"Why do you look so excited when you see Mira?" Jacob turned to Mason, his tone laced with suspicion.
"Huh? What? No!" Mason shook his head furiously, clearly panicking as he waved his hands in denial. "What do you even mean?"
"Really?" Jacob smirked mischievously. "I could've sworn you liked her."
"That's bullshit, and you know it," Mason scoffed, crossing his arms. "Who in their right mind would dare to like her?"
Jacob squinted at him, his gaze sharp and probing. Mason instinctively took a step back, visibly uncomfortable under the intense scrutiny. Finally, after a long, awkward silence, Mason sighed in defeat.
"Alright, fine! I don't like her, okay? I'm not even remotely attracted to her."
"Then why—?"
"'Cause of her sister," Mason interrupted quickly, cutting him off before he could continue.
"Ohhh, yeah." Jacob nodded, a sly grin forming on his lips. "I forgot about her."
Jacob chuckled as the memory came rushing back. Mira had an older sister—Milah. The only difference between their names was an 'r' swapped out for an 'l' with an added 'h,' which Jacob thought was kind of funny. Their parents must've thought they were being creative with that one, he mused.
Just like Mira, Milah was absolutely stunning. But unlike her younger sister's prickly attitude, Milah had a pleasant and approachable demeanor that seemed to draw everyone toward her. Her older-sisterly charm had been enough to leave a lasting impression on Jacob, even though he'd only seen her a handful of times in high school and college because of their age gap.
"Ahh, so that's why you're acting all jumpy," Jacob teased, his grin widening. "Don't want to piss off Mira and risk Milah hearing about it, huh?"
Mason heaved a sigh of relief, glad Jacob was starting to understand, but his sense of calm was shattered by Jacob's next words.
"Well, too bad. I'm about to ruin Mira's mood."
"What!?" Mason's voice shot up an octave, and he lunged forward, gripping Jacob's shoulders tightly. "Are you insane!? Do you have a death wish or something?"
"Nah, not at all," Jacob said with a smirk. "I just feel like ruining her day. Y'know, for fun."
Mason stared at him, utterly dumbfounded. "What kind of menace are you?" he muttered under his breath. Still, he loosened his grip and took a step back, rubbing his temples. "Fine, whatever. But leave me out of it, alright? If she goes crying to Milah and drags me into this, I swear—"
"Relax, brother," Jacob said, slapping Mason on the shoulder with a grin. "You can watch from a distance if you want. This'll be entertaining."
Mason hesitated for a moment before reluctantly nodding. "I guess, sure. But if she bitchslaps you, I'm gonna laugh my ass off."
"Getting slapped doesn't sound so bad," Jacob replied with a chuckle, cracking his knuckles like he was about to head into battle.
Shaking his head in disbelief, Mason darted off and crouched behind a nearby bush, giving Jacob an exaggerated thumbs-up. Jacob sighed, watching his friend hide so awkwardly. He really didn't need to do that… but whatever.
With Mason out of the way, Jacob turned his attention back to Mira, who was seated on a bench with her headphones on, scrolling through her phone without a care in the world. Taking a deep breath, Jacob strode toward her with a casual wave.
"Yo," he called out.
However, Mira didn't even glance at him, her attention glued to her phone as she continued scrolling. Jacob's face darkened for a split second, his ears burning in embarrassment. Turning toward the nearby bush, he caught sight of Mason—who was laughing so hard he was practically choking. This bastard, Jacob cursed silently, gritting his teeth.
Swallowing his irritation, Jacob turned back to Mira and tried again. "Hi, Miss Mira. Do you remember me?"
His voice was stiff, and so was his face.
Finally, Mira turned her head slightly, pulling one side of her headphones off. Her cold gaze scanned him up and down, her expression unreadable. "Yes?" she said flatly.
Jacob's hands trembled slightly, but he clenched them tight, trying to keep his cool. "That's not exactly a warm greeting for a reunion," he said, forcing a smile that felt more like a grimace.
Mira's brow furrowed. "Reunion? I don't even know you."
Jacob's expression, already grim, twisted further. It was as if he'd taken a direct hit to his pride. Why does it feel like I'm the one being humiliated here? he thought bitterly.
"If you don't remember, I'm Jacob Fox," he said, trying to keep his tone pleasant. "We were classmates throughout high school and college."
"Jacob Fox…" Mira repeated, her voice trailing off as she tapped her chin. She seemed to search her memory for a few seconds before her eyes lit up. "Oh, that otaku guy or something. What's up?"
Otaku guy or something.
Jacob's lips twitched violently. He took a deep breath, the scorching midday heat only adding fuel to his simmering irritation. It took every ounce of his willpower to keep himself from snapping.
"Yeah," he said through gritted teeth, forcing a stiff nod. "That's me. Anyway, I saw an old classmate, so I thought it'd be nice to say hello."
"We're not classmates anymore, and we're definitely not acquaintances," Mira said, her voice icy and blunt.
Jacob froze, her words hitting him like a gut punch. As much as he despised Mira, having a gorgeous girl outright dismiss him like this felt like a cruel blow to his already fragile ego. Why is this so much worse than I thought it'd be?
"Geez, lady, you don't have to be so harsh," Jacob said, shaking his head, his awkward smile firmly plastered on his face. "We both know we're acquaintances. We were classmates, after all."
Mira sneered. "Even if we were acquaintances back then, that was years ago. Things are different now. I don't know you anymore."
