Yuki Saionji's smile was as sharp as a diamond. She stood there, leaning against her white sports car, waiting for Akira to break.
"Silence is a boring answer, Akira-kun," she teased, tapping her tablet. "In my world, silence usually means you're guilty. Or dead."
Akira felt the pressure mounting. He needed an edge, and he needed it now. System, open the Shop! he screamed in his mind.
[SYSTEM SHOP LOADED] [CURRENT SHAMELESS POINTS: 1,650]
A holographic menu only he could see flickered into existence. It looked like a high-end RPG interface, categorized by 'Utility,' 'Combat,' and 'Perversion.'
Item 1: [Chrono-Cloak (Passive)] – Hide your presence from digital cameras during time-stop. Cost: 800 Points.
Item 2: [Heart-Throb Radar] – Detect the horniness or hostility levels of nearby females. Cost: 300 Points.
Item 3: [The Golden Tongue] – Increases persuasion and 'Shameless' charisma by 50%. Cost: 1,000 Points.
If I buy the Cloak, I can move without being tracked, Akira thought. But if I buy the Tongue, I might be able to talk my way out of this silver-haired demon's trap.
"Five seconds, Akira," Yuki counted down, her eyes flashing. "Five... four..."
Akira smashed the virtual button for [The Golden Tongue].
[PURCHASE COMPLETE! -1,000 POINTS] [SKILL ACTIVATED: CHARISMATIC DEGENERATE]
"You talk about 'your world' like you own it, Yuki-san," Akira said, his voice suddenly smoother, deeper, and filled with a confidence he didn't actually feel. He stepped into her personal space, noticing the way her pupils dilated. "But in my world, the only thing that matters is who controls the clock. And right now? I'm the one generous enough to let yours keep ticking."
Yuki blinked, her confident smirk faltering for a split second. She wasn't used to "trash" talking back with such elegance.
[SHAMELESS POINTS EARNED: +200] [REASON: Boldly flirting with a high-level predator.]
"Hmph. You have guts for a thief," she whispered, tucking her tablet away. "Fine. A deal then. My father needs a 'specialist' to retrieve a certain item from a rival's vault. It's a high-security nightmare. No cameras, no guards, no alarms can be tripped. If you succeed, you get ten million yen and my protection. If you fail..."
She trailed off, sliding into the driver's seat of her car. "Let's just say, time won't be the only thing that stops for you."
"Ten million?" Akira gripped the watch. That kind of money could buy him a penthouse. It could buy him a life. "Tell me where to go."
As she drove off, leaving a cloud of expensive exhaust, the System chimed again.
[NEW QUEST: THE VAULT OF DESIRE] [Difficulty: B-Rank] [Reward: +2,000 Points & Skill: 'Phase Through Walls' Fragment]
Akira looked at his new suit. The "Broke Pervert" was officially becoming an "International Thief."