Locking In With My Life System

Chapter 41: North. Aiden North.

The first week of September had finally arrived, and so had Spirit Week.

Coming home with a jog as he huffed and puffed, his chest rising in sync and his clothes drenched in sweat, Aiden’s system updated as usual.

Opting to ignore it for the meantime, the youth pushed open the door to his home and beelined for the kitchen.

Opening the fridge, he retrieved a bottle of mineral water and chugged it down slowly.

Having read from a trusted source online that it was a healthy habit to have, he’d adopted it and stocked their fridge with a pack he’d bought from the convenience store a couple blocks away.

No sooner was he done, he tossed the empty bottle into the recycling bin and then, proceeded to make his and his Pop’s morning meal.

Avocado toast with overnight oats.

Just as he was rounding up, a loud yawn echoed through the house, his father walking down the stairs as he covered his mouth.

"Mornin’, Pops." Aiden greeted warmly as he watched him shuffle into the kitchen.

"Mornin’, Champ." Richard reciprocated with a fatherly smile as he put some water into the electric kettle for his morning coffee and switched it on.

Casually, he retrieved the overnight oats from the fridge along with some nuts and fruits to aid his son in prepping the meal, both of them working together in a quiet, comfortable silence.

Soon enough, the meal was ready, and both individuals chose to sit by side on the stools by the kitchen counter instead of the dining table as they ate.

"So, do you perhaps, have any plans to dress up for today?" Richard curiously asked his son with an arched brow.

"I’ll have you know, Pops, I actually did." Aiden gestured with his spoon, much to his father’s surprise.

"Unfortunately, my schedule’s been so packed, I failed to give it much thought." he let out a resigned sigh, his tone honest as he scooped up a spoonful of oats.

"Might cobble something together, though..."

"...or I’ll just skip the hassle entirely and dress-up normally. We’ll see." Aiden shrugged as he scooped up another spoonful.

To that, Richard simply nodded in an understanding gesture, a natural, comforting silence settling between them.

Soon enough, they were done eating. Naturally, Aiden’s system pinged in his mind once again.

Sorting out the dishes a few minutes after, both individuals then made their way over to their respective rooms to freshen up and observe their personal hygiene.

Just before entering the bathroom though, Aiden pulled up the system notifications.

-

[Quest completed!]

[Stats updated!]

-

Pleasantly surprised to see the second half of the message, Aiden naturally pulled up his system in curiosity.

-

[Aiden North] – Life Points – [2.48]

⸢Stats

› Mind — B-

› Strength — E » E+

› Stamina — D

› Agility — F+ » E-

› Charm — B-

⸢Skills

› {Type Designing - A}, {Digital Illustration - I}, {Drawing - I}, {Cooking - I}, {Brewing - I}, {Singing - N}, {Dancing - N}, {Writing - N}, {Lettering - I}.

⸢Shop

› Browse Catalogue.

⸢Daily Quests

› {Expand}

⸢Exclusive Quests

› Pending Update.

⸢Time-limited Quests

› {Expand}

-

⸢FAQ⸥

-

"I’ll take it." Aiden nodded to himself in satisfaction, his mind dismissing the system as he walked into the bathroom.

While in the shower, he began contemplating whether to dress up or not.

Today was the first day of Spirit Week, and the theme was Character Day.

Given Aiden had never been all that gung-ho about Spirit Week like his buddies and several of his peers had always been, he hadn’t really partaken in their shenanigans for the past three years.

As one would expect, it was a product of his rather nihilistic mindset at the time, one that simply had him drifting through high school as was necessary.

However, over the past couple months, Aiden had realized that he didn’t just want to attain financial freedom and retire his Pops.

In addition to all that, he also wanted to live a much more colorful life with as little regrets as possible.

It was also why, as he stepped out of the bathroom a couple minutes later, his hair damp and wet, he went straight for his wardrobe as he came to decision on the spur;

’Fuck it. We ball.’

Rummaging through his stuff, wondering if he could actually cobble together something worthwhile, he soon pulled out one of his two suits--a Spezatto to be specific--a glimmer of curiosity in his olive-green irises.

