(1000 powerstones bonus chap!!)
[Hyde POV]
After I came back from school, I took out my Nova and went to K-Mart in Green Bay. It took me over an hour to get there.
But since I had changed the carburetor in my Nova, with the 2025 tools, tuned the carb and everything else, I saw the description in the system said it has 125 horsepower instead of 160 like ChatGPT told me.
"That's still an improvement. A 15 horsepower improvement."
I went to the K-Mart, dressed in a suit. The salesmen there immediately cozied up to me as I checked out the new tv.
"The RCA colortrek is the best tv we have in our store." The salesman said. "We unload 10 of these bad boys per day."
I whistled in amazement. The price was 520 dollars for a 25 inch tv. A freaking 25 inch tv.
For me, it was pretty god damn expensive. With that money, I could easily buy a 100+ inch smart tv with an OLED screen online.
I saw the boxes and boxes of the TVs around me.
"You know what, I'll buy it." I said decisively.
The salesman's eyes lit up and he said, "You've made a good choice. I'll go wrap it up for you."
As he left me alone, I inserted two TVs there into my system. The store has no CCTV, and I was at a blind spot.
I couldn't be picky, so I got a 22 inch Zenith Chromacolor II, and another 25 inch RCA tv. Both were color tv.
I bought the first RCA TV properly and brought them to Victoria's house. She wasn't home yet when I was setting up the tv.
When I went back to the Formans, I received a call from her.
"Hyde! You really bought a TV?"
"Yeah. It's nice huh?" I said with a smirk.
"That's a 500 dollar TV!! Are you crazy!" She scolded me.
I laughed and said, "I got it at the back of a truck. So it's cheap. Only 150 bucks."
"That's still a lot of money!" She snapped.
"Do you like the TV?" I asked calmly.
Victoria went silent for a while and replied meekly, "I do. But–"
"There's no but. Just enjoy it. I have some place to go now, so I have to go."
"You… jerk." She cursed and cut the call.
I laughed and when I turned back, I saw Eric standing behind me with a weird expression.
"You bought her a TV?" He asked in shock. "When we're still using black and white tv in the basement?" He added with a dissatisfied look.
I leaned in closer to him and said, "Check out my bedroom."
I have placed the chromacolor II tv there. Eric widened his eyes with childish wonder and ran to the basement. But he returned a minute later all disappointed.
"You locked the door, you son of a bitch."
"Oh. Right." I said flatly.
I unlocked it for him, and we swapped out the old black and white tv for the Chromacolor II tv in the basement.
Jackie, Kelso, Fez and Donna entered when we had just finished setting it up.
Kelso gasped in excitement and said loudly, "Color TV! ALRIGHT! RED FINALLY SPLURGED FOR OUR TV VIEWING PLEASURE."
"Hyde bought it." Eric said flatly.
"Then it sucks!" Kelso shouted with derision.
I looked at him with disbelief and said, "Then you don't have to watch it."
"No– Nuh-uh, I will watch it. I will watch it and tell you how sucky it is."
"Wow, still bitter huh?" Eric teased Kelso with a chuckle.
Jackie approached me and said, "Hyde. You're really mature now. Do you want me to set you up with my cheerleader friend? Some of them are asking about you."
Kelso jerked out of his patio chair and leaned towards Jackie and I.
"Your friend. Who? The slutty one with no bra, or the slutty blonde one with a mole on her butt?"
Jackie turned to him with an angry look. "How did you know she has a mole on her butt?"
"Shut up. I can't hear the TV. Turn the volume up Eric." Donna said with annoyance.
Eric turned it up, and everyone was mesmerized as they watched the news.
"It's really different compared to the old tv." Donna muttered.
Fez melted, "Yeah. It's a major upgrade."
The old black and white one was just 12 inches.
It was almost dinner time, so they didn't stay long.
After dinner, Red approached me and said, "I found a workshop. Rent is 150 a month. I know the owner, so he said he can forgo the deposit."
"Really?" My eyes lit up. "Where is it?"
"Just a couple miles off here. The autoshop there just closed down a few months ago."
I went to check out the place with Red. It was in a secluded place, with no other buildings around.
I followed Red down a narrow, cracked road. The sun low in the sky and throws long shadows across the deserted buildings.
