Villainous Me: Help! The heroines are yanderes!
Chapter 61: She belongs to our boss[GTG]

Chapter 61: Chapter 61: She belongs to our boss[GTG]

[Searching for related quest...]

[It is confirmed to be a system-generated quest.]

[Processing...]

[Generated Quest:

A certain high-ranked student has a secret no one else knows. Find out this secret and retrieve 1,000,000 points from her.

Target: Tessa Silva

Progress: 100/100

Time Limit: 20 days

Penalty for Failure: -20 Strength

Reward for Success: 100 Life Points]

This was far more specific than he had actually imagined. Ryan had thought he would have to go on an all-out investigation, but alas, he need not go that far.

With a weary sigh, he rose from his bed and loitered about his dimly lit dorm room. Luke was still nowhere to be found, and the prince’s whereabouts remained equally elusive. The school had also increased curfew times, not to mention the stringent new security protocols they had adapted.

As it was, Ryan already had his plate full - dealing with Helen, who had surprisingly not approached him for quite some time. And then there were the others from Lucas’ crew who were most likely training rigorously for the impending exams.

So should he really involve himself with someone else’s personal affairs right now?

He mulled it over for a while, but finally decided against pursuing Tessa for the time being. The right opportunity would come along naturally on its own - he didn’t have to force it. Instead, Ryan decided to do something entirely different today, to enjoy himself to the fullest without any looming obligations weighing on his mind.

Grabbing a backpack which he rarely carried to classes due to most lectures also being available for viewing on the graphto watch, he locked his room and headed for the elevator at the end of the corridor.

He stepped inside and met a motley assortment of individuals who were most likely headed for either the training grounds that Ryan himself had yet to lay eyes upon, or undertaking various missions to garner more points. But these particular fellas gave him an uneasy feeling, so he resigned himself to the far corner of the lift car.

They were five in number and looked rather delinquent, with disheveled appearances and surly demeanors. They also seemed to recognize Ryan, which was another potential problem.

Luckily, the elevator came to a smooth stop quickly, and he disembarked hastily before heading for the building’s main exit. Stepping out into the brilliant morning sunshine, Ryan made a beeline for the busy cafeteria, knowing that with his newly acquired wealth of credits, he could indulge in all sorts of delectable foods and delicacies.

But suddenly, he caught sight of a solitary figure jogging across the verdant fields out of the corner of his eye.

Eh?

Well, of course - who else would be up and exercising when everyone else was probably still sleeping in, if not the ever-diligent Lucas?

The young man had a determined, focused expression etched across his sweat-slicked face as he ran in his navy blue academy-issued track suit. But then he abruptly stopped and skidded to a halt when he caught sight of Ryan, offering a friendly wave.

"Oh, Ryan! Long time, no see," Lucas called out with a warm smile, strolling over and extending his hand.

"Um, yeah...long time." Ryan responded somewhat begrudgingly, accepting the proffered handshake.

"We’ve been having our usual team training sessions, only we haven’t been seeing you around lately," Lucas said, arching an inquisitive eyebrow.

"Oh, probably because I didn’t remember," Ryan responded with an indifferent shrug of his shoulders.

"Ah yes, they did mention something about you losing portions of your memory," Lucas mused, cupping his chin thoughtfully. "So what do you say - are you up for joining today’s training session? I can send you the location."

He gestured to the sleek holographic interface projected over his akadema wristwatch, ready to transmit the coordinates with just a tap.

"No thanks, I already have my plate plenty full for today," Ryan declined politely with a shake of his head.

"...That’s unfortunate," Lucas said, seeming slightly crestfallen. "Well, okay then. But I was actually meaning to ask you about something else."

His expression grew more secretive, furtive, than was normal for the typically open and earnest young man.

"Yes?" Ryan asked, tilting his head inquisitively.

"What exactly did the girls want from you, back on that day?" Lucas asked in a low, conspiratorial tone, leaning in closer. "You know... Scarlet and Lyra."

"Oh," Ryan blurted, clearly not expecting such an inquiry. Like, why would Lucas even ask about something like that? "Well, nothing much really. They just asked to sit with me, probably to confirm something or another. Who knows? But why do you ask, though?"

He probed Lucas with a searching look, his own curiosity piqued.

