Art of Love: Pick Up [1]

〘Date: 2/7 - Thursday〙

〘Time: 11:30 AM〙

〘Location: Texas, Alamo City - Sanctuary Agency HQ〙

The Alamo City, home to Charlotte's main HQ and home to some of the most gorgeous women I've ever seen. The buildings stood tall from the ground, each building built to prestige condition, the streets were lively with families and friends alike checking out the main attractions of the city such as the riverwalk and the main square.

The tallest building was the Sanctuary Agency HQ, a massive skyscraper containing 100 Floors, every 20 Floors housing one of the four Agents with the office of the Boss and The Ace being at the 100th. Security Guards protected the building all around, securing every corner of the premises.

I leaned against the wall of the elevator as Charlotte and I rode up to the 100th Floor, looking out the window to watch as we rose above the city. "So, what do you have planned for me?"

Charlotte looked over at me, letting out a light chuckle and gently ran her fingers through my hair. "Relax, darling...~ It's not going to be anything crazy for right now. For now, I'm just getting you initiated then we go from there."

Charlotte's touch began bringing me to ease, but I still couldn't shake the jitters from my body that I was actually stepping into the path of heroism. I decided to keep the conversation at that, not wanting to work myself up even more than I was now.

After what felt like eternity on the elevator, we finally reached the top floor, the elevator chiming an upbeat tune and the gold doors opening. The two of us stepped out of the elevator and making our way down the hall to her office.

"You should really invest in a faster elevator," I said, my tone sarcastic and dry.

Charlotte chuckled at my dry joke, finding my dry sense of humor amusing. She opened the door to her office, looking back at me. "Maybe, but I kinda like the scenery I get when I ride the elevator."

Walking inside her office, the two of us noticed a woman sitting upon Charlotte's desk with one leg crossed over the other. My eyes immediately flickered with recognition, the woman's appearance undeniable.

The woman looked up from her phone, giving both of us her signature tomboyish grin. "Hmm..~ So you actually showed up, I'm actually not surprised. It was bound to happen soon enough."

Desiree Dawn, my older sister by one year, and a tomboy hidden behind the beauty and grace of an elegant woman. She resembled our mother perfectly despite her dyed black hair styled in a messy ponytail, gentle yet mischievous golden eyes, and a tribal tattoo along her collarbone to honor our father.

She wore a white button up shirt with a blue plaid skirt, dark color stockings, white and blue shoes, and her jacket tied around her waist. To finish her outfit, she wore a blue bowtie with her shirt, finishing her cute aesthetic.

Charlotte walked toward her desk, a playful smirk curling on her lips as she looked at Desiree. "I guess you're done training with Rhea huh?"

"Mhm, and she was asking about Ryder a lot. Seems like you have a fan already," Desiree teased, getting off Charlotte's desk with a soft laugh.

My cheeks began to gradually heat up, a slightly embarrassed expression forming on my face as I lowered my head and rubbed the back of my neck. "I figured she'd ask about me, but geez give me a break."

Charlotte smiled at the two of us, walking over toward a silver metal door to the side of her office, a keypad shimmering into view on the side of the door. Typing in her passcode, the doors opened and she walked inside to retrieve an item.

Leaning to the side a bit, I could see a portion of the secret room, noticing a wall lined up with weapons and other gadgets. The weapons upon the wall made me wonder exactly how deep in the battle against the Lost Syndicates they were in, my mind wondering with what I was exactly getting into.

Soon, Charlotte walked out of the weapon room with two items in hand: the first item was a high tech device with a similar design to a smartphone, and the second item was another high tech device, but it was different, an inactive humanoid droid.

"Alright, Ryder!~ Your initiation starts with you activating these two devices. You'll need to start by activating your new phone first, and if you do you'll activate your companion," Charlotte said, making her way toward me and handed me the phone.

I took the phone from her hand, inspecting it first before doing anything with it. It looked like your standard grey smartphone, made with a camera on the front and back. After inspecting it, I decided to turn on the phone, only to run into a glaring issue, there wasn't a power button.

"Don't worry, I struggled with this as well. I can't seem to figure out what to do to turn it on. Maybe there's something I missed," Desiree said, leaning back against Charlotte's desk with her arms crossed.

