The Affection Multiplier - Chapter 160: Brother talk and first date preparations. (Patreon)

 After calling Jonathan, your mother asked to speak with you for a moment, wondering why you hadn’t told her about your girlfriend. You told her it was just because it was embarrassing, and though she was surprised to hear there were three, she didn’t make more comments on it. She actually apologized for trying to push you into this relationship with Anzu-san, but told you to at least think about it because she’s such a nice girl 

Man, you can’t really get mad at your mom. She can be a bit of an airhead sometimes, but she means well.

At around 11:00 pm, your brother picks you up outside of your parents’ house. Though he’s not driving the car. Rather, it’s his own driver. Of course he has one.

You greet the man, and your brother explains why he’s here.

“You don’t want me driving drunk, do you?” He tells you with a grin.

Oh, god, you’re going drinking. But you’re 18. You’re not allowed to drink here!

“Relax! I know the owner of a bar nearby. She’s a good friend. She’ll keep quiet so long as you don’t get drunk enough to wreck her shop.” Jonathan laughs.

The driver takes you to a place in downtown Shinjuku, about 30 minutes away from the house and…

Holy fuck. The lights are almost blinding and the streets are absolutely full of people coming and going. Tall buildings, colorful signs and the almost deafening sound of the crowd surround you on all sides. It seems like no matter where you look there’s a shop inviting you in.

…

And whatever they might have inside, you don’t know because you can’t read a thing.

“When you’re 20, we’ll come back here and I’ll take you to a cabaret club, but for now this’ll have to do.” Jonathan says, nodding to himself.

You’re in front of a three-story building, following your brother into a small elevator that only takes you to the second floor and directly into the establishment.

“Welcome to Serena, brother.” Your brother says with a nostalgic sigh.

The place looks comfortable. There are red tulip chairs in front of the counter and black leather corner couches around 4 tables for groups. Seems like a place meant for relaxed conversation with the relatively dim lighting and soft music. There are two tables already in use, one with a group of three people and the other with a group of five.

“Ah! Jon-kun!” You hear a woman say.

…Jon-kun?

“Reina-san!” Jonathan answers, his face brightening up when he sees the woman behind the counter. She’s obviously Japanese, has long straight black hair and is wearing a white blouse and black pants. She really looks like a beautiful, mature woman that somewhat reminds you of Mia.

Jonathan walks up to the counter and speaks with Reina-san. They both look genuinely happy to see each other, though not in the way you’d think of your brother.

“Dave, this is Reina-san, the owner of Serena.” Jonathan tells you and points a finger between your eyes. “Now, listen here. Reina-san is a goddess. You respect her just like mom and treat her better than a queen, understood?”

He’s serious. You don’t think your brother has THAT kind of relationship with Reina-san. It’s kind of refreshing to see him having a healthy friendship with someone.

You introduce yourself to Reina-san, using what limited Japanese you know. At least you know the full phrase to say “My name is Walker David, a pleasure to meet you.” While bowing.

Reina-san bows back, smiles kindly and asks in English with a thick accent. “You are not very good at language, yes?”

You smile back, embarrassed, but nod.

“I know some English. You can ask drink in English. No problem!” She gives you a thumbs up with a big grin. “But shush about age!” She says in a hushed tone, taking a finger to her lips. “You look big, er… grown, so no problem!”

You find yourself smiling. Man, she’s cool.

You sit at the counter next to Jonathan, and Reina-san asks you what you’ll have. You look behind the bar owner and browse through the many bottles to think of something. You’re disappointed that the first things though thought of was whisky, which you can practically drink anywhere in the world.

“Get us some sake, Reina-san.” Jonathan says. “Might as well start with Japan’s national drink.”

The owner gets you a white ceramic bottle, two matching small cups and a bowl filled with snacks such as rice crackers, nuts, chocolates and so.

Your brother pours you the clear drink first and then one for himself. “There’s a lot of ceremony drinking sake with the most traditionalist locals, but I don’t like it. Since it’s you, and Reina-san likes foreigners, I can loosen up.” He chuckles and drinks the first one in one go.

You sigh and decide to take it slowly. It’s warm and surprisingly good. Mildly sweet and smooth, leaving a nice lingering aftertaste.

