Chapter 216

　Back in my private office, I sat down and took out my phone. I first called Hayasaka Ai to tell her that I had something to do this morning and wouldn’t be able to compete with them.

　　Although Hayasaka Ai felt it would be best if the match could proceed as scheduled, the right to compete was in the other party’s hands. Furthermore, after more than a week of competition, even if she didn’t want to admit it, Hayasaka Ai felt to some extent that her side couldn’t win, so she didn’t insist and only said that she hoped the afternoon’s match would proceed smoothly.

　　I really admire the resilience shown by the two girls. They didn’t get discouraged after losing so many times, but that actually made it more like I was seeing the moment they were “defeated”.

　　After finishing my call with Hayasaka Ai, I made another call. Unlike the youthful high school girl Hayasaka Ai, this time it was a call from a beautiful mature wife and mother.

　　”Hello, is this Director Jian, Mr. Jian?” A mature and gentle voice came from the phone after the call was connected.

　　”Yes, it’s me, Mrs. Furukawa.” I dialed Sanae Furukawa’s number. I need to explain in detail the matter I mentioned to her last time.

　　”Did Director Jian call to talk about that matter we mentioned last time?” Since leaving the medical institution a few days ago, Sanae Furukawa has been worried about her daughter’s condition, and naturally, she couldn’t help but think about the still unclear solution.

　　“That’s right, I’ve already done the preliminary preparations. Next, I’ll explain to you, Mrs. Furukawa, how to do it, and then you can decide whether to proceed. It’s not convenient to discuss this over the phone. Would it be convenient for you to come to the medical facility, Mrs. Furukawa?”

　　The best way I plan to protect Nagisa Furukawa and her daughter is to talk to Sanae Furukawa face-to-face and show her some things to increase my persuasiveness.

　　”It’s convenient, I’ll be right there.” As Sanae Furukawa replied, I could also hear the sound of packing on the other end of the phone. I guessed that the wife and mother were preparing to leave immediately after hearing what I had just said.

　　”No need to rush, Mrs. Furukawa. Please be careful on the road.”

　　”Okay, I understand. I’ll hang up now, Director Jian.”

　　”Okay.” After hanging up the phone, I took out an antique book from my storage space and placed it on the mahogany desk. This was to be shown to Sanae Furukawa later, about the source of this solution.

　　The book, which is actually a compilation of information to make the solution seem more credible, was written by me. It’s not a long book with many illustrations, and it took me about ten minutes to compile.

　　After I finished compiling it, I used time-related techniques to age it, giving the newly compiled book a sense of age, which greatly increases the book’s credibility.

　　”Knock knock” I didn’t have to wait long. About twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door. “Come in.”

　　”Excuse me.” With the sound of the doorknob turning and the door being pushed open, a beautiful mature woman with long brown hair tied in a ponytail walked in.

　　The married woman and mother wore a crimson long-sleeved cotton-linen top with a peach collar, and a light brown floral skirt that reached her knees, revealing her slender and smooth calves. She wore white mid-heel sandals, with her delicate toes lined up side by side at the toe of the shoe.

　　Although somewhat anxious, Sanae Furukawa remembered to close the door behind her as she entered the office. She then stopped in front of the desk. “Director Ken…”

　　”Don’t rush, sit down and have a cup of tea to calm down, Mrs. Furukawa.” I first asked Sanae Furukawa to sit down, and then poured her a cup of black tea, of course not some strange black tea that makes you sleepy.

　　”Thank you, Director Ken.” Sanae Furukawa pressed down the hem of her light brown floral dress as she sat down in the office chair opposite me.

　　”No need to be so polite, Mrs. Furukawa. We’re friends, aren’t we? You can call me Mr. Ken when we’re alone.” When I visited Furukawa Bakery as a taste tester, Sanae Furukawa usually called me Mr. Ken, but later at the medical institution she changed to Director Ken.

　　“That makes sense. I thought it would be better to call you Director Jian in a medical institution, but now that you say so, I’ll change it back.” Sanae Furukawa picked up her white porcelain cup and took a sip of black tea. The slightly bitter taste with a sweet aftertaste calmed her down a bit.

