Yukinoshita sat on the toilet, unable to gather her thoughts for a long time.
[Hikigaya Hachiman Corruption Level: 12/100]
From last night to this morning, the corruption level hadn't budged in the slightest—yet now, somehow, it had dropped.
"Could it be that letting Hikigaya-kun see my more vulnerable side actually reduced his corruption level? But… he used to enjoy being bullied by me. What's changed?"
[Most likely, Hikigaya Hachiman is getting a little tired of it.]
"Huh?"
Startled by the system's sudden comment, Yukinoshita blurted out:
"Tired of it? He's tired of me?"
[Not of you, per se. Just that you've always bullied him, and it's always the same routine—he's growing a bit bored of it.]
"Ah… I see…"
Yukinoshita trailed off, unsure what to say.
Come to think of it, the girl Hikigaya-kun slept with yesterday, Suzune Horikita, was the one getting thoroughly dominated. Could that have awakened something in him? Could it be that… instead of being bullied, Hikigaya now prefers to do the bullying?
Does bullying girls bring him more pleasure now?
"…No way."
As that thought crossed her mind, Yukinoshita instinctively tensed her thighs, her soul nearly leaving her body.
Just then, Hikigaya's apologetic voice came from outside the bathroom.
"Sorry, Yukinoshita. I… I didn't realize you were in such a rush just now. I'm really sorry."
"…Eh?"
Wait—did my husband just apologize?
Snapping out of her thoughts, Yukinoshita quickly tried to compose herself and responded with feigned calm:
"I-It's fine. I was in a bit of a hurry, but really, I'm okay."
"Uh… just okay?"
"Of course."
Yukinoshita replied with a tsundere flair:
"It was still within my control, so don't worry~"
"But… you clearly…"
"Ugh—n-no I wasn't!"
Face turning awkward, she retorted sharply:
"How can you tell I was already desperate? I was just going to the bathroom, that's all. Hmph~ With my endurance, I could've held on much longer."
After a pause, Hikigaya replied cautiously:
"But… the sound. And how long you were in there… those gave you away."
"…Hah? The sound? And the time I spent…?"
Yukinoshita froze for a second, then her face flushed crimson with embarrassment. She shouted back in a fluster:
"Y-You pervert! Eavesdropping on a girl in the bathroom?!"
"This room's tiny," Hikigaya replied helplessly from outside. "No matter where I stand, I can hear everything."
"D-Don't listen!"
Yukinoshita clenched her thighs again, utterly mortified.
"Cover your ears. Right now!"
"Huh?"
"This is too embarrassing! Just—just don't listen anymore!"
"…You already finished, didn't you?"
"I don't care! Just cover them—cover them now!" she demanded, overwhelmed by shame.
She hadn't actually finished earlier—she'd been so deep in thought about her beloved husband that she forgot to go all at once.
How utterly humiliating!
"…Alright, fine."
With a sigh of resignation, Hikigaya complied.
"Higaya-kun~" Yukinoshita called sweetly a few times to make sure he wasn't peeking or listening.
Only after confirming he'd obeyed did she finally breathe a sigh of relief.
When she finally finished and was washing her hands, her gaze drifted once more to that dreaded Corruption Level:
Still 12.
To be safe, she needed to bring it down to the single digits.
Should she… let her beloved husband bully her again?
With that in mind, Yukinoshita opened the system shop, preparing to buy a Strengthening Potion.
This morning, she hadn't just needed the bathroom—she'd also skipped the potion. The result? A total defeat. Beyond humiliating.
However—
Just as she was about to make the purchase, the system spoke up.
[It is advised that the host refrains from using the potion.]
"…Hah? No potion? Are you trying to get me killed?!"
Yukinoshita snapped at the system in frustration.
[If you take the Strengthening Potion, given your current mindset, you might end up turning the tables and bullying Hikigaya Hachiman instead.]
"N-No way! I'll control myself," she protested, face burning. "I'll pretend to let Hikigaya-kun bully me. I'll let him take the lead on purpose!"
[Scan complete. Host's acting skills are too poor to convincingly fake it. Recommendation: don't use the potion. Use your real self to lower Hikigaya Hachiman's Corruption Level.]
"You… ugh!"
[Please endure, host. According to our calculations, you only need to hold out for thirty more minutes.]
"T-Thirty minutes? You're trying to kill me…"
In a flash, Yukinoshita's face turned deathly pale.
[This is all for reducing Hikigaya Hachiman's Corruption Level. It's for your own good. Please hang in there.]
[Once it's lower, there's no reason you can't get revenge later. It's not like we're asking you to get bullied by him every day.]
The system's coaxing words… oddly made sense.
"…You're right. If I let Hikigaya-kun bully me now, and then take my revenge once his Corruption Level is down, it balances out. Tit for tat. If you hit me once, I'll hit you back once. That way, neither of us gets bored…"
The only real downside—
Every time his Corruption Level rises, she'll have to endure being bullied again just to bring it back down.
That experience alone is enough to break her spirit.
Letting out a long sigh, Yukinoshita's gaze sharpened with resolve:
"Fine then. If not me, who?"
"For a better future… I'll give it everything I've got!!"
"Come to think of it, Hikigaya-kun was a bit too restrained just now. If I said something like 'Darling, come give it to me hard,' wouldn't the results be even better?"
A dangerous thought crossed her mind.
She opened the door.
Having finished her business, Yukinoshita called out to Hikigaya:
"Hikigaya-kun! I object!"
…
Thirty minutes later.
"If I weren't feeling off today, there's no way I'd lose to some small-fry like you… Hmph."
Rubbing her sore thighs, Yukinoshita muttered under her breath to the departing Hikigaya, face flushed with embarrassment.
"Got it," Hikigaya replied with a wry smile. "Let's go check out."
"Mm, let's."
She stepped forward and clung to his arm, finally satisfied.
The two left the hotel room.
[Hikigaya Hachiman Corruption Level: 5/100]
Whew… finally. All that effort paid off.
If not for her iron will, she might've broken down in tears long ago.
To be honest, her husband was insanely strong now. No wonder Horikita was begging for mercy last night—it made sense now.
Yukinoshita couldn't imagine how a regular girl, without any potions, could possibly keep up with her man. Not collapsing was already a miracle.
Just now, she'd secretly taken a recovery potion to restore her body to normal—only then did she avoid making a complete fool of herself.