"So now there are mini-quests too…" I muttered under my breath.
Hmm... that somewhat changed things.
If I could increase my stats through these without using ♥︎, then that meant I didn't have to rely entirely on the main system rewards.
That second quest caught my attention though.
Special massage. Secret pamphlet. S-Skill.
Okay...
It didn't take a genius to figure that one out.
"Right… S-Skill," I said quietly. "In short for Sex Skill."
The system really wasn't subtle about it.
That explained a lot, actually.
So that was why I needed 100 S-Skill to bed Ma'am Minerva. It wasn't just about wanting it. I also had to actually be capable of it.
Which, when I thought about my current situation, was a bit of a problem.
Considering my current level, aka almost nonexistent, since I'm still a virgin, it made sense that I'd have to, you know… actually learn.
It felt a bit strange... farming stats through sex, I mean.
I mean, realistically speaking… I could probably just go there and ask for it if I managed to exchange some ♥︎ after finishing the manager's quest.
At this point, it wasn't even about asking why anymore. It was more like… why not? I'm a man. And as a man, of course I want to get laid too.
I want to actually experience what it feels like instead of just imagining it like some clueless idiot.
At the same time though, there was still that small hesitation sitting in the back of my mind.
Which, honestly, made sense. It was going to be my first time, after all. Anyone would feel at least a little uneasy about it.
Still, there was one thing I understood pretty clearly. I was definitely going to enjoy it. That part didn't need much thinking.
Anyway, thinking too much about it right now wasn't really helping anything.
The more important thing was collecting ♥︎ first if I wanted to properly farm stats. I could exchange those ♥︎ for money, and then use that money at different establishments to actually build myself up.
Problem was, I didn't have any ♥︎ at all right now. And money, for that matter.
So, yeah, I guess, plans were nice and all, but reality was still pretty broke.
While walking around, trying not to look like someone who just realized he had zero cash to his name, something caught my attention.
Right at the front of a bookstore, there was a display of magazines. They were selling the newest issues, mostly filled with modeling photos and gravure shoots.
One of them stood out almost immediately.
I picked it up and took a closer look.
"…Wait. Isn't this… the girl from last night?"
Samantha, if I remembered correctly.
Huh... I didn't expect that at all.
Then again, thinking about it properly, it actually made sense. The woman had the kind of figure that people would pay attention to. I had already seen enough last night to know that much. Everything about her fit the image, from her proportions to her face.
So yeah, there was no surprise she ended up on a magazine cover, and working as a model, for that matter.
Now I finally understood why she said I should be grateful for getting her number. At the time, it sounded a bit over the top.
Looking at this now, it didn't feel like she was exaggerating at all.
And with her being on the front page like this, she was probably more than just some random model. She had to be at least somewhat famous.
While I was still staring at the magazine, probably longer than I should have, I finally noticed the manager.
She was already there, even though it wasn't 8 yet.
And she looked… different.
Back at the convenience store, she always wore the same thing.
From a neat suit, red necktie, to a short pencil skirt. A very clean, very professional, very "I will judge you silently if you mess up" set of clothes.
Now, she was wearing something completely different.
A one-piece dress.
It suited her more than I expected.
Actually, she pulled it off pretty well.
Right now, she was looking at her phone, most likely waiting for the person she was supposed to meet.
I figured I might as well stay and watch for a bit. There was no point jumping in too early without knowing what was going on.
She kept checking her phone, then her watch, then her phone again. A small loop that just kept repeating.
It wasn't even 8 yet, but she was already getting restless.
She typed out a few messages, paused, looked around, and turned slightly like she was expecting someone to show up any second.
Watching her like this made me realize something.
Standing there and observing her every move probably made me look like a complete creep.
Not exactly a great look.
After a while, though, her shoulders dropped.
It was the kind of drop that said everything without needing words.
I guess she got stood up.
So no one was actually coming...?
Which made me wonder what this quest was even about.
___
QUEST
The manager is looking for a boyfriend on a dating site, and it seems like she may have found someone. Do you think it's okay for her to meet a stranger like that?
Reward: 10♥︎
Event information: Mall C, 8:00 PM. Be sure not to be late!
___
By the time it hit 8, she was already starting to leave.
Was the timing off?
That didn't seem right.
But…
…Now that I thought about it more carefully, it started to make sense. At least, it made sense to me.
The person she was supposed to meet wasn't going to show up at 8. He had probably planned to show earlier, maybe 7, maybe even 6. They must have arranged it for a much earlier time. But then, why did the system tell me 8?
It seemed like the quest was trying to tell me something entirely different.
This wasn't about stepping in to stop some shady guy at all.
It was about something else entirely.
It was about me being there at 8, right at the moment she realized she'd been waiting for nothing and felt completely disappointed.
The goal wasn't to protect her.
It was to comfort her.
. . .
. . .
Well played, system. Seriously.
I let out a quiet breath and started running after the manager.