"If it's not enough, you can order another one."
Gotoh Shin propped his head up with one hand, watching the blue-haired girl across from him devour her food with clear interest.
Yamada Ryo never stood on ceremony with him. When it came to eating, she ate. Properly. Filling her stomach came first.
"No, I'm good. I can't eat that much anyway—this is enough."
She took a sip of her drink, yet her gaze drifted unconsciously, once again, to Shin's hands.
Those slender fingers were idly tracing circles on the tabletop. The boy himself looked absent-minded, lost in thought.
This wasn't the first time.
It had happened several times already, and Ryo had to admit—she simply couldn't control where her eyes went.
His hands were too beautiful. And beyond that, his whole presence radiated an almost limitless sense of tolerance and acceptance.
He was like Nijika—no, not just like her. More like an upgraded version.
Ryo frowned slightly, thinking hard, searching for the right way to describe Gotoh Shin.
If Nijika was the sun…
Then Shin might be a black hole.
By the time you noticed a black hole, its pull had probably already begun to expand.
Before you realized it, you were trapped—unable to break free.
Shin himself wasn't eating much. His attention was focused inward, carefully feeling out the bass technique he'd just acquired.
Bass… what a fascinating instrument.
If he interacted more with Nijika later, maybe he could even pick up drum skills too.
Looks like there were going to be quite a few instruments he'd need to buy.
And there was another thing bothering him.
What exactly did the system's so-called "constitution enhancement" mean?
He didn't feel stronger or more muscular at all. The question lingered stubbornly in his mind.
"Ryo-senpai, I should head home. I'll bring Hitori to meet you guys next time."
He checked the time—without noticing, it had already gotten quite late.
Then, glancing at Ryo's face, Shin picked up a napkin and leaned closer, gently wiping the corner of her mouth a few times.
Ryo's eyes widened.
That gesture alone was intimate to an almost dangerous degree.
Through the thin napkin, she could clearly feel the warmth and gentleness of his fingers.
So… what did this mean?
Was he doing this on purpose?
Was he… flirting?
Back at the live house, he'd been smiling calmly, talking about marrying his childhood friend someday.
And yet now—
With just that single action, Ryo's thoughts exploded into a chain reaction, countless possibilities flooding her mind.
Of course, Shin himself had a far simpler goal.
He was just triggering the system.
Sure enough, this counted as intimate contact. His bass technique rose to Level 2.
"Hitori's pretty socially anxious," he said casually. "Please take good care of her, Ryo-senpai."
With that, Shin paid the bill and left.
Ryo's mind lagged behind, still half frozen. She shook her head and instinctively wanted to chase after him—
But he was already gone.
"At least let me walk you part of the way…"
For reasons she couldn't quite explain, a hollow feeling opened up in her chest.
And yet, when she thought about how they'd definitely meet again, her mood lifted just as quickly.
Disappointment and excitement tangled together, making her heartbeat speed up.
For Ryo, tonight was probably going to be a sleepless one.
Those little moments from earlier would replay again and again in her mind, until her fingers started moving on their own.
Normally, she wasn't like this.
But this was a twisted matriarchal world. Most women, to one degree or another, carried a certain kind of suppressed desire.
And in the end… there was another reason too.
Under the cover of night, Shin walked down the street. There were still trains running—he wasn't in a hurry.
With a guitar on his back, he couldn't walk very fast. He checked his phone from time to time, but the writer senpai still hadn't replied.
Shin sighed helplessly.
Then he looked around—and noticed something subtly unsettling.
"It feels like… the way these girls are looking at me has gotten way more intense."
He swallowed hard, his heart starting to race.
Not from excitement.
From fear.
"Walking around this late at night… this cute boy is clearly asking for it."
"Go for it. Worst case, you get locked up. But getting to enjoy a top-tier prize like that a few times? Worth it."
"Those fingers… hurry up and use them on me already. I need you."
Mixed into the women's feverish stares, Shin could almost feel thoughts like these leaking out.
Cold sweat broke out across his back.
Had he somehow wandered into real danger without realizing it?
He quickened his pace toward the station, his breathing growing shallow.
"Hey there, young man. That looks heavy—need some help?"
The station staff member was a voluptuous older woman. As she spoke, she slowly licked her lips.
Helping him carry things… maybe she'd get to touch his hands.
"N-no… I'm fine."
Shin instantly saw through her intentions. He turned and hurried away, practically fleeing.
Once he was safely on the train, he curled up in a corner, using the guitar to partially hide his face.
This is bad. I'm surrounded by pent-up, unhinged women.
How did it turn out like this? This makes no sense.
Then again, even earlier at the live house, something had felt off.
Those women had clearly been trying to use the crowd to surround him, taking advantage of the darkness to grope him.
If Seika hadn't reacted so quickly…
"They weren't like this before. Something definitely changed."
Shin frowned, his thoughts immediately jumping to the system.
"Don't tell me…"
The words "constitution enhancement" echoed in his mind.
"So… it enhanced a 'female-attracting' constitution?"
Shin felt like he couldn't breathe.
That enhancement showed up almost every time the cheat activated.
At this rate, he was practically turning into a walking succubus.
If this kept going, who knew what kind of absurd developments lay ahead?
One day, he might just be walking down the street when some woman snapped and jumped him on the spot.
Others wouldn't stop it—they'd probably join in, turning it into absolute chaos.
The image made Shin shudder violently.
"That settles it. Staying behind the scenes is absolutely the right move. From now on, I should avoid triggering the cheat as much as possible."
"…But I need the cheat to get skills. And to level them up."
He needed it to make money. But using it put him in danger.
"Tch…"
He sucked in a sharp breath, his eyes hardening with resolve.
"Simple. I'll find a girl who knows martial arts and copy her combat skills."
Shin nodded to himself, completely serious.
If he was strong enough, it wouldn't matter if dozens of women surrounded him.
There was no way he was giving up the cheat—it was far too powerful, handing out strong skills without effort.
Power always came with risk.
So all he had to do… was eliminate the risk.
At last, Shin understood the true meaning of "constitution enhancement."
And without a doubt—Yamada Ryo had already been affected by it.