What now? The only way...

After figuring everything out, Chen Xiao realized he did not feel much of anything. He did not even feel like calling home to demand answers.

After all, wasn't a sweet little life living with anime girls far better than all the scheming in supernatural circles?

Ah~!

Let the music play, and keep on dancing!

Knock, knock, knock...

"Um... A-Xiao?"

Just as Chen Xiao rose from his seat, feeling as refreshed as if he were greeting New Year's morning in a brand-new pair of underwear, someone knocked on the computer room's open door.

Chen Xiao and the two girls turned toward the sound.

A cute girl stood in the doorway, with long black hair, two loose locks hanging over her chest, and yellow eyes.

She wore a pale yellow long-sleeved top over a white shirt, a navy blue bow with two white horizontal stripes along its bottom, a navy blue short skirt, black knee-high socks, and brown shoes.

Everything about her made people want to cherish her.

Miko Yotsuya-from Mieruko-chan. She possessed the highest level of Spirit Seeing Eyes, yet had absolutely no combat ability herself.

That was why the manga's appeal lay in Miko's expressions as she faced terrifying ghosts, scared out of her wits but desperately pretending to be calm, along with her rich inner reactions.

Absolutely delicious...

No, wait. Absolutely pitiful.

But Miko, who had come up to the second floor, looked quite relaxed now, because she could not see any of those terrifying things here.

Even if this world had them, they would not dare come anywhere near the villa.

Never mind the powerful people who could effortlessly destroy ghosts-there were quite a few beings classified as [Gods of the Underworld] in the display cabinet in Chen Xiao's bedroom alone!

Of course, among all those [Gods of the Underworld], the one best suited to dealing with Eastern ghosts was the King of Hell from Gensokyo-Eiki Shiki, Yamaxanadu!

He just did not know whether this world had an underworld of its own.

"Miko... Ah! I actually forgot! I still have to pay your price."

When Chen Xiao saw Miko Yotsuya, it did not click at first. Then he remembered that he had borrowed her Spirit Seeing Eyes while dealing with the evil spirit that emerged from the flute.

Borrowing several people's powers at once had left Chen Xiao in a poor mental state. Coupled with his inability to concentrate while paying the prices, that had made him forget that Miko's price was still unpaid.

"After all, my ability is only being able to see them. It can't help you fight."

Miko Yotsuya was not upset that Chen Xiao had forgotten the price for borrowing her ability. After all, she really had no combat ability, and the discomfort caused by borrowing her power was not enough to interfere with his normal activities.

"It was my fault for forgetting! You don't need to blame yourself, Miko."

Chen Xiao quickly stepped forward to reassure her.

Although he had found Miko's various expressions and inner reactions very entertaining-delicious-when reading the manga in his previous life, that amusement had turned into tenderness for the girl once she stood before him in person.

As for the price...

A French kiss, naturally!

Something that was clearly an ultimate move in romance novels had somehow become Chen Xiao's basic attack.

It felt like a great demon sage being sealed away for decades, only to emerge and become a practice target for human apprentices, while the deadly technique he prided himself on had become a basic attack spell everyone knew.

Damn it! I'm actually getting better and better at this!

While kissing her, Chen Xiao could not help marveling to himself.

He used to go online and call for every White Album-style love triangle to be stamped out, yet he had recreated those very scenes at least four times in a single day!

"Thank you, A-Xiao. If you ever need my ability... please use it as much as you like."

Once they were done, Miko Yotsuya covered her little mouth with both hands, her entire face as red as a cooked crab.

Then, having said her piece, she scurried away from the second floor.

"Tch! I'm so jealous..."

Tsugumi clenched her fists in front of the computer desk.

If Nymph had not suddenly appeared and interfered earlier, she would have already seized the moment to offer him her first kiss!

Nymph: So it's my fault?

"Wait, I could do it now too..."

Jealous Tsugumi suddenly realized something.

Right now, Nymph could only speak to her through the AI system. She could not take physical form to stop her!

"A-Xiao~!"

Having made up her mind, Tsugumi rose from her chair and quickly walked toward Chen Xiao, who stood in the doorway savoring the lingering feeling.

"Hmm?"

The moment he instinctively turned around, Tsugumi gently rose onto her tiptoes, pressed her curled hands against his chest, and brought her lips to his.

A good while passed.

Once they were done, the two stood there savoring the moment before Tsugumi delivered her satisfied "acceptance speech."

"Hehe... A resounding victory for Miss Hacker~!"

Meanwhile, on the computer room's screen, pixel Nymph watched the whole thing from beginning to end, without even getting a chance to speak up and stop them.

Yet another classic White Album scene...

There would probably be even more in the future, until everyone grew used to them.

"You... If you really want it, you can just say so. There's no need for these surprise attacks."

Chen Xiao spoke helplessly to the softly giggling Tsugumi.

Then he felt that what he had just said sounded so damn scummy.

How long had it been since he lost his first kiss, and he had already fallen this far? If things went any further, he did not dare imagine what scandalous behavior might follow!

Fortunately, with her "wish" fulfilled, Tsugumi did not press her attack any further. Instead, she left the second-floor computer room and went to Chen Xiao's bedroom to return to figurine form.

"Phew..."

Seeing that, Chen Xiao let out a long breath.

Then he planned to take Jack the Ripper downstairs to keep watching television.

But just as he was about to reach out, he noticed Jack the Ripper staring fixedly at his mouth.

"Mommy, we want it too..."

Whether because Chen Xiao looked happy being kissed or because the other older girls looked so blissful, Jack the Ripper, who had barely made her presence felt beside him, suddenly stepped forward, tugged on his clothes, and asked.

"Uh-?!"

Absolutely not with a child!

Alarm bells rang wildly in Chen Xiao's mind at her words.

"Ahem! Jack, this is something only adults can do! If you want to, we'll talk about it when you're grown up."

As he said this, Chen Xiao felt like a bad parent taking away a child's New Year's gift money, his voice full of awkwardness.

But Jack the Ripper took him at his word and said with an innocent expression:

"Okay! Mommy, when we grow up, we want to do grown-up things too, and make Mommy happy!"

Chen Xiao: ...

Damn it! What's with this overwhelming guilt?

Fortunately, Servants did not grow up according to the setting, so he did not need to worry about Jack the Ripper growing up in the future and coming to him to "do grown-up things."

The old general onstage: Tsk, tsk, tsk... This young man has almost more flags on his back than I do.