Looking at the money again, he felt relieved to see it wasn't a trick or bank glitch. The first thing he did with the money was pay the utilities, including all the back pay for late fees. He then paid his overdue cellphone bill and ordered a brand-new one to replace the one he had finally broken. With his new look, he needed clothes, too. Thankfully, after the attacks by Kraegan, delivery facilities had automated drones that dropped off orders immediately upon placement. It kept couriers safe from being killed.
Ash ordered new clothes right away, including more knives while he was at it. With the emancipation he got, he was allowed to order self-defense weapons, albeit they could not be firearms or chemical-based.
The delivery time said it would be there by nightfall, so he would at least have them before school the next day. Ash wanted to search for better apartments or even houses to rent, but he didn't want to overspend what he'd just gotten till he budgeted it well.
Ash forgot he was still in a towel. He wasn't going to see Lita in an unsightly manner; he was afraid he would scare her off. He grabbed a pair of boxers and gym shorts that were still loose enough to fit him. After getting dressed, he began his usual routine, doing his push-ups and bicycle crunches. The system popped up again with a new message.
{Side Mission Alert. Perform 100 push-ups, 1000 Crunches, and 500 Squats. Reward: 50 Strength points.}
Ash, hearing the message, was caught off guard for a minute. It was asking him to do more than he usually did. He wondered, though, with his new body, maybe he could do those exercises now that he couldn't before, when he was still skinny
Ash tried it; it was easier and less strenuous than before. He even did clap push-ups for added measure. It took less time than he thought. He did all the exercises without feeling tired.
{Mission Completed—reward: 50 Strength. Bonus Mission achieved. Bonus Mission: finish training in a new record time. Reward: New ability B-Level Phantom Stride. The user can transform into a black mist to conceal their presence and pass through objects and structures that would otherwise be unattainable in physical form.
"Wow, I got a new ability for finishing quicker. I didn't need a stone for that. This system is amazing. I wish I knew how the missions worked better, but better not question a gift horse for no reason."
Ash was ready to practice throwing knives again to stay sharp when his doorbell rang. He thought it was his deliveries coming early, so he hurried to open it only to see Lita at the doorway with a backpack and her helmet. She bought it when she would get rides with Ash.
"Hey Ash, you were in a hurry to…" Lita couldn't finish her sentence. The moment she saw Ash, she lost her train of thought. He wasn't the Ash she saw yesterday, or the one she'd known for a while. "Ash? Is that you? What happened to you?"
"Oh, I uh just been following those old Richard Piana videos, is all like the new look?" He told with a nervous chuckle.
"Piana videos my ass, there's no way you gained all that muscle overnight. And you're taller too? Did you buy an ability stone with your family's money?"
Ash gulped for breath. He had no real answer, so he made one up on the spot.
"I uh, yeah, I did. I used some of the money to buy one. With all the harassment I've been getting, I had to step up in defending myself."
Lita puffed at his response. She grabbed him by the ear like she always did when he would act up. Ash expected it to hurt like always, but there was no pain; he felt nothing at all, not a single signal of pain or the feeling of her fingers touching his ear.
"Come inside now!" She dragged him into the room, and after closing the door, she smacked him in the back of the head. Even that didn't hurt; it was starting to worry him now.
"What were you thinking? You spent your money on an ability stone you can't afford, all to look swol. You disappeared all night, didn't show up for school, and, worst of all, you left Isaac's bike behind without telling me anything. What is wrong with you?" She smacked his chest in frustration at his actions. She was worried for him; just like her, Ash was her only friend; everyone she knew messed with her for being a goth girl who loved horror movies and Black Sabbath. Ash, on reflex, grabbed her hands and hugged her. He held her tight to calm her down, anything to stop her crying and worrying. Lita was caught off guard but hugged him back, burying her face in his now muscular chest.
Ash didn't feel anything in his head, but he felt something in his body, his stomach growling loudly. He blushed nervously, with Lita laughing at the sound. She let go to grab the bag she'd brought with her, which had some burritos and soda for them to eat. Ash grabbed it and was ready to eat as Lita unloaded her bag and turned on a movie for them to watch. Ash tried to eat, but he couldn't get the burrito into his mouth; his hands trembled when it approached his jaw.
