Chapter 199: Strongest Family

Playing games with Natsuha, Akane, and Yukino naturally meant that Hikari was the dealer, battling against a trio of girls.

To be honest, even though Hikari was always the dealer playing mahjong against the three girls, the experience was completely different compared to playing against three gyaru girls.

While playing mahjong with three gyaru girls required a lot more coordination, their roles and abilities were still distinct. For instance, as a Yuki-onna (Snow Woman), Yukino's mahjong skills surpassed those of regular humans.

With the naturally gifted Natsuha and Akane assisting her, they could actually go toe-to-toe with Hikari, creating a vague sense of balance and competition.

This gave Hikari, who hadn't had a real challenge in a long time, a satisfying thrill. After all, having peerless skills without a worthy opponent would inevitably lead to loneliness and boredom.

The third floor of the Harmony Apartment was brightly lit, and the sound of mahjong tiles clacking(moan) lasted almost the entire night…

———

The next morning, the soft light of dawn filtered through the sheer curtains, illuminating Yukino's large bed, which no longer had any spare sheets.

After playing mahjong(Seggs) last night, Natsuha, Akane, and the others were completely exhausted and collapsed onto the bed.

Only by lying horizontally could all four of them barely fit, and even then, it was still a bit cramped.

Seeing the sunrise and remembering they had school, Akane and Natsuha, who were lying on either side of Hikari, got up and went to the bathroom to freshen up.

Meanwhile, Yukino, who had battled Hikari the fiercest during the mahjong match, was still lying on top of him.

Now that there was more space, Hikari was about to move Yukino off him and lay her down properly.

But then he suddenly realized that Yukino was awake. She leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Hikari-kun, I have something to tell you…"

A tingling warmth tickled his ear as Hikari heard Yukino whisper softly,

Hikari immediately asked, "What is it?"

Yukino continued, "You remember I told you about my Oni clan friend? The one who's coming to Harmony Apartment soon?"

Hikari nodded, "Yeah, I remember."

Yukino then said, "I wanted to give you a heads-up in advance—when she arrives, you should be careful."

Hikari raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

Her words puzzled him. Previously, she seemed to welcome the arrival of this Oni clan friend, but now, there was a hint of wariness in her tone.

Yukino explained, "You remember how I said I'd introduce you two and let you get acquainted?"

Hikari nodded, "Yeah."

Yukino hesitated before saying, "Well… I suddenly think it might be better if you don't meet her at all."

"Why?", Hikari was confused.

Yukino quickly explained, "I just remembered that my Oni clan friend seems to have met the former apartment manager, Takahashi, a few times. She even mentioned him before, like they knew each other."

"I'm not sure how close they were, but I'm worried that if she finds out about Takahashi's death, she might come after you."

Hearing this, Hikari began to understand. Raising an eyebrow, he asked, "And if she does get mad and blames you, what will you do, Yukino-chan?"

After all, getting rid of Takahashi wasn't something Hikari did alone—Yukino had been deeply involved.

Yukino frowned slightly and thought for a moment before saying, "She and I are friends, so it shouldn't be a big issue. I'll handle it."

"The Oni clan is one of the most powerful among us supernatural beings, and the Kiriryuin family is one of the strongest within the Oni clan. So…"

"In any case, Hikari-kun, it's best if you avoid meeting her."

Seeing the worried look in Yukino's eyes, Hikari didn't say much and simply nodded in agreement, "Alright, I'll listen to you, Yukino-chan."

Regarding this so-called powerful Oni clan friend from the Kiriryuin family, Hikari didn't feel much fear.

He only agreed because he could see that Yukino was worried, and he didn't want her to stress more than she already was. In truth, he wasn't afraid at all.

After all, while supernatural beings were certainly stronger than regular humans, if it really came down to a fight, the outcome wasn't guaranteed.

Over time, Hikari had enhanced himself through stat boosts. Just yesterday, he had single-handedly battled three opponents and still managed to exhaust Yukino, the Snow Woman, to the point of dehydration.

Not to mention, he had just tested the Vajra Demon-Suppressing Technique he had obtained from Hanako the Vengeful Spirit.

This ability was extremely effective against supernatural beings and could be considered a devastating weapon against them.

While its effect on Snow Women wasn't as strong, it should work wonders against Oni clan members.

And aside from that, Hikari still had plenty of tools and abilities. Even if Yukino's friend was as powerful as she claimed, he didn't think it would be a problem.

'Rather than fear, I actually feel more excitement. If this Oni clan member really dares to cause trouble, maybe I'll get the chance to extract some new abilities from her…'

'The vengeful spirit power I gained yesterday still feels pretty fresh…'

Hikari flipped his hand, and in his palm, strands of deep purple vengeful energy slowly gathered.

Though the quality and quantity weren't as strong as Hanako's, this power undoubtedly stemmed from the same source.

After yesterday's events, Hikari confirmed that his domineering Pure Love Aura allowed him to gain abilities from any woman he had a "relationship" with.

As long as he could stir their emotions, even if they weren't willing, he could absorb their supernatural abilities.

However, the efficiency of ability absorption seemed tied to the other person's attitude. If they had a higher affection toward him, the process would be much smoother.

