Chapter 147
"What rules?"
"Of course, it's just repeating what I just said."
"But you're not my master."
"I'm playing a role too. Since you've chosen to play the maid, you have to follow the rules."
What role-playing? I am one, well, it's just that the other roles are too embarrassing, this one is the most familiar.
Hayasaka Ai pursed her lips slightly, somehow believing Yuki's lies. But as soon as she was about to say "Welcome back," she suddenly felt a little ashamed and secretly glanced at him.
Yuki sat there with an air of authority, his face devoid of any smile, a stark contrast to the walls covered with anime posters.
Forget it, I'll just change "Miss" to "Master," I don't feel guilty about it.
"Welcome back, Master."
"Please respect my character, don't be so abrupt, at least lift your skirt."
This was no challenge for Hayasaka Ai. She skillfully lifted her skirt and crossed her legs. "Welcome back, Master."
"Feelings, more feelings." Yuki waved his hands like a strict director.
The girl paused for a moment, then increased her intensity. "Welcome back, Master."
"Be gentle, preferably with a touch of seduction. You're a maid, after all; you're naturally charming."
Hayasaka Ai thought for a longer time this time, as if her professional pride had been aroused. She lowered her head slightly, a Crimson appeared on her fair face, and she lifted her skirt higher, finally revealing her calves encased in gray stockings.
She crossed her legs and bowed slightly.
"Welcome back, Master."
That's it, that's the taste.
A blend of girlish shyness and professional skill—it perfectly matches all my fantasies about 'maids'.
Yuki felt his heart race slightly as he looked at the pure white girl in a daze. Her golden hair, hanging down, obscured her face, revealing a faint Crimson.
"Uh, the next question is: Do you want to take a shower, or...?"
Before he could finish speaking, he shut his mouth, a sharp, knife-like gaze piercing through his hair and etched onto his face.
You idiot, don't push your luck.
This was the girl's warning, Yuki accepted without hesitation, glancing around as if nothing had happened.
"Why did you think of meeting in a place like this?" Yuki almost blurted out his occupational hazard. Hayasaka Ai didn't even need to take off the Fool's Mask; her aura alone was something no cosplayer could pull off, not even a player could.
"Because this kind of place is chaotic enough, they won't even check IDs carefully. Don't worry, if another customer requests it, I have a hundred ways to make him sleep for hours," Hayasaka Ai said calmly, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.
We must not let our guard down around him; he will take advantage of any opportunity to push his luck.
Hayasaka Ai sat upright opposite him, watching Yuuki looking Yuki, feeling a mixture of shame and satisfaction.
It turns out this pig-headed guy is actually quite interested in the maid.
She had done her research during her half-day of lurking and still didn't understand why some people were so interested in 'maids', let alone why it had become an important moe element in anime and manga.
Isn't this just an exhausting and mentally draining job? But looking at him, I think I've found an advantage?
"By the way, I've now repaid the favor I owed you."
Human relationships? Oh, the matter of the Bloodthirsty Red Moon.
Yuki almost forgot their promise; he remembered it was just a casual remark, but Hayasaka actually took it to heart.
"So, you barely pass?"
"With so many demands, you still dare not go through with it?" Hayasaka Ai said somewhat stiffly, then deliberately looked around. "By the way, why isn't Senpai here?"
"She has a job, and besides, how am I supposed to bring her to the meeting place you set?" Yuki explained casually, only to see Hayasaka Ai reveal a faint smile.
Wait a minute, what's with that 'I won't lose it' expression? Your senior will be furious if she sees it.
It must have been intentional. What normal person would bring a girl to a cosplay shop?
Just as I was about to complain, I heard the sound of running water and the aroma of coffee wafted over. I saw Hayasaka Ai kneeling there, her eyes fixed straight ahead, gently rotating the kettle to fully brew the finest coffee beans.
Well, it's nice to be taken care of occasionally; where can you find such a professional maid?
Yuki instantly forgot what he was going to say, took the coffee cup the girl handed him, took a small sip, and could only think of 'perfect'.
After coffee came the cake, and the taste was something no small shop like this could produce. If it weren't for the overly anime-style decor, he would have truly thought he was a nobleman.