“Alright, I have an idea what this is about.” Jonathan says. “Mom called me today and said the meeting had gone well, though I had to ask what meeting she was talking about. I swear, I didn’t know they were doing that. I’m kind of surprised they haven’t done it for me, really, and just a little offended.” He says while pouring himself a second cup, which he drinks with moderation now.

“It’s not just about that.” You say, taking a bigger sip from the rice wine to loosen your tongue. “I wanted to ask you. How did you deal with dad’s shit growing up?”

“Huh. I guess we’ve never talked about that, have we?”

Yeah. You’ve both had to deal with him, but you don’t really know how the other takes it, what you think about it.

“I guess for me, it’s never been much of an issue.” He sighs. “I think I was already naturally following on dad’s footsteps. It was easy and I had fun doing it. Sure, I might be a little bit more promiscuous than he’s ever been in his 60 years, but I’m not him, I’m just following him.” He says, not really bothered or surprised by the reflection. “And I aim to eventually surpass him, make the company bigger; expand to other areas of influence.” He nods to himself.

“Really?” You shake your head. “In my case, I’ve always hated how he puts whatever challenge he arbitrarily thinks are the best for me and takes decisions away. I don’t want to follow him; I have my own goals.”

“Like building a harem of beauties?” He grins knowingly.

“For one.” You admit, realizing that the sake is already taking effect. When did you finish your cup? You brother is already pouring you another one. “But I already thought of a career path. I want to be a lawyer.”

“Do you now? Huh. I guess that fits you better than businessman.” Jonathan nods. “Have you told dad?”

“No. He already decided that I should take over the Fujiwara’s electronics company after marrying Anzu-san.”

“Your school’s nurse? Man, this is either a weird coincidence or he has his claws everywhere!” Jonathan says, with amazement and respect in his voice more than anything else. “I have to wonder if Elena Hayes will have something to say about this.”

“I don’t think so.” You shake your head. “Anzu-san said her mother knows the headmistress as well. I don’t think she can object, so long as we keep the matter outside the school. It’s not like she’s a teacher.”

“I guess you’re right.” Jonathan nods. “So, about dad?”

“The thing is… he sounded so hopeful. Like he knew I’d be able to do it. Perhaps it’s always been this way for you, but I don’t get to see him be proud of me often, if at all.” You sigh, drinking again. “It’s always been difficult to do what he wanted, and it’s barely ever enough. For the first time, I feel like he’s truly proud of me.”

“…So you’ve never done what you wanted? You’ve been following dad’s path just because it’s what he told you to do?”

“Pretty much.” You nod.

“For fuck’s sake, Dave, we should’ve had this conversation five fucking years ago.” Your brother groans and shakes his head. “I’ve been doing what dad wanted because that’s what I wanted, too. I’ve always done what I wanted, and I think it’s high time you do that, too.”

“It’s not that easy. What am I supposed to do?” You ask.

“Nothing worth doing is ever truly easy, but it helps to have people to support you.” He tells you, looking at you straight in the eye. “Do what you want to do, and if you succeed, dad will have no choice but to be proud of you, no matter what it is.”

“So, what? Do I quit Hayes Academy, start working and saving money to get into law school?” You ask, half-rhetorically, but half-believing it’s what you should actually do.

“You could do that, I guess, but you better not waste the opportunities you have in front of you. My advice is let dad continue paying for the academy. You’re already there and I know you want to stay. After that, follow whatever path you want, and if dad refuses to support you, I will.”

“…” You stare at your brother blankly for almost a full minute. “You what?”

“I’ll pay for your studies, even an apartment wherever you need it. You have the skills to do whatever you want, Dave, and if there’s something I can’t do is let you waste them.” Jonathan says, drinking from his cup.

“…are you drunk already?”

“Shut up, I’m serious.” He shakes his head. “I think I get now why we’ve never been very close. I don’t think we ever understood each other. Well, let me try to fix that. It’s not like the money will hurt me. I make almost as much as dad, you know?” He grins.

“…” You stare into the clear liquid inside your cup. 

Things can’t be this easy. Was talking to your brother really all you needed? Seriously? You feel… uplifted. Like there’s a way to do things, after all. It’s okay to do the things you want and not feel… guilty about it.

