought on the problem of Suzuki Kyouno’s ever-growing affection.

“Hmm. What if— Wait.”

Roy closed his eyes and tapped his temple, lost in thought.

“What if I remove her from the storyline… permanently?”

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