After all that, she could only stare helplessly at these Experience Cards?!
"What's wrong?" Iino Miko could tell something was off too.
"I can't use them! I have to sign a contract with him before I can use them." Fujiwara Chika was practically about to cry.
"..."
Iino Miko felt she should take back what she had said earlier. This guy named Tsukikawa Shu was a complete bastard!
"We can survive without relying on someone like him," Iino Miko said.
"..."
Fujiwara Chika looked at the three Large Experience Cards in the System Backpack. She could only stare at them without being able to use them, and an indescribable longing rose within her.
If she used all three Experience Cards, she could probably gain four or five levels and have enough strength to deal with the weakest monsters.
She was unwilling to accept it. What a waste. Fujiwara Chika was on the verge of tears again.
But she couldn't possibly hand over the rest of her life to someone she had never even met over something like this.
Fujiwara Chika: "How could you do this?!"
Tsukikawa Shu: "I only said I could give them to you. I never said you'd be able to use them after I gave them to you."
Fujiwara Chika: "..."
Tsukikawa Shu merely smiled faintly as he looked at Fujiwara Chika's reply.
Although he did not lack Experience Cards, that did not mean he could casually let other people use them.
Every benefit came with a price tag.
As for the wealth and power Fujiwara Chika had promised... sorry, he had absolutely no interest in them.
Fujiwara Chika did not reply again. Tsukikawa Shu glanced through the people who had requested private chats. He did see a few familiar names, but they were either minor characters or outright irritating people, so he ignored them all.
Before he knew it, night had fallen. Tsukikawa Shu heated several cans of food, and the three of them filled their stomachs before preparing to stay up all night grinding levels for Hiratsuka Shizuka.
However, Hiratsuka Shizuka then walked over from where she had been resting. She looked hesitant and conflicted, somewhat awkward as well, but she still came before Tsukikawa Shu.
She was still wearing business attire, though she had changed into another set. Her previous outfit had long since been soaked with sweat and torn in several places during the battle.
"Is something wrong, Teacher Hiratsuka?" Tsukikawa Shu looked at Hiratsuka Shizuka.
"Um..."
A flush appeared on Hiratsuka Shizuka's face as her fingers slowly twirled the hair by her temple.
"If you spent the whole day running instances, how many levels could you gain?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.
"Probably five or six," Tsukikawa Shu said.
"Five or six levels..." Hiratsuka Shizuka weighed it over.
Because Tsukikawa Shu had been letting her have the experience today, and because low-level monsters did not help him much in the first place, he had only gained one level.
But if he ran instances instead, not only could he level up quickly, he could also obtain a large amount of materials.
She had really been holding him back all along.
Moreover, even though she had been working so hard to level up, the benefits she received were far less than what Tsukikawa Shu and Goto Hitori could gain.
The existence of the Inner World would eventually shatter the order and rules of the original world. One day, it would influence and dominate that world. This was an irreversible trend.
Besides, the location every time they entered the Inner World was random. Only people who had formed contracts could be teleported together. If she did not enter the Inner World with Tsukikawa Shu next time, and her level was still too low, she might truly die after encountering some danger.
Looking at herself now... what exactly was she being so precious about?
There was someone powerful right in front of her, yet she was too embarrassed to rely on him while having no shame about causing him trouble...
She was an adult... She had kept accepting his help without offering anything in return, and he was even a student she had always been proud of.
"Um... It wouldn't be good for me to keep troubling you. If this continues, I'll only hold you back, and I don't have anything to repay you with..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka stammered before finally saying:
"How about... I sign a contract with you too..."
Tsukikawa Shu listened seriously to Hiratsuka Shizuka's words, but did not immediately reply.
Instead, he began thinking.
When Tsukikawa Shu did not answer at once, Hiratsuka Shizuka's face gradually flushed crimson with embarrassment.
I'm such an idiot. What am I doing...?
She screamed inwardly.
She considered herself a mature adult who could put aside her pride, but when she actually suggested signing a Marriage Contract with him, she found that she could not let it go at all. She was unbearably embarrassed!
Did this count as some sort of unconventional confession? And she was confessing to a student much younger than herself!
"Teacher Hiratsuka, do you really want to do this?" Tsukikawa Shu asked seriously. "You're my teacher. I respect you very much, and I don't want to coerce or entice you through this method."
"..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka stomped her foot in embarrassment.
"Anyway, I don't like beating around the bush. Just give me an answer. Do you agree or not?"
She turned her face away, unwilling to let Tsukikawa Shu keep staring at her crimson cheeks.
"I've always liked Teacher Hiratsuka." Seeing her like this, Tsukikawa Shu smiled.
