"Are you done checking the map? Then let's head outside," they suggested.
"After explaining skills, let's go to the school. For now, don't worry; no ghosts will attack until you learn the paths," they added. Yet, I knew there was one creature that would attack: dogs. Those were the only threats for taming.
As I stepped outside, my feet met the asphalt. The quality felt astonishingly similar to the real world. I could hear cars in the distance, and although the road was empty, I sensed a faint presence of people far away.
Walking toward the school with Tamamo, I listened to their explanation about combat skills. "First up is the kicking skill; by kicking, you'll earn experience points. The same goes for other skill types: if you're using punches, you'll level up your fist skills, and if you practice with a sword, you improve your sword skills. As you gain experience, your level increases and you'll learn new skills. Once you've learned a skill, you can use multiple abilities seamlessly. When you activate a skill, your body will automatically execute moves like front kicks or spinning kicks. If you're capable, you can still perform these techniques without skill assistance."
So, it seems that those who train in the real world can actually use their skills. It definitely favors athletes. Since I can't use those abilities, I'll just learn some skills and enjoy the benefits.
"When you're unarmed, your bare-handed proficiency increases all your capabilities. It boosts not just attack power, but also defense and agility. You won't feel the effects much while your level is low, though. On the bright side, fighting enemies bare-handed will accumulate experience points, which is quite advantageous."
It sounds like it's a passive skill. Once combat starts, it seems to automatically level up. I'll mainly focus on kicking, so I expect that to level up the fastest.
"Luck will become a bit better, but I wonder how I can level that up?"
Oh, so there are passive skills that don't level up just by living normally. I'll have to check a strategy site to figure this out.
Even if it won't become a useless skill, staying at level one means I won't gain much from it. I should quickly look into ways to boost that skill.
"As for Lucky Pervert, you gain experience points when certain situations arise. Oh, but please no touching for me—charge me money instead. A lot of it, too."
It's a bit of a mixed feeling—hoping it happens but also not wanting to pay. Still, I really don't want to have those situations with this AI.
"Just look over there," they said, pointing. My gaze fell on a lone utility pole, beside which I saw a blurry human figure.
"My spirit vision isn't strong, so I can only see it vaguely, but that's a bound spirit. By the way, physical attacks won't affect it, so if it gets involved with you, Henry, you'll end up possessed. It costs money to exorcise them, and going to a temple or shrine is quite a journey, so please be careful not to get too entangled and end up cursed."
"Cursed, you say?"
"Yes, if you're possessed by multiple vengeful spirits, your avatar might start trying to commit suicide on its own."
"That sounds nasty."
"Usually, one learns counter-skills alongside spirit vision or sensitivity. At the very least, make sure to keep some purifying salt on hand. You can buy it at shops."
"Speaking of which, how do we get money?"
"You can either get a part-time job, mug someone, or defeat hostile entities to earn some. It's a game, after all."
I see, so defeating dogs and such can yield money... wait, dogs?
"Ah, here we go! Let me explain the final taming skill. For the first attempt we make now, you'll have a 100% success rate, so try using it on that dog. It'll be your first companion… wait? Henry?"
Of course, I wasn't going to try taming a dog. I dashed toward the school. It was time to implement my plan with Hannah! Let's go!
Now, let me explain the timeline. According to Tamamo, the game divides a real day into three parts: from midnight to 8 AM counts as Day 1, from 8 AM to 4 PM counts as Day 2, and from 4 PM to midnight counts as Day 3.
Since I'm living like a NEET, I could theoretically be active all three days, but that would make it impossible to maintain any semblance of a normal life, so I'll mostly focus on the second and third days. I'll probably be sleeping at night.
By the way, due to the game's starting time, it should be around 10 AM now, which means it will be midnight in the real world in about two hours.
However, to infiltrate the elementary school, I need to do so during the morning or afternoon in-game; otherwise, I'll be caught by patrolling teachers. Once it's nighttime, ghosts roam freely, and being a Level 1 character, I'd be dead in an instant.
So, I need to head to the locked room I found on the forum, but I'm running out of time. In-game, thanks to thought acceleration technology, it feels like a full day passes, but I'm a bit anxious about the discrepancies with the real world. Though since I'm not working, it shouldn't be a problem.
For now, I've arrived at the elementary school. Other players seem to be attending the entrance ceremony, so today will likely be devoid of exploration. Since I'm not officially enrolled yet, I'll be seen as a suspicious person at the school. This means I risk being spotted not only by teachers but also by NPC students, which could be dangerous.
It was a covert mission, and I thought about needing a cardboard box as I cautiously surveyed my surroundings while sneaking into the elementary school. Fortunately, there were no guards around, making the infiltration easy. As for my shoes… I decided to remove them and stash them in my item box for the time being. Relying on the map I had memorized from strategy sites, I headed toward the locked room, which I found quickly since it was on the first floor.