Charlotte watched as I tried to figure out the secret to powering on the high tech device, her eyes filled with excitement and anticipation. "Look carefully, I'm sure you can see the hint.."

I went back to square one, inspecting the phone once more to try to see if I missed any details. The design of the phone seemed manmade, but too advanced for man to create alone. Flipping the phone around, my eyes caught a subtle glint of light from the well blended logo.

Touching the logo, an iridescent light began to shine on the back of the device, taking shape of a beautifully designed heart. Soon, the screen turned on, showing the same logo on the screen.

〔Booting up O.S. Phroa... 〕

〔Please create your desired appearance for Phroa...〕

I glanced up from the screen, looking at Charlotte and Desiree with a raised eyebrow from genuine disbelief. "What in the world am I looking at?"

"It's your Love Companion, Phroa! She's the main O.S. that Sanctuary Agency uses that's the perfected mix between Shiro's two systems, Lust-E and Suru!" Charlotte answered, her tone filled with excitement to finally see Phroa come to life.

"Huh, so that's what I missed on the back. I doubt I would've been able to even awaken the symbol in the first place," Desiree said, tilting her head to the side lightly.

I looked back down at the screen, staring at the blank pixelated woman on the screen waiting to be designed. 'What do they have me doing right now..?'

Deciding to push forward, I began to design her, checking out each different option available. I noticed a few outfits were locked behind a few requirements, my curiosity growing more and more as the first half of the initiation felt like one of the many mobile girlfriend simulators.

After going through the design process, I decided to settle on the default design until I was able to get more. Phroa's current look was a pretty pixelated woman with fair skin, golden blonde hair, bronze eyes, and cute blush along her cheeks wearing the default maid outfit with a classic gold halo over her head.

Once I finished creating the design on my phone, I clicked done on the screen, the inactive droid responding and coming to life. Digital particles surrounded my new companion, her appearance mirroring the one on the phone.

Phroa opened her eyes slowly, glancing around the room and noticed me, her eyes glowing with happiness as she manifested holographic angel wings and hovered out of Charlotte's hands. "Hello, Master! Thank you for awakening me!~"

I watched as Phroa flew around me happily, a small smile curling on my lips as I watched her excitement to finally be active. "You're welcome, Phroa..."

"Well, since she's activated, I think it's the appropriate time to explain why you have her exactly. As the son of Shiro and the one who inherited his Crest Abilities, you are the only one who knows how to wield the true Art of Love," Charlotte began, holding her arms under her chest with a smile as she looked at me.

"As you are, you are not ready for any actual missions, so to get you ready, you'll need to use the Art of Love to grow stronger and to do that, you'll need connect with women... spiritually," Charlotte finished, watching as Phroa flew around me to remember my features.

"Connect with women spiritually? What do you mean by that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow with curious expression, titling my head slightly.

Charlotte chuckled lightly, her eyes twinkling with raw enthusiasm. "I mean, to grow stronger you'll have to date women and connect with them deeply. Deeply enough, in fact, to where you manifest a Love Sigil within her."

The term Love Sigil was familiar to me as my mom had one upon her chest, one that would glow a pure light green when she feels a surge of empathy for something or someone. It was ironic, the one emotion I was hiding away the most now becomes my most important.

"It all sounds like a lot now, but once you find your groove, you'll be a master in no time. With that said, I don't want you to just go out there and date, no...find women that you like and pursue them. The Love Sigil has a stronger effect on women you truly love," Charlotte said, walking toward me and gently ran her fingers through my hair.

I looked over at her, feeling her gentle yet flirtatious touch upon my hair, a shiver running down my spine. "That's my first step?"

"Mhm, and to make sure you're well prepared, I want to give you your first test. I want you to manifest a Love Sigil into at least five women by the end of March. Do that, and I'll reward you for your hard work," Charlotte answered, her lips curling into a sweet smile.

The incentive of a reward from Charlotte caused my body to grow slightly tingly with excitement, despite my best ability to stay calm and collected. She could see the excitement in my eyes and let out a soft chuckle, stepping away from me to stand back in front of her desk.

