SMASH or PASS

My next morning began with the weight of something resting on my stomach.

When I opened my eyes, Fenra’s face was right there. She was staring at me without blinking.

"Good morning..."

Instead of a reply, her tail tapped the bed twice.

She showed no sign of getting down.

Wolfkin are very territorial. And it seemed I was part of her territory now.

"Fenra, get down. I have something to do today."

Her ears twitched.

She wouldn’t get down.

"I’ll buy some bread on the way back."

She got down in a second.

Tsk. Tsk. What a greedy fella.

Let’s make sure to visit Rose’s bakery on the way—

"..."

Shit.

I just remembered what I forgot.

I forgot about my date with Rose.

◇◇◇

After completing Fenra’s morning ritual (bribed with bread), I changed my clothes and went to the guild.

I submitted my health certificate, and the cat beastman lady at the contract counter stamped it.

"Your breeding contract with Greenvale Ranch has been accepted. Departure is in three days. The caravan tickets will be delivered later by the courier."

"Thanks."

...That was quick!?

A contract that would change my life was settled with a procedure at the level of a neighborhood bulletin. The bureaucracy in this world is incredibly efficient.

◇◇◇

The rest of the day was boring.

I wandered around the market district, subjecting myself to the torture of researching the prices of things I couldn’t afford.

Short sword: 80 silver coins.

Leather breastplate: 120 silver coins.

My entire fortune: 8 silver coins.

"...."

Yeah, I knew it.

The math doesn’t add up. Quest income isn’t enough. Bronze rank isn’t even close. The breeding contract will close the gap, but the schedule is damn tight.

In other words, that ranch is my lifeline.

...Is that really a good life plan for a man?

◇◇◇

It was six in the evening.

The bakery door had a CLOSED TODAY sign hanging on it.

However, the door was unlocked.

Peeking inside, I saw Rose wiping the counter. She wasn’t wearing her work apron, but a white dress with lace on the sleeves. The fabric was thin, stretching dangerously tight across her large chest before draping loose over her wide hips. Every time she reached to wipe a spot, the hem rode up her thighs, revealing her pale and soft skin.

Her dark hair was freshly washed... or so I thought but it was already covered in flour from the cleaning. There was a white patch on her temple.

She must have rubbed her face unconsciously. It was so typical of her.

I knocked twice. The lock clicked right away, and the door opened.

"Oh! You came!"

"I told you I was coming."

"I know, but... hehe." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "Come in, come in! I made tea!"

The bakery after closing was a completely different world from during the day.

The ovens were cooling down. The shelves were empty. The setting sun streamed in through the window, creating long streaks of light on the wooden floor. Dust swirled slowly in the air.

The smell of yeast and lemon.

...Not bad.

The floor had been scrubbed, and two chairs stood side by side at the counter.

Three misshapen pastries sat on a plate.

"Not leftovers... I kept them. The most delicious looking ones."

"They’re misshapen, though."

"They taste the same."

Fair enough. I sat down.

"Sorry about yesterday—"

"N-no! It’s fine..."

Rose poured the tea. Her hands calmed, then trembled, then calmed again.

Interestingly enough, her huge milky tits where also bouncing with evrey moments, keeping my eyes glued to them.

The system fired.

[SMASH / PASS]

[Target: Rose]

[Tier: Common]

[SP Cost: 8]

I know, I know. 8 SP that I don’t fucking have.

I minimized the prompt.

I was broke as shit and the system still showed me the same price tag every single time. At this point it was just harassment.

Then, rose began to speak as if a dam had burst.

"You know, sixty customers came in today," Rose said, sitting down next to me.

"That’s a lot."

"It’s always like that before Restday. Everyone stocks up on bread." She pushed the plate toward me. "Papa kneads the dough at three in the morning. I do the shaping and the counter."

"Since when?"

"Since I was eleven." She held up her hands. Small burn scars dotted her fingers. "The oven bites. You get used to it."

I took a pastry and bit into it. Sweet, with some kind of berry filling, and better than anything the shape suggested.

"Good?"

"Good."

Her whole face lit up again, same as yesterday.

She kept talking.

About the bakery. About her father. About the broken oven that they couldn’t afford to repair. About her favorite customers and her least favorite customers. And then, about Sovereign Wall.

"I’ve never been inside, you know. Have you ever seen it, Noel?"

"Only from the outside."

"They say there are gardens in the noble district! Real ones! Made with alchemical soil, flowers bloom all year round!"

"Sounds expensive."

"Everything good is expensive."

She said, laughing.

Was she mature, or just tired? For a nineteen-year-old in this world, that distinction is difficult.

We talked while the light outside went orange. She told me about the flour merchant who always tried to shortchange them, and the catkin kids who pressed their faces against the window every morning, and the noble ladies who sent servants because they wouldn’t walk into the Patchwork themselves.

"What about boys your age?" I asked.

"What boys?" She laughed, but it came out flat. "The only men who come in here are escorted. Guards in front, guards behind. They point at the bread and the guards pay." She tucked her hair behind her ear. "You’re the only one who just... walks in. Buys bread. Talks to me like it’s normal."

I didn’t have a good answer for that, so I ate the second pastry instead.

"Where are you from, Noel? You never said."

"Far away."

"How far?"

"You wouldn’t find it on a map."

She puffed her cheeks at that, and I laughed, and she pretended to be angry for about four more seconds before giving up.

"Fine, keep your secrets." She stood to get water, and when she poured it her hands weren’t fidgeting anymore. "Ah, right. You said you registered at the guild? What kind of work?"

"A farm contract. I leave tomorrow for three days."

Her hands stopped.

"Three days," she repeated.

"Greenveil Pasture. It pays two gold."

"Two gold is a lot." She said it to the water cup. Then she looked up with a smile that took her visible effort.

"Then come back when you’re done. I’ll save you bread. The good kind, not the misshapen ones."

"Hm? But the misshapen ones tastes the same. I heard that from an expert."

She laughed for real that time.

The tea had cooled. The light had sunk.

Rose gently closed the distance between us on the bench.

I let her stay as she was.

"...Noel?"

"Hmm?"

"I’m glad you came."

It was full dark when I got up to leave. She walked me the four steps to the door, and we stood there for a moment in the smell of flour and yeast.

"Thanks for today," she said. "It wasn’t lonely."

Then she leaned up and kissed my cheek.

Ding!

[+1 SP]

...Huh?

How?

[You gain SP from intimate activities.]

...

The system mentioned something like this...

Honestly, I came here today to test that feature as well.

But hesitation got the better of me as we kept talking.

...Tsk.

I’ll use anything and everyone.

And she will be no exception.

"...Hey, Rose?" I smiled, putting on my friendliest expression.

"Y-yes?" she blushed in response.

"Would you mind if I spent the night here?"

Naturally, such a question would provoke intense shame or repulsion in a normal world.

After all, it was the equivalent of asking to fuck a woman I barely knew on the first date.

However, this world operates on the opposite logic.

Looking into her suddenly hungry, predatory eyes and intense smile, there could be only one answer.

"S-s-s-sure!" she replied, her skin flushed crimson.