[You've received a new Pet Egg: Inugami Egg]
Type: Unknown
Description: A naturally large and mystical cosmic creature. Intelligent and loyal.
Note: Do not feed it both a red fruit and goat's blood at the same time, or…
Flavor Text: "Who wouldn't want a giant fluffy dog to nap on?"
Quote: "Watch your head or you'll be bleeding, aru!"
…
"Inugami?"
Nao blinked, confused. Before he could even figure out what the hell a "Inugami" was, a new system message popped up:
[Inugami Egg is now incubating.]
[New feature unlocked: Pet System.]
"It's already hatching?"
He glanced at his two still-snoring roommates, then turned and locked the bathroom door.
The very next second, a softly glowing white egg appeared before him, radiating a faint blue light—and then, it began to crack open.
"Please don't be huge…"
Nao silently prayed.
"If it busts through the ceiling, I won't be able to explain this one…"
Luckily, the egg didn't seem that large. So whatever came out of it should still be a baby, right?
Crack.
Snap.
With each second, more fractures ran along the shell until finally—it broke apart completely.
A fuzzy white little head popped out, blinking curiously. It perched atop the broken egg, glanced around the bathroom—and then locked eyes with Nao.
It looked a bit like a Samoyed. A bit like a Ragdoll cat. But most distinctive of all were those upside-down comma-like eyebrows—just like hooked magatama beads.
That face looked really familiar…
"…Oh."
Nao squinted at the little guy for five full seconds before giving himself a facepalm.
"So that's what this is. It's the same species as Sadaharu…"
This whole "Inugami" name? Who would even remember that?
Just call it the Gintama mascot dog and be done with it!
Still… it was pretty damn cute.
Nao chuckled and reached out to pat its fluffy head. "I suck at naming things, so I'll keep it simple. You're Sadaharu now, okay?"
A dog doesn't exactly get a vote.
The little guy just wagged its tail enthusiastically, licking Nao's palm and then shoving its fuzzy face into his chest.
Nao burst into ticklish laughter.
While cuddling the baby Sadaharu, he opened the newly unlocked Pet tab in his system.
The interface was pretty minimal, only showing the name and stats of currently owned pets:
Name: Sadaharu
Species: Inugami
Strength: 5
Agility: 3
Endurance: 3
Intelligence: 4
Charm: 9
Recommended Role: Mount / Companion / Baby-wrangler
…
"Pretty damn strong for a pup," Nao muttered, glancing down at the creature in his arms.
"For a newborn to already have strength and agility on par with a regular Marine soldier? That's wild."
Typical Inugami beasts shouldn't have stats like this.
If this thing gets stronger when it grows up… it might actually be a real battle asset someday.
"Awooo!"
Almost like it understood his amazement, the little Sadaharu lifted its head proudly and let out a proud little howl.
"…Goddamn, that's too cute."
Nao felt his heart melt a little.
Scrolling further, he found two system notes below the stat sheet:
1. Any pet hatched from an egg is bound to the player by an unbreakable master-pet contract. Loyalty will not drop under normal conditions.
2. Once hatched, a pet is automatically in a permanent "active companion" state and cannot be dismissed. A soul-bond allows each to sense the other's general location.
Perfect. No need to worry about betrayal or abandonment.
Nao lifted the little guy so their eyes were level, frowning slightly as he pondered, "What do I even feed you…"
Right then, a new message popped into the system log.
[New Side Quest Unlocked]
Quest Name: A Boy's First Kiss
Congrats, player! You've completed three side quests. That means you've officially graduated from Newbie Island. Time to take the first real step on the journey of love—out into the vast and romantic sea!
Objective: Within 30 days, experience your first kiss. Target must be human.
Rewards:
– 100,000 points
– 1 Random Attribute Point
– 1 Limited-Time 80% Off Store Coupon
…
That's… surprisingly generous.
Points and stat boosts were nice, but nothing new to him. What really stood out this time was:
A discount coupon.
An 80% OFF coupon.
Nao had to admit—his heart skipped a beat.
He remembered some of the high-end store items from his first week. Some had cost upward of hundreds of thousands of points—like the Phantom Step Skill Scroll, or the Wind Barrier Skill Scroll.
He'd figured those were pipe dreams he'd need to save up for over a long grind…
But now, if one of those reappeared, and he had this coupon…
He could flip the system's economy upside down.
Huge profit.
"Wait a sec…"
Nao narrowed his eyes at the cute dog staring up at him.
"Why would this quest trigger now, of all times?"
"...You don't think I'm supposed to kiss you, do you?"
Sadaharu blinked, big innocent eyes widening as he tilted his head to the side.
Tch. Too cute.
If the quest didn't specify "human," Nao might have actually transformed into some weird anime dog-lover and kissed the little guy on the spot.
BANG BANG BANG!
Just then, a series of heavy knocks shook the door.
"Hey! It's almost six! Why the hell are you still hogging the bathroom?"
From the blurry silhouette on the frosted glass, it was clearly Shiryuu—his voice impatient and half-desperate.
"What're you doing in there?! Hurry up! I'm gonna piss myself!"
"Coming!"
With Sadaharu blinking in confusion, Nao quickly dunked the pup into the washbasin, then turned around and unlocked the door.
He smiled casually as he opened it:
"Some puppy wandered in last night. Super friendly. I figured I'd keep him, was just giving him a quick rinse."
"Puppy?" Shiryuu frowned, eyeing Nao suspiciously. "You're seriously gonna keep one? Pets are such a pain. They make messes, chew everything up, stink up the place—"
But then he caught sight of Sadaharu.
The soaking wet fur. The jet-black puppy-dog eyes.
And just like that, his words died mid-sentence.
After a long pause…
"…Fine. Whatever. Keep it."
Nao didn't respond. He just stared at Shiryuu… then glanced at Sadaharu… and tilted his head.
Wait a second…
Shiryuu shifted awkwardly under the stare, huffed, and turned sharply into the toilet stall.
What a tsundere.
Nao rolled his eyes.
Still, for a second there, he could've sworn—when Shiryuu locked eyes with Sadaharu—his usual gloomy face had… blushed slightly?
PS: Read Advance Chapters at https://www.patreon.com/c/ReadJin