"With that said, I don't want to keep you for too long. If you can't find any woman you like, you can always date one of the many women of this organization although they come with requirements..~" Charlotte finished, her gaze never leaving mine.

I nodded then looked at my phone to check the time, noticing it was almost time for my first class. I looked back at Charlotte and Desiree, giving the both of them a simple smile. "Alright, I'll think about your offer...but for now, I should head to my class. Also, I'll call you when I completed my goal."

Charlotte nodded, watching as I began making my way to the door. "Alright, have fun out there~ Don't go too crazy~"

"Yeah, and be sure to have enough fun for me as well!" Desiree added, chuckling softly at herself.

I gave them both a wave, walking out the office with a smile on my face. I began making my way down the halls toward the elevator, taking a deep breath and exhaled softly. "Alright, five girls right? Shouldn't be too hard..."

"It's harder than you think, Master. You can't just say I love you to a woman after a few dates and expect that to work. You have to get to know a woman in and out, but don't worry, that's where I come in!" Phroa chimed in, floating backwards in front of me, holding her hands behind her back with a wide smile.

"But before we get into that, your first lesson on dating will be about Pick Up! To date a woman, you gotta pick up a woman, so let's head out there and Pick Up a woman!" Phroa said excitedly, floating toward the elevator.

My phone chimed, my screen turning on to catch my attention while I followed Phroa. I looked down at the screen, noticing two notifications appearing on my phone.

〔Initiation Begin: Art of Love - Pick Up!〕

〔Main Objective: Pick Up 1 Woman.〕

〔Reward: Credi +1000〕

'Objectives, huh..? This could be very interesting...' I thought to myself, walking into the elevator with Phroa and slipped my phone into my pocket.

〘Date: 2/7 - Thursday〙

〘Time: 12:15 PM〙

〘Location: Texas, San Antonio - Trinity Valley University〙

After a long drive back to San Antonio, I made it back to the campus 45 minutes before my first class began, enough time to enjoy lunch with Matt and Jaiden. I parked my car in the parking lot, stepping out and began to hurry toward the main campus.

Once I made it to the campus, I trailed my way toward the courtyard, the familiar location now becoming a new place of opportunity for me. As we began to enter a more crowded area, Phroa disappeared into energy particles to hide her presence from others.

〔Phroa: Hey, Master! Look, down here!〕

I felt my phone buzzing rapidly, pulling it out of my pocket and looking down at the screen to see Phroa as her full body pixelated form. I smiled at her, unable to help but to appreciate how cute she looked on my screen.

"So this is how you hide yourself huh..?" I asked lowly, being sure to not attract any unnecessary attention.

〔Phroa: Mhm!~ Alright, once you have your target we'll proceed!〕

I watched as she held up a peace sign toward me, a soft chuckle escaping my lips. "Alright, I'll get back to you soon."

〔Phroa: Okay! Let's not rush into it too fast, we have until the end of March for five women!〕

I nodded, slipping my phone back in my pocket as I began to approach the table with Matt and Jaiden. Once I made it, I gave the two of them a smile. "Yo, what's up."

Matt looked up from his phone, an enthusiastic smile playing on his lips. "Aye, my man Ryder! I bet you had a good 'work out' huh? Just you with the nature's breeze?"

"Yep, and some animals too, thank you," I chuckled softly, taking my seat at the table and set my bag down.

"Whoa, there was a bit of sass in that retort," Jaiden said, letting out a soft laugh.

Matt chuckled softly, setting his phone down on the table. "Looks like our guy might be coming back to us."

〔Charisma EXP +10〕

I felt my phone buzzing, taking it out my pocket and looking down, noticing I was awarded Charisma EXP and rose an eyebrow. I turned my attention to Phroa, who seemed excited to talk to me. I adjusted my earbud, signalling that no one else but I could hear her, noticing her nod excitedly.

〔Phroa: You saw that right? You was awarded EXP, specifically Charisma EXP.〕

〔Phroa: With the Art of Love, you're able to be awared EXP for any action that correspond with a different trait of Love, just as your joke to Matt's response!〕

'Interesting, so I gain EXP for performing a certain action corresponding to a certain trait. I'm assuming I can't just spam this right?' I responded back to Phroa mentally, silently listening in on the conversation with Matt and Jaiden to be sure to respond to them on time.