"...Tsk," Lucas scowled, seeming displeased. "It’s just that they’ve been acting strangely lately, and rarely come to our team meetings or training sessions anymore. I was just wondering if you knew where they’ve been spending most of their time."

He looked quite pissed, his brow furrowed and fists clenched at his sides.

"Well, sorry, I honestly have no idea about that," Ryan admitted truthfully with a apologetic spread of his hands.

"Alright then, whatever. I’ll see you at the exams, I guess!" Lucas called out brusquely over his shoulder, before abruptly turning and continuing on his morning jog, his footfalls gradually fading into the distance.

’Well, that was...certainly a strange encounter,’ Ryan thought, shaking his head bemusedly before continuing on his way towards the bustling cafeteria.

But just before he could reach the entrance, several imposing figures clad in the same navy blue athletic gear as Lucas suddenly emerged from the shadows and roughly pulled him into a dingy nearby alleyway.

It was those delinquent-looking assholes from back in the elevator!

"He’s the kid, isn’t he?" growled the largest and most burly of the four ruffians, cracking his knuckles menacingly.

"Yeah, that’s the little bastard," sneered another with a twisted sneer.

"Look kid, this will be your only warning," the hulking brute growled, looming over Ryan’s much slighter frame. "And you’re free to ignore it if you’re feeling particularly stupid and suicidal."

He suddenly lashed out with a powerful haymaker that caught Ryan squarely across the jaw, sending him reeling backwards in shock and pain. Stars danced across his vision as he struggled to keep his footing.

"Stay the fuck away from Lyra," the young man snarled viciously. "She belongs to the boss, got it? So don’t even think about going anywhere near her, unless you want to deal with us again."

With that ominous warning, the four toughs turned and stalked away, leaving Ryan crumpled against the filthy alley wall, cradling his bruised and rapidly swelling jaw.

"What the fuck?!" was all Ryan could rasp out, his head still swimming as his mind reeled from this completely unprovoked assault. Just when exactly had he inadvertently stepped on the toes of some bigger villain or gang?

Well, things certainly weren’t looking good as is, Ryan realized with a sinking feeling. And foolishly confronting those four thugs directly would essentially be a death sentence, even with his shadow clone ability to assist. So he simply watched them disappear around the corner before painfully hauling himself back to his feet, limbs trembling.

"System," he rasped out, lips cracked and bloody. "You mentioned something earlier about unlocking a shop of some kind?"

[Yes, the user has now unlocked access to the System Shop. Does the user wish to view it?]

"Y-Yes," Ryan responded, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.

Suddenly, an immersive panoramic display erupted into existence all around him, subsuming his senses with a dizzying array of purchasable items, equipment, augments and more tantalizingly arrayed in a vast virtual storefront.

He could see everything from basic restorative consumables to powerful magic staves and mythic-ranked armors on proud display - but it quickly became apparent that he was only able to make purchases using his limited supply of Fate Points as currency.

Ryan kept scrolling and sifting through the esoteric offerings, searching for anything that could potentially be of aid in his increasingly dire circumstances. Finally, his eyes landed on something that immediately piqued his interest and dawning realization washed over him.

"Wait...is this what I think it is?" he murmured in an awed hush.

[That is an external mana reservoir unit, presented in the form of reinforced mana-conductive gloves,] the system promptly explained. [Does the user wish to purchase this item?]

He ruminated over the pros and cons for a brief moment. In all honesty, Ryan knew he desperately needed to improve his strength, stamina and combat abilities as quickly as possible if he hoped to survive whatever escalating conflicts seemed to be brewing all around him.

But improving his mana reserves and output potential could very well prove even more critical in the short term, granting him access to higher-level abilities that may just save his life when peril inevitably found him again.

The mana glove reservoir was priced at a steep 3,000 Fate Points, slashing nearly two-thirds of his hard-earned original stash of 5,000 right off the bat. But Ryan judged it a worthy investment for the time being.

He also hastily procured a slew of strength and vitality-boosting potions, as well as a few emergency healing vials - because at this rate, with the exams looming ominously on the horizon mere hours away, Ryan recognized he would need every possible underhanded advantage he could garner. It was time to get serious and prepare for the worst.