Minerva was standing outside the apartment complex when I stepped outside for a bit to get some fresh air.
Honestly, I didn't expect to see her out here at all. I figured she'd already gone back to her room and gotten herself comfortable in bed. If you asked me, her bed had to be a whole lot more comfortable than standing outside in the middle of the night, especially after everything that had happened. Then again, everyone handled things differently, and maybe this was simply her way of clearing her head.
I walked over to where she was standing.
"Good evening, Ma'am Minerva," I said politely.
She turned toward me, smiled gently, and gave me a small nod.
"Good evening."
From the outside, she looked perfectly calm. She even had the same warm smile she usually wore whenever she talked to people. If I didn't have the system, I probably would've believed she was doing just fine.
Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.
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Minerva
Affection: 30♥︎
Mood: 0♥︎
Lust: 40♥︎
Status: Acquaintance
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Her mood was unbelievably low.
Actually, calling it low almost felt like an understatement.
It had literally dropped all the way to zero.
Just how badly had that bastard treated her to make someone as warm, kind, and gentle as Minerva end up like this? It honestly irritated me just thinking about it. Someone like her shouldn't have looked this emotionally exhausted.
"You aren't asleep yet?" she asked. "You should get some sleep if you want to be in top condition. You have an exam tomorrow, don't you?"
"I do."
She nodded.
"Did everything go well with the girl you were with?"
"It did," I answered with a smile. "Very well, if I do say so myself."
Of course, I meant that in two different ways.
The first meaning was that our study session had gone really well.
The second meaning was that the sex had gone really well too.
Thankfully, she didn't catch the second meaning. Or maybe she did and simply decided to pretend she hadn't. Honestly, I wasn't about to test that theory.
"I'm glad to hear that," she replied. "That means you're probably going to do well on tomorrow's exam too, right?"
"I hope so."
"I'll pray that you pass."
"I appreciate that."
While we continued talking, she quietly raised the cigarette between her fingers.
She placed it against her lips, took a slow drag, then held the smoke in for a brief moment before slowly letting it out. A thin cloud drifted into the cool night air and lingered for a few seconds before disappearing. Somehow, it suited the quiet atmosphere around us.
"I didn't know you smoked," I said.
"Well, I only do it occasionally now," she replied. "I don't smoke nearly as much as I used to."
She looked over at me with a curious expression.
"Why? Do you want one?"
I immediately shook my head.
"I'm good. I don't smoke at all."
"I see..."
A faint smile appeared on her face again.
"That's good."
She looked down at the cigarette between her fingers.
"Don't end up like me."
The way she said it made my chest feel strangely heavy.
Her voice wasn't loud. It wasn't dramatic either. It simply sounded... tired.
Almost like someone who had quietly accepted something they never wanted in the first place.
Honestly, I didn't think comforting her by staying on the surface of the conversation would accomplish anything. Saying something generic like, "Everything will be okay," would've felt completely hollow. People usually knew when those kinds of words weren't backed by anything meaningful.
At the same time, I could tell she wasn't volunteering any more information.
That alone made it obvious she'd drawn a line.
She wasn't asking anyone to step across it.
Still...
Was pretending I hadn't noticed really the right answer?
I didn't think so.
Besides, I'd already made up my mind.
Eventually, I was going to take her away from that scumbag she called a husband.
That meant standing here and acting like nothing was wrong didn't sit well with me.
Maybe it wasn't really my place yet.
Even so...
Keeping quiet just didn't feel right.
So I decided to ask.
"Do you still love your husband, Ma'am?"
Silence followed almost immediately.
She didn't answer right away.
For a few moments, neither of us spoke.
Then she smiled.
"You heard everything?"
"I wouldn't say everything," I admitted. "But I heard enough that I honestly felt like running over there myself."
She covered her mouth slightly.
"Fufufu..."
A quiet chuckle escaped her lips.
It wasn't a loud laugh.
Still, hearing it felt like a small relief.
[+10♥︎ Minerva's MOOD]
Thankfully, her mood actually went up.
Seeing that tiny increase somehow made me feel relieved.
At least I hadn't completely messed this conversation up.
"Well," she began softly, "if you're asking whether I still love my husband..."
She paused for a brief moment.
"...then yes."
Her smile remained gentle.
"I still love him."
Another short silence followed.
"Even if he's become the way he is now, the feelings I have for him are still here."
She placed a hand over her chest.
"I can't simply throw those feelings away."
Then her expression became slightly lonelier.
"But lately..."
She looked away.
"I've started wondering if his feelings for me are already gone."
Hearing that irritated me far more than I expected.
"You're a beautiful woman," I said honestly. "And he isn't giving you even half the love that you've been giving him. Honestly, no matter how much I try to understand his side, I just can't think of him as anything other than a jerk."
She blinked.
"I'm a beautiful woman?"
A small, embarrassed smile appeared on her face.
"You really don't have to say something like that just to cheer me up."
"I'm not saying it just to make you feel better."
I looked directly at her.
"I mean it."
She quietly listened.
"You're genuinely beautiful."
I continued without looking away.
"That's exactly why I can't understand why your husband acts the way he does."
The more I spoke, the more frustrated I became.
"It honestly makes me angry."
I let out a small sigh.
"He has someone as wonderful as you as his wife, yet he treats you like you're nothing."
