Chereads / Luscious Ambition / Chapter 25 - Sanctuary City Girls Pt. 1

Chapter 25 - Sanctuary City Girls Pt. 1

[Day: Monday]

[Time: Afternoon]

[Location: Brew Sanctions]

I parked my car in front of a local cafe in Sanctuary City named Brew Sanctions. It is the most popular cafe in Sanctuary City and is said to rival Mama Rhea's business, Morning's Destiny. I got out of my car, fixing my jacket then looked at my reflection, seeing both Passion and Lustie in their tiny companion form resting on my shoulders.

"Let's do this..~" I said, making my way to the entrance of the cafe.

[Ambition Percentage: 100%]

[Generating Goals...]

{Easy Difficulty: Keep all four girls happy the entire date.}

{Normal Difficulty: Get all four girls Attraction and Affection Meter to 100%}

{Hard Difficulty: Mark all four girls using your Passion Trait before the end of the date.}

I nodded to myself after checking my notifications. "Got it.."

The bustling cafe was filled with the lively chatter of patrons, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee wafting through the air. In a secluded corner sat Jessica Baylee, Faith, and Melissa, their vibrant personalities adding a splash of color to the cozy atmosphere. They eagerly awaited my arrival, Faith and Melissa more curious as they were going to meet me for the first time.

As the minutes ticked by, Jessica drummed her fingers impatiently on the table, her eyes scanning the room for any sign of me. "Where is he? He said he wouldn't be late," she muttered, her impatience bubbling to the surface.

Baylee, ever the optimist, flashed a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, Jess. He'll be here soon," she said, her cheerful demeanor contrasting with Jessica's growing agitation.

Just then, the door swung open, and I entered the cafe, drawing the attention of the entire room. I stepped inside, my presence commanding attention due to my confident demeanor. I looked around and spotted Jessica and her friends then made my way to their table.

"Sorry I'm a bit late," I apologized, my voice soft yet confident. "Sanctuary City traffic is a definite nightmare."

"No worries, you're right on time," Baylee chimed in, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Melissa, Faith, this is Shiro. Shiro, meet Melissa and Faith."

I looked at Melissa and Faith, noticing their contrasting personalities and demeanors.

Melissa was a very attractive woman sporting long brunette hair, sparkling gray eyes, and a very appealing physique. She looked confident, outgoing, and even exuded a charm I felt attracted to.

Faith was equally as attractive as Melissa was. Her hair was long, wavy, and lavender, her eyes shimmered an emerald color, and her physique was also appealing to the eye. She seemed shy, reserved, and pretty cautious yet I could see the gentleness in her eyes.

I smiled at the two of them, extending my hand in greeting. "It's nice to meet you two beautiful ladies," I said warmly, my gaze meeting theirs with genuine interest.

[Melissa's Attraction Meter rose to 10%]

[Faith's Attraction Meter rose to 5%]

Melissa offered a polite smile, rising from her seat and gently taking my hand. "It's nice to meet such an attractive man like yourself..~ Jess and Baylee told us a little about you, and it's nice to see that you're as charming as they said..~"

I chuckled softly at Melissa's response then looked at Faith. Faith kept her gaze lowered, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

"It's...um nice to meet you too," Faith mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Judging by her meter and her demeanor, Faith is not going to be an easy task. Use what I taught you, and that should work. For this date, Lust and Seduction are not a factor." Passion said to me.

"For once, I actually agree with this demonic reptilian. Each of these girls, aside from Jessica, aren't able to be won over with Lust and Seduction. Charisma, Empathy, Passion, and I guess Talent will be your main sources!" Lustie added, agreeing to Passion's statement.

"Hmph! I could do without the name calling, Seductress." Passion scoffed.

'Both of you, enough. I can't concentrate when you're both bickering like kindergartners.' I said to both Passion and Lustie via telepathy.

Passion and Lustie stopped their bickering at my command then scoffed, turning away from each other.

