Harem Stealing System
Chapter 55: Accidentally lucky

Chapter 55: Chapter 55: Accidentally lucky

As morning sunlight filtered through the half-open curtains, Eiden stirred from his sleep. His eyes cracked open slightly, immediately narrowing at the digital clock’s soft blue glow.

Saturday. Realizing it was the weekend, he let his head fall back onto the pillow, sinking deeper into the soft embrace of the bed with a faint, content sigh. A moment of peace rare, fleeting, and oh so cherished. Unfortunately, it didn’t last.

His phone rang, vibrating loudly against the wooden nightstand, shattering the brief tranquility. Without even glancing at the caller ID, Eiden reached out and picked it up, thumb sliding across the screen with a lazy swipe.

"Hey man, wanna hang out?" It was Deuel’s voice. Eiden let out a sleepy grunt. "I’ll see," he muttered, then hung up before his friend could respond further. He tossed the phone aside, buried his head into the pillow again, and managed to squeeze in another ten minutes of shallow sleep before finally groaning awake.

Dragging himself out of bed, he shuffled to the sink, eyes half-closed, brushing his teeth while staring blankly at the mirror like a zombie in the early stages of caffeine withdrawal. When he came downstairs, he was greeted by the warm aroma of breakfast.

His mom, Dally, was bustling in the kitchen, still in her comfy homewear. Eiden yawned, rubbing the back of his neck as he asked, "Is Dad sober now?" Dally glanced over from the pan, flipping something with a spatula. "Yeah, but he’s got a hell of a hangover. Can you go get some after-drink medicine from the convenience store?"

"Sure," Eiden replied nonchalantly, slipping on his hoodie and heading out the door. As he walked, the morning air did wonders to clear up the last bits of grogginess clinging to him. His thoughts wandered, and naturally, he summoned up System-chan.

Ding. He skimmed through his Status screen and Quest Progress. The numbers looked about the same no major stat upgrades overnight well he didn’t used his remaining 3 points so it was expected . A few quests showed minor progress, but they were too insignificant to worry about right now.

He turned a corner, his eyes still half on the floating interface, when he lightly bumped into someone.

"Ah sorry," Eiden said instinctively, stepping back. "Sorry," the other person echoed. He blinked and looked up. Linda. She was standing there with an unreadable expression for a split second before she composed herself, and then smiled brightly. "Good morning, Eiden. Going somewhere?"

Eiden’s mind briefly lagged. What is she doing here? This is my neighborhood. Something felt off. Still, he instinctively activated his skill Face Master, composing himself quickly. "Good morning," he greeted with a calm tone. "Yeah, just heading to the convenience store to get hangover pills." Linda tilted her head slightly, still smiling. "You seem sober enough though."

"Not for me. It’s for my dad." Before she could respond, Eiden bowed his head slightly. "Well then," he said, keeping his tone polite but distant, and walked past her.

Linda stood there for a few seconds, staring at his back. She had words ready on her tongue but swallowed them just before they left her lips. Then, summoning her courage, she called out

"I have nothing to do, so why don’t I come with you?" Eiden’s right eye twitched slightly. Why...? Before he could answer, Linda was already following him, walking side by side as if it were natural. Eiden sighed internally, quietly swallowing the sharp words he had been about to say.

Ten minutes earlier...

Linda stood at a quiet intersection near Eiden’s neighborhood, holding a small slip of paper in her hand. Her eyes darted between the map and the street signs.

"Hmmm... this is the map to Eiden’s house that I got from a friend... who got it from another friend. I don’t even know if it’s accurate," she muttered. "But I have to try."

Her tone firmed as she clenched her fist. "Last time, I was caught off guard by his sudden approach and gentle voice mixed with that gentle smile her mind drifted a little thinking back but she quickly shook her head and composed herself . But not this time. I’m prepared."

She looked toward the corner and smiled slightly, raising her chin proudly. "I’ll find out what kind of person you really are, Eiden. It’s for Lyra’s sake."

She beamed with smug satisfaction. "Hehe... you’ll never find a better friend than me, Lyra."

And with that, she turned the corner only to bump directly into Eiden.

Back to the present...

Eiden glanced at her from the corner of his eye as they walked. His thoughts were a whirlpool of irritation and confusion.

Now what? What is wrong with this girl?

We barely know each other and she already rejected me even though I never even confessed. So why’s she suddenly acting so friendly? Like we’ve been close for years? Is this a prank? Did I get targeted by some strange girl-group ritual?

Just yesterday, she was holding onto his arm. Now she had wandered all the way to his neighborhood and was following him to the store. Eiden was practically pulling his hair out in his mind.

Linda, meanwhile, turned toward him and began chatting casually. "So, Eiden, any plans for today?" And why do you want to know that? he thought dryly.

Aloud, he merely replied, "I don’t know."

She smiled and pressed on. "What do you usually do in your free time?"

Eiden narrowed his eyes slightly but kept his voice relaxed. "Hang out with my boys. Play games. Watch movies. You know, the usual stuff a guy does." Linda’s smile curled a little more, a subtle mischief creeping into her expression one that Eiden, thankfully, did not catch since his eyes were still fixed ahead.

Then, she stumbled. Or rather, pretended to stumble. "Ah !" She tripped toward Eiden, and instinctively, his arm darted out to catch her before she fell.

He succeeded. Too well. Because at that exact moment, he felt something under his right palm. Something soft. Something squishy. Something... blump. Eiden’s entire body went still, his eyes slowly widening as realization struck like a lightning bolt.

...Her boob?!.