Chapter 23: No. 23: Next Target
Naturally, Bruce couldn’t stay in the gym throughout the day, as his Stamina was pathetically weak. Not to mention, he also needed to stack up his Rebate Coins to be able to purchase more Enhancers before the time limit ran out.
So, he needed to at least spend some time with Summer. Since the System didn’t necessarily require him to spend money on her, which would inevitably require him to come up with multiple excuses as a means to buy something for her, or find a suitable and believable enough reason to explain why he suddenly had the money to pay for it despite being ’broke’, it made things a lot less stressful.
As all he had to do was pamper her in one way or another, or show some level of affection towards her, then he’d be rewarded with Rebate Coins.
Simple!
’Or at least, that’s how it should’ve been.’
But Bruce hadn’t taken into account the fact that Summer was practically a workaholic, and he’d only been lucky enough to catch her on a less busy day yesterday, as most shops were often closed on Sundays.
Also, she’d only recently found the one she was currently working at, as it had just opened not long ago, which coincidentally happened to be the place Bruce bumped into her yesterday.
However, today was Monday, and as such, a busy day.
Resulting in her having little to no spare time on her hands, as she had about three to four different jobs and shifts to do today alone.
Ranging from being a waitress in the morning, working as a bakery assistant and food court attendant in the afternoon, as well as a candy store attendant at night.
Coupled with these, based on Bruce’s memories, she also had a ton of different jobs at different workplaces throughout the rest of the week as well.
Most of which were related to sweets in one way or another.
’Damn! The System wasn’t kidding when it said she loves sweets.’
Yet, it remained a mystery whether she chose to work in such places on purpose, or if circumstances had simply led to it happening.
’Of course. And she just "happened" to work in places like that for five or six other different jobs? Very coincidental!’
Shaking his head at the thought, a faint smile appeared on Bruce’s face.
Though she had to limit the amount of work she did by half, or even less, due to schoolwork, now that it was currently the holidays, she no longer had to worry about school.
Instead, she focused on her jobs.
’Is she saving up to buy a mansion or something?’
A number of reasons surfaced in his mind as to why she could be working this hard, but they would all remain nothing more than speculation and assumptions unless Summer decided to trust him enough to tell him.
Till then, Bruce could only be left with a number of wild guesses instead.
Deciding not to distract her today, Bruce headed back to the gym, determined to put in some work as well, so as not to get outdone by Summer.
Presently...
Having finished up his bench press reps, Bruce rested for a bit once more, stretching his stiff joints in the process as he did a few stretches that his body permitted.
Turning his head as he stretched his semi-aching joints after the arduous exercise, Bruce was surprised to find someone standing by the doorway, looking at him.
Taking a closer look, he realized she was the Elite Instructor he’d selected earlier that morning, surprising him even further.
After all, he hadn’t expected anyone to still be here at this time since it was already late, much less an Elite Instructor.
’On second thought, considering they’re higher level, I guess it makes sense for them to be able to withstand longer periods of training than normal people.’
With this in mind, he wondered what could’ve caused her to come here now despite initially rejecting his request.
Noticing his surprise at her presence, Miss White calmly made her way towards him, her hips swaying gently with each step.
Stopping upon getting close, she maintained a bit of distance, close enough to be heard, yet still an arm’s length away.
Her fit figure loomed over his seated one as Miss White casually enquired, getting straight to the point.
"What drives you to push yourself so much?"
As she did, her expression remained calm and composed, as stoic as her profile had depicted. A semi-intimidating aura radiated from her, as though she could tell if he even thought about lying.
A bit surprised by the question, Bruce composed himself soon after before replying, an awkward smile finding its way onto his face.
"Uhh...! The usual, I guess. Got dumped by a girl for someone she believed was better. So I’m just tryna become better, but for myself this time."
As he said this, a wistful expression appeared on Bruce’s face, as though recalling a scene that had once meant something to him, but now only left him feeling empty inside.
This wasn’t technically a lie, as it had really happened to the former Bruce. All he had to do was rely on the body’s lingering emotions and memories to create a believable enough expression to back it up.
Partly surprised by his reply and reaction, Miss White took a few seconds before responding.
Probably because she hadn’t expected someone like Bruce to have been capable of dating.
However, based on his explanation, she understood why he was determined to change now.
As the reason wasn’t all that uncommon amongst youngsters nowadays. Especially with the number of materialistic women out there, it wasn’t surprising for ladies to suddenly choose another man whom they believed could offer them a more convenient future.
Judging by his bearing, she didn’t believe he was lying either.
Sighing in resignation, Miss White consoled him.
"Sorry about that, kid. No one deserves to go through that." Pausing briefly, she continued, "Either way, exerting yourself too much on the first day isn’t ideal. You’ll only burn yourself out faster that way. Best get some rest. Training begins tomorrow."
Hearing this, a smile appeared on Bruce’s face as he asked,
"Does that mean you’ll agree to coach me?"
Seeing the expectant look on his face, she replied,
"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves yet. We’ll first see what you’re really capable of. If you’re able to impress me, then I might consider it."
"Fair enough. Guess I’ll see you tomorrow then, soon-to-be coach."
Intrigued by his certainty, as though it were a given that she’d accept, she raised an eyebrow as she looked at him.
"A confident one, huh? Let’s see if you’re actually able to work as well as you can talk."
With that, she turned away, a slight smile appearing on her face as she did, resulting in a notification appearing before Bruce as he smirked to himself.
[Name: Naomi White]
[Age: 28]
[Affinity Level: 29]
[Beauty Rating: 4.6]
[Target is Eligible to Bond]
[Would you like to Initiate Target Bonding with Naomi White?]
{Yes} {No}
------
’Got ya!’
Comments