Five minutes after I said the last chapter was "too much," Lustra decided to prove me wrong.
We were walking through the night market in a loose swarm, Elise tethered to me like an angry satellite, and the harem following like a festival parade that had chosen me as the main attraction.
Lanterns glowed. Music played. People watched.
And then Yuki Tanaka stepped in front of us and held up her clipboard like a traffic cop stopping a carriage.
"Hero Ren," she announced, "your current interaction permissions are insufficient for tonight's conditions."
I blinked. "Permissions."
"Yes," Yuki said brightly. "You are causing crowd buildup."
Elise snapped, "He is not 'causing' anything."
Yuki flipped a page. "You have five separate groups watching you flirt in public, two vendors offering 'hero-only' discounts, and one couple taking bets on how fast you'll turn red."
Rika waved. "Hi, betters!"
I whispered, "This is my worst life."
Yuki pointed toward a booth with a glittering sign.
KISS PERMIT UPGRADE
LEVEL ONE, CHEEK AND FOREHEAD
LEVEL TWO, MOUTH KISSING ALLOWED
LEVEL THREE, OVER-CLOTHES TOUCHING LICENSE
CONSENT CANDLE REQUIRED
NO FERAL BEHAVIOR
I stopped so hard the tether chain yanked Elise into my side.
Elise hissed, "No."
Freya grinned, already leaning closer. "Yes."
Sofia purred, "Finally."
Kaori squeaked and hid behind her basket.
Charlotte smiled like she'd been waiting for this moment since my death.
Mira adjusted her glasses. "This is a sensible escalation."
I stared at Mira. "Nothing about this is sensible."
Mira replied calmly, "You are in Lustra."
Yuki tapped her clipboard. "If you do not upgrade, the crowd will keep increasing. It becomes a safety hazard."
Elise snapped, "He is on cooldown."
Yuki smiled. "Then we upgrade for controlled release."
I choked. "Controlled release of what."
Freya patted my shoulder. "Stress."
Sofia's eyes slid over me. "Tension."
Rika beamed. "Ren."
My system chimed like it was cheering.
NEW EVENT: PERMIT UPGRADE AVAILABLE
WARNING: YOUR HAREM IS GETTING BOLDER
TIP: RUNNING IS STILL IMPOSSIBLE
Elise leaned in, voice low and sharp. "You do not have to do anything."
I swallowed. "If I don't, do they riot."
Elise's jaw tightened. "Possibly."
Charlotte's voice floated in smoothly. "They'll riot either way. This way you get to choose who touches you."
That sentence hit my brain like a spell.
Choice.
Control.
In Lustra, that was basically armor.
I looked at Elise. "Can you… keep it safe."
Elise's eyes hardened. "Yes."
I nodded once. "Okay. We upgrade."
The harem reacted like I'd announced free cake.
Rika squealed. Freya clapped. Sofia smiled slow and satisfied. Kaori turned fully red and made a tiny noise like her soul fell over.
Elise looked like she wanted to faint and fight at the same time.
We approached the permit booth.
The attendant was an older woman with tired eyes and the vibe of someone who'd seen too many horny heroes.
She pointed at a candle stand.
"Light it."
I lit my Consent Candle.
The glow spread warm and steady, and the attendant nodded like she'd just watched a safety demonstration.
"State consent and boundaries," the candle voice said.
I cleared my throat.
"I consent to upgrading to Level Two," I said. "Boundaries. Only mouth kissing, no groping, no explicit acts, I can refuse anytime, and Elise stays present."
Elise spoke immediately. "I consent to chaperone supervision. Boundaries. No coercion. No crowd swarming. One at a time."
The candle glow stayed steady.
Yuki lifted her clipboard. "I consent to timing and enforcement."
Freya raised a hand. "I consent to being first."
Sofia raised her hand. "Denied."
Charlotte raised her hand. "I will be first, because I can behave."
