Chapter 29
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Horrifying screams would go out of his mouth if only he was not feeling weakened. It was already Wednesday, and it was another live practice for the dance class. Arata felt that he should always look his best on Wednesdays since a lot of the women would be around him. And to think that Attori would be looking at him for inspiration and strength to dance.
So seeing his face that morning horrified him. There were bags under his eyes, and his skin was not as bright as before. His normally squared shoulders were slouched no matter how much he corrected his posture. He was also breathing heavily. If this was his old world, he would be called sick; in this world however, he was on a Stamina penalty.
Arata cried as he realized he had made a mistake. He could not see his Stamina bar, but he could feel if it gets consumed or depleted. Stamina was a basic parameter in the game which granted the player the ability to do activities during an action time. It was also the Health of the player. Constantly depleting one's Stamina bar would result to Stamina penalty which halved all the basic parameters, no matter how many Items were used to raise it. Recovery items did not help since the Stamina is full at half-gauge during a Stamina penalty. The player's Charms, Strength, and Intelligence had all been dragged back to Low.
The king was cussing without a sound as he panicked despite the exhaustion. Stamina penalties last for a day, and another day if the player still depleted the Stamina bar during a penalty. The only way to get rid of it was to either be very passive in school, or sleep all day. Arata cried as he thought of missing school again; he had not attended three days straight of his morning classes, and it was impossible not to spend Stamina on a school day. His head continued to hurt, more than his eyes.
His phone started to ring, and so Arata picked it up. Even his Speed was halved. He answered the phone after seeing the caller ID. "Hi, Ruby. How can I help you today?"
"What's wrong with your voice? Are you sick?" It seemed that it did not take her a photo of his face to know. She then seemed to talk to someone else, lowering the phone to not confuse Arata. Her voice came loud again. "Arata? I was thinking of picking you up from school because you left me no message yesterday. Can I see you today?"
"I... don't know." Arata sat on the rim of his toilet with the lid close. "I'm not sure if I'm going to school today as well." He snorted to himself, forgetting that he should have sent a message to Ruby yesterday. He forgot they had meetings for the Student Council. He then looked down at himself, seeing how sad his body looked under the open robe. "If you come to see me at my house, you might not like what you're going to see."
"Tell me that wretch didn't do anything bad to you." Ruby gritted over the phone. Her anger was apparent to Arata, event though it was not Attori's fault at all.
"Nah, she's busy tending to her mother. Don't blame her. She's my girlfriend, not my nanny." Arata chuckled as he felt weakening. He knocked on his forehead using the tips of his finger bones; he failed to realize that answering a phone call did use up Stamina. "Ah, this is so bad..."
Now he knew why the game MC refused to move when in Stamina penalty. It felt more than a simple flu.
"I'm pulling up on your driveway right now. Can you stand to let me in?" Ruby spoke in a calm manner, but her successive breaths told him otherwise.
"Sure. I'm hanging up." Arata ended the call and placed his phone on the lidded toilet tank before getting up from the seat. He closed his robe and tightened it to keep himself from freezing.
He made his way downstairs carefully, wary of tripping and hurting his Stamina some more. He checked the driveway through his kitchen window, seeing that there was this black luxury car outside. By the gate stood Ruby who was in her school uniform. It was almost time for Cora and Yukari to check up on him, and so he just hurried to get the door and the gate open for her.
"What happened to you!? Oh, my God, Arata!" The usually composed woman whined and whimpered at every second Arata was in her sight. She tried to help him back inside- after he put the latch back on so Cora could just walk in. She closed the door behind her and managed to take him to the sofa. She then moved around the house in haste, hoping to find whatever she needed.
"Easy." Arata laughed a little as he watched her go. He had never seen such a side of the school queen so he was a little happy about it.
"What are you laughing about?" Ruby glared at him as she went to him again. She then dissolved it as she made a worried face. "Come on, let's get you to bed. I'm not allowing you to go to school today. I'm letting your class president know."
The fit yet not strong woman helped him up and tried her best to carry him. Ruby had been excellent when it comes to intellectual matters. Physical activities were not something she would shy away from, but Arata thought she was forcing herself too much. They managed to make it back to his bedroom, and she ended up almost throwing the man towards the bed. But due to Arata's antic, she tripped and landed above him. The player laughed out as the queen fell for another trap of his, soon earning a light smack on his arm.