…

Was that why it felt wrong to be with your girls for anything other than studying the week before finals? Because you felt that there were things you HAD to do, and doing what you wanted was wrong?

God, you owe your girlfriends so fucking much (and so much fucking).

And speaking of girlfriends…

“What should I do about Anzu-san?” You ask in a low voice.

“I told you, do whatever YOU want. If you don’t like her, dump her. If you like her, date her, bed her, marry her, I don’t care. What matters is what you want.”

…

You catch the feint and watery reflection of yourself in the sake, smiling back at you as something heavy in your chest suddenly vanishes.

“Thanks, brother.”

“It’s why I was born ten years before you.” Jonathan says, holding his cup close to you. You grab yours and lightly bump it against his before drinking at the same time.

-Walker, Jonathan-

Affection Score: 82 (+6)

_____________________________________________________________

On Friday, the day of your first official date with Anzu-san, who you remember you should refer to as Fujiwara-san if her parents aren’t there, Emma sends a picture to the group chat with all your test scores.

…

You sigh in relief when you confirm that you did ace them all. If you had deprived yourself and your girls of being together AND had gotten less than perfect scores, you would’ve been pissed.

You tell your father, and all he says is “Good.” Before dismissing you from his office.

You decide not to get hung up on that. It’s 10:00 am and your date is in about an hour. You spend some time in your room, thinking about what Jonathan said the other day.

Have you really never done what you wanted? Well, there’s one thing. You pull out your phone as you think of the most obvious example. You open the AMA and, for the first time in a while, check the profiles of your girlfriends.

-Campbell, Emma-
Affection Score: 100
Love Score: 100
Lust Score: 78

-Grant, Megan-  
Affection Score: 100
Love Score: 100
Lust Score: 70

-Johnson, Sophia-
Affection Score: 100
Love Score: 100
Lust Score: 67

-Miller, Emily-
Affection Score: 100
Love Score: 100
Lust Score: 75

-Owens, Mia-  
Affection Score: 100
Love Score: 100
Lust Score: 71

The most selfish thing you’ve ever done is wanting to build your harem, and you’ve felt guilty about it for over half the time you’ve been doing it. It also only happened because you were away from your dad.

But is it really okay to do whatever you want?

…

The answer is staring right back at you in your phone screen. Just glancing at their names lifts your spirits. You love them, and you’re going to marry them. That’s no longer up for debate.

But what about Fujiwara-san? What will you do about her?

…

The romantic inside you is in allegiance with the horny beast, because just thinking about her gets you excited. Why wouldn’t you have a thing for a woman as kind, respectful and cheerful as her? However, those two are still in conflict with the idiot of a good boy inside you that doesn’t want to push her into this deal.

…

-Fujiwara, Anzu-
Affection Score: 50
Love Score: 5
Lust Score: 10

…She already has a love score? Well, you know the Affection Multiplier is powerful, but you can’t multiply by zero. This pushes the power balance in favor of the romantic/horny alliance.

Pushing that matter aside for a minute, looking at the AMA reminds you of your concern over the fact that knowing the language bothers you more than it should. You browse through the trait list, looking for something just in case you find a trait that can help that’s also cheap. After all, you got 150 friendship point from your family and just now 50 from Fujiwara-san, leaving you with:

Available points: 480 Friendship points / 50 Love points / 200 Lust points

Of course, there’s one that helps but doesn’t quite satisfies your immediate needs.

Polyglot (80): You start learning new languages at a very increased speed. Note (1): For this trait to have any effect, you must be exposed to the language is some way. The more you practice, the faster you learn. Note (2): You can specify a single langue you wish to learn faster, resulting in a lower point cost (30).

Would you be able to learn quickly enough for your proficiency to be useful while you’re here? And if you do get the trait, should you get the full trait or just for Japanese? You need to save points, of course, but thinking long term, learning several different languages would be extremely useful, especially since you’re now decided on your career path.

…

If you manage to get your family’s scores to 100, you’ll get a total of 200 more points. Yes, this is a purchase you can afford.

You buy the full Polyglot trait, and as always, you don’t feel any different. Only 80 Friendship Points poorer, with a bit of immediate buyer’s remorse and still conflicted over a beautiful nurse.

__________________________________________________________________________________

 Ready for your date?