This so-called buff that allows one to understand another better—can it actually grant their talent directly?
Yarrow was momentarily stunned. He turned to look at Ji Xiaofei, who was casually munching on insects beside him.
"Little Chicken , your talent—is it called Light Body? The one that reduces fall damage?" he asked for confirmation.
"Yeah." Ji Xiaofei nodded without much thought.
Yarrow blinked. Then again.
"Good fellow."
"Really good fellow."
This system, which seemed utterly useless aside from turning magical beasts into beautiful girls, had suddenly become incredible.
If he continued binding heroines and raising their favorability, wouldn't he be able to acquire an unlimited number of talents?
And from the description, he wouldn't be limited to just talents—perhaps even magic and other abilities would be included as favorability increased.
Silver Moon Dragon King Zen was already bound to him. If he could push her favorability to level two, wouldn't he be able to obtain the legendary power of a Dragon King?
For the first time, Yarrow felt an urge.
"Damn... I suddenly really want to fall in love."
His mind started racing with possibilities when Ji Xiaofei interrupted his thoughts.
"Yarrow, is the fish soup ready yet?" Having finished her insects, she was now craving the soup.
Yarrow turned to her and, with a completely serious expression, said, "Ji Xiaofei, I suddenly think you're adorable."
Ji Xiaofei blinked at him. Her naturally dazed expression turned a light shade of pink, and the small wings on her back fluttered.
"Oh."
[Favorability increased by 5.]
Heh, so easy to understand.
Yarrow then checked the new system prompt that had appeared:
[Heartbeat Challenge: Have an unintentional indirect kiss with a girl! (Completion Reward: Heartbeat Coin x10)]
"That's it? That simple?"
An indirect kiss—basically both parties touching the same object with their mouths. Who hasn't done that before?
And Ji Xiaofei, who had just transformed into a human and still had an undeveloped sense of social norms, was the perfect target.
Without hesitation, he picked up the kettle, took a sip, then smiled warmly as he handed it over.
"Here, have some water."
Ji Xiaofei hesitated, her expression becoming oddly shy. "But... but Yarrow just drank from this..."
Yarrow's face darkened. "Since when are you shy? Haven't we always shared the same kettle?"
"B-but... doesn't this count as an indirect kiss...? Isn't it too soon?" Ji Xiaofei fidgeted, poking her fingers together and avoiding his gaze.
Wait. How the hell does a chicken know about this kind of thing?
"Just drink it," Yarrow ordered firmly.
"S-So domineering..." Ji Xiaofei murmured, reluctantly taking the kettle and taking a small sip.
[Challenge Completed! The girl's blushing face says it all!] [Heartbeat Coin x10 obtained!] [Shop unlocked!]
Yarrow immediately checked out the newly available store.
Most items were gifts and consumables to boost favorability, but one particular item caught his eye:
[Breakup Letter: Use on heroines with favorability level 4 or above. Ends the relationship, resets everything to normal, and life returns to being strangers.]
"Everything returns to normal?" Yarrow's mind raced. "Does that mean I can turn magical beast girls back into their original forms?"
That meant Zen could potentially return to being a dragon.
But to do so, he had to first push her favorability to level 4—essentially making her fall in love with him first.
"What a twisted system..."
Another item stood out to him:
[Ring of Oath: Use on heroines with maxed-out favorability to complete the oath and pledge eternal devotion.]
What truly caught his attention, though, were the available purchase options:
[Ring of Oath x1: Only You in This Life] [Ring of Oath x2: Twin Souls in Flight] [Ring of Oath x4: Four Joy Meatballs] [Ring of Oath x8: Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea] [Ring of Oath x12: Grand! Victory! Banquet!]
"How... straightforward."
Yarrow kept scrolling, searching for a particular item—and sure enough, he found it:
[Learning Machine: Use on heroines with favorability level 2 to gain an additional one-time Heart-to-Heart buff bonus.]
The price? 699 Heartbeat Coins.
"So expensive..."
The favorability boost from Ji Xiaofei, plus the challenge reward, had only given him 30 coins. Who knew how long it would take to collect enough?
"Is there any way to earn Heartbeat Coins faster?"
There was.
And it was staring him right in the face.
A recharge interface.
[Heartbeat Coin x60 (6 months of life)] [Heartbeat Coin x300 (30 months of life)] [Heartbeat Coin x980 (98 months of life)] [Heartbeat Coin x1980 (198 months of life)] [Heartbeat Coin x3280 (328 months of life)]
"...The hell kind of trade-off is this?!"
[Heartbeat Coin x6480 (648 months of life)] [Please enjoy entertainment appropriately and consume rationally.]
Yarrow silently closed the recharge interface.
Using life to pay for a game? No thanks.
He'd take things slow. Though, he wasn't sure when he'd meet Zen again. Given her current attitude, increasing her favorability seemed like an uphill battle.
Ideally, the system would bind him to a heroine who was both powerful and docile. If he could freeload a few useful talents or spells, he might even pass the magic assessment, join the Mage Association, become a senior mage, and enjoy a life of luxury with a steady salary.
As soon as that thought crossed his mind, Yarrow slapped himself.
"Damn it, no ambition! You're already so capable, and you're still thinking about lying around? Shouldn't you be overthrowing the old geezers in the Mage Association and taking a seat for yourself?"
Just imagining it was exhilarating.
Ji Xiaofei had been watching him for a while. "Yarrow is smiling so lewdly."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Yarrow coughed awkwardly and shot her an annoyed glare.
After finishing their meal, they rested at the camp for a while before packing up to leave.
But just as they were about to set off, Ji Xiaofei suddenly looked distressed, running around anxiously.
"What's wrong? Looking for something?" Yarrow asked.
Ji Xiaofei stopped in front of him, twisting her fingers guiltily. "I think... I think I lost my luggage."
"The one I gave you this morning?"
Ji Xiaofei nodded.
The luggage had only contained a spare set of clothes. From past experience, exploring ruins sometimes led to clothes getting corroded, burned, or too filthy to wear, so Yarrow always brought extras. Fortunately, they hadn't needed them yet.
"It was with you when you arrived. How did it just disappear?" Yarrow frowned.
Maybe it fell into the river and got washed away. Or maybe a small animal had taken it.
At that moment, a system prompt appeared:
[Ji Xiaofei made a mistake. How will you comfort her?]
Heartbeat Options:
"It's okay, as long as you didn't get lost."
"It's okay, just compensate me with your panties."
"Useless. You can't even handle this? Go roll in the trash can."
"Mistakes must be punished. Stick your butt up."
The right choice was obvious.
"It's okay, as long as you didn't get lost," Yarrow said.
Ji Xiaofei let out a sigh of relief and looked up at him.
[Favorability increased by 10.]
"I'm sorry, Yarrow..." she murmured guiltily. "Um, I don't have anything to compensate you with, so if you want to punish me, that's okay too."
"It was just one set of clothes. Hardly worth punishing you over. I'm just glad you're safe."
He gently patted Ji Xiaofei's head with a warm smile.
"I'm so kind. Shouldn't her favorability be skyrocketing?" he thought smugly.
"Really? No punishment at all?" Ji Xiaofei blinked up at him with big, expectant eyes.
"How could I bear to punish you?" Yarrow responded with his usual gentle tone.
"Oh."
[Favorability decreased by 10.]
Yarrow stared at the notification, stunned.
"Huh?"