The car was completely sealed off from the outside world.
The usual barrage of honking from the streets vanished entirely.
The early bird really does get eaten by the worm…! Acting like everything was normal, thinking nothing would happen just because I behaved like usual! Trying to be clever only made things worse!
Watanabe Tetsu felt like slapping himself.
"Take them off."
"…What?"
Tetsu snapped back to reality.
The girl stretched out her leg — clad in long black stockings — until her foot hovered right in front of his nose.
Her eyes looked down at him, high and mocking.
Tetsu leaned back.
"If you have something to say, please just say it directly."
The girl rested one hand on the rear-seat armrest, then spoke flatly:
"The medicine."
"Yes."
The woman in black opened a hidden compartment in the car.
The moment Tetsu saw the familiar injector and vials inside, he panicked.
"W-wait! I'll take them off! I'll do it!"
The girl let out a cold laugh.
"Looks like you can cooperate when it counts."
Tetsu stayed silent.
He carefully removed her long black stockings, doing everything he could not to touch her bare skin.
"If you're ever this slow again and make my legs sore," she said lightly, "I'll punish you by making you reenact that 'resurrection' performance."
Her tone was playful, but the smile on her lips was chilling.
The car fell into silence.
The girl closed her eyes, as if she'd fallen asleep.
Suddenly, Tetsu thought of something.
With looks no less stunning than Seino Rin, she definitely fit the game conditions.
He could use the Detector to get some intel on her.
The Detector cost 1000 points, and after redeeming it, he only had enough left for one more Healing Potion.
But if he didn't figure out this unknown girl, no amount of Healing Potions would save him.
Redeem Detector.
His remaining 2000 points instantly dropped by half.
Tetsu's gaze shifted upward, pausing for two seconds at the hem of her pleated school skirt — black — then continued up to her sleeping face.
Use Detector.
[Character: Yūki Miki]
[Intelligence: 8]
[Charm: 9]
[Stamina: 5]
[Info: Controls trillions of yen in Yūki family assets; Extremely self-serving]
[Romanceable]
Self-serving?
He had spent 1000 points, sacrificed a precious Healing Potion, and used one Detector charge —
only to gain even worse information.
Now he had just enough points left for a single Healing Potion.
And in his hand… the soft, still-warm black stockings of the girl.
What was he supposed to do with them?
Throw them casually onto the seat?
Drop them on the floor?
Hand them back respectfully?
Which option would keep him from being forced to "resurrect" again?
In the end, even when the car stopped, Watanabe Tetsu remained obediently in place —
serving as a human footrest.
Yūki Miki opened her eyes, pulling her foot back as she covered her mouth and yawned lazily.
The car door opened. The woman in black stepped out first, followed by Tetsu.
He glanced around.
They were in an outdoor parking lot of a hospital.
Looking up, he saw the sign on the building:
"Juntendō Advanced Academy Affiliated Hospital."
From behind him came the girl's amused voice.
"You like my stockings that much? Fine, keep them."
"I—"
Like them? Hate them?
Either answer was a landmine.
Why did other people's romance games give choices like "hold hands" or "kiss," while his were all death flags?!
Yūki Miki stepped out of the car, surrounded by her bodyguards, and headed toward the hospital building.
Forced to accept the "gift," Tetsu placed the stockings in his backpack, separated from The Great Gatsby by a single layer of cloth.
At the hospital, Tetsu originally assumed Yūki Miki needed treatment.
Instead, he was taken for a full medical examination.
Thirty minutes later, he changed out of the examination gown and back into his clothes.
He was then escorted into a large conference room.
It was empty, except for Yūki Miki, the female bodyguard, and an elderly doctor in a white coat.
Of the three, only Yūki Miki sat — lounging in a wide executive chair, studying Tetsu's medical report.
"He metabolized it instantly," the doctor said respectfully, hands folded.
"No trace of the substance remains. His body shows no abnormalities."
Yūki Miki set down the report.
Her slender fingers tapped the table.
Expression blank, she said:
"Speak. Tell me your secret."
"I—"
Tetsu fell silent.
He absolutely could not reveal the system.
"I don't like waiting," she said.
"M-maybe… maybe the medicine you used last time was faulty?"
"I see."
Yūki Miki waved her hand casually.
The woman in black stepped forward.
Before Tetsu could react, he was already pinned down.
An injector appeared in her hand — he had no idea when she drew it — and the cold needle pressed against his neck.
"I really don't know anything! I passed out, then woke up with nothing wrong! I thought you were just trying to scare me! If I really had a secret, why would I still come to school?!"
He blurted everything out.
"Last night, you happened to save me," the girl said coldly.
"Today is my first time coming to school. And you happened to show up again."
She smirked.
"Do coincidences like this really happen?"
"I—"
She had a point.
If he weren't himself, even Tetsu would suspect such behavior.
Tetsu hesitated.
Should he hand over a Healing Potion?
Only by surviving could he earn more points.
"My patience is limited," Yūki Miki said.
"This is your last chance. Tell me your identity and your purpose. And how you survived."
Her long, flawless legs crossed elegantly.
Arms folded.
Her voice was the final verdict.
"…Actually, I survived because of a certain medicine."
"Medicine?"
"Yes."
Tetsu opened his panel.
[Character: Watanabe Tetsu]
[Intelligence: 7]
[Charm: 8]
[Stamina: 3]
[Items: Charm 50% Off Coupon ×1, Memory Mastery 90% Off Coupon ×1, Detector ×1 (2/3 uses left)]
[Skills: None]
[Points: 1000]
[Money: 105,652 yen]
Redeem Healing Potion.
[1000 points spent. Player obtained: Healing Potion ×1]
His points dropped to zero.
If Yūki Miki attacked him again after this…
He'd be nailed to the Cross-World Traveler Hall of Shame.