While skillfully serving customers, Hayasaka Ai asked, "Shall we discuss adding something first?"
"Didn't you already add up your points?" Yuki had already asked on the way here. Hayasaka Ai had also entered a bottleneck period, even more so than her senior.
He didn't hear a reply, and when he looked up, he saw the panel.
Player: Hayasaka
Physical Strength: Human (Extraordinary)
Storage space: 2 cubic meters
Ego Trait: Fool's Mask (LV2), one-time specialization, effect lasts for two hours, cooldown is six hours, two masks, slightly interferes with perception before activation.
Equipment: Death Knell Revolver (Transcendental Grade, Forged 3 Times), Storm Cleaver (Transcendental Grade), Flying Boots (Chaos Grade), Lucky Earrings (Chaos Grade)
Items: Everlasting Black Ink (Chaos Level), Flashing Music Box (Chaos Level)
Transcendental Grade Skills: None
Residual reinforcement points: 0
Specialization points remaining: 2
Overall rating: Extraordinary IV
As expected, there were significant changes. Hayasaka Ai divided and used the four enhancement points, first completing the final forging of Death Knell, then using two enhancement points to upgrade the Storm Cleaver to the Transcendental Grade level, and finally using the last one to upgrade the Lucky Earrings to the Chaotic level to increase its strength.
As for the Flying Boots, Black Ink, and Music Box, they must have been loot from their previous dungeon. Yuki focused his attention again, glanced at the descriptions of the loot, and understood why the Flying Boots had been placed in the equipment slot.
[Chaos Item: Flying Boots (Chaos Level)]
[Grants the user a brief flight ability, with a speed not exceeding 100m/s. Duration is ten minutes, with a ten-minute cooldown.]
[Side effect: The user cannot jump during the cooldown period]
[Description: Flying is humanity's dream, but the sky is not a place for humans.]
Items that increase mobility allow you to fly, even if it's very slow. They have a short usage time but also a short cooldown time.
As for the side effects, it's just a ten-minute 'Trail Blazers' experience, as long as someone provides cover.
"This is a very good item. I'll make it my main target for enhancement from now on." Yuki nodded slightly, thinking to himself that Hayasaka Ai's item-based strategy was gradually taking shape.
The black ink is useless; it's probably an auxiliary tool for skills like painting and writing. The music box has hypnotic abilities, but it can't distinguish between friend and foe, and the user has to hold it, so it's practically self-destructing.
Even so, Hayasaka Ai has two level 4 items and two level 3 items, which is enough to make other players envious for her across three dungeons.
"The Chaos Item is quality, not quantity. It's best if they can work together. Take a look at the Storm Cleaver." Hayasaka Ai put down the kettle, cleverly concealing her smugness.
Yuki stared intently at the description, and before he knew it, he had raised an eyebrow.
Oh? That's interesting.
The Storm Cleaver has undergone a qualitative change, transforming from creating wind blades to slightly manipulating airflow. I then took another look at Hayasaka Ai's player panel:
She can fly, but she can fly even faster by manipulating air currents, and she has a long-range, high-powered weapon, the side effects of which are mitigated by another gadget.
Yuki closed her eyes, simulating a battle with Hayasaka Ai. In a head-on clash, the latter would definitely be no match, but what if she had an invisible, unseen support by her side, and a reader in the distance capable of detecting every detail?
In an instant, he opened his eyes, feeling the same joy as if he had received an 'SSS' level mission rating.
He was certain that he had no burdens to carry.
Chapter Six Kaguya Shinomiya (4K)
Familiarity is merely the foundation of trust; the reason we've come this far together is primarily due to our abilities.
After all, people can die at any time in the Reincarnation Game, and the dead cannot experience youth and romance.
They'll keep the ink for now, and they'll sell the music box—that rip-off stuff—as soon as possible. Plus, with the mechanical arm and Chainsaw Sword that Yuki listed on the forum, they now have several items that they can trade.
Yuki's idea was to exchange for Bloodline Object, but those items are too rare and the chances are slim. His second idea was to exchange for defensive items, since no player could refuse to stack their armor even thicker.
