Beep!
Beep!
The alarm clock on the side of my bed blared, waking me up.
It was Sunday already.
As I sat up from my bed and moved my duvet off my body, I quickly recalled the picnic of yesterday and smiled.
Truthfully, it was a fun time. I hope we will do it more often though.
I looked at the alarm and it was seven o'clock in the morning.
I had quite a lot on my to-do list for the day but a slow start never hurts anyone.
Moving to the bathroom, I washed my face and brushed my teeth like I normally did every morning but my morning routine these days had been tweaked a little bit.
This change was all thanks to Nova.
Since I upgraded, I sparingly received daily quests, instead, it was replaced with quests that stretch over a longer period.
For instance, the quests I'm currently on lasts for about a week.
[ Quests ]
— Drink at least 3 litres of water every day.
[ Goal: Improves your overall sex appeal, fitness and physique ]
— Do quick sessions of press-ups starting with 50 press-ups daily for the next 7 days.
[ Goal: Improves your overall sex appeal, fitness, confidence and physique ]
— Brush your teeth twice a day (morning & night) every day.
[ Goal: Improves your communication proficiency, confidence, charisma and overall sex appeal ]
[ Ding! ]
[ New Quest ]
[ Click to view ]
Just as I was glancing through the quests I was yet to finish, a new quest came in.
I tapped to view and the dropdown list appeared.
[ New Quest ]
[ It's a new week. Always remember to put your positive energy out there in the world ]
— Say 'Hello' to 3 people every day for the next 7 days.
[ Goal: Improves your communication proficiency, confidence and charisma ]
"I see. An upgrade?" I said, rubbing my chin.
The new quest was an upgrade of the one I had just finished where I was tasked with saying hello to one person every day for three days.
Nova's pattern seemed to be making sense to me now and I must add, a bit hackneyed but who knows.
Didn't take much time for me to clear fifty per cent of the quests. After all, they were easy.
[ Daily water intake: 1.5/3 ]
[ Daily press-ups: 25/50 ]
[ Teeth brushing: 1/2 ]
...
...
...
I was running out of a lot of things. So I decided to stop by the convenience store, inside the Academy, to pick up a few items to restock.
After minutes of walking, I arrived at the store.
The convenience store is nestled in a quiet corner of the Academy. It was a cosy place with familiar and strange faces, a reliable refuge from the demands of life.
As I pushed open the glass door, a rush of relief washed over me, a stark contrast to the sweltering heat outside.
It was cold and breezy inside the store.
I stopped and looked around, the cashier section was empty.
"Is there no one on duty?" I wondered, but seeing a few people moving around with their buys, I decided to get on with my shopping.
Maybe, whoever was there stepped out.
The lightbulbs hummed overhead as I made my way down the narrow aisles, my mind was preoccupied as I tried to recall the things I wanted to buy.
Heck, I didn't make any lists and now I was paying for it.
At the end of the aisle, where I was buying my own thing hid a familiar figure that I would soon see.
Jasmine Barley.
She was in the store at the same time as I was. I could hear her heart pounding on her chest as she contemplated whether to make her presence known or not.
I looked in that way and sighed.
Why do humans like to make life harder than it already is?
...
...
...
After a few minutes, Jasmine peeked to see if Dickens was still there but he was gone.
She darted her eyes around but couldn't find any traces of him.
"What's wrong with you, Jas?" she scolded herself. "It's just Dee. Why would you be feeling this way?"
She shook her head, shaking off the thoughts and regaining her composure.
Jasmine proceeded to the snack section of the store and began to carefully select her favourite bag of chips.
Suddenly, her world jolted and her heart almost burst out of her chest.
She had accidentally bumped into someone while turning to continue her shopping.
Startled, she turned to see Dee, his blue eyes locking with hers for a brief moment.
He smiled at her, his wide smile disarming.
"Hello, Jasmine. Sorry about that," Dee said, his voice soft and apologetic.
Jasmine felt her cheeks flush as she stammered, "N-No problem... it's my... it's my fault."
Dee chuckled softly, the sound causing a delightful shiver to run down her spine.
"Well, let's call it even then."
He moved past her gracefully, heading for the snack aisle.
Jasmine watched him go, her heart racing. She hated this new feeling that she didn't understand but at the same time, she chastised herself for not seizing the moment, for not engaging in a more meaningful conversation.
Why was she feeling this way?
Why does seeing Dickens make her heart flutter?
Was it because he asked her out on a date during the picnic?
She didn't have any answers yet to all these three questions.
As Dickens walked away, Jasmine took a step forward, about to stretch her arm out to him and say something but stopped. Something in her made her resist that urge.
...
...
...
I walked past Jasmine and I was surprised that it did more good than harm.
While Nova allowed me some time to rest before my journey began, I took a little of that time to read.
"It works."
Jasmine's reaction towards me ignoring her was to stealthily follow me around, pretending to want to buy the same thing I was buying whenever I noticed her.
This gender was quite interesting.
They'd want those who didn't want them but reject those who did.
It didn't make sense.
Anyways, that twisted nature was turning in my favour and a wide smile appeared on my face when I gained the reward of that simple act.
[ Your charisma has increased by 10% ]