Missed Opportunity
Neville woke up and met with the same room from his dream—no, scratch that, this wasn't a dream anymore.
A wary smile appeared on his lips, and he rose to stretch.
Ack!
The pain came from his legs.
What's going on? Wasn't he human right now?
[Rise and shine, sleepy head~] The familiar feminine voice was heard directly into his head.
The corner of Neville's mouth twitched at the sound, ignoring the pain in his legs. He waited for the traitor to appear.
The instant Shelly popped out of nowhere in a magical style, Neville instantly grabbed her and mushed her around.
[Host! Have mercy!] Shelly cried.
It seems that Neville could actually grab Shelly.
But as much as he liked this outcome, he couldn't do that out in the open. Since no one could see Shelly, he might end up in a mental hospital due to his unusual behavior. No one could save him from that.
After spending all his morning energy and dopamine crushing Shelly's avatar, Neville suddenly felt weak in the legs.
Phantom pains of his nonexistent mermaid tail were shooting through his nerves. Grabbing the sheets and gritting his teeth to not alarm the robots around, he managed to get a glimpse of Shelly's worried gaze.
Ah, this chibi system is the cause of it all! I shouldn't be suffering if that midget explains just anything!
[Host, are you okay?] Shelly could've chosen to say anything but she still said that.
"What do you think?" Neville couldn't help but grit his teeth and weakly say out loud.
[A-uhm, yeah, lemme get the manual for a second.] Shelly flipped through the system to find a solution. [Uhm, host, it said here that although you're in your human form, you still need energy to maintain it. Since you haven't met your target yet, the system has given you another energy-gathering method. This situation is a little bit complicated, so for good measure, you still need to bathe in seawater. Or at least sprinkle some brine water into your legs, preferably sea salt water.]
While Shelly was reading out loud, Neville was already on his feet, going wherever there was water. After a fish could only survive with water, this logic checks out.
Sea salt? How specific.
In the end, Neville weakly dragged himself to the kitchen. After making a sea salt water solution, he sprinkled a couple of drops to see if it worked. It worked somehow but it seems that the ratio was wrong.
Shelly timely interjected, [Host, the sea salt solution ratio recommended by the manual is 50-50.]
Without hesitation, Neville dumped half the salt in the jar into the bowl and poured a bunch of water into it.
Who measures in times of crisis?!
After pouring all of the solution into his legs, it really eased the pain. However, he was left with a wet mess. An alarmed robot caretaker came over and checked on him.
Neville explained that he was trying to wash a blister and got wet. The robot was a robot after all. It would not care much or check if there was really a blister after the explanation. The robot just reprimanded him and gave him a blister ointment.
He turned around and took a shower.
When he finished, he glanced at the mirror in the bathroom. In his reflection, he was a
Strangely, this look fitted him well.
It was still a good change.
He suddenly recalled something, wasn't his hair back in the ocean long and silver?
But it was just a passing thought, he didn't even bother to ask the system. He just thought that if you wanted to complete a mission without attracting anyone, it was logical to use an appearance that could blend with everyone.
After breakfast, Neville had the time to lie down in his room to re-energize himself and internalize his situation. But it wasn't as peaceful since there was a little midget avatar hovering around him.
He glanced at Shelly and snorted, "What?"
[Uhm, host, you still remember your mission right?] Shelly asked
Neville groaned to answer and didn't say anything further.
Shelly continued, [It's like this, the system initiated a Good Will Sub-System that could gather points for you while you still haven't earned your way to the target's side. Points could be earned in various ways and given the same value.]
Neville had a nagging suspicion that he couldn't help but ask, "Did the system invade my privacy and see that I was a bit 'bad'—to say the least—before?"
[He—hehehe] Shelly could only awkwardly laugh.
Neville ignored Shelly and closed his eyes to rest, but not really, he was thinking.
Although he was used as a human since he didn't spend a lot of time in mermaid form, he still needed to remember that he was a mermaid. Not to mention the need for sea salt water solution, he also needed to exercise his legs so he could walk properly without looking awkward.
Shelly was so quiet that Neville just had to open his eyes and look for her. He saw Shelly staring at the window.
It seemed that there was a commotion downstairs.
"What's going on?" He asked.
Shelly looked at him and didn't know whether to say it or not.
"What is it?" He asked again.
[Uhm, host, if I say it, it might trigger the conditions. You won't make it in time.] Shelly hesitantly said.
"Just say it," Neville ordered.
[Uh, the target seemed to be visiting the orphanage for a donation-giving event.]
With that, Neville bolted out of his room still managing his expression and actions to make it natural.
Looking at the bunch of people around, he squeezed through the crowd, looking like he was a curious passerby.
Although he already knew what was going on, Neville still blurted out, hoping someone around him would answer back, "What's going on?"
A red-haired teenager excitedly replied, "Haven't you heard? Mr. Grayson Maxwell, the CEO of Maxwell Corp is visiting the orphanage today!"
Neville's heart leaped to his throat.
Grayson Maxwell. His target.
The man he was supposed to save to prevent the world-ending fate.
He was here today, in the flesh.
Ding!
Another teenager with brown hair continued, "We're one of the lucky few that he is going to visit personally. He's also making a huge donation!"
"Huge?" Neville inquired.
