He froze, his back still to the entrance.

"Jax."

That voice. It wasn't sharp like Ava's. It wasn't icy like Celestia's. It wasn't hesitant like Azara's.

It was calm, smooth, and held an easy authority that made every head in the cafeteria turn.

He turned slowly.

Thalia Steele stood there.

She wasn't dressed in flashy armor or a tight-fitting uniform. She wore the standard academy blazer, but on her, it looked different. Tailored. Perfect. Like the fabric itself was honored to touch her skin.

Her golden-yellow hair caught the light, and her blue eyes, sharp and intelligent, were locked directly onto him.

'Kai's sister,' Jax thought, his mind instantly cataloging her. 'How did that idiot Kai come from the same genetic stock? She got all the good stats.'

His eyes instinctively flicked to her chest, then her legs, then back to her face.

'And all the assets. Pss. This family is blessed. First the mother, now the daughter. I wonder if she knows her brother is an evolutionary mistake.'

The entire cafeteria was watching now.

At the table he'd just left, Azara sat frozen, her spoon halfway to her mouth, staring at this new development.

Across the room, Ava's hands clenched into fists on the tabletop.

"Tssk," she hissed under her breath. "Now she's moving in? He's collecting them like he's playing cards. Does he think this is some kind of harem game?"

Beside her, Celestia's expression remained composed, but her eyes were analytical.

'Thalia Steele. Third year ace. Student council member. Don't you dare join the competition, bitch.'

Jax, caught in the spotlight, finally broke the silence. He gave her a lazy, one-sided smirk.

"Senior Thalia. To what do I owe the pleasure? Come to give me a detention for eliminating you?"

Thalia's lips curved in a small, polite smile. It wasn't warm, but it wasn't cold either. It was professional.

"Actually," she said, her tone measured, "I should thank you for that."

Jax blinked. "Huh?"

"You saved me from further humiliation. If Emma had eliminated me herself, it would've been worse. I heard she pinned someone to the ground for half an hour. Very theatrical."

Her eyes sparkled with subtle amusement.

"That audience didn't hear the conversation, but I'm sure you remember every word."

Jax's eye twitched. 'Is she teasing me? While being professional?'

"Yeah, well," Jax said, scratching his neck. "She had a lot to say. Most of it was boring villain monologue stuff. I tuned out halfway through."

"I'm sure you did," Thalia said, her smile widening just a fraction. "You seem like someone who gets bored easily."

"Glad my mercy was so appreciated, Senior."

"It was," she said simply, without a trace of sarcasm. "But I'm not just here to review your performance, Jax. I'm here as a member of the student council."

Jax groaned internally. 'Ugh. A council member. Even worse. She's probably here to lecture me about Emma. Or about Kai's acting that was actually cheating in the football match. Or worst case, I was caught fucking Elara or Lyra.'

"Council? Sounds boring," he said flatly.

"It usually is," Thalia agreed, her smile flickering. "But this involves you. And it involves my mother."

Jax's pervert-switch, which had been dormant, flipped on so hard it nearly gave him whiplash.

'Beatrix? My goddess? The objective of my number one quest? Wait... what?'

His posture straightened. His bored expression vanished, replaced by one of intense, sudden interest.

"Your... mother?" he said, his voice a little too eager.

Thalia noticed his change in tone instantly. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of suspicion in them.

"Yes. My mother, Beatrix Steele, is filming a short scene here at the academy tomorrow. It's for her new movie."

"Okay," Jax said, trying to sound casual and failing miserably. "And? Does she need a personal assistant? A chair carrier? Someone to fan her between takes? I'm available. Very available."

Thalia ignored his borderline-creepy suggestions.

"The director, Ren Kurosawa, needed a student for a minor role. I don't know the full details, but they needed a boy for it."

"Let me guess," Jax said, smirking. "They picked Kai. He's great at acting... stupid."

"No," Thalia said, her voice deadpan. "They picked you based on your recent popularity."

Jax's brain stalled.

'Me? A role? A... a film role? With... with her?'

His mind immediately flashed to the system quest glowing in his log.

[Quest 1: The Goddess]

[Objective: Fuck Beatrix Steele.]

[Time Limit: 1 Week 5 Days]

'Is this the system? No, this is too convenient. Or is it? My LCK stat is 4 now... maybe it's finally working? Or maybe this is just fate handing me a golden ticket wrapped in silk panties?'

"Why me?" he asked, forcing his voice to remain level. "I'm not exactly... actor material."

Thalia sighed, as if this part annoyed her.

"Because you're the name on everyone's lips right now. The boy who won the Death Race. The 'One-Man Army' who saved the Rayne family. The 'SS-Rank Tamer' who beat Morgana Vexley."