　　”Then let’s begin by discussing methods to ensure Nagisa Furukawa’s safety.” Upon hearing that they were about to get to the main topic, Sanae Furukawa’s expression immediately became tense and serious.

　　”Actually, this method is not a modern medical technique or a profound treatment, but a method with supernatural elements, which is why I am not comfortable talking about it in front of many people.”

　　“Supernatural colors?” Sanae Furukawa considered that it might require high-tech medical treatments, or even mysterious ancient healing methods, but neither of them had anything to do with the supernatural.

　　”Yes, I used a method of refining essence to create a kind of ‘precious jade’ called ‘refined jade’ to preserve and heal Furukawa Nagisa’s body.” The inspiration for refined jade came from luminous jade, although there is only a one-word difference, they are worlds apart.

　　”Refined Jade? That sounds like a refining method?” If it were just that, it wouldn’t seem supernatural. Many medicines or other things are refined through this process. However, the term “Refined Jade” gave Sanae Furukawa a sense of unease.

　　“It is indeed a refining method, but the method is not what is commonly known.” I placed my right hand on the book on the table. “Mrs. Furukawa, you can take a look at this book for details.”

　　”This book?” Sanae Furukawa noticed the book on the table as soon as she sat down. It looked like an old, well-preserved book, and she wondered when it had been passed down to her.

　　”Yes, this book records the method of refining and the effects of refined jade. However, Madam, please be careful when you read it, as some of the content may be a bit extreme.” As I spoke, I pushed the book in front of Sanae Furukawa.

　　The book has a dark brown cover and is clearly in very good condition. However, with the passage of time, the pages inevitably show some signs of wear and tear, or in short, they are yellowed. There are a few large characters written on the cover.

　　Strangely, Sanae Furukawa was certain she didn’t recognize the words on the book cover, yet she inexplicably understood their meaning: the Jade Treasure Book.

　　”This book is so easy to understand that even people who don’t know the language can comprehend it. Mrs. Furukawa, you should have grasped a bit of what I mean by the supernatural.” This feature of the book was something I added while creating it, which indirectly increases its persuasiveness.

　　Sanae Furukawa initially found it hard to believe in the supernatural, but now she’s starting to believe it. Could there really be supernatural forces in this world? This discovery, which overturned her worldview, made the beautiful wife overlook the extreme content that had just been mentioned.

　　However, Sanae Furukawa quickly put that thought aside for the time being. The most important thing now was her daughter’s matter. Regardless of whether supernatural powers really existed, she needed to find out how to do it first.

　　So Sanae Furukawa carefully opened the book in front of her, her slender white fingers gently turning the pages, afraid that she would damage the ancient book if she used too much force.

　　As Sanae Furukawa flipped through the pages, her face grew increasingly red. Towards the end, even her delicate fingers trembled slightly. The dozen or so pages didn’t take the beautiful wife long to finish, as there were some illustrations and not many words on each page.

　　After reading it, the beautiful woman with brown ponytail took a deep breath, calming herself down before opening her lips and asking, “Mr. Jian, is the content of this book true?”

　　”Really, I have no reason to lie to you, Mrs. Furukawa.” The contents of the book are not something I made up. Following the methods described in the book can indeed produce refined jade, and refined jade does indeed have the effects described in the book.

　　“But the methods described in this book…” Sanae Furukawa bit her lip. Before, she was willing to accept any solution as long as her daughter and the baby in her womb were safe, but after seeing the methods described in the book, she had to hesitate.

　　Because the refining method described in the book requires the union of yin and yang between men and women, that is, if you want to make the jade essence, you have to use a special method to refine it during sexual intercourse. How could Sanae Furukawa, who is a wife and mother, accept this so easily?

　　”This is what I meant by the extreme content before. The ‘essence’ in ‘Jingyu’ refers to the essence of men and women. The essence of men and women is at its peak and most easily merged when yin and yang are combined. Only in this way can Jingyu be refined.”

　　After I finished speaking, I stretched out my right hand and opened it. Then a crystal-clear white pearl appeared in my palm. The pearl was about the width of two fingers and emitted a faint white light.

　　”This is the Jadeite?” Although Sanae Furukawa still felt extremely ashamed, she still focused her gaze on the white jewel that resembled a rare gem.

　　”Hmm, this is the refined jade.” This refined jade was made a couple of days ago when I was making love with Ishtar. At the time, the goddess teased me, saying that I was sure I was going to do something naughty again, and she got a good beating from me because of it.

　　”Could this precious jade be used to help my daughter?” Although she knew it was unlikely, Sanae Furukawa still asked with a glimmer of hope. If it could be used, she wouldn’t have to make such a difficult choice.

　　”Mrs. Furukawa, who has read this book, should know that the essence jade is only effective on the person who produced it or their blood relatives. The closer the relationship, the better the effect.”

　　I pulled my right hand out from under the jade, and the pure jade floated up directly. “So even if I use this on Furukawa Nagisa, it will be useless.”

　　Sanae Furukawa saw that it was indeed written that way in the book, so she knew it was unlikely when she asked earlier. But if that was the case, wouldn’t she have to do it herself?

　　“I know this is a very difficult choice for you, Mrs. Furukawa. After all, my words and this method sound unbelievable, and the possibility of Nagisa Furukawa’s life being in danger during childbirth is not very high. It is too difficult for you to make a choice that violates your chastity.”

　　Sanae Furukawa’s hesitation was expected. Putting aside whether she believed in the method I offered, even if she did, her principles as a wife would still make it difficult for her to make a choice.

　　”No…” From the ancient books that were incomprehensible yet whose meanings were clear, to the jewel that suddenly appeared and floated above the desk, these supernatural events made Sanae Furukawa believe in this method a little more.

　　However, it’s impossible to completely trust them. What if the other party is really lying to her? Wouldn’t she lose her virginity and fail to save her daughter? Although Sanae Furukawa believes that the other party has no reason to lie to her like that.

　　”If it really works and can guarantee that Nagisa will be 100% out of danger, then I will…” Fifty percent, this probability is quite fate-based and depends on luck. How could she, as a mother, feel at ease? If possible, Sanae Furukawa would of course want to ensure her daughter’s safety.

　　However, she still couldn’t easily say the words. She was competing with her two identities as a mother and a wife. If she could confirm that the method was real or that her daughter was in a very dangerous situation, then she, as a mother, should have the upper hand over her as a wife.

　　Uncertainty was the main reason for Sanae Furukawa’s hesitation: “Mr. Ken, can you prove that the method you mentioned will definitely succeed? It’s not that I want to doubt you, Mr. Ken, it’s just that this kind of thing…”

　　“I understand your concerns, Mrs. Sanae, but proving this method is quite troublesome. First, we need a patient who needs the jade, and then we need a female relative who is willing to make the jade. This relative must also be trustworthy. It’s not easy to find a suitable person in a short time.”

　　I patiently explained to Sanae Furukawa, and her reaction as a wife and mother was as expected; it would have been strange if she had agreed immediately.

　　Upon hearing this, Sanae Furukawa pursed her lips. She understood that there was truth to what she was saying. How could she possibly find another partner so easily using this method? Moreover, her daughter’s delivery was very close, possibly within the next few days, or even tomorrow.

　　Sanae Furukawa lowered her eyes, wanting to think more, when her gaze fell on the jade floating on the desk. “What about this one? Is there anyone who can use this jade?”

　　”This is a gem that I specially crafted for Mrs. Sanae to see. Its owner has no relatives who can use this gem.” As a goddess, Ishtar’s female relatives, even if they are ill, cannot use this ordinary gem; they need a higher level of crafting.

　　”Is that so?” Sanae Furukawa couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. Without concrete proof, she was unsure whether she should agree or not. If she didn’t agree and something happened to her daughter, she would definitely regret it for the rest of her life.

　　Thinking of this, Sanae Furukawa’s heart gradually shifted toward agreeing, but then the image of her husband appeared in her mind, slowing down this shift.

　　I saw the beautiful wife’s dilemma. Perhaps she would eventually choose to try the solution I offered, but her willingness to do so would be very low. Only when things are urgent and she has no other choice will her willingness to do so increase.

