Everything Nao had just said—he meant it.
Not leading women on with his looks, not treating relationships like games, and treating love as seriously as swordsmanship—these were principles he'd held to across both lifetimes.
But that didn't mean he was one of those frustrating, spineless leads you find in romantic comedies—someone who just blushes and stammers while a girl's throwing herself at him, trying to play dumb like a clueless monk.
A man's got to stand tall when it matters, or else what's the difference between him and some palace eunuch out shopping for the queen?
So, before speaking those words to Shia, Nao had thought seriously about two things.
First: Did he feel anything for her? Did he have real feelings?
Second: If he turned her down again, would he regret it later? Would it hurt to see her cry again—or worse, fall for someone else down the line?
The answers were simple. Just one word each.
Yes.
Yes.
So, there was nothing to hesitate about. The ever-dignified Nao had made what he believed was the only right decision: to face his feelings head-on.
Besides...
Who could bear to hurt a girl who looks at you like you're her whole world?
"...Nao."
Shia's azure eyes shimmered like a misty lake at dawn as she stared at him in the moonlight, her lips trembling with joy. "Nao, Nao, Nao, Nao…"
She kept repeating his name, her delicate fingers reaching up to cup his face.
"I... I'm so happy."
Suddenly—
She closed her eyes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him again.
The same Nao who'd been talking like a responsible grown-up a second ago? Completely blindsided.
"Wait—hey! Again?!"
"Too tight! You're choking me!"
"Alright, alright, I get it! Enough already! If you don't stop, I'm seriously gonna get mad—!"
"Mm? Wait, why is there—mmf?!"
"Mmff—"
Ten minutes later…
Nao sat slack-jawed on the wall, eyes glazed over, lips puffed up like sausages. He looked like a man who'd been run over by a freight train—twice.
Next to him, Shia clung to his arm, legs swinging gently off the ledge, staring up at the crescent moon with a smile as radiant as a girl who just got everything she wanted for her birthday.
"…I've got a question," Nao muttered, sounding like a man on the brink.
"Hm?"
Shia tilted her head, giving him her full attention.
"You chose to turn into Gion before showing up tonight. So I guess you already know, right?"
Nao looked out into the night sky, his voice soft but serious. "I like her. I plan to fight for her."
"Also, back home, I've got a childhood friend. We've been close our whole lives, and once we're old enough, we could get married tomorrow. Do you get what I'm saying?"
"…So what's the problem?" Shia blinked, confused. "That's normal, right? My… my father had more than ten wives with titles."
Wait, what?
Nao blinked. That… was unexpectedly understanding.
Oh. Right.
This wasn't modern Earth. There were no laws demanding monogamy. In this world, if you had the strength and standing, your wedding could have a whole bouquet of brides in white, if that's what you wanted.
—Which, honestly, sounded great. Screw investing—relationship stocks were the worst.
Relieved, Nao finally turned his attention to the system panel and opened the task log.
Sure enough, after all that drama, the side quest had quietly been completed.
[Side Quest: First Kiss – Completed]
Reward: 100,000 points, +1 random attribute point, 80% Discount Coupon (limited time)
"Treasure the moment—it might be the last time you feel something this pure before you turn into the next Sea King."
"I told you—I'm not gonna be a damn Sea King."
Nao grumbled internally, deadpan. "Who writes these notes? I've been holding it in, but seriously—your judgment sucks."
He, Natsuya Nao, from every angle, was clearly a loyal, respectful, and sincere young man.
Surrounded daily by a horde of admirers, yet still laser-focused on training—wasn't that proof enough?
A "Sea King"? A "playboy"? A "two-timing scumbag"?
Those labels had nothing to do with him.
As for what happened tonight?
Well… maybe it's just that his heart got split into three tidy pieces. And each piece fell for a different girl. No big deal.
With the 100,000-point reward, his total balance skyrocketed to 227,900.
Huh. No weird leftover digits? Neat. Whoever handed out this batch must've had OCD or something.
Nao scrolled past the clutter of unread notifications, but one near the bottom caught his eye.
[Clongarde Shia – Fully Conquered. Relationship Established.]
Bonus Reward: +10,000 Points
Relationship Sign-In Bonus Activated: Day 1
Maintain the relationship to build streak. Monthly reward: Bonus points. One-year streak: A-rank Gift Box x1.
Relationship ends if either side breaks up or loses feelings.
"…So I finally entered my first real relationship, huh."
Nao had triggered "first-stage" relationship flags many times before, but this was the first full-blown relationship the system had recognized.
He looked at the final line and frowned slightly.
"Relationship ends if either side's feelings vanish."
It was clearly designed to discourage players from racking up lovers like trophies—no emotion, just conquest.
Fortunately, that wasn't his style. He wasn't some emotionless playboy.
If anything, this meant a steady income stream had just opened up. He was more curious about what the monthly point bonuses would be. Hopefully decent.
"All right. Time to get to work."
He glanced at Shia beside him. She looked sleepy, nestled against his chest, wearing a dreamy smile.
Good. She wasn't likely to interrupt.
That meant he could focus.
It was finally time to engage in his third-favorite activity: opening loot boxes—and his fourth-favorite: spending money.
He opened his inventory and tapped on the side quest reward: 1 Random Attribute Point.
[Opening Random Attribute Reward… Rolling…]
As before, a shimmering blue die spun across the screen. Each face marked with one stat: Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intelligence, Charm, and Luck.
"…I don't know why, but I've got a feeling…"
Nao narrowed his eyes at the blur of spinning colors.
"I just know it's going to land on Charm again."
Technically, that would be the best return-on-investment. Charm was by far his most expensive stat to level.
But still. It was getting ridiculous at this point.
[Roll Complete – Charm +1]
"Damn it! I knew it!"
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin