Chapter Thirty-Nine: Hand-Pulled Pancakes, Fried Dough Sticks, and Silken Tofu Soup

Now Hao Ren was once again faced with a serious problem: how to allocate the beds!

He counted: including himself, there were eleven people. In this working-class family home—which was by no means small—the sudden influx of girls had clearly pushed its limits. With not nearly enough bedding to go around, Hao Ren could only pray that tomorrow’s lottery draw would bring him a bit more luck.

Aside from the bashful Tia Yu, the tsundere Saya, and the airheaded Shizuka, the rest of the group seemed intensely interested in sharing a room with Hao Ren. Even the usually aloof Xia An hovered at the edge, neither agreeing nor objecting, caught between the two camps.

In the end, the living room was cleared out, and everyone made beds on the floor together.

“It feels just like a school trip,” Saeko said cheerfully, kneeling on her futon in a purple yukata, hugging a pillow.

Hao Ren, who had drawn the last slot for the bath, emerged just in time to be stunned by the sight of all the girls in their yukatas.

These yukatas had been purchased by Saya and Shizuka during one of Hao Ren’s forays into the game world. But what kind of city was this that even a forest town sold Japanese yukatas? As he looked at the girls’ half-exposed shoulders, Hao Ren pinched his nose and gave Saya and Shizuka a big thumbs up.

Good job!

“This is really tight,” said the school nurse, holding her yukata over her chest, which it couldn’t quite contain.

Shizuka, your size really isn’t human! Don’t provoke the others—there’s murder in the air!

“Is this really okay? It feels like it’s going to come loose at any moment,” Tia Yu mumbled, clearly wearing a yukata for the first time.

“It’s actually against etiquette to wear underwear beneath a yukata,” declared Nemesis, suddenly pouncing on Tia Yu in an attempt to forcibly undress her. Where on earth did you even learn this useless knowledge?

“From your mind, of course!” Nemesis called out to Hao Ren, as she tussled with Xia An, who had come to intervene, as if she could read his thoughts.

A psychic connection!

She must have snooped through Hao Ren’s messy mind while he was sleeping.

“Master, you pervert!” Saya shouted, her cheeks flaming red.

“So you’re the culprit!” Xia An abandoned Nemesis and stalked toward Hao Ren, eyes gleaming.

Talk about taking a hit while lying down.

“So, does that mean we can’t wear chest wraps either? Very well, I’ll remove mine,” declared the hopeless Shiina, beginning to untie her own.

Kanade looked around at the other girls, then patted her own chest with a dejected expression.

Shiki, recognizing a kindred spirit, grabbed Kanade’s hand in silent camaraderie.

Mia, ever adaptable, just smiled.

“Oh, oh, oh! Is this heaven? I’m coming, babies!” Sharp dove from the chandelier toward the girls.

Midair, Sharp was instantly shredded by three blades of yellow, red, and black.

Would Hao Ren ever get a peaceful night’s sleep? He stared at Sharp’s remains in silent contemplation.

Suddenly, a pillow flew across the room, striking the back of Hao Ren’s head. Caught completely off guard, he toppled right into Saeko’s arms.

Soft! That was Hao Ren’s first thought.

“I’m not much, but please take care of me,” Saeko said smoothly, seizing the opportunity to make her declaration.

“Don’t even think about it!” Saya, face scarlet, hurled another pillow—only for Saeko to dodge easily and retaliate with one of her own.

“This is so much fun! I want to play too!” With Nemesis joining in, Hao Ren knew sleep would be impossible tonight. Thankfully, the house had good soundproofing, or the neighbors would have come knocking for sure.

The inevitable school trip pillow fight had begun.

But where had all these pillows come from? There wasn’t even enough bedding to go around!

Two hours later…

Hao Ren, caught in the crossfire, finally succumbed to exhaustion and drifted off to sleep.

Seeing that Hao Ren had fallen into slumber, the girls wordlessly ended their game and retreated to their respective beds.

It was worth noting that the two spots beside Hao Ren were claimed by Kanade and Xia An, on the grounds that they posed the least threat.

Hah, truth be told, both were quite dangerous—especially Xia An, the hidden tsundere.

Well, either way, it was all to Hao Ren’s benefit.

Morning, in Hao Ren’s kitchen.

Hao Ren was busy dividing up the freshly bought flatbread, fried dough sticks, and savory tofu pudding. Thanks to a hefty cash boost, he’d managed to haul home an intimidating amount of food.

He watched, content, as the girls—bleary-eyed and in varying states of disarray—shuffled into the bathroom in turn to wash up.

For these genuine Japanese and alien girls, this was their first time encountering these traditional breakfast foods. At first, they were all prim and proper, but as the food began to disappear, everyone threw caution to the wind. The quick got to eat; the slow went hungry!

Wait, who puts cilantro in tofu pudding? Chili powder is the only way! What, a spoonful of aged vinegar for extra flavor? That’s heresy! MSG is understandable, but cumin? What are you people thinking?

After breakfast, Saeko and Shiki quickly commandeered dishwashing duty. “Master, you only need to make the big decisions,” they said. “Let us women handle the small stuff like cleaning up.”

After so many years as a bachelor, Hao Ren felt positively giddy.

Domestic girls were truly wonderful.

Bored, Hao Ren checked the lottery results online. He’d prepared himself, but the truth still stunned him.

Fifty million yuan!

With a fake mustache, sunglasses, a cap, and a trench coat, he went to claim his prize. He refused all interviews, collected the forty million after taxes, switched taxis countless times on the way home—circling the city—before finally taking the bus back.

He tossed his credit card to Saya and let her handle the new house.

The sheer sense of responsibility overwhelmed Saya.

Suddenly, gaming online seemed dull to Hao Ren. Watch new anime? Better to watch the girls right beside him.

Wait, weren’t most of these “instances” based on anime, games, and movies? Now he had a righteous reason to watch all the anime he wanted!

Hmm…

Glancing at his more than two thousand LP points, Hao Ren felt a sudden urge to shop. He decided to visit the plaza.

He entered the Main Brain Plaza alone.

Huh? Why did the plaza seem to have so many new, extravagant buildings?

An arcade! Could he play Tekken? Hao Ren dashed in gleefully.

Inside, it really was just like a real-world arcade—except every game cost one LP point per play. Though there were chances for special rewards, Hao Ren hesitated to spend his points.

It was worth noting that Hao Ren’s “Golden Rule” skill had turned gray the moment he stepped inside the arcade—probably an anti-cheat measure.