Vol 2 Chapter 10【Vol 2 – Lies and Truth】

When he woke up, about six hours had passed. He checked the time on his phone and tried to move his stiff body. He’d slept a full stretch, yet instead of feeling refreshed, his head felt heavier than before. He shuffled to the bathroom and ran cold water in the sink. Then he shoved his face into it.

The cold snapped some of the grogginess away. He lifted his head and looked in the mirror. He’d dumped ten points into Charm — but he couldn’t see a single change. What’s supposed to look different? Maybe it was visible to other people, somehow like magic.

He dried his face with a towel and went back to his room. The game system still floated in the corner of his vision, persistent as a desktop taskbar. He opened the fridge and ate something to fill the gap. Then stretched.

—Uuugh—

He threw on clean clothes, tossed the old ones in the laundry basket, and stepped outside. He needed a new target. Today, he was planning to go a little farther than usual. There was a commercial district a bus ride away — that was his destination. The farthest he’d ventured since getting pulled into this game was the convenience store five minutes from his apartment.

— A weird part of him had quietly worried that the game might only simulate his neighborhood.

Ha. Obviously not.

He didn’t wait long at the stop before the bus arrived. Ten minutes later, he stepped off into the commercial district. His paranoia had been completely unfounded — the world inside the game was every bit as full and real as the one outside it. It was rush hour, and the streets were packed with people moving in every direction. Neon signs were flickering on across the strip. All of it was indistinguishable from reality.

The only difference was the 【GAME SYSTEM】 floating at the edge of his vision.

A massive LED billboard in the plaza was playing a music video — a popular idol group, mid-choreography.

Something stirred in his chest.

Might as well try the Scouter.

Looking at footage on a screen — he was suddenly curious whether the Scouter would even work on a non-live subject.

He opened 【INVENTORY】.

【INVENTORY】 【Lv.2 Scouter】 【Master Key】 【Sleep Spray】 【Camera】 【Transformation Potion】 【Binoculars】

The 【 Lv. 1 Scouter】 had vanished automatically. They could’ve at least let me upgrade it instead of forcing me to buy a new one every time. What was the logic in that? Felt like a money grab. He grumbled internally while tapping the Scouter — knowing full well that from the outside he probably looked like a guy muttering to himself and poking at empty air.

【Use Lv.2 Scouter?】

The familiar prompt appeared. He fixed his gaze on the center position in the idol group on the billboard.

Yoshisaki Nika Age: 21 Boyfriend: None Occupation: Idol Conquest Difficulty: B Address: Unavailable at current level Phone number: Unavailable at current level Conquest Info: Unavailable at current level Affinity: 0

No conquest info. Difficulty was B, of all things. And Affinity — that was a new field. Had to be something the Lv. 2 Scouter added. Affinity was zero, which made sense — they’d never met.

He hadn’t seriously expected to be able to go after her anyway. Just as he was thinking that, someone walked straight into his shoulder and threw him off balance. The person who’d bumped him was remarkably attractive — refined-looking, was the word that came to mind—an air of quiet elegance.

She bowed her head and apologized like something out of a dream. Then she kept walking.

He scrambled to activate the Scouter.

Kitagata Hikaru Age: 24 Boyfriend: None Occupation: University student Conquest Difficulty: N/A Address: Ward 00, District 00 Phone number: 080-2452-1111 Conquest Info: N/A Affinity: -100

Huh? Difficulty N/A?

Was she not a conquest target at all? All her personal info had populated, but both Conquest Difficulty and Conquest Info were blank.

Then it clicked.

She had no hidden secret worth pursuing — she was just a stranger passing by. Simple as that. Nothing to chase.

Which meant the idol back there did have something worth uncovering. Interesting. But with a Difficulty of B, he couldn’t get anywhere near her yet. He’d need more levels first. No conquest info meant no viable path, regardless.

What bothered him more, honestly, was the stranger. She’d bumped into him — just barely — and his Affinity was already at -100? That stung. He’d pushed ten points into Charm, but apparently his base was so low that even the boost hadn’t gotten him out of the negatives. She’d smiled and apologized to his face while thinking god-knows-what about him on the inside. Great.

