"If the muscles are very stiff, it means you need to use more force. Don't just pinch and release—move your fingers more."
"Um… um, I'm so sorry!"
When Hanori heard Rasa's words, the strange sensation in her body suddenly grew stronger.
It was so stimulating that she almost made an involuntary sound when she spoke.
Hanori glanced cautiously at Rasa and saw that his expression remained unchanged.
She quietly sighed in relief and focused on the massage, trying her best to ignore the reactions in her body.
Rasa discreetly closed his legs and studied Hanori's expression out of the corner of his eye.
She seemed completely absorbed in the massage, clearly unaware of anything unusual about herself.
Although her face was flushed and sweat beaded on her forehead, Rasa assumed it was simply a natural response to exertion.
After all, there was no fan or air conditioning in the room, and the indoor temperature was about twenty-four degrees.
At that temperature, with Hanori working so vigorously on his shoulders, it was only normal for her face to turn red and for her to sweat.
Even though Rasa had the sudden urge to take Hanori, this stunning beauty, right on the spot, his rational mind reminded him it wasn't the right time.
Although Hanori's favorability toward him had already reached eighty, Rasa thought that if he truly pushed further, she likely wouldn't resist.
But they had only officially met and spoken for less than two hours.
For Rasa, that pace was far too fast.
Even though he considered himself somewhat perverted, in his previous life before being reincarnated, he had consumed plenty of erotic novels, games, and adult movies.
But even so, the idea of their relationship advancing to that level within two hours of knowing each other still felt unnatural.
He didn't fully understand Hanori yet—perhaps not even in a few days.
Of course, if Rasa became aware of Hanori's current physical state, he would have taken out his penis and had sex with her without hesitation.
To divert his thoughts, Rasa turned his attention back to the papers in his hand.
"Master Rasa, what do you think?"
By now, Hanori's massage technique had improved greatly.
As an excellent puppeteer, her hands were naturally dexterous.
The only reason she hadn't adjusted her method before was because she lacked experience in this area.
But after Rasa's reminder, and with a little time, she quickly learned.
Now, her ten fingers could make six different movements on Rasa's shoulders at once.
"Of course, no problem," Rasa said casually, thinking she was asking about her massage skills.
"Really? That's great. I was thinking that if you weren't confident, I would go to Aoki's house tonight and take matters into my own hands.
Although the intelligence reports say you have no chance of winning, since you said so, I feel reassured."
Hanori's eyes shone with admiration and excitement.
She spoke happily, pressing down harder without realizing it.
Hanori had now spent over an hour with Rasa, and her trust in him had reached a level beyond that of a fanatic.
Even before they met, her favorability of eighty points already placed her at that level.
And now, after an hour of contact, it hadn't risen further.
After all, once someone's favorability reached eighty, it became extremely difficult to raise it through ordinary interaction.
Even in life-and-death moments, it might only increase to eighty-one or eighty-two.
A favorability of fifty alone was already enough to create comradeship—a bond where one could entrust their life to the other on the battlefield.
At that level, it could also translate into a relationship between lovers who defy family opposition, endure hardships together, and remain devoted for a lifetime.
Still, this hour of interaction had allowed Hanori to understand Rasa more deeply.
In such circumstances, she didn't even think of doubting him—she believed everything he said.
"What… oh, yes. Tomorrow's competition will be fine as long as no major accidents occur."
Although he had misunderstood her meaning, Rasa reacted quickly and answered smoothly.
But because of Hanori's last comment, he reminded her seriously:
"Tomorrow's competition must be fair and square, so don't try anything underhanded."
Although Rasa wasn't entirely certain of Hanori's strength, he knew that being so young yet already the deputy commander of the Shadow Guard meant her abilities were extraordinary.
Even if she couldn't defeat Aoki in direct combat, she could always find underhanded ways to interfere.
It wouldn't be hard to disrupt Aoki's condition before the match.
"Hanori understands! In tomorrow's competition, Hanori will never let anyone interfere with Master Rasa!"
"Oh, and by the way, from now on just call me by my name. Don't use 'Sir' or 'Master.' It sounds too distant."
Rasa closed his eyes and whispered.
Although he was gradually adapting to this world's customs and letting go of some of his old boundaries, he still disliked being addressed formally by people close to him. It felt unnatural.
Rasa had already begun to regard Hanori as his future woman.
Although he hadn't yet decided how to handle things with her, in his heart he had already made up his mind: after a few days, when the opportunity came, he would take action.
Rasa's scoundrel nature was gradually revealing itself.
The blush on Hanori's beautiful face deepened, like a ripe crab.
She smiled sweetly, her eyes sparkling, and replied softly:
"Understood."
Then the two began to chat casually.
The setting sun streamed through the window, casting two long, overlapping shadows in the room.
An hour later, Rasa watched the beautiful woman gradually disappear into the distance.
Only when she was gone did he close the door and stretch.
That one-hour chat had been the happiest conversation Rasa had ever had with a woman.
Before now, his conversations with the opposite sex had been limited to polite greetings, nothing more.
The incident with Pakura didn't count.
That time, he had only spoken with her for a few minutes before Aoki interrupted.
Thinking of this, Rasa couldn't help but recall the soft, elastic sensation against the back of his head.
He chuckled, sat back in his chair, and opened the system exchange interface.
Rasa began raising the favorability of the nine people from eighty to one hundred again.
After a series of operations, he exchanged for a high-quality fruit that doubled favorability.
Once midnight passed, their favorability would immediately reach two hundred.
Currently, Rasa had one thousand skill points.
After doubling—if Pakura and Yasha Rei were included—the total would reach around two thousand the next day.
Thinking of this, Rasa browsed the redemption page, searching for something that could quickly improve his strength.
First, he ruled out items like the Mangekyō Sharingan and Rinnegan on the first page.
They were too expensive and complicated.
Even after redeeming them, he would still need to exchange for an Uchiha bloodline body.
And how could he possibly explain it to others?
Should he say he was a mixed-blood?
On the second page, he saw the first item: the Uchiha Pure-Blood Body, priced at one thousand skill points.
Rasa gave it a quick glance and kept scrolling.
After a while, he stood and stretched.
Looking out at the darkened sky, he touched his stomach and decided to eat first.
After quickly finishing some dry rations, Rasa sat cross-legged on the bed in the upstairs master bedroom, frowning slightly at the screen before him.
By now, he had reached page seventy of the redemption catalog.
Although he had found many interesting things, most were related to women or money.
None of them actually strengthened him.
Either the prices were too high, or they weren't useful enough.
Still frowning, Rasa kept scrolling rapidly, skimming ten lines at a glance.
Time passed.
"There it is."
Rasa suddenly jumped up and clapped his hands excitedly.
Fortunately, he stayed rational and didn't shout anything strange, venting his excitement only through applause.
After clapping, he took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
Then he sat back on the bed, legs apart, hands on his thighs, eyes fixed on the screen before him.
Exchange:
Page 123 (123/900 billion)
Perfect Replacement (One thousand skill points. Can replace all of a character's strength. Note: only works on characters with complete memories…)
...
After staring at it for a few seconds, the excitement on Rasa's face gradually faded into calm.
He had been thrilled when he read the beginning but hadn't noticed the final condition.
If not for that limitation, this ability would have been incredibly cost-effective.