"Alex, care to explain why this seven-year-old is asking his mother what a naked cat girl maid is?"
The question didn't register immediately. Alex was busy at the counter, smiling politely at a young customer couple who were debating between an IPhone and a Samsung for a birthday gift, when the store manager's voice came to him.
He turned around, confused. "Sir?"
His confusion vanished the second he saw what was happening. The manager was standing there with an angry face. Next to him was a busty woman looking horrified, and holding her hand was a small boy with glasses.
In the manager's hand was a familiar black smartphone. Alex's smartphone.
Alex's eyes darted to the spot under the counter where he'd left his device charging. It wasn't there.
'Fuck, that little wretch really took my phone!'
"Sir, I can explain," Alex tried to say something.
"Shove your explanation down your throat!" the manager spat. "I've been looking for a reason to get rid of you in this dignified establishment, and you've just proved exactly why you're undeserving of this job!"
"But, sir, it's the boy who took it from behind the—"
"I DON'T CARE!" the manager screamed. The noise attracted every gaze in the electronics store. The couple Alex was helping had already stepped away. "YOU'RE FIRED! GET OUT!"
Alex felt the heat rising in his cheeks. There was nothing he could do. He forced a wry, embarrassed smile, nodded once, and went to the back to grab his cardboard box.
As he walked past the manager on his way out, he paused. "Can I have my phone back?"
The manager threw it and the device sailed through the air and clattered against Alex's chest. He fumbled to catch it, but it slipped and hit the floor face-down. When Alex picked it up, a spiderweb crack ran across the top corner of the screen.
'At least it didn't get damaged,' Alex couldn't complain as he picked it up and left the establishment.
>>>
Outside the mall, the sun was bright.
Alex stood on the curb, holding his box of personal junk. He had just lost his job, his third one in two months. He was broke and humiliated.
But strangely, he didn't feel like jumping into traffic. Something told him today was still salvageable.
It was his one-year anniversary with Sarah after all!
He pulled out his cracked phone, ignoring the jagged glass, and opened WhatsApp.
[Alex: hi, babe! 😍 When are we meeting?]
He stared at the screen. The message had been delivered and read six hours ago. He'd sent it before his shift started.
Alex smiled wryly. It was normal for Sarah to leave him on read. She was a busy girl, or so she said. It wasn't on purpose.
'I can't be bothered about that right now,' Alex told himself, adjusting the heavy box in his arms. 'As long as she replies eventually. Besides, it's our anniversary. I'll finally get to fuck her today, so I just have to be patient.'
He typed out a new message.
[Alex: Let's meet right now if you're not busy babe, I'm not at work]
He walked to a nearby café, sat at a corner table, and waited without ordering anything.
Thirty minutes later, the phone buzzed.
[Sarah: I'm kinda busy, but why aren't you at work?]
Alex hesitated. Should he tell her? She might be mad he lost another income source. But honesty was key in a relationship, right?
[Alex: Oh, 'bout that, I got fired 🥲]
[Alex: It's all cool tho, I'm still looking forward to meeting you 😏]
This time, the reply was instant.
[Sarah: No, it's not and we're not meeting anywhere or anytime. I'm done with you, Alex. Go live your pathetic life without me]
The world seemed to spin for Alex. The café noise faded into a dull buzz. Alex read the simple message over and over again. Done with you. Pathetic life.
She was breaking up with him via text? On their anniversary? After everything he'd bought her?
He wanted to type, to beg, to curse, but his fingers felt frozen. He was too overwhelmed to process the betrayal.
He sat there for a minute, staring at the wall, before slowly standing up. He grabbed his box and dragged his feet toward the exit.
He pushed open the glass door and froze.
There, sitting at a bistro table on the café's patio, was Sarah.
She wasn't kinda busy with work. She was laughing! Her hand were resting intimately on the arm of a man in a sharp grey suit.
Alex recognized him instantly. He was a local high-profile rich kid, the son of some real estate mogul. He was handsome, wealthy, and possessed the kind of arrogant smile that made you want to punch him.
Alex stood there, paralyzed. Sarah looked up, her laughter dying instantly when she saw him.
There was no guilt in her eyes. Only annoyance.
"Who the hell are you staring at?" Sarah snapped, her voice loud enough for the nearby tables to hear. "Can't you see we're on a date? Get lost, creep."
The rich guy chuckled, sipping his drink. "Is this the charity case you told me about, babe?"
"Ex-charity case," Sarah corrected, turning her back on Alex.
Alex felt his stomach churn with a mix of sickness and pure disgust. She hadn't just dumped him because he lost his job. She had been planning this. She was likely cheating on him long before he got fired today.
The anniversary meant nothing. He meant nothing.
"I don't fucking even care," Alex muttered, turning away before they could see the anger in his face. "She's just a useless, ugly bitch. I want nothing to do with her."
He walked away as the first drops of rain began to fall.
Within seconds, the drizzle turned into a downpour. Alex didn't run for cover. He walked right through it, letting the water soak his cheap shirt and ruin the cardboard box in his arms. He wanted the rain to wash away the anxiety, the anger, the humiliation.
The rain intensified, drumming against the pavement. Suddenly, Alex's ears perked up. A strange whistling sound cut through the noise of the storm.
'What...?'
He looked up, squinting against the rain.
A small, glowing marble plummeted from the grey clouds. Before Alex could dodge, it struck him square in the center of his forehead.
He flinched, expecting pain, but there was none. The marble seemed to phase right through his skull.
His head spun violently. The world blurred. Then, bright blue text began to scroll across his vision.
[Ding! All-Career Experience System activated…]
[ERROR! Host virginity detected.]
[System Gods: …This is embarrassing!]
[Emergency upgrade initiated.]
[ROLEPLAY SYSTEM granted!]
[New Rule: Satisfy women in every career role.
The harder they cum, the higher your rating.
The higher your rating, the richer and more powerful you become.]
'No way!' Alex blinked, shaking his head to clear the water from his eyes. He looked around the empty street to make sure he wasn't hallucinating from stress.
The messages faded, but a lingering interface remained in the corner of his eye.
[Ding!]
[First Career Unlock: Masseur]
[Current Proficiency: 0%]
[System Gift: Novice Starter Package received.]
[Contents: 1x Bottle of Massage Oil (Uncommon), 1x Cotton Towel (Common), Beginner Masseur Knowledge Download (Basic)]
[System Note: Items and Skills are ranked from Common, Uncommon, Rare, Epic, to Legendary. Rewards for completion include cash, skills, properties, and more, all scaled to rating achieved.]
[Inventory Unlocked: Host can store and retrieve System items with a mere thought. Non-System items cannot be stored.]
"It... it really is like a video game," Alex whispered.
A new icon flashed on the interface: a small radar map.
[System Tracker Activated! Finding potential clients...]
[Hijack Opportunity Detected!]
Alex watched as a red exclamation mark blinked on the holographic map. He tapped it with his mind.
[First Client Located]
But his jaw dropped when he saw the location. His first client was... in his house!