The morning after the Kiss Circuit, I learned two important facts.
One, Lustra considers "stabilizing Eros Mana" a community service.
Two, the community is extremely enthusiastic about my community service.
I opened the inn room door and immediately got flashbanged by women.
Not literally. Emotionally.
The hallway was packed. Again. Like my existence had scheduled office hours.
A crowd of courters. A few curious onlookers. Two vendors holding "Hero Special" coupons. Someone had made a tiny flag that said TEAM REN.
Elise stepped in front of me so fast her cape nearly slapped my face.
"No," she said. Very clearly. To the universe.
Yuki Tanaka appeared out of nowhere holding a clipboard and a tiny bell, smiling like she'd discovered a new form of taxation.
"Good morning," she sang. "Hero Ren. You are trending."
"I hate that sentence," I whispered.
Elise hissed, "Why are they here."
Yuki flipped a page. "After last night's Level Two upgrade, public demand increased. People heard you leveled up by kissing. Now they want the sequel."
Mira Kuroda nodded calmly. "This is predictable."
Sofia Dragomir smirked. "He's famous. And his mouth is apparently magical."
I choked.
Freya Lindholm laughed. "Careful, Sofia. You'll make him level up again."
My system chimed like a gremlin clapping.
NOTICE: PRAISE DETECTED
WARNING: YOU BLUSH ON COMMAND
Kaori Minazuki made a tiny squeak and hid behind her charm basket.
Rika bounced on her toes. "Ren. Ren. Ren. Can we do the loop again."
Elise snapped, "No loop before breakfast."
Rika pouted. "Then breakfast with him. I can feed him. With my hands."
Elise's eye twitched.
Charlotte Beaumont smiled like she owned the concept of breakfast. "He'll choke if you feed him. He needs calm."
Anya Volkov, the healer, nodded. "He does look like he might pass out."
Lucie Moreau grinned. "I can carry him if he faints. Princess style. For mana."
Elise's jaw tightened. "No one is carrying him."
Yuki raised her clipboard like a judge's gavel.
"Order," she said brightly. "Before anyone starts a physical interaction riot, we're moving to Phase Two."
I blinked. "Phase Two."
Yuki pointed down the hallway to a large banner someone had hung overnight.
HERO BLOOM MANAGEMENT DAY TWO
PHASE TWO: CONTROLLED CUDDLE DISTRIBUTION
PERMIT REQUIRED
I stared at the banner.
Then at Elise.
Then at the crowd.
"Cuddle distribution," I repeated, weakly.
Mira adjusted her glasses. "It's a public health measure."
Sofia said, "It's a public horny measure."
Kaori whispered, "It's… romantic."
Freya grinned. "It's a contact sport."
Elise snapped, "It is not."
Yuki held up my license card. "It is, unless he upgrades again."
My system chimed like it was proud of itself.
PERMIT UPGRADE AVAILABLE: LEVEL THREE
OVER-CLOTHES TOUCHING LICENSE
WARNING: THIS WILL ENCOURAGE THEM
TIP: IT WILL ALSO GIVE YOU XP
Elise leaned in, voice low. "You do not have to do anything."
I whispered back, "If I don't, do they riot."
Elise's silence was extremely loud.
Yuki smiled. "Exactly."
I took a breath. "Fine. We upgrade. But rules. Hard rules."
The harem reacted like I'd announced free tickets.
Rika squealed. Freya cheered. Sofia's smile deepened. Charlotte looked pleased. Mira looked relieved. Kaori looked like she might faint again.
Elise looked like she might personally sue Lustra.
We went downstairs in a parade.
The permit booth attendant looked at me like she'd already seen my obituary.
"You again," she said, unimpressed.
"I'm sorry," I said automatically.
She pointed at the candle stand. "Light it."
I lit the Consent Candle. The glow spread. The market air behaved slightly.
The candle voice spoke, calm and neutral.
"Consent ritual active. State consent and boundaries."
I cleared my throat.