She shrugged. "Even your loss to Emma is being spun as a 'dramatic last stand.' Your popularity is insane. The director said you're the perfect boy artist he wants for this role"

"I'm just here to inform you," Thalia said, her tone shifting back to pure business. "It's not mandatory. You can reject it. But the shoot is all day tomorrow, which means you'd have to miss all your classes."

Jax had to physically stop himself from cheering.

'Miss classes? Oh no. What a tragedy. I'll miss boring lectures about strategy I already know. And history about wars I don't care about. Whatever will I do?'

'A full day. On a set. With Beatrix Steele.'

'My quest. Two weeks.'

'This isn't a chance. This is the system rolling out the red carpet, lighting some candles, and handing me the lube.'

He cleared his throat, putting on his most serious, thoughtful expression.

"A minor role, huh? Just standing around looking handsome?"

Thalia's eye twitched. "I... don't know the script, Jax. It's just a minor role. Probably one or two lines, maybe just standing in the background. Don't get any ideas."

"What ideas?" Jax asked, flashing her a look of pure innocence. "I'm just a huge fan of her work. Her films, her music, her philanthropic efforts. A big, big fan."

Thalia just stared at him for a long, silent moment. She sighed.

"Right. Look, just be at Soundstage 7 tomorrow at 0800 if you're accepting. If you're not, let me know by tonight so I can tell Ren to find someone else."

"Oh, I'll be there," Jax said, perhaps a bit too quickly. "Count on it. For the... art."

"Good." Thalia nodded, her professional duty complete. "Don't be late. And Jax..."

She paused, her expression turning serious.

"Try not to cause any incidents. My mother has enough stress without you adding to it."

Gulp.

Jax nodded, trying to look respectful. "I'll be on my best behavior."

'My best behavior is still pretty questionable, but she doesn't need to know that.'

Thalia turned and walked away, her movements as graceful and controlled as everything else about her.

Jax was left standing alone in the middle of the cafeteria.

The silence stretched for exactly three seconds.

Then footsteps approached from behind. Two sets.

"Jax."

Ava's voice. Smooth, confident, with just a hint of playfulness.

He turned. Ava stood there, Celestia beside her. Both wore expressions that screamed calculated interest.

"We need to talk," Ava said, stepping closer.

Azara, still at her table, pretended to focus on her food. But her ears were definitely listening.

Jax crossed his arms. "About?"

"About tomorrow," Celestia said, her tone measured. "We heard about the film shoot."

"Word travels fast," Jax muttered.

"It does when it involves you," Ava said, taking another step forward. Her uniform blazer was unbuttoned just enough to show the curve of her cleavage. She leaned in slightly, letting gravity do its work.

"You're going to be with Beatrix Steele all day, huh? Lucky you."

Jax's eyes flicked down for a fraction of a second. His body reacted instantly. His rod twitched, heat flooding his gut.

'Damn it. Resolve stat still too low. Even a wrinkled granny made me hard. This is embarrassing.'

But then his mind kicked in. Hard.

'No. Wait. Focus. Beatrix. The quest. The goddess. These tricks won't work on me. Not today.'

He forced his gaze back up to Ava's face, his expression bored.

"Yeah. Lucky me," he said flatly.

Ava blinked, surprised. She'd expected him to stammer or blush or at least stare a bit longer.

Celestia noticed the shift too. Her eyes narrowed.

"You don't seem very excited," Celestia observed.

"I'm plenty excited," Jax said. "Just not about this conversation."

Ava stepped even closer, her voice dropping to a sultry whisper.

"You know, Jax, if you need someone to help you... rehearse your lines, I'm available. All night if you need."

Her fingers trailed along his arm, her chest brushing against him.

Jax felt his resolve waver. His rod was screaming at him, begging him to give in.

'She's right there. Right fucking there. Just say yes. Just'

'No.'

His mind slammed down like an iron gate.

'Beatrix. I can't afford distractions. Not now. Not when I'm this close.'

He stepped back, pulling his arm away.

"Thanks for the offer," he said, his voice cold. "But I'm good."

Ava's confident smile faltered. "What?"

"I said I'm good. I don't need help rehearsing. I don't need company. And I definitely don't need whatever game you're playing right now."

Celestia's eyes widened slightly. 'He just rejected her. Directly. Without hesitation.'

Ava's face flushed, anger mixing with embarrassment.

"You're serious?" she hissed.

"Dead serious."

"You turned me down? Me?"

"Yep."

"Why?!"

Jax shrugged. "Because I'm focused. And you're a distraction."

He turned and started walking toward the exit.

Ava stood frozen, her mouth hanging open.

Celestia just watched him go, her expression unreadable.

At her table, Azara's eyes widened. 'Did he just... reject Ava? The Ava Bennett? The girl who could seduce a statue?'

She bit her lip, fighting a smile.

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