The aftermath of the "Strawberry Boxer Incident" was glorious. Kenji had been dragged to the counselor's office, sobbing, while the rest of the class was in a state of high-pitched gossip. Akira sat at his desk, his fingers tracing the cool metal of the pocket watch.
[Current Shameless Points: 350] [New Skill: Object Isolation (Active)]
He needed to test it. And there was only one person worth testing it on.
Haruka, the Class President, was standing by the window, her face still slightly flushed from the chaos. She was staring at the chalkboard, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. She was smart—too smart. She knew Kenji was an idiot, but he wasn't a magician. Someone had moved that chalk.
Akira took a deep breath. Let's see if I can handle the cost.
CLICK.
The world turned to stone. The chatter died instantly. [14 Seconds Remaining].
Akira walked up to Haruka. He stood directly in front of her, so close he could see the reflection of the gray sky in her frozen pupils. He reached out and touched her shoulder.
[ACTIVATE: OBJECT ISOLATION?] [COST: 50 POINTS PER SECOND]
"Yes," Akira whispered.
Suddenly, color bled back into Haruka's skin. Her eyes blinked, focusing on the boy standing inches from her face. She gasped, her hands flying to her chest.
"A-Akira?!" she stammered, looking around. She saw the students frozen mid-gesture, a bird stuck in the air outside the window. "What... what is this? Why is everyone still?"
"Welcome to my world, President," Akira said, his voice trembling slightly. This was the most 'shameless' he had ever felt—standing in a world of statues with the girl of his dreams.
"Did you do this?" she asked, her voice trembling. "The chalk... the pants... it was you?"
[05 Seconds Remaining]. [WARNING: SHAMELESS POINTS DROPPING RAPIDLY!]
"I'm just a guy tired of being poor and pushed around," Akira said, giving her a small, mysterious smirk. "Consider this a secret between us. If you tell anyone... well, I might have to freeze you in a much more embarrassing position next time."
"You... you pervert!" Haruka's face turned redder than Akira had ever seen it. But she didn't scream. She looked at him with a mix of fear and strange fascination.
[01 Second Remaining].
CLICK.
Time slammed back into gear.
"—and that's why Kenji is done for!" a student finished their sentence, unaware that a whole conversation had just happened.
Haruka stood frozen for a different reason now. She stared at Akira, who was already back at his desk, buried in a textbook. She touched her shoulder where he had gripped her.
[SHAMELESS POINTS EARNED: +500] [REASON: Successfully intimidating and intriguing a high-tier target.]
Akira smiled behind his book. He wasn't just a scavenger anymore. He was a player. And the game was just getting started.