Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The System and Amamiya Momiji

"I'm telling you — huh? Why'd you suddenly crouch down?"

The completely oblivious Matsuyama Shota stared in bewilderment at Oreki Gen, who had abruptly dropped into a bizarre squatting position beside him.

The boy maintained his composure, crouching for a moment before calmly rising back up and wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

"It's nothing. Just a sudden stomachache. All better now."

Matsuyama Shota gave him a strange look.

"A sudden stomachache?"

"Yeah, no big deal. But... did you feel anything weird just now?"

Oreki Gen had narrowly escaped total social annihilation. The zipper was safely refastened, preventing what would have been an instant, catastrophic public humiliation. After all, this was a school campus — in front of this many people.

A brazen public exposure... was absolutely horrifying. If that had actually happened, there was no question he'd have vanished from this school by tomorrow. Scratch that — he'd have vanished from Sakurato entirely.

He also noticed that nobody around them was acting the least bit unusual. It was as if the five-minute time stop had zero impact on their movements.

Steady footsteps descending the stairs, or sentences picking up right where they left off. People chatting and laughing with the person beside them.

The laughter could even be heard continuing seamlessly.

Matsuyama Shota looked at Oreki Gen, confused.

"Weird feeling? What weird feeling?"

Oreki Gen thought about it.

"Like... did it feel for a split second like the entire world just paused? Like something skipped a beat?"

He was still testing whether Matsuyama Shota had felt anything — whether maintaining consciousness during the time stop was something unique to him.

Matsuyama Shota clearly hadn't felt a thing. He shook his head.

"Nothing like what you're describing. Are you sure you didn't get heatstroke? It's been pretty brutal out."

Oreki Gen dropped the subject.

"Never mind. It's nothing. Probably just me being weird."

From the cafeteria back to the classroom, nothing strange happened again.

But for Oreki Gen, this was a dangerous signal.

A mechanic that never appeared in the doujin had now surfaced. The first heroine, Sakuraba Mitsuki, could pause time for five minutes — the absurdity of it aside, the danger to him was beyond obvious.

Especially now that Oreki Gen knew she'd already set her sights on him...

But why him? He'd been so careful this whole time, maintained such rigorous distance — he hadn't made a single point of contact with her... He couldn't figure it out. And knowing what he now knew, how was he supposed to handle a situation like this going forward...?

【Ding! Detected that the Host has made intimate contact with Heroine Sakuraba Mitsuki. Doujin Heroine Capture System is now activated!】

Right as Oreki Gen was lost in thought, a crisp voice echoed through his mind.

That technically counted as intimate contact... but he'd been completely passive! Did it still count?!

The voice continued inside his head.

【Scanning current Host attributes...】

【Name: Oreki Gen.】

【Acquired Skill: Absolute Lucidity (Allows the Host to retain consciousness under the influence of abnormal phenomena.)】

So that was why he'd remained aware during the time stop?

【Attribute Panel.】

Right before Oreki Gen's eyes, something resembling a small blackboard materialized, with numerous entries neatly inscribed upon it.

【Intelligence: 21 (No Upper Limit)】

【Stamina: 18 (No Upper Limit)】

【Strength: 15 (No Upper Limit)】

【Luck: 12 (No Upper Limit)】

【Charm: 59 (No Upper Limit)】

【S*xual Desire: 100 (No Upper Limit)】

Everything else, Oreki Gen could understand. Unlimited Intelligence might mean he could build missiles someday. Unlimited Strength might mean he could become Superman. And a Charm stat noticeably higher than the rest was fitting enough for a male lead — maybe someday he'd become a walking...

But what the hell was "S*xual Desire"? It even censored itself — was this system afraid of getting flagged too?

And it was maxed at 100!

Was this really standard-issue for a doujin protagonist?

Over this past week, Oreki Gen hadn't felt his desires to be particularly overwhelming. Sure, his gaze had a tendency to drift toward certain parts of certain pretty girls, but it hadn't turned him into a deviant or anything.

But 100? Wasn't that completely ridiculous?

The system helpfully provided an explanation at this point.

【S*xual Desire governs all of the Host's capabilities during intimate encounters, including endurance, sensual magnetism, the Host's own craving for such activities, and the degree of pleasure experienced by the partner. This is instrumental in capturing targets.】

Seemed like it was meant to help him, but for Oreki Gen — who had absolutely zero intention of pursuing that path — reading this was physically painful.

【First activation detected. Starter Gift Pack available. Would you like to open it now?】

A week ago, Oreki Gen would have refused without a second thought. All he'd wanted was to stay alive.

But now, knowing that Sakuraba Mitsuki had the power to stop time, he had no other choice. He needed countermeasures — needed some way to survive and avoid those vividly remembered, horrific endings.

【Open it.】

【Opening Starter Gift Pack...】

【Congratulations! Host has acquired Exclusive Skill: Eyes of Desire!】

【Eyes of Desire — A-Rank Exclusive Skill. The Host's presence is passively enhanced; all heroines will subconsciously notice the Host's existence. Additionally, any target who receives the Host's direct attention will experience a significant increase in desire. Note: (Skill effects and potency will improve as the skill ranks up.)】

This was sabotage, wasn't it?

Boosting his visibility? Not only was this completely useless, it was actively shoving him deeper into the fire! What did he need to amplify the heroines' desire for?!

【Congratulations! Host has acquired Exclusive Skill: X-Ray Vision.】

【X-Ray Vision — C-Rank Exclusive Skill. The Host may use this once per day, with an effect duration of 20 seconds. Allows the Host to see through one layer of obstruction and hear sounds beyond it, without being detected. Note: (Usage count, duration, and penetration range will improve as the skill ranks up.)】

Did this count as a useful skill? A doujin protagonist getting X-Ray Vision... seemed about right, actually. Except it was limited to once per day, and only lasted 20 seconds — that wasn't even long enough to watch a girl take a shower.

Wait. Why would he want to watch a girl take a shower?

He wasn't actually a pervert.

Oreki Gen wanted to slam his forehead into the desk.

This damn system was just hoping he'd die sooner — rushing him toward those spine-chilling endings one by one.

【Ding! Capture Quest issued: Capture Sakuraba Mitsuki and reach the HE (Happy Ending). No time limit. Substantial rewards upon completion. Quest failure penalty: BE (Bad Ending).】

A straightforward quest. The Bad Ending, if he remembered correctly, was being sliced into ninety-nine pieces by Sakuraba Mitsuki, then reassembled into a mannequin, right?

But this quest also gave Oreki Gen a critical piece of information.

This doujin had a good ending. Had his soon-to-be-dead-if-he-ever-saw-him-again classmate simply not sent it to him, or had the author never published it in the first place?

No way to know, but it seemed to give Oreki Gen a sliver of hope.

As for the "substantial rewards," Oreki Gen wasn't holding his breath. All he wanted was to stay alive.

He slumped lifelessly across his desk. But just then, a commotion rose at the classroom door.

The click of high heels, accompanied by a pair of legs wrapped in black stockings beneath a formal outfit, stepping into the classroom — a figure of mature beauty.

Oreki Gen reflexively glanced over.

Softly curling hair with a chestnut-brown sheen.

Silver-framed glasses perched on a refined, understated face. Under the slightly dazed stares of the class, she took her place at the podium and spoke with a calm yet commanding presence.

"Everyone, Hashimoto-sensei has gone home to recuperate from illness. Starting today, I'll be serving as your homeroom teacher. My name is Amamiya Momiji."

So she'd shown up after all...

Amamiya Momiji.