Another Upgrade

Riku stepped out of the cab, the warm Sunday morning sun trailing behind him as he unlocked his apartment door. The weekend had already taken an unexpected turn, and even now, the memory of her lips, her warmth, the glint inbeginning.... it was all still lingering. But she had made her choice clear.

"I'll go alone," she'd said, adjusting her coat, avoiding his eyes. "Kenji will be suspicious if he sees you there. I... I need to handle this without adding more fuel to the fire."

He didn't press. She had a point. Her husband, Kenji, was already in shadows, beaten up and sent on a flight home like discarded luggage. Something was brewing behind the curtain, and Fuyumi, sharp as ever, wanted to play it smart. So, Riku respected her choice.

He tossed his keys on the small tray by the entrance and dropped onto the couch with a deep sigh. The silence of the apartment hit him hard. Stillness, after the storm. There was a time when that silence comforted him, but now it felt different. Too quiet.

He texted her.

Riku: Let me know once you're with him. Don't go alone if something feels off.

He saw the "read" notification, but no reply yet. Maybe she was driving.

Riku stood up and walked to the small setup he had for work. His laptop flickered to life. It was almost noon, time to check in on his investments. Not just the digital ones, but also... everything else.

But first, back to his routine. He brewed himself a black coffee, the aroma helping to settle his thoughts. He sipped slowly, trying not to let his mind drift to the taste of her, or the weight of her on him.

He shook his head and clicked through his files.

Something about Fuyumi had changed his rhythm. She made him care. Made him worry. Made him think more than he had in years.

He stared at his phone again. Still no reply.

He messaged her again.

Riku: All good?

This time, she replied within seconds.

Fuyumi: He's conscious. Injured bit not so heavy and angry. Not telling me anything about where he was and what happened, or who hit him. They just dropped him at the airport like trash.

Riku: That doesn't feel random. Someone sent a message.

Fuyumi: I know. I need to think. We'll talk later.

Riku: Don't worry about it. Handle what you need to. I'll be here.

He closed the laptop.

It was Sunday. The streets outside were calm, and the late summer breeze played with the curtains. He leaned back on the couch, finally letting his body relax.

He didn't know what tomorrow would bring, or who was behind the beating, or how far things would spiral.

But for now, he had time. Time to think. To plan.

And to wait.

Because whatever storm was coming, he had no intention of staying on the sidelines.

___

The wall clock ticked slowly past 6 PM.

Seven days.

Exactly.

He pulled up the system screen.

[Investment Tracker: RTX-TF]

[Status: Cycle Complete. View Results?]

He tapped.

A smooth animation opened the dashboard. The once-blue bar now glowed a steady gold.

[Initial Investment: ¥1,200,000]

[Duration: 7 Days]

[Current Value: ¥12,870,000]

[ROI: +974%]

[Net Profit: ¥11,670,000]

He froze.

Nearly thirteen million yen.

His heart didn't skip, it pounded. He wasn't used to seeing more than two zeroes next to his name.

He scrolled further.

[Price Movement Summary]

Day 1: Drop of 3%

Day 2: Flatline

Day 3: Spike begins

Day 4: Surge triggered by acquisition leak

Day 5–6: Uptrend maintained

Day 7: Market stabilization

[Your Position: Sold at peak. Auto-sync success.]

[Funds Deposited: ¥12,870,000]

[Note: RTX-TF now considered high-risk. Further investment not advised.]

___

Riku let out a breath he didn't know holding and slumped back into the cushions, shoulders sinking deep. That wasn't luck. That was real. He'd played it right, trusted the system, took the risk, and now… this.

He opened his bank app.

¥12,870,000 sat there. Clean. Withdrawable. His.

He wasn't surviving anymore.

He was playing a new game now.

His mind flicked through possibilities, startup capital, a place of his own, leverage in deals, or maybe insurance for when shit inevitably hit the fan again.

This wasn't freedom.

It was options.

And now? Time to see what else the system had for him.

He tapped the glowing blue tab.

___

[E-Cap Summary Available – Tap to View]

"Let's see how last night and today paid off."

The screen shifted.

[Total E-Cap Earned: +1960]

[MP Gained: +19.6]

[Previous MP: 0.2]

[Current MP Balance: 19.8]

Riku raised an eyebrow.

"Almost 2,000 points in one damn day," he muttered. "She's my lucky charm."

He let out a dry chuckle. The system didn't shy away from rewarding tension, or taboo. But he wasn't here to moralize. He was here to win.

He straightened up, fingers cracking.

"System," he murmured.

[MIDNIGHT SYSTEM – STATUS PANEL]

[Host: Riku Asano]

Focus: 10

Charisma: 10

Stamina: 10

Libido: 10

Composure: 10

[Available MP: 19.8]

[Allocate MP to Core Stats?]

Riku stared at the glowing interface, his thumb hovering over the allocation screen. The apartment was silent except for the low hum of his laptop's fan and the distant murmur of Sunday evening traffic.

19.8 MP. Nearly twenty points of raw potential, distilled from tension, desire, and calculated risks.

He decided to allocate 3 points to each stat in one go.

[15 MP Allocated → Focus +3, Charisma +3, Stamina +3, Libido +3, Composure +3]

The familiar surge washed through him, stronger this time, layered, richer. Like five instruments striking a single chord, each note distinct but perfectly in tune.

His body responded instantly. Shoulders loosened. Breath deepened. His spine straightened without effort, as if gravity itself now respected him. The sluggish tension of the weekend dissolved into clean, humming energy beneath his skin.

Thoughts sharpened. Posture aligned. Presence expanded.

There was heat too, controlled, quiet, and potent. Not raw lust, but magnetism. The kind that lived in a glance, a subtle shift in tone, the confidence to hold still and let the world adjust around him.

Emotion didn't vanish, it calmed. Everything that once felt overwhelming now felt... navigable. Manageable. His system didn't just upgrade him. It refined him.

He moved without thinking, yet everything was deliberate. Every part of him, mind, body, instinct, was in sync.

Riku looked at himself in the mirror and smiled.

Not newer.

Not someone else.

Just… more of who he really was.

___

[STAT UPGRADE COMPLETE]

Focus: 13

Charisma: 13

Stamina: 13

Libido: 13

Composure: 13

[Remaining MP: 4.8]

___

He exhaled again. But this time, deeper.

Every upgrade felt like brushing dust off a mirror, his thoughts clearer, his breathing steadier, his posture instinctively aligned.

The system didn't just change him.

It tuned him.

He scrolled down.

[Skills]

[Primordial Alpha – On Cooldown ]

[Body Sculpt (Passive)]

[Voice of Velvet (Passive)]

[Posture Protocol (Passive)]

[Microexpression Mastery (Passive)]

Still the same skill set. No new unlocks, but every passive was pulling weight already. He could feel it when he walked into a room. When he spoke. When she looked at him a beat too long.

He shut the panel.

The glow faded.

The room fell quiet again, but not empty. This time, the silence was earned. Not the kind that screamed loneliness, but the kind that came after you made a move.

Riku didn't smile often.

But he did now.

Just a small one.

This wasn't luck.

This was just the beginning.