Dominion Bond System: The Only Man Left Has A Yandere Girlfriend

Chapter 80: Back To Raiding

The aroma of grilled fish slowly drifted through the apartment.

Vel’s nose twitched.

A second later, the small yellow cat abruptly shot upright from the couch, his sleepy eyes widening as he sniffed the air several times.

’...Fish.’

His ears perked up.

’Fish!’

Without another thought, he leaped off the couch and sprinted toward the kitchen as fast as his tiny legs could carry him.

There, Reiji calmly stood before the stove, flipping several pieces of fish inside a frying pan while another pot simmered quietly beside him.

"You finally woke up."

Vel didn’t answer.

His eyes were completely locked onto the fish.

Drool slowly dripped from the corner of his mouth.

Reiji couldn’t help but chuckle.

"You’ve only been awake for five seconds."

’Fish...’ Vel muttered, his tail wagging uncontrollably.

"...Please."

Reiji placed one of the cooked fish onto a plate before setting it on the floor.

"Careful. It’s still hot."

Vel didn’t even wait another second.

He buried his face into the fish.

"Mmph!"

His eyes immediately lit up.

’So good...’

Watching the little cat happily eat somehow eased the tension that had been weighing on Reiji’s mind ever since returning from the Backlake Realm.

For a brief moment everything felt normal again.

He prepared his own breakfast before sitting opposite Vel.

Neither of them spoke.

The only sounds inside the apartment were the television quietly playing in the background and Vel’s satisfied chewing.

After finishing breakfast, Reiji washed the dishes before glancing at the familiar blue screen floating in front of him.

Ding!

_____

[Daily Quest: Training For Dominion]

[PUSH-UPS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}

[SQUATS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}

[SIT-UPS] – [0/100] {Incomplete}

[RUNNING] – [0/20KM] {Incomplete}

[Bonus Objective: Wear Mana Suppression Weights for 8 Hours.]

[Reward: +10 Free Stats Points.]

[Failure: ???]

_____

During the past hour, he had already completed every requirement.

Compared to surviving the Backlake Realm...

Reiji wiped the sweat from his forehead and headed toward the bathroom.

A hot shower later, he changed into a clean black T-shirt and jeans before drying his hair with a towel.

Just as he walked back into the living room his phone rang.

~Ring! ~Ring!

His phone vibrated on the table.

The caller ID made him smile.

"Hina."

Reiji answered almost immediately.

"Hey."

The moment the call connected, Hina’s familiar voice came through the speaker.

"Rei-kun..."

Just hearing her voice made Reiji smile.

"How’s the vacation?"

"...Boring."

He laughed.

"I thought you were staying at some fancy resort."

"I am."

"And?"

"...It’s still boring."

Reiji leaned against the kitchen counter.

"What happened? Did the food disappoint you?"

"No."

"The beach?"

"No."

"The hotel?"

"...No."

"Then what’s wrong?"

There was a brief silence before Hina answered in a much quieter voice.

"...You’re not here."

Reiji’s smile softened.

"I see."

The atmosphere between them became strangely warm.

Hina suddenly spoke again.

"You didn’t answer my calls."

Reiji’s heart skipped a beat.

"I misplaced my phone and I just find it today..."

After everything that had happened inside the Backlake Realm, he forget that Hina would call.

Hina remained silent for several seconds. "...You’re lying."

Reiji froze. "...Am I that easy to read?"

"A little."

Another pause followed.

"If something’s bothering you’ll tell me, right?"

Reiji looked toward the window. There were too many things he couldn’t tell her.

The System. The Gates. The Blacklake Realm.

If he told her any of that, she’d only worry.

"...I promise."

Hina quietly hummed.

She still felt something was off, but she chose not to press him any further.

She trusted him.

"So... I almost came home today."

Reiji blinked.

"...Really?"

"Mhm."

"I even thought of making an excuse."

"What excuse?"

"I told myself I’d say I wanted to visit a friend."

Reiji chuckled.

"That sounds believable."

