By the time question twenty rolled around, the café was buzzing. Some people were clearly way too invested, whispering urgently, tapping screens like their lives depended on it.

'Quiz Complete. Please wait for results.'

I leaned back and took a sip of my coffee. "Well. That was an experience."

Cora stared at her phone like it might scold her. "I think I answered half of them wrong…"

Esme folded her arms. "I wanted a teddy bear."

A few seconds passed. Then the barista rang the bell again.

"Alright! Results are in!"

Cheers erupted from one side of the room.

"Third place—table seven!"

Applause.

"Second place—window booth, demon party!"

Louder applause.

"And first place—congratulations to the group near the bar!"

The winners whooped.

I exhaled slowly. "Yep. There it is."

Cora slumped. "We lost…"

"We didn't even fully watch the anime," I said dryly. "This was always the outcome."

Esme's face scrunched up in genuine disappointment. "No…"

She turned to Cora, eyes narrowing. "I wanted a teddy bear. You stupid sis. Why did you masturbate with it instead of watching the show?"

Cora choked.

"D–don't call me stupid!" she yelped, face going nuclear-red. "I was—I didn't—I'm not going to answer that!"

Esme stuck her tongue out at her, exaggerated and childish. "Hmph."

Cora snapped back instantly, flipping her off and crossing her arms. "You're awful."

I nearly spat my coffee out laughing.

Yeah.

We definitely lost the quiz—but somehow, it still felt like a win.

The winners lined up at the bar one by one, the barista handing out the prizes with exaggerated ceremony. First place got a massive teddy bear—honestly bigger than Esme—second place walked off hugging an absurdly large rubber duck, and third place was handed a voucher for a free drink, which they immediately redeemed.

We clapped along with everyone else. Esme even gave a half-hearted 'yay' before her head drooped again.

The winners returned to their seats, proudly showing off their loot, posing for photos. The noise level dipped back into that cozy, lively hum.

Cora finished the last of her mocha, fingers fidgeting around the empty glass. Esme drained her tea in three slow gulps and set it down with a soft clink.

Cora glanced between me and her sister. "Um… should we leave?"

"Already?" I asked, arching a brow. "We just got here."

She shrank a little. "I mean—I'm not saying we have to. Just… asking."

"Come on," I said gently. "You're doing fine. Have a little fun."

Esme exhaled loudly and leaned back in her chair, eyes half-lidded. "Define… fun…"

That was when someone stopped at our table.

She was… striking. Crimson wig—bright, vivid green—but not a cheap wig kind. It looked meticulously styled, layered, almost sculpted. Metallic accents were woven through it, catching the warm tavern lights. Her cosplay was intricate, borderline professional.

She lifted her gaze.

We locked eyes.

Oh.

"Oh," I said, blinking. "Emma."

She grinned. "Hey."

"I, uh…"

"I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff," she continued, glancing around. "Though… you're not cosplaying."

"Yeah," I shrugged. "Background MC energy tonight."

She laughed softly. "Figures."

I gestured to the girls. "This is Cora. And Esme."

Cora straightened immediately. "H-hi."

Esme lifted two fingers in a lazy salute. "Mm."

"Nice to meet you," Emma said warmly. "Love the horns."

Esme touched one instinctively. "Thanks."

Emma looked back at me. "Did you take the quiz?"

"Yeah," I sighed. "And failed spectacularly."

"Aw. My phone died before I could even download the app," she said, holding it up. "Battery betrayal."

"Bummer," I said. "You probably would've won."

She shrugged. "Maybe." Then she glanced over her shoulder. "I should get back. My friends are waiting."

"Yeah, sure," I said. "Good seeing you."

"Mm." She nodded once, then disappeared back into the crowd.

Cora watched her go, then leaned forward, lowering her voice. "Who… was that?"

"Nala's friend," I said simply.

"Oh." She nodded. "Okay."

Silence settled again, heavier this time. Esme yawned, stretching her arms above her head.

Then a new group wandered over—two guys, three women, all in mixed cosplay. One of them smiled brightly.

"Yo, that's a cool setup you've got," one of the women said. "Are you guys from the same fandom?"

"Uh," Cora hesitated. "Kind of?"

"Love the horns," another said, eyes lighting up. "Did you make those?"

Esme nodded. "Bought. Modified."

"That's sick," one of the guys said. "Mind if I—"

He reached out.

Esme flinched back instantly, shoulders tensing, breath hitching.

Before his fingers could get anywhere near her, I cleared my throat sharply and clapped my hands once.

"Hey."

The sound cut through the moment cleanly.

I smiled, polite but firm. "Hands off the horns, yeah?"

The guy froze. "Oh—uh—sorry, man. Didn't mean—"

"It's fine," I said. "Just asking."

╭───────────╮

EVENT

===============

Esme's Interest +10

╰───────────╯

Crap. I earned a small amount of positive reputation points, but I didn't check if I was penalized or not. That was for later.

There was an awkward shuffle. Someone laughed a little too loudly. The group murmured excuses and drifted away. Damn. Awkward as hell.

I turned to Esme. "Hey. Want to get some air with me?"

She nodded immediately. "Yes."

We stood up.

I leaned toward Cora. "You stay here, okay? Order another coffee if you want. I've got it."

