Hugo stepped out of the bathroom, steam rolling out behind him like he was so kind of action hero erging from an epic battle.
Only instead of a battlefield, it was just a hot shower, and instead of victory, he was still facing the war called Lisa.
A cheap towel hung low around his waist, and water dripped from his freshly washed hair, dampening the carpet. He sniffed his arm cautiously and gave an approving nod.
"Alright," he muttered, giving himself a whiff. "Fresh. Clean. No funky soap sll. We're off to a good start. No way Lisa's gonna turn down because I sll like budget lavender or weird cucumber body wash."
He paused, catching sight of himself in the mirror. For a mont, he froze, staring at his reflection.
His muscles, though modest, were way more defined than they'd ever been. His jawline looked sharper, his skin clearer, and he wasn't even imagining it.
The stats boost he'd spent so many hours grinding for was working seriously!
"Damn," he whispered, running a hand through his wet hair like he was in so shampoo comrcial.
"Who is this guy? Oh wait, it's . The new and improved Hugo. I used to be a sad two, maybe a three if the lighting was forgiving. But now? I'm a solid six, baby!" He flexed awkwardly, then grinned.
"No, scratch that. With the bonus from the titty studs, I'm pushing seven territory. Eat your heart out, Collins. The post-system glow-up is real!"
He struck another ridiculous pose in front of the mirror, but his confidence quickly wavered. "Yeah, but… what's the point if Lisa's not into ? Stats can't fix rejection."
He sighed dramatically, slapping his cheeks to snap himself out of it. "Nope, no more doubting. Tonight's the night. Lisa's gonna see . She's gonna want . Ga on!"
Grabbing a plain blue shirt and so jeans, he threw them on, making sure everything looked neat.
He even did a quick spin in the mirror for good asure. Satisfied, Hugo made his way to the door but froze with his hand on the handle.
His heart was thumping like a bass drum, and suddenly, all his confidence felt like it was leaking out of his shoes.
"What if Lisa's not in the mood?" he whispered to himself. "What if she's tired? Or worse, what if she's annoyed?" He swallowed hard. "Co on, Hugo, what's the worst that could happen?"
Then, answering his own question, he muttered, "She could slam the door in my face. Or laugh at . Or call her friends over to laugh at . Or—oh, God—what if she's in there with soone else?"
He groaned, slapping his forehead. "Nope, nope. Can't think like that. Get it together."
He squared his shoulders, took a deep breath, and muttered, "Alright, Hugo. You're not a coward. You're a seven, rember? Ti to shine!"
He opened the door and stepped out, only to be hit by the stench of sweaty bodies, spilled booze, and what slled like a questionable amount of garlic dip.
The mansion's corridor was alive with partygoers, and the chaos had spilled beyond the main rooms.
A couple of shirtless guys were chugging beer in a corner, while two girls—one wearing bunny ears—were taking selfies against a wall decorated with fairy lights.
"Classy," Hugo muttered under his breath as he navigated through the crowd.
The noise was deafening, a mix of laughter, music, and soone yelling, "Chug! Chug! Chug!" in the distance.
Hugo grimaced, trying not to bump into anyone. "This isn't a party. This is a circus. No, wait—it's worse than a circus. At least circuses have animals with self-control."
He finally made it to the pool area and scanned the crowd. "Lisa, Lisa, where are you?" he whispered, his eyes darting around.
He didn't really believe she wanted to rest, not with the party in full swing. "She's gotta be here sowhere..."
But after a few minutes of searching, it hit him: she wasn't there. Hugo blinked, standing awkwardly near the pool as reality sunk in.
"Wait… she actually went to rest? She wasn't lying?" He scratched the back of his head, confused. "But who does that? Who skips a party this wild just to nap? Lisa, apparently."
He started wandering through the mansion, asking random people if they'd seen her.
Most of the responses were useless. One guy was too busy chugging from a bottle, and another girl just giggled and stumbled off.
Finally, a girl with glitter sared across her cheeks pointed upstairs.
"Oh, Lisa? She's in her room on the top floor," she slurred, holding onto a cocktail glass like it was the love of her life.
Hugo blinked. "Her room? Seriously?" He sighed and headed for the stairs. "Alright. Top floor it is. Let's see if she's really 'resting.'"
The climb felt longer than it should've, mostly because his nerves were going haywire. By the ti he reached her door, he felt like he'd run a marathon.
The hallway was eerily quiet compared to the chaos downstairs, and Hugo found himself standing in front of her door, hesitating again.
He pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear anything. "What if she's… y'know… not alone?" he whispered to himself.
His imagination imdiately spiralled into wild, terrible scenarios that he quickly shook off.
But he heard nothing—no voices, no suspicious noises. "Phew," he breathed, stepping back. "Thank the demons. That would've been… devastating."
Still, he wasn't sure what to say when she opened the door. "She already told she's not interested," he muttered, pacing back and forth.
"What am I supposed to do? Walk in and say, 'Hey, I know you said no, but hear out?' Ugh, stupid."
He tried to think of excuses. "I could say I forgot sothing in here? No, wait, I've never even been in here. Maybe… maybe I just go with honesty? No, bad idea. Too risky."
Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in his head, and he snapped his fingers. "You know what? Screw it. I'm just gonna bla it on the joint. Yep. The joint made do it. Perfect excuse."
With that ridiculous plan in mind, Hugo squared his shoulders, grabbed the handle, and swung the door open. "Alright, Lisa, ready or not, here cos Hugo!"
_____
Power stone Goal!
50 PS - 1 Bonus chapter
100 PS - 2 Bonus chapter
200 PS (Quite an achievent as of now) - 3 Bonus chapters.
Magic Castle - 20 Bonus Chapters!
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