The autoshop came into view, a squat brick building with faded white paint peeling in patches, the large garage doors streaked with rust.
The old sign above the entrance still read "Harper's Auto Repair", though the letters were crooked and half missing. A few weeds poked up through the cracks in the asphalt parking lot, and an abandoned oil drum leaned against the corner, dented and rusty.
The windows were grimy, streaked with years of neglect, and some were cracked and covered with duct tapes.
Inside, I could make out dusty shelves lined with empty oil cans, a workbench littered with old wrenches, and a hydraulic car lift with peeling paint.
The floor was stained with oil spots and dusted with sawdust, evidence of half-forgotten repairs. A faint metallic smell mixed with the mustiness of the abandoned place.
Red pushed the door open, and it groaned on its hinges.
"It has 2 bays. I think it's enough for you. There's an office too. I used to love coming here, but now, it's already history." Red said with a nostalgic tone.
I ignored him and checked out of the office. It has carpet inside, and is a little dingy. The walls were covered with wood panelling– which was something I couldn't seem to escape.
The place has a working heating system, so that was nice.
"We will work here after you get back from school." Red said, which startled me.
"You? We're working together?" I asked in shock.
Red smirked and said, "There's no way I'm going to let you work without supervision. I don't want you to sell broken cars to people and ruin my name."
"Heh." I snorted. "Alright."
Red crossed his arms together and said, "I might need some money to get the tools. I can take out a loan if I mortgage the Toyota."
It was a temporary thing for him, since he planned to do this until he got another job.
But his mindset was too honest, it was troubling for me. I wanted to do just a small fix and flip the car.
Red would run an auto shop too, since he figured it would be a good way to gain some money.
…
That night, some of Victoria's stuff had arrived. So I went to her house and took it out in the living room while she was sleeping.
She gave me a key for her house, so I could enter anytime I wanted.
"The sofa is here. The dining table too."
I set up her house as the delivery checkpoint, so it was easy for me to pick up the items specific to her house.
Soon, a small hill appeared in the living room. The boxes filled the area.
Instead of working by myself, I decided to use Build Mode since it would not make any noise.
I have 35 more minutes on the build mode. One Ikea stuff took around 2-5 seconds to install. Since I have the impact drill and the cordless drill in my system space, the build mode became much faster.
A four seater, circular dining table was set up next to the kitchen.
The living room was small and next to the window. I set up a 3-seat sofa with chaise longue, Vissle yellow-green color, which faced the tv on the left wall.
The chaise lounge would be up against the window, and I put a standing lamp right next to the sofa and the window wall.
I also changed the light fixture above the living room to a rattan style lamp. I bought it all at Ikea. Sweden Ikea. So it has a lot of stuff and it was pretty cheap too.
The TV didn't have the furniture style wood frame, so I built an entertainment unit too. It would hold the tv up and also add storage to her space.
I installed a wall to floor curtain, drilled the curtain rod there first before installing the soft purple curtain.
Then, a floating shelf behind the sofa. A rectangular, walnut color coffee table in the middle. Two yellow armchair next to the coffee table and tv, so it created a circular conversation space centered around the coffee table.
I also put some retro style throw pillows on the couch and the arm chair. The room has a lot of color, so the wood element coffee table tied it together.
A throw blanket, and I was done with the living room.
"500 bucks… This should be worth it."
The sofa alone cost me 150 bucks.
Then, I went to the kitchen. I took out some plates and glasses and laid them neatly in the cabinets.
I also added some wine glasses, mugs and other utensils so she didn't have to use paper plates anymore.
Then, I changed the light fixture in the entrance door, installed a doorbell, and went to her room next to install a dresser, a lounge chair, standing mirror, nightstand, and some shelves.
"Umm… Steven… Is that you?" Victoria opened her eyes slightly as I tested out the dresser.
"Oh. Sorry. Did I disturb you?" I said apologetically.
"Um…" She wiped her eyes as she tried to sit up, but I stopped her and said, "Just go back to bed. It's only ten."
"It's… Fine." She forced herself awake and then widened her eyes as she saw the new stuff in her room.
"Wait, you installed a curtain? While I was sleeping?" She was shocked. "How deep of a sleep can I have?"
I chuckled and said, "You're knocked out cold."
She removed the blanket and excitedly checked out the new items.
"I have put more in the living room." I said as I leaned on the wall.