"You... don't mind that I'm much older than you?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked.
"Teacher Hiratsuka has always been cute, and I've always liked you," Tsukikawa Shu said.
"..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka was embarrassed beyond measure. Right then, all she wanted was to find a hole in the ground and hide in it.
Tsukikawa Shu shifted over, leaving the other side of the sofa empty. He patted the seat, signaling for Hiratsuka Shizuka to come sit down.
Hiratsuka Shizuka hesitated for a moment before finally walking over and sitting beside Tsukikawa Shu, her legs pressed uneasily together.
Then, Tsukikawa Shu opened the system interface.
"Teacher just needs to tap accept on the contract invitation," Tsukikawa Shu said.
"Mm." Hiratsuka Shizuka nodded.
[Congratulations, Host. You have once again formed a Marriage Contract with a woman.] [From today onward, your fates are connected.] [Based on the system's evaluation of the contract partner "Hiratsuka Shizuka," you have obtained the following system rewards:] [Exclusive Class Card*1, Exclusive Skill Card*1, Instance Speed-Up Card*10] [You have obtained the talent: Double Drop.] [You have obtained the talent: Instance Promotion.]
"Double Drop? Instance Promotion?" Tsukikawa Shu rubbed his chin.
Two more incredible things had dropped.
[Double Drop] [You can obtain double material drops upon instance completion.] [Instance Promotion] [Raises the highest possible grade of items obtainable in an instance. The drop rate remains the same as the original instance's highest-quality drops.]
Tsukikawa Shu carefully read the explanation for "Instance Promotion."
For example, a level 20 instance could originally yield items of up to Epic Grade. After Instance Promotion, the highest obtainable grade would become Legendary Grade.
If the original instance had a 0.1% drop rate for Epic Grade items, then after promotion, Legendary Grade items would also have a 0.1% drop rate.
Under the contract's effect, all three of them had Double Drop. No matter how one looked at it, their acquisition chances would be far ahead of everyone else's.
"How was it? Did the contract succeed?" Hiratsuka Shizuka asked anxiously.
"Yeah. It succeeded," Tsukikawa Shu said.
"That's good..." Hiratsuka Shizuka smiled.
Now she could directly use Tsukikawa Shu's Experience Cards and would no longer need him to waste time accompanying her while she grinded levels.
Otherwise... she would really feel terribly guilty.
Although using Tsukikawa Shu's Experience Cards still meant she owed him a huge favor, at least she would no longer be causing him trouble.
Hiratsuka Shizuka had always been rather strong-willed. Otherwise, she would not have learned combat techniques. Relying on others just to survive had never been her style.
Tsukikawa Shu gave all the Experience Cards he had on hand to Hiratsuka Shizuka.
[You used Tsukikawa Shu's Experience Card. Your current level is 18.]
Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at her level.
Although she still could not catch up to Tsukikawa Shu, at least she would not hold him back anymore.
"Thank you."
She stood up and was about to leave.
However, her hand was suddenly grabbed.
"Hmm?"
She turned around and looked at Tsukikawa Shu, who was holding her hand.
"You read the contract's contents, right?" Tsukikawa Shu asked.
"Mm..."
"Then you should know what this means."
"But... our identities aren't suitable for this, are they? And I'm quite a bit older than you..."
Hiratsuka Shizuka was somewhat flustered.
Of course she knew what signing the contract meant, but she still could not accept the reality of it.
Though she usually carried herself like a mature adult and even smoked from time to time, she was completely inexperienced when it came to this sort of thing.
"At the very least, we should get to know each other first... Ah!"
Before she could finish speaking, Tsukikawa Shu forcefully pulled her into his arms.
If someone had dared to take such liberties with her before, Hiratsuka Shizuka would have shown them her combat techniques and taught them a proper lesson.
But the current Hiratsuka Shizuka was no match for Tsukikawa Shu. In his hands, she was like a little rabbit he could handle however he pleased.
"Wait... what are you trying to do... Mmph?!"
Before she could resist, her lips were already sealed.
Held in his embrace like that, her fierce resistance gradually calmed, until she was tightly clutching the front of Tsukikawa Shu's clothes.
Hiratsuka Shizuka was not like Goto Hitori, pure as a blank sheet of paper. She was a mature adult, and Tsukikawa Shu was not going to be overly polite.
Adults had to take responsibility for their actions.
Only after a long while did Tsukikawa Shu finally leave Hiratsuka Shizuka's lips, a glistening strand stretching between them.
Hiratsuka Shizuka panted softly, her cheeks flushed bright red.
Before you continue