The Heart System

Chapter 436: Chapter 436

The next morning I woke up even worse.

My body felt heavy, drained, but my mind wouldn’t shut up. Just thinking about those four demons made something twist inside me. It had to be their fault. There was no way I was naturally this worked up first thing in the morning.

I opened the system.

Since I’d earned ten more points from the quest, I dumped four straight into Libido.

Now it was 20.

╭────────────────────╮

CURRENT STATS

==========================

◆ Strength: 20

◆ Charm: 20

- Manipulative Charm

⤷ Honeyed Words (▩▩▩▩▩)

⤷ Gaslight (⏹☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Emotional Charisma (☐☐☐☐☐)

⤷ Seductive Allure (☐)

◆ Libido: 20

⤷ Endless Vigor (☐☐☐☐☐)

◆ Pleasure: 30

⤷ Sensory Overload (⏹⏹☐☐☐)

⤷ Erogenous Insight (⏹)

⤷ Bliss Multiplier (▣▣▣▣▣)

◆ Luck: 10

==========================

6 Unused Ability Points

╰────────────────────╯

Everything was maxed at its current ceiling. I could reset them all to one and raise the cap, but I wasn’t about to gamble like that.

I should’ve invested in Endless Vigor. It reduces fatigue after... encounters. Now I was stuck. Horny as hell, but my body felt like it had been run over. Completely drained.

I turned my head. Nala wasn’t in bed. Neither was Jasmine. I frowned and reached for my phone on the bedside table.

12:01.

You’ve got to be kidding me. The alarm hadn’t gone off because I never set it. I was late for work. The girls must’ve left without waking me. Probably thought I needed the rest.

I dropped my head back onto the pillow and exhaled.

Great.

After a minute, I forced myself up and went into the bathroom. I flipped on the light, washed my face, and stared at my reflection. Pale. Tired. Slightly annoyed.

I turned off the light and stepped back into the bedroom, then out into the corridor.

Minne was standing on a chair beneath the ceiling lamp, stretching up with one of those fluffy dusters in her hand, trying to clean it. She was too short to reach properly.

"Morning," I said.

She almost jumped. "Oh, Master. Good morning."

"Need help with that?"

"Oh, no, Master. I couldn’t ask something like that of you."

"Yes, you can." I walked over. "Come on. Get down."

"U-um..."

"Come on."

She carefully stepped down from the chair. I stepped up in her place and took the duster from her, reaching easily to clean the lamp.

"So the girls left without me, huh?"

"Yes, Master. They told me not to wake you. You seemed very tired."

"Tired," I muttered. "Yeah. That’s one way to put it."

I finished dusting and glanced down. "That good?"

"Yes, Master."

"Alright."

I stepped off the chair and stretched, yawning.

"Man... I’m starving. Can you make something for me? I’ll be on the balcony."

"Of course, Master. What would you like for breakfast?"

"I trust you."

Her cheeks flushed slightly. "T-thank you, Master."

I headed toward the balcony and stepped outside. The air was cool today, rain replacing yesterday’s snow. The city looked washed out and gray.

I leaned against the railing and rubbed my face.

I was supposed to meet Cora later. I promised I’d bring pizza. Esme would be excited.

But I had no energy. None.

Should I cancel?

No. That would look bad. And I already promised. If I ditched them, Esme would definitely be disappointed.

I sighed.

"Guess I’m going no matter what."

I stayed out there longer than I meant to.

The rain kept tapping steadily against the glass panels, a dull, constant rhythm that matched the headache still lingering behind my eyes. I rested my forearms on the railing and stared out at the gray skyline, replaying everything that happened.

Those four demons.

The way they smiled. The way they cornered me. The way my body stopped listening to my brain.

That was Nala’s doing, huh?

She was testing me. Or worse—trying to eliminate me.

I swallowed.

If the most powerful goddess decided I was a threat, that changed everything. That meant I wasn’t just a pawn in some strange divine game anymore. I was a problem.

And problems get removed.

The rain grew heavier, streaking faster down the glass roof above me.

A few minutes later, the sliding door opened behind me.

"Breakfast is ready, Master."

Minne’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I turned and gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Minne."

She nodded softly and stepped aside so I could walk in. I slid the door closed behind me, shutting out the sound of the rain.

As if I didn’t have enough to deal with already.

Now I had a goddess actively moving against me.

Great.

❤︎‬‪‪❤︎‬‪‪❤︎

I knocked on the door and waited.

Lazy footsteps shuffled closer from the other side, dragging across the floor like whoever was coming hadn’t fully woken up yet. I stood there for a few seconds until the lock clicked.

The door opened.

Esme stood there, hair messy, one hand shoved under her oversized T-shirt while she scratched her stomach and yawned wide enough to swallow a fly.

Then her eyes dropped to the pizza box in my hands.

