Second Update (Continued)

"If I married someone else, you'd kill the person I married too, wouldn't you?"

Then Fujiwara Chika rested her head on Tsukikawa Shu's shoulder and said with a smile, "If things are going to develop like this, then there's no need to worry about anyone else..."

Yet as she felt the warmth of the opposite sex and listened to Tsukikawa Shu's faint breathing, her face suddenly flushed red.

So this was why her heart beat so fast when she was this close to a boy...

Fujiwara Chika had originally thought she could take the initiative.

But in reality, with her limited knowledge in this area, she was quickly defeated.

Come to think of it, Tsukikawa Shu already had two wives.

It was just that they were the same age, so she had mistakenly treated him as a shy little boy. Her little scheme had misfired.

"Then the two of us might as well be more straightforward about it," she muttered softly.

"Family is also something we have to consider," Tsukikawa Shu said, nodding in agreement as he looked at Fujiwara Chika hugging him. "But since you're willing to sign a contract with me, that makes you my responsibility."

"I'll only consider your opinion. If your family disagrees, I'll persuade them for you."

His tone was calm, but the boy before her possessed an undeniable charm, the kind that meant what he said and never went back on his word.

Fujiwara Chika also believed that he could do exactly as he promised.

"It's not that serious, but with you here, I won't have to worry anymore." Fujiwara Chika paused, then added, "Of course, don't get rough with my grandfather. He's already very old."

Fujiwara Chika held Tsukikawa Shu and swiped one hand through the air, bringing up the System Backpack and finding the Destiny Contract.

"I'm signing it now," she said. "You have to take responsibility for me."

"From now on, our fates will be inseparable, and I'll do everything I can to protect you."

Tsukikawa Shu smiled as well, holding Fujiwara Chika close while their heads leaned together.

Fujiwara Chika swiped her finger, and the system promptly displayed a notification:

[You have signed a Marriage Contract with Fujiwara Chika. From now on, your fates are bound together]

[Your current number of partners: 3]

[You have completed the system's "Wife-Taking and Childbearing" mission. Beginning evaluation of partner "Fujiwara Chika"...]

[Fujiwara Chika's rating: S]

[The system is beginning to distribute rewards...]

[You have obtained the talent: Son of Destiny]

[You have obtained Instance Speed-Up Card x50, Experience Card x50, Refined Ore x10000, Exclusive Class Card x1, Exclusive Skill Card x1]

Another brand-new talent.

The other rewards were also incredibly generous, but what Tsukikawa Shu valued most was still the talent.

This was the ultimate reward that could only be obtained through system missions.

[Son of Destiny: When you obtain this talent, it proves that your luck has long surpassed that of ordinary people. However, from now on, your luck will reach heights you never could have imagined. Even conditions with incredibly low probabilities may occur to you]

[Escaping death in desperate situations, finding a new village beyond the dark willows and bright flowers, turning misfortune into fortune. As long as the probability is not zero, there is a chance of triggering this talent]

This was an even more remarkable talent.

Tsukikawa Shu was secretly delighted.

Although his luck had always been fairly good, it was impossible for him to be lucky in everything.

This talent was undoubtedly a safeguard for his future.

Luck had always been something intangible and elusive.

Yet it was also the rarest and most precious resource, an important resource that could not be obtained through any channel!

With this talent, the chances of receiving better rewards from opening treasure chests, exploring, and clearing instances in the future would increase drastically.

And if he ever found himself on the verge of despair in the future, this talent could save his life.

This was the Child of Fortune!

Tsukikawa Shu had now obtained three talents:

First, Double Experience.

Second, Double Drop in instances and Instance Promotion.

Third, Child of Fortune.

"Thank you so much!"

Tsukikawa Shu suddenly pulled Fujiwara Chika into a tight embrace.

"What are you doing? Why so suddenly..."

Her face turned bright red again. Facing his broad chest, she looked both shy and at a loss.

The two embraced beneath the night sky.

Second by second, time passed, and the atmosphere gradually became more intimate.

This was the Inner World. There was neither time nor the conditions for people to slowly court one another, and a Marriage Contract was the same—everything went straight to the final step.

"..."

The blush on Fujiwara Chika's face did not fade with time. Instead, it only grew deeper, turning a tender, dripping red.

Their chests pressed together, and gradually, Fujiwara Chika could sense that the most important and nerve-racking moment of her life was quietly approaching.

"Do you know what spouses do after getting married?" Tsukikawa Shu asked.

"Mm... I do know about that kind of thing..."

Fujiwara Chika muttered in a tiny voice, burying her head deep in Tsukikawa Shu's chest and not daring to look up.

"Then... is it okay now?"

Tsukikawa Shu leaned close to her ear and asked softly.

