73 Chris 2

Despite coming early to the academy, Chris did not attend any of the classes. He only wandered around, sometimes drawing attention from other class-skipping students for being this year's runner-up, but mostly being left to his devices, with no one bothering to guess what he was thinking to end up missing the lectures. This was just how he senselessly spend his whole morning.

More or less thirty minutes before the lunch break, he had already finished eating his meal at the cafeteria. He did this in order to avoid the crowd later. One major reason for that was due to many students remembering his face after the pageant. Being pointed out was annoying so he deemed it wise to eat while there were still few people present.

However, when he just had left the cafeteria, he bumped into someone he didn't expect and want to bump into.

Unknowingly, his already gloomy face turned into a scowl.

And this didn't escape the girl's notice.

"What? Why do you look like someone who wants to pick a fight?"

For a while, he didn't know what to say, as his expression also changed into that of irritation. He narrowed his eyes a bit after remembering that this sounded like his first conversation with the pretty girl. If he was not mistaken, she also asked him like this and glared at him like this.

This happened when he blocked her in one of the corridors to warn her about Floyd and his garbage friends.

Only a little more than a month had passed since then and here they were again, holding the same conversation and atmosphere. This time though, he was not the one trying to obstruct the path of the other.

Yet for both times, she looked someone who really wanted to pick a fight, which was ironically contrary to what her question was suggesting.

Anyway, he had long decided she was someone with little to no relation anymore with his life so he subconsciously turned his head away and continued walking while avoiding the girl. This was the truth after all. She was someone who he mostly only passed by in a corridor or saw making speeches on the rostrum in assemblies or flag ceremonies. He used to be a nobody, and even if he was not one anymore, it still didn't mean he would cross paths with this violent brainy queen.

He sincerely wished to have no more relations with her. And he was not being random about it. Of course, there was a reason.

Chris ignored the crazy thing that suddenly spoke in his head like he had been doing most of the times for the past two weeks. He acted as if he had heard nothing, and that nothing was wrong with his brain. His strides didn't pause at all until he completely bypassed the beautiful wavy-haired girl.

The relief was already washing over him after stepping into the adjacent corridor on the left. However, he suddenly heard hurried footsteps coming behind him, and then seemingly in one blink, the girl he was trying to avoid appeared right in front of him. She was slightly out of breath, but still looked strong in momentum and confidence, especially when her hands went to her waist.

He was not given more moments to voice out his slight shock but lines probably appeared on his forehead when her words entered his ears, "Hey, why are you avoiding me? Is it due to me slightly grilling you on the hot seat last Friday? That can't be helped 'coz I'm a fair judge, you know. Anyway, why does it seem like you didn't come to classes this morning? You seem like you've been inside the campus all along, does it mean you plainly skipped the lectures?"

He impatiently replied, "Do I have to answer? No, then thank you. May you please make way? You're beautiful but it's not ground for you to block people, Miss Gomez."

The girl frowned at his answer but Chris couldn't care anymore so he stepped to the side and tried to bypass her. Sadly, the pretty campus idol appeared not done with him yet and prevented him from leaving. This gained a cold look from him but another sadly, Wendy seemed not one bit intimidated. It annoyed him though. At times like this, he couldn't appreciate the girl's outstanding persistence as it was very bothersome for him.

"What more?" he coldly asked, irritation welled up in his eyes but it was due to the annoying thing blabbering in his head.

Unfazed by his attitude, Wendy said, "You're acting too cold. I was just being concerned but this is how you treat me. That's bad. Truly. Aren't I someone acquainted with you at the least? Hey, remember," she then paused and jokingly added, "...we already had a date before. We even rode your bike when you sent me home?"

He suddenly felt a severe headache due to the nonstop talking of the foreign alien in his mind. It greatly dampened his mood, leading him to use a harsh voice when replying to Wendy's seemingly harmless joke.

"Miss, we're not that close, I believe. Will you stop joking? And will you please step aside? Lastly, will you stop meddling with someone who clearly doesn't want your meddling? Consider this a favor from someone who helped you with your nonsense investigation before."

Wendy Gomez showed him, for the first time, a dumbfounded expression which was quite unexpected from someone like her. At that moment, he felt a slight pang of guilt as he knew there were not many thick-skinned individuals who would remain collected against his polite scoldings. He was quite guilty because he only lashed out at her due to being annoyed by this system. She was only obviously joking since the girl was probably considering him as an acquaintance. He could feel it. But she came at an inopportune time.

Just when he was inwardly sighing and half-regretting, a seemingly subconscious reply came from her, which sounded quite offending for him.

"Oh? We're taking each other's supposed role then? The first time it was me being cold and cynical, and now it's your turn? Eh, so this is the effect of heartbreak to you?"

The last part somehow snapped something in him and allowed him to decide to really break all decorum with the pesky woman.

His voice turned many times lower, eyes piercingly glaring, "So much for our grades' Miss Number One. I thought you're so smart, that you can easily understand when people said they don't want your meddling or questionings. Now that I seem to know you more, I'm disappointed. I can't believe how you can be so insensitive to others' feelings and opinions."

