Chapter 4 - Finally getting out of the house

  Currently, I am strolling through town with Miki, seeking a change of scenery after st night's unsettling experience.

  Last night, I encountered a man I believe to be my “father”. He entered our home, escorted Miki to the bedroom, and left shortly after. My questions about what was going on were met with lifeless eyes and ignorance from everyone else. The whole situation was so creepy, I had a hard time sleeping. For the first time, I was eager to leave this morning.

  Our routine typically includes all six of us waking up early to visit the Castle. We spend time in the guard house while Amelia and Miki go to work. Amelia helps clean the castle. Miki handles food inspection and other tasks assigned to her. After completing her duties, Miki guides us back home. Her afternoons are often dedicated to concocting various poisons. However, she mostly passes her time drinking and messing with us. Amelia comes back ter in the afternoon.

  Today, I requested to wander around town, eager to avoid returning and being reminded of everyone's lifeless stares. Saying the girls were merely shocked would be an understatement, yet they were all more than willing to accommodate my request.

  “Oh, we should go to the park, the kids from css say they go there to py sports,” suggested Sakura. Her excitement was evident as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other, bouncing slightly.

  “Sakura, Brother is still quite frail regardless of how he looks.” Angelica reminded her, I look like a normal pre teen boy, but that is not what they are really talking about. I’m level 4, but I'm weak even for that. Guess it would be like having a four year old, who was only as strong as a two year old, who looks physically twelve.

  “Oh right. Sorry brother. Then let's go to the weapon shop. I should be able to use a bigger shield now and Brother has yet to get a weapon.” Sakura quickly altered her pns, appearing even more thrilled at the prospect of acquiring a new weapon than pying in the park.

  Sakura wields a sword and shield, Angelica prefers a quarterstaff, and Miki handles a rge, uniquely shaped bastard sword that is as thick as a torso. Amelia, surprisingly, fights with a dle, which is the most formidable. I've witnessed her effortlessly overpower the others single-handedly. This shows the significant advantage of possessing a skill that enhances one's abilities. If she was to try the same thing with a short sword, she would get overrun in seconds.

  “Oh, he has a weapon already, he just needs a few more years to be able to use it. When he does you two will be screaming. Fufu” Miki added, she didn't miss the chance to chime in.

  ‘There she goes again, making sex jokes that fly right over my sister's head. I wish she would stop.’ I thought, looking at Miki who was trailing behind us, a bottle of alcohol in one hand and Yuno in the other. Said twin has her eyes glued on me. Miki herself looked less motherly and more akin to a perverted aunt.

  “Brother you already have a weapon, show me, show me.” Sakura asked eagerly, her eyes alight with curiosity.

  “Don’t listen to her nonsense.” I advised, which only made Miki ugh more. She quickly came to know I understood her innuendos. Initially, she seemed a bit surprised by my awareness, but it soon turned into a game for her to try and make me blush. Regrettably, I must admit she's succeeded on more than one occasion.

  Amelia and Miki believe that my extensive knowledge is a part of my blessing. Typically, people only learn the name of the blessing the goddess gave them; the rest remains a mystery. A man being blessed by the goddess of love is unheard of, according to the sister that came to check me when I was a baby. That's also why my “moms” thought something might have gone wrong with my blessing when I was little. Their current hypothesis is that my blessing matures annually, independent of my physical growth. This leaves most people unsure of how to treat me. On the outside, I look like a pre-teen, have the knowledge of an adult, but when people see me they see a four year old. This is a primary reason why I prefer to limit my interactions to my immediate family.

  “According to what I could find in the library and asking at the church, there are no known good starting weapons for the Love Blessed. They never have combat reted skills and only rarely have buffing skills. Maybe it would be a good idea to learn the quarterstaff.” Angelica thoughtfully suggested.

  “No fair, you just want to teach him personally.” Sakura protested. “Besides, the instructor always says when in doubt, nothing beats a shield.” It was clear she was also eager to be my mentor too.

  “A real man would do them both at once. Fufu,” Miki teased. I would say that Miki needed a good spanking to set her straight, but she'd probably enjoy that.

  The conversation was abruptly interrupted when Alice, who had been resting on my head, suddenly took flight.

  “Wait Alice, where are you going?” I called out, quickly following her with my family in tow.

  “Found it!” she excimed, pumping her fist in the air before darting into a shop. She was most likely using her new skill she acquired at level 10.

  [Fated Encounter - If a girl comes within 250 meters that will have a fated impact on the target, this skill will activate showing you their location. Can only be activated once a year.]

  Alice, now at level 12, has become quite articute. Though her leveling speed has slowed. Gaining levels requires more love points or magic each level, and her capacity for food is limited, not that you can tell from the way she eats.

  When I caught up, I noticed the shop she entered was named 'Nine Flowers Alchemy,' it was located just off the main street that cuts through the city.

  As I stepped inside, time froze. ‘I really should have seen this coming.’

  “Date Starto!”

  [A flower shop date.]

  [Target - Cire Flower.]

