The Next Morning
A soft light seeped through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the room.
Eris's eyelashes trembled slightly before her eyelids slowly lifted. The unfamiliar ceiling above her gradually came into focus. Her body, still sore in unfamiliar ways, shifted slightly under the covers.
"Are you awake, Eris?" a calm voice asked from nearby.
Eris turned her head. A pair of dark eyes stared back at her, filled with quiet affection. Blinking a few times to clear her vision, she followed the gaze upward to see Kanda smiling faintly at her from only a few inches away.
"...Good morning, Kanda," she murmured.
"Good morning, Eris," he replied casually. "Did you have fun last night?"
The memory of their night together surfaced in her mind. Eris felt the heat rise to her cheeks but didn't avert her gaze. She simply nodded slightly, keeping her expression neutral.
"This isn't a dream... right, Kanda?" she asked.
"Of course not," he said. A faint smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "If you're not sure, we could always confirm it again."
Eris paused, her fingers lightly clutching the blanket over her chest. "...No," she replied plainly. Then, after a short moment, she added, "But maybe... later, we can do it again."
Kanda let out a small chuckle at her answer. He reached out and brushed a strand of her hair off her forehead. "Alright. Just tell me when you're ready. You're already my girlfriend now—you can request that anytime."
As the two shared the quiet morning, a sudden ding echoed sharply inside Kanda's mind.
>[Due to the Player reaching 100% relationship with Subject "Eris," you may now invite the subject into the system.]
(Author's Note: Eris's affection level had reached 99% when she officially became Kanda's girlfriend. However, after spending an intimate night together, her affection rose to 100%. Girls with 99% affection already love the Player deeply, but reaching 100% signifies a complete emotional bond. This only happens through mutual, loving intimacy. Any act of forced violation will cause affection to drop severely instead.)
Hearing the announcement, Kanda's mind shifted back into focus. He immediately sent a thought to the system.
"AL, what do you mean by inviting Eris into the system?"
The system's voice responded without delay.
>[Subject "Eris" will be granted a system similar to the Player's, though slightly less powerful. With it, she can continuously grow stronger, breaking past her natural limits.]
Kanda's brow furrowed slightly in thought. "Will it hurt her?"
>[No harm will come to her. Only her genetic structure will be reconstructed slightly to allow system compatibility. The process will be safe.]
Kanda remained silent for a few seconds, weighing the information carefully.
Noticing the unusual stillness, Eris leaned closer. Her hand touched his lightly. "Are you okay?" she asked simply.
Kanda gave a small nod. "I'm fine."
After a brief pause, his expression turned serious. He looked her directly in the eyes.
"Eris... I need to tell you something important," he said.
"What is it, Kanda?" Eris asked, confused by his serious expression.
Kanda took a deep breath and began, "It's like this, Eris..."
He started explaining everything — how he had died from an electric shock, met with the system, and finally ended up reincarnated in this world.
Eris listened carefully from start to finish. When he finished, she looked him in the eyes and asked,
"Kanda, I want you to be honest. Do you really love me?"
Taken aback by her sudden question, Kanda immediately replied,
"Of course, Eris. I love you very much. If I didn't, I wouldn't have told you all this."
Hearing his earnest answer, Eris gave him a brilliant smile.
"In that case, I don't care where you came from. I love you, whether you're from this world or not. My only wish is that you'll stay by my side forever, Kanda."
"Of course," Kanda said, smiling warmly. "I'll always be by your side, Eris. Forever."
They leaned in and shared a passionate kiss, pouring their feelings into it until they finally separated, satisfied.
"So... what happens to me now, Kanda?" Eris asked, still holding onto him.
"Wait a second, Eris," Kanda said, before turning to speak to the empty air, "I want to invite Eris to the system."
Eris blinked in confusion — then, suddenly, she heard a voice inside her head:
>[Player "Ichijou Kanda" is attempting to invite subject "Eris" to the system. Do you accept?]
Without hesitation, Eris answered aloud, "Yes."
The voice continued:
>[Subject "Eris" has accepted the invitation. Establishing connection with Player "Ichijou Kanda"... Connection successful. Welcome, Subject "Eris," to the system.]
At that moment, a soft white light wrapped around Eris's body before quickly fading. She looked down at herself, trying to feel any changes — but there was nothing unusual.
"Kanda... why can't I feel any difference?" Eris asked, puzzled.
"Don't worry," Kanda reassured her. "AL already finished the changes. Try saying 'Status' — you'll see."
Following his instructions, Eris said, "Status," and a translucent screen appeared in front of her:
---
Name: Eris
Age: 16
Title: The Chosen One, Catia's Scout Agent
STR: 100 DEF: 70 AGI: 100 INT: 70 LUCK: 50
Skills:
---
"What is this?" Eris asked, staring at the screen in wonder.
"This is your status," Kanda explained. "The system interprets your abilities into five types of stats. It also displays the skills you've learned."
Eris scanned the screen excitedly.
"Oh... I can see the skills I trained for during my time with the Catia Exploration Team. But what about my titles? I know I'm a 'Catia's Scout Agent,' but what's 'The Chosen One'?"
"You can ask AL about that," Kanda suggested.
"AL?" Eris tilted her head in confusion.
"I call the system 'AL'," Kanda said with a small laugh before asking aloud, "AL, can you explain her titles?"
>[Affirmative. "Catia's Scout Agent" reflects her position before receiving access to the system. This title grants a 25% initial success rate for missions involving scouting, investigation, or reconnaissance.
(A/N: Normally, when scouting a new planet, she'd start with a 0% success rate due to barriers like unfamiliar languages or hostile forces. This title provides a significant starting advantage, which can be increased further through other means.)