Chris then stared at her for a while, not because he wanted to enjoy looking at a dumbfounded Wendy Gomez, but because he was truly mad at the woman. She blocked him with a good reason, asked him stuff, and when he refused to answer, she blocked him again, and when he tactfully requested not to pester him anymore as a favor for letting himself be interrogated by her before, she still didn't let go.

And now this?

He shook his head in dismay and started to walk away.

Meanwhile, when Wendy saw the other person leaving, she blinked and stupidly stared at his back. Only when she remembered that he left angry at her that she woke up from her stupor and regain her senses. However, by then, he was more five meters away from her.

To be honest, she didn't know what she's doing and this started from when she first ran into him. She only knew that she was supposed to go to the Faculty office because one of the teachers requested her assistance. What happened later when she got near the cafeteria was quite hazy in her memories. However, she recalled somehow making a familiar guy incensed after mentioning about the heartbreak.

Remembering this, Wendy felt she just had been very despicable.

But she was having this feeling that the normal her wouldn't be doing anything of that sort...

So what just happened? She was someone who at least knew when and what not to speak with someone, so why did she do that?

Wendy's high intelligence allowed her to realize some matters. But when she remembered about pissing off an already broken-hearted guy, she tossed the problem in the back of her mind and focused on catching up with the man.

"H-hey! Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean it!" She shouted while omitting the 'I think' part that she said to herself. By this time, she was already having recollections of every word she said to him and was feeling more and more confused, conflicted and guilty. This was the reason why she immediately followed up.

"I'm really sorry. Ugh! This is not my usual cup of tea because I usually don't let sorry appear on my vocabulary. But anyway, please hear me out. I...was just maybe too surprised and concerned at your sudden change... Because you suddenly turned into a gloomy bloke which that friend of ours should most probably dislike seeing..."

'If she was only alive...'

This time, Wendy was sober enough not to let the last phrase escape her lips. Despite having uncleared confusion in her mind too, she was not stupid enough to mention it as an excuse for what she already said hence she could only lower her pride and apologize.

However, this male schoolmate of her seemed too offended and so he didn't even turn his head to acknowledge her apologies. Who knows if he was just feeling lazy too to even glare at her? Anyway, he didn't turn his back again and simply entered the male restroom that was actually already by his left side.

Naturally, Wendy could not follow him there. She was frustrated due to the mysterious stupidity she suddenly had a while ago that led to this, and really wished to settle the issue as soon as possible, but she was helpless and could only go away. It was not like she could try saying her sorry inside the restroom. She might be slightly faulty in her character, but she had no intention of killing her social life yet.

'Whatever, maybe I'll just make up to that ice bloke later.'

With deep crease in her forehead and a pout on her lips, she began to walk away. A part of her sane brain was hoping that the teacher who called her to the Faculty wouldn't get angry too.

And while this was running in the pretty girl's mind, the one she referred to as an ice bloke was having his expression darkened more within the restroom.

The reason for it was what the mysterious alien in his brain had said.

The man it was trying to entice and impress seemingly didn't appreciate its information though. Or maybe he did, for the part where the annoying girl was not intentionally being annoying, and also to where it said those hosts could actually do unscientific things to other people. It was not clear whether it was caused by the self-proclaimed system or Wendy, but his already dark expression even got gloomier to the point the temperature was also dropping around him.

He was displeased. Whether the system or that host who played with him and made him remember some, he couldn't just have any good impression and was more reluctant to agree with this devil-like thing. If being a host means doing all sorts of shameful and immoral things to oneself and to others, then he'd gladly pass on it. This devil which completely like a scamming bastard could go to hell with his bank of missions and he would not care.

Thinking of this, for the first time this week, he finally spoke with the system.

'So why the hell are you still with me? Aren't you supposed to go away when I refuse that stupid whatever mission you're trying to give me? Aren't you getting tired of getting rejected? It's already been two weeks. I'm so fed up with you. F*ck off already! I want you gone within a second!'

The uncomfortable feeling in his heart grew worse when the thing still didn't shut up and only went silent for a minute or so before returning to being like a persistent salesman hellbent on pushing his product to an annoyed customer.

This became the worst after it kept repeatedly shoving to his face a screen showing:

*****

[DING!]

[System Prompt: Qualifying Mission]

System Task: Bed The Best Girl

System Introduction: This is an exalted System, you see. Prove you'll worthy of getting bound by this great System. Show some guts. Shed your innocence because this world is never as nice you dream it to be. What do you need to do? Simple, bed the best girl. And when I said 'bed', it means screwing her that way, and when I said the best girl, obviously it's the Miss Number One of your grade! Don't worry because once you accepted the mission, she'd automatically get high in aphrodisiac, ready to receive your invasion. Easy, right?

Quest Reward: Me, The Great System, bonuses for firsts

Failure Consequence: No System forever, Completely Missing The Chance To Be A Winner In Life~

*****