In the Multiverse, I Only Get Stronger by Marrying Wives

"Hehe, it's not that fast," Goto Hitori said, sheepishly rubbing her head.

However, the silly smile on her face couldn't be hidden, and there was even a hint of smugness.

Finally, I have a chance to show off! Finally, I can brag to the single dogs about my boyfriend, hahahaha!

Goto Hitori was already floating on cloud nine.

"..."

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Tsukikawa Shu, then at Goto Hitori, and felt inexplicably uncomfortable.

She didn't know why.

It was just... she was Tsukikawa Shu's teacher, and practically his second mother... she used to have a good relationship with Tsukikawa Shu, and now seeing him with someone else made her a little unaccustomed...

"Hitori, there's actually one more thing that requires your consent." Tsukikawa Shu looked at Goto Hitori, meeting her eyes, his expression suddenly becoming very serious.

Tsukikawa Shu no longer intended to hide the settings of his System mission, but this matter still required him to consider Goto Hitori's opinion.

"I want to start a harem!"

Tsukikawa Shu said bluntly.

"Eh?" Goto Hitori was a bit bewildered.

Hiratsuka Shizuka's eyes also gradually widened.

Although she had read many reincarnation novels with harems, such a situation was not yet acceptable in current society...

"My strength can only be fully unleashed in this way," Tsukikawa Shu explained the situation directly to Goto Hitori.

He laid bare all the requirements of his System to Goto Hitori.

"I don't know how many dangers exist in this Inner World. Although we can survive now, we don't know if we can continue to live smoothly."

Tsukikawa Shu continued, "Next, we will face higher-level animals, and we may even come into conflict with other players. Eventually, we might have to fight against groups formed by multiple players."

"Strengthening my power is essential. I won't miss any opportunity to increase my strength."

"And my main way of getting stronger is this: every time I form a contract with someone, I receive substantial rewards and benefits from the System."

"Perhaps I could get stronger without this method, but I don't want to be controlled by others in the future due to insufficient strength, nor will I be able to protect those around me."

Goto Hitori listened quietly to Tsukikawa Shu's words, holding his hand, their eyes locked as he finished speaking.

"Therefore, I want to become stronger and protect the people I cherish."

"But I also want to hear your opinion."

Tsukikawa Shu took a deep breath, his grip on Goto Hitori's hand tightening slightly.

"I will not give up this special advantage I possess."

"And we haven't done the things that married couples should do. If you disagree, I will never touch you again and will not delay your life."

"Although the Fate Contract is difficult to break, I will find a way to dissolve it."

Hiratsuka Shizuka also listened quietly to Tsukikawa Shu's words, staring intently at the two, shifting her gaze between Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori, watching for any changes.

Although she was Tsukikawa Shu's teacher and knew he was always straightforward, the type to speak his mind and even resort to action if things went south, she never expected him to be so blunt about something like this.

If he had just hidden it and signed contracts with others, given Goto Hitori's dazed nature, she probably wouldn't have found out for a long time. By then, it would be a done deal, and with a simple excuse, she probably wouldn't have been able to do anything about it, Hiratsuka Shizuka thought.

However, Tsukikawa Shu had laid it all out directly.

He was a scumbag, but not completely. He hadn't even taken her virginity yet.

While Hiratsuka Shizuka was quite interested in gossip, today's gossip was beyond her expectations.

"Wuu..." Goto Hitori's expression didn't change much, only lowering her head slightly, her grip on Tsukikawa Shu's hand tightening a bit.

She thought for a while longer, and finally, she smiled.

"It can't be helped, after all, we need to survive."

Goto Hitori paused and continued, "And you saved me. Without you, I probably wouldn't have been able to team up with anyone, and even if I did, I would have been abandoned quickly... In short, it was a dead end."

Goto Hitori was surprised when Tsukikawa Shu confessed something like this to her directly.

But then she thought about it, this was the Inner World, and all the rules were set by this System. Killing, looting, and plundering were the norm, so starting a harem seemed quite normal... After all, strength was king, that was the ironclad rule of this world.

And if she hadn't met Tsukikawa Shu, with her silly appearance and terrible athletic ability, even if she could hide and luckily survive the first time, entering the Inner World now would have been certain death. She wouldn't have been able to face those terrifying monsters at all; instead, she would have become experience points for others to hunt.

Furthermore... Tsukikawa Shu getting stronger meant more benefits for her too. She was also getting stronger by relying on his System setting, essentially latching onto a powerful figure.

And again, the Fate Contract wasn't just empty words; both parties had to treat each other well, so she didn't have to worry about him bullying her...

Without realizing it, Bocchi had convinced herself.

"So, you agree?" Tsukikawa Shu gently kneaded Goto Hitori's small hands.

"Mhm." Goto Hitori thought for a moment again, then nodded emphatically.

After all, the rules of the Inner World couldn't be measured by the values of her own world.

"Great!"

Tsukikawa Shu was overjoyed and pulled Goto Hitori into his embrace with a strong tug.

"Whoa!"

Goto Hitori was caught completely off guard. By the time she came to her senses, she was already in Tsukikawa Shu's arms.

Even though her level had increased and her physique had improved, Goto Hitori's carefree nature and slow reaction time hadn't changed.

"But you promised… you'd take responsibility for me."

Goto Hitori said somewhat timidly.

Tsukikawa Shu smiled.