Rika raised both hands. "I can behave too."
Nobody believed her.
The attendant stamped my license card with a glittering mark.
LEVEL TWO APPROVED.
Then she pointed at a velvet-curtained area beside the booth.
KISS PRACTICE STATION
ONE AT A TIME
NO NECK MARKS
YES THAT MEANS YOU
Elise's face went crimson.
Freya laughed like she'd been personally attacked by the no-neck rule.
Yuki tapped her clipboard. "Order is determined by rotation protocol."
Mira produced a scroll like she'd been born with it. "Alphabetical by family name."
Everyone groaned except Mira.
Charlotte Beaumont stepped forward first anyway, because Charlotte Beaumont did not wait for fate. Fate waited for her.
She stood in front of me under the candle glow, calm, elegant, eyes soft in a dangerous way.
"Ren," she said quietly, "look at me."
I did.
Charlotte's fingers lifted, just two, touching my chin with permission like she was guiding my attention.
Elise tensed at the edge of the circle.
Yuki started a timer like this was a sports match.
Charlotte leaned in.
Slow. Controlled. No surprise.
Her lips met mine in a clean, confident kiss that lasted just long enough for my brain to forget language.
Warm. Soft. Possessive without being rough.
When she pulled back, she smiled like she'd just signed her name on me.
"You're a good kisser," she murmured.
I blinked, dazed. "I don't know how."
Charlotte's smile widened. "Instinct."
My system chimed like it was losing its mind.
TEMPTATION EVENT: MOUTH KISS
RESIST FOR XP
TIP: YOU ARE NOT RESISTING AT ALL
Yuki cleared her throat. "Time."
Charlotte released me smoothly and stepped aside like a queen finishing a ritual.
Freya practically bounced forward next, grinning like she was about to commit a crime in public.
"Ren," she said, voice sweet, "I promise to behave."
Elise said, "Liar."
Freya placed her hands on my shoulders, above the waist, very visible, very "I'm totally following the rules."
Then she kissed me.
Not gentle like Charlotte.
Freya kissed like she wanted to make me forget my own name. Not explicit, just intense. Quick heat, then a slower press, then a playful pullback like she was teasing my mouth itself.
I made a pathetic sound.
Freya smiled against my lips. "Aww."
Elise hissed, "No noises."
Freya kissed me again, shorter this time, then pulled away with a satisfied grin.
"See," she said. "Behaved."
Elise looked like she might combust.
Yuki tapped the timer. "Next."
Sofia Dragomir stepped in like she owned the air.
She didn't touch me at first.
She just looked at me with that calm predator smile.
Then she said softly, "Ask."
I blinked. "Ask what."
Sofia's eyes flicked to the candle. "Ask to kiss me. Like a person who wants something."
My face went hot instantly.
Elise muttered, "You don't have to—"
Sofia's gaze didn't move. "Ask."
I swallowed hard.
"Sofia," I said, voice rough, "can I kiss you."
Sofia's smile turned sharp and pleased. "Yes."
Her hands slid to my waist, still safe, still above the line Elise had basically drawn in the air with her rage.
Then Sofia kissed me.
It was slower. Deeper. Not graphic, just… confident. Like she was teaching my mouth how to behave.
When she pulled back, she brushed her thumb lightly across my lower lip, then lifted her hands immediately, showing she was not breaking rules.
"Good," she murmured. "Now breathe."
I exhaled like I'd been holding my soul underwater.
Kaori was next and looked like she might pass out before touching me.
"I… I can skip," she whispered.
I shook my head quickly. "Only if you want. I'm okay."
Kaori's eyes got shiny.
She stepped close, trembling, hands hovering like she was afraid to be greedy.
"Can I," she whispered, "just… a small one."
I nodded.
Kaori kissed me gently. It barely lasted a second, but it hit like sweetness in the middle of chaos.
She pulled away instantly, face fully red, and hid behind her sleeves like she'd just committed a felony.