I settled down in my seat, the atmosphere buzzed with anticipation as Melissa and Faith were pretty curious about me and wanted to know more about me. Faith sat quietly beside Melissa, her gaze flitting nervously between me and her friends. Despite her overwhelming shyness, she couldn't help but steal glances at me when she thought no one was looking. My presence exuded an undeniable charm, drawing her in like a moth to a flame.

After a bit of conversing with the girls, Melissa turned her attention to me, her curiosity bubbling to surface. Her eyes flickered with intrigue as she studied my features.

"So, Shiro," Melissa began, her voice tinged with curiosity, "what do you do? Do you work?"

My lips quirked into a small smile as I considered my response. "Well, I don't have your typical 9-to-5 job, if that's what you're asking," I replied cryptically, careful to avoid revealing too much about my unusual circumstances.

[Charm EXP +1500]

[Melissa's Attraction Meter rose to 20%]

[Ahh it feels nice to reward EXP again~ I have regained my purpose~]

Melissa's interest piqued at my enigmatic answer, her curiosity only growing stronger. "Oh? That sounds intriguing..~ You didn't tell me he was also mysterious, Jess," she remarked, leaning in closer as if trying to unravel the mystery behind my words.

"He sure is a mystery, no doubt," Jessica sarcastically replied, watching our interaction.

"What are you being a sarcastic sourpuss for?" I teased, looking at Jessica.

Jessica blushed, crossing her arms and averting her gaze. "Who's being sarcastic? I'm only saying the truth.."

I chuckled softly and continued to talk with the girls, telling them more about myself, only saying as much as I needed for them to get a clear idea. Faith longed to join in the conversation, but couldn't find the courage to speak up, her words caught in the vice grip of her anxiety. Instead, she contented herself with listening intently to the exchange, her heart fluttering with excitement at the prospect of getting to know me better.

After lingering in the cafe for a while, I decided to offer to go somewhere else. "Hey, how about we all move this little date to the mall? I feel like spending some money today."

[Jessica's Affection Meter rose to 25%]

[Baylee's Attraction Meter rose to 30%]

[Melissa's Attraction Meter rose to 30%]

[Faith's Attraction Meter rose to 15%]

"Hell yeah, now we're talking," Jessica said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"Yeah!~ I've been wanting to go to the mall all day," Baylee said, her excitement skyrocketing for a trip to the mall.

"Mmm~ Yeah, that seems like a nice idea, let's go~" Melissa said, her soft smile growing more.

Faith just nodded, her shyness still getting in the way of her words. "Um...I'd like to go.."

I nodded and got up then fixed my clothes. I gestured for them to follow me, making my way out the cafe after paying for their items. The girls followed me happily, their gossip becoming like no other. A few guys jealously watched as the four beautiful girls followed me to my car. We got in, Jessica taking the passenger seat and the other three cozying in the back of my car.

As I drove the group to the mall, Melissa's curiosity continued to burn brightly, her questions coming one after another like a relentless tide.

"Sorry if I keep asking so many questions, I'm just really curious about you~" Melissa said with a soft giggle in her voice.

"It's no problem to me, I'll answer whatever questions you might have." I said warmly, openly accepting each question the girls may have.

[Charm EXP +1500]

[Melissa's Attraction Meter rose to 40%]

"So, Shiro," she began, her voice carrying a hint of uncertainty, "you go to Matsugaya University, right? Do you know my brother, Mark? He's in the same year as you."

My grip tightened on the steering wheel at the mention of Mark, a flicker of tension passing over his features before he composed himself. Jessica noticed my body tense at the mention of his name, but noticed I had quickly calmed down.

"Yeah, I know Mark," I replied evenly, my tone guarded. "We're not exactly on good terms, though. In fact, we're pretty much on opposite ends of the spectrum."

Melissa's brow furrowed in confusion at my response, a pang of disappointment gnawing at her heart. She had hoped that I might shed some light on her brother's mysterious behavior, but my words only served to deepen the rift between them. As Melissa's mood soured, Faith seized the opportunity to speak up, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Um, Shiro," she began tentatively, her gaze fixed on me with a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, "did… did what happened at Jake's house really happen?"

I glanced at Faith through the rearview mirror, sensing the weight of her question.

"Yeah," I replied solemnly, my eyes reflecting the gravity of the question. "What happened at Jake's house was all too real. Caden crossed a line, and I had to intervene to protect someone I care about."

"It was seriously fucked up what that prick did, all just to kill Shiro...but somehow Shiro managed to beat them and even had Naomi and her gang to help him." Jessica added as she looked at herself in the car's mirror, fixing her makeup.

"Even the dodging the bullet part?" Melissa asked, her voice filled with her heightened curiosity.

"Hell yeah! I was literally there watching the fight," Jessica answered and looked back at Melissa. "Like his back was turned and everything! Shit looked straight out of a movie!"

I chuckled softly and scratched the back of my head. "Her story may be a little exaggerated.."

"Like hell it is! Don't be modest now that you're in the presence of the Sanctuary City Girls..~ You're a hero essentially.." Jessica said, giving me a smile.

I smiled and chuckled softly, letting out a soft sigh. "Alright, Jess..~"

As the car continued on its journey to the mall, the gossip between the girls increased even more. As I listened in on their gossip, I noticed one topic they all agreed on and it was the fact they didn't like The Syndicates at all, openly expressing their dislikes about them. With this information in mind, and me remembering that I'm not in Destiny Central, I knew their safety came first before anything else.

[Day: Monday]

[Time: Evening]

[Location: Sanctuary City Mall]

The five of us made it to the mall, and I realized my true test had begun: navigating the labyrinthine corridors of the shopping center while satisfying the diverse interests of my companions. With each girl eager to explore a different section of the mall, I knew I would need some divine intervention to keep things running smoothly.

"Let me assist you, Shiro," Passion murmured, her ethereal presence a comforting presence by my side. "I can show you each girl's desire and passion and with that information you can choose the correct stores for each of them. This would make for an easy time without the need for stress~"

'Well Baylee's passion is pretty clear...however the other girls is what I'm curious about.' I responded back to Passion.

"Do not worry, my Zealous Casanova~ I will simply add a new feature to Lust-E and all your answers will be there for you~" Passion said then with a snap of her fingers, Lust-E beeped.

[Each girls' passions acquired!]

[Jessica's Passion: Music, Occultism]

[Melissa's Passion: Fashion, Cooking]

[Baylee's Passion: Anime, Art]

[Faith's Passion: Gaming, Writing]

"There you go!~ Now let's see some results!" Passion said excitedly, her dragon tail wagging from side to side.

With Passion's guidance, I set off on our adventure, leading the group through the bustling corridors and crowded walkways of the mall. Our first stop was an anime store, where Baylee's eyes sparkled with excitement as she perused the colorful merchandise lining the shelves.

[Baylee's Attraction Meter skyrocketed to 70%]

[Faith's Attraction Meter slightly rose to 24%]

I watched as Baylee and Faith went to explore every corner of the store and smiled. I looked at Jessica and Melissa, who didn't partially take any interest in the store, but still liked a few anime like Sailor Moon, Fairy Tail, and Attack on Titan. Jessica in particular loved an anime called Berserk, casually picking up an issue and skimming through it.

"Oh yeah, she's one of the crazy ones." Lustie said.

"It's a great manga though~ A very fun story about sunshines and rainbows~ Griffith did nothing—" Passion giggled.

"Don't you dare finish that sentence! Don't lie to the readers you sadistic witch! If anything that title is borderline insanity inducing... especially that one scene. I'm a Demon of Lust and even I felt disturbed by it..." Lustie shuddered from the thought.

I chuckled softly at Passion's and Lustie's conversation and wandered around the store myself, casually chatting with Baylee about her favorite shows and manga. Baylee and I shared one anime that we both liked called Flying Witch. It isn't a very mainstream anime, but we thought it was pretty amazing.

After a bit of browsing, each girl had something they wanted to get so I got it for them. Happy with their first round of loot, we exited the store and moved on to the next.

