Okay, so apparently my reward for getting the shit kicked out of me and successfully completing a quest to protect Luna is... brain surgery? Of some sort?
I stare at the floating notifications in my vision, reading them over again just to make sure I'm understanding this correctly.
Quest Reward Obtained
Body Enhancement: Intuitive Thinking
Do you wish to enhance your body now? User is advised to find a quiet and safe location before accepting. The upgrade may take up to thirty minutes to complete.
(Note: The user may fall unconscious during the upgrade due to changes affecting the brain)
[Yes] [No]
And right below it:
Quest Reward Obtained
Active Skill: Will of Iron
Do you wish to obtain this active skill now? User is advised to find a quiet and safe location before accepting. Skill acquisition may take up to twenty minutes to complete.
(Note: The user may fall unconscious during skill acquisition due to changes affecting the brain)
[Yes] [No]
So if I accept these right now, there's a solid chance I just... collapse? Right here in the parking lot?
The system is literally saying "Hey, want some cool new powers? Great! We're just going mess with your brain for a while. No big deal."
Yeah, that's not concerning at all.
But I absolutely, desperately want these abilities.
The descriptions alone sound incredible. Intuitive Thinking sharpens my ability to make predictions about situations and people, which is an amazing power up for me, especially since it scales off of Intelligence, which I have in spades.
And Will of Iron can dull negative sensations and emotions. Which would have been really useful yesterday, when I was getting my ass handed to me. Although I guess that's the whole point, I earned this by surviving that beating.
I reluctantly dismiss both notifications with a mental "No," watching them fade from my vision. Later. I'll do this later, when I'm somewhere safe and private so I can knock myself unconscious in peace.
The sound of Mr. Inoue's voice pulls me back to reality. He's saying something in Japanese, gesturing to both of us with a warm expression on his face.
Daichi translates. "Well, that's all I wanted to say today. Please enjoy the rest of your school day."
"Thanks, Mr. Inoue," I say with a genuine smile. "Really, thank you for everything."
"Bye dad..." Luna murmurs, her voice soft and affectionate.
We turn and start heading back toward the school building, my turtle-with-no-knees walking speed making the journey take approximately three days. Luna matches my pace without complaint, staying close beside me.
After a few steps, I can't help the relieved laugh that escapes me. "Well, looks like it's finally over. Jack's out of our lives."
"Yeah..." Luna's voice is quieter than usual, and when I glance at her, there's something troubled in her expression. She's fidgeting with her hoodie sleeve. "But... what about... the other girls..."
I frown. "Yeah," I say quietly. "Yeah, you're right."
I've been trying not to think about that. Jack's a monster. A predator. Is he going to magically become a better person after a year of military service? Doubtful. But going after him harder would've meant putting my entire family at risk, and that's not a price I'm willing to pay.
"I don't think there's much anyone can do about that," I finally say, trying to keep the bitterness out of my voice. "Mr. Inoue got us the best outcome he could. But Jack... he's not going to change."
Luna nods slowly, but she still looks sad. "It's not... fair..."
"No," I agree. "It's really not."
But honestly, I don't share her concerns right now because I've got the system. One day, when I'm strong enough, I'll handle Jack Richardson myself.
We make our way through the hallways at my glacial pace, finally arriving at the cafeteria. The massive space is already filled with the usual chaos of hundreds of teenagers. We navigate to our corner table, the one partially hidden by my favorite architectural pillar.
I sink into my chair with a groan of relief that I try to muffle. Luna settles next to me, pulling out her lunch.
We eat in comfortable silence for a while. Luna picks at her food delicately, taking small bites and occasionally glancing around like she's making sure no one's paying attention to us.
Then we just talk. We talk about code, complain about our upcoming assignments, debate whether Mr. Zhao's six-energy-drinks-per-class habit is concerning or impressive.
Then, during a natural pause in our conversation, I glance up and immediately spot Selene and Bianca.
They're both staring directly at us from their table across the cafeteria.
Selene is wiggling her eyebrows at me in a way that's equal parts irritating and funny, her pink eyes absolutely gleaming with mischief.
But Bianca. Oh god. Bianca is making an incredibly obscene gesture with her hands. One hand forms an O with her thumb and index finger, and her other hand's index finger starts rapidly moving in and out. And she's doing all this while maintaining completely deadpan eye contact.
