Chapter 6: SEE YOU SOON, HUBERT

It seemed like my Lust Energy recovered about 10 points every hour. Good to know. I still had no idea what would happen if it ever hit zero, and I wasn’t in a hurry to find out.

I was working at a nearby coffee shop called "Bean & Bloom." I used to be a barista here, but when the owner hired his cousin, I got demoted to waiter. Less pay, more running around, but it still covered the bills. Sarah was the one who got me this job after she quit, she recommended me to the boss. Funny how that worked out.

"Another mocha," Jacob said, sliding the drink onto my tray. "Table nine."

"Got it."

I grabbed the tray and headed out. The coffee shop was nice with warm lighting, wooden tables, the rich smell of fresh coffee and pastries in the air, and big windows that let in plenty of natural light. It was the kind of place that actually felt welcoming.

"You sure you’re good to work today, man?" Jacob asked when I returned to the counter. "You still look pretty banged up."

"You know the boss better than I do, Jacob," I sighed. "No work, no pay. I can’t afford to take time off."

"Yeah... he can be a real jerk sometimes."

"I fucking agree," I muttered, tapping the counter.

This part of town was actually decent. Clean streets, decent people, actual working streetlights. Compared to the shithole I lived in, with its broken doors, aggressive neighbors, and constant smell of piss and damp concrete, this place felt like paradise.

"Welp, you can clock out," Jacob said, placing another drink on a tray.

"Phew." I took off my apron with relief. "See you tomorrow, Jacob."

"Night shift tomorrow, don’t forget."

"I know, I know."

I rolled my sore shoulder, grabbed my backpack from the staff room, and left through the back entrance. The sky was already darkening, thick clouds promising rain again tonight. This city’s weather was always either bad or worse.

I crossed the street and stopped at the bus shelter. After putting on my headphones, I leaned against the glass and closed my eyes for a moment.

When I opened them, I noticed her.

A woman stood a few feet away, back turned to me. She had long, straight, void-black hair that seemed to drink in the light around it. Something about her felt strangely familiar, but I couldn’t place why. My eyes lingered on her silhouette, slim waist, elegant posture, that impossibly dark hair cascading down her back.

Before I could think too much about it, the bus arrived. I shook my head and hopped on.

"Uh... so tired..."

And... yeah. There he was. My fucking nightmare.

Hubert Fucking Angi.

Sitting at the far back on the left window seat was none other than Hubert Angi. He hadn’t noticed me yet. He was staring out the window with that familiar pissed-off expression, the face of a man who was always looking for a reason to argue.

He was a completely average-looking guy in his late twenties. Short brown hair, plain face, slightly overweight, wearing a wrinkled button-up shirt. Nothing special about him at all. Just another forgettable asshole.

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THREAT DETECTED

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Name: Hubert Angi

Status: [Hostile]

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[ ATTRIBUTES ]

> Temper: High

> Insight: Low

> Stamina: Poor

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[ ACTIVE DEBUFFS ]

> Morning Cranky

> Stale Alcohol

> Insecure

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Insecure, huh? That explained why he always tried to act so tough. The stale alcohol and cranky debuffs were just icing on the cake.

"Now... how do I exploit you, you fucking idiot?" I whispered.

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NEW QUEST

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[!] MISSION:

Public Outburst

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> OBJECTIVE:

Trigger a [Rage] state

in Target: Hubert Angi

while 3+ witnesses

are present.

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> REWARD:

+105 EXP

+100 Sin Points

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His high temper made this easy in theory. The hard part was doing it without him realizing it was me.

I moved closer and stopped in the same row. A woman standing near Hubert was holding an open bottle of lemonade. Though, she was a little further away from her. I needed this person to be closer.

"Hey," I smiled at her politely. "I’m getting off at the next stop. Mind if I stand here?"

"Sure," she said, shifting slightly.

I took her place. She was now standing right beside Hubert. Perfect.

The bus stopped at a red light. I waited for the perfect moment.

When the bus jerked forward again, I "lost my balance" and bumped into the woman quite hard. She stumbled, and the lemonade splashed all over Hubert’s lap and the guy sitting next to him.

"What the fuck!" Hubert exploded. "You fucking idiot!"

"Oh my god, I’m so sorry!" the woman panicked. "Someone pushed me—"

"Shut the fuck up!" Hubert roared, staring at the wet stain on his pants. "Do you have any idea how expensive these are?! Fuck you!"

"Mind your tongue!" the woman snapped back. "What a rude prick!"

"I’ll show you how rude I can really be, you clumsy bitch!"

I quietly slipped further back into the crowd with a smirk. The argument was getting louder by the second.

"Welp, guess I’m off," I muttered.

The moment the doors opened, I hopped off, even though it wasn’t my stop. I kept my back to the bus as the doors closed, listening to Hubert still screaming inside.

"See you soon, Hubert."

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QUEST COMPLETE

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Objective Met:

Public Outburst

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> Witnesses: 24

> Hubert Mood: [Fuming]

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REWARD: +105 EXP

+100 Sin Points

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❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