　　Therefore, I’m not in a hurry to get an answer from Sanae Furukawa. “Mrs. Furukawa, you can choose to give me an answer later, when Nagisa Furukawa gives birth.”

　　”Isn’t this too late?” Sanae Furukawa asked, her delicate brows furrowed.

　　”Our medical facilities are equipped with advanced medical equipment. Even if something were to happen to Nagisa Furukawa, our emergency room would be able to protect her life for three to five hours, as long as the essence is produced during that time.”

　　”Really?” This gave Sanae Furukawa considerable leeway, allowing her to make a choice only after confirming whether her daughter would be alright. If her daughter was safe, she wouldn’t have to sacrifice her chastity as a married woman. If something happened, she would know what choice to make if there was no other option.

　　”Yes, with our professional medical team as a guarantee, we will try our best to think of ways to improve Nagisa Furukawa’s survival rate during this period. Mrs. Furukawa, you can also try to find other ways. If there is really no other way and Nagisa Furukawa’s life is in imminent danger, then you can make a choice.”

　　It is believed that Sanae Furukawa’s willingness will be much higher at that time than it is now. As for whether Nagisa Furukawa’s childbirth will go wrong, from a medical point of view, there is a 50% chance. However, considering the convergence of the world lines, the probability of Nagisa Furukawa giving birth smoothly and that both mother and daughter are safe is quite low, assuming no one has the ability to interfere.

　　”I understand. If it really comes to that, I will choose to save Nagisa.” Sanae Furukawa breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, a thought became firmly established in her mind. The beautiful wife’s slender hands, which were placed on her thighs, clenched tightly. Yes, this was beyond doubt.

　　”Then, Mrs. Furukawa, please tell your family that I’ll think about it… I can use the excuse of praying for blessings to leave. I will secretly arrange a special ward so that I can observe the general situation in Furukawa Nagisa’s operating room. Once the delivery is over, if there are any problems, please notify me immediately.”

　　I gave Sanae Furukawa an idea. After all, it’s not normal for a daughter’s mother not to be by her side when her daughter is giving birth, especially for a mother like Sanae Furukawa who loves her daughter so much. She needs a reason to leave.

　　”I understand.” In fact, Sanae Furukawa was now inclined to believe that this solution was true. After all, there was no need for the other party to go to so much trouble to deceive her. Given his status and position, it shouldn’t be difficult for him to find a woman, such as the owner of the jade floating on the table. Why would he bother with her, a woman who was already a wife and mother?

　　If I knew what Sanae Furukawa was thinking, I would definitely say, “Madam, you’re too sweet, and you underestimate your own charm.”

　　”Let’s stop here for today. Oh, and one last thing I need to remind you, Mrs. Furukawa: you should have seen the contents of the last page of the book.” I reached out and collected the floating jade, then said to Sanae Furukawa.

　　”I saw it.” At this point, the beautiful mature woman with brown ponytail blushed slightly, remembering the contents of the last page of that book.

　　The number of refined jade needed varies depending on the situation. In general cases, only one refined jade is needed. If the user is weak and considering subsequent recovery, two refined jades are best, one to be used before treatment and one to be used after treatment.

　　In an emergency, at least three pills are needed: one to stabilize the user’s life, one to restore the user’s vitality, and one for subsequent physical recovery.

　　In other words, if she chooses to make the choice when her daughter is giving birth, she will likely need to use three Jade Essences, meaning she will have to do it at least three times to obtain three Jade Essences.

　　”It’s good that you’ve seen it. If we really have to use that solution, Mrs. Furukawa, you should be prepared.” If Sanae Furukawa agrees to start now, only two pills will be needed, but if we wait until something goes wrong, we’ll need at least three.

　　”I will.” Sanae Furukawa nodded gently. There are gains and losses, but she hoped her daughter would be alright, then everything would be fine.

　　After Sanae Furukawa leaves, I will visit Nagisa Furukawa on the way. I will then call the hospital director, Osamu Natsuki, to prepare a special ward in advance, as Nagisa’s delivery should be in the next two or three days.

　　After I had settled things with Furukawa and her daughter, and was wondering whether to go to Hayasaka Ai’s place early or visit Asuna and her daughter again, Natsuki Oharu, who had just ended the call with me, called again.