Just thinking about it was enough to annoy me.
"If I were in his position, I'd proudly tell the whole world how beautiful my wife is. I'd probably end up bragging about it more than I should."
Honestly, I'd probably become that annoying guy everyone secretly rolled their eyes at. Thankfully, I had enough self awareness to realize it... probably.
"I wouldn't even feel embarrassed. I'd happily show everyone how lucky I was. And I'd make sure you knew every single day just how much I loved you."
Once those words left my mouth, I realized I hadn't planned any of them beforehand.
They had simply come out naturally.
One sentence led into another.
Before I knew it, everything I genuinely thought had already been said.
After hearing all of that...
[+10♥︎ Minerva's MOOD]
Her mood went up once again.
I found myself wondering if I was actually doing this the right way.
The QUEST specifically said I had to comfort her, but was this really what it meant? Was I actually comforting her by talking to her like this and letting my high CONVERSATION stat naturally guide the conversation? Honestly, I couldn't shake the feeling that there was probably another meaning hidden behind that objective. The system loved being vague whenever it felt like it, so this honestly wouldn't even surprise me anymore.
"Hey, Leon," she suddenly said after a brief moment of silence. "If I were around your age, maybe even exactly the same age as you, would you want me to be your girlfriend?"
That question genuinely caught me completely off guard.
Seriously?
She was actually asking me something like that?
For a split second, my brain completely froze. Then again, after everything that had happened today, maybe I shouldn't have been so surprised anymore. My life had been throwing curveballs at me nonstop lately. At this point, I was almost expecting another notification to pop up just for breathing correctly.
Still, there was really only one answer I could honestly give.
"Honestly, I would," I answered. "I'd genuinely love to have someone like you as my girlfriend, Ma'am Minerva. If we were around the same age, I think I'd be incredibly happy if you were my girlfriend."
The moment those words left my mouth, she suddenly burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha!"
[+10♥︎ Minerva's MOOD]
[+40♥︎ Minerva's LUST]
At almost the exact same moment, another system panel appeared in front of me, showing that her mood had gone up again. And her LUST As well?
Another +10♥︎? Three times in a row?
And +40♥︎ for lust?
That honestly caught me by surprise. I wasn't expecting the conversation to keep raising her mood over and over like this as well as increase her lust drastically like that. Still, I wasn't about to complain. If anything, it just meant I was getting closer to completing whatever this QUEST actually wanted me to accomplish.
"You're such a strange boy, Leon..." she said while trying to hold back another laugh. "You're saying things like that to an old lady like me, and on top of that, you're even keeping me company like this. Tell me honestly. Are you trying to flirt with me?"
She looked at me with an expression that almost made me feel like I was about to become dinner.
Her eyes practically glowed with lust as they stayed locked onto mine without looking away for even a second.
At this point, I honestly couldn't help wondering who the real prey was supposed to be anymore.
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Minerva
Affection: 30♥︎
Mood: 30♥︎
Lust: 80♥︎
Status: Acquaintance
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Honestly, I didn't really mind either way.
Even though I'd already had sex with Clara earlier today, my body still wanted more for some reason.
It was probably because of all the changes the system had made to my body. That was the only explanation I could think of. Somehow, instead of feeling exhausted, I still had plenty of energy left, and my body kept asking for more. It honestly felt a little unfair. My younger self would've been jealous enough to throw hands with me.
She smiled at me again.
That smile was slow, relaxed, and incredibly seductive.
"What if I said I was?" I replied with a small smile of my own.
The moment I answered, her smile only became deeper.
Somewhere along the way, without either of us really noticing how we got there, we ended up standing right in front of my apartment door.
And somehow...
We were already kissing each other.
I honestly had no idea who made the first move anymore.
Maybe it was her.
Maybe it was me.
At some point, it simply stopped mattering.
She was far more experienced than I was, and it became obvious almost immediately.
The way her lips moved against mine felt incredibly natural, while her tongue slipped into the kiss with practiced confidence. It gently intertwined with mine before slowly swirling around it, as if she was taking her time tasting every part of my mouth.
That single kiss told me more than enough.
I finally understood why the requirements for having sex with her included having a high S-SKILL.
If I hadn't met that requirement beforehand, I probably would've been completely overwhelmed by her from the very beginning.
Fortunately, I managed to keep my composure despite everything.
While we continued kissing, our bodies naturally pressed closer together until there was barely any space left between us.
She was definitely on the slimmer side, but I could still clearly feel the gentle curves of her body through our clothes.
Her breasts were small, but honestly, that didn't matter to me at all.
Her figure was still beautifully feminine, and the curves she did have suited her perfectly.
I slowly wrapped my arms around her a little tighter, gently pulling her closer until it almost felt like her entire body had softened and was melting comfortably against mine.
[+20♥︎ Minerva's MOOD]
Eventually, we pulled away from the kiss, both of us quietly looking into each other's eyes for a few moments.
She smiled at me again.
This time, the smile felt much softer than before.
"Would you comfort me tonight, Leon?" she asked quietly.
So...
That was what the QUEST meant by comforting her.
Honestly, I really couldn't complain about that interpretation.
Together, we stepped inside my apartment.
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COMPLETED!
Comfort Minerva
Reward: +10♥︎ Affection
Requirements: 50♥︎ Minerva's MOOD
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