"You could have torn my uniform, you jerk." Ruby glared at the man under her, but she then smiled after realizing the view. She gathered her hair to one side and pulled one of her legs near, not wanting to straddle him. She lied on her side next to him, soon leaning on her elbow to keep her upper torso lifted, staring down at Arata's waning face. "Still playing games even though you're weak? How irresponsible."
"Sorry, I just saw the opportunity." He smiled and kept it even though his eyes closed.
Maybe he should just sleep for now, rather than take advantage of Ruby's presence. Among all the date-ables, he classified Ruby as the sexiest among them. However, she was the only one he had not 'encountered' just yet. Feeling her chest next to his face, he decided to move closer and shove his face down there again like it was ambrosia. Since they were in a private place, Ruby did not mind unbuttoning her shirt to let him indulge more with the warmth.
Ruby slid down her arm under her and lied down the bed, using her other hand to stroke at Arata's head. The man soon rolled to his side and cuddled the woman, feeling more of her soft body. It did not help that one of her thighs was on his hips.
There was no activity in Player-kun Complex that would occupy all eight action times. So even in Stamina penalty, his rest would only eat up one or two action times, depending on his health. It was lunch time, when Arata woke up. He found himself alone in the bed and in his pajamas. It seemed that Ruby made him wear something more than a bathrobe while asleep.
The king slowly got up and found something more intriguing in his bedroom floor. There were two bags, both very familiar to him. His eyes blinked, and his breathing hitched. The terror that ran through his spine was real, and it froze him while his heart raged inside his ribcage. Those were Ruby and Attori's bags. His gaze flew to the clock to see 12 PM, wondering why Attori skipped school. But that was not the problem. He was stuck in a situation akin to a secretly unfaithful man having his wife and his mistress inside the same house.
Arata managed to get out of bed and felt like he was able to regenerate a huge amount of Stamina during his sleep. It would have been okay to have Attori and another one of his women in the house, but it was Ruby. If Keiko had not attacked the mad girl, the school queen would still be her biggest enemy. As wild and grim as Arata's imagination would go, he knew Attori would not let him know if she did something bad to Ruby... such as dispatching her. She should have thrown out the bag if ever. Then again, he heard chattering women in the kitchen.
"Wow, it really got thick!" Attori whistled at the result she got.
"But don't put too much, let it heat and simmer on its own." Ruby seemed to be teaching her how to make a dish... or just a thick soup.
The player's nose moved as he got a whiff at what he smelled. It was mushroom cream soup. He hurried down the stairs, if he could call it hurrying. His Speed had not improved at all. Arata took a peak at the kitchen, seeing Attori and Ruby by the stove. There were baguettes on the counter, and the oven seemed to be cooking something. It dinged, and the blue-haired girl hurried to it. She got the contents out, which looked like the ends of baguettes but standing. It seemed that even his Perception was decreased.
"Arata, don't just stand there like a shy child. Why didn't you call me?" Ruby finally noticed the king, since Attori was not blocking her view anymore. The queen walked to him and guided him to the table. "Lunch is almost ready. Are you hungry?"
"Y-Yeah..." he whispered his answer. In fact, he wanted to say more... something like 'you're both still alive' or 'no one got hurt, right.' But those are stupid questions that he could only think about since he was on Stamina penalty. The only clear thought he had by then was never to let himself catch Stamina penalty again.
Attori went to him and stroked at his head without a word. She only smiled, hiding the worry behind her loving gaze. She then moved away and set the table for lunch. She laid down three sets for everyone, as well as the bowls which contained the glorious meals courtesy of Ruby. Soon, she sat down after getting a pitcher of cool water from the fridge and glasses for them. It was Ruby who served the soup to all three of them.
The mushroom cream soup was not on small bowls but on baguette ends that were crisped to withstand the liquid. The bread was also shined using oil, and the edges were smoothened rather than jagged like a normal serrated knife could do. The soup seemed to be only white, but the smell was what made it all the more inviting to eat.
The king mouthed 'wow' before he started drooling over such a simple yet elegant looking food. Since it was his house, he was responsible for starting the lunch, which he did with a smile and a gesture. The first one to dig into was the soup of course, even though it was hot. It did not stop Arata and Attori to quiver at the taste. Ruby only chuckled as she took sticks from the earlier batch of ginger bread she taught Attori how to make.
"Uhm, I'm sorry I haven't sent a message to you, Attori. You must have been worried." Arata remembered as he taught of taking pictures, but his phone was left in the bathroom.
