The manager was sitting alone on one of the benches, quietly nursing a can of beer in her hand.
She looked… really disappointed.
No, actually, disappointed might be too light of a word for it. She looked like someone whose entire mood had just been shoved down a flight of stairs.
I think I understand her a bit better now.
I mean, I've been working under her for quite some time already. Six months might not sound that long to some people, but when you're working closely with someone every day, you start picking up on things. Their habits, the way they react to stuff, and the little things they do when they're annoyed or stressed.
And during those six months, I had come to know what kind of person she was.
As I slowly approached her, I couldn't help but notice something odd about her expression.
…Is she crying?
The manager?
Crying?
I blinked once, just to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me.
Well, I guess I kinda understood.
Considering the fact that she was dressed up for something, it did not take a genius to figure out what might have happened. She looked like someone who had clearly prepared for an occasion. Her clothes were a little more refined than usual, and even her hair looked like she had spent more time arranging it.
Which made the situation even worse.
Whoever that bastard was that she planned to meet tonight, standing her up like that was honestly pretty messed up. You don't just let someone prepare like that and then disappear.
Seeing her sitting there alone, drinking beer while looking that disappointed…
I felt kind of bad for her.
"Manager," I called out.
"Huh?"
She immediately looked up when she heard my voice.
"W What are you doing here?!" she said. She was clearly shocked.
Her reaction was so sudden that it almost looked like I had just caught her committing a crime or something.
Well, I definitely couldn't say that I had been following her around like some kind of stalker. That would probably get me fired on the spot. So I quickly came up with the most reasonable lie I could think of.
"I was just about to head home," I said casually. "What about you, Manager? Why are you sitting here by yourself and drinking beer? And… are you crying?"
"What do you mean? I'm not crying," she said quickly.
That was... not convincing at all.
Anyone with working eyesight could tell something was up. Her eyes were a little red, and she kept avoiding direct eye contact.
But I decided not to push the topic too much.
At that exact moment, the interface suddenly appeared in front of my eyes again.
___
QUEST
The manager is looking for a boyfriend on a dating site, and it seems like she may have found someone. Do you think it's okay for her to meet a stranger like that?
COMPLETED
Reward: 10♥︎
___
So I was right, huh?
The quest wasn't about saving her from some sketchy guy.
It was just me being here to comfort her after she got stood up.
"Hey, you're free right now, right?" she asked.
". . ."
Well, to be completely honest, I absolutely did not have anything important going on tonight. My assignments could easily wait until tomorrow. Procrastination was basically a university tradition anyway.
So there was no real reason for me to say no.
***
"I can't believe I actually tried to dress up for that punk, only for him to just stand me up like that! It's embarrassing! No, actually, embarrassing doesn't even begin to describe it! I can't believe I was stupid enough to fall for something like that!"
She was already drinking a lot of beer at this point.
And by a lot, I meant a lot.
Meanwhile, I made sure to take care of things on my end so I wouldn't end up as drunk as she was.
Someone had to stay somewhat sober here, otherwise both of us would probably end up passed out on the table like two idiots.
For now, though, I simply listened to her rambling.
"That punk… I swear, if I ever see him in person, I will absolutely punch his lights out…"
Now she sounded more like the manager I knew.
"I don't even think the person in that picture is the real person you were supposed to meet," I said. "It's possible they just used someone else's photo and made a fake account to mess with people. Stuff like that happens more often than you'd think."
"If that's true," she said while glaring at the table, "I swear I'll track them down and drag them out myself."
She was practically hissing at this point.
"Ugh… I can't believe I fell for that crap."
She took another swig of her beer.
"Fill it up, Leon! And make sure to fill it all the way to the bottom! Yours too! We're getting completely smashed tonight!"
"You still have work tomorrow," I said. "I would strongly advise against that."
It was honestly kind of weird seeing the manager act like this.
But then again, she had always been someone who took her work very seriously. Almost too seriously sometimes.
Maybe she was so serious with work that she never really had time for a proper love life.
That would explain a lot.
"Why am I even doing this to myself…?" she muttered as she slumped against the table. "I already know it's probably hopeless at this point."
"I don't really think that's the case," I told her.
"Huh?"
She looked up at me.
"They probably just didn't realize your charm," I continued.
For a moment, she simply stared at me.
Then something appeared.
[+1 COMMUNICATION]
I blinked.
Did I seriously just gain a stat point from saying something like that?
So I could increase this thing just by talking?