He shook his head and moved toward the station. The crowd thickened.

No conquest data — skip. Too high a difficulty — skip.

Finding an actual target was turning into real work. He was slumping with the weight of it when a woman passed close enough to stop his thoughts entirely. He was lighting a cigarette at the time. He let the lighter drop without even registering it. Like something had taken hold of him, he started following her.

Her face was strikingly innocent. His type, if he was being precise. The pure, delicate type — the kind men put on a pedestal. She fit the mold completely, which was why his attention latched on without permission. And then there was the contrast — because her figure was something else entirely. Her hips, especially. Almost unfair.

She was wearing tight jeans, and the way she moved made it genuinely impossible to look anywhere else.

Not a creep. Just a man. Any guy on this street would’ve looked twice.

A fitted beige knit top drew the eye to her waist. He activated the Scouter. He wasn’t expecting much given how high-caliber she was, but checking cost him nothing.

Akamine Miyuki Age: 23 Boyfriend: Multiple Occupation: Broker Conquest Difficulty: D Address: Unavailable at current level Phone number: Unavailable at current level Conquest Info: Manages numerous men. Personally hosts social parties. Suspicious social parties — approaching them is the key to her conquest. Affinity: 0

Conquest info had actually appeared. After hours wandering the commercial district — he’d finally found a target. And as a bonus, she was exactly his type. However, she was clearly no ordinary woman. Suspicious social parties? If you’re going to give a hint, give a real one. That barely told him anything.

And he was supposed to approach through these parties?

The hint wasn’t much of a hint. Still, it was the first time the game had volunteered guidance directly. Following it was probably the smart move. Beyond that — he’d have to dig on his own. Her address wasn’t available yet, so tailing her was the only way to gather information. No information meant no way forward. He made up his mind and fell into step behind her.

Same approach as with Sakurai Ami — scope out the residence, poke around inside from there. In a world without the internet, tailing someone to their home was the only way to run a background check. He kept a careful distance and followed.

Then she stopped.

His stomach lurched. He spun around fast, pulled out his phone, and held it to his ear like he was mid-call — watching her from the corner of his eye. Fortunately, she hadn’t noticed him. Just nerves — his palms were already damp. She’d crouched down and was picking something up off the ground. Not spooked. Just picking up something she’d dropped. He exhaled. She straightened up and started walking again.

He pocketed the phone and kept following. About five minutes later, she stopped again. He ducked into an alley and pressed himself against the wall, edging just enough of his face out to watch her.

She was standing with her arms folded — clearly not because she’d dropped something this time. She kept checking her watch, waiting for someone. Please let it not be a boyfriend. Tailing her through an actual date would be a nightmare.

As if in answer, a group of rough-looking high school boys approached her — all male. She exchanged a few words with them, then pulled an envelope from her bag and handed it over. They stuffed it into a backpack immediately, produced something from a pocket, passed it to her, and then scattered like they were running from something.

He was too far away to see what changed hands. He’d better write it down while it was fresh. He’d had the foresight to bring the pocket planner he’d used back in high school — dug it out and scrawled what he’d seen.

Three high school boys. Exchange of unknown items. Both parties are in a hurry.

Taking notes while trailing someone — he felt almost like a detective. She started walking again after a moment. End of the detective routine. He stashed the planner and followed.

Not long after, a dense cluster of apartment buildings came into view. High-end ones. She walked straight into the one in the center.

Now what. Pretend to be a resident?

While he was still working through it, she’d already punched a code into the auto-lock keypad and stepped inside. He moved to follow — but the door had already sealed shut behind her.

The only way through was the entry code. This was nothing like Sakurai Ami’s worn-down old building. Akamine Miyuki was already pressing the elevator button inside. He felt a spike of panic. If he lost her now— He had to figure out at least which unit she lived in.

Use the 【Master Key】 and tail her? But then she’d see his face. Getting made before he’d even gathered basic intel was the worst outcome possible.