After a bit, she finally showed up.
"Woah, like… so this is what an internet café looks like, huh?"
She turned her head left and right, clearly taking everything in, like she had just walked into a completely new world. It was honestly kind of funny to watch, but not in a bad way. More like… she was genuinely curious, and it showed.
"You've seriously never been in one before?" I asked, raising a brow.
"Nope, like, not even once," she said. "I've always just used computers back at my old university, and like, I wasn't really allowed to go to places like this. They kept telling me it's dangerous and stuff, so I just never tried."
"Then why come here now?" I asked, a bit curious.
"Well, like, I've got my guards with me anyway, so it's not a big deal," she replied casually. "And I told them the owner is, like, a friend, so I don't think they're gonna complain or anythin'."
While she kept talking, I quietly checked her status.
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Samantha
Affection: 25♥︎
Mood: 70♥︎
Lust: 30♥︎
Status: Friends
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
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Wait… seriously?
I didn't expect it to jump to Friends this fast. We hadn't even known each other for a full day yet. Calling it friendship already felt kind of… rushed. Like skipping a few steps in between.
But at the same time, I wasn't exactly complaining either. If anything, it made things easier for me.
She kept looking around the place, her eyes lighting up at small things like the rows of computers and the setup. The way she reacted honestly reminded me of a grade schooler seeing something new for the first time. Not in a childish way, just… genuine curiosity, I guess?
"So you're, like, actually building a business here, huh?" she said, still scanning the place.
"Yeah, more or less," I replied. "I'm a business major, so I have a rough idea of how things work. But honestly, it's still pretty rough. I don't really have any real experience running something like this."
"That's, like, already super impressive though," she said. "I mean, we're the same age, right? I don't think I could, like, risk starting a business or anythin'. What if it just fails and everything goes down the drain?"
"Well, I don't think you can really say that," I said. "You're already pretty famous for someone our age. Actually, I only realized that recently."
"Well, being famous is nice and all, but like… it's not really that important in the long run, you know?" she said, shrugging a little. "I don't think having all that attention is gonna help me later on or anythin'."
The way she said it didn't sound fake at all. It actually felt like she meant it.
"I'd rather, like, live normally and maybe become a businesswoman or something," she continued. "That just sounds way better to me."
Huh.
She was definitely not what I expected.
At first glance, she looked like the type who would be into parties, attention, and just living freely without thinking too much ahead. But now that I was actually talking to her, she felt… different. More grounded, even if she didn't look like it at first.
And honestly, kind of sheltered too.
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NEW QUEST!
Ask Samantha for help on marketing
Reward: 5♥︎, 5♥︎ Affection
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
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Just as I was thinking about how to smoothly bring things up, the system appeared again. Perfect timing, as usual. Almost like it knew exactly when I needed a push.
It felt a bit early to ask for something like this, but at the same time, waiting too long might make it awkward too.
Might as well just go for it.
"Can I ask you for a favor?" I said.
"Hm? Oh, like, sure," she replied.
"Would you help me promote this place?"
She paused for a moment, looking at me like she was processing what I just said.
"Promote?" she repeated.
"It's going to open in about two weeks," I explained. "Since it's new, I don't think it'll get much attention right away. So I was hoping you could help give it some traction."
Saying it like that made it sound like I was using her. Which… okay, yeah, maybe a little. But it wasn't like I was forcing her or anything. It was just making use of what was available.
"Like, posting it on social media and stuff?" she asked.
"Yeah, exactly."
"Well, if it's just that, then I can do it," she said. "Fufufu, you were, like, kinda struggling to ask me that, huh? It's actually kinda cute."
"…Really?"
"Yeah, like, totally. If it's just that, it's no big deal or anythin'."
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COMPLETED
Ask Samantha for help on marketing
Reward: 5♥︎, 5♥︎ Affection
⋆⁺₊⋆ ━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━ ⋆⁺₊⋆
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Well… that went smoother than I expected.
"Thanks. How much should I pay you?" I asked.
"You don't have to pay me or anythin'," she said right away. "I mean, aren't we, like, friends now? Think of it as a freebie. Just don't forget about me when you make it big, okay?"
I wasn't exactly planning on making it big just from running an internet café, but… yeah, I wasn't going to argue with her about that.
Still, I couldn't help but feel a bit weird about how easily she called me a friend. Like, just like that.
But at the same time, I felt relieved.
She agreed to help me without hesitation, and that alone made things a lot easier for me moving forward.
And honestly, I'd take that win without overthinking it too much.
While I was still thinking about everything that had just happened, she suddenly pulled out her phone, angled it slightly, and snapped a quick selfie like it was second nature to her.