〔Phroa: There are loopholes around that, but I'm gonna let you find that out on your own.〕

〔Phroa: For now, just know that certain actions award EXP that'll help you grow your skill with the Art!〕

I nodded subtly, returning my attention to Matt and Jaiden. With the new information I learned, I knew what I was going into was even deeper and more strategical than I initially thought.

"So, what are you two up to after classes?" Matt asked, leaning forward against the table.

"Not much really. I'm supposed to be meeting with my producer tomorrow to record a new track, which will be my first actually debut song," Jaiden answered, a proud smile forming on his lips.

"Yes sir, my boy really about to be on the big stages soon! You are already know we're coming to every concert!" Matt said, patting Jaiden on his arm proudly.

"Yeah, that's amazing, Jay! I hope your first song blows up," I praised, an excited smile forming on my lips.

"Thank you, thank you. I hope my song blows up as well, can't wait to record this," Jaiden chuckled softly, checking his phone due to it buzzing.

Matt turned his attention toward me, raising a curious eyebrow at me with a smirk. "What about you? Any plans tonight?"

"Yep, I already know what I'm doing after classes," I answered, my gaze flicking between the two, seeing I've caught their attention.

"Oh? And what might that be? Very rarely you do anything outside of the arcade on your free time," Matt questioned, his curiosity now piqued.

"I'm going to be going on a date tonight," I revealed, my gaze filled with confidence and determination.

After telling them my plans, someone would've thought I told them I blew up the capital of New America, the two of them looking stunned from my answer. Neither of them could believe it, the Ryder Dawn, the man who shut himself off from the Art of Love, going on a date.

"Yes, I'm going on a date, there's no need to be all blown away by the news," I said, scratching the side of my head from confusion.

"No fucking way, the silent bro finally steps up into the Game of Love? I must be dreaming, Jaiden punch me," Matt said, still in disbelief that I decided to add a woman into my equation.

Jaiden chuckled softly at Matt, shaking his head then turned toward me. "Who are you taking out?"

"That, I don't know yet...but I do want to start getting out more," I said, scanning the courtyard for women I would be potentially interested in.

〔Phroa: Plus, you kinda don't have a choice, hehe!〕

I rolled my eyes at Phroa's chime, my eyes landing on my target, a risky challenge known as Jade Dixon, one of the hottest women within our campus, the same woman who rejected me. "I think I might ask out Jade.."

Matt looked back, noticing Jade sitting alone at a table on her phone. He rubbed his hands together, exclaiming excitedly. "Oh yeah, my boy is shooting for the stars. Alright bro, go cook up. Land that date."

"You got this, man. You can pillow her up," Jaiden chuckled, landing a gentle pat upon my arm.

I smiled at Matt's and Jaiden's words of encouragement, standing up from my seat and began to walk toward Jade's table. My heart began to pound nervously, an emotion I'd rarely experience normally.

〔Phroa: Before you engage, there is something you need to know when approaching women.〕

〔Phroa: I am able to analyze a woman's requirements and favorite traits using the Love Reader feature of your phone. Just point your camera at Jade for me to analyze her.〕

I had a slightly bad feeling about what I had to do for Phroa to work her magic, but I knew I had to do it so I could have even a slight chance at not getting rejected a second time. Subtly, I pointed my phone up, but only enough to make it not look like I was taking a picture.

〔Phroa: Got it! And don't worry, without a woman's number in this phone, I can't fully analyze her and it doesn't tell you any of her sensitive information.〕

'That's a relief,' I thought, my focus staying on my phone's screen as I watched Phroa work.

〔Jade's Analysis〕

〔Requirement: Empathy Trait - Level 2, Lust Trait - Level 2〕

〔Jade's Favorite Trait: Empathy〕

〔Succession Rate: 11%〕

'Hm, Level 2 Traits...and a low succession rate? Seems like a total bust before I get the chance,' I thought, my steps becoming more slow as I read the information.