"The Chosen One" title was granted after receiving the Player's invitation to the system. It doubles the subject's learning speed for new skills and knowledge. Additionally, her life is now connected to the Player's, allowing her to receive blessings from him in the future.]
Eris listened carefully, her heart pounding a little faster at the implications.
After AL's explanation, Kanda spoke seriously, "Eris, I want you to keep this secret for now, at least until I can explain everything properly to the others."
"Why, Kanda?" she asked.
"I just want to make sure our surroundings are secure — I'm worried about Madam J launching another attack. I promise I'll explain it to everyone later," Kanda said firmly.
Eris fell silent for a moment, then nodded.
"...Fine. But I want my sisters to hear your story too, Kanda."
"Of course, Eris," Kanda said with a smile.
After finishing their conversation, Kanda and Eris checked out of the hotel. The walk to the house took about an hour, but the weather was nice, and they didn't mind. When they finally arrived, Maya greeted them warmly at the door—Kanda had already told her they were coming.
==Inside the house==
As they stepped in, Kanda and Eris immediately noticed that everyone was already gathered in the living room. Aoi, Manami, and Melwin were sitting together, all of them giving Kanda and Eris a look that was full of silent questions.
Kanda and Eris took a seat side by side on the couch. The tension in the room was almost comical.
Finally, Manami spoke up, crossing her arms with a serious expression.
"So... can I ask where you two disappeared to last night?"
Kanda scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly.
"Well... we went on a date. Took a walk in the park, had dinner at a nice restaurant... and then, uh, spent the night at a hotel," he said honestly.
Hearing that, Aoi immediately turned her attention to Eris, eyes gleaming mischievously.
"Eris, did you... you know... do it with him?"
Eris's face turned bright red. She fidgeted a little but nodded shyly.
"Y-Yeah, we did..."
Chaika let out a low whistle, leaning backagainst her chair with a grin.
"Wow, Eris, you sure don't waste time. Sooo, how was it? Good?"
Eris's entire face practically exploded into a deeper shade of red. She opened her mouth but no words came out. Thankfully, Kanda jumped in to save her.
"Chaika, seriously, don't tease her like that. Maybe she'll tell you later... but not now," he said, giving Chaika a half-scolding look.
"Mou~ You're no fun, Kanda!" Chaika pouted exaggeratedly.
Durel, who had been quiet the whole time, simply nodded and said in her usual flat tone,
"Congratulations, Eris. You found your partner during your first year of heat. That's very efficient."
"T-Thank you, Dr. Durel," Eris mumbled shyly.
Just when things seemed to calm down, Aoi's voice cut through again, this time with a bit of anger.
"Kanda... do you know I'm really mad at you right now?"
Kanda chuckled a little, looking completely unfazed.
"Yeah, I know, Aoi. But don't worry... your turn's coming. I promise."
Aoi narrowed her eyes at him, but after a moment, she nodded.
"You better keep that promise."
"I will," Kanda said with a warm smile. Then he turned to Manami and Melwin.
"And you two as well. I'll make it up to you both after Aoi's turn."
Manami crossed her arms again but looked a little mollified.
"Good. You better," she said with a small huff, while Melwin just gave a small, understanding smile.
With that part of the conversation finally settled, Kanda turned to Durel.
"By the way, how was their training yesterday? Aoi and Manami, I mean."
Durel adjusted her glasses slightly before answering.
"They both showed strong determination. They didn't give up even once, despite the tough exercises."
Kanda nodded, clearly proud.
"That's great to hear. I had high expectations, and they didn't disappoint."
Leaning closer to Eris, he lowered his voice so only she could hear.
"Eris, I want you to join their training later. You need to get used to your new body."
Eris nodded seriously, just as eager to see what changes had happened after receiving the system.
But Aoi, sharp-eared as ever, caught onto their private conversation.
"What are you whispering about over there?" she asked suspiciously.
Kanda gave her a lazy smile.
"I just told Eris to train with you and Manami later. We need all the strength we can get for our upcoming fight against Madam J. Melwin, you too—I think you should join them."
Melwin perked up a little and nodded.
"Alright, I'll train with them."
The conversation drifted into lighter topics after that. Maya brought out some drinks and cookies she had baked, standing politely nearby.
"Kanda-sama," Maya spoke up, bowing slightly, "I have news. Antonia-sama has found the materials you requested."
Kanda blinked in surprise.
"Already? That's faster than I expected."
"Yes. However, she needs your help. She wasn't sure what to do with the materials after finding them," Maya explained.
"Did she say why?" Kanda asked, tilting his head.
"I'm sorry, she didn't tell me the details," Maya apologized softly.
"It's alright," Kanda said, waving it off. "I'll meet her after lunch. Maya, guide me there when it's time."
"As you wish, Kanda-sama," Maya said respectfully.
Hearing the conversation, Kuune spoke up from her seat.
"Kanda, what's this about materials? What are you planning?"
Kanda hesitated for a second, then answered honestly.
"...They're for my new weapon. I'm going to need it for the battles ahead."
"Couldn't you use something from our ship?" Kuune asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I already checked," Kanda said with a sheepish smile. "Melwin showed me around. Some of your ship's materials were useful, but the core components I need just weren't there."
Kuune nodded, understanding.
"Alright. If you need anything else, just let Melwin know. We'll help however we can."
Kanda smiled warmly at her.
"Thanks, Captain Kuune. I really appreciate it."
They all continued chatting casually, enjoying the snacks and drinks, feeling for a moment like a big, slightly chaotic family.
END OFTHE CHAPTER