Hayato felt a soft yet heavy sensation on his chest. He groaned softly, then opened his eyes. Like the previous day, Lala was again sleeping naked on top of him, her pink hair scattered on the pillow and Hayato's chest.
He let out a deep sigh—a habit he was doing more often lately.
"Good morning, Master," a melodious and alluring voice sounded from the corner of the room. Lilith was sitting in the lounge chair she had manifested beside the bed, wearing a transparent black nightgown, sipping something steaming from a cup.
"It seems you slept very soundly, unaware of this 'guest reception'."
Hayato wiped his face with his free hand. "Good morning, Lilith. Lala's habit… I don't know when it will stop."
Lilith smiled, her eyes sparkling meaningfully. "But you're a little strange, Master. Usually, other humans in your position would be immediately tempted and act, or at least extremely flustered."
"Because it's not the time yet," Hayato answered shortly, trying to carefully shift Lala.
"And I'm too mentally tired to think about things like that. Better to focus on understanding my conceptual power."
Lala murmured in her sleep, then slowly woke up. She rubbed her eyes with her fists. "Hmmm… is it morning already?"
"It's morning," answered Hayato, finally freeing himself and sitting on the edge of the bed. "I'm going to shower quickly."
"How about we shower together~?" Lala suggested innocently, sitting up while pulling the blanket to cover herself.
Hayato rubbed his temples. "Not now, Lala. I want to shower alone first. Just need a short time to calm my mind."
Lilith chuckled softly. "Hoo… but isn't your bathroom a bit cramped for two?"
"No problem!" exclaimed Lala, suddenly excited. "I developed a new device yesterday! It can temporarily expand the space inside the bathroom!"
Hayato sighed again. "Maybe later, Lala." He took clothes from the closet—training pants and a t-shirt—then walked out of the room. In his mind, a thought passed:
[Even though I have conceptual power, the hardest thing seems to be teleportation. I need to study Instant Transmission or Goku's Shunkan Idou later. Besides, there's no harm in trying.]
Lilith, still sitting in her chair, suddenly frowned. 'What was that?' She felt she heard something—Hayato's voice, but not from his mouth.
She looked at Hayato, who was almost out of the room. "Did you say something just now, Master?"
Hayato turned, tilting his head. "No. Why?"
"No… it's nothing," murmured Lilith, but there was suspicion in her eyes.
After Hayato left, Lala looked at Lilith with a small smile. "So… you can hear it too?"
Lilith turned sharply. "Could it be… you can also hear his inner voice?"
"Yes," answered Lala while standing up, looking for her clothes. "I already told Hayato that his inner voice is sometimes audible, but it seems my own voice doesn't come out—as if forcibly muted. But relax, Hayato is a good person."
Lilith nodded slowly. 'Interesting. A psychic connection has formed between Master and us. Perhaps because of the 'Party' system? Or because of the Servant contract?' But she stored that information for further study.
---
In the bathroom, Hayato let cold water flow over his body, trying to wash away the remnants of sleepiness and mental chaos. He had just started contemplating today's training when suddenly—
"HOST!! Emergency!"
SERA appeared as a hologram in front of his face, her virtual expression extremely panicked, even blinking with emergency red colors.
Hayato was startled, then frowned. "What is it, SERA? Don't shout like that, I'm showering."
"This is an emergency!" SERA spoke rapidly, her synthetic voice high-pitched.
"You know that Lala's Deviluke energy is converted into 'Mana' in the Party system, right? And Lilith too, she's already freed from the limitations of her original Saint Graph because of our system!"
"Yes, I know. That's good, right? They're more flexible," answered Hayato while rubbing shampoo into his hair.
"That's not the problem!" SERA was almost jumping virtually.
"This Party System is fundamentally a modified 'The Gamer' function using your Arc of Embodiment as the resource! Because of that, every party member who has energy, magic, or other power—when entering the system—will be converted into a 'Mana' format compatible with the system… and there's a side effect!"
Hayato stopped rubbing. "What side effect?"
"They… they can also access the Arc of Embodiment!" SERA almost screamed.
"Not fully, but they can 'borrow' the ability to manifest concepts based on their own imagination and understanding! Because they are connected to the system rooted in your power!"
Shampoo got into Hayato's eyes.
