Ring Ring~
I kept Mom in our hug, feeling the steady, gentle warmth of her body pressed against mine, and grabbed my phone out of my pocket. The fabric brushed roughly against my knuckles, but I barely noticed — I already knew who it was, so there was no need to even check.
"Hey, Kate!" I answered, my voice lighter without even trying.
"Hey~ Did everything work out?" she asked, her tone bubbling with excitement, faint static crackling over the call.
"You wouldn't believe how easy it was. I'm already moved in besides the things we need to shop for." I shifted slightly, but mom's tight hold didn't even give me a second of breathing room.
"We? I can stay there?!" Her voice shot up, practically squeaking through the speaker, making me chuckle.
"Um, I mean sure, but I meant because you wanted to have a shopping date."
"Ohhhhh! Yeah yeah! When are we doing that?"
"When are you free?"
"Saturday again."
"We'll just do that then."
"Great~ I really can't wait!" she said, her voice practically sparkling through the speaker.
A few seconds of silence lingered between us, thick but comfortable, like a warm blanket pulled a little too snug. I could hear the soft hum of background noise from her side — maybe a fan or the distant rustle of papers — but she didn't say anything right away.
Then I heard it — a tiny, cute noise, almost like a shy hiccup trying to escape.
"Erm... your mom texted me."
"Oh yeah?" I glanced down at Mom, who was still wrapped around me like I might disappear if she let go. Her arms tightened slightly, and I felt the faintest tremble against my side. My phone wasn't even on speaker, but with how close we were, there was no way she missed a word.
Kate giggled, a soft, airy sound that tickled the inside of my ear through the phone. "S-she said 'don't forget to use protection' then ended it with a rubber emoji!"
"M-Mom, seriously?" I groaned, heat crawling up the back of my neck.
"I have to make sure I'm not a grandmother yet," she said, her voice way too casual for the emotional damage she was dealing.
"W-W-Wait, is your mom next to you?!" Kate's voice wobbled somewhere between panic and laughter, the sound crackling softly through the speaker.
"Yeah, she's giving me a hug right now. She doesn't want her son to leave her, hah~" I answered, feeling Mom's grip tighten again, almost like she was trying to fuse us together.
"Eiz." Her voice came out low and playful — way too dangerous.
"Y-Yes, Mom." My reply was almost a squeak as I stiffened in her arms.
"Phuu phuu~" she laughed mischievously. The sound of it scared me!
"I'm so sorry, please spare me," I begged, feeling the soft but merciless pressure of her hands shifting against my sides.
"Nope~!" she sang, and a second later, her fingers dug into my ribs with a vicious pinch that made my whole body jolt.
"G-GUAH?!" I yelped, dropping my phone — but Mom snatched it out of the air without missing a beat. She strolled off, chatting casually with Kate, while I... I slumped onto the cold floor, clutching my sides. The sharp sting of her attack still lingered, but somehow, it only deepened the happiness bubbling inside me.
[Don't even try that.]
'What? Can't I at least try to save some face?'
[Face to who?]
'Um... you?'
[Hahaha~ You have no respect in my eyes because I can hear, see, and experience everything you do. You can't hide anything from me!]
'Tch.'
I got up from the floor after a few minutes. Walking over to the couch, I sat down and went to grab my phone, but Mom had it, so I just sat while staring up at the ceiling.
[How'd you forget she had your phone? You aren't even old yet but have memory problems, hah~]
'Habit.' I shrugged.
[Well, since we are here, want to take a look at your status? It's been like a week.]
'Oh my days. I completely forgot about that even existing!'
[Can't really blame you.]
'Go ahead though. Let me see how I'm fairing in this first week!'
[Eizkel Rhyse]
- Age: 18
- Condition: Severely Exhausted (40% decrease to most mental aspects)
- Overall Human Score: 114.5 → 116 (C)
- Physical Score: 63 → 65 (D)
- Mental Score: 83 → 85 (A → A-)
[Skills: From highest to lowest]
English (Max Level)
Socializing (Level 5 → Level 9)
Complex Reasoning (Level 6)
Emotional Reasoning (Level 4 → 5)
Shamelessness (Level 5)
Acting (Level 4)
Sound Recall (Level 1 → 4)
Martial Arts (Level 1 → 2)
Food Tasting (Level 0 → Level 1)
'I'm happy my daily workout is working.'
Sure, it was a bit slow, but I only did push-ups, sit-ups, and squats, along with stretching to loosen up the body, which wasn't anything too extensive. I could still feel the faint stiffness in my shoulders from this morning's set, a small but satisfying reminder that I was doing something right. Socializing doesn't surprise me, when have I not done it? If anything, I'm baffled it isn't max level.
Looking at the rest of the skills, I rubbed the back of my neck, feeling a tiny spark of irritation build. I needed to start taking Martial Arts a bit more seriously because knowing how to defend myself was the greatest skill. What pissed me off a bit was Shamelessness.
'Hey, Ezryn.'
[What?]
'Should I have a flirting skill or something?'
[Why? You have a socializing skill, and remember what I said about broader skills?]
'That's right! Thanks for reminding me.'
[You really need a break, Eizkel.]
'Y-You just called me by my name!?' I sat up straighter without meaning to, like a jolt of cold water hit me. If he was acting like this, then it must be bad.
[Did you even look at your condition?]
Going back up to the main record, my eyes widened, my face stiffening slightly in shock.
[Condition: Severely Exhausted (40% decrease to most mental aspects)]
"Oof."
I couldn't even speak. I didn't feel like anything was this off, but the record wouldn't lie. Also, it was probably the most accurate thing in the universe, meaning that I was really doing worse than I fucking knew.