　　She brought me news that Asuna had applied for discharge from the hospital. This didn’t surprise me. The player incident trapped in the game had been resolved, and Asuna had no reason to stay here any longer. However, her application for discharge was faster than expected. I thought it would take two days. Perhaps it was because Kyoko Yuuki was in danger today?

　　I approved Asuna’s request to withdraw from the hospital. Since that’s the case, let’s go visit Asuna and her daughter. Maybe we can give them a ride.

　　”Mrs. Yuki, Miss Yuki’s signature here completes the discharge procedures.” The head nurse handed the documents to the flaxen-haired girl.

　　”Okay.” After checking on the players who had woken up with her mother, Asuna and her mother went to the female doctor in charge of her to apply for discharge. This was the result of her discussion with her mother. Today, her mother had encountered danger, and she was really worried. Anyway, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to be discharged early.

　　Asuna and Kyoko Yuuki each signed their names on the document. The head nurse nodded to them and put the document away, saying, “I’ll go out and handle the paperwork now. You two can be discharged at any time.”

　　After the head nurse left, Kyoko Yuuki helped her daughter Asuna pack. There wasn’t much to pack; one suitcase was enough. In the hospital, they mostly wore hospital gowns or pajamas, and they needed to take back some underwear.

　　”Knock knock,” a knock sounded at the door. Kyoko Yuuki, who was sitting on the edge of the bed folding clothes for her daughter, did not stop what she was doing. “Asuna, go see who it is.”

　　”Okay.” Asuna put the thermos in her hand into the suitcase, then walked to the door in her slippers and looked through the peephole. Her body stiffened instantly.

　　After waiting for a while and still not hearing a response from her daughter, Kyoko Yuuki looked up at her daughter, who was standing like a wooden statue in front of the door. “What’s wrong, Asuna? Who is it?”

　　”Um…that…it’s Mr. Ken.” If she could, Asuna really wanted to pretend she hadn’t seen him.

　　“Mr. Jian, please let him in.” However, Asuna’s mother, Kyoko Yuuki, had no idea what her daughter was thinking.

　　Therefore, Asuna had no choice but to open the door reluctantly, but she didn’t let the person outside in. “Hello, Mr. Ken, what brings you here?”

　　Asuna’s words were quite polite, but the girl’s face clearly said, “Leave now.” I nodded to Kyoko Yuuki inside, and then said to the girl, “I heard that you’re being discharged from the hospital, Akina. I think you’ll need a driver to take you back.”

　　Before Asuna could refuse, Kyoko Yuuki, who was inside, spoke up first, “Wouldn’t this be too much trouble for you, Mr. Ken?”

　　Asuna, whose mother answered first, could only quietly open her cherry lips and mouth “no need” to me.

　　”No trouble at all. After all, what happened today, and I promised Mr. Yuuki that I would protect you on the way.” The girl’s pink lips opened and closed. Did Asuna not know how tempting it was for her to lip-sync up close?

　　“This…” Kyoko Yuuki hesitated, as she had already troubled the other party enough today.

　　”Then I’ll have to trouble you, Mr. Ken.” It wasn’t Kyoko Yuuki who agreed, but rather Asuna, who had just been against it. There was no denying that having him around would make things much safer.

　　”No trouble at all. One should finish what one starts. Since I brought Mrs. Yuuki here, I should naturally return her.” This time, I mouthed to Asuna: “And you too.”

　　Asuna just rolled her eyes at this, then stepped aside and walked into the ward. I closed the door and followed behind the flaxen-haired girl.

　　“In any case, Mr. Ken, you have helped our family a lot this time, and we will definitely thank you properly later. Please don’t refuse.” Kyoko Yuuki put down the clothes she was carrying and said to me as I walked in.

　　”No…” I was about to nod when Asuna suddenly turned around and pushed my upper body. The girl’s hands were on my lower abdomen, pushing me forward forcefully. “Uh… what’s wrong, Miss Yuuki?”

