Second Update (Continued)

Looking at Tsukikawa Shu, then at the other two, Fujiwara Chika pieced together some terms and scenarios she had heard somewhere before. Faced with something so unfamiliar, she was both curious and deeply embarrassed.

"Sorry for visiting so late at night."

Fujiwara Chika politely bowed. "Nice to meet you for the first time. I'm Fujiwara Chika."

Hiratsuka Shizuka looked Fujiwara Chika over from head to toe, then revealed a meaningful smile.

"You just finished up. Can you handle another round?" Hiratsuka Shizuka looked at Tsukikawa Shu with a teasing expression.

"It's not what you think." Tsukikawa Shu said helplessly. "We just talked for a while. I suppose we're... friends?"

"I get it, I get it. Young people are shy."

Hiratsuka Shizuka put on her coat and pulled Goto Hitori to her feet. She also patted Tsukikawa Shu on the shoulder. "Just be a little more proactive."

Tsukikawa Shu shrugged, too lazy to explain.

Recently, Hiratsuka Shizuka had become increasingly invested in helping him build a harem. It always made Tsukikawa Shu feel as though he had found himself another mother.

Well... how should he put it? A very capable mother?

Having finished their business, Hiratsuka Shizuka and Goto Hitori naturally did not linger to disturb Tsukikawa Shu and returned to their room to rest.

"Want one?"

Tsukikawa Shu handed Fujiwara Chika a roasted sweet potato.

"Mm... then thank you!"

Fujiwara Chika did not stand on ceremony when it came to mooching food from someone else's home. She took it directly and said with a beaming smile, "You really are a good person."

However, the sweet potato was hot enough to make her bare her teeth. She hurriedly tossed it back and forth between her hands, reducing the time it touched her skin while trying to cool it down faster.

"Don't use the term 'good person' to describe me."

Tsukikawa Shu shifted over, patted the empty spot on the sofa, and gestured for her to sit down.

Still tossing the sweet potato between her hands, Fujiwara Chika sat down at the other end of the sofa.

"Tell me, why did you suddenly decide to come see me?" Tsukikawa Shu asked.

"Hehe, can't I drop by without a reason?" Fujiwara Chika asked.

"I'm not a good person. You should be careful when you come visiting. Maybe I'll make you cry your way home tonight." Tsukikawa Shu said.

"I believe Tsukikawa-kun isn't that kind of person."

Fujiwara Chika swung her little feet, peeled the skin from the sweet potato, and carefully blew on it.

Then she took a small bite and slowly chewed.

"Tsukikawa-kun, may I presumptuously ask how many wives you have now?" Fujiwara Chika asked.

"As you can see, two." Tsukikawa Shu said.

"Really only two?"

"Are you surprised?"

"Yeah. And I think Tsukikawa Shu is so innocent. Why do you only have two even now?"

"That counts as innocent?"

The two chatted about all sorts of trivial things. Fujiwara Chika seemed eager to talk, constantly asking this and that. At first, she had been cautious, but as the conversation went on, she became increasingly familiar and at ease.

Of course, Fujiwara Chika still maintained the most basic level of vigilance. It was impossible for her to laugh and joke around with him, even playing pranks, like she did with her friends in the Student Council.

Still, compared to when they had first communicated through private system messages, she was much more relaxed now.

As for Tsukikawa Shu, he had known of this anime character from the start. Even if she acted overly familiar at times, he did not find anything inappropriate about it.

Their conversation continued in this casual, intermittent manner, yet it was quite harmonious.

The night grew deeper.

Gradually, Fujiwara Chika finished the sweet potato bite by bite, then clapped her hands.

"That hit the spot, that hit the spot. I haven't really eaten my fill lately." She smiled.

"You should head back too. I got in the way of your organization's plans, so the others must hate me already. It wouldn't be good for you to stay with me any longer." Tsukikawa Shu said flatly.

Having mooched a sweet potato, Fujiwara Chika stood up as well and brushed crumbs and dust from her skirt. Then she deliberately tilted her head and asked in return:

"You really aren't planning to do anything to me?"

"I'm not. Two are just right already. Any more, and I wouldn't be able to satisfy them."

Tsukikawa Shu shrugged and continued, "Besides, what if you poisoned it?"

"How could I possibly do that?!" Fujiwara Chika crossed her arms indignantly.

Fujiwara Chika headed for the door, and Tsukikawa Shu escorted her to the entrance.

"I think I roughly understand what kind of person you are now."

With her hands behind her back, Fujiwara Chika turned around. The liveliness and innocence from before had vanished from her expression, replaced by a hint of seriousness.

"I now admit that you aren't a bad person, and the things you offered are very tempting to me. But signing a contract so rashly would still be a little too hasty."

She thought for a moment, then became a little bashful and gently kicked a pebble on the ground with her round-toed leather shoe.

"And I have to consider my parents' attitude, the proper procedures, etiquette, and things like that..."

"Lastly, thank you for the sweet potato."

Finally, she smiled as brightly as a flower.

Early the next morning, Tsukikawa Shu had just gotten up and stepped out of the abandoned hotel they were temporarily resting in when he saw five people standing outside.

All five looked exhausted. Yumasaki Walker and Karisawa Erika, the weaker two, were both injured. The former had been a shut-in nerd in the outside world, while Karisawa Erika was a girl. Neither was skilled at combat, and both had injuries on their arms and foreheads.

