Tokyo: I'm bound to the evil women!

Seemingly realizing that her question was somewhat abrupt, Chiya Mio naturally continued the conversation:

"After all, you were able to watch me play shogi with that guy back then."

"I roughly know the rules, and if I didn't, wouldn't a quick glance be enough?"

"Hmm? Is that so?"

"Then what's going on with you? Weren't your physical education grades not very good?"

"Practice self-defense skills occasionally."

"Oh?"

Chiyo smiled meaningfully as she walked towards the classroom with Fujiwara Matsu.

"Song, aren't your forearms a little too thick?"

Did she really figure something out...?

"After all, I practice self-defense techniques occasionally, so there will definitely be some changes."

"Really? I didn't realize the practice was so effective!"

"Perhaps I have a special talent for this."

"Truly worthy of being my slave, not bad, not bad."

She gave a seemingly satisfied smile, but her eyes remained fixed on Fujiwara Matsu, scrutinizing him.

He remained calm, rolled his eyes, and complained about her way of addressing him, which was his usual behavior.

Dominance: 24% - 26%

Soon, school was over. Fujiwara Matsu wanted to go to the philosophy club, but looking at the wrist that was being held, and Chiya Mio's seemingly smiling but actually unyielding actions, she hesitated.

He knew he had no choice.

Was this also part of that guy's plan?

But he didn't believe it. There were still three days left in the week. Couldn't he spare even one day?

As it turned out, he really couldn't spare a single day; ever since that day, Chiya Mio had been like a chain binding him.

Fujiwara Matsu could easily get rid of the entanglement and escape on his own, since Chiya Mio wouldn't do anything to him, and he wouldn't care if she was angry.

But if you turn around, you'll see a smiling guy staring at you from behind.

Sometimes there are two of them, one staring at you with a smile, and the other looking at you with a disappointed expression.

This dashed his hopes of finding Ichinomiya Satsuki, since Chiya Mio was also exploring the matters the two wanted to discuss, and Fujiwara Matsu dared not let her know.

Looking at the letter he received on Monday, holding it in his hand, Fujiwara Matsu sighed.

I really can't go. It's so frustrating...

This feeling of being calculated against him was incredibly frustrating and unpleasant, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Song, what are you doing? Come down for dinner!"

"They're here."

His parents have returned home, but they will soon be going on business trips again; he's used to it.

After chatting with his parents for a bit, they handed him something:

"Song, here's the consent form you asked for a while ago. I only had time to sign it after I got back from this business trip. Sorry to keep you waiting."

"But why do you want to work? Is it because you don't have enough pocket money?"

"Would you like me to add a little more?"

"No need, just reduce it a little, I've already gone to work."

"The reason you're working part-time will make your university life easier."

While eating, Fujiwara Matsu answered that his parents were very good to him, so he thought of taking some time to work part-time to reduce their burden while ensuring his studies.

But now... no, regardless of whether they agree or not, Fujiwara Matsu still has to go to work.

"You silly child...we're all you need to do."

He hated these emotional moments, so he stopped them from saying what they wanted to say beforehand and slipped away after the meal.

The room, his own private space, gave him a sense of security, and he prepared to receive the previous rewards.

[Unable to allocate attribute points; please purchase "Attribute Cap Increase"]

Your mother... a ditch system.

He glanced up and saw that the price was more expensive than the current modification privileges, more than double, two thousand points. He couldn't afford it even if he sold his possessions.

So why won't you let me buy it? Wait a minute, how much are you going to sell it for with this little improvement?

The number 9-10 was not the 800 he had previously estimated, but a full 3200.

It's increased eightfold, which is the combined reward from his three tasks.

This gave him a vague understanding of the significance of this improvement, or rather, why the limitations were so great.

Considering Shiratori Saki's physique and Ichinomiya Satsuki's intelligence, Fujiwara Matsu roughly understood that the subsequent improvements would go towards a somewhat "inhuman" level.

But why... why can't I allocate skill points when I'm fighting a bunch of monsters with high stats?

Unable to contain his anger, he clenched his fist and slammed it down on his desk, but stopped himself just centimeters away.

My mom and the others are still here. This was too much noise, and it must have hurt a lot.

The system's evaluation of points is always accurate, and its measurement of the value of points is also correct. The value of these attribute points added directly is high, high enough to bring about a qualitative change in him, but he is currently unable to redeem this value.

But he was still unhappy and resentful; he hated the feeling of being blocked from advancement.

Deep Blue, you piece of trash! What good are you?! Would it kill you to let me heal you?!

He was really out of ideas, and after thinking it over, he decided to keep those attribute points.

You wait, I'll add more money as soon as I have enough! 3200, I spit on that!

If he manages to save up enough, he'll add it immediately. Right now, there's no need for him to use attribute points; other attributes are too inefficient.

As for the opportunity to choose a skill, Fujiwara Matsu also plans to save it up for future use.

Now, he doesn't really need to, and the mechanism has already been tested; it's better to use it for emergencies.