[Current money spent: $250]

[Passion EXP +3000]

Next, we made our way to the music store, where Jessica's enthusiasm for all things musical was palpable. She eagerly flipped through racks of CDs and vinyl records, her passion for music evident in every note.

[Jessica's Affection Meter skyrocketed to 80%]

[Melissa's Attraction Meter slightly rose to 48%]

[Baylee's Attraction Meter rose to 79%]

[Faith's Attraction Meter rose to 30%]

Seeing Jessica's enthusiasm made me smile, her usual sarcastic and unamused demeanor melting in the presence of the music around her. Melissa also took interest in music, having a wish to play the guitar like Ashley could. Baylee and Faith also took interest in the store since this store had CDs and vinyls of their favorite anime and gaming OSTs.

I noticed Melissa looking at the various guitars along the wall and noticed she took interest in one of the simple white guitars with a butterfly design. I made my way toward her and placed my hands in my pockets. "Do you like this guitar?"

Melissa looked over at me, a smile appearing on her face. She looked back at the guitar. "I do, but look at this price."

I looked at the price tag of the guitar then smiled. "It's no issue for me. If you want it, I can buy it..~"

[Charm EXP +2000]

[Charm Level UP!]

[Charm Level: 11]

[Melissa's Attraction Meter rose to 55%]

Melissa gave me a bright smile, her heart slightly racing due to my generosity, something she's never gotten to experience from a guy in Sanctuary City. "Shiro, you don't have to. This is like super expensive, I can definitely do without it..~"

"I insist.." I said, giving her a smile as well.

Melissa took a moment to think about it then finally caved in and decided to accept my offer. "Alright..~"

I nodded and got the guitar off the rack and the two of us went to check up on the others. Jessica showed me a few albums she found and picked up, wanting to listen to them with me sometime. I was happy to listen to the albums Jessica picked since I liked the same kind of music she picked out.

After finding each of rest, they all had something they wanted and I happily bought each item for them. With their second found of loot out of the way, we left the music store and moved on to the next.

[Current money spent: $4,690]

[Passion EXP +3000]

[Passion Level UP!]

[Passion Level: 11 (Bonding Kiss Unlocked)]

From there, we ventured to the gaming store, where Faith's eyes lit up with delight at the sight of rows upon rows of video games and consoles. She eagerly explored the latest releases, her excitement contagious as she shared her love for gaming with me.

[Faith's Attraction Meter skyrocketed to 75%]

[Baylee's Attraction Meter rose to 83%]

I wandered the store with Faith as we talked about our favorite games to play. As we wandered the store together, her eyes fell upon a PC she had always wanted. It had the highest specs, a powerful hard drive, a premium cooling system, and the base storage was over a terabyte, a perfect gaming PC.

"I can tell you really want it..~ I'll get it for you, it's no issue to me." I said, placing my hands in my pockets.

Faith's gaze met mine, her expression filled with shock from my words. "R-Really? You don't mind?"

"Not at all." I said, gently nudging her, a warm smile playing on my face.

[Charm EXP +1500]

[Faith's Attraction Meter rose to 80%]

"O-Okay!" Faith smiled then grabbed the gaming PC from the shelf, a radiant smile finally showing on her face.

The two of us went to find Jessica and the others. Jessica and Melissa didn't get anything other than a few Pokemon Plushies and Baylee managed to snag one of the last anime games she could find for her collection. With everyone having something they wanted, I paid for each item then we went on to the last store.

[Current money spent: $6,150.64]

[Passion EXP +3000]

Finally, we arrived at a designer clothing store and a cooking store, where Melissa's indecision threatened to derail our smooth journey. Instead of making Melissa choose, I offered to take her to look around both stores.

[Melissa's Attraction Meter skyrocketed to 85%]

The first of the two stores we went into was the cooking store. Melissa and I wandered around the store, talking about our favorite recipes to make and even sharing insight about different cultural foods we'd like to try our hand at making with her telling me about her Scottish cuisines and me telling her about my native recipes that my guardian taught me.

After just window shopping through the cooking store, we decided to head into the clothing store, where all four girls felt at home.

