My Scumbag System - Chapter 255

Chapter 255: The Mouse, The Fox, and The Wolf Deciding Which One to Hunt
As we entered the heart of the Forge Quarter, a wall of sensory bombardment slammed into us. The air was thick with the smell of hot metal and cooling oil while a relentless cacophony of hammer strikes and grinding wheels echoed between buildings. Students from other academies moved in tight groups, many wearing their academy colors like badges of honor or territorial markings.

Carmen stopped in front of a massive screen displaying a rotating map of the district and without warning shoved a datapad into my hands.

“Here’s a list of the academy-approved smiths,” she said while already looking bored with the entire excursion. “They know you’re coming. Don’t wander off.” Her gaze shifted to Juan, who was leaning against a nearby wall with his eyes half-closed. “Juan, you’re with me.”

Juan’s eyes snapped open in alarm. “Why me? I was gonna take a nap on that bench.”

“Because I need someone to carry my drinks and you’re the least useful here.” Carmen grabbed his arm with surprising strength for someone who looked half-dead from a hangover. “Consider this your cardio for the day.”

“This is why my therapist says I have trust issues,” Juan muttered as Carmen dragged him away toward what looked like a bar district.

I turned to find myself alone with my three potential targets.

Fantastic. Just what I needed. Three girls and a ticking clock.

“Alright. First stop, weapons. Then armor.” I pointed at Skylar, who was already sliding her headphones on. “Then, if we have time, we can hit the music shop.”

Her indigo eyes narrowed dangerously. “Don’t patronize me. I know what I need and it’s not your permission.”

“Noted.” I glanced at the datapad while scanning through the list. “There’s a place called Hephaestus’s Hammer two blocks north. Apparently they specialize in custom gear for combat-focused Aspects.”

Emi bounced on her toes with her blue hair bobbing with the motion. “Let’s go, let’s go! I want to see everything!” Her enthusiasm was almost painfully innocent, and I found myself wondering if she’d ever actually been shopping outside her small hometown before coming to the academy.

Soomin clutched the straps of her backpack tighter while her eyes darted nervously at the crowd. “D-do you think it will be very crowded?”

I placed a hand gently on Soomin’s shoulder and was careful not to startle her. “Just stay close. I’ll make sure you don’t get separated.”

Her pink hair fell forward as she nodded, but I caught the slight color in her cheeks. She was warm under my palm, and I felt her heartbeat quicken slightly at the contact.

Point for me. Physical touch was clearly a weakness I could exploit.

The walk to Hephaestus’s Hammer took longer than expected as we navigated through streets packed with students and professional Hunters and tourists who had no business being in a weapons district. By the time we reached the storefront, an impressive two-story building with a facade of polished black stone and a neon hammer logo, I’d already mapped out three potential kiss scenarios and rejected all of them as too forced.

Timing mattered. Context mattered. If Aphrodite wanted genuine passion, I’d have to manufacture a situation that felt natural while still being entirely under my control.

A bell chimed overhead as we entered. Unlike the grimy workshop aesthetic of many stores we’d passed, Hephaestus’s Hammer was sleek and modern. Illuminated glass displays housed weapons of all types from traditional blades to esoteric Aspect-attuned catalysts that hummed with barely contained power. A short barrel-chested man with impressive burn scars covering his forearms approached us immediately.

“Academy kids, right? Got the notification you’d be coming.” His eyes scanned our group with the practiced assessment of someone who’d been sizing up customers for decades. “Onyx Hounds. Been a while since we’ve had any of your lot in here. Most don’t make it past first semester.” He grinned while revealing a gold tooth. “I’m Garrick. What’re you looking for today?”

While Emi immediately darted toward the archery section like a kid in a candy store, I focused on scanning the accessories. I didn’t need a primary weapon since the Gacha would provide something better than anything I could buy here, but mana-enhancing accessories were always useful. Something to boost my reserves or regeneration rate would complement my current loadout perfectly.

I moved toward a display of rings and bracers while examining each for potential utility. Behind me I could hear Emi’s excited voice as she discovered the bows.

“Oh! This one’s beautiful!”

I glanced over my shoulder. Emi had picked up a sleek silver-wood recurve bow with delicate blue inlays that matched her hair perfectly, and the way she held it made it look like the weapon had been crafted specifically for her. The shopkeeper had migrated over to watch with professional interest as she instinctively fell into a proper stance and drew the string back to her cheek.

Her form was perfect. I’d trained her well.

“The bow chooses the archer, little lady,” Garrick said while his gruff voice softened slightly. “And that one seems to like you.”

Emi’s face lit up with pure joy, and her cheeks flushed pink with pleasure at the praise. The blush spread down her neck and disappeared beneath the collar of her shirt, and I found myself tracking that line of color with more interest than I should have.

Focus, damn it.

Emi would be the easiest target for Aphrodite’s quest. She was already warm to me and eager to please, and she trusted my judgment implicitly. A kiss would be easy to orchestrate with her. Just pull her aside, compliment her progress, let the moment build naturally. She’d probably melt into it.

But something about that calculation felt hollow. It would be too transactional and too much like giving a dog a treat for performing a trick. High probability of success, sure, but low on the genuine passion metric the quest required. Aphrodite would probably see through it in an instant and then I’d be stuck with a month of social impotence anyway.

My gaze drifted to Soomin, who wandered aimlessly through the aisles while looking completely lost. She picked up a pair of reinforced gauntlets and examined them with a frown before putting them back down. She moved to a display of combat boots and ran her fingers over the leather, then walked away with a sigh that carried more frustration than someone her age should feel.

She didn’t know what she needed because she didn’t know who she was.

Was she buying for the mouse or for the fox?