As David ended the stream, he felt a familiar sensation.
The system interface blinked into his vision, signaling something new.
———————
SYSTEM REWARD
Congratulations! You have successfully gained 1,000 live viewers and 100 Subscribers.
Reward: 1,000 Quartz Crystals
———————
David raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Quartz Crystals, huh?" he muttered to himself, opening up the system's details to explore more about this new currency.
The system chimed in, its voice neutral but ever-present in his mind.
———————
"Quartz Crystals can be converted into pure stat points or be used in various system features, such as the Gacha Store, Summons, and features yet to be unlocked at the intermediate stage."
———————
David's eyes flicked over the options presented to him. There were tabs labeled Gacha, Summons, and Stat Upgrades, though several were grayed out, hinting at future unlocks.
He sat up in bed, the light from his laptop casting long shadows across the room. "So, it's not just abilities anymore. I can level up? And there's a store?"
His mind buzzed with the possibilities.
He'd been able to manage so far with his illusions and manipulations, but now he had access to a broader set of tools.
"Alright," David said, clicking through the interface, reading through each option carefully.
"I'll save these crystals for now. The gacha seems risky, but the stat boosts could be useful if I'm ever in a pinch."
The system interrupted his thoughts again.
———————
You have unlocked all beginner features. Further features will be made available at the intermediate stage upon reaching the system's specified milestones. Continue to grow, and the system shall assist you in its fullest capacity.
Alongside this the system shall now allow you to male the highest quality stream from any device as it will now function as the operator of your streams.
———————
David grinned. "This is just the start, huh? Alright then, system. Let's see where this takes us."
Closing the system interface, he laid back, staring at the ceiling.
Things were about to get more intense, and he was ready for it.
---
David had always been helpful around the house, and when he woke up in his aunt Kaede's home, he knew he'd need to lend a hand.
He got out of bed, stretched, and shook off the lingering drowsiness from last night.
After freshening up, he made his way downstairs.
The smell of freshly brewed coffee lingered in the air, and Kaede was already busy cleaning up the living room.
She was bent over, dusting a low shelf, completely absorbed in her task.
David hesitated at the doorway, feeling a familiar awkwardness tug at his thoughts.
Kaede, despite being in her 40s, looked years younger, and it didn't help that her casual clothes hugged her figure a little too well.
It wasn't something he wanted to think about, but his old childhood crush on her still lingered at the back of his mind.
He quickly shoved those thoughts aside, feeling guilty for even thinking them.
She was family, after all.
"Maurning Aunt Kaede" he greeted her
She looked up and smiled warmly. "Morning, David. You didn't have to get up so early, you know. I was letting you sleep."
David waved it off with a chuckle. "Nah, I've been sitting around long enough. Lemme help you out."
Kaede nodded, and they began working together.
They worked side by side, chatting about mundane things, mostly catching up on what he had been up to since they last saw each other.
Everything was going fine until they both reached for the same box of cleaning supplies at the exact same time.
David hadn't been paying attention, so when their hands collided, he looked up, only to find himself face-to-face with her, much closer than either of them expected.
The proximity was almost too much.
Kaede's eyes widened slightly in surprise, but neither of them moved for a second.
Her scent—fresh and clean—washed over him, and for a brief moment, his heart raced, reminding him of those innocent teenage crush days.
"Ah—sorry!" David quickly pulled back, the box slipping from both their hands and clattering to the floor.
The awkward tension hung in the air for a moment, but Kaede simply laughed it off.
"Oh, don't worry about it!" she said, standing up straight and brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "I'm such a klutz sometimes."
David nodded, trying to shake off the lingering heat on his face. "Yeah, my bad too."
As they both bent down to pick up the scattered supplies, their hands brushed again.
This time, Kaede gave a small chuckle, clearly unbothered by the closeness.
But for David, it was another reminder that he needed to focus on anything else but the awkwardness that came out of nowhere.
From then on everything was going relatively smoothly until they needed to move some heavy boxes in the corner.
David reached for a box on the top shelf while Kaede leaned over to grab something on a lower one.
As he lifted the box, he misjudged its weight, causing him to stumble backward a bit , right into Kaede.
With a soft yelp, she lost her balance and fell against him, knocking them both onto the floor.
Kaede landed on top of him, her body pressed against his in a way that made the situation far more awkward than he could've imagined.
The warmth of her body and the sudden closeness left him speechless.
For a brief moment, neither of them moved.
Kaede's chest was pressed against his, her breath warm on his neck, and David could feel his body reacting in a way that made his heart pound with both panic and embarrassment.
Oh no, not now, he thought, trying desperately to shift without making it obvious.
Kaede pushed herself up slightly, her hands on his chest as she tried to regain her balance. "Oh my god, David, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" she asked, her face inches from his.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," David stammered, trying to will his body to calm down.
Please don't notice, please don't notice...He shifted awkwardly, subtly trying to hide the fact that he was getting hard.
Kaede, thankfully, seemed too flustered herself to notice.
She hurriedly rolled off him and sat on the floor, brushing a strand of hair out of her face. "I can't believe I just did that. Talk about a close call."
David sat up, his face flushed, and nodded quickly. "Yeah, no big deal. It happens," he said, forcing a laugh. But inside, he was screaming at himself. Get it together, you horny peice of shit !
They both stood up, and Kaede dusted herself off.
She still seemed a little embarrassed, but the tension was quickly easing. "Let's, uh, move the rest of this carefully, okay?"
David nodded, relieved that the moment was over, though his body still hadn't fully calmed down.
As they continued working, he tried to focus on anything else—anything that wouldn't lead him back to thinking about how her body had felt against his.
Later, after they had finished cleaning, Kaede smiled at him. "Thanks again for helping me, David. I know I've been kind of a mess lately."
"No problem, Aunt Kaede," David said, glad that the conversation had shifted away from the earlier accident. "I'm here to help."
As she walked away to check on something in the kitchen, David let out a deep breath and muttered to himself, "That was way too close…"
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Stones and Reviews please