[Jessica's Affection Meter rose to 100%]

[Baylee's Attraction Meter rose to 100%]

[Melissa's Attraction Meter rose to 100%]

[Faith's Attraction Meter rose to 100%]

[Goal Complete: Get all four girls Attraction and Affection Meter to 100%]

[Reward: Ambition EXP +10,000]

[Ambition Level UP!]

[Ambition Level: 11]

I watched as the girls wandered around together and shopped together. As I watched, my unease grew with each passing moment, a nagging sense of foreboding gnawing at the edges of my consciousness. Despite my best efforts to brush aside my apprehension, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched, shadows lurking in the corners of my vision, unseen but ever-present.

"What's wrong, Shiro? Your shoulders are tense. You're on guard," Passion wondered, her tail swaying as she looked at me with concern.

'I can't help but think someone's watching us... I've felt it since we entered the mall, but it's now more clear. I can tell something is just...off,' I answered to Passion.

"Hmm.." Passion thought then looked around our surroundings and scanned the sea of strangers around us.

"I can track them using Lust Detection," Lustie suggested.

I nodded, thinking it was a good idea. 'Good thinking, Red.'

Lustie smiled then her eyes glowed and she began to scan the crowd then three people were highlighted with red ethereal energy. I looked around then noticed the three figures highlighted and used my Luscious Unleash to see who they were as my senses were now multiplied by 10. As I looked at the three, I noticed it was Mark, Eric, and Jake following us like stalkers.

'Figured...but how the fuck did they hear about this date? Jessica made it clear that they won't even come close to finding out.' I thought to myself.

"Must be the works of Lane...but how would he even find out, unless they've been following you since the beginning..." Passion said.

'What should I do?' I asked.

"Prioritize the date!" Passion and Lustie said at the same time.

I nodded and decided to shake off my worries and continue on with my date with the girls.

The girls decided not to get anything while they were at the clothes store, only trying out clothes for their pictures and social media. Once we left the store, we decided to walk around the mall for a bit. My conversations with each girl flowed like magic, sharing my passions and goals with them and them sharing their dreams and goals with me as well.

As we continued to talk, I noticed each of them had a faint purple glow around them. Passion and Lustie noticed as well and smiled at each other, noticing that through the power of my Passion Trait, I was able to mark all four of them with a Love Sigil at the same time.

[Goal Complete: Mark all four girls using your Passion Trait before the end of the date.]

[Reward: Ambition EXP +30,000]

[Ambition Level UP!]

[Ambition Level: 12 (Enhanced Willpower Unlocked)]

"Ahh!~ Now that's what I call a date!~" Baylee said, happy with all of her loot, walking with us to my car.

"Yeah, I can't lie...I had a great time~" Jessica chuckled as she followed us to the car.

As we walked to the car, I got all of their bags into the trunk of my car. We got into the car and I drove off.

[Date with Jessica, Baylee, Melissa, and Faith Successful!]

[Date Analysis: Kept the four happy the entire time, Total money spent $6,150.64, Marked 4 women at the same time, maxed out 4 Meters at the same time!]

[Grade: XXX]

[Credi Earned: 50,000 (+30,000 Goal Bonus) Credi]

Lane leaned against his car as he watched Mark and his friends walk toward his car. "Decided to not confront them?"

"C'mon man, my sister looked so happy with him. I've never seen a guy make her smile like that, let alone it be that loser Shiro." Mark said.

"You're saying I don't make her happy?" Lane asked. "This is counted as cheating in my book."

"If I'm honest, I don't see her smile as brightly with you than she did with Shiro. I'm not saying you treat her badly, but Shiro's obviously more skilled than you are at keeping women happy." Mark said, shrugging his shoulders.

Lane eyed down Mark, noticing his demeanor slowly shifting. 'Is what Caden is saying true? Is he having regrets?'

"Whatever. Just get in, Axel wants to meet with us at his place." Lane said then walked to the driver's side.

Mark watched Lane then closed his eyes, letting out a soft sigh. 'We haven't won a single fight against him since his shift in personality... I'm getting tired of losing to this guy. Something needs to change..'