[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 40,000 negative points!]
Another wave of Negative Points rolled in.
But Vir didn’t dare dawdle any longer.
In all his years as a doctor, this was genuinely the first time he’d been this scared for a patient.
He was seriously worried that Hancock might just keel over if she didn’t catch her breath soon.
Her breathing was already erratic to the extreme.
One wrong move, and there wouldn’t even be a chance to save her.
You heard that right.
The kind of situation even Vir couldn’t salvage…
“I’m going to give you a foot massage now~ This essential oil can help remove your scars~ It’ll probably take about ten minutes or so~”
Vir spoke softly, then quickly stood up.
The heat radiating from Hancock’s face was practically scalding him…
Once he finished speaking, Vir moved straight to her feet.
In one swift motion, he yanked off both her high heels and casually tossed them aside—
*Smack!*
Right onto Rayleigh’s face.
“Rayleigh-san, what do you think of these shoes?” Marco asked immediately.
Rayleigh: I think I’ll shove them up your—!
Rayleigh was losing it.
Not only was he completely in the dark about what was happening inside, but there was also this idiot outside constantly messing with his sanity!
Damn it.
He’d gone too easy on Marco earlier!
What the hell was Vir doing in there?!
Was that guy actually faking it earlier?
And now he’s even taking her shoes off?
“Rayleigh-san, what do you think about the possibility of Vir having a foot fetish?”
Rayleigh just wanted to tear Marco apart.
The veins on his forehead were practically popping.
You could tell he was really holding himself back.
He desperately wanted to barge in and see what was happening.
But he was also terrified of walking in on something… inappropriate.
The dilemma was killing him.
And then—
“Ahhn~!”
A strange sound came from inside.
It was Hancock’s voice.
Rayleigh’s soul was this close to leaving his body.
‘What the—are you kidding me?!’
‘Is this how you torment an old man?!’
‘WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THERE?!’
Did Vir just trick him into leaving so he could pull something shady?!
“Rayleigh-san, what’s your take on that sound just now?”
Rayleigh took a deep breath to calm himself.
He felt like he was being too rash.
From what he knew of Vir, the guy probably wouldn’t do something like that.
Let’s wait.
Just keep watching.
“It’s just normal treatment.” Rayleigh said flatly.
“Oh? Then what’s your take on treating a back scar by taking off her shoes?” Marco threw out another question!
That one sentence yanked Rayleigh’s barely calmed heart right back into his throat.
Yeah!
If the scar is on her back, why the hell are you taking off her shoes?!
Even though his heart was practically in his mouth, he didn’t want to give Marco the satisfaction of seeing him crack. So he doubled down, saying, “It’s normal. After the treatment, even my butt became bigger. It’s all normal.”
Marco, hearing this, reluctantly backed off, biding his time for the next chance to mess with Rayleigh.
Meanwhile, inside, all Vir had done was accidentally brush Hancock’s foot while taking off her shoes.
And she let out that sound.
The moment Hancock made that noise—
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 80,000 negative points!]
Another 80,000 points came flooding in.
Looks like this plan was working.
As long as he could get Hancock to make a sound, the people outside would misunderstand, and the Negative Points would come pouring in.
Nice, nice, nice.
Having cracked the code, Vir decided he wasn’t going to hold back with the Empress anymore.
Let’s do this.
When Hancock realized Vir had taken off her shoes, her CPU straight-up fried.
Not overloaded.
Just straight-up burned out.
A massage?
A foot massage for her?
This… this meant he was going to…?
They’d only just met!!
How could he just touch a girl’s feet like that…?
She’d die of embarrassment…
Hancock hadn’t even said anything yet when Vir pulled out a tiny bottle of Restoration Oil he’d bought for 300,000 points.
Compared to the weakening poison he’d made himself, it was no contest.
This was the difference between homemade and store-bought.
If he had this in bulk, he might not even need a massage…
He poured a little into his hand and went straight for Hancock’s right foot.
Hancock’s foot was light and delicate, slender and elegant, perfectly matching her Empress vibe.
But because she was so nervous, her perfect toes were curled tightly together, looking almost round and cute.
Of course, Vir didn’t notice any of that.
He just thought this foot was so soft it’d be tough for an average masseur to handle.
It was like there were no bones.
Finding the pressure points might be a bit tricky.
But for him? No problem.
He was a pro.
Vir spread the 300,000-points oil evenly and began his treatment.
During the application, Hancock was trying so hard not to make a sound.
And she managed to hold it in—nothing happened.
But just as she let out a sigh of relief…
An overwhelming sensation shot from the sole of her foot straight to the top of her head.
Completely unprepared, she let out a cry!
“AH~!”
And she didn’t even control the volume.
The sound echoed through the entire room.
After letting it out, Hancock froze.
‘W-What did I just do?!’
‘How could I make such a shameless noise?!’
‘What kind of massage is this?!’
‘Everyone outside heard!!’
‘How am I supposed to face anyone now…?’
[Ding! Congratulations, Host! You’ve earned 150,000 negative points!]
Vir heard the sound and nodded with satisfaction.
Perfect.
This was exactly the effect he wanted.
Meanwhile, everyone outside was stunned.
“Chopper, what was that sound? Does that happen during treatment?” Luffy asked, wide-eyed with curiosity.
Chopper answered with confidence, “Not in Big Bro’s treatments!”
Meanwhile, Yamato and Bonney, blissfully ignorant, just listened with mild interest.
But the real star of the show—Marco—was thrilled.
As always—
Mic up!
“Rayleigh-san! This is frontline reporter, Grandpa Willy! What’s your take on those suggestive sounds just now?” Marco asked with a wicked grin.
‘Let’s see how you spin this one!’
‘Admit it!’
‘Your girl’s been charmed!’
‘If you can talk your way out of this, I’ll be impressed!’
Rayleigh, meanwhile, was using the curtains (which Marco had torn down and handed to him) to wipe the flood of sweat pouring off his face.
His handkerchief was already soaked.
And now a third of the curtain was wet too.
Hearing Marco’s question, Rayleigh—calm and composed—replied:
“Pfft! No big deal! Physical contact is unavoidable during treatment!”
“She probably just got bumped by accident.”
But the moment those words left his mouth—
“Ahh—! Nngh~! Hah…!”
The sounds from inside kept coming, one after another.
It was practically a symphony!
Rayleigh’s eyes bulged.
Even Marco’s jaw dropped.
Vir was serious!
Then Marco turned to Rayleigh.
And Rayleigh?
He was drenched in sweat!
The man was now drenched, a literal puddle forming beneath him, creeping toward Marco’s feet.
Marco gave him a look.
“Old man, if this keeps up, changing the curtains won’t be enough.”
“You’re gonna dehydrate yourself. How about… you stop pretending, take a drink, and just enjoy—ahem, observe properly?”
—–
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