Chapter 8: Hayami Rina’s Favorability Surges

After resting for a little while, Kitahara politely took his leave.

Mainly because she was a widow living alone with her daughter. If he kept staying and didn’t leave, it would be somewhat inappropriate and could cause resentment.

Hayami Rina and her daughter saw Kitahara out. Little Aya was even a bit reluctant to see him go. After a night of contact, she had come to like this big brother.

Because this big brother’s arrival had made her dinner especially satisfying tonight, and there were also so many candies to slowly eat later.

Oh, right, and there were fish balls tomorrow too!

So looking forward to it!

Little Aya’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Kitahara.

...

Back home, Kitahara felt himself suddenly surrounded by a cold sense of loneliness, like two different worlds from the warm, lively atmosphere of Hayami Rina’s home just now.

Fortunately, he had been used to being alone in his previous life and had grown accustomed to this feeling.

Without turning on the lights, he walked straight to the windowsill by moonlight. Kitahara stood there, looking outside through the glass.

Outside was a bustling street. Colorful neon lights flickered endlessly like brilliant stars in the night sky.

Tokyo at night was like a dreamlike capital, intoxicating and enchanting.

Young people wore trendy clothes, chatting and laughing in small groups. Office workers hurried along, rushing to izakayas for a drink after a busy day’s work to wash away their fatigue.

In the distance, high-rise buildings pierced the clouds, their lights illuminating the entire skyline.

Many people still didn’t know that behind this seemingly incomparable prosperity, the massive bubble had already burst, and they were still lost in their drunken dreams.

After all, not all industries had been affected.

Or perhaps they already knew but were powerless to change it, able only to numb themselves, unwilling to wake from the illusory and beautiful dream.

In a sense, this could also be considered a great era. All industries were in decline, everything silent. Arranged by fate to transmigrate into Tokyo of this era, Kitahara didn’t know whether it was good or bad.

For him, who had a system, he didn’t need to struggle for life like ordinary people, worrying about three meals a day. So what could he do?

He couldn’t spend all day just hovering around Hayami Rina, could he?

Doing nothing every day would make a person waste away!

The system had also indicated earlier that when Hayami Rina’s favorability reached maximum value, a second girlfriend slot could be unlocked. But the original owner’s social circle was too narrow—a pure shut-in. He had too little contact with women.

He had to expand his social circle, come into contact with more high-quality women, and plan ahead for the next step.

From what Kitahara knew in his previous life, during Japan’s "Lost Thirty Years," almost all industries were in decline. Only the cultural and entertainment industry was a rare exception, moving against the tide and flourishing.

Whether in anime, music, games, or film, all developed rapidly, achieving remarkable results and even becoming a cultural force that swept across many parts of the world like a tide.

This wasn’t hard to understand. Under the economic crisis, the island’s ordinary people were under great pressure and would choose low-cost entertainment to relax and seek amusement.

The cultural and entertainment industry thus quietly rose. With the continuous emergence of excellent works, the expansion of export markets, and the intervention of capital, its scale continued to grow until it reached glory.

Kitahara felt this was an opportunity. He should find a way to enter this industry.

As everyone knew, the cultural and entertainment industry was never short of beautiful women. There were Nakamori Akina, Sakai Izumi, Sakai Noriko, Kudo Shizuka... all star goddesses of this era on the island.

He already had a system. One should always have dreams. Kitahara wanted to eat well!

...

His thoughts wandered.

Kitahara felt he should still pick up writing and not let it go to waste. This was a chance to enter the cultural and entertainment circle.

The original owner was a writer himself and already had one foot in this circle. It was just that due to his personality, he was unwilling to contact the outside world.

The current Kitahara was not like the original owner in personality. He planned to write something easy to adapt and actively step outside, whether it was adapted into anime, TV dramas, or movies. All just to expand his social range.

As for what to write, it wasn’t very difficult either. In his previous life, he had seen quite a few Japanese anime and small movies and such. Many could be referenced.

The original owner’s writing style had already been branded into this body, and he had transmigrated from the 21st century with an explosion of information. The things in his head were countless. Works he could casually produce would probably achieve good results.

In just a moment, he thought of a good idea. He even had the title ready: "Primitive Desires: A Beautiful Girl’s Unforgettable Adventure in the Goblin Cave"...