Then, the two specialization points still need to be used. The maid hasn't accumulated enough points yet because she doesn't have enough to enhance her physical attributes, so she simply put them into her traits.
[The Fool's Mask LV.3, lasts for five hours, has four masks, slightly interferes with perception before activation, can be preset and given to others to use]
Similar to the Vestment of the Unknown, the upgrade from LV.2 to LV.3 in terms of attributes is a significant hurdle, capable of bringing about a qualitative change in certain aspects.
The longer duration, the more masks, and the pre-set ability—these features were very much to the Yuki of a cunning old fox like Yuuki, and in an instant, many wonderful ideas came to mind.
With a pre-set blueprint and no time or space limitations, it means that even if Hayasaka Ai is not in the same instance as herself, she can still use a mask to impersonate someone else and no longer need to wear a gas mask.
That's brilliant! This trait is far more valuable than attack power.
Nodding in satisfaction, Yuki picked up his second cup of coffee and glanced at Hayasaka across from him.
The girl sat upright, clearly having received an excellent education. Her blonde hair and blue eyes added to her exotic charm, but her maid outfit was too professional and lacked any cute elements.
"I said, can you change your form?"
"We're discussing game settings, specifically player mode," Hayasaka replied seriously.
"But you are a maid now."
"That's right, this is my maid form. The core selling point is professionalism. It's my true form as a player." Hayasaka Yuki covered her head, suddenly took off her headdress, and leaned closer.
Her hand rested on Yuki's chest, and she blossomed like a flower in March, even her voice becoming clear and melodious.
"Being in the same room with you like this, for some reason, makes my heart race. I suddenly understand why Hiyori- kun has that mysterious smile when she's reading certain novels."
Hayasaka's face was flushed, her eyes were darting around as if she didn't know where to look, and she seemed timid, which aroused a protective instinct in one's heart.
She has the appearance of a girl next door, but she's incredibly dangerous.
Yuki was also taken aback and subconsciously asked, "Really?"
"Of course it's fake, don't think I don't know what you're thinking, you idiot." Hayasaka sat back down, put on her headdress and resumed her serious demeanor, a blush still lingering on her face, and a hint of smugness.
What maid form? They just want me to be as cute and soft as the posters on the wall. That's not hard to do, but it destroys my unique characteristics.
She spent half a day researching it carefully; this board game store, whether real or fake, is full of cute and adorable girls.
But absolutely no one can wear a maid outfit, professionally handle all matters, and then expressionlessly wield Death Knell to blast people into pieces.
You...
Yuki raised his hand tremblingly, then slowly lowered it again. How should I put it? He was used to Hayasaka Ai's serious demeanor.
Professional, rational, reliable—it feels strange to see him with that innocent, naive expression.
"Actually, it's not bad to try your other forms occasionally."
"Please don't use such a suggestive word as 'taste.' We'll see how you perform. Without the pressure of a mission, I can give you a small reward." Hayasaka glanced at him furtively and asked tentatively:
"How about I change into my school uniform and go for a walk with you?"
"Light blue school uniform?"
"Huh? How did you know?"
Yuki Hayasaka Ai's iconic pose in his mind, but rationally shook his head. "Not now, we're threatened by player organizations."
As the Reincarnation Game progresses, many player organizations emerge around the world, but Yuki is neither a savior nor does he attempt to rule the world; he only targets threats within his reach.
Day.
Hayasaka Ai's expression grew colder and more irritated; this had disrupted her plans, making her even more annoyed.
"Their surveillance has lessened considerably," Hayasaka Ai replied casually, rubbing the rim of her glass with her hand. "As you expected, Hiyori's school is far more important than ours."
"That would just require more effort. Monitoring the two of you wouldn't take much time, but I have a feeling they're being a bit too hasty." Yuki thought things through more deeply and then shared his findings.
Hayasaka Ai frowned as she listened; this 'Transcendental Grade level' was clearly a hurdle.
"Judging from the scale of the daytime raid, they definitely have players who can reach this level, as if they're focusing their efforts on overcoming some difficult challenge." Yuki continued, making no secret of what he was about to do. "I plan to verify this information with Ayanokoji Kiyotaka; he definitely knows about it."
"That person is slippery; he might not tell."