"Not really. I just saw this luxury car that headed on a different direction than school so I went to check up on you." The girlfriend hummed as she enjoyed her soup. "When I came, you were already asleep." There was no change in her tone, but it still made Arata uneasy... scratch that, guilty. She noticed her boyfriend took his gaze off of her. "Arata..." she called his name.
"Y-Yes?"
"What's going on? You've been acting really strange since the start of the semester. Did something happen last summer?" Her tone was not worried; she was interrogating him. It did not help that Ruby was simply listening to her as well, giving Arata the same set of eyes.
"Sorry, I just... feel so lost before. These days, I'm just overworking myself. No need to get worried about me!" Arata laughed out, hoping it could alleviate the girls' uncomfortable gazes.
"You're forcing yourself too much. Stop fitting too many troubles in one day." Ruby sighed, finally putting words in their discussion. "You're forgetting that you're not a god. You can't do everything in one snap. And even if you're a god, you still need to rest. It would be better for you if you stop staying out so late at night." Ruby glared at him. "I'll send you home when I catch you."
"I'll kick you unconscious if I catch you not home at 9, Arata." Attori nodded as if agreeing.
A bitter smile rose from his lips, and it stayed as he got frozen. Just when he knew he had to stay out to go to Crown Velvet, he received threats from Attori and Ruby against staying out late. He brought his gaze at the women who paid attention to their meals. It seemed that the rate of the new date-able wanting to see him every night was high, and so was triggering Challenge mode.
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Horrifying screams would go out of his mouth if only he was not feeling weakened. It was already Wednesday, and it was another live practice for the dance class. Arata felt that he should always look his best on Wednesdays since a lot of the women would be around him. And to think that Attori would be looking at him for inspiration and strength to dance.
So seeing his face that morning horrified him. There were bags under his eyes, and his skin was not as bright as before. His normally squared shoulders were slouched no matter how much he corrected his posture. He was also breathing heavily. If this was his old world, he would be called sick; in this world however, he was on a Stamina penalty.
Arata cried as he realized he had made a mistake. He could not see his Stamina bar, but he could feel if it gets consumed or depleted. Stamina was a basic parameter in the game which granted the player the ability to do activities during an action time. It was also the Health of the player. Constantly depleting one's Stamina bar would result to Stamina penalty which halved all the basic parameters, no matter how many Items were used to raise it. Recovery items did not help since the Stamina is full at half-gauge during a Stamina penalty. The player's Charms, Strength, and Intelligence had all been dragged back to Low.
The king was cussing without a sound as he panicked despite the exhaustion. Stamina penalties last for a day, and another day if the player still depleted the Stamina bar during a penalty. The only way to get rid of it was to either be very passive in school, or sleep all day. Arata cried as he thought of missing school again; he had not attended three days straight of his morning classes, and it was impossible not to spend Stamina on a school day. His head continued to hurt, more than his eyes.
His phone started to ring, and so Arata picked it up. Even his Speed was halved. He answered the phone after seeing the caller ID. "Hi, Ruby. How can I help you today?"
"What's wrong with your voice? Are you sick?" It seemed that it did not take her a photo of his face to know. She then seemed to talk to someone else, lowering the phone to not confuse Arata. Her voice came loud again. "Arata? I was thinking of picking you up from school because you left me no message yesterday. Can I see you today?"
"I... don't know." Arata sat on the rim of his toilet with the lid close. "I'm not sure if I'm going to school today as well." He snorted to himself, forgetting that he should have sent a message to Ruby yesterday. He forgot they had meetings for the Student Council. He then looked down at himself, seeing how sad his body looked under the open robe. "If you come to see me at my house, you might not like what you're going to see."
"Tell me that wretch didn't do anything bad to you." Ruby gritted over the phone. Her anger was apparent to Arata, event though it was not Attori's fault at all.
"Nah, she's busy tending to her mother. Don't blame her. She's my girlfriend, not my nanny." Arata chuckled as he felt weakening. He knocked on his forehead using the tips of his finger bones; he failed to realize that answering a phone call did use up Stamina. "Ah, this is so bad..."
Now he knew why the game MC refused to move when in Stamina penalty. It felt more than a simple flu.
"I'm pulling up on your driveway right now. Can you stand to let me in?" Ruby spoke in a calm manner, but her successive breaths told him otherwise.
