"Alright, are you in a hurry to play with it right now?" Yusei affectionately patted Kanna's little head.
"Not in a hurry. Kanna, Shiro, and Tohru-sama are playing cards right now." Kanna narrowed her eyes, enjoying the touch.
"Then I'll buy it for you tomorrow when I get back from going out."
"Okay."
Watching Kanna run back into the room on her short legs, Yusei turned his attention back to Utaha.
After Kanna's interruption, the previous atmosphere had dissipated, and Utaha had also regained her composure.
Although her face was still flushed, she didn't mention wearing that outfit again.
Besides, with the little ones at home now, it wouldn't be good if they saw.
Utaha looked at Yusei, the blush on her face fading as she muttered, "Lolicon."
Yusei didn't refute it, just said casually, "Just different preferences, that's all. But I'm an 'everything-con'. I like you too, Senpai."
Hearing such a frank statement, Utaha felt both happy and indignant.
'Clearly, if this guy could speak so openly in front of me, he probably spoke even more openly in front of others.'
Thinking this, Utaha stopped dwelling on the matter of the outfit and the promise. She sat on the sofa opposite Yusei and looked at him seriously.
"Yusei-kun, I want to know what you're really thinking."
"About what specifically?"
"I want to know why you can so calmly tell other girls 'I like you' when you already have a girlfriend?"
Hearing the seriousness in Utaha's voice, Yusei thought for a moment, then spoke frankly.
"On the second day of school after returning from SAO, I told you I had a girlfriend because I didn't want to lie to you."
"And now, when I say I like you, it's not because I'm tired of my girlfriend and want to find a new one."
"If that's the case, then why do you... Are you really aiming for a... harem?" Utaha looked at Yusei, puzzled.
Actually, when Utaha talked about a harem, it had always been somewhat joking, because this is modern society, where people's mindsets are generally geared towards monogamy.
At least, when Utaha mentioned a harem, she was teasing Yusei. She hadn't expected Yusei to actually have such an idea.
"Haven't you already figured out the reason? I won't deceive people, treating you all like fools. I have a girlfriend, but I also like you and other girls. Why can't I pursue the things I like?"
Yusei said this leisurely.
In this world, no, perhaps in any world, capable, powerful individuals always have various privileges.
Yusei felt he should have privileges, so he pursued them.
Perhaps in the future, when going to other worlds, there would be even more. So he didn't plan to deceive, and he would be direct and frank.
Hearing Yusei's almost self-sabotaging confession, Utaha gave him a deeply resentful look.
What guy tells a girl, 'I have a girlfriend, but I like you too, so why don't you also be my girlfriend'?
Wasn't that a surefire way to get slapped, cursed at, and then left?
But Utaha really couldn't do that right now, because she truly felt Yusei was exceptionally outstanding.
At the very least, she had hopelessly fallen for this young man who had initially pestered her.
Sighing, a look of determination appeared on Utaha's face.
"I won't accept it."
"Is that so?" Yusei's expression didn't change much. He just nodded faintly. He felt a bit disappointed inside, but wasn't too surprised.
No one would be willing to share their boyfriend or girlfriend. Right now, Yusei was just being hypocritical.
But what he needed to do now was find those who would accept his hypocrisy.
However, Utaha continued, "But I won't give up either. Yusei-kun, I believe that sooner or later, you will realize that cuteness is no match for sex appeal."
With a confident smile once more, Utaha left Yusei's house, taking the outfit with her.
But that wasn't the key point.
Yusei felt somewhat frustrated, 'Did the conversation veer off track today, getting forcibly pulled into a discussion about views on love?'
Just now, he was a bit carried away by Utaha's questioning.
Actually, for matters like this, gentle persistence was the best approach.
Scratching his head, Yusei decided to just take things one step at a time.
However, he wasn't worried at all about Utaha's 'stubbornness'.
They're all in the pot anyway. At most, they'll splash around a bit, but in the end, they'll still be eaten.
Well, a big pot stew!
In the evening, after eating the tail meat Tohru prepared, Yusei felt his slightly strengthened body and patted his stomach with satisfaction.
Tohru watched Yusei grumpily from the side.
"How can you, a human, possibly resist the toxins in my tail meat?"
"Don't you know about a trait called 'adaptation'? Simply put, my body has adapted to your toxins." Yusei shrugged.
Tohru grumpily went to wash the dishes.
Sometimes she felt like smashing the plates, but thinking this was her job for living here, she held back.
As a dragon of high moral character, exchanging labor for lodging was necessary.
Yusei, enduring his dizzy head, quickly returned to his room and immediately cast a healing spell on himself.
Feeling his body gradually recover, he breathed a sigh of relief, and the Mangekyo Sharingan in his eyes slowly faded.
Adaptation? Resistance? That was all nonsense. If the human body truly had such powerful abilities, the African plains would be full of tough guys wrestling lions and elephants bare-handed.
Last time, after eating Tohru's tail meat and gaining physical enhancement benefits, Yusei felt this was a valuable opportunity.
So, he used his left eye's ability to replace the [Genius] skill with the [Healing Spell] Kanna had used on him.
This healing spell could only handle simple injuries and clear abnormal statuses, but that was enough.
Yusei had already planned it out: eating tail meat once a day from now on, his body would eventually grow strong enough to wrestle an elephant.
Purely physical fitness, without any Sword Intent or other ability enhancements.