Chapter 12: SOMETHING ELSE

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MILESTONE REACHED

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Attribute: PER [10]

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Choose your Evolution:

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[A] THE LINGERING GAZE

> The Safe Haven

Effect: Maintaining eye

contact for more than 5 seconds

applies [Flustered] to susceptible

Targets. Increased

attraction gain during

intimate conversations.

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[B] EMPATHIC RESONANCE

> Physical touch grants

temporary insight into a

Target’s strongest emotional

need.

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SELECT ONE TO CONFIRM

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Huh. Option B sounded incredibly broken. Physical touch granting me insight into what my targets were secretly craving? Invaluable. If I happened to ’bump’ into Sarah by accident, I could read her hidden desires like an open book. Option A was a solid contender, but I was going with B.

"Nice."

Sarah emerged from the hallway holding a worn leather sketchbook. She took a seat on the couch closest to me and placed the volume gently on the coffee table. Her fingers brushed the cover, but she hesitated to open it. She just held it there. I could practically see the internal conflict tearing at her.

"Hey," I offered, keeping my expression warm and encouraging. "Come on. I really want to see it."

"Maybe... I think I shouldn’t. Maybe when I get a little better at drawing," she exhaled, looking down. "I’m sorry, Chance."

"I’m not going to laugh at you," I chided gently. "Why on earth would I do that?"

"Chance..."

"Please," I pressed, lowering my voice to a softer, more intimate register. "Don’t get me wrong, but unlike your husband... I actually enjoy talking about things. Especially when those things matter to my neighbor, the one who saved my ass by driving me to the hospital."

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> Loyalty: 70% [▼3%]

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 26% [▲3%]

> Threat: None

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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Fuck yeah. Her loyalty dropped by three percent, and her Favor climbed by the exact same amount. I was genuinely getting good at this. I’d never imagined I could hold a conversation with a woman like this again... not after what happened to me. This felt incredible.

"Okay," she finally relented, a small smile breaking through her hesitation. "But if your lips even think about curling into a smirk, I’m going to dropkick you."

"If you actually know how to dropkick someone, that’s honestly way more interesting than the art," I chuckled, leaning back. "Not gonna lie."

"Oh, shut up," she laughed, turning the book toward us. "Okay, here goes nothing."

"Exciting," I replied, my eyes locked onto the pages as she flipped the cover open.

She turned the leather cover over, her movements slow, almost protective.

Spanned across the first few pages were several highly detailed anime illustrations. They weren’t the messy, out-of-proportion doodles I had expected. The clean line art, meticulous shading, and expressive eyes captured a distinct energy.

One page featured a sweeping landscape with a lone character looking toward a sprawling, futuristic city, while the next showed a close-up dynamic portrait of a warrior with a detailed, stylized sword draped over their shoulder. The line-work was crisp, and the anatomy was shockingly on point. This chick actually knew what she was doing.

Suddenly, a transparent UI box materialized directly in front of my vision, accompanied by the distinct sound of two digital dice rattling and tumbling across my line of sight. They settled on a four and a three.

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PERCEPTION CHECK: ✓

[Needed: 12] - [Result: 17]

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The images are from Mendrol’s

Quite Adventures

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Earned: 25 SP

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"Oh," I murmured, offering a silent nod of appreciation to the system. "Mendrol’s Quiet Adventures. I actually know that anime."

Sarah froze, her head snapping up instantly. "Wait, you watch that show?"

"I’ve just seen some snippets and clips of it online," I replied smoothly, leaning in a bit closer to look at the page. "Is it actually that good? Should I start watching it?"

"Oh my god, please do!" she gasped, her entire demeanor instantly lighting up with genuine excitement. "It’s easily one of the best animes I’ve watched in a really long time, Chance. I swear, the plot is incredible."

"Really?" I asked, tracing the edge of the paper with my eyes, letting my tone drop to a warm, appreciative murmur. "I just hope the animation quality is half as good as your drawings, though."

Her cheeks immediately flushed a faint pink. "Ah... they’re really not that good, come on."

"Not good?" I countered, looking directly into her eyes before shifting my gaze back to the sketchbook. "Look at them. The detail on the shading alone is practically perfect."

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> Loyalty: 65% [▼5%]

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 31% [▲5%]

> Threat: None

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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She bit her lower lip, completely flustered by the compliment, and quickly turned the page over to hide her blushing face. The next spread contained even more illustrations; action poses and futuristic character designs. Honestly? The talent was undeniable. If I were the old me, I’d be praising her out of pure admiration. But nah. She was just another target to break. If feeding her ego meant I’d eventually get into those shorts, I’d play the part of the supportive neighbor flawlessly.

Fuck morality.

"Your husband really doesn’t know about any of this?" I asked, letting a touch of disbelief color my voice. "Wow."

She shook her head, her shoulders slumping slightly as the excitement drained from her expression. "No. I tried to get him to watch an episode with me once, but he just... straight-up refused. Told me it was just a kid’s cartoon and that I needed to grow up."

"He should be the one growing up," I said, scoffing softly to show my disgust. "Jesus. Hubert is really something else, isn’t he?"

Sarah stared down at the open sketchbook, a quiet bitterness settling into her eyes. She gave a slow, defeated nod. "Yeah... I know."

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MAIN MENU

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NAME: Chance Brooks

LVL: 4 [0/156]

RANK: -

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[ CORE STATS ]

> CHA: 11

> END: 5

> PER: 10

> LCK: 3

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[ ENERGY ]

> LUST: 140/140

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[ ACTIVE PERKS ]

> [The Outsider]

> [The Gentle Protector]

> [Empathic Resonance]

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SIN POINTS: 315

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