"Yeah!" both of the teenagers replied.
Another teenager in front commented, "Ah~ How I wish that when I graduated I could enter the corporation."
The red-haired teenager gave the other a friendly slap on the back, "You're dreaming! How can we even compete with those highly educated who came from good backgrounds?"
The brown-haired teenager retorted, "But didn't Mr. Maxwell say that they also accept orphans?"
The red-haired teenager sadly replied, "He did say that, but man, it'll still be hard to enter. We're probably the last option to consider."
The other teenager looked at Neville and exclaimed, "Brother, didn't you just graduate? Are you planning to apply to Maxwell Corp?"
The trio's eyes sparkled in excitement as they waited for his reply.
"W-well," Neville stammered at first but there's only one answer in his situation. "I'll definitely try to apply. After all, there's nothing to lose for people like us, right?" and winked playfully.
The broad smiles were plastered on the faces of the teenagers before they were called by the robot caretakers. They said their goodbyes and asked to not forget them.
When they were out of sight, Neville's smile dropped. He has a problem at hand. Although he could ignore the sound earlier, he couldn't ignore what was written on the holographic screen floating in front of him.
He hadn't even had a glance at Grayson but the system was already eager to issue him a mission.
[Chance Encounter!
Favorability: --.
Side Quest: Leave a good impression on Grayson Maxwell
Target: Grayson Maxwell]
Ha-ha-haa, he didn't even dare to laugh sarcastically out loud.
How could he leave a good impression on someone who was out for business? That's called being a bother!
Neville didn't know what to do with this neurotic system.
Before he could even complain inside, beads of sweat started to form on his forehead. His legs needed to be soaked in brine solution again.
It's just an hour. Haa, I really need to make some progress whether I like it or not.
He was about to walk back to his room to change when he saw Grayson through the window. The director led Grayson to the director's office.
Wait, we actually have a director?
Make sense, since someone needed to maintain and guide those cold metals.
A life is still a life.
Neville quickly sneaked his way to follow them.
——
A bunch of black-suited, bulky men and cold, sleek women stood straight, guarding the front door of the director's office. Since he was just going to peek into the conversation, Neville decided to sneak outside and duck in the window.
Inside the Director's Office.
The director was a typical cliché kind of character seen mostly in Western movies. A strict woman who always had a tight bun as a hairstyle and cat-eyed glasses that could probably stab you if you decided to attack her.
Unlike her strict appearance, her voice was so soft that it could be a lullaby to babies. She served a drink to Grayson before sitting across from him.
She greeted, "We greatly appreciate your huge donation, Mr. Maxwell. We're honored to have you here."
Grayson nodded but didn't say anything. He just looked at the director wondering why he was called over to her office.
The director didn't beat around the bush and said, "Although we appreciate your generosity, I'd like to ask you for a favor."
"Please," Grayson replied.
"You see, a lot of our kids get essentially disposed of to the world the moment they come of age. Even with proper care, people can still become crooked." The director's expression contorted as if remembering something unpleasant.
"I'm aware." It seemed that Grayson also knew what she was talking about.
The director was relieved and continued, "Well then, can I trust that you would really stick to your words?"
Grayson didn't say anything and the atmosphere almost turned cold. After a while, he took the cup in front of him and drank.
He said, "Our place is always open, and welcome to have them. It's just up to them to seek the opportunity."
The director instantly understood his stance but still pushed, "You know that wasn't easy, Mr. Maxwell. If it was, I wouldn't be talking to you like this."
Grayson put down the cup that didn't even touch his lips and closed his eyes, "I understand."
The director looked unsure but couldn't do anything more about this situation. She could only change the subject and eventually lead Grayson out of the orphanage.
While going out, Grayson seemed to have smelled something and turned around. Neville thought he was spotted eavesdropping therefore he hurriedly ran out from his spot.
A few seconds after he left, Grayson indeed looked at the place he had been hiding.
The director was puzzled but didn't say anything. Grayson acted like nothing had happened and walked out of the orphanage.
Ding!
[Missed Encounter!
Favorability: --.
New Side Quest: Obtain employment at Maxwell Corporation Headquarters.
Target: Grayson Maxwell]
Neville almost wanted to slap himself in the past.
How could he forget that he needed to make a good impression on Grayson?
But looking at how the other holographic quest hasn't dissolved into oblivion, Neville hurriedly went after Grayson to rectify the situation.
Plak!
Neville tripped on his feet. His legs were wobbly because of the position he maintained while eavesdropping.
Damn, legs! Ugh, how unsightly!
He was only glad that no one saw him tripping, else he needed a hole to bury himself in embarrassment.
Neville took a deep breath. This time he didn't try to run. It didn't matter if he didn't make it. After all, the system had already figured out that he wouldn't make it and made a contingency plan.
Sure enough, when he got close, Grayson's hover car already flew mid-air and away to the orphanage.
The hiding Shelly showed itself and worriedly went around Neville.
[Don't worry, host. There are still other chances to increase favorability!] Shelly said cheerfully.
That's right. However—
Neville looked at his aching feet.
Right, even if there's no progress in the main quest, there's still the sub-system.
Neville quickly had Shelly pull out the other quest that popped up earlier. Reading it properly this time, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
Employment? To Maxwell Corps?
Are you kidding me?