Aiden had never quite liked the fit, if he was being honest.

It was a cream-colored blazer with sleek black pants, one he’d worn to a family function he would rather not remember the details of a year ago... more so because since he hadn’t liked how baggy it felt on him.

Now though...

Aiden looked between himself--or more specifically the sleeper build he was gradually building-- and the attire.

Without thinking twice, he retrieved his pressing iron, plugged it into the socket and laid the clothes neatly on his bed whilst waiting for the electronic to heat up.

At the same time, he walked out of his room and headed downstairs to his Pop’s room.

Seeing the man already dressing up, Aiden leaned on the door frame and politely requested;

"Say Pops, can I use your pomade, and also borrow your old briefcase?"

"Uh, sure..." Richard confusedly replied, to which he then asked;

"Why, though?"

"You’ll see." Aiden simply said as he swiped the container off the old dresser that was probably older than him at this point and the old briefcase in the corner.

Simply watching his son leave a moment after, Richard nonchalantly shrugged it off.

He was bound to find out anyway so there was no point in overthinking it.

Returning to his room though, Aiden then proceeded to press the fit. Naturally, he also picked out one of the two Chelsea boots he had and polished them.

Only after he was done, did he retrieve a fine-tooth comb, and a smoothing brush, proceeding to gel and slick his hair back with it as he applied the pomade.

By the time all was said and done, about forty minutes had passed.

Dressed in the suit, the fabric hugging his body just right as he flexed his arms and legs, Aiden smiled to himself as he checked himself out in the mirror.

Slipping on a black bow-tie and strapping on a faux silver wristwatch onto his wrists, alongside donning the only black shades he had, Aiden was looking quite dapper.

Feeling like he needed something to make the character he had dressed up as easily identifiable though, he pulled out his box of old toys and retrieved a water gun whilst chuckling to himself.

Then, he did the iconic walk across the room, only to draw out the pistol at the very last minute and shoot the waterless gun at the glass, his mind already imagining the sound.

A second hadn’t even passed before Aiden broke into a genuine laughter as he remarked, beads of tears forming on his eyelids;

"This is so stupid."

Despite that, Aiden transferred all of the contents of his bag into the old briefcase, strapped the gun to his belt oddly enough and looked himself over once more in the mirror.

Nodding to himself in pride, he then made his way down, his father already waiting in curiosity.

No sooner had Richard seen his son walking down the staircase in style though, he threw his head back and burst into laughter!

Allowing the man to gather himself a couple minutes later, Aiden then adjusted his glasses slightly and said, a suave smile on his lips;

"The name’s North. Aiden North."

Loud and boisterous, Richard’s second wind came from the belly, all of his mirth unrestrained as beads of tears equally began to form on his eyelids.

...

...

...

About thirty minutes later, Richard’s vehicle pulled to a stop before Silverlake High, its bustling school lawns currently a kaleidoscope of colors and various fictional characters.

Though he knew he’d be late to work and was bound to get stuck in New York’s quagmire of traffic, he honestly couldn’t care less.

Not when his son was dressed so dapperly for his very first foray into actually taking Spirit Week seriously.

It was also why he had opted to drive Aiden over to school, all in an effort to minimize the wrinkles on the suit and preserve as much of the fit’s sleekness as he could.

Upon stepping out the door though, the youth bade his old man farewell a couple minutes later, his gaze following the vehicle until it turned around a corner.

By now, Aiden was already getting all kinds of looks, from mild curiosity, to genuine amusement to utter intrigue, all of which seemed to increase by the minute as he walked across the lawns.

This was even more impressive considering several students were equally dressed in equally attention-grabbing costumes of their own.

But, considering the confidence in the way Aiden was currently carrying himself and roleplaying the titular spy, their reactions were only natural.

Afterall, even as he was greeted left and right, he would simply tilt his shades slightly in their direction, and reply in a charming, svelte tone that had clearly done things to some of the ladies whom were caught off-guard by it.

However, upon finding his buddies, all of Aiden’s acting crumbled, an unrestrained belly laugh that could only be characterized as an evil cackle escaping his lips as he pointed at them.