Kai stared at the glowing notification in front of him.
---
[Physical contact detected!]
View heroine's status:
Name: Takashima Aya
Affection Level: 0/5 (Raise it to 1 to complete the quest!)
Thoughts: "I'm worried about Bakachin. He doesn't look as cheerful as usual. What can I do to help?"
---
Kai blinked in disbelief. Wait a second… I can see the heroines' thoughts just from physical contact?
This had to be one of the so-called "features" granted by the Goddess of Love—aka Kamiyama Ai, the idiotic deity who cursed him to live with her trashy harem novel's character.
"Ridiculous," Kai muttered under his breath.
Even as class began, Kai couldn't focus. His mind raced as he tried to figure out a way to escape the cursed harem quest Ai had forced him into. He couldn't stand the idea of being surrounded by shallow, romance-obsessed heroines.
Slumping forward, he buried his face in his arms.
The girl sitting next to him, Takashima Aya, leaned over. "Bakachin, are you okay? You look like you're in pain."
Kai ignored her, hoping she'd leave him alone. But Aya didn't budge. Instead, she looked more concerned.
By the time lunch rolled around, Aya was still sticking to him like glue. She followed him to the cafeteria and plopped down in the seat right next to his.
Kai stared at her, puzzled. "Why is Aya acting like this? In the original novel, she barely paid any attention to Bakachin, the side character I've been cursed to replace."
Aya, on the other hand, seemed oblivious to Kai's confusion. She happily chatted with him as she ate her lunch.
Kai tried to drown her out by focusing on his food, but his frustration only grew. By the end of the school day, he was at his wit's end.
As everyone packed up to leave, Aya turned to him with a sweet smile.
"Bakachin, let's walk home together. Our houses are on the same route—I've seen you pass by mine before," she said cheerfully.
Kai groaned inwardly. "No, thanks. Go home by yourself," he replied coldly.
Aya's smile faded, and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh… I see," she murmured, her voice trembling.
Before Kai could react, Haruto—the novel's perfect, princely main character—appeared.
"Aya, is something wrong? You look upset," Haruto asked gently.
"N-No, everything's fine," Aya said, forcing a smile.
"Then how about I walk you home?" Haruto offered, his dazzling smile on full display.
Aya nodded without hesitation, leaving with him while Kai remained alone in the classroom.
Before leaving the classroom, Haruto looked at Kai and smiled a little, as if mocking him. It made Kai confused as to why Haruto trying to provoke him.
Moments later, Kamiyama Ai talk to Kai, her arms crossed and an annoyed look on her face.
"What's wrong with you, Bakachin? That was your chance to raise her affection level!" Ai scolded him.
"I'm not interested in chasing after that's heroine from your damn harem trash novel!" Kai shot back. "Let Haruto handle it. That's his job as the main character!"
Ai smirked. "Oh, you'll regret this!"
A notification popped up in front of Kai:
---
[You made Takashima Aya lose interest in you!]
[Aya's Affection Level: -1]
[Quest failed! Returning to checkpoint.]
---
Before Kai could react, everything around him blurred. When his vision cleared, he was back in the classroom, just before the morning lesson had started.
Ai's voice echoed in his ears. "You better get started, Bakachin."
Kai was still shocked and couldn't react.
"Welcome back to the checkpoint, Bakachin~"
Kai slammed his head onto his desk in frustration. "I can't believe this. I'm stuck in some twisted time loop!"
Realizing he had no choice, Kai reluctantly decided to go along with Aya's requests, at least enough to avoid failing the quest again.
The day unfolded just as it had before: Aya stuck to him like glue, Haruto made his usual appearance, and Aya asked Kai to walk her home. This time, however, Kai gritted his teeth and accepted her invitation.
"Great! Let's go, Bakachin!" Aya said, grabbing his arm.
When Haruto tried to intercept, Aya politely turned him down. "Sorry, Haruto-kun, but I already promised to walk with Bakachin. See you tomorrow!"
As Aya dragged him along, Kai glanced back at Haruto. The usually calm and composed protagonist looked furious.
Unable to resist, Kai stuck out his tongue and made a mocking face at him.
Haruto's expression darkened. "Bakachin… you've got some nerve," he muttered, slamming a hand against his desk.
Meanwhile, Ai watched from the sidelines, her lips curving into a sly smile.
...
As they walked home, Aya chatted nonstop, asking Kai all sorts of questions about his interests, his favorite foods, and even his dreams for the future. Kai responded with the bare minimum, but Aya didn't seem to mind.
Eventually, they reached her house.
"Well, see you tomorrow, Aya," Kai said quickly, eager to escape.
But before he could leave, Aya grabbed his sleeve. "Wait, Bakachin. You still look unwell. Why don't you come inside? I'll make you some chicken porridge," she said shyly, her cheeks turning pink.
Kai froze. "W-What? Why would you invite me inside?!" His mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario.
"It's just… you seem tired, and I want to help you feel better," Aya explained, her voice soft and sincere.
Relieved, Kai sighed. "Fine, but just for a little while."
Aya beamed and led him inside.
It turned out that her mother and father had divorced since she was little. So Aya lived alone with her mother who was often busy working. Aya was often alone at home.
Later, Aya quickly tied on an apron and got to work in the kitchen.
Kai watched her from the dining table, surprised by how skillfully she cooked. Despite his efforts to remain indifferent, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of admiration.
"What's wrong with me? Stay strong, INUZUKA KAI! i know that i never have a girlfriend, but don't fall to her you piece of shit!!!" he muttered in his mind, shaking his head.
When Aya finally brought out the porridge, she surprised Kai by insisting on feeding him.
"You don't have to do that!" Kai protested.
But Aya wouldn't take no for an answer, and Kai, wary of triggering another checkpoint reset, reluctantly let her.
After finishing the meal, Kai praised her cooking, which made Aya blush with happiness.
As she cleaned up, however, disaster struck.
"...!!!!"
Aya slipped, and the bowl she was holding fell to the floor, shattering into pieces.
Kai instinctively rushed to catch her, but the momentum sent them both tumbling. Aya landed softly on the floor, with Kai hovering just above her.
Their faces were mere inches apart. Kai froze, realizing his hand had accidentally landed on her chest.
Kai could feel the soft sensation in his palm, and it fit perfectly. Unconsciously, Kai squeezed it a little.
"Ugh..." Aya sighed a little.
Because of the contact Kai made with Aya, Kai seeing Aya's thoughts.
[Aya's Thoughts: I can't take this anymore.....Bakachin~]
Kai fell silent seeing that. His sweat was pouring down, but he couldn't get his hands away. The softness of Aya's chest restrained him.
Aya didn't push him away. Instead, she blushed deeply, her breathing growing heavier.
"B-Bakachin…" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Slowly, she reached up and unbuttoned the top of her uniform, revealing a hint of her cleavage.
"L-Let's… do it," Aya murmured.
"Let's have sex...." Aya said that with a horny expression.
Kai's mind went blank, his heart was beating erratically, his lips were almost reaching Aya's.
Suddenly Kai's movements stopped, he remembered something.
A wicked grin spread across his face.
"Oh, right," he muttered in his mind.
"I forgot that in this trashy harem novel, Takashima Aya is just a cheap girl who easily gives her body.... I hate her so much...I hate Takashima Aya."