Ethan lay on his bed, one arm behind his head, eyes locked on the ceiling as the events of the day replayed in his mind.
"Aria..." he muttered, a long exhale following her name. "Fiery, confident, witty—she's literally my type. And the system just handed her to me like some cosmic blessing."
He paused, lips twitching into a bitter smirk.
"But of course, it had to come with a catch."
He could still picture the guy who'd bumped into him earlier. That wall of a man. Towering, broad, and carrying a presence that screamed danger.
The way he just apologized and walked off like Ethan wasn't even worth noticing—it irked him more than he liked to admit.
"System... what the hell did I do to you?" he asked, raising his voice at the glowing translucent screen hovering just out of reach.
"You couldn't assign me someone less connected? Like, I don't know... a loner? A bookworm? Nooo, let's throw me into the lion's den with a girl who probably does squats with gangsters for fun."
He let out a long groan, dragging a hand across his face. "She hangs around beasts like that, and even got the Iron Fang sniffing around. That's not random. She's clearly into strength—guys who can protect her, or at least match her fire."
He sat up, his tone shifting from sarcasm to thoughtfulness. "So how do I stand out? I'm not a gangster. I'm not exactly a brawler. My abs are there, sure, two months of consistent training's done that... but street fights?"
He scoffed. "My martial arts training is courtesy of YouTube University. I've seen more spinning kicks in tutorials than I've thrown in real life. That's not gonna cut it."
Ethan pushed off the bed and walked toward the mirror. He flexed his arms slightly, turning side to side. "I look strong enough. Maybe that's a start."
His reflection stared back at him with the faintest edge of determination.
"If she needs to see strength, then I'll give her something to see. Doesn't need to be a full-on battle. Just... enough. Enough to make her stop and wonder. Enough to make her curious."
He pointed a finger at his reflection, smirking.
"Operation: Impress Aria starts now. Step one? Show her I'm not some background character."
He glanced over his shoulder at the system screen still hovering idly. "Still hate you though."
The screen blinked once in silent agreement—or mockery. Ethan couldn't tell.
A knock snapped Ethan out of his plotting. He blinked at the door, momentarily forgetting where he was.
"Come in," he called, straightening up slightly.
The door creaked open, and in stepped Sophia—his stepsister. Casual, ponytail swaying, a curious glint in her eyes.
"Yo," she said, arms folded, leaning on the doorframe. "How's school been since you resumed? Haven't heard a peep from you."
Ethan smirked, leaning back against the desk.
"The usual. Teachers teaching, students pretending to care."
Sophia rolled her eyes. "That's vague as hell. You make any friends? Anyone interesting?"
"Define interesting."
"You know what I mean."
Ethan shrugged, his face calm but his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Let's just say school's never quiet. But yeah, I'm surviving."
Sophia stepped in and plopped onto his bed, one leg dangling.
"Huh. No crazy stories? No girl drama? No secret admirer leaving love letters in your locker?"
He chuckled. "I'll let you keep your imagination. Sounds like a fun world to live in."
"Shut up," she laughed, tossing a pillow at him.
They went back and forth for a bit—mocking, teasing, the usual sibling jabs. The room filled with light chuckles and sarcastic barbs until Sophia finally stood up, brushing imaginary dust off her jeans.
"Well, glad you're not dead. I'll leave you to whatever dark plotting you're doing in here."
Just as she reached the door, Ethan called out. "Hey, wait."
She turned around. "Hm?"
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "What kinda guy do you like?"
Sophia blinked, raising a brow. "Why? You planning on transforming into him?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes. "Just answer."
She gave a devilish grin, stepping back in slightly. "Well, not someone like you, that's for sure."
"Wow."
"I'm serious! I like bold guys. Guys who know how to take charge. Strong—not just with muscles but with presence, y'know? A man who can enter a fight and still come out standing. Someone you feel safe around."
Ethan's smirk returned, but his mind quietly clicked into gear. That was all he needed to hear.
"Ohhh," he said with mock admiration. "Didn't know you were into anime protagonists."
"Please," she scoffed, heading for the door again.
"Your taste's tragic," he called after her, walking up and grabbing her wrist playfully before dragging her toward the door.
"Out. Before I charge you for wasting my genius."
"Genius? In this economy?" she laughed, trying to wriggle free. "Damn, you've gotten stronger... What have you been doing?"
Ethan just gave a mysterious grin. "Let's just say I've been preparing for war."
Sophia rolled her eyes. "Weirdo."
He shut the door behind her, that grin still lingering—because now he had a clearer idea.
He just had to show Aria what she wanted. And he knew exactly how to start.
After a while, as Ethan lay on his bed staring up at the ceiling, something nagged at him. A detail he'd completely forgotten.
"Wait…" he muttered, sitting up sharply. "I didn't even check the time limit or penalty on Aria's task."
A sudden spike of panic crept in. What if the penalty was something brutal again? What if the time limit was ridiculously short—like an hour again?
"System," he called out quickly.
With a soft hum and a flash of light, the familiar translucent blue screen flickered into view in front of him, hovering steadily in the air. The interface was sleek and futuristic, with glowing golden icons and sharp white text. Ethan navigated to the task tab with a slight swipe of his hand.
> New Task: Bed a girl.
Target: Aria Voss
Time Limit: 21 Days
Penalty: -1 PTS from all stats
Ethan leaned in, eyes scanning every line carefully. His shoulders relaxed, and he let out a deep sigh of relief.
"Whew... not a one-hour window this time. And no 'reputation destruction' crap either."
Sure, losing stat points wasn't exactly a light penalty, but at least it was manageable. He wouldn't be immediately humiliated or stripped of status if he failed.
"Twenty-one days," he muttered, a small grin forming at the edge of his lips. "That's actually... doable. Plenty of time to work this out."
He leaned back against the headboard, folding his arms behind his head.
"Alright, Aria... Let's see what makes you tick."
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