　　”Don’t ask.” Asuna pushed me forward, while I backed away. As I backed away, my gaze fell on a small pile of clothes next to Kyoko Yuuki, who was sitting on the edge of the bed. I instantly understood why Asuna had pushed me out.

　　”Don’t look!” Asuna, noticing where my gaze was directed, immediately raised a slender, white hand to cover my eyes, the girl’s soft, warm hand pressing down on me.

　　Kyoko Yuuki quickly realized the reason for her daughter’s reaction; it was her own carelessness. The beautiful wife picked up the clothes by the bed and put them into the inner layer of the suitcase. The small pieces of clothing were Asuna’s underwear, which was why Asuna had reacted that way.

　　Asuna pressed down on my eyes and pushed me back to the door. Even after stopping, Asuna, still worried, kept covering my eyes. Her soft hand inevitably pressed against the bridge of my nose, and the fragrance of a young girl wafted over.

　　After a while, when Asuna turned around and saw that her mother had already put her underwear in the suitcase, the girl let go of her hand. “You didn’t see anything!”

　　”Hmm, I didn’t see anything.” With Kyoko Yuuki around, there was no need to tease Asuna at this time. However, Asuna actually had some rather sexy lingerie, and I’ll definitely have to make the girl wear it for me to see in the future.

　　”It’s good that you didn’t see it.” Asuna actually knew I had seen it, but since she had already seen it, she could only pretend that she hadn’t.

　　Asuna and I returned to the ward, and at that moment, Kyoko Yuuki, who had her back to us, was about to stand up from her kneeling position.

　　The beautiful wife’s round buttocks filled out the straight skirt perfectly. The high-quality fabric of the straight skirt was made even more perfect by her beautiful buttocks, and the smooth fabric shimmered with a luster, as if it were shining a light on her shapely buttocks.

　　”Please wait a moment, Mr. Ken. Asuna and I will be done tidying up in a little while.” Kyoko Yuuki, who had just stood up and turned around, remained dignified and aloof, completely unaware of how alluring her actions had been.

　　”No problem.” I sat down on the single sofa. Most of the things Asuna needed to pack were girls’ items, so it wasn’t appropriate for me to help. Besides, it wasn’t appropriate for me to help with everything, so I calmly poured myself a glass of water and waited.

　　Actually, the waiting time wasn’t boring at all, because both the pretty young girls and the beautiful mature women were quite pleasing to the eye as they packed their things. I could even watch them like that for a whole morning.

　　Of course, they didn’t take that long to pack. In less than twenty minutes, Asuna and Kyoko Yuuki finished packing. Then Asuna went to the washroom to change her clothes. She had been wearing a pink hospital gown, but now that she was being discharged, she naturally had to change her clothes.

　　”Okay, Mom, let’s go.” A moment later, Asuna came out of the bathroom. The flaxen-haired girl had changed into a pure white dress, exuding youthful energy.

　　Kyoko Yuuki nodded slightly, Asuna pulled up the handle of the suitcase, and the beautiful wife said to me, “Thank you for your help, Mr. Ken.”

　　”You’re too kind.” After that, I got into the car with Asuna and Kyoko Yuuki and took them to the Yuuki family home.

　　Upon arriving at our destination, I helped Asuna take her suitcase downstairs. I didn’t intend to go into their house; I simply said goodbye to them at the entrance of Yuuki’s house.

　　”We weren’t prepared enough today. We’ll invite Mr. Jian to our home next time when we’re better prepared,” the aloof and elegant wife said again as she stood in front of her house, reiterating her invitation for the next visit.

　　”I look forward to your invitation. Goodbye then.” After saying goodbye to Kyoko Yuuki, Asuna, with her mother beside her, also had to bow slightly to say goodbye. I glanced at the flaxen-haired girl one last time before returning to the car.

　　I turned the car key, and the car started moving slowly forward. In the rearview mirror, I could see Asuna and her daughter preparing to open the gate to the yard. My gaze fell on Asuna again, and then I took a piece of paper out of my pocket with my left hand.

　　This note was secretly handed to me by Asuna when I handed her the suitcase. I don’t know when the girl prepared this little note. Logically speaking, today’s discharge from the hospital should have been done on short notice, otherwise, she would usually apply one or two days in advance.