Even if Goto Hitori hadn't said anything, Tsukikawa Shu wouldn't abandon anyone who entrusted their fate to him.

"You two… are you really doing this?"

Hiratsuka Shizuka stared at the two of them blankly, still unable to reconcile her worldview from her original world. "Besides, is it really okay for me, an outsider, to be listening to you talk like this?"

"Hmm…"

Tsukikawa Shu thought for a moment, then said, "Actually, I'm quite fond of you too, Teacher Hiratsuka…"

Before he could finish speaking, his head was struck by a rolled-up newspaper.

Hiratsuka Shizuka rolled up a newspaper and hit Tsukikawa Shu on the head.

"You dare to have feelings for your teacher too?" Hiratsuka Shizuka said, somewhat annoyed. "And look at the age difference between us."

"Teacher is so beautiful, what guy wouldn't be moved? It's just that others might not dare to say it."

Tsukikawa Shu rubbed the spot where he was hit. "Besides, Teacher Hiratsuka, you've never told us your real age either."

"…"

Praise from Tsukikawa Shu made Hiratsuka Shizuka want to be angry, but she found herself unable to be angry at all.

Looking at Tsukikawa Shu's face, which was as pleasant as a spring breeze, she felt a little happy instead.

It really is true that being handsome lets you get away with anything.

"Forget it, the situation is special right now, so I won't hold you accountable for disrespecting your teacher," Hiratsuka Shizuka said.

"I see that classmate Goto's level is increasing quite quickly, almost the same as yours. Do you have any skills or talents that you could let me use too?"

"This is also a result of the Marriage Contract," Tsukikawa Shu said.

"The Marriage Contract doubles experience, and both parties receive all the experience from killing monsters."

"Huh? You have to get married to unlock this too?" Hiratsuka Shizuka was stunned.

"Besides signing the contract, are there any other ways?" Hiratsuka Shizuka continued to ask.

Although she knew martial arts, in this Inner World, her skills only offered a slight increase in survival chances. True strength still had to follow the rules of this world.

"If you're lucky enough to find an Experience Card while exploring, then leveling up can be quite fast," Tsukikawa Shu said.

"If it's an Experience Card, I actually have a few." Tsukikawa Shu opened his backpack.

However, bold letters were prominently displayed on it.

[Experience Cards can only be used by the owner and their contracted partner.]

This setting was probably similar to how support characters in games could only be used by friends, and only friends could gift characters to each other.

Except in this Inner World, friends had been replaced by contracted partners.

"…"

Hiratsuka Shizuka read the system description and was at a loss for what to do.

Tomorrow, Tsukikawa Shu would be heading out to the eastern suburbs outside the city to farm materials and experience. However, the further they moved away from the city center, the greater the danger. Hiratsuka Shizuka definitely couldn't go with him to this dungeon; she would only be a burden.

"I'll do my best to help you, Teacher," Tsukikawa Shu said. "When hunting monsters, the final blow yields more experience. I'll help you control the prey."

"Does that take a lot of time?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked after thinking.

She hadn't hunted monsters in this Inner World yet and still had no concept of experience points.

"Wait a moment." Tsukikawa Shu also thought for a moment, then left the room.

After a moment, Tsukikawa Shu walked back in carrying something. Hiratsuka Shizuka looked closely and saw a giant spider with eight legs already removed.

"Teacher Hiratsuka, try killing this monster and see how much experience you get."

Even though it had lost its ability to move, the spider was still the size of a washbasin and was twisting its body.

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked around, then picked up a kitchen knife, swallowed, and slowly approached.

Although she was physically fit and skilled in combat, she had never even killed a chicken before. This was her first time facing actual slaughter.

She hesitated, then closed her eyes, raised the kitchen knife in her hand, and stabbed it fiercely into the monster's abdomen.

With a splat, green fluid flowed out.

[You have gained 60 experience points.]

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at the system notification and then at her experience bar.

The experience bar had indeed increased slightly, but it was still not enough to level up.

Was leveling up this difficult? Hiratsuka Shizuka estimated that to level up, she might need to kill one or two of these monsters solo. While killing monsters became easier with Tsukikawa Shu's help, the time it took increased, meaning she'd have to kill more monsters.

To reach a level where she could fend for herself, she would need to eliminate quite a few monsters, which would take a considerable amount of time.

"How much did you get?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.

Tsukikawa Shu glanced at his experience bar. He had also participated in hunting monsters and could receive experience points.

"80 points."

Tsukikawa Shu added, "I have a double experience bonus."

This monster was worth 100 experience points in total. Originally, Hiratsuka Shizuka would have received 60 points and Tsukikawa Shu 40, but with his double experience bonus, he gained more experience than Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"..." Hiratsuka Shizuka felt a little helpless.

"The Inner World is open for 5 days this time. I think I can dedicate half of that time to helping you, Hiratsuka-sensei."

Tsukikawa Shu did a rough calculation. "In two and a half days, Hiratsuka-sensei should be able to reach level six or seven."

A level six or seven would be just barely enough to survive among the lowest-level monster packs (levels 1-5) in the city center.

"Okay," Goto Hitori nodded as well.

Only Hiratsuka Shizuka's lips twitched, and she felt a bit uncomfortable inside.

She was an adult who had experienced the world, yet now she was being led by Tsukikawa Shu, a student she considered timid and unsure of himself. It felt rather awkward.