Victoria smiled brightly and rushed to the living room, grabbing my hand on her way out.
As she saw the chairs, sofas, and the new living room, she gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.
"Steven! It looks really good! The coffee table. The couch. It all looks really good!" She squealed and excitedly tested it out one by one.
I sat on the wing chair and smiled in satisfaction while my eyes followed her around.
"Check the kitchen cabinets too." I told her as she checked out the dining table.
She squealed again as she saw the new utensils. "Next time, I don't have to feed you on a paper plate." She grinned.
I smiled and stood up from the chair.
"I'd better go now." I told her. "Or Red will kick my ass again."
"At least, let me make you a drink." She felt bad since she didn't help with anything.
I just patted her head and said, "Tomorrow. I'll come again tomorrow to install the stove vent and your washer."
She nodded, and grabbed my hand as I turned around. Then, she stood on tiptoe and kissed me deeply, with her hands running on the back of my head.
"Thank you Steven." She said sincerely. "For helping me."
I just smiled and left the house. I took all of the trash– the boxes, and brought it to the workshop. I needed a lot of boxes anyway to flip the car since it involved paint.
As the internet connected again that night, I did a lot of research for the butcher shop and slept around 3 am.
…
The next morning, I went to school again. Red was watching me, so I still couldn't play hooky. So I continue sleeping in class till noon.
I did ditch the elective classes in the afternoon and went to the butcher shop.
Today I have my Nova, so I didn't have to come back to school to ride with Eric.
*BAM*
I slammed the thick binder on the meat counter.
"Let's start." I told Bent casually.
Bent widened his eyes in disbelief and froze for a few seconds.
"That's a thick binder." He gulped his saliva.
I smiled and said, "Of course it is. It cost you 300 bucks."
Flipping the binder open, I showed Bent how he can upgrade his store.
I flipped open the binder carefully, letting the pages fall flat against the counter. Charts, diagrams, photos, and handwritten notes stared back at Bent.
He felt really curious, and at the same time, scared.
"This," I said, pointing at the first section, "is the first one. Equipment and workflow upgrades. New walk-in freezer, vacuum sealer, meat slicer, digital scales. All of these reduce spoilage, speed up prep, and let you sell more products without extra labor."
Bent frowned, but I could see the curiosity in his eyes.
"Vacuum sealer is expensive." He muttered.
"I have found one that's affordable." I told him and flipped to the back of the section, where there was a photo of a vacuum sealer I found under 100 bucks.
"But, please hold on to your questions until I finish saying everything." I said.
He scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"Second part ," I continued, "...is product innovation. Premarinated meats, pre-cut portions, ready-to-cook bundles.
"I've included recipes that can be made in bulk, vacuum-packed, and stored safely for several days. This keeps inventory moving faster, increases customer interest, and gives your regulars something new every week."
Bent shifted his weight, a small nod acknowledging he was paying attention.
"Third is marketing and sales strategy. Flyers, in-store promotions, loyalty cards."
I showed him a sample of the loyalty card. It has ten spots where Bent needs to mark as the buyers bought his stuff.
"I've mapped out delivery times for the flyers, suggested locations for sign placements, and even how to time the promotions so your busiest customers—housewives in the mornings, husbands after work—see them first. All based on local traffic patterns and historical sales data."
I got the data from him and researched actual records of it.
I flipped to a new section filled with photos I had pulled from online sources.
"Here's a layout redesign. I've taken into account customer flow, display angles, refrigeration units, and prep stations."
" You can increase visibility of high-margin items, reduce bottlenecks behind the counter, and make the store feel modern without tearing everything apart."
With a simple tweak of changing fluorescent light to warm light, the meat would seem redder and more appetizing.
Bent's jaw tightened slightly as he skimmed the diagrams. His eyes shook a lot, and I realized he didn't understand much about it.
"I've even included price estimates and delivery times for all equipment, including digital scales, vacuum sealers, and even premarinated meat packs."
I turned to the chart, and he could see the prices being split into three tiers.
One tier was the basic upgrade, the second one without the premarinate, but better equipment such as electric meat grinder that would help him ease up his labor.
The third one which would cost him 2500 dollars, but it would transform his store majorly. He could pick and choose whatever he wanted. I was just showing him the possibility.