That’s right. In his previous life, he had started out writing smut. The Japanese stuff he liked also required torrents to download. He hadn’t really read much proper stuff.

He also didn’t want to write pretentious literary things. First, it was too tiring. Second, it was boring. And more importantly, there was no need. He wasn’t relying on this for fame and fortune.

This story was pretty good. One could tell from the title. It combined beautiful women, the bizarre, and adventure all in one. It would definitely deliver a shock to the hearts of the island’s people.

It could also attract the attention of anime companies.

As for whether anyone would be willing to buy the rights and adapt it, that would depend on doing one’s best and leaving the rest to fate.

If this one didn’t work, then the next one. He had already thought of the next one too, and it would definitely be adaptable. Its name was "Sky of Fate: I Cannot Refuse..."...

While plotting out the specific plot content, the night deepened before he knew it. Kitahara decided to go rest.

He hadn’t planned to start writing today.

It was only the first day of transmigration. At the very least, he should rest for a day and think about writing tomorrow.

He took a shower and finished washing up.

Lying on the bed, Kitahara summoned the system interface and checked Hayami Rina’s information. Tonight’s big meal had increased her favorability quite a bit. It had already reached 72 points.

It was somewhat beyond Kitahara’s expectations.

This was mainly because Hayami Rina’s favorability had increased due to her daughter Aya.

Little Aya had been especially happy tonight. As her mother, she must be very grateful to Kitahara.

Her family probably hadn’t eaten such good food in a long time, and probably hadn’t been so lively in a long time either.

Again, how could a family do without a man?

For a child’s physical and mental health, it was also indispensable!

Pleasing little Aya could accelerate gaining Hayami Rina’s favorability. Kitahara noted this. In the future, he would start from here, integrate into their family earlier.

Make himself an indispensable member and reach base earlier.

When a girlfriend’s favorability reached 70, the cashback multiplier became 4x. He could farm more money. It was just that there was still no movement on the special reward side.

Kitahara was somewhat puzzled. When would this thing give rewards?

"Ding. When a girlfriend’s favorability reaches 90 points, you will receive one special reward. At 95 points, you will receive a second one. At maximum value of 100 points, you will receive three at once. Each girlfriend can provide the host with a total of five special rewards."

The system thoughtfully explained at the right time.

After understanding, Kitahara was no longer anxious. Being anxious was useless anyway. Better to patiently wait for Hayami Rina’s favorability to rise!

Then, he looked at the [Girlfriend Real-Time Status] at the bottom of the screen and tapped it.

In the dark bedroom, Hayami Rina on the tatami was gently patting little Aya’s back to coax her to sleep.

Little Aya should have already fallen asleep. Her breathing had become very even. Hayami Rina had noticed this too, and her movements gradually became gentler.

After a moment, she quietly got up and left the bedroom.

The camera followed Hayami Rina’s figure the whole time. The room had no lights on and was very dark. But Kitahara could see very clearly. It should be that the system provided night vision.

He saw Hayami Rina come to the living room, first take a sip of water, then lie down on the sofa, resting her head against the sofa’s backrest. She opened her beautiful eyes and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Her expression was neither sad nor happy. She just kept looking like that, as if the image had frozen. Only the occasional blink let Kitahara know the live broadcast was still continuing.

"What is she thinking about at this moment?"

"Or maybe she’s thinking about nothing at all, just enjoying this rare quiet?"

Kitahara couldn’t help but guess in his heart.

Hayami Rina’s life could be considered full of ups and downs. She had experienced both peaks and valleys.

When she once had a husband, she was a full-time housewife with an affluent life, not needing to worry about money, only needing to enjoy a happy life.

Now, in order for herself and her daughter to survive, she had to face a complex social environment. Spending physical strength, enduring hardship, all to earn that meager salary to maintain the family.

She must be very tired, very helpless. Such quiet moments were rare.

Every day she had to take care of her child and work. Only after the child fell asleep at night could she let her exhausted body and mind get a temporary breather.

The pressure of this kind of life on a person was enormous. She was holding on, until the day she couldn’t hold on anymore.

Through the screen, Kitahara felt Hayami Rina’s hardship.