In truth, clearing all the instance runs had taken far longer and cost far more than they had originally planned. Even DOLLARS's five core members had been unable to emerge unscathed.

Fortunately, the two injured people had only suffered minor wounds and could continue fighting.

"Mr. Tsukikawa, we'd like to discuss the matter of this instance with you." Ryūgamine Mikado said seriously.

Tsukikawa Shu raised an eyebrow.

The group went inside and sat down.

Tsukikawa Shu was not interested in DOLLARS, but the two sides were not enemies either. There was no problem with sitting down for a chat.

"Allow me to introduce myself again. I'm Ryūgamine Mikado, one of DOLLARS's founders and its current leader." Ryūgamine Mikado said.

DOLLARS's five core members also introduced themselves.

Aside from Ryūgamine Mikado, the other four were either his friends or classmates. This was their first formal meeting.

"Only one team can enter the instance at a time, but to clear all the instance runs, at most three teams can enter in a day. Sometimes, only two can."

Ryūgamine Mikado did not waste words and directly explained his purpose. "As more and more players reach level twenty and above, conflicts over priority access to instances will definitely arise. At that point, some rules must be established."

"If there are no rules or order, it will be easy for certain people to monopolize them, which will severely hinder the development of new players."

Ryūgamine Mikado explained things from the perspective of order and rules, but Tsukikawa Shu was not particularly interested.

"I only have one requirement. Don't infringe upon my interests, and don't provoke me." Tsukikawa Shu said.

Tsukikawa Shu did not want to say anything more. After all, Ryūgamine Mikado was only a sixteen-year-old boy, a typical naive and overly kind male protagonist from a Japanese anime.

He would have to hit a few walls before he could grow. As for whether reality would beat him down hard enough to send him down a darker path, that depended on his own fate. Tsukikawa Shu had no intention of interfering.

The only reason he was willing to talk with him now was because Tsukikawa Shu had seen the story and knew that this young man was not a bad person.

"Also, you owe me a favor for this instance run. That's something you need to remember." Tsukikawa Shu added.

"We will remember Mr. Tsukikawa's help forever! In the future, we would brave fire and water without hesitation!" Yumasaki Walker said excitedly.

Although they had all suffered some injuries during this instance run, their gains had been considerable.

Tsukikawa Shu might have seemed domineering, but their gains this time were real. Not only had they obtained Fine Grade items, but if the four members besides Ryūgamine Mikado entered the instance one more time, they would also break through to level 20.

In the Inner World, personal gains concerned one's very survival. Under such circumstances, there was nothing shameful about flattering the strong!

"I'm very grateful for Mr. Tsukikawa's help, but..."

Ryūgamine Mikado's way of thinking differed somewhat from the others. In the end, he paused and did not say what he had intended to say.

Tsukikawa Shu could roughly guess what he wanted to express.

This boy had always dreamed of creating a harmonious system of order and rules, and he hoped that his allies and team members would support him. But this time, he had benefited from Tsukikawa Shu's help, so he could not bring himself to say it.

"Let me emphasize it again. I will only cooperate with you when it serves my interests."

Tsukikawa Shu spoke seriously as well. "And I need to remind you of something."

"The weak have no right to discuss rules in front of the strong."

The conversation with DOLLARS was not particularly pleasant, but neither did it lead to any conflict.

When Tsukikawa Shu leisurely carried his katana to the Goblin Instance, as expected, the members of the Elite Committee were still waiting there.

Although the instance had become available, no one dared to risk angering this Great Demon Lord by entering without permission.

"Um... Lord Tsukikawa."

Kyuutake Itsuki and Miyamoto Daichoku, the two high-level players still stuck at level 20, hurried over.

They could not have felt more stifled.

There were no nearby wild monsters for them to farm experience from, yet they could not enter the instance either. All they could do was stare helplessly at that stone gate.

Once DOLLARS cleared the instance one more time, their overall strength would surpass theirs.

"After you finish the instance, could you let us enter first today?"

Kyuutake Itsuki rubbed his hands together, his smile extremely obsequious.

It was hard to believe that a gang enforcer who normally threw his weight around and cut off people's fingers at the slightest disagreement could one day be so gentle and humble.

He was much taller than Tsukikawa Shu, yet he bent forward now, as if he wished he could bury his head in the ground to show his sincerity.

"That depends on your performance." Tsukikawa Shu said flatly.

"..."

[Ding! The Elite Committee's defenses have been broken once. You have received a reward: 1000 Refined Ore]

With the reward in hand, Tsukikawa Shu led Goto Hitori and Hiratsuka Shizuka into the instance once again.

Kyuutake Itsuki and Miyamoto Daichoku were left standing there in utter disarray.

When they returned to the abandoned hotel where they were temporarily resting, everyone around them knew what had happened the moment they saw the two men enter with dark faces.

"That Tsukikawa Shu is going too far!"

Kyuutake Itsuki cursed as he sat down.

Miyamoto Daichoku's expression was equally unpleasant.

The Elite Committee was now divided into two factions. One faction consisted of teams centered around bodyguard players. The other, which made up the majority, consisted of people who only wanted to hire players with money and had no desire to become stronger themselves.

The remaining small faction was made up of Shuchiin Academy students like Fujiwara Chika, who wanted to develop themselves.

There were conflicts between these two groups, and when they rested, they each occupied their own area.

"He refused to let us enter the instance again?" Nita Goichi ran over and asked.