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As expected...
It aligned perfectly with Bochang's assumption.
When March 7th and Stelle were not together,
the "Dating Options" allowed some choices that could increase friendship points without penalties.
If Stelle had been nearby, he likely would have only chosen the second option.
"Wonder if someday, when my relationship with March 7th advances further, even the first choice might become effortless to express?" Bochang pondered this thought.
This wasn't a wild guess but rather an inference based on the consistent reward-punishment system of the Dating Options feature.
After scanning through the three options briefly,
Bochang unhesitatingly chose the third one.
The power of fate paths—a highly rare reward.
Given the right opportunity, it was definitely worth pursuing.
With lightning speed,
the black-haired youth stepped forward, grabbing March 7th's cheeks from both sides, and proceeded to wildly knead them as if working dough. The sensation felt remarkably soft and addictive, akin to handling something truly delightful...
The pink-haired girl had no inkling that Bochang would suddenly make his move.
Caught completely off guard, she endured the relentless kneading of her cheeks.
"I'm not wrong; you are!" Bochang exclaimed while continuing to squeeze her face. Strangely, despite pinching March 7th's lovely cheeks, he found himself thinking about Pela.
Pela, the intelligence officer from the Silvermane Guards, had a round and adorable, slightly chubby face.
"Rubbing Pela's cheeks must feel even more comfortable..." Bochang couldn't help but think.
It was only the System's voice that brought him back to reality.
[Reward distribution in progress—Congratulations! You have unlocked the Destruction fate path and acquired Fire attribute power.]
In an instant,
a surge of strength emerged deep within Bochang, albeit still quite weak compared to powers like the Dragon Talisman. He could effortlessly perceive this disparity.
Nevertheless, gaining another usable force wasn't bad at all—it certainly felt worth it.
Unbeknownst to her, March 7th's cheeks had turned as red as if they might drip blood at any moment. During Bochang's playful assault, she could have easily retaliated.
She even had the option to immediately push him away and give him a resounding slap.
However...
March 7th chose not to resist, enduring until her face felt heated from his pinching. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, she shoved Bochang aside.
"Have you had enough of kneading my face yet?!" the pink-haired girl exclaimed, leaning forward and lightly punching Bochang's chest with her fist. "My face isn't your toy! If you really want to knead something that much, go pinch yourself!"
By now, March 7th no longer cared about their previous conversation topic.
Her small, delicate punches landed softly on Bochang's chest without causing any harm due to her gentle force.
"That's enough, enough..." The black-haired youth raised both hands, signaling his lack of malice.
Seeing this reaction, March 7th turned her head away while seated and said, "Honestly... I was just bored and came over to chat with you, but look at how you're pinching my cheeks... Ugh, no fun playing with you anymore."
As she spoke, the flustered pink-haired girl stood up to leave, her rounded thighs causing her blue skirt to sway gently.
This left Bochang somewhat bewildered, instinctively wanting to reach out and stop her.
[Dating Options activated.]
[Option 1: Grab March 7th's hand and say, "Let's talk for a bit longer." - Completion Reward: Stelle's Big Booty.]
[Option 2: Allow March 7th to leave, take out an erhu, and start playing - Completion Reward: Erhu Playing Skill.]
"Right now, Stelle should be resting in her room... Why would keeping March 7th here result in Stelle giving me a Big Booty? Could it be that March 7th will resist?"
Bochang didn't fully understand, but since retaining the pink-haired girl seemed to have negative consequences, he naturally decided against it.
Absolutely not interested in any Big Booty!
"Come to think of it... isn't 'Big Booty' the most frequently appearing reward?"
Muttering to himself, Bochang opted for the second choice.
He watched as March 7th departed.
Bochang then retrieved an erhu from the System space and casually played a few notes. Almost immediately, the System's voice chimed in:
[Reward distribution in progress—Congratulations! You have acquired the skill of playing the erhu.]
A surge of new knowledge flooded into Bochang's mind, making him feel refreshed and invigorated.
Sitting by the window with the erhu, Bochang spontaneously began playing an unknown melody.
The resonant, lingering, yet somber tones flowed from the instrument.
Although the tune was pleasing, Bochang felt something was missing. After pondering for a moment, he realized it was the absence of sunglasses.
As March 7th stepped out of the room, she felt somewhat dejected. She had expected Bochang to try and persuade her to stay, but instead, he immersed himself in playing his instrument, completely disregarding the pink-haired girl.
"What is this?! Ugh!" Frustrated, March 7th couldn't help but stamp her foot, "Go ahead and play with your instruments then."
Not long after the pink-haired girl left, Bochang received a new visitor in his room.
It was Stelle.
Without knocking, the gray-haired girl pushed open the door and asked, "What kind of instrument is this? I feel like...I've never seen anything like it before..."
Bochang and Stelle had been working at Serval's machine shop for several days.
As a result, Stelle gained some knowledge about musical instruments.
"This...it's called an erhu..."
Bochang's hands paused while playing the erhu, his eyes filled with traces of nostalgia. He wondered if this universe even had the erhu; if not...
It could potentially be popularized here.
"Wait...why am I thinking like this? I'm just idly playing around, come on!" Realizing something, Bochang mentally grumbled to himself.
He then set aside the ordinary erhu.
Since the end of the battle, Bochang no longer wore the black bear mask. The black-haired youth sitting by the window gazed out at the world, his handsome features causing Stelle's heart to flutter slightly.
Compared to their first meeting, the gray-haired girl felt that he seemed significantly more attractive now, with an improved physique as well.
"I understand, it's another item you suddenly produced, right..." Stelle anticipated what Bochang was about to say.
Before he could speak, Stelle voiced his thoughts.
Bochang smiled and nodded without further explanation, musing to himself, "If this continues, will the System mold me into an all-rounder?"
"By the way... did March need something from you just now?" Stelle casually asked.
Although Bochang appeared nonchalant,
yet...
Bochang keenly noticed that Stelle seemed to care more than she let on.
"I see... If I had kept March 7th here earlier, Stelle would definitely have come to catch us, it must be so..."
"And that's why I got smacked with Big Booty."
"But... shouldn't Stelle not really care about such matters?"
"Of course... it's also possible that March might genuinely resist..."
Unable to fully comprehend the situation, Bochang decided to stop pondering and simply replied:
"Oh, March... She was just idle and wanted someone to chat with. She mentioned her anticipation for tonight's banquet..."