In the Multiverse, I Only Get Stronger by Taking Wives Chapter 2

To get close to someone with social anxiety, besides being proactive yourself, you also need to make them feel you're the same kind of person—someone they can resonate with as a friend.

"R-Really?" Goto Hitori couldn't quite believe it.

Someone as gloomy and withdrawn as her could actually attract others? Though she'd always hoped to be noticed.

"I've heard your band play. From the first time I saw you, I was blown away. You must've practiced guitar for ages—every performance is amazing," Tsukikawa Shu said.

"Hehe... not really, you know what they say, practice makes perfect..."

Hearing Shu's praise, Hitori scratched her head, feeling a bit lightheaded.

People with social anxiety often fall into a self-contradiction—they want to be noticed, but they don't want to be stared at all the time.

In reality, they're like mollusks curled up in a shell, hiding their embarrassing pasts and fragile parts from view, while showing off their strengths to scrape together whatever little attention they can get.

But often, the reason social anxiety types go unnoticed is that their strengths are too niche or don't stand out compared to those around them.

And because they're ignored for so long, when someone finally spots their strengths and praises them, they get swept off their feet.

"So, would you like to team up with me?" Tsukikawa Shu extended his hand.

"Y-Yes, of course!" Hitori fumbled for a moment, then reached out and tightly grasped Shu's hand.

It was the first time she'd touched a boy's hand... Hitori couldn't help blushing.

He pulled her up, and the two walked out of the school building.

They moved cautiously through this unknown world.

[Current Area: Obscure Moon County]

[Difficulty: E]

Tsukikawa Shu checked the system map.

The unlocked area centered on a desolate city, surrounded by larger uninhabited zones, and beyond that, a dark unknown.

Though the city had some monsters and dangers, it was relatively safe. The farther from the city, the higher the risk.

"If the map doesn't change every time we enter the Inner World, then this city is the Novice Village. Soon, players will build their own settlements and trade systems, turning it into a safe house."

Shu walked ahead, thinking about what came next, while Hitori followed half a step behind.

Watching his handsome face and serious expression, Hitori felt a little dazed, but couldn't find a topic to bridge their familiarity.

She'd once dreamed of a cool guy approaching her, starting a sweet, bittersweet romance...

But now that one was right in front of her, she was at a loss.

"We should find some low-level monsters to practice on and level up quickly," Shu said, turning back.

"Oh... okay!"

Hitori blurted it out like a reflex.

People with social anxiety rarely have a say in group activities and usually lack initiative.

Shu, meanwhile, was thinking about how to complete the system's task—basically, how to convince Hitori to become his wife.

Though Hitori wasn't good at refusing others, he still needed to be careful about this. At the very least, he had to earn her trust and dependence, building an emotional bond.

You can't rush things like this.

They kept walking and soon arrived outside a dilapidated restaurant.

Through the dusty glass door, they could see a giant rat perched on the counter inside, the size of a suitcase, snoring loudly.

It was the lowest-tier monster, only level 1.

"Let's practice on this. Find a weapon," Shu said.

Hitori stared at the massive rat inside, swallowed hard, and nodded stiffly.

What do I do... I'm someone who fails gym tests, how am I supposed to fight a monster like this... I'll just be dead weight... I probably can't even beat a level 1 monster...

The immense psychological pressure and memories of past embarrassments at sports festivals made her breathing heavier, her body starting to tremble.

Shu looked around, then pulled a chipped crowbar from the broken bricks and rubble nearby.

[Physics Holy Sword]

[Quality: White Equipment]

[Durability: 70/100]

[Bonus Effect: Chance to inflict tetanus damage]

The quality wasn't great, but it should be enough for a level 1 monster.

He searched a bit more and found a rusty, discarded steel pipe.

[Steel Pipe]

[Quality: White Equipment]

[Durability: 80/100]

[Additional Effect: Chance to inflict Tetanus damage]

"Here." Tsukikawa Shu tossed the Steel Pipe to Goto Hitori.

Goto Hitori caught the Steel Pipe, and her hands immediately sank under its weight.

So heavy...

The unathletic Goto Hitori struggled just to lift the Steel Pipe.

"I'll ambush it from behind. If I don't kill it in one hit, you charge in and smash its head again." Tsukikawa Shu said.

Goto Hitori nodded blankly, but had no confidence in herself at all.

Tsukikawa Shu carefully stepped over the shattered glass door, crept up behind the Giant Rat, raised his Crowbar, and drove it down hard at its head.

With a crunch of breaking bones, blood sprayed out. The Giant Rat let out a shrill screech, its marble-sized crimson eyes bulging, and it bolted forward.

