The Art of Affection: A New Strategy

Wondering what was happening, I turned to see Jack, his face utterly drained of color. He had tossed the knife aside and fled a short distance, now trembling uncontrollably.

“Why do you always refuse? I haven’t even given you commands that go against your disposition.”

“Tell us to do something sensible! What in the world am I supposed to do with this?!”

‘No, wait. Come to think of it, I’ve never actually entered a command for a companion character to attack me.’

It was a sudden, profound realization. Of course. People generally don’t ask their companion characters to attack them. That’s usually reserved for playing around with friends, capturing funny videos or screenshots.

Would Nocturne be unresponsive as well? I shifted my gaze to him, and he, at least, didn’t appear to be in such a terrible state. Perhaps his evil alignment made him more amenable to such a request.

“Nocturne, would you mind stabbing me with this?”

“Sir Haut, people typically die when they’re stabbed with a knife.”

“I’m telling you, this sword won’t kill you if you’re stabbed! None of you will die if you’re pierced by this. Anyone who has this embedded in them becomes invincible.”

“Well, a corpse certainly has no enemies.”

“If we’re going by that logic, then ghouls should be the strongest creatures on Earth, shouldn’t they?”

“I suppose I have no counter-argument there.”

After a prolonged hesitation, Nocturne finally bent down and retrieved the knife from the floor. He then positioned himself behind me, merely staring, the blade un-plunged. When I turned, perplexed, Nocturne evaded my gaze and let out a weary sigh.

“Can’t we just go hunt some demons instead?”

“I don’t understand why you’re acting this way. Is it truly that difficult to simply plunge a knife into my body?”

“You might die, sir. I… honestly can’t comprehend this. Yes, I’m scared, and yes, I don’t want to do it. But to take it this far… I don’t want to put your life on the line like this. What exactly do you take us for?”

‘Why are they suffering so intensely? It’s merely a single stab. I haven’t asked them to commit any evil deeds. Did I command them to kill, to steal, or even to set a fire?’

“Have you, by any chance, developed feelings for me?”

“That’s an incredibly abrupt thing to say.”

“You don’t want me to get hurt?”

“I truly don’t know how low Sir Haut’s capacity for empathy is. To assume that simply not stabbing someone with a knife equates to affection… what on earth happened during your long life to make you think that way?”

“You’re adorable. Even though I’ve always called you a hamster.”

“As expected, you’re not listening to me again.”

Could his affection rating have increased, even if by a minuscule amount? I found myself strangely intrigued. If that was truly the reason, then I had no choice. Though it felt awkward, I would have to do it myself. As I extended my hand towards Nocturne, he grimaced with a distinct discomfort before handing the knife back.

“Now, where should I stab myself so it won’t be too uncomfortable—?”

“Wait! Stop! I said stop! Are you actually going to do it yourself?!”

“It would be a pity to force it, especially when his affection rating has finally risen.”

“Just don’t do it at all! How can you even suggest we go out and have fun after something like this?!”

“There won’t be any problem. Not if it works as I anticipate.”

“But if your prediction is wrong, you’ll die!!!”

“If I die, I die, so why worry? Oh, and I’ll tell you in advance: if I fail and die, please don’t bury me in the ground.”

It’s difficult to crawl back out again. At my words, they merely adopted another strange expression. How do I even make you people laugh? You truly have no sense of humor whatsoever. Though, that little sprout fluttering on his head is rather endearing.

“Come on, smile a little. There are so many interesting things here, I promise.”

“Who would laugh in a situation like this? I’m not insane!”

“Let’s eat and then go shopping. The food here is delicious, too.”

“N-n-no—!!? Stop! Please, just stop it!!”

With a decisive motion, I plunged Isra’s Sword into my own chest.

“Sir Haut, you truly are alright, aren’t you?”

“I told you, didn’t I? Stop asking. It doesn’t hurt in the slightest.”

“If that’s the case, then… it’s a relief, I suppose.”

With the sword embedded, wearing a shirt was impossible, so I was currently walking around bare-chested. I couldn’t shake the feeling that NPCs were actively avoiding me. Was it the Void energy emanating from me? Well, if it meant fewer inconveniences, I wouldn’t complain.

Though I had been genuinely uncertain myself, the experiment had proven successful. The Void stat was no longer increasing; it remained completely frozen. The blade protruding from my lower back was admittedly quite uncomfortable.

“I should have plunged it a bit lower. The sword’s hilt keeps snagging right under my chin.”

“Please… please, let’s just go hunt some demons. I truly don’t want to go to these lengths.”

“Stop your incessant whining. More importantly, how do you like the clothes you’re wearing now? Do they suit you? Are they uncomfortable at all?”

“To be thinking about dressing us up and playing games at a time like this—what is wrong with your mind?!”

After eating, we arrived at a costume shop. While the game boasted numerous establishments selling attire, this one, to my knowledge, offered the most expensive and exquisite selections. It was also known for occasionally yielding rare, randomly-optioned clothing.

Nocturne and Faust were sprawled exhaustedly on a sofa in a corner of the shop. Meanwhile, I was browsing clothes for Jack, who, at least, appeared to have a semblance of stamina left. I would have liked to sit on the sofa myself, but the blade protruding from my back kept catching, so I simply dragged over a box to sit on instead.

The shopkeeper approached, refilling my plate of finished snacks as he spoke.

“Your, ah, customer’s accessory is rather… unique, isn’t it?”

