Love Addict's RPG Ch. 51 (Patreon)

Wednesday, February 21st

It was as if Oliver closed his eyes, drifted off, and transitioned smoothly into the next day in a few short seconds. He awoke at ten in the morning, still in the same state of utter bliss he found himself in the night before. His worries were distant memories, and Oliver felt all was right in the world. His head was clear and empty as a bright blue sky, save for one recurring thought refusing to leave him alone- Mia.

Oliver smiled throughout his morning routine, thinking of her every few seconds. Drinking his morning coffee. Mia. Making the breakfast that Bradley planned for him. Mia. Brushing his teeth. Mia, Mia, Mia.

Whenever he thought he couldn't fall for her even more than he already had, Oliver somehow managed to stumble into an entirely new level of 'down bad' that shouldn't have been possible. He wanted to show her his appreciation for their amazing night and was already formulating ways to spoil her. Oliver came up with a pretty good one after searching on his phone for a little bit, then decided to go and get it for her after getting dressed.

It'd be hard to focus on art like he wanted while thoughts of spoiling Mia were rushing through his head, so he thought it best to just get it out of the way before anything else today. It's not like it disrupted his schedule when fast traveling made errands so much easier, anyway. He warped across the city just like that to a store he'd never been to, then sat in his car for a few moments after arriving.

While a good idea on paper, Oliver underestimated how embarrassing it would be to step inside. His nerves got the best of him for several minutes before enough was enough. Not wanting to sit in his car all day and squander his free time, Oliver forced himself to do this.

It turned out he was worried over nothing, and there was no real reason to be afraid. It was just a store, only a big deal if he made it one. The thing he was looking for was easy to find, and they even had an unexpected service available when he brought it to the counter which saved him an additional trip. Checkout was quick and painless, and the receptionist did not bother him by asking any questions besides the required name.

Oliver was in and out in under fifteen minutes.

---Item gained Mia's present, description/image is vague ---

Now that he'd taken care of the persistent urge to spoil his girlfriend and returned home, Oliver was ready to start his spark training. He'd been so focused on strength that everything else had fallen badly behind, and he hadn't even lifted a finger to try and raise his smarts yet. That was the thing with sandboxes; you always had so many options for what to do that some inevitably fell to the wayside.

Even so, smarts could wait for some other day. Spark was much more likely to be relevant with Mia, and that took precedence before anything else. Oliver drew for three hours straight in his last session and wanted to match that, if not exceed it.

Still getting a feel for the basics, Oliver spent the first two hours at his coffee table following instructional videos as he continued drawing whatever popular characters popped up in the tutorials. His hand was shaky, if less so than his last session. He stopped briefly to take a break and stretch out at the two-hour mark, then opted for something unorthodox.

Oliver spent another two hours drawing without training wheels, going totally freehand. The difference between his art when following instructions and doing it himself was laughable, though not disparaging. It helped that he wasn't taking this as seriously as an actual artist. Instead, he treated the entire thing as a fun little way to spend the day.

All kinds of things found their way into his sketchbook. A selection of his favorite dating sim heroines, people he knew in real life, some Kanemon, a couple of Hellagers, about four obligatory sketches of Mia, and more. These were crude facsimiles using only his memory as reference, but Oliver enjoyed himself while making them.

He had so much fun drawing that he did it for an hour longer than he planned, a decision which ultimately worked in his favor after finishing up his last sketch at a quarter past two.

Filled with creative satisfaction, Oliver sat down his pencil, cleaned his workstation, stretched out, and relaxed on his bed. He was proud of himself for taking the first steps towards improving at a new hobby he never would've thought to pick up if it weren't for his powers. An added bonus of understanding how fun drawing could be was how it made him feel closer to Mia.

She must've worked really hard to get as good as she is...