"Smash it!"

Tsukikawa Shu hooked the rat with his Crowbar, then shouted at Goto Hitori.

Goto Hitori finally shuffled over, trembling as she struggled to lift the Steel Pipe. She closed her eyes and swung it down at the rat's head.

The Steel Pipe did hit the rat's head solidly, but Goto Hitori's strength was too weak. The blow didn't knock it out—instead, it thrashed even more violently, screeching on the ground, and knocked Goto Hitori over.

Goto Hitori landed on her bottom with a yelp of pain, her clothes splattered with blood.

Tsukikawa Shu didn't give the rat a chance to struggle. He yanked the Crowbar out and delivered another heavy blow to the Giant Rat's head.

This time, the Giant Rat gradually lost its vitality, twitched a few times, and its limbs went still.

Goto Hitori remained sitting on the floor, staring at the Giant Rat's crimson eyes, still shaken.

"Are you hurt?" Tsukikawa Shu reached out a hand to Goto Hitori.

"No..."

Goto Hitori rubbed her bottom, then took Tsukikawa Shu's hand.

The second time holding a boy's hand, huh...

Goto Hitori blushed a little, but then felt deeply ashamed.

I'm so useless, a total burden. A guy like him would never look at someone like me.

"Good thing there aren't other monsters of the same type nearby." Tsukikawa Shu said.

The two of them could barely handle this Giant Rat by ambushing it. If another Giant Rat had been nearby, they'd have had no choice but to run.

The difficulty of this Inner World was far higher than any open-world game. Even low-tier monsters had such strong vitality and combat power.

[You have successfully slain a Giant Rat]

[You obtained items: Rodent Tooth*1, White Soul Orb*1]

[Friendly Reminder: Once you form a Destiny Contract, your partner will gain the same Experience Points as you, and will also randomly receive one identical item.]

Checking the system prompt, Tsukikawa Shu looked at Goto Hitori.

"How much Experience Points did you get?"

"Just a little."

Because she hadn't contributed much, the system only gave her a tiny amount of Experience Points—not enough to level up.

On the first day, both of them were cautious, only picking fights with low-level monsters.

Together, they killed three Giant Rats. By the end, Goto Hitori was panting from exhaustion, and finally leveled up just before nightfall.

The first day's results were as follows:

Tsukikawa Shu reached Level 3, Goto Hitori Level 2.

Obtained White Soul Orb*3, Rodent Tooth*2.

Not knowing what these items were for, Tsukikawa Shu just kept them all for now.

At night, the two found an office building and picked a room to stay in.

After locking the door, Tsukikawa Shu turned around to see Goto Hitori had somehow found a cardboard box and was hiding inside it again.

"Sorry... it's all because I'm so weak. I should've just died. I shouldn't team up with anyone. I only cause trouble for others by living..."

Goto Hitori crouched in the cardboard box, muttering, her gloom spreading like a fog.

Little Lonely had started her daily routine of venting negativity, and the whole room seemed to be shrouded in a hazy gray.

Tsukikawa Shu sat down beside Goto Hitori and took out the canned food and bread he'd collected.

He'd already seen this routine in the anime, so it didn't surprise him.

He heated up the canned food with a simple portable stove they'd found, opened it, and handed it over to the cardboard box.

"You must be hungry." Tsukikawa Shu smiled, showing no sign of blaming Goto Hitori.

The aroma wafted through the room.

"Grr~"

Goto Hitori's stomach growled.

She sniffed the air, then swallowed, and the negative aura around her instantly dissipated. The cardboard box's lid cracked open a sliver, and Goto Hitori crawled out, lying on the ground with only her eyes visible.

No amount of dejected self-blame could ever beat a growling stomach.

Tsukikawa Shu chuckled and handed the canned meat to Goto Hitori.

"...Thanks." Goto Hitori finally crawled out of the box, taking it with a hint of embarrassment.

The campfire crackled, the smell of burning wood filling the room.

Both of them sat in silence, holding their cans of meat, facing each other without a word.

After a long while, Tsukikawa Shu finally spoke.

"Bocchi-chan."

"Yes!" Goto Hitori blinked, looking at Tsukikawa Shu.

Only the closest people called her that, and being called that by a boy for the first time made her nervous.

The Inner World was dangerous, and Tsukikawa Shu's only cheat was forming bonds of marriage—he didn't want to drag things out and risk complications.

"Actually, I've always liked you."

Tsukikawa Shu said it with a serious expression.

Ever since watching Bocchi the Rock! before his transmigration, Tsukikawa Shu had genuinely liked Goto Hitori.