"ARRRGHH! IT BURNS!" Hayato bent over, water washing his stinging eyes. After a moment, with red and watery eyes, he stood straight.
"Seriously?! SERA, you know Lala is a genius but careless! Her devices often explode or cause unexpected things! If she can use the Arc of Embodiment—even a limited version—this house could vanish in an instant!"
"Not to mention Lilith!" added SERA, still panicking. "She is the Mother of Desire! She understands abstract concepts intuitively! If she can manifest them… with her Noble Phantasm that we don't fully know yet…!"
"Oh no…" Hayato held his head. "This is a disaster."
"You better not expand this party further!" suggested SERA. "And never create a harem! If more heroines with weird powers join…!"
Hayato paused. "Huh? Since when did I intend to create a harem? What I've been worried about since reincarnation is that this world and multiverse are already crazy, plus that old man having fun observing anomalies like me!"
SERA fell silent for a moment. "You… won't tell them about this… will you?"
Hayato thought hard. He could keep this secret. But… Lilith is a very sensitive entity. She would definitely notice something. Lala might not yet, but if she accidentally manifested something…
"I will tell them," decided Hayato, his voice heavy.
"BUT… I need to warn them seriously. Sooner or later, Lilith will find out. Better from my own mouth."
After showering and getting dressed, Hayato found Lilith and Lala entering the bathroom. Lala was explaining something about a "molecular frequency changer" to Lilith, who was listening with great interest.
Hayato went to the kitchen. When he opened the fridge, he found it almost empty. Only a few eggs, expired milk, and jam remained. He sighed. No time for shopping yet.
But then he remembered yesterday's training. Concepts. He closed his eyes, trying to recall the taste of the Omurice he ate at Wagnaria.
But this time, he didn't focus on the eggs, rice, or sauce. He focused on the concepts of "filling and enjoyable food", "the warmth of a morning meal", "simple pleasure".
Flick.
On the kitchen table, a plate of Omurice still steaming hot appeared. Perfect. Exactly the same as what he ate yesterday.
He took a bite. Taste, texture, even temperature—the same. He succeeded.
Soon after, Lilith and Lala entered the kitchen. Lilith immediately noticed the plate on the table and the clean kitchen, with no signs of recent use.
"You didn't cook?" asked Lilith, her eyebrow raised. "You made this with your power?"
Hayato nodded, a little embarrassed. "I can't cook the normal way yet… sorry. But I succeeded in manifesting the concept of food. This is Omurice. I hope you like it."
Lala smiled broadly. "Isn't this the food we ordered on our date yesterday? Can you make other foods too?"
Hayato scratched the back of his head. "That… maybe later. I haven't mastered it well. And… I should probably learn to cook too. Please, eat."
They sat down. Hayato humbly said "Itadakimasu", then began eating. The taste was truly the same. This was a big improvement.
"Not bad," Lilith praised after tasting. "You're slowly mastering it."
"Delicious!" exclaimed Lala. "If you make other foods, let me know!"
"Thank you," answered Hayato. Then, his face turned serious. "And after this… there's something important I need to tell both of you."
Lilith put down her spoon. "Oh? What is it?"
"Important matter," Hayato answered briefly. "Wait until we finish eating."
After eating, Hayato washed the dishes, then returned to the table. He sat in front of Lilith and Lala, his hands resting on the table, his shoulders tense. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly.
[I hope this doesn't end badly]
"Lilith… Lala," he began, his voice low but clear. "I hope you won't act recklessly after hearing this."
His gaze was very serious, moving from one to the other. "You, Lilith, might have started to realize that your Saint Graph no longer fully restricts you. That you feel… freer. That's because the Party system attached to me automatically converts all forms of energy—including your existence as a Servant—into a format compatible with my system."
Lilith was silent, her eyes narrowed, listening intently.
Hayato turned to Lala. "The same for you, Lala. Your Deviluke energy, your technology and physical strength, are also converted within the system."
Lala frowned, digesting his words.
"And because this Party system is rooted in my main power—Arc of Embodiment—there is an unintended side effect." Hayato paused for a moment, making sure they were really listening.
"The system… gives you limited access to my power. You can—with your own understanding and imagination—manifest concepts. Create something from thought."
