Chapter 44: QUEST DONE

I took a sip of my coffee and leaned back in the chair.

The place was small and warm, the kind of neighborhood café that felt lived-in. Soft yellow lights, wooden tables that had seen better days, a few plants on the windowsills, and the constant low hiss of the espresso machine. The windows were fogged from the temperature difference, and the whole room smelled like fresh coffee and something sweet baking in the back. A handful of people sat scattered around, a student with headphones, an older man reading a newspaper, two women talking quietly near the counter. It felt like a pocket of calm against the cold outside.

Star wasn’t here.

If it hadn’t been for the system, I never would’ve thought to come. That Perception check had pulled up a memory I didn’t even realize I’d registered, the receipt in her purse for half a second. The skill was ridiculous. I needed to invest more into it.

Which meant leveling up. Which meant completing more quests.

I took another sip and kept watching the door.

"I’m telling you," a man behind me said to his friend, "the chick was a whore."

"Maybe she just likes short clothes, man. Don’t be such an incel."

Possibly talking about Star. If she was a regular here it would make sense that people recognized her. Still, it was early as hell. Would she really come in for coffee at this hour? Maybe she lived nearby.

I took another sip of my coffee.

The door opened a moment later... Star walked in.

She was dressed more casually than the last time I’d seen her, a fitted black hoodie zipped halfway down, showing a bit of cleavage, tight grey leggings that clung to her thick thighs and hips, and white sneakers. Her hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail. Even dressed down she still looked good.

I lifted a hand. She noticed me mid-step, paused, then changed direction and walked over.

"Chase?" she said, stopping beside my table.

"Chance," I corrected. "Surprised to see you here. Especially this early."

"I live close by." She shrugged. "Never seen you here before."

"Met a friend a few minutes ago," I lied smoothly. "Stuck around to finish my coffee."

"Oh. Right."

"Since I ran into you, though..." I leaned back a little. "I thought about your offer from yesterday."

"Two hundred. You already know the price, baby."

"Sure." I shrugged. "How about tonight?"

"Alright." She listed the terms without hesitation. "No anal. Condom is a must. I don’t swallow. Cash only."

"Cool. Eight o’clock? You already know where I live."

"Plus fifty for the taxi."

I almost choked.

Fifty bucks? She just said she lived nearby. A taxi from anywhere in this area shouldn’t cost more than twenty at most. I wanted to call her out on it, but I kept my mouth shut. Two reasons: the quest reward was too good to risk, and I didn’t want to look like I was broke... even though she’d already seen my apartment and probably already thought that.

"Okay," I said. "Eight it is."

"Yep." A small, knowing smile pulled at her lips. "See? I knew you were desperate. I can see it in your eyes."

"Desperate for company?" I asked. "You think that low of me?"

"Desperate for some tight pussy," she whispered near my ear, then stepped back. "Anyway. I gotta go. See you tonight."

She walked off and sat down at a table near the window.

I finished the last of my coffee, then pulled out my wallet under the table. Fifty in cash. That was all I had on me. The rest was on my debit card, and two hundred and fifty would already stretch me thin for the rest of the month. Now I was about to spend most of it on a hooker just for EXP.

I exhaled slowly.

"Well, shit..."

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎

Back home, I had to figure out how to get Sarah to come running with me.

I grabbed my phone, dropped onto the couch, and called her.

"Hey," she answered. "Morning."

"Morning. How are you?"

"Ah... good, I think." She sounded tired. "Hubert’s sick. And grumpy. He always gets like that when he’s not feeling well."

"Oh, I can imagine," I chuckled. "Trust me."

"So... why’d you call?" There was a small smile in her voice. "Want to praise me more for that cake?"

"That too, sure. But I also wanted to invite you jogging. I hate running alone, if you can believe that."

"Oh, so you’re saying I’m fat and need the exercise?" she said sarcastically. "I’m heartbroken."

I laughed. "You? Fat? Right."