The fact that she's doing this with zero expression somehow makes it ten times worse.
I'm completely stunned because, what the hell Bianca, and also because she makes that gesture look disturbingly attractive, which is a thought I'm absolutely taking to my grave. I will jump off a building before I ever admit out loud that seeing my goth sister make crude sexual gestures is incredibly hot.
I roll my eyes at both of them and mouth "Fuck you," then proceed to show them my fist. I mime turning a crank, and then, slowly, my middle finger unfolds until it's pointing directly at them in all its glory.
They both crack up, Selene with her bright laugh and Bianca with a quiet snicker
Luna notices my movements and follows my gaze. The moment she sees my sisters looking over, her entire body goes rigid.
Selene and Bianca must notice her noticing because they immediately transform. Gone are the teasing grins, replaced with warm, welcoming smiles. They both give Luna friendly little waves.
Luna makes a sound like a squeaky toy being stepped on and immediately stares down at the table.
"Sorry about them," I say, fighting back a smile because she's just too damn cute when she's flustered. "My sisters are... enthusiastic. But I promise they're not scary or anything. They're actually really nice."
"I know... it's just..." Luna's voice is barely audible. "They're both... so pretty... and I just... I get nervous... talking to people..."
"Yeah, I get that. Honestly? Sometimes they make me nervous too." I grin. "But I promise they're the nicest people around. Whenever you're ready, I'd love for you guys to meet. I think you'd really like them. And I know they'd love you."
She peeks up at me, then glances back at my sisters.
When Selene and Bianca see Luna looking, they smile kindly, trying to look as non-threatening as possible.
Then Luna does something incredibly brave.
She raises one hand and gives the tiniest, most hesitant wave imaginable. Just a little flutter of her fingers before she immediately looks down again.
The effect on my sisters is instantaneous.
Selene's face cycles through about seventeen different emotions before she dramatically grasps her heart, feigning a heart attack, her eyes wide with delight.
Bianca just stares at us with a shocked expression, her usual cool facade completely cracking.
I feel this weird surge of pride. Yes! Behold, sisters! Behold the cuteness of Luna!
I grin at Luna. "They already love you."
My phone buzzes. Then again. And again.
I pull it out to see the family group chat exploding.
Selene:OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD
Selene:ADAM
Selene:ADAM SHE'S SO CUTE I'M GONNA CRY
Selene:IM DECEASED
Bianca:...that was adorable
Selene: I NEED TO MEET HER
Selene:ADAM PLEASE
Selene:ILL BE SO NORMAL I PROMISE
Bianca:you literally cannot be normal to save your life
Selene:SHUT UP
Selene:i can TOTALLY be normal
Selene: WATCH
Selene: Hello Luna, it is very nice to make your acquaintance. I hope we can become friends.
Selene:SEE??? NORMAL
Bianca:you sound like a robot
I'm trying not to laugh as I read through the messages.
Adam:you guys are gonna scare her off
Selene:I WONT SCARE HER
Selene:ill be so gentle and nice and calm
Bianca:you have never been calm for a single second in your entire life
Selene:BIANCA I SWEAR TO GOD
I smile and pocket my phone, looking back at Luna.
"Your sisters... seem nice..." Luna says softly.
"They are. They're actually the best." I pause. "Selene's a lot, but in a good way. And Bianca acts all cool and sarcastic, but she's secretly a softie."
"If they're... anything like you..." Luna's voice gets even quieter. "I'm sure... they're wonderful..."
Oh. Oh, that's so sweet.
"Thanks, Luna." I feel my face getting warm. "But honestly, you're the amazing one. You're smart and kind and comfy and—"
"Okay... that's... that's enough..." She's blushing now, looking away.
I laugh, and right on cue, the lunch bell rings. The cafeteria erupts into chaos as everyone starts packing up.
We both gather our stuff, and I slowly, painfully get to my feet. "See you at computer science club?"
"Yeah... see you... later... Adam..." She gives me a small smile before heading off to her next class.
I watch her go, her purple hair swaying behind her, and I can't stop smiling like an idiot.
Yeah. Today's a good day.