Chapter 5: GETTING STARTED

I stared at the Grievance Log while taking bites of the cold sandwich I’d thrown together. How the hell was I supposed to exploit any of this? I was pathetic when it came to women. My last "girlfriend" was back in seventh grade.

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GRIEVANCE LOG

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Target: Sarah Angi

Subject: Husband

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> Forgets Anniversary

> Poor Hygiene

> Ignores her at dinner

> Dismisses her Feelings

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Forgetting anniversaries, bad hygiene, ignoring her at dinner, dismissing her feelings... I still couldn’t understand how her loyalty was as high as 80%. Hubert really was a worthless husband.

I took another bite and glanced toward the bedroom window, mind drifting to that bald bastard who beat me up. He had a girlfriend too, right? I saw her. If I wanted to test this system on him, I’d need to find him again. The nearby dog parks seemed like a good place to start.

"You fuckwit..." I muttered.

Knock. Knock.

The sound made me pause. At least the repaired door didn’t swing open on its own anymore. I got up and peeked through the hole. It was Sarah.

I opened the door.

"Hey," I smiled. "Sarah."

"Hi," she replied warmly. "I just wanted to check on you. See how you’re doing."

"I’m good. Come in, please."

"Ah... thank you."

She stepped inside, still wearing her waitress uniform. The white button-up shirt was tucked neatly into a tight black pencil skirt that hugged her wide, shapely hips and thick thighs. Her chest strained against the fabric, the top two buttons undone from a long shift, giving a tempting hint of cleavage. Her wavy chestnut hair was slightly messy after work, and a light sheen of sweat made her skin glow under the cheap apartment lighting. She looked incredibly sexy... tired, but still radiating that natural, curvy beauty.

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EVENT SUCCESS

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> Action: Invited Inside

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> REWARD: +25 EXP

+50 Sin Points

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Damn. Just inviting her in gave me rewards? This system was real.

"How do you feel?" she asked, stepping further inside.

"Better," I replied, closing the door behind her. "Got the door fixed too."

"Good for you," she smiled and sat on the couch when I gestured. "I still don’t know why you got beaten up, Chance."

"I fell?"

She let out a soft chuckle. "God... I’m sorry for laughing."

"It’s fine." I smiled. "Want a beer or something?"

"I’m good. I need to head back soon anyway. Hubert’s waiting..." She sighed. "He gave me so much shit just because I drove you to the hospital. I swear, he never listens to me. When I told him what happened, he just didn’t care..."

┌───────────────────────┐

OPPORTUNITY DETECTED

[Grievance: Dismisses Feelings]

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[ SUGGESTED RESPONSE ]

"I’m sorry he made your morning

harder, Sarah. It’s my fault."

───────────────────────

COST: 10 Lust

EST. GAIN: ??

└───────────────────────┘

I didn’t hesitate.

"I’m sorry he made your morning harder, Sarah. It’s my fault."

"Ah, forget it. He’s just like that."

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TARGET: Sarah Angi

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[ RELATIONSHIP ]

> Partner: [Hubert]

> Loyalty: 75% [▼5%]

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[ SYSTEM SYNC ]

> Favor: 2% [▲2%]

> Threat: None

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> GRIEVANCE LOG

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Holy shit. It actually worked. Five percent loyalty drained, two percent favor gained.

"Still, I’m really grateful for your help," I said, sitting across from her on the chair.

"Just being a good neighbor." She smiled sweetly. "That’s all."

"And I thank you for that."

"Yep." She groaned. "Ugh, my back..."

"Long shift?" I asked, sitting across from her on the chair, trying not to stare too obviously.

"Brutal," she groaned, leaning back. The movement pushed her tits out a little more against the fabric. "Weekend mornings are the worst. Drunk college kids who stayed up all night, families with screaming babies, and the usual creeps who think tipping an extra five bucks means they can stare at my ass the whole time." She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I swear, my feet are killing me. These heels are cute but they’re murder after eight hours."

I nodded sympathetically, letting my gaze wander again down the line of her throat, across the subtle sheen of sweat on her collarbone, then lower to the way her skirt clung to her hips.

"You handle it well though. I’ve seen you hustling in there. Always smiling, even when it’s obvious you’re dead on your feet. That’s impressive."

"Thanks. Most people just see the uniform and the smile. They don’t think about how much my back aches by the end of it."

"Hmm."

She checked her watch and let out a reluctant sigh. "Shit, I really should go. I need a shower and at least a couple hours of sleep before my next shift." She stood up slowly, smoothing her skirt down over her wide hips.

I walked her to the door, eyes locked on the sway of her ass the whole way. "Thanks again," I said. "For everything."

"Like I said, just being a good neighbor." She turned and gave me one last pretty, slightly shy smile. "See you around."

She stepped into the hallway, adjusted her coat over that sinful uniform, and waved. I waved back and closed the door.

"Now... let’s check the menu."

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MAIN MENU

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NAME: Chance Brooks

LVL: 1 [25/100]

RANK: -

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[ CORE STATS ]

> CHA: 5

> END: 5

> PER: 1

> LCK: 3

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[ ENERGY ]

> LUST : 130/140

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[ ACTIVE PERKS ]

> [The Outsider]

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SIN POINTS: 50

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Twenty-five EXP and fifty Sin Points. Not bad for one short conversation. Even if it cost me a bit of Lust.

This system... it was actually real.

And I was just getting started.

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