Chapter 5

Today, in order to survive safely, I decided to think of various preventive measures. After all, the only time I can leisurely plan my strategies is during my childhood. Once I grow up to a certain extent, I plan to spend my time training my body and acquiring skills.

Even if I can't become a cheat, I want to be able to protect myself... after all, George was even hated by his vassals.

This time, the strategy is about the heroines who have the potential to plant trauma in me. There are six main heroines in *Kimite*. Each of them inherits the power of Light, Darkness, Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire from the hero. The protagonist will deepen bonds with them through adventures. To put it bluntly, *Kimite* is a harem-recommended game.

"Ho, a harem, huh. Even babies think about erotic things when they have adult minds."

Startled, I looked in the direction of the voice and saw Miko floating in the air with a grin.

"Divine Messenger, can't you stop reading my mind... and how much do you know about me?"

Miko, the divine messenger, doesn't appear in the game... even if you knew, you wouldn't include such a dense character.

"You came from another world, that much I know... I can read minds, but not memories."

Even if I could read memories, I think it would be difficult to extract specific information from a vast amount of memories.

"Are you on my side, Miko?"

"Of course!! Guiding the contract holder correctly is the job of a divine messenger. Besides, your way of life affects my performance."

According to Miko, the treatment of divine messengers changes based on how the contract holder is raised. In other words, Miko and I are in the same boat.

"If you can read minds, you can tell if I'm lying... I know about this world."

Then I told Miko about *Kimite* and George.

"...That's hard to believe. However, you're not lying, and the story makes sense. So, what do you want to do?"

"I want to avoid getting involved with the hero and heroines as much as possible. Especially if the hero is building a harem, I want to avoid deep involvement and try not to become an enemy."

George's treatment in the harem route is miserable... well, he suffers in every route, but especially in the harem route, he gets beaten up by all six heroines. A rain of insults and deadly word combos... it's like a classroom trial. The solidarity of elementary school girls is terrifying.

"What a miserable situation. But why did you guys make George suffer like that? You made the game, right?"

"George is the supporting character to highlight the protagonist. If the protagonist is made to look too cool, it becomes suspicious and hard to empathize with. So, a clown is needed to highlight the protagonist... that's George."

For example, when encountering a demon, George will cry in fear, but the protagonist will remain composed. The more pitiful George's crying, the cooler the protagonist looks.

In short, George is like salt on a watermelon. Just as salt brings out the sweetness of the watermelon, George brings out the coolness of the protagonist. I have no intention of playing that role.

"Is there anyone else I should be careful about besides this Shujinkou?"

Shujinkou sounds like a new species of paramecium. *Kimite* is a game where you input names, so for now, I can only refer to the protagonist as such.

"Particularly, I need to be cautious about Marina Ritek and Yuria Nitek."

"Ho, the Ritek family of Light and the Nitek family of Darkness. Indeed, a baby was born in the Ritek family. However, there are no girls in the Nitek family of Darkness."

Marina Ritek, a heroine with the Light attribute, is the daughter of a fallen knight. Her specialty is the rapier. She is a classic heroine with blonde hair and blue eyes.

The Ritek family has a large debt to the Akogai family, and because of this, Marina is forced to become George's fiancée. Incidentally, the Akogai family also pays for Marina's tuition and living expenses.

The protagonist who steals her heart must have a strong heart.

"Ah, Yuria doesn't know she has Nitek blood. I think the eldest son of the Nitek family ran away and Yuria was born. I believe her parents were killed by assassins sent by the Nitek family."

Yuria Nitek, a heroine with the Darkness attribute, is George's personal maid. Her specialty is the dagger.

George's whims were so severe that no one wanted to be his personal maid. Yuria was the only one who applied.

Yuria is a tsundere beauty with short black hair and sharp black eyes... she is actually a member of a thief guild, and her surname Nitek is only revealed as the story progresses.

The other four have no direct relationship with George, so I think it will be easy to avoid them. If I don't get involved with the protagonist, I won't even meet them.