〔Phroa: Indeed, and since you're only Level 1 in all Traits, no amount of smooth talking can land you a date with her. Luckily, there are other fish in the sea!〕

'Rig—' I began, grunting as I bumped into someone due to not paying attention once again.

The woman lightly grunted softly, stumbling backwards, clutching her phone in her hand and finding her balance perfectly and gracefully. She let out a soft exhale, looking ahead at me with a raised eyebrow.

"Ryder?" The woman asked, her tone laced with recognition.

I looked at the woman, immediately recognizing her from my chemistry class. "Oh... Sorry for bumping into you, Paris."

Paris McRoy, one of the most popular women on campus for her beauty, personality, and overall athleticism was a woman of grace, elegance, and talent in her field. She had beautifully light tan skin, long blonde hair with various highlights of pink and blue, and compassionate coal blue eyes.

She wore a white button down shirt, a pink plaid skirt, and white thigh high socks with white and pink tennis shoes to match her clothes. She also had on a pink tie and wore her light blue jacket around her waist with various bracelets and hair ties on her wrists.

〔Paris's Analysis〕

〔Requirement: Charisma Trait - Level 1, Talent Trait - Level 1〕

〔Paris's Favorite Trait: Charisma〕

〔Succession Rate: 72%〕

Glancing at my phone, I noticed Phroa had analyzed Paris during the chaos, seeing I had a pretty high chance of picking her up as a potential partner and date. With much simpler requirements, I decided to use this moment to take the opportunity to break the ice.

"Hey, while I've got you here, I know we don't talk often, but we do share Mr. Robertson's English Class together and I wanted to know if you got his worksheet finished?" I asked, using anything we had in common to break the ice.

"Ugh, I totally forgot about that man's idiotic assignment. I'm sorry, I don't have it finished. I don't think I even started it," Paris sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "My cheerleading practice has been taking a serious toll on my mental."

I smiled at her and shook my head, adjusting the strap of my bag along my shoulder. "No, it's alright. I actually have his assignment done, I just wanted to know if you wanted my answers. I could text them to you."

Paris's jaw dropped at my offer, her eyes shining with gratitude. "Oh my gosh...Ryder, you are literally a life saver!~ Here, put your number in my phone! Hurry!"

I smiled at her gratitude, accepting her phone from her hand and went to her contacts to add my number to her phone. Once it was added, I handed it back to her with a soft chuckle.

Paris took the phone happily, squealing with excitement. She immediately texted me to lock in our numbers in each other's phones. "Ugh, Ryder...you literally just saved me from a mental disaster, you don't understand."

"It's no issue, I'm glad to help you out at any time. I know how much of a pain he can be with his onslaught of work," I said, letting out a soft chuckle, maintaining eye contact with her.

Paris giggled softly, nodding with agreement then looked at her phone to check the time. "We still have some time for lunch...you wanna join me at the food court and help me with the assignment?"

"Sure, I don't mind," I said, happy to join Paris for lunch and to crunch in answers for her assignment within 30 minutes.

"Great!~ Let's get going," Paris said, leading the way toward the food court of the campus.

〔Charisma EXP +50〕

〔Obtained Paris's Number!〕

〔Paris's Analysis〕

Name: Paris McRoy

Age: 19

Birthday: August 9th

Status: Friends

Occupation: T.V. University Student, Cheerleader Captain

Preferred Gift(s): Flowers, Purses

Preferred Trait: Charisma

Hobby: Poetry

Favorite Hangout: World of Literacy Cafe

Matt watched as I walked off with Paris, whistling proudly and clapped his hands, laughing with disbelief and genuine pride. "He went for Jade and managed to pull Tony's ex? Nah, he ain't the son of a God for no reason!"

"Yeah, even I have to admit, that was a nice pick up," Jaiden chuckled softly, watching me and Paris walk toward the food court together.

The two decided to get up and head toward the main building to hang out at the indoor gym together for the last 30 minutes of their lunch to pass the time, the two talking about their own plans for after class.

〔Initiation Begin: Art of Love - Pick Up!〕

〔Main Objective Complete: Pick Up 1 Woman.〕

〔Reward: Credi Earned +1000〕