Chapter 13: Somebody Is Catching Feelings
The sound of David’s front door slammed shut behind him as he finally made it home, dragging his weight, breathing heavy, barely holding himself together.
He didn’t even bother taking his shoes off before making a beeline for the couch, collapsing face-first onto the cushion with a muffled groan as evening light dimmed slowly across the room.
He lay there a long moment, catching his breath, before finally rolling onto his back and letting his eyes drift to the faint notification hovering at the edge of his vision.
[Player Stats Updated:
Strength 12.
Agility 11.
Endurance 11.
Stamina 11.
Penile Strength: 10]
’Not bad,’ he thought, some quiet pride cutting through the exhaustion. ’Not bad at all, actually — considering yesterday I nearly died to a ten-minute jog.’
Still, his body currently felt like it belonged to someone significantly older and significantly more broken, and he couldn’t help but wonder, somewhat deliriously, how he was supposed to keep this up for another twenty-nine days.
He sat up slightly, adjusting himself against the cushions, and only then noticed his shoes were still on. He laughed, short and tired. "This is what accomplishment feels like, huh."
Bending down to pull them off took more effort than it had any right to, each shoe flung halfheartedly toward the door once freed.
As the second one landed, his eyes caught on something new — an envelope, slid halfway under the door, printed with a logo he recognized instantly even from across the room.
’Utility company.’ He didn’t need to get up and check. This wasn’t his first rodeo dodging those letters, and he already knew exactly what tone it’d take — polite at first, increasingly less polite the longer he ignored it.
"Bastards," he muttered, letting his head fall back against the cushion.
He pulled out his phone, the cracked screen catching the last of the evening light like a genuine crime scene, and opened his banking app.
$207.63.
He stared at the number for a long moment, then let out a slow, resigned sigh. "Right. I do need a job." The thought arrived with all the enthusiasm of a man being told he needed a root canal. Between the training, the reps, the stat grind — there wasn’t exactly room left in his schedule to also hold down actual employment, not if he wanted any real shot at hitting his numbers before the deadline.
"Hey," he said out loud, addressing the system directly. "Is there any other way for me to make money? Quickly, preferably."
[Player has already accepted a Quest which, upon completion, will reward 100 dollars.]
David sat with that for a second, unimpressed. "A hundred dollars isn’t exactly life-changing, but sure, I’ll take it. Beggars, choosers, all that." He paused, frowning.
"Wait — you mean the dick on mouth thing with Mrs. Walbury?"
[Confirmed.]
"Right. Cool. Cool, cool, cool." He rubbed a hand down his face.
"So please, explain to me. How, exactly, am I supposed to consensually place my penis on her mouth when I just met her fucking today?!’
’And why do you keep specifying consensually like the alternative was ever on the table. What kind of sicko do you take me for?"
[The distinction exists to clarify: Player is not being instructed to force the action.]
"I wasn’t going to! I just think it’s weird you felt the need to clarify that in the first place."
[Noted.]
David shook his head, moving on before he could spiral further. "Also — quick tangent — she’s not exactly a normal person, right? You ranked her."
[Confirmed. Mrs. Walbury: F-rank ]
"Alright, so that means I can use my skill on her if it comes down to it—" He stopped himself, actually replaying the memory.
Indeed, she was F-rank. Which meant she’d been a hunter at some point, or at least eligible to become one.
’So what happened.’ he wondered idly, ’that she ended up running a front desk at a gym in the lower side instead.’
He shook the thought off before it went anywhere. Not his business, probably. More important things to worry about — like the hundred dollars he now desperately needed, and the seven-day clock quietly ticking down on how he was supposed to get it.
[New Side Quest Acquired: Taking First Base]
[Objective: Consensual placement of player’s finger on Mrs. Walbury’s lips.]
[Time Limit: 6 days: 15 hours: 27 minutes: 33 seconds.]
[Reward upon completion: $100]
[Penalty: Failure to complete this Quest within the allotted time will result in a permanent 60% stagnation of Player’s sexual pleasure.]
’Tomorrow,’ he decided, letting his eyes close. ’I’ll figure out the money thing tomorrow. Right now, I just need a shower.’
Hazard, exhaustion, and the pull of sleep were catching up with him fast. He peeled his socks off one at a time, slow, wincing slightly with each pull as his legs protested the movement.
His shirt came off next, revealing a body that ached in places he didn’t even know could ache, and he was halfway through unbuttoning his jeans when his phone buzzed against the couch cushion.
He glanced over.
Calling=> Holly
David froze mid-motion, one hand still on his belt. ’Wait.’ He blinked at the screen, genuinely thrown.
He’d saved her number off the card the day before, sure, but he hadn’t actually called yet — figured he’d give it a day or two, not wanting to come across as some desperate first-day-caller type.
And he definitely hadn’t given her his number. Which meant the only way she’d have gotten it was pulling it straight from his registration form.
’So what exactly,’ he thought, sitting up a little straighter despite his protesting muscles, ’made her eager enough to go digging for my number and call me herself, on day two, when I hadn’t even worked up the nerve to text first?’
A slow, entirely too-pleased grin started tugging at his mouth. ’Okay. Okay, calm down. This could mean literally nothing. Maybe it’s gym business.
Maybe she’s confirming tomorrow’s session.’ He tried to talk himself down and failed almost immediately. ’Or maybe — and I’m just saying, hypothetically — somebody’s catching a few feelings.’
He let the phone ring twice more, mostly for the sheer, petty satisfaction of not looking too eager, before finally snatching it up and pressing it to his ear.
"Hey," he said, aiming for casual and landing somewhere just short of it.
"Holly. What’s up?"
***
Hey guys, I want to thank you for your support and due to that, I thought of a friendly challenge for both of us.
For every 200 powerstones I’ll release 10+ bonus Chapters...so, if you find it worth while, you can make your decision. Thank you.🫠
