Chapter 116: The First Step

The night couldn’t get worse as Reiji found Aoi holding onto him tightly like a freaking pillow.

Reiji had suggested sleeping on the floor like a polite gentleman, just as he had a week ago when she arrived, but he didn’t know that Sleeping Beauty would fall from the bed almost every day, and this was the third time.

And after falling, she didn’t even wake up and continued sleeping like a log. To make matters worse, this time she rolled over and wrapped Reiji tightly in a hug from behind.

Reiji’s face had already turned red as his little brother was already reacting inside his shorts.

’Why does this feel so familiar?’ Reiji thought to himself as he pushed away his lustful thoughts. If Reiji had bad intentions, he would’ve already taken advantage of her because her nightgown was so thin that one could practically see everything, not to mention how light the fabric was, making the slightest touch feel seductive.

He lightly tapped Aoi’s leg to wake her up. After seeing no reaction, Reiji increased the force, which did the trick. Aoi lazily opened her eyes and spoke groggily, "Morning already?"

"Get up."

"Huh?" Aoi muttered, still half asleep as she rubbed her eyes.

"I said get your butt up. You said nothing attached, but here you are cuddling me like I’m your boyfriend."

Aoi’s eyes snapped open immediately as she looked around. She instantly separated herself from Reiji like a mouse that had just been doused with hot water.

Her face was bright red, and she couldn’t even utter a single word, afraid anything she said might actually make things worse. She could only stammer.

Reiji stared at her for a while before sighing. "You’re a beautiful young lady, and I’m a man. You’re practically defenseless. What if I was someone with ulterior motives?"

"I know you’re not." Aoi muttered weakly in a slightly stammering voice.

"Even so, you shouldn’t let your guard down. Like I said, I’m a man. And I’m not perfect."

"But I don’t mind..." Aoi muttered, her voice barely audible, but with Reiji’s enhanced hearing, he heard her clearly, making his own face turn red as he lay down.

"Alright. Go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." Reiji said as he closed his eyes, his face still burning hot from what he had just heard.

"Hmmm." Aoi nodded as she climbed onto the bed and wrapped herself in the blanket. Just now, she had hugged Reiji so tightly, and his scent was still on her. She couldn’t contain her excitement. She just wished they could cuddle like a real couple throughout the night. The thought of that made her even more flustered as she turned and stared at Reiji’s back.

She didn’t care about Reiji’s warning, and honestly, she wanted Reiji to do those things with her. She didn’t know why, but maybe it was because those thoughts had never crossed her mind before, and now that they had, the feeling was strong.

"Would he ever love me the way he loves her?" Aoi muttered to herself again.

And Reiji, who wasn’t asleep yet, heard this clearly. ’Wait, when did she suddenly develop feelings for me?’

Reiji knew that this wasn’t something that whispering into her ear would cause. Thinking about it, he remembered Aoi had been acting strangely lately. ’That’s it. Honestly, it’s better this way. At least it won’t seem as if I’m forcing myself on her. Though I don’t have those kinds of feelings for her yet, at least it’s possible knowing she has a thing for me.’

Unknowingly, a small smile played on his lips. Though he knew the consequences, he was ready to face them. Or maybe not. Reiji recalled Hina stabbing the previous Reiji to death to keep him all to herself.

’I just hope she doesn’t do that again.’ Reiji quietly prayed in his mind as he fell into sleep’s embrace.

---

Morning came as quietly as it had, and the morning birds chirped happily, welcoming the brand-new day.

Inside the apartment, Reiji sat on the couch with a serious expression. A tablet lay on the coffee table in front of him, displaying a large business building.

"The plan remains the same. You go to the company, tell them you’re there for the position of Assistant Manager, show them this file, follow my instructions, and after a few days, you do what I tell you to do, and we’re done with this." Reiji said to Aoi while petting Vel beside him.

"Relax. You’ve said this like a hundred times since I got here. I won’t mess this up."

"No, no. I need you to follow my instructions so you won’t mess it up."

"Fine." Aoi said as she stood up, setting Vel back gently on the couch. She straightened the black suit she wore and picked up her handbag.

"I’ve got everything already sorted. You just need to go to the company, blah blah blah, and we’re done."

"I got this."

"Also, your Uber should be here any minute." Reiji said casually as he headed upstairs.

Aoi felt a little touched that Reiji had actually thought of her when she suddenly realized something and quickly logged into her bank app.

"You shithead!"

Aoi cursed under her breath as she left the house. Though she knew that Reiji couldn’t use Hina’s card or his own because it would be very suspicious, seeing the money in one’s account drop hurt more than one could imagine.

She stared at the balance in her bank account for several seconds.

"He better pay me back for this..." She clenched her phone tightly before shoving it into her handbag.