　　Maybe it was while she was changing clothes? As I speculated, I opened the note Asuna had given me. The note was simple, but it instantly ignited my desire: See you in the game tonight.

　　Asuna herself is well aware of the meaning behind this statement. It’s certainly not because she suddenly fell in love with me that she made this decision. Although the girl is not as resistant as she was at the beginning, she hasn’t quite reached the point of liking me yet.

　　I personally suspect it might be related to me saving her mother, plus the secret help I received in defeating Sugo Nobuyuki? Anyway, getting into the game is always beneficial for me.

　　With anticipation for the evening, I drove to the place I had arranged to meet Kaguya Shinomiya and the others for today’s match: the Taito Game Center.

　　As its name suggests, Taito Game Center is a very large arcade with various claw machines and arcade games. We didn’t have the whole place to ourselves today, but since it was a weekday and just around noon, there weren’t many people inside.

　　I found Kaguya Shinomiya and Ai Hayasaka as soon as I arrived at the Taito Game Center. The two girls had also just arrived.

　　”Is it really okay to compete in this today?” The two girls and I entered the arcade. At first glance, we saw a dazzling array of arcade machines and claw machines displayed together. This was only the first floor; there were similar machines on the second floor.

　　“No problem. After all, today’s main competition is claw machines. We’ll have a couple of rounds of arcade games if we have the chance.” Hayasaka Ai knew that boys generally have an advantage over girls when it comes to games, not to mention that she and the young lady had hardly ever played arcade games.

　　Therefore, Hayasaka Ai set her sights on another popular game at the arcade: claw machines. They had at least tried claw machines before, as they were a favorite among girls. Although there were certain skills involved, there were also claw machines that relied mainly on luck.

　　Their main hope was placed on the claw machines that relied heavily on luck. According to the plan they had discussed last night, they would compete more on claw machines that required a certain level of skill, while also including some that relied mainly on luck, so as to avoid the other party refusing to compete on the grounds that it was a game of luck.

　　Of course, there’s another point they know: many claw machines have some kind of trick, the most common being that the claw, which is usually weak, will suddenly become strong after a certain number of plays.

　　The number of attempts varies from store to store; more ethical stores offer fewer attempts, while unethical stores offer more. In addition, it’s unknown whether anyone has played this game before, or how many times they’ve played it, so there’s also a certain element of luck involved.

　　If they’re lucky enough to happen to be there when the store has set up extra power, they might just win and end their losing streak.

　　”A claw machine? If you have no problem with that, I’m happy to play along.” You can learn about the tricks of claw machines by watching a few videos online. Having accompanied many women shopping, I’ve naturally played claw machines myself. For example, I’ve won that fierce-looking but cute panda plushie that I gave to Yukino quite a few times from claw machines.

　　Kaguya Shinomiya and Ai Hayasaka exchanged a glance and proceeded with the plan.

　　The rest of the time, I played claw machines with Kaguya Shinomiya and the others at the arcade. We each exchanged a box of game tokens, from 1 p.m. until 6 p.m., and exchanged another box full of game tokens during that time.

　　The final result speaks for itself; even if Hayasaka Ai and the others encountered a situation where their claws were just strong enough, once I managed to grab the doll, that advantage became meaningless.

　　They couldn’t beat me at the claw machines, which rely mainly on luck, and in the end they had to leave empty-handed. However, they didn’t get nothing; at least they got two big bags of plush toys, most of which I won by myself, and a small portion of which the two girls won together.

　　After parting ways with the two girls, I returned home and enjoyed a delicious dinner with Ishtar and the others. Then I entered Alo, with Suigintou following behind. As for Yui, considering what might happen, I didn’t tell her about my appointment with Asuna that night.

　　As soon as I entered Alo, I opened my in-game friends list. Seeing that Asuna was online, I immediately initiated a special communication with the girl: “Asuna, where are you?”

　　”At the treehouse.” Asuna replied to my message shortly after.

　　”OK, I’m coming right away.” The treehouse refers to my house in Alo. The thought of Asuna waiting in the treehouse filled me with excitement, and I immediately activated the teleportation to the treehouse.