"Sure. I'm hanging up." Arata ended the call and placed his phone on the lidded toilet tank before getting up from the seat. He closed his robe and tightened it to keep himself from freezing.
He made his way downstairs carefully, wary of tripping and hurting his Stamina some more. He checked the driveway through his kitchen window, seeing that there was this black luxury car outside. By the gate stood Ruby who was in her school uniform. It was almost time for Cora and Yukari to check up on him, and so he just hurried to get the door and the gate open for her.
"What happened to you!? Oh, my God, Arata!" The usually composed woman whined and whimpered at every second Arata was in her sight. She tried to help him back inside- after he put the latch back on so Cora could just walk in. She closed the door behind her and managed to take him to the sofa. She then moved around the house in haste, hoping to find whatever she needed.
"Easy." Arata laughed a little as he watched her go. He had never seen such a side of the school queen so he was a little happy about it.
"What are you laughing about?" Ruby glared at him as she went to him again. She then dissolved it as she made a worried face. "Come on, let's get you to bed. I'm not allowing you to go to school today. I'm letting your class president know."
The fit yet not strong woman helped him up and tried her best to carry him. Ruby had been excellent when it comes to intellectual matters. Physical activities were not something she would shy away from, but Arata thought she was forcing herself too much. They managed to make it back to his bedroom, and she ended up almost throwing the man towards the bed. But due to Arata's antic, she tripped and landed above him. The player laughed out as the queen fell for another trap of his, soon earning a light smack on his arm.
"You could have torn my uniform, you jerk." Ruby glared at the man under her, but she then smiled after realizing the view. She gathered her hair to one side and pulled one of her legs near, not wanting to straddle him. She lied on her side next to him, soon leaning on her elbow to keep her upper torso lifted, staring down at Arata's waning face. "Still playing games even though you're weak? How irresponsible."
"Sorry, I just saw the opportunity." He smiled and kept it even though his eyes closed.
Maybe he should just sleep for now, rather than take advantage of Ruby's presence. Among all the date-ables, he classified Ruby as the sexiest among them. However, she was the only one he had not 'encountered' just yet. Feeling her chest next to his face, he decided to move closer and shove his face down there again like it was ambrosia. Since they were in a private place, Ruby did not mind unbuttoning her shirt to let him indulge more with the warmth.
Ruby slid down her arm under her and lied down the bed, using her other hand to stroke at Arata's head. The man soon rolled to his side and cuddled the woman, feeling more of her soft body. It did not help that one of her thighs was on his hips.
There was no activity in Player-kun Complex that would occupy all eight action times. So even in Stamina penalty, his rest would only eat up one or two action times, depending on his health. It was lunch time, when Arata woke up. He found himself alone in the bed and in his pajamas. It seemed that Ruby made him wear something more than a bathrobe while asleep.
The king slowly got up and found something more intriguing in his bedroom floor. There were two bags, both very familiar to him. His eyes blinked, and his breathing hitched. The terror that ran through his spine was real, and it froze him while his heart raged inside his ribcage. Those were Ruby and Attori's bags. His gaze flew to the clock to see 12 PM, wondering why Attori skipped school. But that was not the problem. He was stuck in a situation akin to a secretly unfaithful man having his wife and his mistress inside the same house.
Arata managed to get out of bed and felt like he was able to regenerate a huge amount of Stamina during his sleep. It would have been okay to have Attori and another one of his women in the house, but it was Ruby. If Keiko had not attacked the mad girl, the school queen would still be her biggest enemy. As wild and grim as Arata's imagination would go, he knew Attori would not let him know if she did something bad to Ruby... such as dispatching her. She should have thrown out the bag if ever. Then again, he heard chattering women in the kitchen.
"Wow, it really got thick!" Attori whistled at the result she got.
"But don't put too much, let it heat and simmer on its own." Ruby seemed to be teaching her how to make a dish... or just a thick soup.
The player's nose moved as he got a whiff at what he smelled. It was mushroom cream soup. He hurried down the stairs, if he could call it hurrying. His Speed had not improved at all. Arata took a peak at the kitchen, seeing Attori and Ruby by the stove. There were baguettes on the counter, and the oven seemed to be cooking something. It dinged, and the blue-haired girl hurried to it. She got the contents out, which looked like the ends of baguettes but standing. It seemed that even his Perception was decreased.