Cora nodded, eyes sharp now, still tracking the guy who'd reached out earlier.

I gave her cheek a light, teasing tap with my knuckle. "Hey. Cause no trouble."

She exhaled. "Mm…"

Esme and I stepped outside.

The front entrance was quiet compared to the café—streetlights glowing soft amber, snowflakes drifting lazily down, barely sticking to the ground yet. The air was cold and clean, biting just enough to wake you up.

Esme took a deep breath, shoulders slowly relaxing.

"Hey… how are you?"

"Better," she murmured.

I glanced at her, then out at the snow. Yeah.

This was probably the right call.

I'd never seen her do that with me before. Flinch. Freeze. Get scared like that.

Which… weirdly enough, meant something.

Guess that meant she actually trusted me. Trusted me enough to stand next to me without fear. That small realization warmed something in my chest, quiet but steady. Tonight felt… good. Not in a loud way. Just real.

I cleared my throat and pulled my cigarette pack from my jeans, tapping one out and lighting it. Esme crossed her arms and leaned against the wall beside the entrance, head tilted down, exhaustion written all over her posture.

"Sorry," I said after a moment. "I thought you'd have more fun."

"I am," she replied, exhaling slowly. "Really. Thank you, Evan."

"Mm."

She hesitated, then added, "I'm actually glad my sister met you."

I glanced at her.

"You're… an okay guy."

I smiled faintly. "Okay guy, huh? I'll take that as a compliment."

"Mm."

╭───────────╮

WOMEN - INTERACTIONS

===============

Jasmine: Interest: 40 / 60★★

Kayla: Interest: 35 / 40★

Tessa: Interest: 40 / 60★★

Kim: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★

Delilah: Interest: 75 / 80★★★

Cora: Interest: 100 / 100★★★★★

Mendy: Interest: 21 /40★

Nala: Interest: 100 /100★★★★★

Penelope: Interest: 5 /20

Minne: Interest: 38 /40★

Ivy: Interest: 12/20

Eleanor: Interest: 15/20

Amelia: Interest: 7/20

Esme: Interest: 25/40★

╰───────────╯

A milestone with Esme. That… surprised me.

I honestly hadn't expected to gain anything from her tonight. No push, no manipulation, no angle—just being there. Turns out that counted. And hell, I wasn't complaining.

The reward wasn't EXP or anything flashy. Just four mystery chests. I flicked my cigarette ash away and opened them one by one.

Three hundred credits total. Not amazing. Not trash either.

╭────────────────────╮

SHOP [Page 2]

==========================

• Hypnotic Perfume (40c)

• Time Stop (90c)

• 500 Dollars (50c)

• 1 Ability Point (150c)

• 1 Mastery Point (160c)

• Desire Aura (100c)

• Reputation Point +30 (200c)

• Mastery Evolve (1500c)

• Random Passive Skill (1700c)

==========================

Credits: 1529c

╰────────────────────╯

Nice.

I could afford another Mastery Evolve now… but I held off. Bliss Multiplier was already sitting high, and I didn't need to get greedy. More importantly, thank fucking god, I'd earned positive reputation for stepping in earlier. No penalty. No backlash.

The bar barely moved, sure, but still. A win was a win.

"Well," I muttered, taking another drag. "Talking… uh—talking gets stuff off your chest, Esme."

She glanced at me. "Talk about… what?"

"Your family," I said carefully. "Cora told me some things but… hey. You don't have to if you don't want to. Just—if you ever feel like it, I'm a good listener."

She let out a long breath. "I'm… really not sure."

"For me?" I asked, dropping my cigarette to the ground and crushing it under my shoe. "Please?"

She looked at me, conflicted. Her mouth opened, then closed again. Her eyes shimmered just slightly.

I stepped closer and leaned against the wall beside her, turning my gaze toward the empty street instead of pushing her to meet my eyes.

She rubbed her face, then exhaled again—shaky this time.

"One day," she began quietly. "When I was… fourteen…"

She stopped.

I nodded. "Yeah?"

"My father tried to force himself on me," she said flatly. Too flat. "He… ripped my clothes off. My mother was there. She didn't stop him."

My jaw tightened.

"He beat her," Esme continued. "So… as Cora says, she was already tamed."

"Bastard," I muttered.

She swallowed. "Then my sister came home from school. She saw him. Saw… everything."

Silence swallowed the space between us. The wind carried the moment, cold and sharp.

Then she spoke again, voice breaking. "She grabbed a knife. And she killed him."

"Killed?" I whispered.

"And our mother," Esme said, tears spilling freely now. "It's my fault. After that, Cora was never the same."

I stared at the pavement. "I thought… Cora told me you ran away. Went to your aunt's."

"I guess she left that part out," Esme said bitterly. "That day broke her. She stopped talking to people. Stopped trusting anyone."

I turned toward her fully. "Esme. That wasn't your fault."

"I—"

"Esme." I stepped closer. "None of that was your fault. Not a single part of it."

"My sister…" she sobbed. "Evan…"

I opened my arms. She didn't hesitate.

She stepped into me, burying her face against my shoulder as her body shook. I wrapped my arms around her, one hand resting gently in her hair, chin against the top of her head.

She cried—quiet at first, then harder, the kind that comes from years of holding it in.

I stayed. Just stayed.

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