Even Tsukikawa Shu's breathing had become somewhat heavy by now.

Fujiwara Chika did not answer immediately. She hesitated for quite a while before finally managing to calm some of the anxiety in her heart.

"Mm!"

She nodded heavily.

Yet her body was still as stiff as a stone.

The delicate girl in his arms was usually lively, curious about unknown things, and occasionally capable of coming up with all sorts of mischievous ideas to mess with people.

But when faced with such a major event in her life, she was like a panicked rabbit, restless and uneasy.

"Right, wait a moment." Tsukikawa Shu suddenly remembered something.

"Wh-what is it?" Fujiwara Chika was still extremely nervous.

He wasn't going to play some embarrassing game, was he...? A lot of the manga she had secretly read had plots like that.

"I forgot to bring it. I need to get some from someone."

Tsukikawa Shu said.

Over in the hall, Goto Hitori was building a fire and roasting sweet potatoes.

"Hehehe, I'm actually pretty good with my hands. In the future, I can live independently too. Whenever I'm hungry, I can just dig up some sweet potatoes."

With a happy and proud expression, she took down the roasted sweet potatoes.

Before the Inner World appeared, she had once thought about what kind of job she would do after growing up.

But judging from the severity of her social anxiety, as well as how clumsy she was with her hands, she would probably starve to death...

Picking up a battered cardboard box, fiddling with an old guitar, humming a song in four-four time.

Crouching in a damp, rainy, moldy place where no one cared, singing songs with no audience to the sound of the rain.

The crowd still drifted aimlessly toward their destinations, busying themselves, continuing on in futile routine.

Perhaps someone would stop for a moment when exhausted, only to leave again, leaving behind two bronze coins worn down by time...

"I don't want that kind of life!!!"

Goto Hitori went mad just thinking about it!

Of course, because she had far too many embarrassing memories, this was merely one of her usual episodes.

After twitching and rolling around on the ground as if she had suddenly developed cyberpsychosis, Goto Hitori returned to normal and casually peeled the skin off a sweet potato before taking a bite.

"Mm... It seems a little too burnt. It's fine, though. The more burnt it is, the better it tastes."

Anyway, she was not picky. She could survive even by eating garbage...

For Goto Hitori, whose reflexes and practical skills were both below average, this was already tremendous progress.

"Hitori!"

At that moment, however, she heard Tsukikawa Shu calling for her.

"What is it? What is it?"

Goto Hitori hurriedly got up and went to the doorway.

Then she saw the two of them embracing. She looked at Tsukikawa Shu, then at Fujiwara Chika.

Fujiwara Chika's face was still completely red.

That was really fast... Not even a month had passed, and he'd already brought back two more.

Including me, that makes three.

"So soon, you're going to have th-three people together?"

When Fujiwara Chika saw Goto Hitori come in, she obviously misunderstood and became even more nervous.

She still remembered the sight of the three of them after that night: drenched in sweat, panting for breath, with only a few clothes casually draped over their disheveled bodies.

"No, no, no. I have no such plans," Tsukikawa Shu said. "At least, not right now."

So that means there will be later... Fujiwara Chika thought.

Just imagining that scene... it was too embarrassing.

"Hitori, there are still some left in that box of yours, right? Give them all to me."

Tsukikawa Shu smiled and held out his hand to Goto Hitori.

"There are indeed some left..."

Goto Hitori felt around in her pocket and took out a box of already-opened daily necessities.

Because the three of them interacted far too often in their daily lives, even Goto Hitori's box was only half full now.

Looking at that small package, Fujiwara Chika's gaze flickered uncertainly, filled with both shyness and curiosity.

With how strict her family was, it was naturally impossible for her to have come into contact with such things.

But that did not stop her from learning their purpose through all sorts of strange manga.

Tsukikawa Shu took the box of necessary daily supplies from Goto Hitori.

Goto Hitori stood outside the door, watching it close as she scratched her hair.

Why did it feel like Tsukikawa Shu had never bought these things himself? It seemed like he had always just used other people's...

And now he was even taking something she had bought... Well, it was not exactly bought.

Anyway, he was taking her things to use on another woman... Why did that feel so strange?

Inside the room came rustling sounds, all of them extremely familiar.

"Forget it, I should just eat sweet potatoes."

Pretending not to hear anything, Goto Hitori took her half-eaten roasted sweet potato and happily went off to enjoy it by herself.

Well, she was already used to it anyway.

The next morning.

Tsukikawa Shu woke up as usual.

Handling a Fujiwara Chika was easy enough.

At first, Fujiwara Chika had lain there stiffly, her face flushed red, too afraid to move. She pressed her lips tightly together and did not dare make a sound even when the pain had brought beads of sweat to her face.