"Why can't I eat it? I'm hungry, but I can't eat the burrito. What's wrong with me? System, why can't I eat?"
The system answered, but not with the answer he wanted.
{Response. The user can no longer consume human food. User must feed on other sources or risk starvation.}
"Other sources? What sources?"
{Error. Information can not be divulged until further understanding of the system is gained.}
Ash was frustrated. Now, with the body changed, he could not eat. What was the point of the system for him if he was going to die of starvation? Lita looked up from where she was sitting on the floor; she wondered why Ash wasn't eating.
"You ok? Aren't you hungry?"
"Hmm, oh, I'm ok. Not really hungry for a burrito right now. I'll save it for later. So what are we watching?"
Lita didn't mind; she knew Ash well enough that if he were gonna eat, he would.
"Classic, Gremlins, c'mon, you love this one."
Ash complied; he sat next to Lita to watch the movie. His stomach growled again, and Lita looked at him, concerned. He was trying to pass it off as if he had just had bad stomach guts. Ash wanted the noise to stop; he rarely hung out with Lita nowadays, with her multiple jobs, and now when he got a chance to, he was making himself look like a fool.
The more he felt hungry, the more he felt delirious. So much that he felt hot, his vision started to blur slightly. It wasn't a sensual heat; he wasn't sure what he was feeling, but it was clear what his body wanted. It wanted Lita.
Ash moved slowly to Lita. She ignored it at first, but even she was surprised when he made a move on her.
"What are you doing?"
Ash didn't respond; he was breathing hard, looking at Lita. Lita put her burrito down to check his forehead. "You're burning up, are you sick?"
Ash still didn't respond; he just grabbed her face and caressed her cheek with his fingers.
"Ash, wait, are you? We can't. We're friends. I mean, is this what you want?"
Lita was stuttering in her words. This wasn't what she expected, but it was not something she didn't want either. Ash got closer to her, his mouth close to hers.
Ash felt hotter; he couldn't figure out what was wrong with him. Lita saw this as an opportunity she couldn't pass after years of waiting. She made a slow approach to kiss him; the feeling of her face touching him made him feel desperate for her face. She saw him panting, thinking he was lusting for her, and with shakiness, she took her jacket off, including her shirt. She was nervous about showing off her body; she wasn't exactly well-endowed, but she had a slim figure with a decent chest.
Ash wasn't interested in her body; he couldn't stop staring at her face. Lita breathed hard and went for it again since he wouldn't. She pulled him down to bring him in; she went from kissing his lips to his shoulders, her eyes closed, enjoying the moment. Ash wasn't closing his eyes; he wasn't even thinking with his libido. He just wanted to feel her face, feel her head.
{Warning! First hunger activated. The user must feed to avoid a fatal incident and to reveal the system's existence.}
Ash wanted to stop; something didn't feel right. He didn't want to hurt Lita; he needed another option to stop whatever was going on with him.
{Option available. The user can sacrifice an ability or a Skill to numb hunger pain temporarily. The option is only available once a month and can not be used again after three attempts. Does the user wish to proceed?}
Ash couldn't say it, but he acknowledged it in his head. The system responded by removing his telepathy ability as a result. It wasn't a big deal for now; with the money he got, he could buy another stone to get it back. The heat he felt was gone; his stomach was no longer growling; Ash was normal… for now. Lita stopped and looked into his eyes, wondering if he was ok.
"What's wrong?" She asked him as he looked into her eyes. She thought he wasn't interested in her after all, and that it had been a mistake.
"Nothing, just I never noticed how pretty you are till now. I'm sorry. Is this ok with you? I won't do anything you're not comfortable with."
Lita smiled; for the first time, he called her pretty. She couldn't stop now; this was her moment. Ash couldn't feel the kiss or her warmth with his lips still, but he still felt it with the rest of his body. Lita hurriedly removed her pants and boots, wrapping a leg around him. She pulled his shorts and boxers down as Ash followed by going through with it and letting himself be one with her.
While Ash, even with him continuing, was not focused entirely on pleasing her, but rather on what had just happened earlier that made him go crazy like that.