On the day after the tea party, contrary to my expectation, Aria's mood was brighter than usual. Upon enquiring, I discovered that she had revealed the truth to the Baron and Lady Martha. That was fantastic news. In fact, I was about to suggest she do the same if she hadn't already done so in the near future. It's good that she took the burden off her shoulders. Now her smiles have grown even brighter.
I didn't get any new quests in the previous year. However, the repeatable quests award me with SP on a daily basis, giving me around 5 SP per day for assisting her with the routine and sleeping with her on occasion. When my actions satisfy Aria, I get anywhere between 5-200 SP. In that regard, it's becoming increasingly difficult to please her. I guess she got accustomed to me, and it now takes more effort to satisfy her. For example, the system doesn't give me SP if I resist her actions even a little bit. Along the way, after amassing 1000 SP, I upgraded Aria's Talent to C-grade.
Now, my total SP looks like this,
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Satisfaction Points – 1328
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The next goal is to collect 5000 SP and upgrade her Talent to B grade.
I have to say, collecting SP is a pain. I am only able to earn 5-15 SP a day. If this keeps going, I'll have to wait another year or so before I reach 5000. And I only have 8 months before Aria's birthday. If I am unable to get her Talent to grade up to B-grade, she won't be able to attend the Royal Academy, as they won't give admission to C-grade or lesser Talent.
I can always upgrade her Talent afterwards but then a new problem will arise. As we are supposed to keep my skills and class hidden, how will we explain Aria's upgrade? It's unheard of for anyone to increase their Talent after their Awakening.
So in order to fulfil Aria's wishes, I need to make sure she is eligible for the Royal Academy at the time of her Awakening. Hah…how do I do it?
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May I interrupt you, Letica?
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'Oh hey, you are still here. I nearly forgot about you'
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That's because you never ask for my help. You know that as your assistant-cum-guide, you can ask me about your worries, right?
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'Haha, my bad. So, can you help me earn more SP faster?'
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Sure. The reason you are so slow as of now, is because you are not using any skills at all, besides doing household chores. You should use your system more efficiently. The Shop is there for a reason, you know.
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'You are correct, I forgot about it. Tehe…You have to tell me such things ahead of time beacuse I am not the brightest kid you know'
'Before doing anything myself, I should ask Aria for advice. After all, She is the smartest person I know'
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-_-
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And so I went looking for Aria. At this time, she must be in the library, reading some books.
"Aria…"
I explained to her the matter and the system's advice.
"Oh I see. I had a feeling we weren't gonna make it. I was thinking of bribing the church or something, but your Shop might have something useful. Let me see"
She browsed the shop on her interface and said,
"The items are pretty lame and useless. And about the skills, given our entire budget of 1300 SP, we can only afford this. Although I think I'm too young for it, I'm sure I'll enjoy it if you are the one doing it" She selected a skill and transferred it to my screen.
"This…it says 'Massage', what does that mean?"
"Oh, you don't know what a massage is? I used to give one to my mom all the time in my past life. Come here, let me show you" She dragged me to her room.
As we entered her room, she pulled the top part of my clothes off.
"Back massages are always given bareback, now lay down" I complied and laid down on her bed.
"Coconut oil will do…" She took out a bottle from a dresser.
"Here's a little reward for my sweet little maid. You have been working very hard for my sake, thank you very much, Letty"
"Th..mmnngh" I cut my reply as she gently brushed her hands against my back and pushed her thumbs in a circular motion. It was so relaxing, that I involuntarily let out a weird noise.
As she moved her hands along my back, applying some pressure in certain places. I could feel my muscles relaxing, it was truly a sensational experience.
"You work so hard everyday. See, your muscles are so tense. Try to relax, okay?"
I was so mesmerized by her hands that I couldn't even reply. She kept going for God knows how long, I loved this sensation. So this is a 'Massage' huh, I need to learn this skill. I bet she'll be very pleased"
"Hehe, looks like someone enjoyed it a little too much" She said while addressing my speechlessness.
"Thank you Aria, that was so relaxing. I never thought that rubbing your back could feel so good. I need to learn this skill so you can experience this pleasure as well"
"Sure, Thank you for your compliments. It seems that I still got it, I used to massage my Mom's back all the time in my past life, and I am quite proud of my massage skills. I should give Mom a massage too, she'll love it"
"Of course, Lady Martha would be very pleased"
"Anyway, what I gave you now is a back massage. There are a lot of types of massages, like shoulder massage, foot massage, etc. So with the skill, you might be able to top me as well"
"Alright, I'll buy it now"
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Skill Purchased
Massage – Level 1
You are able to give a good Massage.
Raise level to unlock more.
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"You wanna give it a test ride?" Aria asked while undressing her top.
"Yes!"
I put my top on, and Aria took my previous position.
"I'm going to start"
I used the skill. My hands were being guided by the skill, and I tried to replicate what I was feeling when Aria gave me a massage. And sure enough, it worked.
"Mnnngnn… keep going"
I repeated the same movements for a while, altering them ever so slightly based on her responses. Finally, she seemed satisfied.
"Okay, that's enough. You did great!"
"Thank you, Aria. I am glad you enjoyed it"
+300 SP
"That was pretty good for a first try. Skills really do make a difference" She continued. "I think I relaxed a bit too much, so I'm gonna take a nap. Wake me up in the evening"
Saying so, she drifted asleep. Not even bothering to get dressed. I covered her with the blanket and left.
Buying this skill was a great idea, if the massage gave me so much SP, I'll be rich in no time.
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Sorry to burst your bubble, but it was a first-time bonus. The normal amount at your current skill level will vary between 100 to 150 SP.
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'Oh well, it's still 10 times faster than my previous routine. Thank you for your advice, System-san!'
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I am just doing my job.
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'You are kinda dumb, aren't you? If you had told me earlier, I would have saved so much time. Did you know how much time I spent clinging to the repeatable missions'
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…
You ungrateful piece of ####, it's the user's duty to make use of the assistant, not mine!
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'Hah, whatever'
'How the system would look, if he were a real person'
An drunkard old man, wandering around the streets in search of liquor and only showing his face to his family when he ran out of money to buy more. Hahaha, this can't be real. Hahaha
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I can feel you are imagining something hideous. So STOP!
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…
I woke Aria up in the evening. After freshening up,
"How much SP did you earn?"
"300. Although the system said, it was a first-time bonus"
"That's wonderful, we can save up some SP nicely, and I might be able to get to A-grade before the deadline. I've decided, I'll have your massages everyday before bed"
"As you wish, Aria"
"I'll be off to give Mom a massage and hopefully trick her into something" Giving a sinister smile, she left.
She looked so…devilish.
Ba-dump
Current SP : 628