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"With this mark, your physique will see a noticeable boost—you'll run faster, jump higher, and become stronger than before."
"But there are a few… side effects. I think you've already felt them, right?"
Natsuha nodded. "Mm, the side effects… When I'm near you, Hikari-kun, my body heats up, my emotions get intense, like there's a fire burning inside. And then… I just really want…"
"Really want…"
Natsuha's cheeks flushed as she stole a shy glance at him, then lowered her gaze. "Honestly, it doesn't feel like a drawback—it's actually… kind of nice."
Hikari chuckled and teased, "Not even a bit scared about suddenly having this mark on your stomach?"
Natsuha looked up, smiling warmly. "I was, at first. But knowing it's something you gave me, Hikari-kun, I'm not scared anymore."
"I trust you. I believe this mark won't cause any harm. It makes me feel happy and blessed."
"Because no other woman has something like this. This mark means I'm yours alone, Hikari-kun. That thought alone fills me with joy."
As she spoke, Natsuha couldn't help but embrace him tightly, as if trying to meld herself completely into his body.
Natsuha was certain now that she couldn't live without Hikari, not in this life or any other. And she knew she'd never feel anything for another man again. No matter how good anyone else might be, there'd be no spark, only disgust. [T/N: That's kinda harsh.]
Hearing her heartfelt response, Hikari patted her gently on the back, smiling. Seeing his satisfied expression, Natsuha also beamed with happiness.
As the water in the tub started to cool, Hikari said, "The water's getting cold. Shall we head back?"
But Natsuha looked up, her eyes shimmering with a captivating gaze, locking onto his. "Actually… Hikari-kun, I don't want to go back just yet…"
Seeing the growing affection in her eyes, Hikari immediately understood, wrapping her tightly in his arms.
———
After some playful snu-snu in the bath, they dried their hair and returned to their room.
Hikari glanced at the clock. "It's almost time for class. Are you planning to go to school today?"
Natsuha shook her head, exhausted. "I can't… After all that play, I'm so sleepy. My body's aching a little too."
"Could you go on my behalf and get me excused from class?"
Hikari nodded understandingly. Even with the boost from the Pure Love Mark, Natsuha's endurance still couldn't match his own.
Considering last night was her first toast of champagne and that they'd celebrated a few more times this morning, it made sense she'd be worn out.
"Alright, rest well here at the hotel. I'll go to school alone today and take care of your leave," he said. "By tonight or tomorrow, you'll probably feel better. Then I'll take you back to your apartment to handle things there."
"Got it~" Natsuha smiled sweetly, her face lighting up with a radiant expression that caught Hikari by surprise.
Looking closely, he realized that ever since she received the Pure Love Mark, her beauty seemed to have increased a notch, adding a new layer of allure to her already captivating features. Her skin appeared fairer and smoother, and her figure even more striking.
It seemed this too was a side effect of the Pure Love Mark.
Leaving a protective talisman with her for extra peace of mind, Hikari finally left.
As he walked out, Hikari thought further on the Pure Love Mark's effects. He realized it was more powerful than he initially thought.
Aside from the initial boosts, there were many other practical uses.
Hikari noticed that after he and Natsuha activated the Pure Love Mark, their fates seemed subtly linked.
For instance, protective talismans became more effective on Natsuha. Just yesterday, four men tried smashing one with iron rods for ages without even scratching it.
Now, with the mark, the talisman's effectiveness had doubled—its range, durability, and duration all significantly boosted.
The same applied to the Pure Love Paper Crane. Now, Hikari didn't even need to sense someone directly tracking or approaching Natsuha. If anyone even thought about her with ill intentions, no matter how far they were, Hikari would immediately feel it.
Additionally, he gained some personal benefits too.
Opening his Pure Love Halo, he checked its description.
[Pure Love Mark Additional Effect: For every person carrying the Pure Love Mark, the host gains 100 Pure Love Points weekly]
"Whoa… So if I have ten people with this mark, I'd get 1000 points a week just by doing nothing?"
"What about a hundred? Ten thousand a week."
It was like a mining operation where each person marked was like a worker producing points. Just thinking about it had him grinning ear to ear.
However, it wasn't that easy; marking someone required two criteria.
Getting physically close was already a challenge, and building a max affection level was even harder.
'Besides… if I marked ten or a hundred people, could it even be called 'pure love' anymore? Seems like this Pure Love System's definition of 'pure' isn't exactly what you'd expect…'
'And the mark's effects… feel like something out of an eccentric drama series, don't they?'
Hikari shrugged off his concerns. The system's goals hadn't conflicted with his values so far. As for any oddities, they weren't worth overthinking.
'But this Pure Love Mark really is incredible. The way the mark amplifies tools' effects is game-changing,'he mused,'If every tool had this level of enhancement, I'd have a much easier time."
His thoughts drifted to Miss Mira and the Tsubakihara twins. These were the women he most valued and cared about in this world.
One of his driving forces for strength was to protect them.
Although he hadn't crossed certain boundaries with them, Miss Mira, Aunt Kasumi, and her daughters remained crucial parts of his life.
'If only Miss Milra also had this same kind of enhancement…'
The thought popped into his mind.
'But… that would require marking them, and the process for that... uh…'
Clearing his mind, he quickly dismissed the image of Miss Mira's graceful form that flashed in his thoughts. She had helped him so much, even allowing him to stay with her whenever he needed.
How could he have such improper thoughts?
Putting aside any strange notions, Hikari hailed a taxi to school.
———
Sitting in class, Hikari absent-mindedly skimmed through a book.
For some reason, his luck seemed off today.
Just yesterday, everywhere he went, he seemed to stumble upon troublemakers, earning himself a wealth of Pure Love Points.
But today, despite his enhanced Pure Love Radar, he hadn't encountered a single antagonist.
On the way to school, everyone seemed to be getting along—no fights, no animosity, not even a single hotheaded troublemaker in sight.
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