The Uber had already arrived outside. Aoi took one last look at the apartment before stepping out.

She entered and the Uber took off. Inside the car, Aoi glanced at the list of reminders Reiji had prepared.

"Don’t forget what I told you."

"Don’t improvise."

"Don’t get into unnecessary arguments."

"I know..." Aoi muttered as she squished the paper into her bag.

’He really doesn’t trust me.’ She couldn’t help smiling. ’Well... maybe he has a point.’

As the vehicle continued driving away, Aoi leaned back against the seat and looked at the resume Reiji had given her.

Everything was inside. Her fake work history, fake qualifications, and the position she was supposed to apply for.

Reiji had planned everything with almost unsettling precision.

’He really thought this through.’

Aoi’s expression became serious. She had initially thought the plan was simply about getting her into the company. But the more she looked through the information, the more she understood.

Reiji wasn’t trying to get her hired just because he needed someone inside. He was trying to manipulate the company’s internal structure without attracting attention. And if everything went according to plan, the person they were targeting wouldn’t even realize what had happened until it was too late.

Aoi slowly closed the file. ’This guy really is scary sometimes.’

She took out the AirPods Reiji had given her and put one in her ear.

’He said that this is different from ordinary earbuds. I saw him up that night dismantling it, but the location of the company and his home are quite far...’

As soon as Aoi tapped on the power button on the earbud in her ear, Reiji’s voice came through.

"Aoi? Can you hear me clearly?"

"Y-Yes..." Aoi muttered quietly. Her face had a slight blush on it.

"When you reach the company, make sure to let me know, okay? Have a safe trip."

Aoi’s face instantly turned hot as she covered her burning face with her hands. ’Ahh, it’s as if he’s whispering into my heart the way he keeps his voice so gentle. I can’t.’

Meanwhile, Reiji sat in the living room with a serious expression. More serious than anything so far. Even Reiji was surprised because even when facing stronger monsters, he had never been this focused.

Reiji tightly squeezed his hands. If everything went smoothly, Aoi would be working as the Assistant Manager, and after a week or a few days, the main plan could be set into motion.

’It will be much easier now that Mom is away for a vacation. All the staff will be busy, and with everything I set up so far, it all comes down to how well Aoi can adapt. Knowing her, there shouldn’t be any problems.’ Reiji let out a breath before realizing something. ’Am I getting too trusting of her?’

Reiji brushed off the thought as he knew it was only normal after having worked, or rather, spent a couple of weeks with her.

Reiji let out a long breath as he stood up.

_____

[Daily Quest: Training For Dominion]

[PUSH-UPS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}

[SQUATS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}

[SIT-UPS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}

[RUNNING] – [0/20KM] {Incomplete}

[Bonus Objective: Wear Mana Suppression Weights for 24 Hours.]

[Reward: ???]

[Failure: ???]

_____

He stared at the screen in front of him silently, reminding him to complete his daily quest. "When will this damn system actually come through with its promise? It’s been months now."

The system, as cheeky as always, replied.

[You have to stop whining and keep grinding, Host. The harder, the better. (⁠ ͝⁠°⁠ ͜⁠ʖ͡⁠°⁠)⁠ᕤ]

"Enough with your bullshit." Reiji got down and started with the push-ups since the weights were already on.

Reiji quickly finished his set naturally and moved on to the next exercise, and before long, he completed everything except the running.

Reiji started the treadmill and increased the speed without much thought. The 20KM that would’ve been exhausting to an ordinary person was nothing to him anymore.

His body had already gone through countless battles and training with the Mana Suppression Weights. Even with them still on, running at this speed barely made him sweat.

’This is getting surprisingly easy by the day.’

Reiji glanced at the treadmill screen as the distance slowly increased. He didn’t even bother slowing down. His mind was more focused on Aoi and how the plan was going.

’Hopefully she doesn’t mess anything up.’

Meanwhile, Aoi finally arrived at the company.

She stood in front of the large building and stared at it for a few seconds before taking a deep breath.

"Alright... let’s do this."

She adjusted her suit and entered the building.

Inside, several employees were moving around while others were busy with their work. Aoi quietly followed the instructions Reiji had given her and approached the reception desk.

"I’m here for the Assistant Manager position."

The receptionist looked at her before checking something on the computer.

"Name?"

Aoi gave her the fake name Reiji had prepared.

The receptionist typed for a few seconds before her expression suddenly changed.

"Please wait here."

Aoi raised an eyebrow.

’Why did she suddenly look like that?’

The receptionist immediately picked up the phone.

"Yes, she’s here."

Aoi’s heart skipped a beat.

’Who is she calling?’

Then the receptionist looked directly at her.

"The Manager wants to see you."