Chapter 94: Sexually Frustrated

After using Shadow Step consecutively, Reiji and Aoi finally arrived back at the alley near their neighborhood.

The moment they appeared, Reiji released the hand around her waist.

"Thank you," Aoi said with a small smile.

"..."

’Who the hell thanks someone they blackmailed?’ Reiji thought to himself.

Without saying another word, he activated Shadow Step again.

His figure disappeared into the shadows.

Aoi simply watched him leave.

Despite receiving no response, she didn’t seem bothered.

After all from now on, he was practically the one putting food on her table.

She looked down at herself. There wasn’t a single scratch on her body. Even her combat armor remained spotless.

"I can’t believe I actually went on a raid... without raiding."

She laughed to herself.

"This must be what it feels like to have someone else do all the heavy lifting."

The weight on her shoulders genuinely felt lighter. A Gate that would’ve taken her team hours to clear... had been finished in less than ten minutes.

’What a monstrosity...’

Aoi shook her head.

’He has to be at least B-Rank... maybe even A-Rank.’

Still she knew people far stronger existed.

S-Rank Awakeners.

The monsters standing at the very peak of Japan. The night wind brushed gently against her face.

Aoi sighed.

’Will I really stay D-Rank forever?’

Once Awakened your Rank was determined, it never changed.

It was an unbreakable rule everyone knew.

Thinking about it any longer wouldn’t accomplish anything.

Instead, she looked at the pouch hanging from her belt.

Three monster cores. One of them belonged to the Boss.

A smile slowly spread across her face. "This should be enough for a nice shopping trip."

She began walking home.

"I just hope tomorrow is even more profitable." Her smile widened. "Maybe... someday I’ll even buy a villa."

She immediately laughed at herself. She knew how ridiculous that sounded.

An ordinary villa would require well over a thousand F-Rank cores.

Still anything felt possible with the Night Empress around.

For the first time in a long while... she genuinely looked forward to tomorrow.

***

Meanwhile... Reiji appeared inside his own house.

He pulled off the oversized hoodie before removing the mask and gloves.

After tossing everything onto his bed, he walked into the bathroom and splashed cold water across his face.

Droplets slid down the mirror as he stared at his own reflection.

He ran a hand through his damp hair before letting out a long sigh.

"...Fuck. My mental state is screwed."

His eyes slowly drifted downward at the obvious bulge on his pants.

"...Seriously?" He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Do you really want to get me into trouble?"

When he used Shadow Step with Aoi, his arm had been wrapped around her waist.

Their bodies had pressed together for a brief moment.

Especially the soft pressure against his chest.

At first, he hadn’t paid it any attention.

His focus had been entirely on the experiment.

But apparently his body had other ideas.

The moment his brain processed the warmth and contact, every instinct he had carefully ignored for months suddenly woke up.

Reiji cursed under his breath.

’This is dangerous.’

—Beyond dangerous.

Ever since having sex with Hina, everything had changed.

But unluckily for him, the very next day she had been taken away.

Months had passed since then.

He had buried himself in training, Dungeon Gates, and the System.

He never had time to think about anything else.

Until tonight.

"Hina... Please come back."

His voice sounded unusually tired.

He opened the cabinet beside the sink before grabbing the bottle of baby oil resting inside.

Don’t ask why it was there.

After coating his hands with the oil, he took a deep breath.

"Please... I don’t want to end up sexually frustrated."

He unzipped his pants. The moment his hands wrapped around his length he let out a low groan. Then his hand began moving.

Slowly at first. Then faster.

Another quiet groan escaped his lips.

"...Fuck."

He hadn’t done this in what felt like forever.

Back on Earth, he had been an ordinary teenage boy with his own room with internet access.

After transmigrating... everything changed.

Hina entered his life. Then the System.

Then constant life-and-death battles. There simply hadn’t been time.

His breathing gradually became heavier.

His grip tightened.

The image of Hina slowly appeared inside his mind.

Her long dark hair. Her smile.

The way she looked at him, her soft ass, her wet pussy tightening around his dick.

The thought made his movements become faster.

"...Almost..."

Then without warning...

Hina’s face blurred.

A different face replaced it.

Blonde hair. Blue eyes. A teasing smile.

"...Aoi?"

Reiji’s eyes widened.

His hand almost stopped.

Almost.

But he had already reached the point of no return.

’Whatever... Cake is cake. It’s only my imagination anyway...’

"Urgh...!"

*Sprrt!*

His body finally relaxed.

Reiji blinked at the tissue in complete silence.

"That’s... a lot."

He frowned.

’Did leveling up somehow increase my sperm count...?’

The thought sounded so ridiculous that even he couldn’t believe he had seriously considered it.

After cleaning everything up, he threw the tissues into the trash before wiping the floor one last time.

"...What the hell am I even thinking?"

With another sigh, he stripped off the rest of his clothes and stepped into the bathtub.

Warm water slowly filled it.

Reiji leaned back, resting his head against the edge as steam gradually filled the bathroom.

His eyes remained fixed on the ceiling.

"...Why?"

His voice barely rose above a whisper.

"Why did Aoi appear?"

For several minutes only the sound of running water answered him.

He replayed the evening over and over inside his head.

Buying crepes. The Dungeon. Shadow Step. Holding her waist.

That was it. That had to be it.

Skin contact.

His body had simply remembered the warmth of another person after months without intimacy.

Nothing more. Nothing less.

He wanted to believe that.

Because the alternative made him uncomfortable.

He already had enough problems.

The System. The Gates. The military.

Hina.

Adding Aoi to that list was the last thing he wanted. And he guessed that Aoi wasn’t even thinking the same thing.

"...You’re overthinking it."

He closed his eyes.

"It was just physical contact. Anyone would’ve reacted."

"... Probably."

Even as he said those words, he wasn’t entirely convinced. Besides he couldn’t afford to have feelings for her because knowing Hina’s character it wouldn’t end well for the both of them. Especially for Aoi.

After finishing his bath, Reiji changed into a loose black nightshirt and comfortable pants before quietly making his way back to his room.

The moment he fell onto the bed, every muscle in his body relaxed.

"...Finally."

He closed his eyes. Just as sleep was about to claim him...

~Ring! ~Ring!

His phone vibrated on the bedside table.

A familiar ringtone echoed through the quiet room.

Without even looking at the screen a small smile spread across Reiji’s face.

"My baby... Hina."