Once I reached the locked room, I hid myself out of sight and logged out. With some time to kill, I opted to have lunch, quickly microwaving a packet of curry and devouring it. After a few hours spent on real-world tasks, I logged back in. I had double-checked the strategy sites, so I was confident about my timing.
In this game, logging out outside of a portal allows you to choose to re-enter either at the logout location or at the last registered portal. Since I hadn't registered one this time, my options were the locked room or my own bedroom. Naturally, I appeared in the locked room.
I glanced around—no one was in sight. Checking the time, it was 20:59 in-game. There was precisely a minute when the teacher patrolling this area would pass by the dorm room, leaving the hallway empty.
Almost there. The beam of my flashlight briefly illuminated the interior of the locked classroom.
My heart jolted, but I didn't make a sound.
Good, the teacher passed. It's now 5:57.
Just two more minutes.
The patrolling teacher moves away. If I rush out now, the teacher might notice and turn back, so I have to wait until it's 5:59.
But once it hits 5:59, they say the teacher won't return.
The teacher probably doesn't want to be out during ghost hour either.
5:58... not yet. Stay calm.
There's still a whole minute. If I wait by the door, I'll be fine.
The teacher's back disappears around the corner.
5:58, is it time yet? If I go out now, the teacher will come back. I have to wait until… now!
I quietly open the door and step into the hallway.
Good, no one's around. Now I just need to dash to the girls' restroom before 9 PM.
Time is short; I must hurry. Hurry, before the ghosts appear.
I slip into the girls' restroom just in time.
I caught a brief glimpse of a ghost rising up in the hallway—was that Tiki?
Not my concern right now, I'll ignore it.
That must be the restroom all the way at the end. Three knocks, and… oh, wait, I have to say it while knocking.
"Hannah, let's play!"
I knock while calling out.
So, what now?
"Ha—ah—ee!"
Suddenly, the door flung open from the inside.
My body was pulled in.
The moment I stepped into the restroom, the surroundings transformed in an instant.
In the cramped restroom, a sudden shift occurs. The world is engulfed in a dark, sinister goo, and amidst it all, a ghostly girl floats, gazing at me with an enchanting smile.
Though she appears alluring, her form is not that of a fully developed woman. Instead, she bears the slight build of an elementary school girl, with a hint of budding breasts. Her limbs are pale and delicate, almost ethereal. Dressed in a bobbed hairstyle and a red suspender skirt, the girl looks exactly as I imagined when I first decided to play this game.
"Hehe, how about we have some fun together?"
Oh, Hannah, you're just as charming as I remembered…
I know that battling her would mean instant defeat. Even if I wanted to tame her, I'm unsure if she would allow it, much less how to go about it since she approached me without a word of explanation.
What to do? How should I proceed? Well, if it's come to this, I'll just have to show my sincerity!
"Hannah! I'm in love with you at first sight! Please let me tame you!!"
After much hesitation, I decided to make my request straightforward. I knelt, hoping to convey my sincerity while asking for her explicit permission to tame her.
…
…
…
Wait, what's going on?
Time is passing, yet there's no response from her at all? But I'm not under attack, and it doesn't seem like she harbors any hostility toward me.
Should I wait for a response? I felt a moment of conflict, but I steeled myself and looked up.
Hannah was frozen, her face flushed bright red. Our eyes met, and an awkward tension settled between us. I knew that if I looked away now, it would definitely end in failure. A feeling of dread kept my gaze locked on hers. Should I speak up, or wait for her to say something first?
"Um—"
Just as I gathered the courage to prompt her, we both spoke at once. The silence returned, thick and heavy. She seemed ready to talk, but I also wondered if initiating a topic might ease the situation. What should I do?
"Ugh, this isn't getting anywhere!"
"Wha—!?"
The silence shattered with a loud voice from the side. Hannah and I both turned to see Tamamo standing there with an exasperated expression.
"Tamamo?!"
"You two are infuriating! I thought you'd ditched my explanation to try taming someone like this! And Hannah, seriously? You're the boss, yet you're having second thoughts?"
"Well, when someone confesses so directly, and I'm... a ghost, no less! I mean, a malevolent spirit! How am I supposed to handle a situation like this, Tamamo?"
"According to the management AI, it sounds interesting, so it's up to Hannah. What will you do? Are you really considering letting yourself be tamed, boss?"
"Um...," Hannah glanced at me, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "Taming means you want to be together, right?"
"Yes!"
"Ugh. Normally, as the boss, I shouldn't agree to that... but I'm a bit hopeless, so please take care of me!"
"Woohooo!! Yes!!"
"Not 'woohoo'! Hurry up and tame her!!"
"I-I'm sorry!?"
With Tamamo… visibly upset, I quickly activated the taming process on Hannah. To my relief, she accepted it without resistance, and the taming was successfully completed.
Wait, is it supposed to be like this?