[Preliminary conquest of Nohara Rin completed. Ambiguous relationship established.]
[Host has obtained the first-tier point reward: 3,000 points.]
[Bond relationship not yet confirmed. Please advance as soon as possible to complete bond establishment and obtain the second-tier reward.]
Shinji looked at the latest prompt that had just appeared in the system message notification bar.
"So I've already gotten the first-tier point reward?"
"I thought it would take more effort!"
He couldn't help but glance at Rin on his right. Though they were walking side by side, Rin was half a step behind him.
Staring at the "Ambiguous relationship established" prompt in the system, Shinji frowned and fell into thought.
He felt that this "ambiguous relationship" was essentially a sense of recognition.
Once recognition reached a certain threshold, the first stage was unlocked; if recognition continued to rise, the second stage could be unlocked.
Shinji then silently recited in his mind, and the personal information panels for Uchiha Mikoto and Rin unfolded in a corner of the light screen.
Uchiha Mikoto's conquest difficulty was marked as "extremely high," while Rin's was "low."
Seeing this, Shinji seemed to have some guesses in his mind.
"Rin and I have known each other for years, and we've kept in touch even after graduation. Rin's recognition of me was already quite high."
"In contrast, Uchiha Mikoto and I are just ordinary clan members, so her recognition value is very low."
Humans are social animals.
The three strongest bonds in life: sharing a classroom, sharing a battlefield, and sharing spoils.
"In other words, not just Rin, but those classmates from the same period should also be easy to conquer?"
Shinji's heart suddenly grew lively. But then it occurred to him that this [True Love System] might also require him to conquer males, and he immediately felt conflicted.
[Conquest targets include all things in the world, not limited to humans. Please explore on your own.]
Seeing this message, Shinji swallowed hard and muttered quietly in his mind:
"This True Love System is too crude. If I really form a bond with a man, won't we end up bending each other later?"
At this thought, Shinji, who had just obtained the system, hadn't been happy for long before the corners of his mouth uncontrollably drooped.
…
Shinji led Rin and soon arrived at the Uchiha clan's residential area.
Not just Shinji, but Nohara Rin was also very familiar with this area, as she often came to look for the frequently late Obito.
Soon, the two stood before the slightly worn wooden door of Obito's house.
"Shinji, we can't do this."
"Do what? What do you mean?"
"I mean… my hand, can, can you let go?"
Nohara Rin turned her head away, lightly biting her lower lip, not daring to look directly at Shinji.
It was fine along the way, just being pulled along without encountering anyone. But now they were already at Obito's doorstep, and her heart was pounding wildly.
Shinji smiled, deliberately teasing her: "If I let go, can I hold it again in the future?"
At these words, Nohara Rin's watery eyes looked at Shinji, steam seeming to rise from her head. Her lips trembled a few times, but she couldn't manage to utter a complete sentence.
"I, I…"
Nohara Rin was naturally gentle and found it hard to refuse others. Shinji didn't want to make her too uncomfortable, so he gently released her hand, giving it a light brush on the back before a triumphant smile spread across his lips, accompanied by a soft chuckle.
Some things could wait—good girls shouldn't be missed. As for Obito, he could be set aside for now.
Only then did Rin realize he had been teasing her. Yet, the moment he let go, an inexplicable, faint sense of reluctance flickered through her heart.
"Huh? Rin? What are you doing here?"
Just ahead of them, the door creaked open, and Obito stepped out, his gaze immediately falling on their recently separated hands.
"Wait, hold on! Shinji, why are you here too? What did you just do to Rin?"
"Shinji, did you… hold Rin's hand?"
Obito rubbed his eyes vigorously, as if he had been seeing things. He couldn't believe what he had witnessed and practically leaped out of the doorway, rushing over to Shinji in a few quick strides.
He first turned to look at Rin, noticing her flushed cheeks and evasive eyes, and his heart sank instantly.
"It's not like that, Obito, don't misunderstand!" Rin quickly waved her hands, her voice tinged with panic. "I happened to be in the Uchiha clan's area and ran into Shinji on the way, so we came together."
"But I clearly saw you holding hands with Shinji…"
As he spoke, Obito clasped his own hands together, mimicking the gesture of holding hands, his voice filled with agitation and resentment.
Rin had held hands with someone, right in front of him. And he had never even touched Rin's hand once.
Obito abruptly shifted his gaze back to Shinji, his eyes reddening as he pointed a trembling finger at him. "Hey! Shinji, did you bully Rin?"
People often believe what they want to believe and find reasons to comfort themselves.
Take Obito at this moment—he couldn't accept any explanation. He instinctively assumed that Shinji must have forced or bullied Rin, which fueled his righteous indignation.
His lips quivered, and the muscles in his face twisted slightly. In his mind, Rin and Shinji shouldn't have had much interaction.
"Impossible, impossible! How could Shinji, how could he be with Rin?"
Rin spread her arms, shielding Shinji behind her, and said sternly, "Obito! Don't bully Shinji! It's not what you think!"
Seeing Rin still protecting Shinji, Obito's expression instantly fell, his voice tinged with grievance. "Rin, then what were you two doing just now…"
Rin felt a headache coming on, unsure how to explain, and even felt a vague reluctance to do so. She didn't understand why Obito was reacting so strongly.
Watching Rin step forward to defend him, Shinji felt a warmth in his heart. Was she instinctively shielding him?
He shook his head, gently patted Rin's arm, and stepped out from behind her, deciding to help her out of this awkward situation.
This time, he had won completely.
Shinji gently pulled Rin behind him.
"Huh? Shinji?"
Rin looked at him, puzzled.
Shinji gave her a reassuring glance before turning to Obito and speaking slowly. "I just ran into Rin on the way."
"As for earlier, we were chatting and didn't notice, and Rin almost tripped. I just helped her up."
"If you don't believe me, look here, Obito. The path in front of your house really needs fixing."
"Rin was too embarrassed to say anything!"
Whether by coincidence or not, the spot Shinji pointed to was right at their feet—a small, uneven pit, just the right size to trip someone if they stepped on it!
As he spoke, he deliberately stepped forward and stomped heavily on the pit. The ground let out a dull "thump," as if silently confirming his words.
Nohara Rin and Obito both followed his pointing finger and indeed saw the pit!
Especially Obito, who seemed to have grasped a lifeline. He looked at Shinji and urgently confirmed:
"So... I misunderstood?"