“Accessory? Are you referring to my necklace? This is merely a holy symbol.”

“No, I meant the… sword-like object that appears to have pierced through your back.”

“It’s a sword. So what of it?”

“Er… pardon?”

“Hmm, let’s just call it performance art.”

Too lazy to offer a full explanation, I simply dismissed the matter. The shopkeeper, beads of sweat trickling down his face, poured tea into a cup before backing away. It seemed this batch of snacks was merely butter cookies. The cheesy ones from earlier had been quite good, though these were acceptable too.

Munching audibly on a cookie, I turned to Jack and asked.

“You don’t like it? Well, black is stylish, but perhaps a bit too classic. Let’s try a red shirt instead.”

“Do I really have to get dressed up like this? No, seriously, what kind of situation is this?!”

“Stop yelling. It’s perfectly fine to feel good and boost your mood by wearing attractive clothes. What could possibly be as important as your appearance? I’d wager 98.2% of this game is played purely for the pleasure of customizing one’s outfit.”

“Hah… I don’t even know anymore.”

“Don’t sigh. You’ll scare away good fortune.”

Currently, Jack was adorned in a green shirt, a navy overcoat, and black trousers. While the ensemble suited him, the green felt slightly out of place. Perhaps a red shirt paired with a black coat would be better? At my gestured command, the staff attending to Jack swiftly scurried, returning with an assortment of differently colored garments of the same design, which they promptly began to try on him.

A visibly wilted Jack silently donned whatever clothes were handed to him. He showed no inclination to choose anything himself.

“Aren’t you two going to pick anything else?”

“We… have enough.”

Nocturne looked as though he might melt into the sofa, completely deflated like a block of cheese. I had initially enjoyed choosing various outfits for them both, but after a short while, they seemed to tire quickly.

“You’re not children, to get bored just from trying on clothes. Good attire uplifts your mood, you know.”

“Sir Haut, I simply cannot comprehend your sensibilities! You choose such perfectly normal clothes for us, yet you parade around half-naked yourself.”

“If I wear clothes, they get ruined. Demon blood is incredibly difficult to wash out. If I wear an outfit once in battle, I have to discard it entirely.”

Indeed, the cost of the holy water used to cleanse demon blood far exceeded the price of the clothes themselves. As much as I possessed abundant wealth and embraced a crazy concept, I truly disliked having to repeat that bothersome process every single time. Moreover, holy water was a time-limited item, requiring a fresh purchase for each use.

“Look, can’t you just say thank you and smile? You two are always complaining, getting angry, or crying whenever we’re together. I just want us to have a bit more fun.”

“…I wish we could, but I don’t think this is the right situation for it.”

“If you keep acting like this, I’ll make you kiss me on the cheek, like I’m comforting children.”

“…We apologize.”

It was truly frustrating. Maybe I should make them kiss me. Faust avoided my gaze, his eyes brimming with tears, nervously watching me. Nocturne, on the other hand, stared directly at me with an incredulous look, clearly displeased by something.

‘Hmm, perhaps my approach has been all wrong?’

If the AI had been enhanced and interactions improved, maybe I shouldn’t be doing things the way I had been. The method of inputting commands might be flawed.

‘Should I just commit to treating this like a dating sim?’

“If I do that, the strategy will change completely.”

“What are you referring to?”

“Come to think of it, with such improved interactions, there might be an issue with simply dragging them along by inputting specific keywords, as I’ve done before. Despite acknowledging them as new, I couldn’t shake the thought of them being mere NPCs when interacting.”

They had already deviated completely from the typical NPC operational model. Had I been too fixated on the existing input-output methods? If the underlying system had changed, I should have approached them differently.

“First, let’s find out what you both like.”

Alright. I’ll change my working method. I’ll attempt to ‘conquer’ them like in a romance game. I’ll talk to them frequently, offer pleasant compliments, and discover their likes and dislikes through conversation. I’ll shift to a story-driven approach.

If brute-forcing it with money no longer worked, didn’t that mean I needed to devise a different strategy?

“It would be best to change our titles. You can call me Pata instead of Haut.”

“Like this, suddenly?”

“Someone once told me that clarifying titles is one way to reduce distance between people.”

Perhaps a shortened version of my real name would be better than a hastily made alias. It was possible that their affection rating hadn’t properly accumulated because I hadn’t allowed them to call me by a proper name.

That’s how games work, isn’t it? Just as achievements don’t accumulate if you don’t reveal your name, affection might operate on the same principle. It was certainly worth a try.

“Come to think of it, it seems all we know about each other are our names.”

I had them each try on one outfit they could wear immediately and placed orders for the rest. We had barely finished with their clothes, yet they seemed so exhausted that we simply found a café to rest in. It was an awkward time to eat a full meal.

“Self-introductions might be a bit cliché, but since I can’t access your data, I’ll ask directly. Jack, you first.”

“Uh… what am I supposed to do?”

“Simply your age or birthday? Your likes or dislikes. Literally, I’d like you to tell me about yourself.”

“Is that what a self-introduction is?”

“Hmm, now that I think about it, it is a bit strange for an NPC to introduce themselves. If it were essential information, they would have already blurted it out.”

If there had been important keywords, they would have said them long ago. It wasn’t as if the time we’d spent together had been incredibly short. But isn’t that what raising affection is all about? Choosing favorable dialogue options, giving gifts on specific dates, or guiding the target character in a positive direction during certain events.

Jack frowned at my words, but he still answered.