Lala tilted her head, looking confused. But then, as if struck by an idea, she closed her eyes. Hayato could see concentration on her face.
[She's trying], Hayato thought with a pounding heart.
Lala thought of the steak she ate yesterday. Not just a visual image, but the concepts of "savory and satisfying meat", "luxurious food", "energy for the body".
On the table, next to her Omurice plate, a plate of steak with vegetables and black pepper sauce appeared. Still steaming.
Lala opened her eyes, surprised. She took a fork, cut a small piece, and ate it. Her eyes widened. "It tastes… exactly the same!"
[Huh!? Lala… succeeded immediately?!] Hayato's thoughts leaped.
Meanwhile, Lilith was silent. Very silent. Her face, usually full of alluring expressions, was now blank, as if her brain was rebooting.
Her elegant body trembled slightly—not from fear, but from a deep and dangerous excitement.
"So…" her voice came out, soft, trembling subtly.
"I… can also use that conceptual power? Even with my Berserker class… I can touch something more abstract than just physical desire?" She looked at her own hand, as if seeing it for the first time.
Without warning, her right hand lifted. From her palm, a faint purple light—not like ordinary magical energy, but more like the color of the concept "repressed desire"—began to emanate.
Within that light, abstract shapes pulsed: a split heart, broken chains, a crown of thorns blooming into a rose.
"Master…" Lilith whispered, her green eyes now shining with frightening intensity.
"You truly… desire the destruction of the old world." She stood up slowly, her chair pushed back with a soft scraping sound.
"And you are creating a new world… where existence is not limited by anyone's system—not the Holy Grail, not the Gods, not the universe itself."
She stepped closer to Hayato. Each step was elegant, like a big cat approaching its prey—or its ally. Hayato sat still, alert, but didn't retreat.
"You gave me more than just a place in your party," Lilith continued, her voice growing softer, more alluring, and deeper.
"You gave me… a path to a personal heaven shaped from your own desires. Not because I am bound by a Saint Graph… but because you believe I deserve to be there."
She now stood right in front of Hayato, who was still seated. Lilith bent down, her face only a few centimeters from Hayato's. Her pheromone aura wasn't active, but her natural allure as the personification of desire was still deadly.
"Then, allow me to give a repayment… and a bond."
Before Hayato could react, Lilith cupped his face with both hands that were soft yet irresistible. And she kissed him.
Not an ordinary kiss. When their lips met, Hayato felt a flow of energy—not magic, not mana, but something more primal. A concept was being transferred.
In Hayato's mind, he saw symbols of light—runes—forming and engraving themselves within his consciousness, within both their souls. A contract much deeper than an ordinary Master-Servant contract. This bond tied their emotions, desires, and realities together.
The kiss was long, intense, full of meaning. When Lilith finally pulled away, there was a thin strand of saliva connecting their lips for a moment before breaking. On Hayato's forehead, for a moment, a faint purple symbol shone—a crown of thorns encircling a heart—before fading.
Lilith smiled, her eyes moist and full of satisfaction. "So you know… I'm not just following because you are strong, Master. But because I want to know… how far you will take this world. How deep you will dive into the ocean of your own desires."
On the back of Hayato's right hand, his Command Seal—the mark of the Servant contract—suddenly shone with a brighter light than before, a glowing purple color mingling with the usual red lines.
The design had changed slightly, becoming more complex, as if infused with Lilith's essence.
Hayato took a deep breath, trying to calm his pounding heart. He looked at Lilith with a mix of worry and understanding. "Please… don't do anything dangerous."
Lilith smiled, softly this time. "Your worry is sweet, Master. But relax. I know my limits." Her eyes sparkled. "Or at least… I will try to learn them."
Across the table, Lala watched everything with wide eyes and flushed cheeks. "Wow… that… was romantic?" she murmured, then smiled. "Then, I want a special bond with Hayato too!"
"Later, Lala," answered Hayato quickly, trying to regain control of the situation.
"Now… we need to discuss boundaries. This power is dangerous. We can't use it recklessly."
The world outside Hayato's house might still be following its respective storylines.
But inside this simple house, three beings with the power to manifest concepts from their imagination were now bound together—by a kiss, by trust, and by the potential to create or destroy reality.