  Behind the counter of the shop stood a young girl, her hair a striking shade of purple adorned with flowers. Her eyes mirrored the hue of grass. She was cd in a dress ingeniously crafted from leaves, held together by vines, and was sharing a smile with Alice.

  ‘Damn, that dress has got to itch.” Was my first thought. Unlike most things you still have to deal with itchiness here. More than likely because it's better to have it then not. ‘At least on earth you would wear something under it.’

  Undergarments appear to be a foreign concept here, from bras to underwear. The popuce also seems far more at ease with nudity than what I'm accustomed to from earth. Thanks to the blessings of the goddess of health, common discomforts like back pain from rge breasts or issues like incontinence are virtually non-existent.

  My sisters, not yet having reached even tier one, are rgely unaffected by temperature extremes, feeling comfortable unless it's exceedingly hot or cold. While Amelia and Miki could withstand a blizzard in the nude without discomfort. Here, clothing seems to serve primarily as a fashion statement, with some people walking through the city sporting quite eccentric attire. I've heard that the nobility's fashion choices are even more extravagant, though I've yet to witness this myself.

  Closing the screen, time resumes.

  “Ooohhh, so cute!” the girl excimed.

  [+5 Cire Affection Points]

  She uses that skill every chance she gets…

  Her name is Alice. Hey cutie, my name is Liev.Did you brew a love potion, or is this truly love at first sight.

  ‘Ignoring those.’ I moved on, choosing the only reasonable one. "Her name is Alice."

  "She is so cute. What type of fairy is she?" The girl's bright smile then shifted towards me.

  Sakura chimed in, "She’s my brother's love fairy.”

  Hearing this, the girl's cheeks flushed with a blush, and she shyly averted her eyes.

  [+50 Cire Affection points]

  Watching her reaction, I couldn't help but think, ‘There must be something big I'm missing here.’

  “C-can I feed her?” she hesitantly asked.

  Miki’s shit eating grin and her unusual restraint from making any lewd comments only deepened my suspicions. Yet, I found no reason to refuse the request. After all, my sisters and ”mothers” feed her regurly.

  Alice began to gently suck on the tip of the girl's finger, her blush intensifying noticeably.

  [+75 Cire Affection points]

  "Yep, I messed up…”I mutter, but in all honesty, I would have likely allowed it anyway. This interaction could help me acquire a card and level up. I've even considered boosting my luck stat to increase my chances of more dates in the future, given that currently, I get about one date a year. Only the thought of that stupid goddess's smug smile stops me.

  The girls remained fixated on Alice for a moment until Cire suddenly shot up. “Ah, welcome to nine flowers. My name is Cire. How may I help all of you today?”

  Miki was the only one with no decency and ughed at her.

  “No need to fret for now sweetie, it will still be a long time before these two need you to help with the harvest, so for now we are just looking around.” Miki said and I couldn't resist grumbling, “God dammit Miki!”

  “Oh, well we specialize in potion powder. If you need a custom order, write it down and I will let my mother know.” she responded, her expression confused, but she finished her pitch regardless.

  Potions are typically avaible in three forms. First, there's the vial type, akin to those in video games. These are potent and act quickly, but they're cumbersome and expensive.

  The second type is the powder. You mix it with water to consume. It doesn't work as swiftly, but it's more convenient to carry. Although you can combine it with other substances to enhance its effects, that kind of defeats the purpose. It's also the cheapest option.

  Lastly, there are pills. These are slow to take effect and generally the least potent, yet they're the most commonly used. They're often taken just before a battle. Even a minor healing boost or a slight counteraction to poison can be invaluable, especially if your healer is incapacitated.

  Taking her up on her offer, we peruse the store's selection. The bels reveal a variety of potions: anti-poison, anti-frost, anti-burn, anti-piercing. It's evident that this shop caters to pre-battle preparation. There are healing potions as well, but they all seem to be of a lower side, tier 4 grade or below.

  Potions exhibit their full effectiveness at their designated tier and diminish in potency by half for each tier below. For instance, a tier 7 individual could still benefit from a tier 3 potion, but it would require considerably more time and a greater quantity of potions for effective healing. Conversely, if a tier 1 individual consumes a tier 2 potion, the effects would be greatly amplified, but this would lead to rapid exhaustion. Taking a tier 4 potion, however, could be fatal for them.

  Yes, that does mean you can use potions as weapons but the cost-effectiveness of such an approach is generally not worth it. Interestingly, poisons can be utilized for medicinal purposes. Many of Miki's customers obtain a diluted version of the poison they might encounter, which can either slow the onset of a more potent poison or block certain toxins by preoccupying the body's reactive pathways with a weaker agent.

  It seems that navigating the complexities of potion usage becomes increasingly relevant at higher tiers or, alternatively, for the affluent, such as nobles with a lot of money to burn. The pricing reflects this: 2,000 magic cores for a tier 1 potion powder, escating to 25,000 for a tier 2.

