CHAPTER 19: CHAPTER 19: TOO LATE

One hundred and ten million. That was the total amount he spent.

When the payment was made, he gave the kimono as a gift to Tsukasa.

"Once again, thank you~" She kissed his cheek with a flushed face.

Smiling, he saw a screen appear on his retina.

───────────

[6x Multiplier!]

───────────

[Mission: [Spend 100 million yen on a single girl] successfully completed]

[Reward:

[2x [Attribute Potion: Increases 1 to 3 attributes randomly upon consumption] have been deposited in your inventory]

───────────

At the same time, his smartphone vibrated.

With several digits, he saw an astronomical amount of six hundred million yen being deposited into his account.

He was just a few steps away from becoming a Japanese billionaire.

’These potions...’ Zayden thought: ’There must be a reason they’re not like before, when they gave me attribute points directly. Maybe the real value is in giving them as a gift to a girl and having a chance to gain 1 to 100 times the value in attributes...’

He might be overthinking, maybe even being too greedy, but what if it really works?

However, is it really like that? If so, he could gain infinite attribute points if he got more attribute potions by giving them to girls with an affection index above 50...

’Well, I’ll only know by testing...’

Now, he needed to decide who he would test it with.

Putting that thought aside for now, Tsukasa also finished paying for the things she bought.

Since she bought on behalf of the Takeda Group, she spent even more than he did. She spent a total of three hundred million yen.

Among her purchases were plots of land. Some lots in Eiko Town.

As for the use of those lots, they would possibly be used to open new stores or resell later?

Well, Zayden didn’t want to think too much about it and started to head out with Tsukasa.

**

**

At Kashiwaya Restaurant.

After leaving the charity auction, Tsukasa said she had made reservations and invited him to dinner.

The reserved table was near the glass wall.

It was possible to see the city lights from up there.

The atmosphere in the place was pleasant and quiet.

Besides the soft background music, only the sound of cutlery and low murmurs could be heard.

Sometimes, discreet laughter could be heard.

A waiter arrived at their table and spoke to Tsukasa about the wine.

If he had a mustache, Zayden would bet he’d be stroking it while rambling about the wine.

"Are you sure you don’t want to drink?" Tsukasa asked as soon as the waiter left.

Interlacing his fingers, Zayden smiled as he replied: "I’m not interested. I’d rather stay sober and take you home safely. I’ll leave that opportunity for another time, maybe when you visit me at home?"

"Ahh, I see..." She looked away.

The blush on her cheeks became evident.

It must be because she started drinking wine, right?

Tsukasa murmured: "Sixteen years old... Really?"

"Did you say something?" Zayden asked.

"Nothing at all." She denied categorically.

Zayden laughed discreetly.

When she turned to face him, Zayden had to admit how beautiful she was.

Her curious eyes blinked when she heard his chuckle. Her long eyelashes were stunning.

"Today was fun," Zayden said. "That man... The one at table 2, he seemed pretty upset with me."

"Aren’t you afraid he’ll try to get revenge?" Tsukasa asked curiously.

Seeing her swirl the wine in her glass and hearing her question, he laughed a little.

"Afraid, huh... That was the mayor of the city, right?" he replied. "I wonder if he dares to try something or not."

"You seem to be expecting something to actually happen." She took a sip of her wine.

"Really?" He touched his own face. He noticed he was smiling. Laughing, he said, "It seems I am."

"Seriously, I can’t figure you out..." She sighed softly.

"Oh? Want to get to know me better?" Zayden gave a teasing smile.

"Maybe?" She replied ambiguously.

And in this atmosphere, the waiter returned with the food they had ordered.

**

**

[Motel]

With the beautiful Haruka in his arms, Zayden recalled the messages exchanged with her just a few hours ago.

After saying goodbye to Tsukasa at her house, Zayden returned to the hotel.

As soon as he finished taking a shower, his smartphone blinked, and he saw some unread messages.

Tsukasa: [Today was really great. Let’s go out again~ s2]

Zayden: [Sure, let’s do it]

Erika: [Are you free tomorrow?]

Zayden: [Uh-huh]

Erika: [How about a date?]

Zayden: [Sure. This time, you choose where we go]

Erika: [Okay, I’ll think about it and get back to you]

Catherine: [Are you busy tomorrow?]

Zayden: [Yes, but not after the morning]

She didn’t reply right away.

Haruka: [Good evening. Are you free now?]

Message from 11 minutes ago.

Zayden: [Was in the shower... Yes, I’m free. Want to meet?]

Haruka: [At the usual motel]

Zayden: [On my way.]

Two minutes later.

Catherine: [Perfect! I don’t have anything to do on Monday either, see you soon?]

Zayden: [Yes 😊]

After that, he left the hotel and met with Haruka and... Well, several things happened, and now Haruka was completely naked, lying with her head on his chest, her long black hair spread out and damp with sweat.

In the air around the room, there was a strong smell of sex mixed with feminine perfume.

Looking at her affection index floating above her head, showing the number ’79’, Zayden thought that maybe he should try to get to know her in a different way, beyond just sex.