"Just joking, just joking." She paused. "I... don’t know. Hubert would ask where I’m going."

"Yeah..."

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PERCEPTION CHECK: ✓

[Needed: 5] - [Result: 11]

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Hubert is sick. Maybe she could

lie and tell him she’s going out to

get him some cold medicine.

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Perfect. I hadn’t even considered that.

"Hubert’s sick, right?" I said. "Just tell him you’re going out to grab some cold medicine. He won’t question it."

"That... might actually work," she said slowly. "I’ll text you in a bit, okay? Let you know how it goes."

"Alright. Sounds good."

"Yep. Bye."

She hung up. I leaned back into the couch, phone still in my hand. If this worked, the EXP from the opportunity would be solid. On top of that I still had the session with Star tonight. I was so close to leveling up it was almost painful.

Not even ten seconds later my phone buzzed.

Sarah: ’Meet me on the next street. In front of the small market. A couple minutes.’

She didn’t want Hubert spotting us leaving together. Smart.

"Nice."

I got up, changed into a clean black t-shirt and pants, and fixed my hair in the wardrobe mirror. The person looking back at me still felt unfamiliar sometimes, sharper, more confident. Not the same guy who used to jump every time his sister called.

A minute later I left the apartment.

Daily Endurance quest. The running opportunity with Sarah. Sex with Star later tonight. On paper, it was a damn good day. If only the weather wasn’t freezing.

After a short walk I reached the small market. Sarah was already waiting, hands tucked into the pockets of a long dark coat that reached mid-thigh. The coat hid almost everything underneath, I could only see black leggings and sneakers.

I raised a hand as I approached. "Hey."

"Hi." She smiled when she saw me. "Sorry I had to meet you here."

"Don’t worry about it. Cold out, huh?"

"Colder than yesterday. It’s miserable."

"Where do you usually run?" she asked once I reached her.

"There’s a spot not far from here," I said. "Shall we?"

"Yep."

We started walking toward the running path, the same U-shaped track where she’d spotted me from the coffee shop balcony a while back. The silence between us felt a little awkward at first. Neither of us really knew what to say. Both of us were still wearing our jackets even though we were supposed to be jogging. Not exactly ideal running gear, but the cold left us no choice.

"This weather is ridiculous," Sarah muttered, pulling her coat tighter.

"Tell me about it. Feels like the air itself is trying to freeze your lungs."

"I almost turned back twice on the way here," she admitted with a small laugh. "Hubert’s lucky he’s sick. He gets to stay inside."

"Yeah... real lucky guy."

A few more minutes of quiet walking and we finally reached the track. A handful of people were already out, serious runners in proper gear, a couple of older guys power-walking, one woman with a dog trotting alongside her. And then there was us: two people about to jog in heavy jackets like idiots.

Sarah glanced around and smirked. "We’re the only ones running with coats on, huh?"

I laughed. "We look ridiculous."

"Completely."

We both chuckled, then started jogging at a steady pace. The cold air burned a little going in, but after a minute it became manageable.

A soft chime rang in my ear. Quest completed.

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MAIN MENU

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NAME: Chance Brooks

LVL: 9 [375/505]

RANK: Homewrecker

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[ CORE STATS ]

> CHA: 22

> END: 11

> PER: 22

> LCK: 4

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[ ENERGY ]

> LUST: 190/200

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[ACTIVE PERKS: Expand]

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SIN POINTS: 1370

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Decent chunk of EXP. Not bad at all.

We kept running side by side. After a while Sarah reached up and slightly unzipped her jacket for air. The movement made the fabric part just enough. Underneath she was wearing a tight athletic top that clung to her chest. Every stride made her full breasts bounce softly against the material, heavy, natural movement that was almost hypnotic. I tried not to stare too obviously, but it was impossible to ignore. The way they shifted with each step, the faint outline of her nipples pressing against the fabric from the cold...

Fucking mesmerizing.

I forced my eyes forward again and kept my breathing steady.

Well... at least I was getting the daily Endurance quest done.