Show Me Your Stats!

Ayra picked up the pace, moving swiftly while pulling up the quest window again.

[Unlock Additional Stat Categories!]

Accumulate Stat Window Active Time (10/10 hours)
Check Two Stat Windows Simultaneously (89/100)
 
Reward: Unlock a Random Stat
At a glance, it was clear that the quest was almost complete.

Ayra paused to think for a moment, then gently placed the little stone spirit in their palm and stroked it, deliberately speaking in a sweet voice.
"Hey, is there any way I can pick a stat instead of getting a random one?"
The stone spirit turned a faint pinkish hue, blinking its cute little eyes.

A moment later, a familiar ding! echoed, and the quest details changed.

[Unlock Additional Stat Categories!]

Accumulate Stat Window Active Time (10/12 hours)
Check Two Stat Windows Simultaneously (89/100)
Check Three Stat Windows Simultaneously (0/90)
 
Reward: Unlock a Stat of the User’s Choice
Check three stat windows 90 times?

Ninety times?!
There was no way in hell that was getting done today.
Ayra narrowed their eyes, watching as the stone spirit broke into a nervous sweat.

"Wait a second. Now that I think about it, isn’t this kind of weird?"
"Random," huh?
But aren't you the one deciding everything?
Are you doing this on purpose to mess with me?

Gripping the squishy, jelly-like stone spirit, Ayra pinched and stretched it, pulling it in every direction.
Sure enough, the spirit, which probably had some masochistic tendencies, let out a series of tiny floating heart emojis while hurriedly popping up a notification.
[Tip! Even the Spirit GM does not know which stat will be unlocked T.T The system operates on an unconscious algorithm!]

[Tip! If you demand unreasonable quests, it may cause an overload, increasing the risk of negative side effects for the user.]
[Tip! If you continue making excessive quest demands, there is a risk of #$*@삒뺚?!?!%#!!!$#뛟땳@]
The messages suddenly glitched out.

It was clear that the stone spirit itself was on the verge of overloading.
Even then, the spirit was flattened like a pancake in Ayra’s hands several more times before it finally surrendered and sent another update.

[Unlock Additional Stat Categories!]
Accumulate Stat Window Active Time (10/12 hours)
Check Two Stat Windows Simultaneously (89/100)
Check Three Stat Windows Simultaneously (0/30)
 
Reward: Unlock a Stat of the User’s Choice

"Come on, what kind of magician has never dealt with a bit of overload? Right?"
Satisfied, Ayra smiled and praised the stone spirit, calling it obedient and useful.
The spirit, still trembling, sniffled and shed glistening tears, its tiny mouth biting onto Ayra’s fingers.

Just as Ayra was teasing it back, a sharp sensation of being watched made them turn their head.
Their heart jumped up into their throat—only to come crashing down with a loud thud.
At some point, Janus had appeared a few steps away, silently watching them.

The sheer shock made Ayra instantly drop the stone spirit, which now had a few bite marks on it.
"Tasty?"
"Not really..."

It was just mana manipulation—biting into it felt no different from biting air.
As Janus approached with a curious expression, the terrified stone spirit darted up Ayra’s sleeve in panic.
Then, without warning, Janus grabbed Ayra’s hand and bit down—hard.

"AHH—!"
The pain was sharp, enough to make Ayra’s eyes sting.
Quickly pulling their hand away, Ayra stumbled back, checking the spot.

A clear, oval-shaped bite mark was imprinted between their thumb and index finger.
Janus, leaning in to inspect his own bite mark, casually rubbed a thumb over it.
"It’s fine. No blood."

"That's for me to say, not you!"
Ayra yanked their hand away, scowling.
Janus didn’t look remotely apologetic as he muttered a half-hearted—

"Sorry."
And then, without warning, he brought Ayra’s hand to his lips and kissed the bite mark.
Before Ayra could even process it, Janus suddenly leaned in further—

And this time, he kissed them directly.
A brief pause, then Ayra sprang back in alarm.
They instinctively took several steps away from him.

Stay calm. Stay calm.
Trying to regain their composure, Ayra studied Janus carefully.
Something about how he had appeared so quickly after they left the castle felt off.

"Just curious... Did you know I’d be here?"
"Yeah. I was passing by and caught a familiar scent."
…A dog?

No, a beastkin, maybe?
Ayra suddenly remembered Bloom’s words—how some warriors trained their senses to the point of having a sixth sense.
Maybe Janus was like that.

Regaining their calm, Ayra narrowed their eyes.
"Then why did you kiss me just now?"
"Because we’re lovers?"

"…Lovers?"
"Aren’t we?"
Ayra instantly pulled up the favorability window.

[Janus Rehzedet’s Favorability: 2♡]
...Still just a two.
Honestly, a bit disappointing.

Ayra thought back to the conversation on the day of the earthquake.
“I’m just humoring you.”
Was this what he meant by that?

They fell silent, and Janus lifted both hands in a casual shrug.
"Hey, if you don’t like it, I won’t force you."
"I’m not the kind of guy who pushes when someone’s unwilling."

If Ayra rejected him now, Janus would probably just shrug it off and walk away without hesitation.
After a moment of consideration, Ayra put on their best happy expression and beamed.
"Ah, no, you’re right! We’re lovers."

"Yeah, right?"
Janus, satisfied, smiled and lightly stroked Ayra’s cheek.
His hand was warm, even in the cold.

It was... strangely pleasant.
"Where were you heading?"
"Just checking on the collapsed wall."

Ayra kept talking normally, but inside, their mind was racing.
They needed to understand how strong Janus was, what his past was, and whether he was hiding something.
But for now, the only information they had was:

"Something about him feels unsettling."
"He came here ten years ago to look for a lover."
"The stone spirit warned of a Bad Ending."
 
If they wanted to learn more, it was best to keep playing the part of his ‘lover.’
Even as they thought this through rationally, a bitter feeling remained.

2♡.
Janus clearly wasn’t serious about them.
To him, Ayra was just a temporary amusement.

A disposable distraction.
Thankfully, Ayra didn’t like him that much yet.
It stung, but not enough to hurt.

If he was going to treat them lightly, then they’d return the favor.
"Looks like you came from the castle. You work there?"
Ayra nodded.

"Yeah, I do. I have some ties to the steward and family connections."
…Technically not a lie.
"What do you think of the new lord?"

"Don’t know. Not interested."
Perfect.
No curiosity. No interest.

That was a relief.
As they reached the collapsed wall, Ayra sighed at the hastily built barricade.
And yet, when Janus spoke again, it was only to say—

"Want some food?"
And naturally, Ayra ended up back at the same steamed bun shop.