Host & System Squabble

Creeeeak!

Dylan opened his door, watching Clara nervously walk in. Her gaze fell on the gray bunny flip-flops before shifting to him.

She took off her shoes and walked into the living room, her eyes dilating in shock. As someone who grew up with three brothers, she had certain expectations of what men's space should look like.

And it is never this clean.

Clean gray carpets, furniture, and curtains, coupled with a shelf filled with neatly stacked books. She shifted her glance to Dylan, who was putting on his bunny flip-flops.

Dylan met her gaze, her confidence quickly fading as their eyes locked. He raised an eyebrow, a bit confused by her actions, but not interested enough to ask.

"Take a seat, I'll just drop my suitcase in my room and drop you off," Dylan suggested.

{Fool… I can see why your ex left you for a less attractive version of your old self. You are truly lacking in every aspect except logical thinking.} The voice cursed, infuriated by its host's stupidity.

Thankfully, Clara didn't mindlessly agree to his offer.

"I saw how stressed you were today, so I thought I could stay over and help you out in any way possible," Clara said the last few words nervously, her shaky gaze meeting Dylan's confused eyes.

"Wh…"

{Ask one stupid question, and I take your life on the spot. Try me, boy!} The voice threatened.

Dylan shuddered at the furious voice in his head, goosebumps spreading across his body.

{I won't put in so much effort to put you in a position of getting laid and watch you ruin my effort. Instead, we end it all here and we get a better host. Is that what you want, boy?}

"No…" Dylan mumbled, beads of sweat running down his face while he tried to understand why the system switched up on him like that.

"No?" Clara muttered, disappointment flashing across her eyes. "It's alright, I'll get going… you don't have to drive me."

Clara lowered her face, her hair hiding the disappointment in her eyes as she walked past Dylan.

{She walks out that door, your heart stops. Ama put you on the news if you don't get your shit together. Don't play with me!} The voice threatened again.

Dylan turned around, catching Clara's hand before she could walk to the door.

"No, I wasn't talking to you… Of course, I would be happy if you stayed back and helped me out." Dylan hurriedly said, grabbing her hand.

His reaction startled Clara, a sweet smile spreading on her lips while gazing at Dylan's palms on his.

"Okay, I'll stay." She said, only then did Dylan let out a sigh of relief.

{New Subquest acquired}

{Get your second body count tonight or make the news tomorrow. Your choice.}

—

Bam!

Dylan slapped the sink hard; his twisted frown reflected in the mirror as he pondered deeply. While he looked better now, it didn't immediately mean his confidence was at a hundred percent.

'God damnit, I have only had this face for one day!' Dylan cursed, he couldn't help but feel the system was unfair.

All this while, he has been too focused on the case and the possibility of losing his job to feel awkward around her. However, knowing he had to sleep with her tonight or die was a bit extreme.

How could he not feel anxious?

"Fuck or die… Really?" Dylan shook his head. "That's low, even for you."

{You forced my hand; left alone, you won't serve your primary purpose.} The voice retorted, its words appearing on the panel.

"To fuck around?" Dylan blurted out.

{Sin of Lust? What else were you expecting?} 

Dylan couldn't help but feel like the voice rolled its eyes at him. He facepalmed, sighing helplessly.

Knock! Knock!

Dylan's face snapped in the direction of the door, his eyes widening as he realized he had been in the bathroom for a while.

Earlier, he left Clara to the spare room, where he moved Aria's things after the breakup. He told her to bathe there and change into anything that fits. 

Dylan didn't think time would pass so fast, or maybe he was just lost in thoughts to notice.

He ran out of the bathroom, his towel draped around his waist. Dylan slowly opened the door, only revealing one-half of his face.

"Errm… excuse me, but I made dinner and it's getting cold…" Clara's nervous voice was low.

Dylan's eyes widened as he realized Clara was in a familiar red nightgown Aria used to wear, his face turning bright red.

"Okay, I'll be there in a minute," Dylan said with a polite smile before shutting the door.

He walked over to the mirror, looking at his reflection with a rare stern look. 

{While you failed to gain anything substantial from your little club raid, you left an impression on the minds of those bouncers…}

{When you joined the black sheep firm as an associate, Aria was only a Legal assistant. It took you a month to gather the courage to speak to her. That insignificant 'Hi' that left you feeling embarrassed got you disciplined.}

"And how did that end?" Dylan rolled his eyes.

{You hopeless motherfucker, focus on the damn point. Those little attempts make a big difference. You are just blind to your achievements and fixated on your failures.} The voice scolded.

{Damn it, I can't believe I'm giving a grown-ass man a peep talk just to get laid. Are you proud of yourself?}

Dylan facepalmed, wondering if this voice was suffering from bipolar disorder or something. How do you try to motivate a man and still take a dump on his confidence the next second?

For some reason, this task felt more difficult than winning 20 Shot's murder case.