Chapter 49：First proper proper date (2/2)
[Target's current attraction level: curious]
When they last met, her attraction level was at attracted. Now, in a mere few days, it dropped two levels. 'Hmm...I remember Beluga mentioned that attraction and comfort decay over time, especially if they're raised with seduction skills. Attraction drops off particularly quickly, which is also the downside of it being easier to increase than comfort.' He frowned. 'So it looks like to a degree, I'll have to rebuild them every time I meet the same girl.'
Ben felt like his VIP level was reduced due to inactivity…but he shook it off. It made things more challenging, but it was only one more thing he needed to deal with. In reality, Ben was only half right. Miyuki's attraction dropped one level from time decay and another from the earlier peep show.
They walked and talked on the way to the tea house. Ben knew he needed to raise attraction before working on comfort.
Jokes.
[Target's current attraction level: interested (+1)]
Teasing.
[Target's current attraction level: attracted (+1)]
An accidental insult.
[Target's current attraction level: interested (-1)]
Recovering with more jokes.
[Target's current attraction level: attracted (+1)]
Soon they were sitting down at a table in the western style tea house. They both drank tea while talking more about each other. Miyuki told Ben about her family and background. She was studying for her Master's in Communicative Sciences, only having moved to New York from Japan last semester.
As a studious person who didn't go out much, she lacked friends here. Ben found her to be sweet, shy, and classically feminine, rare traits in modern western society, which valued the blurring of gender roles and feminism, which ironically made the women more masculine.
Ben also shared his strong points. ”I beat all the Dark Souls games...”
[Target's current attraction level: interested (-1)]
'...So she's not into it. That's all right. I've heard opposites attract.” He went back to his usual tactics, working on developing trust with Miyuki.
An hour later, he'd made progress.
[Target's current attraction level: attracted (+1)]
[Target's current comfort level: acquaintance (+1)]
They left the tea house and walked through Washington Square Park, where many NYU faculty and students frequented.
”What kind of men do you like?” Ben asked.
Miyuki thought about it as she looked at the sky. ”Kind…filial…knows how to treat a woman…”
Ben was nodding.
She continued, ”Honest…hard-working…pulls my hair…”
Ben was nodding.
Ben stopped nodding. 'What did she just say?!?'
Miyuki kept going, ”Likes animals…respectful…chokes me…”