"Arata, don't just stand there like a shy child. Why didn't you call me?" Ruby finally noticed the king, since Attori was not blocking her view anymore. The queen walked to him and guided him to the table. "Lunch is almost ready. Are you hungry?"
"Y-Yeah..." he whispered his answer. In fact, he wanted to say more... something like 'you're both still alive' or 'no one got hurt, right.' But those are stupid questions that he could only think about since he was on Stamina penalty. The only clear thought he had by then was never to let himself catch Stamina penalty again.
Attori went to him and stroked at his head without a word. She only smiled, hiding the worry behind her loving gaze. She then moved away and set the table for lunch. She laid down three sets for everyone, as well as the bowls which contained the glorious meals courtesy of Ruby. Soon, she sat down after getting a pitcher of cool water from the fridge and glasses for them. It was Ruby who served the soup to all three of them.
The mushroom cream soup was not on small bowls but on baguette ends that were crisped to withstand the liquid. The bread was also shined using oil, and the edges were smoothened rather than jagged like a normal serrated knife could do. The soup seemed to be only white, but the smell was what made it all the more inviting to eat.
The king mouthed 'wow' before he started drooling over such a simple yet elegant looking food. Since it was his house, he was responsible for starting the lunch, which he did with a smile and a gesture. The first one to dig into was the soup of course, even though it was hot. It did not stop Arata and Attori to quiver at the taste. Ruby only chuckled as she took sticks from the earlier batch of ginger bread she taught Attori how to make.
"Uhm, I'm sorry I haven't sent a message to you, Attori. You must have been worried." Arata remembered as he taught of taking pictures, but his phone was left in the bathroom.
"Not really. I just saw this luxury car that headed on a different direction than school so I went to check up on you." The girlfriend hummed as she enjoyed her soup. "When I came, you were already asleep." There was no change in her tone, but it still made Arata uneasy... scratch that, guilty. She noticed her boyfriend took his gaze off of her. "Arata..." she called his name.
"Y-Yes?"
"What's going on? You've been acting really strange since the start of the semester. Did something happen last summer?" Her tone was not worried; she was interrogating him. It did not help that Ruby was simply listening to her as well, giving Arata the same set of eyes.
"Sorry, I just... feel so lost before. These days, I'm just overworking myself. No need to get worried about me!" Arata laughed out, hoping it could alleviate the girls' uncomfortable gazes.
"You're forcing yourself too much. Stop fitting too many troubles in one day." Ruby sighed, finally putting words in their discussion. "You're forgetting that you're not a god. You can't do everything in one snap. And even if you're a god, you still need to rest. It would be better for you if you stop staying out so late at night." Ruby glared at him. "I'll send you home when I catch you."
"I'll kick you unconscious if I catch you not home at 9, Arata." Attori nodded as if agreeing.
A bitter smile rose from his lips, and it stayed as he got frozen. Just when he knew he had to stay out to go to Crown Velvet, he received threats from Attori and Ruby against staying out late. He brought his gaze at the women who paid attention to their meals. It seemed that the rate of the new date-able wanting to see him every night was high, and so was triggering Challenge mode.
Horrifying screams would go out of his mouth if only he was not feeling weakened. It was already Wednesday, and it was another live practice for the dance class. Arata felt that he should always look his best on Wednesdays since a lot of the women would be around him. And to think that Attori would be looking at him for inspiration and strength to dance.So seeing his face that morning horrified him. There were bags under his eyes, and his skin was not as bright as before. His normally squared shoulders were slouched no matter how much he corrected his posture. He was also breathing heavily. If this was his old world, he would be called sick; in this world however, he was on a Stamina penalty.Arata cried as he realized he had made a mistake. He could not see his Stamina bar, but he could feel if it gets consumed or depleted. Stamina was a basic parameter in the game which granted the player the ability to do activities during an action time. It was also the Health of the player. Constantly depleting one's Stamina bar would result to Stamina penalty which halved all the basic parameters, no matter how many Items were used to raise it. Recovery items did not help since the Stamina is full at half-gauge during a Stamina penalty. The player's Charms, Strength, and Intelligence had all been dragged back to Low.The king was cussing without a sound as he panicked despite the exhaustion. Stamina penalties last for a day, and another day if the player still depleted the Stamina bar during a penalty. The only way to get rid of it was to either be very passive in school, or sleep all day. Arata cried as he thought of missing school again; he