As the scrolling icons on the virtual interface slowed to a crawl, a single, unassuming box snapped into focus.
[REWARD: Max-Level Charm]
Passive Ability: Radiates a "Comfort Zone" aura. Nearby allies experience an exponential boost to physical and mental well-being. Proximity scales the effect, topping out at a staggering 1000% recovery and reinforcement rate.
Active Skill: Passive favorability is locked at 1%. When activated, target favorability is boosted by 99,999,999,999%.
Hiroshi stared at the string of nines until his eyes crossed. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Ninety-nine billion percent?
"Okay," he whispered, a manic grin spreading across his face. "This isn't just a social skill. This is a cheat code for reality."
In his head, he was already mapping out his future. With favorability like that, he could walk up to a Lord Ravager and convince them to take up gardening. He could talk an Aeon into a game of Interastral Chess. More importantly, he could walk back into Herta's office and convince her that keeping him exactly the way he was—a male, non-experimented-upon human—was the best idea she'd ever had.
"I can save 'Uncle' with this," he realized. "If I can boost her recovery by a thousand percent just by standing near her... I can fix whatever is wrong."
He stood up, brushed off his pajamas, and headed for the master's office. He was so busy celebrating his impending "invincibility" that he completely failed to notice a final, tiny line of red text scrolling at the very bottom of the screen:
[Note: Due to biological resonance constraints, these effects only trigger on members of the opposite sex.]
Herta's Office
Madam Herta had traded her nightgown for her signature look: a Victorian-inspired purple and black dress that screamed "Gothic Space Royalty." She was perched on the edge of her desk, surrounded by levitating glass beakers and humming holographic displays. Her wide-brimmed witch's hat cast a sharp shadow over her eyes, and her gloved fingers danced across a keyboard.
She looked up as Hiroshi entered, her expression as cold and sharp as a diamond.
"Back already?" she teased, her voice dripping with dry amusement. "Decided you couldn't wait for the surgery? I appreciate the enthusiasm, but the bio-reconstructor needs another hour to calibrate."
Hiroshi took a deep breath. Here goes everything. "Actually, Madam, I think you might find me much more... useful... just as I am."
He closed his eyes and mentally slammed the 'Activate' button on his new skill.
[ACTIVE SKILL: MAXIMUM FAVORABILITY — ENGAGED]
For a second, nothing happened. Then, the air in the room seemed to vibrate.
Herta's hands stopped mid-air. A sudden, violent surge of heat bloomed in her chest, radiating outward until her fingertips trembled. Her breath hitched. Her mouth went dry, replaced by a strange, sweet ache. She looked at Hiroshi, and for the first time in several Amber Eras, the Genius Society's most cynical member felt her heart hammer against her ribs like a trapped bird.
What... what is this? Herta thought, her pupils dilating until the violet of her eyes was almost entirely swallowed by black.
She felt a primal, overwhelming urge to move closer. To touch. To own. The logic that usually governed her mind—the cold, calculating brilliance of Erudition—was being drowned out by a roar of pure, unadulterated desire.
Hiroshi, seeing her flush, stepped forward. He thought the skill was working. He thought she was becoming "friendly."
"Madam Herta? You look a bit pale. Are you feeling—" He reached out, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.
The moment his skin made contact with the fabric of her dress, the "1000% Boost" passive kicked in like a solar flare.
To Herta, it felt like being plugged into a supernova. Every nerve ending in her body screamed in a symphony of sudden, terrifying pleasure. Her rationality didn't just crack; it disintegrated.
With a speed no human could track, she lunged.
"Whoa—!"
Hiroshi hit the floor hard, the wind knocked out of him. Before he could blink, Herta was over him, pinning his wrists to the cold metal plating with a grip like industrial vises. Her hat had fallen off, her long hair spilling around them like a silken curtain. Her face was inches from his, her breath coming in ragged, hot gasps.
"M-Madam?" Hiroshi stammered, his heart racing for an entirely different reason now. This wasn't "friendship." This was a predator looking at a steak. "Wait, stop! I think... I think the skill is too strong! Turn it off! Deactivate!"
But the system didn't care. And Herta certainly didn't.
She looked down at him, her eyes clouded with a hazy, amethyst mist. To her, Hiroshi didn't just look "cute" anymore. He looked like the answer to every question she'd ever forgotten to ask. He was her property, wasn't he? And a genius always makes full use of her resources.
"You're right, Hiroshi," she whispered, her voice a low, dangerous purr as she leaned closer to his ear. "I don't think I'll change a single thing about you. I think... I'll just keep you exactly like this."
She licked her lips, a predatory smile stretching across her face.
"Starting now."
Hiroshi's eyes went wide. This wasn't the plan! I was supposed to be the master of my fate, not the appetizer!