They went wide.

She snatched it from me without another word and bolted toward the kitchen.

I stepped inside and shut the door behind me. "Welcome, Evan," I muttered under my breath. "Oh, thank you, Esme."

"Pizza!" she announced, slamming the box onto the counter and flipping it open like she’d just discovered treasure. "So good! You got any coke?"

"Nah, I forgot," I said. "Sorry."

"Boo."

"Thanks, Evan," I added in a dramatic tone. "Thanks for bringing pizza to us. That’s so nice of you."

"Thanks, Evan. Bla bla," she shot back with a grin.

"Where’s your sister?"

"Bathroom," Esme said, already grabbing a slice. "Pissing, probably. Or taking a big shi—"

"You IDIOT!" Cora’s voice yelled from the bathroom. "I’m cleaning the mess you did!"

I walked toward there and knocked on the closed bathroom door. It opened a second later.

Cora was crouched on the floor, carefully picking up broken glass pieces with a tissue. There were shards scattered near the sink.

"Hey... I’m s-sorry, Evan," she said. "For greeting you like this."

"It’s fine," I said. "What happened?"

"My stupid sister thought it’d be a good idea to drink apple juice in the bathroom," Cora sighed, lifting another shard. "She slipped. The glass broke."

"Why was she drinking apple juice in here?"

"She was looking at her phone while she drank. I’m trying to keep her active, so when she’s on her phone, she has to walk... so she was walking randomly. She usually doesn’t listen to me, but this was one of the rare times she did."

"She doesn’t need exercise though."

"She has a bit of fat in the belly area," Cora said, exhaling as she gathered another piece. "I’m just trying to keep her healthy. That’s it."

I noticed something. When she talked about her sister, she didn’t stutter. Not once. There was something steady in her voice. Protective. Serious. I kinda liked that about her. Even though she was kiiind of a messed-up person, she meant good.

"Wish I had someone like you back in elementary school," I said. "I was kind of a fat kid."

She blinked. "You? Fat?"

"Yeah." I shrugged. "Come on. I brought pizza. You two eat. I’ll clean up here."

"It’s my sister’s mess," she said quickly. "I can do it. You go ahead."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Alright. Don’t cut yourself."

I headed back to the kitchen.

Esme had already moved the box to the dining table and somehow demolished three slices in the time I’d been gone. The pizza was big, but still.

"Jeez. You were hungry?"

She nodded, mouth full.

I grabbed a slice.

Before I could take a bite, Esme leaned in and bit straight into my slice.

"Hey—"

She yanked it out of my hand and devoured it in three massive bites without dropping her own.

"Yoo pockod tho most sloco thad had the most toppiinks," she said through a mouthful.

"Swallow first, Esme."

She chewed dramatically, then swallowed. "You picked the slice with the most toppings. You cheeky, cheeky boy."

"Cheeky, cheeky boy," I repeated with a chuckle, grabbing another slice. "Busted."

"Mm."

We kept eating while the rain tapped steadily against the windows. It was one of those gray afternoons that made everything feel smaller and warmer inside. I leaned back against the kitchen counter with my slice, watching the droplets trail down the glass.

It was... kind of cozy.

I glanced left and saw Cora still crouched on the bathroom floor, picking up the last bits of broken glass.

"Hey, Esme," she called out, lifting her head. "Get me the vacuum cleaner. I picked up the big pieces."

Esme groaned dramatically, shoved the rest of her slice into her mouth, and dragged herself down the hallway.

I kept eating.

She came back a moment later with the vacuum, handed it off, and Cora plugged it in. The low hum filled the apartment as she carefully went over the floor, sucking up the smaller shards.

When she finished, she carried the vacuum somewhere down the hallway—I couldn’t see exactly where from where I stood—then returned to the kitchen. She washed her hands at the sink, dried them, and finally grabbed a slice.

"You good?" I asked, finishing mine.

"Just tired," she muttered, dropping into a chair.

"You should’ve accepted my help."

"No... it was my responsibility." She exhaled and cleared her throat. "S-so... Evan."

"Yeah?"

"Um... I..."

"She wants to talk about going outside," Esme cut in casually. "To a new coffee place. They have a discount for couples."

"ESME!"

"That’d be awesome," I said quickly, before Cora combusted. "I love good coffee. Especially when it’s discounted."

"R-really?" Cora gave a nervous little laugh. "Um... when?"

"How about now?"

"YES!" Esme snapped the pizza box lid shut. "You guys go. I can finish this. Don’t worry. Please."

"You don’t want to come?" I asked.

"Not when I have this pizza."

I chuckled. "Fair enough. Well, Cora? Shall we?"

"I’ll get ready!" she blurted. "Need to take a shower and change. I’ll be right back, promise."

"Take your time. I’ll wait."