Paying the Price

Despite Shokuhou Misaki's aggressive approach, she was actually a glass cannon with high attack and low defense. The kiss left her utterly dazed, and afterward, she did not even think to wipe away the thread of saliva at the corner of her mouth before plopping down onto the couch.

Her face wore a blissful expression that said, "I have no regrets in life."

And that neatly paid the price for borrowing her ability.

"I feel like you girls are going to corrupt me sooner or later."

Chen Xiao wiped the corner of his mouth.

At this rate, even if one of his girls forced a kiss on him in the future, he probably would not blush or feel his heart race. He might even take it for granted and go on the offensive himself.

Then I really would become the ultimate mega-pervert! (Sad.)

"Phew... my turn now! A-Xiao, please close your eyes."

Next came paying the price for Orihime Inoue's ability.

Whether it was because he had not used her ability much or because she was less aggressive, all Chen Xiao felt with his eyes closed was a fleeting, warm softness against his cheek, as light as a dragonfly touching water.

When he opened his eyes, he saw Orihime Inoue covering her scarlet face as she fled back to the bedroom.

"Looks like Orihime is still pretty innocent."

For a moment, Chen Xiao did not know whether to feel relieved or disappointed.

If every figurine girl launched the same shameless assaults as the black-clad maid Alice or Shokuhou Misaki, completely disregarding the boundaries between men and women, his standards would probably slip straight into outright debauchery even faster.

Not that Chen Xiao was opposed to getting busy with beautiful anime girls.

But with so many figurines at home, he at least had to give some thought to who would get his first time.

For example, Mahiru Shiina had already taken his first kiss. If she also claimed his virginity, Chen Xiao could easily imagine the bloodbath the high-end figurines would unleash once they materialized in the future.

At the very least, it had to be a girl all the figurines would accept.

"Master, please turn around."

Kalifa, whose price had not yet been fully paid, spoke up and beckoned Chen Xiao to turn toward her.

A moment later, a fragrant kiss landed on Chen Xiao's face.

"Thank you for giving me a new life."

With that, Kalifa returned to the bedroom with a spring in her step, turned back into a figurine, and returned to the display cabinet labeled "One Piece."

In the original story, the CP9 agents who went undercover in Water 7 probably all longed for a peaceful life to some degree, with the possible exception of Rob Lucci.

Even the long-nosed one, Kaku, had thought back to freely "soaring" through Water 7 and Barry's heartfelt words when he received his dismissal "notice."

What had left the deepest impression on Chen Xiao, though, was a manga cover story in which the members of CP9 frightened the townspeople by being too brutal when defeating the Candy Pirates. Only one little girl approached them and offered them a flower.

At the time, the others who had never gone undercover in Water 7 all looked flustered. Clearly, they had never experienced being thanked before. Only Kalifa accepted the flower with a smile.

Unfortunately, as the World Government's covert enforcers, they were shackled to their identities as assassins for life, with no way out.

But there was no World Government here!

Materialized from a figurine, Kalifa had nothing whatsoever to do with being an assassin beyond the assassination skills that came from her character setting.

She could become whoever she wanted to be.

So even if she did not outwardly take the initiative, her affection for Chen Xiao was already maxed out.

Last were little Jack the Ripper from FGO and Reimu Hakurei from Gensokyo.

Chen Xiao had only borrowed a basic attack, Demon-Sealing Needles, from the latter, while he had activated the former's Information Erasure skill. He had not borrowed either girl's full power.

He therefore thought their prices might need to accumulate a little before he paid the two of them later.

But no sooner had Orihime Inoue and Kalifa returned to the bedroom than a girl wearing an enormous bow and a shrine maiden outfit with exposed armpits walked out and held out her hand to Chen Xiao.

"That'll be fifty."

Now that's a straightforward price...

Reimu Hakurei: Please give me money!

"I thought you'd ask for a hundred thousand, Reimu."

Chen Xiao actually pulled a banknote out of his pocket.

In an age when online payments were so well established, he only carried cash just in case. He had never expected to hand it over to one of his own girls.

"A hundred thousand gets you the 'at your service for life' package. Right now, this is just the fifty-yuan basic service."

Reimu Hakurei planted both hands on her hips and spoke with complete confidence.

"Basic service?"

While Chen Xiao was still trying to recall what the fifty-yuan service was in the "hundred-thousand-yuan shrine maiden" fan works from his previous life, Reimu Hakurei took the banknote, suddenly stepped forward, and planted a light kiss at the edge of his lips.

"This~!"

Whoa... which version of Reimu Hakurei are you?

You're actually this good at flirting!

It would be even better if you weren't so money-hungry.

"By the way, Reimu, with your established power level, how did you manage to materialize?"

Unlike Black Rock Shooter, who could wield one hundred percent of her power because she had gotten in first, Reimu Hakurei was one of Gensokyo's strongest fighters. In theory, the moment she materialized, she should rapidly drain his mana bar and turn back into a figurine within minutes.

"I guess having a price that still needs paying exempts me from the materialization cost? Hmm... now that you've paid, I'm already running out of time! That's it, then! See you next time, A-Xiao!"

Partway through her explanation, Reimu Hakurei's body began to turn slightly transparent, and she hurried back into the bedroom in a panic.

"So it has that effect too."

Seeing this gave Chen Xiao a better understanding of his superpower.

Paying the price for borrowed power took slightly higher priority than the mana required for materialization. Once the price was paid, however, the materialization cost returned to normal, and might even drain his mana faster.

"Mommy!"

A little while later, the last girl whose price needed paying walked out.

She was a Servant from the Nasuverse-Jack the Ripper.

"Oh, it's little Jack..."

Though there was a slight issue with what she called him, seeing little Jack looking so sweet and adorable made Chen Xiao's heart melt. He no longer cared what she called him.

Naturally, her price was different from those of the girls before her.

Little Jack only wanted Chen Xiao to hold her like a mother would, then sit on the couch and watch television with her for a while.

Faced with such a simple request, Chen Xiao naturally would not refuse.

But once little Jack was actually sitting in his arms, Chen Xiao felt a little lost.

Why does this little one keep squirming around in my lap?

Meanwhile, inside the section labeled [Gensokyo] in the bedroom's enormous display cabinet, Yukari Yakumo's figurine quietly moved beside Reimu, who had turned back into a figurine.

"Hey, hey~ Little Reimu, isn't that money useless to you even if you take it?"

"Tch! Can't I use it in the future? If A-Xiao needs it, I'll give it back. We all belong to him anyway... heh heh, but! Once I've saved up enough of these 'donations,' it'll be my turn to make a move!"

Reimu Hakurei clutched the now-miniaturized fifty-yuan note, unable to stop herself from imagining a future where Chen Xiao asked the other figurines out on dates, while she spent her own money to invite him out instead!

That made it a completely different matter!

Yukari Yakumo: ...

Little Reimu, that wish will probably be pretty hard to fulfill.

Never mind anyone else-with all those wealthy women among the Azur Lane shipgirls, how are your slowly accumulated savings supposed to compete?

Still, given Chen Xiao's personality, he probably would not care about the amount of money at all.

Even if Reimu invited him out with a one-yuan coin, he probably would not refuse.