"I consent to Level Three," I said. "Boundaries. Over-clothes only. No intimate areas. No groping. No coercion. One at a time. Timed. Public. I can refuse anything. If I say stop, we stop."
Elise spoke instantly. "I consent to chaperone enforcement. Boundaries. No crowd swarming. No pushing him. No dirty tricks."
Freya raised a hand. "What counts as a dirty trick."
Elise glared. "You."
Freya laughed. "Fair."
Yuki nodded briskly. "I consent to timing and enforcement."
The attendant stamped my license with a glittery mark that felt like a curse.
LEVEL THREE APPROVED.
Then she pointed at a second booth I somehow hadn't noticed before.
CUDDLE STATION
OVER-CLOTHES CONTACT ONLY
YES, HUGS COUNT
YES, LAP-SITTING COUNTS
NO, STRADDLING DOES NOT COUNT AS A HUG
STOP ASKING
Rika looked personally attacked by the last line.
Sofia smirked. "They wrote that for you, catgirl."
Rika puffed her cheeks. "I am respectful."
Elise said, "You are not."
Yuki rang her bell. Ding.
"Rotation," she announced. "Two minutes per courter. Two touches max. Approved actions include: hand holding, arm linking, hugging, shoulder squeeze, head pat, lap pillow with permission, and seated cuddle with space."
Freya raised her hand. "Can I sit on his lap."
Elise snapped, "No."
Yuki checked her paper. "Actually, lap-sitting is permitted if the hero consents, both remain clothed, and hands stay visible."
Elise made a sound like she'd been stabbed by law.
I swallowed. "Visible hands rule is good."
Mira nodded. "Excellent safety clause."
Lucie grinned. "Visible hands. That's so hot."
Elise's glare snapped to Lucie.
Lucie raised both hands. "Visible!"
The crowd laughed. Of course they did.
Yuki pointed. "First. Rika."
Rika stepped forward like she was about to receive a medal.
She clasped her hands in front of her chest and did her best impression of an innocent citizen.
"Ren," she said sweetly, "may I sit beside you very closely and hold your arm."
I nodded. "Yes."
We sat on a bench near the booth. Rika immediately scooted close enough that our shoulders touched and looped her arm through mine like she was claiming property.
She looked up at me, eyes bright.
"Is this lewd," she whispered.
"It's arm linking," I whispered.
Rika giggled. "So yes."
Elise said, "No."
Rika squeezed my arm gently. "Your arm is nice."
My face heated.
My system chimed.
BOND XP +15
BONUS: PUBLIC CUTE
Yuki snapped, "Time."
Rika pouted, then leaned in and rubbed her cheek against my shoulder once, quick, like a cat marking territory.
Elise's eyes widened.
Rika froze, then immediately lifted both hands. "No hands involved. I swear."
Yuki sighed. "Next."
Kaori stepped forward, timid.
"Ren," she whispered, "may I… hug you. Just a little."
I nodded gently. "Yes."
Kaori hugged me carefully, arms light, like she was afraid to squeeze too hard. Her head rested against my chest for a brief moment, and she exhaled like she'd been holding her breath her whole life.
Then she pulled away instantly, cheeks bright red.
"Sorry," she whispered.
"You did nothing wrong," I said.
Kaori's eyes went shiny again.
My system chimed.
BOND XP +20
BONUS: WHOLESOME HEART ATTACK
Sofia stepped in next.
"Ren," she said, voice velvet, "sit."
I sat.
Sofia stood behind me and placed her hands on my shoulders, thumbs pressing firmly through my shirt. Not intimate. Just confident.
"You're stiff," she murmured. "Relax."
"I can't," I admitted.
Sofia leaned close, voice near my ear. "Yes you can. Good boy."
My soul left my body.
Elise choked like it physically hurt.
Freya laughed. "That phrase should require a permit."
Yuki scribbled something down. "Noted."
My system chimed hard.
BOND XP +25
WARNING: PRAISE WEAKNESS STILL ACTIVE
Sofia released me and stepped away with a satisfied smirk.