Without another word, she slipped her headphones back on, effectively ending the conversation.
Jacob sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his neck as he stared at her. To be honest, I didn't even have a real plan how to humiliate her. What was I thinking?
He glanced toward the bush again and saw Mason munching on popcorn with the smuggest look he'd ever seen.
"This bastard…" Jacob muttered under his breath.
For what felt like the hundredth time, Jacob turned his gaze toward Mira, determination burning in his eyes. Before making his move, he checked the floating, invisible window in front of him.
[Mission: A Taste of Medicine]
Description:
Approach Mira Hansen and make her feel bad about herself.
Time limit: 30 minutes (26:12 remaining)
Reward: +100 EXP, +8 AP
Penalty: Removal of the system, becoming a wanted criminal, -1,000,000 AP, -500,000 to all stats, and forever haunted by bad luck.]
"Still got 26 minutes," Jacob muttered under his breath, awkwardly standing in front of Mira. The heat of the sun only added to the discomfort. Even so, he stayed rooted in place, his presence looming just enough to be noticed.
Mira, predictably, removed her headphones and glared up at him. "Excuse me? Don't you know what you're doing is harassment?"
"Harassment? Come on, we're acquaintances. I'm literally just standing here," Jacob shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"You..." Mira gritted her teeth, clearly irritated. After a deep breath, she regained her composure and sneered, "Just leave me alone, you damned loner!"
Bullseye.
Jacob's lips curled into a petty smile. Exactly as planned... kind of. "That's funny, Miss Mira," he said casually, leaning forward slightly. "I don't see anyone around you either. Could it be... you're a loner too? What happened to all your high school and college friends?"
Before she could retort, Jacob delivered the finishing blow. "Looks like they don't like you anymore, huh? Scrolling through your phone alone in the park... that's pretty lonely behavior."
Mira's confident expression wavered. Her eyes betrayed a hint of sadness as she tilted her head down slightly and whispered, "I know..."
Jacob froze. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Mira—the Mira Hansen, queen of sass and self-proclaimed social goddess—was... admitting defeat? The girl who used to look down on everyone else now seemed like a completely different person. He stared at her in shock as a wave of guilt began to wash over him.
[Ding!]
[Newbie Mission Completed!]
[For completing the mission, you have been awarded the following rewards:
+100 EXP
+8 AP]
[Level Up! You have reached Level 2!]
[You have been granted 10 AP and 5 STAT points for leveling up!]
The sudden flood of notifications barely registered in Jacob's mind as he continued watching Mira. Her shoulders trembled slightly, and before he knew it, tears were dripping onto the ground.
"I... I'm sorry," Jacob said awkwardly, his voice cracking.
"No," Mira shook her head, wiping her tears as she looked up at him with a sad smile. "It's my fault... for treating you all so badly back then. I hated myself for it, but... I didn't know how to stop."
Jacob's stomach twisted. Why do I feel like the bad guy here? He looked around for help, but Mason—his so-called best friend—was nowhere to be found. That bastard really ran away!
Not knowing what else to do, Jacob sighed and sat down beside her. He didn't say a word, simply letting her cry it out. After a few minutes, Mira's tears stopped, though her eyes were still red and puffy.
"Uh..." Jacob began hesitantly.
"No," Mira interrupted again. "Don't feel bad. I... I deserve this."
"No, you don't," Jacob said with a sigh. "Look, sometimes we all act like pieces of shit to cope with stuff. It doesn't mean it's who we are deep down."
Mira glanced at him, her lips trembling. Jacob continued, his voice softening, "The past sucks, but you've got a chance now. At least you know it was wrong to treat people like that. You can change, you know? You don't have to force yourself to be lonely."
Mira nodded slowly. Jacob hesitated for a moment before awkwardly patting her head. To his surprise, she didn't pull away; in fact, she almost leaned into his touch. "You're right," she said quietly. "I think I'm going to change."
Jacob grinned. "Good. Glad we cleared that up. Anyway, I should probably get going—"
"Wait!" Mira suddenly grabbed his hand.
"Huh? What now?" Jacob asked, confused.
"I still hate what you said earlier," Mira admitted, "but... it gave me a reality check. So, as a thank-you..." She hesitated before tapping her phone screen and holding it out to him. "Here's my number. Save it."
Jacob blinked. "Sorry, what?"
"You don't want a beautiful girl's number?" Mira raised an eyebrow.
"Of course I want it!" Jacob chuckled nervously, fumbling with his phone as he entered her number. His hands were shaking so much he almost dropped it.
Mira nodded, smiling faintly. "Thank you."
"Uh, you're welcome... I guess?" Jacob replied awkwardly.
After they parted ways, Jacob's heart was racing. He stared at his phone, then back at the floating system window.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have completed the Newbie Mission's secret route.]
[You have successfully "rizzed" Mira up!]
[Newbie Mission: A Taste of Her Medicine (Secret Route)
Description:
Mira Hansen is a person with good looks but a bad reputation. However, is this her true self?
Status: Completed
Reward:
+40 AP
+250 EXP
New Feature Unlocked: SHOP!]
"Wait, what?!" Jacob exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at the new notifications. "A secret route?"
As the system explained the rewards, Jacob shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe what had just happened. A mission that seemed impossible at first had somehow turned into... this?
"Man," he muttered, still feeling the warmth of Mira's smile in his mind. "This system is something else."