had not attended three days straight of his morning classes, and it was impossible not to spend Stamina on a school day. His head continued to hurt, more than his eyes.His phone started to ring, and so Arata picked it up. Even his Speed was halved. He answered the phone after seeing the caller ID. "Hi, Ruby. How can I help you today?""What's wrong with your voice? Are you sick?" It seemed that it did not take her a photo of his face to know. She then seemed to talk to someone else, lowering the phone to not confuse Arata. Her voice came loud again. "Arata? I was thinking of picking you up from school because you left me no message yesterday. Can I see you today?""I... don't know." Arata sat on the rim of his toilet with the lid close. "I'm not sure if I'm going to school today as well." He snorted to himself, forgetting that he should have sent a message to Ruby yesterday. He forgot they had meetings for the Student Council. He then looked down at himself, seeing how sad his body looked under the open robe. "If you come to see me at my house, you might not like what you're going to see.""Tell me that wretch didn't do anything bad to you." Ruby gritted over the phone. Her anger was apparent to Arata, event though it was not Attori's fault at all."Nah, she's busy tending to her mother. Don't blame her. She's my girlfriend, not my nanny." Arata chuckled as he felt weakening. He knocked on his forehead using the tips of his finger bones; he failed to realize that answering a phone call did use up Stamina. "Ah, this is so bad..."Now he knew why the game MC refused to move when in Stamina penalty. It felt more than a simple flu."I'm pulling up on your driveway right now. Can you stand to let me in?" Ruby spoke in a calm manner, but her successive breaths told him otherwise."Sure. I'm hanging up." Arata ended the call and placed his phone on the lidded toilet tank before getting up from the seat. He closed his robe and tightened it to keep himself from freezing.He made his way downstairs carefully, wary of tripping and hurting his Stamina some more. He checked the driveway through his kitchen window, seeing that there was this black luxury car outside. By the gate stood Ruby who was in her school uniform. It was almost time for Cora and Yukari to check up on him, and so he just hurried to get the door and the gate open for her."What happened to you!? Oh, my God, Arata!" The usually composed woman whined and whimpered at every second Arata was in her sight. She tried to help him back inside- after he put the latch back on so Cora could just walk in. She closed the door behind her and managed to take him to the sofa. She then moved around the house in haste, hoping to find whatever she needed."Easy." Arata laughed a little as he watched her go. He had never seen such a side of the school queen so he was a little happy about it."What are you laughing about?" Ruby glared at him as she went to him again. She then dissolved it as she made a worried face. "Come on, let's get you to bed. I'm not allowing you to go to school today. I'm letting your class president know."The fit yet not strong woman helped him up and tried her best to carry him. Ruby had been excellent when it comes to intellectual matters. Physical activities were not something she would shy away from, but Arata thought she was forcing herself too much. They managed to make it back to his bedroom, and she ended up almost throwing the man towards the bed. But due to Arata's antic, she tripped and landed above him. The player laughed out as the queen fell for another trap of his, soon earning a light smack on his arm."You could have torn my uniform, you jerk." Ruby glared at the man under her, but she then smiled after realizing the view. She gathered her hair to one side and pulled one of her legs near, not wanting to straddle him. She lied on her side next to him, soon leaning on her elbow to keep her upper torso lifted, staring down at Arata's waning face. "Still playing games even though you're weak? How irresponsible.""Sorry, I just saw the opportunity." He smiled and kept it even though his eyes closed.Maybe he should just sleep for now, rather than take advantage of Ruby's presence. Among all the date-ables, he classified Ruby as the sexiest among them. However, she was the only one he had not 'encountered' just yet. Feeling her chest next to his face, he decided to move closer and shove his face down there again like it was ambrosia. Since they were in a private place, Ruby did not mind unbuttoning her shirt to let him indulge more with the warmth.Ruby slid down her arm under her and lied down the bed, using her other hand to stroke at Arata's head. The man soon rolled to his side and cuddled the woman, feeling more of her soft body. It did not help that one of her thighs was on his hips.There was no activity in Player-kun Complex that would occupy all eight action times. So even in Stamina penalty, his rest would only eat up one or two action times, depending on his health. It was lunch time, when Arata woke up. He found himself alone in the bed and in his pajamas. It seemed that Ruby made him wear something more than a bathrobe while asleep.The king slowly got up and found something more intriguing in his bedroom floor. There were two bags, both very familiar to him. His eyes