Charm!

Theo got dressed and now he was basically free to do anything.

His shirt did feel a bit tighter though.

He could have always meddled with the menu- but he had something more urgent.

He was about to head to the engine room- in the warpnet terminal- and get a good warpent package: He could have just bought it from here but he had a very good reason to head out.

He had the money and he didn't want to take the same risk again. After being trapped in the cave, after feeling that fear, he didn't want to go through all that again.

And there was the thing about his mother demanding he bought a good package.

Besides, there was something he had to talk to his father about. It was totally possible that Sizzy was beginning to develop conscience. And if it got fully developed, things could get rather ugly, rather fast.

So he had to act before that happened.

"Where are you going?" Sizzy was by the door.

"Heading to the engine rooms."

"I shall accompany you." Sizzy had a faint smile. It was a standard response for a R.I to make, but in Sizzy's case, somehow it felt a bit more organic- at least to Theo.

"Sorry but I need you to stay here in case there are any special missions for me." There was no chance for that to happen and Theo knew it. But he couldn't find a better excuse at the moment. So, without too much hassle, he just went out of the room. "You stay here."

"Understood." It was almost as though there was a tint of sadness in her voice. But an order was an order.

***

Theo didn't need his ARIMA glasses anymore. The minimap in the corner of his eyes was too accurate and life almost felt easy.

Though he kept an eye on the road and the map, his attention was actually in the menu.

There were just so many new things he wanted to check out but- 'Should I just go ahead and distribute the stat and skill points?'

But he didn't yet know what points did what. Strength, speed, and stamina were self-explanatory but what about the rest?

He did give one point to charm skill. But his finger slipped and the rest of the points also went to that skill too. He almost felt stupid for doing this out here.

Sigh.

Something else also caught his attention though. He had an abnormally high magic stat than his other stats. What was magic anyway? Could he pull rabbits from his hat or something?

Too bad he didn't wear any.

He checked the equipment menu but it was kind of empty.

Theo sighed and opened Journal instead.

'So this keeps track of all the places I've visited and all the people I've met?' The journal also kept important information and the information on his exp gains, levels, and even what each stat meant and what points he used where. "Is it me or is this thing a bit too deep?" Theo chuckled as he read one of the conversations he had with the captain just yesterday. Everything, after he encountered the girl in the cave, was recorded in the journal- though only in brief.

"What's deep?"

"Whoa!" Theo almost crashed into a girl when he was taking a turn.

His attention somewhere along the way had completely shifted to the journal.

"Sorry about that." He tried to apologize.

"Don't worry about it."

The girl in front of him was a tall, slender blonde. It was evident, her genes were modified to make her look good. And she even had make-up. For a second, Theo's heart had kick-started but his self-control kicked in a second later and he was totally okay.

Which was a lie though.

"Vennes Windheiser. Pleasure, Mr. Black."

"Just Theo is fine."

The girl smiled. "Please keep your eyes on the road too." The girl was about to leave.

'Wait-'Theo just got an idea.

'But how do I activate it? Just by imagining?' He stood still for a second and concentrated. 'CHARM!'

A scent permeated in the air.

But nothing happened and the girl was about to leave.

The icon in the corner of his eyes flashed but he saw no change in the girl's appearance or behavior.

"Thank you for your kind words. I'm kind of still recovering." So, he initiated a conversation all on his own. He almost felt stupid for a second.

"I-I see."

The girl stopped, her cheeks were slightly red.

Modified humans generally didn't show much emotion but this girl looked flustered, albeit only slightly.

"Would you mind telling me more about yourself?" Theo tried.

There was that scent in the air again. 'So, that's how you use this skill?'

The more time the girl spent near Theo, the more flustered she got.

"I-" The girl squeezed her legs and shook slightly. "I'm sorry but I have work. How about we grab some drinks later?" Her voice also shook and her leg squeezing just increased.

For some reason, she was also sweating and breathing through her mouth like the temperature was high or something.

Theo was examining the whole thing rather carefully: after all, he needed more info on his skills. So for the last straw. "It really was a pleasure meeting you." He spread his hand forward. "I look forward to having a drink or two."

"N-no the pleasure was-" The moment she grabbed Theo's hand she squirmed, crossed her legs shut- "AH-" and fell on her knees.

Her breathing was way faster than normal, and the sweating had increased too. But a second later she composed herself, standing up again.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." The girl smiled. "If you'll excuse me." Her face was a bit more flushed- yet she somehow looked relaxed and maybe even better than before.

She stood up and left as fast as possible, not looking back. Her walking posture was kind of odd.

She was wearing a silver-colored suit and though there were no patches on her dress, the girl could certainly tell she had a mess to clean up. 'What the hell!?' Her mind had raced faster than ever but she couldn't understand what just happened or why it did.

'Looks like it wasn't as effective as I thought.' Theo however got the wrong impression. 'This makes people uncomfortable, huh?'

The icon on the corner of his vision greyed. 'So, it's usable only once.' Which confirmed his theory. But how many girls could he use it on at the same time? He couldn't yet be sure of that. After all, the two times he used the skill there was only one girl present.

But he did know how it worked and what he could attain with it. The effect might not have been what he was hoping for, but if push came to shove, he could use this. He still didn't know when or where that appropriate time would come though.

He didn't open the menu again on his way and reached his destination roughly seven minutes later.

He was glad he didn't meet another human on the way.