…………

After changing into cleaner clothes, Fujiwara Matsu went to Inari Shrine as arranged by Ichinomiya Satsuki.

This was his first time here. In previous years, he would visit other shrines. Although this is also a top-tier shrine, his family doesn't usually bring him here.

Or perhaps his family isn't very religious, and they only visit temples once a year during the New Year, which makes it unlikely they would come to the Inari Shrine.

As he climbed the mountain path, he saw many people besides Fujiwara no Matsu. The vermilion torii gates on both sides seemed rather novel to him, and there were also some fox statues.

As he climbed step by step to the top, Fujiwara Matsu was already panting. There were quite a few people at the shrine, including many shrine maidens, but Fujiwara Matsu still spotted Ichinomiya Satsuki at a glance.

Her striking white hair was eye-catching. At this moment, she was dressed in a red and white shrine maiden outfit, and her appearance made Fujiwara Matsugen mistake her for a red-haired girl, only their temperaments were completely different.

One is passionate and gentle, as if you are the whole world; the other is indifferent, filled with divinity, and doesn't treat you like a human being at all.

No, that's not right either. He's just not that "bad kid".

Although Ichinomiya Satsuki had made an appointment with him, she ignored him completely. At this moment, he was sitting in the fortune-telling area, which was quite in line with her image. The indifferent messenger of the gods was conveying divine pronouncements on behalf of the gods, which was quite a vivid image.

She drew a fortune stick, took it with her, and walked up to Ichinomiya Satsuki. Only then did Satsuki look up at her, casually took the fortune stick, handed her the interpretation, and then stood up.

A short while later, a shrine maiden took her place, emerging from the vermilion shrine.

Why does this guy seem out of place with the surrounding layers?

"Come with me."

The other person casually uttered a sentence, and Fujiwara Matsu followed him into the shrine with Ichinomiya Satsuki. The shrine maidens they encountered along the way looked at him with some surprise, as for why it was him.

Fujiwara Matsu didn't know, but everyone greeted Ichinomiya Satsuki with very affectionate terms, like "Little Satsuki," "Satsuki-chan," or "Little Ichinomiya"...

Ironically, she accepted it all without hesitation, which contradicted his initial impression of Ichinomiya Satsuki.

After all, both her behavior at school and the opinions of others suggest that she is aloof, dangerous, and unapproachable, but at the shrine, she is clearly quite close to these people.

However, she didn't seem to care that Fujiwara Matsu knew all this; after all, it was she who suggested coming here, and it was she who brought him into the shrine.

The two walked to a secluded corner where no one was around. Ichinomiya Satsuki sat down, while Fujiwara Matsu kept a distance between them.

"Speak."

"I don't know shogi, but it's related to me."

He knew exactly how to speak to Ichinomiya Satsuki, and he was equally concise.

The secret of the system is the basis of his conversations with the other party; what he needs to do is to figure out how to avoid being seen through on top of that.

She turned her head, her gaze fixed directly on Fujiwara Matsu, her eyes seeming to reassess his worth, her gaze finally looking at him as if she were looking at him personally.

"Influence?"

"I guess so."

"No, that's too fast, why?"

Her eyes became curious, no longer indifferent as before, and she stared straight at him, as if trying to see right through him.

Dominance: 1% - 2%

"Your secret?"

Fujiwara Matsu didn't say anything, as if he hadn't heard her words at all.

"you……"

A voice suddenly interrupted her. It was an elderly shrine maiden, dressed differently from the other shrine maidens, like a priestess from a shrine.

"Satsuki, you actually brought your friend back to the shrine!"

"This is the first time, child. What's your name?"

"Um, Fujiwara Matsu, hello Grandma."

He was still caught up in the game with Ichinomiya Satsuki and hadn't quite shaken off the situation, so his reaction was a beat slow.

"Fujiwara no Matsu... Not a bad name. Are you a friend of our little Satsuki? This is the first time she's brought a friend to the shrine. Hmm? Could it be..."

Ichinomiya Satsuki watched from the side, a hint of helplessness in her eyes, but she still tacitly approved of the old man's actions.

Older people tend to be talkative, especially when they encounter things they are curious about.

"Are you Satsuki's boyfriend?"

The old woman's words were startling, which frightened Fujiwara Matsu. Ichinomiya Satsuki, on the other hand, didn't react much, as if she had already gotten used to it. She just stared straight at Fujiwara Matsu, her eyes still cold.

"No, no...that's not it!"

"Huh? But..."

"Grandma Akita, let me talk to him."

Her tone was calm, but there was no sign of impatience.

"Okay, then you two chat, I'll be going now."

After she walked away, Ichinomiya Satsuki acted as if nothing had happened and continued the conversation.

"What can you do?"

Her gaze remained unchanged, her azure eyes reflecting the shadow of his body, as if she could see right through Fujiwara Matsu.

Did these tiny details make her guess about the system?

He dared not make any extra movements, fearing that the other party would see more of him, so he could only suppress his emotions and stare at each other, thinking about what to say.

What should I do?