blinked, and his breathing hitched. The terror that ran through his spine was real, and it froze him while his heart raged inside his ribcage. Those were Ruby and Attori's bags. His gaze flew to the clock to see 12 PM, wondering why Attori skipped school. But that was not the problem. He was stuck in a situation akin to a secretly unfaithful man having his wife and his mistress inside the same house.Arata managed to get out of bed and felt like he was able to regenerate a huge amount of Stamina during his sleep. It would have been okay to have Attori and another one of his women in the house, but it was Ruby. If Keiko had not attacked the mad girl, the school queen would still be her biggest enemy. As wild and grim as Arata's imagination would go, he knew Attori would not let him know if she did something bad to Ruby... such as dispatching her. She should have thrown out the bag if ever. Then again, he heard chattering women in the kitchen."Wow, it really got thick!" Attori whistled at the result she got."But don't put too much, let it heat and simmer on its own." Ruby seemed to be teaching her how to make a dish... or just a thick soup.The player's nose moved as he got a whiff at what he smelled. It was mushroom cream soup. He hurried down the stairs, if he could call it hurrying. His Speed had not improved at all. Arata took a peak at the kitchen, seeing Attori and Ruby by the stove. There were baguettes on the counter, and the oven seemed to be cooking something. It dinged, and the blue-haired girl hurried to it. She got the contents out, which looked like the ends of baguettes but standing. It seemed that even his Perception was decreased."Arata, don't just stand there like a shy child. Why didn't you call me?" Ruby finally noticed the king, since Attori was not blocking her view anymore. The queen walked to him and guided him to the table. "Lunch is almost ready. Are you hungry?""Y-Yeah..." he whispered his answer. In fact, he wanted to say more... something like 'you're both still alive' or 'no one got hurt, right.' But those are stupid questions that he could only think about since he was on Stamina penalty. The only clear thought he had by then was never to let himself catch Stamina penalty again.Attori went to him and stroked at his head without a word. She only smiled, hiding the worry behind her loving gaze. She then moved away and set the table for lunch. She laid down three sets for everyone, as well as the bowls which contained the glorious meals courtesy of Ruby. Soon, she sat down after getting a pitcher of cool water from the fridge and glasses for them. It was Ruby who served the soup to all three of them.The mushroom cream soup was not on small bowls but on baguette ends that were crisped to withstand the liquid. The bread was also shined using oil, and the edges were smoothened rather than jagged like a normal serrated knife could do. The soup seemed to be only white, but the smell was what made it all the more inviting to eat.The king mouthed 'wow' before he started drooling over such a simple yet elegant looking food. Since it was his house, he was responsible for starting the lunch, which he did with a smile and a gesture. The first one to dig into was the soup of course, even though it was hot. It did not stop Arata and Attori to quiver at the taste. Ruby only chuckled as she took sticks from the earlier batch of ginger bread she taught Attori how to make."Uhm, I'm sorry I haven't sent a message to you, Attori. You must have been worried." Arata remembered as he taught of taking pictures, but his phone was left in the bathroom."Not really. I just saw this luxury car that headed on a different direction than school so I went to check up on you." The girlfriend hummed as she enjoyed her soup. "When I came, you were already asleep." There was no change in her tone, but it still made Arata uneasy... scratch that, guilty. She noticed her boyfriend took his gaze off of her. "Arata..." she called his name."Y-Yes?""What's going on? You've been acting really strange since the start of the semester. Did something happen last summer?" Her tone was not worried; she was interrogating him. It did not help that Ruby was simply listening to her as well, giving Arata the same set of eyes."Sorry, I just... feel so lost before. These days, I'm just overworking myself. No need to get worried about me!" Arata laughed out, hoping it could alleviate the girls' uncomfortable gazes."You're forcing yourself too much. Stop fitting too many troubles in one day." Ruby sighed, finally putting words in their discussion. "You're forgetting that you're not a god. You can't do everything in one snap. And even if you're a god, you still need to rest. It would be better for you if you stop staying out so late at night." Ruby glared at him. "I'll send you home when I catch you.""I'll kick you unconscious if I catch you not home at 9, Arata." Attori nodded as if agreeing.A bitter smile rose from his lips, and it stayed as he got frozen. Just when he knew he had to stay out to go to Crown Velvet, he received threats from Attori and Ruby against staying out late. He brought his gaze at the women who paid attention to their meals. It seemed that the rate of the new date-able wanting to see him every night was high, and so was triggering Challenge mode.