"Everything can be shipped within days. But if we're doing a sales campaign, I'd like to wait for another week since it would take some time to test out the premarinate recipes."
Bent finally looked up at me, eyes wide. "And all of this… for three hundred bucks?"
I leaned back, smirking slightly. "That's right. Three hundred for everything."
"This is really intensive research." He took out his wallet and grabbed 300 bucks.
"Here. You already deserve this."
"Pleasure doing business with you." I smiled. "Don't worry, flyers' design and printing is included in this fee."
Bent was still staring at the binder, his massive hands gripping the counter as if to hold himself together.
"You… you've really thought of everything," he muttered, almost in disbelief. "I mean… all of it?"
"Every detail," I said calmly, flipping a few pages to show him photos of equipment placement and premarinated meat samples.
Before he could say anything else, a voice called from the doorway.
"Bent! Who are you talking to?"
His wife, a sharp-eyed woman in her late forties, stepped in with an angry face.
"Is this the guy?" she asked, walking closer, peering over Bent's shoulder. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw the binder.
I raised my hand slightly. "Mrs. Bent, I'm Hyde. I'm here to help your store. I've prepared a full strategy for upgrading your workflow, your products, and your marketing—"
Bent's wife squinted, then leaned in to inspect the pages. "Workflow? Products? Marketing? I don't even know what half of this is, and you're saying it'll work?"
"Exactly," I said. "And there's one thing in particular I'd like you to try—the premarinated meats. I brought samples for you both to taste."
Bent frowned slightly, glancing at me. "Wait… premarinated meat? What's that?"
I realized I'd jumped a step. "Ah—my apologies. I thought I had mentioned it before."
I took out several premarinated meats I bought online. It was Trader Joe's. It has multiple flavors. Smoky BBQ, Teriyaki, Peri Peri, Mediterranean, Spicy Asian, and Garlic herb.
"These are cuts of meat that have been seasoned and vacuum-packed ahead of time, ready to sell or cook. It reduces prep time, ensures consistent flavor, and keeps the meat fresh longer than the usual methods."
In 2025, even local butchers will have their own pre-marinate. It wasn't that hard to do with the vacuum sealer becoming more affordable.
Bent's wife tilted her head, clearly skeptical. "You… seasoned it ahead of time? And it still stays good?"
"Why don't you test it out?" I gave them the pre-marinate.
They nodded and took the meat from me.
"Why don't you take the binder, have a day to discuss and then call me?" I said calmly.
"Alright. We will." The wife replied with a smile.
I left the butchery and went to the workshop. Red was cleaning up the place today.
I wanted to drop off the buggy, so I rode it and stored my Nova inside the storage system.
As I drove the car into the bay, Red was really confused.
"What's this?" He asked.
"My first car that I want to flip." I told him. He ran his hand over the surface rusted panel, and knocked on it to make sure it wasn't a rust hole.
"How much did you buy this for?" He asked. I got out of the car and checked what he had done with the autoshop.
"200 bucks. I think with some bodywork, some paint, and engine work, I can sell this back for some profit."
Red frowned at me and said, "Can you really do that?"
"Sure." I replied simply. "And if you find any car that has good resell potential, we can buy that and split the profit evenly."
He smirked at me and said, "You dream big Steven. But if I'm going to split the bill with you, I'll have to make sure you have some skills."
I just shrugged and grabbed the fan belt I just bought. This cost me 8 bucks. Which was around 40 bucks in 2025.
Red entered the buggy as I was checking out the equipment. I needed a socket wrench, and I have it all in my system. Every size. And even torque wrench too.
I watched a couple Youtube videos about it. It seems pretty easy.
As I was contemplating how to fix it in front of Red, he suddenly started the buggy.
I was confused, but I didn't say anything. He checked the idle, and then took it out for a drive.
5 minutes later, he came back.
"So?" I asked.
"The belt needs changing," he replied.
I was quite impressed by him.
I gave him the new fan belt, and he raised an eyebrow. He didn't say anything except, "There's no jack yet. Change it tomorrow. Let's go back home now."
"You can go back without me. I'll work on it for a bit."
He nodded and left. "Oh, Red. I'm not having dinner with you guys. Victoria wants me to have dinner with her."
He smirked and said, "Great. One less mouth to feed."
I just snorted and laughed silently.