"...It wasn’t."

"Why?"

Hina let out a defeated sigh.

"My mom asked me... ’Which friend?’"

Reiji couldn’t help laughing.

"...Then what did you say?"

"...Nothing. Because I don’t have anyone."

She puffed her cheeks even though he couldn’t see her.

"The only person I ever spend time with is you, Rei-kun."

"So if I suddenly say I want to visit a friend... they’ll know I’m lying."

Reiji smiled helplessly.

"That’s... actually true."

"And if I keep insisting... They might think something happened or make me stay here even longer. The vacation could even become a whole year."

Reiji laughed. "I don’t think it’ll go that far."

"I hope not."

A comfortable silence settled between them. Neither of them felt the need to speak.

Simply hearing the other’s breathing was enough.

Eventually, Reiji broke the silence.

"...Hina."

"Mhm?"

"...I miss you."

The words were simple. Yet they made Hina’s heart skip a beat. A bright smile spread across her face.

"...I miss you too, Rei-kun."

Her cheeks slowly turned red.

Somehow... Just hearing those four words made the entire vacation feel a little less unbearable.

The call finally came to an end.

Reiji stared silently at the dark screen of his phone before letting out a slow breath.

"...Sorry."

The apology escaped his lips almost unconsciously.

Every conversation with Hina made the guilt inside him grow heavier.

He hated lying to her.

But until he became strong enough...

The truth would only place her in danger.

Vel, who had quietly watched the entire conversation while licking fish oil from his paws, hopped onto the table.

He reached over and rubbed Vel behind the ears.

The little cat immediately closed his eyes in satisfaction.

"You’ve got a pretty easy life."

"Eat. Sleep. Watch TV. Complain when there’s no fish..."

Vel proudly puffed out his chest.

Reiji couldn’t help laughing.

For a brief moment everything felt normal.

No Gates. No monsters. No systems.

Just a young man and an unusually intelligent cat sharing a quiet afternoon.

But peaceful moments never lasted long.

Reiji’s smile gradually faded.

His thoughts drifted back to the Blacklake Realm. The black ocean. The terrifying pressure that had nearly stopped his heart.

Then the Devil’s Eye.

A B- Rank monster that had forced him to die once before finally defeating it.

If a B- Rank was already capable of killing him so easily...

What about an B-Rank or A-Rank?

An S-Rank?

Or whatever was sleeping beneath the Blacklake?

His fingers unconsciously tightened into fists.

"I’m still too weak."

He wasn’t discouraged.

If anything the realization only strengthened his resolve.

Strength. That was all that mattered.

As long as he continued growing stronger one day, he would return to Blacklake. One day, he would cross those mountains. One day, he would discover what truly lay beyond that endless black sea.

Until then he needed more EXP more Bond Points. More experience and more power.

Reiji stood up and walked toward his room.

Night soon fell and Reiji removed the weights. He had gained just ten free stats points from today Daily Quest.

He remembered that he hadn’t even used the fifty free stat points he had. So his free stats was now a hundred and ten.

But Reiji still didn’t use it. Not yet.

He opened the wardrobe, he changed into a plain black hoodie, dark jeans, gloves, and a baseball cap.

After checking that his sword and supplies were stored safely inside his Inventory, he looked toward Vel.

"I’m heading out."

’Okay.’

Vel lazily stretched before hopping onto the couch.

"I’ll bring back fish."

’This humble servant will guards this till his last breath.’

The cat’s ears immediately perked up.

"...You’re really easy to bribe."

Reiji jumped out the window and the disappeared into the night.

He stopped by the crepe shop to buy crepes which the aunty asked him while he hadn’t come by for the past week. Reiji just lied an said he travelled and was back.

Dozens of Gates had appeared throughout the city during the past week.

Most were already assigned to Guilds. Others had been cleared. A few remained unattended.

Soon he arrived in front of a gate.

[D-Rank Gate.]

[Status: Stable.]

Reiji’s lips slowly curled upward. "There you are..."