Every time they met, the destination was the same.

Although the sex was great, he began to develop an interest in the woman named Haruka Akiyama beyond just sex.

...

She did it again...

Haruka, with her head resting against Zayden’s firm chest, felt a whirlwind in her stomach—a strange sensation that carried with it an intense trace of fear.

It was the fear of getting involved with a boy several years younger, the fear of falling in love and, for him, it being just a passing fling. Still, as much as she feared, she couldn’t avoid the desire she felt for him.

’Should I stop seeing him before it’s too late?’

When these thoughts overwhelmed her, the fear inside her expanded overwhelmingly. Her body warmed as if she were feverish, and a slight tremor ran through her limbs.

"Are you okay?"

His soft and gentle voice brought her back to reality.

His voice carried an unusual sense of tranquility.

When he hugged her tighter and touched her head with one hand, intertwining his fingers in her sweat-dampened hair, she felt a sense of peace in her spirit.

All the fear and anxiety she had been feeling moments ago vanished magically.

His touch on her head was like magic, gentle and very pleasant, like a massage.

She let out a soft grunt.

Her breathing returned to normal.

Haruka replied: "I’m fine, I just ended up thinking about some work stuff." She lied.

"You work as an office employee, right?" Zayden asked.

"Yes, in the administrative department." She answered.

"Is something bothering you? Are you not happy with your current job?" Zayden asked.

"Well, the usual." She replied vaguely: "I can’t say I’m happy with my job, but I earn a good salary."

"I see." Zayden touched her chin and made her look into his red eyes: "Haruka, do you have any dreams? For example, an ideal job?"

"Mmm..." She became thoughtful.

Honestly, it was hard to say if she still idealized any dreams.

At her age, with her salary and a teenage daughter, she couldn’t take the risk of pursuing something without knowing if it would work out or not.

Her eyes gained a bit of warmth as she answered: "I don’t have a big dream. I simply wish to have my own store one day. Preferably, a clothing store."

Just as she herself said, it was something common. Nothing too grand or impossible.

However, something like that requires money and luck too.

If the location isn’t good, or even the quality of the store’s products, the outcome would almost certainly be bankruptcy.

"If I say..."

"Don’t even think about it!"

She interrupted him.

Yes, he knew that would happen if he tried to offer her money.

Seeing her lean forward and look at him with a stern gaze, Zayden sighed.

Spending money on someone. It would be so easy if he found a materialistic woman.

However, that type of woman was the kind who would go with any man who paid more. A relationship based solely on money was something he didn’t want.

It might seem foolish on his part, after all, if he spent a few million on just anyone, he could get a return of 1 to 100 times the amount spent.

However, he simply couldn’t accept such a relationship.

Wrapping his arms around her, he said: "Is it hard to accept my money?"

"If I accept, I feel like my good feelings would become something less sincere." She replied.

It took a few seconds for Zayden to understand.

In both lives, he had never lacked money.

It was easy to say to put yourself in someone else’s shoes regarding something you’ve never even experienced.

It’s impossible to truly understand someone’s feelings in that situation. Sometimes, even those who went through the same thing wouldn’t understand it in the same way. After all, humans are complicated and often incomprehensible beings.

What he understood from her words was: If she accepted his money and had a store thanks to him, the feelings she had for him would turn into something more related to gratitude and a sense of debt rather than something romantic.

She was different from Tsukasa, who could accept something worth millions of yen, since each of their lifestyles was different.

In a crude comparison, a gift worth 100 million yen to Tsukasa was equivalent to a gift worth thousands of yen that he might give to Haruka.

’This also means she’s taking our relationship seriously...’ Zayden thought.

That said, he felt happier than disappointed.

It wasn’t as if he urgently wanted to spend on her and increase his own money.

So, he replied after a gentle kiss: "I understand. But Haruka, if you change your mind, let me know. If your current job becomes unbearable, I’ll figure something out. Whether it’s getting you a better job or even opening a store for you."

"I don’t think that will happen. Just your intentions are enough for me, Zayden." She replied.

Zayden didn’t insist.

...

In the hot tub, with Haruka sitting between his legs, Zayden sighed in satisfaction.

The skin-to-skin contact in the hot tub was simply sublime.

For Haruka, sex with him was perfect, but this kind of physical contact was somehow more emotional. The security she felt from having his large body behind her, hugging her like a shield capable of protecting her even from the worst storms, the warmth of his skin... Everything was so perfect that it made her want more.

She wanted to sleep with him, not just sexually, but actually sleep, like couples embracing in the same bed.

That kind of physical contact was what she desired most. It was feeling loved and protected.

’Maybe he could...’ She shook her head.

In the end, she decided to let nature take its course.

Thinking too far ahead when things had barely started wasn’t very healthy.

Turning around to face him, she straddled him under his surprised gaze.

With a seductive and mischievous smile, she whispered in his ear: "I want you here and now~"

The Japanese language was truly unfair... Just a few words from Haruka were enough to make him so happy that he couldn’t contain himself.