That felt a little ridiculous, but at the same time, I wasn't exactly going to complain about free stat points.
"Do you really think I'm charming?" she asked.
Before I could react, she leaned forward and brought her face surprisingly close to mine.
___
NEW QUEST!
Verra wants to be complimented! Rain her down with compliments.
Reward: + 10♥︎ Mood, + 2♥︎ Affection
___
With her face now very close to mine, and the interface floating right in front of my eyes like it was silently judging me, I had a feeling that there was only one correct option here.
"Yeah," I said.
"What else is good about me?" she asked.
"The way you carry yourself," I replied. "You always look very elegant."
"And?"
"Well, you look really pretty too. I mean, I genuinely can't think of a good reason why men wouldn't approach you. If it wasn't for the age difference between us, I probably would have gone straight for you myself."
"Really? You're not lying?"
"I'm not lying," I said. "Actually, if you were born around the same time as me, you would probably be exactly my type."
I wasn't lying about that.
Not even a little.
"I see…" she said quietly as her face slowly turned red.
"You're blushing, Manager," I said, narrowing my eyes slightly as I looked at her. "Don't tell me you're actually starting to fall for me?" I added, half-joking.
"You want me to cut your salary or what?" she shot back instantly, giving me a sharp look. She held it for a second, then let out a quiet breath. "But… I guess that helped a bit. So, thanks, Leon."
She smiled after saying that.
It wasn't even anything special. Just a normal smile. But for some reason, it still caught me off guard. My heart skipped a beat, and I immediately hated that it did.
___
COMPLETED
Verra wants to be complimented! Rain her down with compliments.
Reward: + 10♥︎ Mood, + 2♥︎ Affection
___
___
Verra
Affection: 32♥︎
Mood: 10♥︎
Lust: 60♥︎
Status: Acquaintance
___
For some reason, her lust had gone up again since last time.
At this point, I was starting to think that it wasn't just the system randomly increasing things.
It felt more like those values reflected what she was actually feeling in real time.
If that was the case, then the only thing I could really influence directly was affection.
I still didn't fully get how all of this worked or how important each stat really was, but right now, there wasn't much I could do about it. Thinking too hard about it wouldn't magically give me answers anyway.
"Uh… it's getting kind of hot, don't you think?" she said, shifting slightly where she stood.
"Yeah, I guess so. Summer's starting to roll in."
"Ugh, my clothes are way too thick for this," she complained, tugging lightly at her outfit. "It's actually getting hard to deal with. I'm seriously sweating right now."
She started fanning herself using her clothes, pulling the fabric slightly away from her body. And without really meaning to, my eyes drifted.
It wasn't even a conscious decision. They just moved on their own, like my brain took a quick break and left my instincts in charge.
She caught me staring then.
"Hmm~?" she hummed, a small smirk forming as she noticed.
At the same time...
[+1 Verra's LUST]
[+1 Verra's LUST]
[+1 Verra's LUST]
[+1 Verra's LUST]
[+1 Verra's LUST]
[+1 Verra's LUST]
Okay, that was a lot all at once.
Was it the alcohol? Because right now, she was acting a lot more open than before. More teasing too.
"I thought so," she said, her tone light and playful. "You're a man, after all. I think I understand~."
"Understand what, Manager?" I asked, even though I already had a pretty good guess.
"The urge to sneak a peek at breasts," she said plainly. "That's one of the things you boys like, right?"
Like was a bit of an understatement. It was practically a universal law at this point.
"If you want… as a reward for spending time with me right now, you can take a peek, you know~?"
Her voice shifted when she said that. It was softer, seductive, and way more intentional.
It slid straight into my head and stayed there.
Wait.
Did she really just say that?
She was actually offering?
___
NEW QUEST!
A secret peek at Verra's summits?!
Accept Offer
Reward: +10♥︎ Mood, +10♥︎ Affection, +MAX♥︎ Lust
Are you serious?
Reward: +30♥︎ Mood, +10♥︎ Affection, and 20♥︎
___
Hold on a second.
Was this actually real?
And there are no requirements or conditions for it?
There really was nothing hidden behind it? Really?
The second option was... definitely tempting, to say the least.
I wasn't going to pretend otherwise. I mean, 20♥︎ was basically 200,000c.
That wasn't something you just ignored.
But right now…
My brain wasn't exactly in control of the situation.
Let's just say, decision-making had been temporarily outsourced, and not to the smartest department.
"Well… if you're allowing it," I said, "then I guess I'll take you up on that."