  Cores function akin to batteries in our world. They're versatile, used for powering magical devices, replenishing one's magical energy, or as a medium of trade. While personal magic can also be used to power devices or execute complex spells, this can lead to exhaustion, much like how manually washing clothes is more taxing compared to just using a washing machine.

  In terms of daily consumption, our household expends about 50 cores per day on various needs, including lighting, water heating, and other miscelneous utilities.

  A Core is simir in shape to a marble, but slightly smaller. Not all Cores hold the same value; a standard core's worth can vary from a mere 1 to millions. Their value can also increase or decrease based on whether they possess an elemental property.

  Cores are derived from monsters, which materialize due to the high concentration of magic in the air. The value of the cores increases with the tier of the monster: tier 0 monsters drop cores ranging from 1 to 10 in value, tier 1 monsters from 10 to 100, and tier 3 monsters yield cores valued between 100 and 1,000. Generally, the swifter and more efficient the monster's defeat, the higher the core's value, although there are exceptions to this rule.

  The inhabitants of this world seem to have an innate ability to assess a core's value instantly, a skill I ck. However, I can determine the value using Observe, so it doesn't pose much of a problem for me.

  [+10 Cire Affection points.]

  Gncing back, I see Alice perched on Cire's shoulder and Miki leaning over the counter. At the center is Cire, blushing and trying to avoid my gaze.

  Behind me, Sakura was examining each potion closely before setting it back down, leaving the task of organizing them to Angelica.

  ‘I had better get them to leave or Cire might die of blood loss.’ My train of thought was cut by a sharp “Wa!”

  Gncing back, I saw Angelica catch Sakura as she stumbled trying to reach something on the top shelf.

  ‘Seems it likely that Sakara will also break something too if we stay here too long.’ Taking a deep breath, I raised my voice to guide them out of Cire's shop. “Come on Sakura, Angelica, Miki, Alice, we should get to the weapon shop.”

  “It’s Mama Miki. That boy never listens. You will have a hard time in the future.” Miki said with a teasing, easy going smile and slow shake of her head. What she actually said was closer to “call me poison-making mother”, but I'm going to just stick with names.

  “Oh, let's go, bye Sister Cire.” Sakura said, waving. The way she used sister is basically reserved for those girls who are pnning to marry the same man.

  ‘Yep, I fucked up. I think I will take a stop by the library on the way home to see what I can learn about love fairies.’ I need to look into this world since it seems I'll be here for the foreseeable future. There's so much I still need to understand, knowledge that others know instinctively. ‘Maybe there is even a way back home… there is all kinds of strange magic here so there is hope.’

  Sakura jumped onto my back almost knocking me over if Angelica was not already ready to catch the two of us. ‘This girl has way too much energy, I could only imagine what she and my little sister would get up to.’ I couldn't help but let a small smile escape at the thought.

  "I hope you found our shop satisfactory," she said with a blush, her voice softening. "Please, visit us again soon."

  “Don’t worry, I will make sure.” Alice promised as she took flight from her shoulder, waving as she made her way over to me, before plopping herself back down on the top of my head.

  As I exited the shop, our date came to an end.

  [Date end]

  [Alice has gained an achievement - A true wingman - Earn all the Affection points during a date. +20% to all Affection gains.]

  [Card]

  [Name: Cire Flower

  Level: 11

  Affection: 145

  Trait: -

  Goddess: The Goddess of Creation.

  Primary Blessing: Alchemy

  Lesser Blessings: Synthesis, Green Thumb]

  [Alchemy - Give you the ability to perform alchemy.]

  [Synthesis - Give you the ability to combine two different things and make something new.]

  [Green Thumb - Help pnts grow faster.]

  In the card art, she appeared markedly different. The green dress adorned with pnt motifs and hair ornaments were repced by a loose-fitting bck shirt and booty shorts, her hair simply tied back. The most striking transformation was the multitude of tattoos sprawling across her upper body.

  Spoiler

  [colpse]

  These tattoos likely originated from one of her blessings. Permanent tattoos are frowned upon here, as they alter what a goddess has bestowed and might obstruct the manifestation of Blessing marking the body. This is the reason body paint is the norm. Should a tattoo manifest due to a Blessing, one can easily adjust the body paint pattern to accommodate it.

  [Reaching level 5 has unlocked the shop function.]

  We spent the remainder of the day browsing through various shops, eventually pausing at the city library on our way back. The library was an impressive structure, spanning seven floors and housing more books than I've ever encountered, many of which were handwritten. The librarian was quite pleasant, albeit somewhat gloomy. If only, she did not shit out 150 Affection from a mere greeting from me. The rest of the interactions with people throughout the day reminded me of why I typically avoid social outings. I find myself wanting to apologize to all the kids I talked down to in the past.

  [Liev Ekker - Level 5

  Goddess points: 10,000

  Love points: 16092

  Stat points: 5

  Luck: 1 Charm: 2 Social: 1 Observe: 1

  Skills - None

  Achievements - 10

  Achievements_Alice - 1

  Cards: 1_Yuno - 1391, 2_Sakura - 231, 3_Angelica - 244, 4_Alice 273, 5_Cire - 145]