Right after that, her fingers started moving across the screen, typing something out with a kind of practiced ease.
"Here," she said, like it wasn't a big deal at all.
I leaned in slightly and saw that she had already posted the selfie. It was taken right here inside the internet café, with the background just clear enough to show the place without trying too hard.
The caption read, "This internet café is going to open up in about a week or so. Make sure to check it out."
That was it.
Nothing complicated. There was no long paragraph nor any kind of fancy wording. Just something simple and straight to the point. Honestly, it felt like the kind of thing anyone could write without putting too much thought into it.
But the moment she hit post, the reaction was immediate.
And I mean immediate.
Notifications started popping up like crazy. Likes, comments, shares, everything. It was like watching a dam break open.
"With just that?"
I couldn't help but say it out loud. It didn't even feel real.
I mean, I knew famous people had influence, sure, but seeing it happen right in front of me like this? It was on a completely different level. It made everything I knew about normal social media interaction feel kind of… pointless.
I pulled out my own phone and checked her post.
Thousands of reactions.
In less than a minute.
"That's honestly insane… impressive," I muttered, still staring at the numbers like they might suddenly stop increasing if I blinked.
"Well, like, with this level of fame, it's kinda expected, right? I mean, it'd be weird if nothin' happened," she said, shrugging a little. "I guess it proves my fame isn't totally useless or anythin'."
That casual tone didn't match what I was seeing at all.
Her fame must have been at 100. Meanwhile, I was sitting here with an INFAMY of 88, which was… yeah, not exactly something to brag about. It was almost funny how opposite we were. She could post one simple selfie and attract thousands of people instantly, while I just had to exist and people already assumed the worst about me.
Life really knew how to balance things out in the most annoying way possible.
"Oh, I guess it's time for me to go," she said, glancing at the time on her phone.
"Hmm? I thought you weren't going to attend the afternoon classes?"
"Yeah, like, I'm not going to classes or anythin'. I've got a modeling session to attend. If I skip it, my manager's gonna start yelling again, and I seriously don't feel like dealing with that today," she said, letting out a small sigh. "So… I guess I'll see you later? Oh, and like, you've got social media, right?"
"I do."
"Do you follow me?"
"I followed you earlier. Here, look."
"I see… oh, okay, yeah. I followed you back. If you need help with marketing again or anythin', just message me, alright? Ba-bye…!" she said, giving a small wave before turning and heading out.
I watched her walk away, her figure gradually disappearing as she exited the internet café.
Even after she left, I stayed there for a moment, just thinking.
Her fame, the way she handled everything so casually, and how easily she just called me a friend like it didn't mean anything heavy or complicated.
I guess that was just how she was.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
By the time I stepped outside, it was already afternoon. The sunlight had shifted into that soft orange tone, the kind that made everything look warmer than it actually was. It hit my skin just right, not too hot and not too cold. Honestly, it felt kind of nice.
I pulled up my current status and took a look at it.
It seemed like I was slowly getting closer to where I wanted to be.
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Leon:
STATUS:
STRENGTH: 90
STAMINA: 100
AGILITY: 60
INTELLIGENCE: 120
LOOKS: 75
S-SKILL: 60
CHARISMA: 15
COMMUNICATION: 56
LUCK: 60
REPUTATION: 6
INFAMY: 88
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Right now, my INTELLIGENCE only needed 30 more points to unlock Professor Sarah's interface. And for the gym girl's interface, I only needed 10 more points.
Out of everything, though, I was starting to think that CHARISMA should be my main focus.
Earlier, I realized something that I probably should've figured out sooner.
CHARISMA actually adds to my overall appearance.
More specifically, CHARISMA affects how people perceive me right away. It reduces the chances of girls having that "Not Interested" status when they first see me. On top of that, it gives me an extra 10♥︎ even if we haven't interacted at all.
Which is honestly pretty useful.
Less instant rejection sounds great. I could definitely use that.
I also needed to increase my COMMUNICATION stat. Being able to talk properly, handle situations, and not come off as weird or suspicious all the time would probably help a lot.
For now, though, heading to the gym seemed like the best option. Work on my stats directly instead of just thinking about them.
But then…
I suddenly thought about the Manager.
I was going back to work there tomorrow night, after all.
I had actually been planning to quit that job. It felt like the logical thing to do.
But for some reason, I just couldn't bring myself to do it.
And it wasn't just because of the Manager.
Clara was there too.
Two women.
Two situations that were already complicated enough.
Both involving sex.
Yeah… just thinking about it was already awkward.
I could already picture how things would feel when I walked in there again.
Honestly, I had no idea how I was supposed to deal with that.