"Thief guild... how much are you hated?"

Indeed, it's a terrible situation if they have to hire someone with a questionable background.

"That's why I'm aiming to build a good relationship with the maid. The problem is Marina. I think it's inevitable that I'll become her fiancé."

However, if Yuria continues to have a good relationship with the George maid team, I won't become her personal maid. Aim for a white workplace.

"Why? Can't you just say no?"

"Marina's engagement involves her father. The Akogai family is a relatively new noble family. So, Alan probably wanted to introduce the hero's blood into the Akogai family."

There's also the issue of his complex about Mother Catherine.

"Another difficult situation. Being a noble doesn't mean you can live an easy life."

In other words, a forced engagement through money. It's understandable why Marina would dislike George. And like a kite stealing a fried tofu, the protagonist will steal Marina... I have to try hard.

"But, I want that skill."

The name of the skill is Shining Body... it covers the body with a layer of light and allows it to glow in the color of your choice. It's a flashy skill typical of George. It only increases defense by +3, so it's often called a useless skill.

"What does +3 defense feel like?"

"I think it's about the same as a thin cloth, which has a defense of 5."

"Really? That skill is useless."

Indeed, Shining Body won't be effective against monster attacks.

"But, if it covers the whole body, it can prevent bug bites and allergic reactions to accidentally touching poisonous plants."

I think it would be necessary to verify if it can prevent burns from hot water or frostbite from ice.

"Preventing bug bites? That's a bit too weak."

"But, in this world, it's not known. Bugs like mosquitoes can transmit diseases. In other words, there's a risk of infection if you get bitten."

If you can choose the color, you can use it as camouflage, and if you set it to transparent, no one will notice you're using the skill.

"Thinking about it that way, it's a convenient skill."

"The problem is how to trigger the Maiden's Prayer event."

In *Kimite*, there are two ways to learn skills. One is job skills, which are learned through experience. The other is unique skills, which are learned by deepening relationships with heroines.

A measure of progress is the Kizuna Ring given by the divine messenger. The Kizuna Ring has six magic stones embedded in it, and as the relationship with a heroine progresses, the magic stones shine brighter... it's not a good idea to point out that they shine so brightly that enemies will notice.

There are six levels of Kizuna, and as the level increases, various events occur.

The skill is learned during the Maiden's Prayer event. The heroine prays for the protagonist, allowing the protagonist to gain a new skill.

"The Maiden's Prayer... it works because it's a prayer for someone important."

That's why George could only learn useless skills.

"Marina hates me as much as a cockroach. How can I make her pray for me?"

In the game, she was forced to pray... but isn't it a bit much to refuse to pray even though I'm borrowing money and living expenses?

"The answer is simple... give up."

"You're right."

Well, I think it's fine to break the engagement if I can get Shining Body.

(If I say, 'Please pray for me as a last memento,' she won't refuse, right?)

It might be a very expensive skill.

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After talking with Miko, everything was put on hold. It's a bit reactive, but I can't predict what will happen from now on. There's no guarantee that the story will progress the same way as *Kimite*.

I'll prepare and plan, but I can't act... it's a bit unsettling to be able to predict what will happen.

(What if Marina falls in love with me? ...It's extremely unlikely.)

Thinking that a beautiful girl with the hero's blood would fall in love with me is just self-delusion.

Feeling a bit depressed, the door to my room opened.

"George, we're going to Grandpa's place tomorrow."

"Grandpa?"

The one-year-old with an adult's mind tilted his head... needless to say, I felt even more depressed.

"Yes, Mom's dad. Since George is one year old, he wants us to bring you... Dad is too busy with work, so we'll go together, okay?"

Mom, Alan is just scared of Grandpa. And Mom looks a bit sad. Just you wait, Alan!!

"Going with Mom is good."

I said, clinging to Mom. Unlike you, I can throw away my pride if necessary.

Yes, I'll fawn over the powerful Grandpa.