Chapter 18: No.18: Surprise Gift
The two quietly remained there for a while, with Summer still resting her head on his arm, her eyes closed, enjoying the silence that followed.
Contrary to this, a different thought resonated in Bruce’s mind as it drifted back to what he’d told her.
’Hopefully, that should be enough for now.’
At the thought, Bruce finally sighed inwardly.
Though most of what he’d said was to clear up any budding suspicions Summer might’ve been developing regarding his sudden change, as he’d read more than enough stories with similar tropes to know he’d shown too much in too little time to someone who practically knew the former Bruce better than he knew himself, part of it had also come from him.
After all, he’d already lived a bleak life in the past, one with more pain than joy.
Yet now, he finally had a chance to live a better life here.
One that he could choose how to live.
And for that, he had to become strong enough to not just stand a chance in a fight, but to easily dominate anyone that dared challenge him.
Which, honestly, in a world like this, was practically impossible for someone like him.
But with the Ultimate Rebate System, he believed that, over time, it just might become possible.
So, getting rid of any doubts Summer was beginning to develop about him was a must, as she was a vital part of his ascent to wealth and power. As such, he couldn’t afford to lose her.
At the thought, he suddenly remembered something he’d nearly forgotten due to all the drama that had occurred.
"Oh! That reminds me."
Saying this, Bruce groaned slightly as he slowly pushed himself upright, causing Summer to sit up as well.
Rummaging through his pocket, Bruce searched for something before suddenly brightening a little upon finding it.
Bringing it out, he held it toward Summer.
"This is for you."
Confused, Summer looked at the poorly packaged box in front of her before taking it, a questioning look on her face as she glanced back at Bruce.
"Go on. Open it!"
Adhering to his words, Summer opened the box to see what was inside.
On doing so, she was surprised by what lay within.
Gently cushioned on soft red fabric rested a pair of reverse-colour matching earrings.
Each earring was suspended from a gold-tone ball stud connected by a small golden jump ring.
The left dangled a small black panda with white details, while the right dangled a white panda with black details.
Staring at the earrings in a daze for a brief moment, especially at how adorable they looked, Summer soon snapped out of it before hesitantly looking back at Bruce.
Noticing Summer’s reluctance, Bruce reassured her.
"Don’t worry. It didn’t cost me anything I couldn’t afford at the moment. It was practically a steal. They said it had some sort of defect or something, so it turned out far cheaper than it should’ve been." Smiling as he said this, Bruce added.
"What matters is that I know how much you’ve always wanted to see a panda in real life, but since most of them have been extinct for a while now, this is the best I could get."
On saying this, a separate thought crossed his mind.
’If anything, I gained more from buying it than it actually cost.’
Though he hadn’t necessarily lied, as the store had indeed sold it to him for a lower price than the other earrings of a similar kind, Bruce hadn’t necessarily told the whole truth either.
After all, the earrings had cost about 1,100,000 KPT, so they certainly weren’t cheap.
But the store claimed they would’ve been much more expensive had they been as useful as the others.
They were only capable of providing a meagre increase to one’s base stats, as opposed to the more expensive ones costing tens or even hundreds of millions, which could provide a significant increase to multiple stats while equipped.
Though they could also activate a protective shield once the wearer’s life was in danger, since it could only be activated once a week, the store ranked them below the rest.
This, however, worked in Bruce’s favour.
Having known that if the increase in stats had been much greater, then Summer would’ve realized just how expensive they were, making them far more difficult for him to explain, Bruce preferred this.
Understanding Bruce’s reasoning, Summer realized they might not have been as expensive as she’d initially feared.
After all, how could he possibly afford something outrageously expensive when they were both barely considered middle class? The earrings already looked like something only those from a much higher social class could afford.
Either way, it didn’t matter to her.
As long as he hadn’t gone hungry or forced himself into hardship just to buy her a present, she’d be happy no matter what kind of gift it was.
Looking back at him, her expression softened into a warm smile.
Understanding her expression, Bruce smiled back.
"Happy belated birthday, Summer."
Looking back at the earrings in her hands, Summer’s grip tightened slightly as she held them close to her chest.
Immediately after saying those words, several notifications appeared before Bruce.
Most informed him that he’d received a ×10 Rebate on his purchase, rewarding him with 11,000,000 KPT, while another informed him that today’s daily Rebate session had been used up.
However... Bruce’s eyes were fixed on something else.
The sight of it caused a smile to slowly spread across his face, as he noticed the number that had begun rising ever since he’d started talking about his desire to change continued climbing once more.
[Affinity Level: 56...]
[Affinity Level: 57...]
[Affinity Level: 58...]
[Affinity Level: 59...]
The notification hovered there for a few moments before changing once more.
Then...
It came to a halt.
[Affinity Level: 59(+)]
’You’ve got to be kidding me! A plus? Really? You decide to add that into the mix now!? When I was this close!?’
’Oh, come on!’
....
Kelly’s/Note
Hey guys, Kelly here!
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank everyone who’s been supporting the story so far. I truly appreciate it, and I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without your support.
So, thank you all so much!
This also brings us to the end of the story’s first minor arc.
From here onward, we’ll finally begin moving toward the main progression of the story and Bruce’s rise to wealth and power.
So, I hope you’ll continue following Bruce on this journey.
Any support, whether it’s a comment or some power stones, really goes a long way in motivating me to keep writing.
That’s all for now, guys.
Hope to see you all in the next Chapter! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
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