For example, after sharing intimacy with Yukino several times, Hikari had gained her Ice Creation and Snow Manipulation ability—and even surpassed her in it.

However, after spending hours "disciplining" Hanako, he had only managed to extract a tiny bit of vengeful spirit energy.

Clearly, since Hanako wasn't willing, the efficiency was lower.

'To be safe, I should continue increasing my strength before this so-called powerful Oni from Kiriryuin appears. If I can capture Hanako again, I might be able to extract more vengeful spirit power.'

'Unfortunately, after my last lesson, she's probably hiding in her Onily domain, refusing to come out…', Hikari smirked, shaking his head.

Then, glancing at the Yukino, he covered her delicate Snow Woman body with a blanket before heading to the bathroom to wash up.

As he brushed his teeth, he activated his Pure Love System and opened the lottery interface.

'Yesterday's exorcism earned me a bunch of Pure Love Points. Let's level up first.'

'Let's add some points first.'

Following his usual routine, Hikari allocated two points to each of his attributes.

Feeling the increase in his strength and other stats, he nodded in satisfaction.

Then, he turned back to the Pure Love System.

'I still have over a thousand Pure Love Points… Let's roll the lottery.'

After thinking for a moment, Hikari decided to do a ten-pull.

Although the remaining points weren't much, they were enough for daily stat boosts for a few days. Keeping the rest wouldn't serve much purpose either.

Besides, even a lion goes all out to catch a rabbit. Hikari preferred a steady approach.

Although he didn't think the Oni woman that Yukino mentioned, the one connected to Takahashi, could be powerful enough to threaten him,

Hikari still believed it was best to seize every opportunity to grow stronger, prepare for any situation, and steadily face any potential enemies.

'It'd be great if I could get an ability or item that can break concealment or disrupt vengeful spirit spaces. That way, I could drag that little brat Hanako's vengeful spirit out directly, give her a harsh academic interrogation, and properly educate her. Not only would that relieve my frustration from her foul mouth, but I could also absorb her vengeful spirit energy to strengthen myself.'

With that thought, Hikari started the lottery.

[Ding! 1000 Pure Love Points consumed. Spinning the roulette…]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained 'Shenbao Nutritional Quick Drink' x9!]

As usual, he first got nine guaranteed Nutritional Quick Drinks. Hikari wasn't surprised and focused intently on the final glow.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You have obtained the ability 'Power Absorption'!]

[Power Absorption: When the host engages in an intimate fusion with a person possessing special abilities, the host can directly absorb their power. After absorption, the target's ability will be weakened or even disappear, while the host will acquire their ability or enhance an existing one.]

Initially, Hikari was a bit disappointed that he didn't get an ability that could break concealment or disrupt vengeful spirit spaces.

But after reading the explanation of his newly acquired ability, he was pleasantly surprised.

Because this ability was quite practical and useful for increasing his strength.

At first glance, it seemed similar to the passive effect of the Pure Love Halo, even appearing to conflict with it.

But that was only on the surface, the two abilities were fundamentally different.

First, the method of obtaining abilities differed. Although the passive effect of the Pure Love Halo also allowed him to acquire abilities through intimate fusion, the mechanics were not the same.

Power Absorption was all about dominance and force, once the conditions were met, it could forcibly extract the target's ability.

In contrast, the Pure Love Halo's passive functioned as a "sharing" mechanism, requiring mutual consent for the best results.

However, not every supernatural being was as obedient as Yukino, the Snow Woman. Many used their powers for evil, Hanako, for instance, was no saint.

Against such individuals, Power Absorption was far more useful than the Pure Love Halo's passive effect.

After all, the Halo's sharing effect was akin to dual cultivation. It worked under mutual agreement for mutual enhancement.

Power Absorption, on the other hand, was a forceful plundering, whether the target was willing or not, they had to comply.

Furthermore, after absorbing an ability, Hikari could still use the Pure Love Halo's sharing function to slowly transfer the ability back to the target in a controlled manner, without weakening himself.

This meant that even for allies, if necessary, he could use Power Absorption without permanently harming them.

In short, while these two abilities had differences and even apparent conflicts, they were also complementary in certain situations.

All in all, it was an extremely practical ability.

'If I had this ability earlier, I could've completely drained Hanako yesterday and left that brat's vengeful spirit powerless,' Hikari pondered briefly.

After finishing his wash-up, he stepped out of the bathroom.

Seeing Yukino half-awake, he casually asked while getting dressed, "Yukino-chan, do you have any other supernatural or monster friends? Like… elves, for example?"

Now that he had this ability, Hikari was slightly more interested in the supernatural beings of this world.

Based on his past-life knowledge, aside from Snow Women, Onis, and vengeful spirits, there should be plenty of other supernatural beings.

Like succubi, dragons, catgirls, and so on.

As for why he specifically mentioned elves, it was because, in his previous life, elves and succubi had the highest presence across various fantasy settings.

And elves, in particular, were often portrayed as being in constant crisis—whether due to dark invasions or declining birth rates.

If such situations existed here, then with this new ability, he could both strengthen himself and help others at the same time. Wouldn't that be perfect?

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.

https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y