Rika nearly exploded waiting for her turn.
When she finally stepped in, she grabbed my hands and squeezed.
"Ren," she chirped, eyes bright, "I'm going to be normal."
Elise said, "Impossible."
Rika ignored her, leaned in, and kissed me with pure enthusiasm.
It was messy in the sense of "too excited," not graphic, just chaotic affection. Like she was trying to pour all her feelings into one kiss and didn't know where to put them.
When she pulled back, she grinned.
"Did I do good."
I nodded, dazed. "You did good."
Rika squealed and tried to hug me.
The candle flickered.
Rika froze mid-hug and backed off with her hands up. "Sorry sorry. Two touches max. I forgot."
Elise exhaled like she'd narrowly survived an assassination.
By the time the "practice station" rotation ended, I felt like my entire body was overheated and humming.
My cheeks were on fire.
My lips felt… very noticed.
And the crowd watching had started cheering like it was a performance.
Elise stepped in front of me like a shield.
"That's enough," she snapped.
Yuki looked at her clipboard. "We still have bonus micro-dates."
Elise's eyes widened. "No."
Yuki shrugged. "Paperwork says yes."
Mira nodded. "The protocol is clear."
Freya grinned. "Bonus time."
Sofia smiled. "He can handle it."
Kaori whispered, "Only if he wants…"
Charlotte tilted her head, watching me. "Do you want it, Ren."
I swallowed, then did the bravest thing I'd done all night.
I looked at Elise.
"Elise," I said softly, "I'm okay. Just… keep them one at a time."
Elise stared at me like she didn't know what to do with the fact I was speaking like a person with confidence.
Then she snapped, "Fine."
And—because Lustra was a cursed comedy—Yuki immediately said, "Great. Micro-date one is with the chaperone."
Silence.
My brain crashed.
Elise's face went bright red.
"What," Elise said, voice dangerous.
Yuki smiled innocently. "It's required. A chaperone must demonstrate the hero can refuse the person closest to him."
Elise looked like she might murder bureaucracy itself.
The candle voice spoke gently, like it knew it was about to start a war.
"Consent ritual active. State consent and boundaries."
Elise inhaled sharply.
"I consent," she said, clipped, "to a demonstration. Boundaries. No mouth kissing. One touch. No teasing."
The candle glow stayed steady.
My throat went dry.
"I consent," I said, "to a demonstration. Boundaries. Same."
Yuki held up her timer like a judge.
Elise stepped closer.
Not paladin-close.
Closer.
Her gloved hand lifted and touched my cheek once, careful, controlled, like she was proving she could do it without breaking.
My body reacted anyway, because my body was an idiot.
Elise's eyes flicked to my lips.
Her breath caught, just barely.
Then she leaned in and kissed my forehead.
A quick, firm, almost angry kiss.
Like a stamp.
Like a claim she would deny later.
The candle stayed steady.
The crowd went insane.
Rika squealed. Freya laughed. Sofia smirked like she'd won a bet. Charlotte's eyes narrowed with interest. Kaori made a tiny noise and nearly dropped her basket.
Elise pulled back instantly, face blazing.
"That's it," she snapped.
Yuki tapped the timer. "Approved."
Elise grabbed my wrist and yanked me away from the booth like she was dragging me out of a disaster zone.
My system chimed with hateful joy.
BONUS EVENT: CHAPERONE KISS
STATUS: PALADIN HAS SLIPPED ONCE
TIP: IT WILL HAPPEN AGAIN
Elise leaned in, furious whisper.
"Do not," she hissed, "look that happy."
I whispered back, "I'm not happy."
Elise's eyes dropped to my mouth.
"You are," she whispered.
And as she tugged me through the lantern-lit night market, surrounded by a very large harem that now definitely believed they could win, I realized something terrifying.
Level Two was only the beginning.
And Lustra was absolutely going to force Level Three.