Chapter 14: This Doesn’t Make Sense

Kitahara Chiki hadn’t expected Hayami Rina to actually offer to give him a massage.

It was truly somewhat unexpected.

One could only say that effort always brings rewards—the money really wasn’t spent in vain!

Before the massage had even started, he already felt like his back pain was half gone.

"Rina-nee, where should we do it? On the bed?" Kitahara asked.

"That works. The bed would be more convenient. Kitahara-kun, go ahead first—I’ll go wash my hands."

Hayami Rina nodded, then went to the bathroom to wash and clean up.

By the time she returned to the bedroom, Kitahara had already positioned himself and was lying face down.

The bedroom light wasn’t too bright, carrying a warm-toned atmosphere. Hayami Rina came to the edge of the bed and sat down, placing both hands on Kitahara’s lower back and slowly applying pressure.

"Is this pressure okay, Kitahara-kun?"

"Just right. Thank you for your effort, Rina-nee!"

Kitahara answered.

He closed his eyes and enjoyed the service of this neighbor lady. Through the thin clothing, he could clearly feel the touch of her gentle palms on his lower back.

It felt quite nice.

And Hayami Rina really did seem to know how to massage. Though she might not be professional, whether it was an illusion or not, as she kept pressing, Kitahara felt the pain in his lower back ease considerably.

The originally stiff and uncomfortable sensation gradually disappeared.

In the somewhat dim bedroom, Hayami Rina’s hands continuously pressed Kitahara’s body. Kitahara wasn’t the type with a very strong physique, so she could massage with relative ease.

It was just that because it was now so late and she had been working hard all day, she still felt somewhat exhausted.

But comparatively speaking, Kitahara-kun also had it rough.

Writing wasn’t as easy as it looked—it consumed both spirit and took a great toll on the body.

Seeing his movements as he pounded his lower back, and then thinking of how he had been supporting her family these past two days, Hayami Rina especially wanted to help relieve his fatigue.

Holding one position for too long would get tiring. After massaging for a while, Hayami Rina moved to the other side of the bed and changed positions to continue.

On this side, she couldn’t sit at the edge of the bed anymore, because the spot where Kitahara was lying was close to that side—if she sat, she wouldn’t be able to reach. So she chose to climb onto the bed, knees bent, kneeling and sitting beside Kitahara.

This position had one advantage: she could use her body weight to apply force more easily, making the massage less tiring.

Sweat continuously seeped out, and strands of her hair clung to her forehead. Though very tired, Hayami Rina persisted.

After an unknown amount of time, she heard Kitahara Chiki emit steady snoring—not loud, but quite rhythmic.

Her hand movements gradually became gentler.

After another while, she quietly shifted off the bed, then tiptoed to the bedroom door, turned off the light, and closed the door behind her...

...

The next day.

When Kitahara Chiki woke up, he felt completely refreshed.

Thinking carefully, he couldn’t remember at all when he had fallen asleep last night.

He only remembered that Hayami Rina’s hands were very soft, very gentle—yet also had a penetrating quality that made him feel very comfortable, intoxicating him.

Those warm hands seemed to have magic, bringing him an indescribable sense of comfort. Without realizing it, he had fallen asleep.

Ah, what a regret!

How did he fall asleep just like that?

He should have held on a bit longer and savored that feeling properly.

Kitahara felt it was too much of a pity. He could only blame how exhausted he had been last night—once he lay on the bed, he didn’t want to move anymore, and that kind of thought was gone too.

"Ah, what a shame."

"System, check how much my girlfriend’s favorability has reached?"

Kitahara Chiki called out to the system.

"Replying to Host, currently Hayami Rina’s favorability toward you is 79 points. Please keep up the effort—after reaching 80 points, you can obtain a fivefold cashback."

"Only 79 points? How is it so low? I thought it would be over 80 by now!"

Kitahara felt his performance last night was pretty good—he had gotten along harmoniously with Hayami Rina and her daughter Aya, much better than the day before.

But the growth in favorability had instead slowed down.

This didn’t make sense.

Could it be that this thing grows fast at the beginning, and as the value gets higher, the growth rate gradually decreases?

And then the closer to the maximum value, the harder it is to increase?