"Next," Yuki said.
Freya bounced forward, grin wide, hands raised like she was already obeying the visible rule.
"Ren," she said brightly, "may I sit on your lap for exactly ten seconds like a responsible citizen."
Elise snapped, "No."
Yuki checked her paper. "Hero's choice."
Everyone looked at me like I was the final boss.
I swallowed. "Ten seconds. And hands visible. And don't… grind, or whatever."
Freya gasped theatrically. "I am offended you think I would."
Sofia muttered, "She would."
Freya sat on my lap sideways, fully clothed, light but very present, and draped an arm around my shoulders. Her other hand stayed up, waving like a comedian.
"Look," she said loudly, "visible hands. I'm basically a saint."
I was overheating.
Freya leaned close, whispering in my ear, shameless.
"You're blushing so hard you're going to level up into a tomato."
I whispered back, "You're evil."
Freya grinned. "And you like it."
My system chimed.
BOND XP +30
BONUS: LAP EVENT SURVIVED
WARNING: DO NOT GET USED TO THIS
Yuki rang the bell. Ding.
Freya stood up immediately, surprisingly obedient, then winked at Elise.
"See," she said. "Responsible."
Elise looked like she wanted to pass out and commit violence at the same time.
Charlotte stepped in next, smooth as silk.
"Ren," she said softly, "may I hold your hand and walk with you."
I nodded. "Yes."
Charlotte took my hand and guided me through the lantern crowd for two minutes like it was a private date inside a public riot. Calm. Elegant. Her thumb brushed over my knuckles once, slow and deliberate.
"You're doing well," she murmured.
My face warmed.
Elise walked on my other side, silent and stiff.
Yuki called time.
Charlotte released my hand like she was generously letting me breathe.
Mira stepped in next with a scroll.
"I propose," she said calmly, "a seated cuddle with boundaries."
Elise narrowed her eyes. "A cuddle."
Mira nodded. "Side-by-side contact. Arms visible. It's in the protocol."
I looked at Mira. "Do you enjoy writing this."
Mira replied, dead serious, "It brings order to chaos."
We sat. Mira sat beside me, close but proper, and rested her shoulder lightly against mine.
Then she whispered, calm as ever, "You're warm."
I whispered back, "So is everyone in this city."
Mira's mouth curved. "Not everyone."
My system chimed.
BOND XP +15
BONUS: DEADPAN FLIRT
Then Yuki stepped forward again, because of course she did.
"I'm not doing a cuddle," she said cheerfully. "I'm doing a joke."
Elise snapped, "No."
Yuki held up her clipboard. "I have facilitator privileges."
Yuki leaned in, no touch, and spoke loudly enough for the nearby crowd.
"Hero Ren has been approved for Level Three. Please remember. Over-clothes only. Hands visible. And no one is allowed to ask 'does hand holding count' anymore."
Rika raised her hand. "Does hand holding count."
The entire station groaned.
Yuki smiled. "Yes. It counts as extremely sinful. Now stop."
The crowd laughed again.
I covered my face for a second, because this was my life now.
Then I heard it. A small murmur that turned into a bigger one.
More courters arriving.
More eyes.
More smiles.
More shameless confidence.
My harem wasn't just large. It was expanding like a disaster with good lighting.
Elise grabbed my wrist, tugging me close.
"Enough," she muttered.
I peeked through my fingers. "We're not done, are we."
Elise's cheeks were pink, voice tight.
"No," she said. "We are never done."
Yuki rang the bell again, delighted.
"Round two," she announced. "Because the hero is stabilizing nicely."
Rika squealed. Freya laughed. Sofia smirked. Charlotte watched me like she was planning my future. Kaori looked both terrified and happy. Mira already had a second scroll.
And my system chimed, like it had one job and that job was to ruin me.
DAILY CUDDLE LOOP AVAILABLE
REWARD: MORE XP
WARNING: YOUR HAREM WILL DEVELOP STRATEGIES
TIP: THEY ALREADY HAVE STRATEGIES