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### **Chapter 3: The Race Against Time**
With the dreadful clock ticking away in the back of his mind, Takashi raced across campus like a marathon runner who'd just spotted a bear chasing after him. *Why is it always me?* he thought, panic fueling his every step. His heart was pounding like a drum, a constant reminder that time was running out.
*30 minutes remaining.*
"Okay, calm down," he muttered to himself, trying to regain some semblance of composure. "There must be a girl around here who's rated above 7. How hard can it be?" He stopped by the student union, scanning the throngs of students who were blissfully unaware of his impending doom.
He spotted a group of girls sitting at a table, laughing and joking around. *Maybe... just maybe,* he thought, trying to boost his courage. He approached them, taking deep breaths like a swimmer about to dive into icy water.
"Um, hi!" he squeaked, his voice cracking slightly. All three girls turned to look at him, their smiles fading into expressions of confusion.
"Hey there," one of them said, raising an eyebrow. "Can we help you?"
"Y-yeah, so, um..." he stammered, feeling like he was suddenly the star of a bad sitcom. "I was just wondering if, uh, I could get your phone number?"
The girls exchanged glances, and Takashi's heart sank. They looked at each other as if he had just proposed a marriage of convenience. "Why would you want our numbers?" another girl asked, crossing her arms.
"Well, uh... it's for a class project! Social interactions!" He winced as the words came out of his mouth. Why did he think that excuse would work twice?
The girls burst into laughter, and Takashi felt himself turn beet red. "A project? Seriously? Good luck with that!" They turned back to their conversation, leaving Takashi standing there, mortified. He backed away slowly, muttering, "Thanks for nothing," as he shuffled away like a scolded puppy.
*25 minutes left.*
His heart sank further. With each passing second, the looming image of public humiliation grew clearer in his mind—him, dancing naked in front of the girls' dorm, flailing his limbs like a deranged chicken while everyone laughed at his expense.
He kept walking, desperately scanning the area for any sign of hope. *What about the library?* he thought. There had to be someone there. After all, nerdy girls read too, right?
He sprinted to the library, hoping to find someone who looked kind and willing to help a desperate guy out. As he burst through the door, he spotted a girl sitting alone at a table, buried in a mountain of textbooks. She wore glasses, and her hair was tied back in a messy bun. *Perfect!* he thought.
He approached her cautiously, clearing his throat to avoid sounding like a dying giraffe. "Um, hi there! I'm Takashi."
The girl glanced up, her expression neutral. "Hello."
"I was, uh, wondering if I could get your phone number?" he blurted out, his heart racing.
The girl raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Why?"
"Um... for a class project!" He immediately regretted saying that, knowing full well how ridiculous it sounded. "It's about social interactions," he added, half expecting her to laugh in his face.
She stared at him for a moment, her gaze penetrating. "Right... A class project."
Takashi felt sweat trickling down his back. "Yeah! Super important, you know? For my grade."
She shook her head slowly. "Sorry, I don't give out my number to random guys who think they can just walk up and ask."
Takashi's hope plummeted. "O-okay, no problem. Just... good luck with your studies!" He turned to leave, fighting back tears of frustration.
*20 minutes remaining.*
As he exited the library, despair washed over him like a tidal wave. How could he have been so stupid? Why couldn't he just have been born normal? He wanted to scream, but all that came out was a strangled groan.
"What do I do now?" he murmured to himself, kicking a pebble down the pathway. Suddenly, he noticed a group of girls walking past, laughing and chatting. They looked like they were having the time of their lives. *What if I tried one of them?*
He hesitated, dread pooling in his stomach. He had less than twenty minutes left, and each second felt like an eternity. "You can do this," he whispered, willing himself to approach the girls. *Just be cool. Just be normal. No big deal.*
"Hey!" he called, his voice coming out a little too loud. The girls turned, and for a moment, he felt like he'd just walked into a horror movie.
"Um, can I help you?" one girl asked, tilting her head slightly as she eyed him like he was a strange insect.
"Right, um, so I wanted to ask... if I could get your phone number?" he said, each word feeling like it was being dragged out of him by sheer force.
"Why would you want my number?" the girl asked, her arms crossing over her chest defensively.
"For a class project!" he blurted out again, hating himself more with each breath.
She stared at him for a moment, and he could feel the judgment radiating from her like a heatwave. "And what exactly do you need my number for?"
"Social interactions!" he said, sounding desperate even to himself. "It's... um... a thing."
The girls exchanged glances, confusion turning to amusement. "Is this a joke?" one of them asked, and before he could respond, they erupted into laughter.
Takashi felt his face burn with humiliation as he stood there, frozen. *What am I doing?*
*15 minutes remaining.*
He turned on his heel, retreating quickly. He couldn't bear to listen to their giggles any longer. He dashed away from the group, mind racing and heart hammering in his chest. *What if I didn't find anyone? What if he really had to dance naked?*
"Please, universe, just give me a break!" he pleaded, staring up at the sky.
As he continued his frantic search, he caught a glimpse of a girl sitting alone on a bench, sketching something in a notebook. She had a certain vibe about her—cool, calm, collected. Maybe this was his last chance.
*10 minutes left.*
With every ounce of courage he could muster, Takashi approached her, his heart pounding like a jackhammer. "Hi!" he said, his voice a bit shaky. "I'm Takashi. Can I, uh, get your phone number?"
The girl looked up, her expression unreadable. "Why?"
"Because it's for a class project! A... social interactions thing," he managed to say, feeling more ridiculous by the second.
She studied him for a moment, and he could almost see the gears turning in her head. *Is this it? Is this finally my chance?*
The girl shrugged, pulling out her phone. "Okay, fine. I guess it couldn't hurt."
His heart soared as she typed in her number, but then...
*BEEP*
The notification pinged.
**Girl's rating: 7.5.**
Takashi's heart skipped a beat. *Finally!* he thought.
"Thanks!" he blurted out, grinning like he'd just won the lottery. He turned to walk away, when she added, "But you owe me a reason for the number next time!"
As he walked away, the relief flooded through him, but he could still hear her laughter echoing in his ears. He might have gotten the number, but his embarrassment wasn't over yet.
*5 minutes left.*
With the weight of the world lifting from his shoulders, he pulled out his phone, ready to log his victory and score his points. But as he stared at the screen, his heart sank again.
"Wait, what's this?" he muttered, seeing a new message pop up.
> *"Quest Complete: Reward unlocked: 10 Virgin Points. New Quest: Successfully ask the girl for a date. Reward: 20 Virgin Points. Failure: Dance naked in front of the girls' dorm for one hour."*
Time left 5 minutes
Takashi's stomach dropped. "Wait, what?!"
He stumbled, nearly dropping his phone. "No! Not again!" The words echoed in his mind, and the panic surged back with a vengeance.
*Oh no, not this again!*
As he looked around in a blind panic, searching for an escape, he realized... his nightmare was far from over.
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### **End of Chapter 3**