Oliver frowned, remembering how there was a tier one skill he could buy that would instantly improve his drawing skills. The thought of skipping ahead in a way that would trivialize all the effort Mia went through to get where she was didn't sit right with him. He didn't care so much about using skills to improve in other regards, but he knew he'd feel scummy if he did it for drawing.

If one of Mia's future Heart Locks was tied to his spark stat, Oliver decided to resolve it by buying non-drawing related spark skills or grinding the hard way. He wouldn't cheapen something that was such a big part of who Mia was, and that was that.

Oliver still had time to burn before his fight at six. Having just finished training up another stat, he wanted to do something that wasn't related to stats, heroines, or skills to genuinely chill for an hour or two. After making his lunch, he thus broke out his Odyssey to spend some time developing his Hellage, allowing the tranquil game to carry him off into another pleasant meditative trance involving catching devil fish and paying tribute to Satan.

It was half past four when he put the game down and finally allowed himself to focus on the coming fight. He wanted to take care of one slight annoyance before it was time, and that was how close he was to affording another tier one skill. He only needed five LP to earn another edge in battle, and Oliver would've been foolish not to somehow get it.

It wouldn't be that hard, provided Oliver could handle some mild discomfort, which he figured he most certainly could. The question at hand was how should he even spin this to her? He thought about it for a few seconds before reaching the obvious conclusion- he'd use her number for the reason she gave it to him.

Oliver dressed in his bathroom, donning his fight clothes and lacing up his boots. He looked in the mirror, reaffirming himself with, "You can do this," for good luck. "You're gonna fight a big scary Mexican dude with an eyepatch in half an hour. If you're gonna be nervous about something, be nervous about that, dumbass!"

Somewhat emboldened, Oliver got his phone ready, propping it on the bookshelf in the main room. He set it on a timer, adopted his fighting stance, and took his second-ever selfie. It was more nerve-wracking than the first, thanks to its intended destination.

Oliver typed up a message, attached the photo, and hovered his thumb on the send button for several agonizing moments before growing a pair and getting it over.

---

Oliver:
How's this outfit look
Stylish or nah?

---

He then sat around waiting for a reply while a hornet's nest buzzed around in his stomach. It took a couple minutes, every single one of them adding to his anxiety. Oliver nearly jumped when his phone went off.

---

Stacy:
Huh...
Speaking honestly? It suits you a lot more than I'd have guessed~!
Would've been funny to see you in that get-up when you still had your emo hair, though c:

---

Oliver's heart rate spiked as he stared at Stacy's reply. There was a strange satisfaction in seeing it that he was becoming uncomfortably familiar with, but mostly he couldn't get over how surreal it was that the girl who bullied him into switching schools so long ago had just sent him a fucking 'c:'. He hated how cute it was but didn't get to stew on it for long.

---

Stacy:
What's going on, hon?
I took the day off so I'm a bit out of the loop >.>

Oliver:
Long story short I have to beat up one of Mia's brothers in a boxing match later tonight or else they're gonna be assholes about us dating

Stacy:
Uh...

Oliver:
It's a whole thing *sigh*

Stacy:
No doubt :C
If these are the same guys I'm thinking about, then I'm pretty sure I saw them picking her up after school a few times...
Identical twins... six feet tall... made out of muscle... one of them's got an eyepatch, I think?

Oliver:
Yep, that would be them...

Stacy:
You don't say.
So, like...
Do you expect to pull this off, or what?

Oliver:
Not like I have a choice, but honestly, yeah
I think I have a pretty good shot

Stacy:
Interesting...
Where are you guys having this match?
What time?

---

Oliver became increasingly nervous as the conversation steered toward an unexpected direction. He'd been tempted to stop replying sooner, but a sense of awkward politeness had kept him from doing so, which he still couldn't break. For whatever reason, he ended up telling Stacy.

---

Oliver:
6 at a boxing gym called Contact Mike's, why?

Stacy:
Because this sounds like it'll be fun, silly.
I actually know that place~! It's only a few streets away from my yoga class which just so happens to be at 7.
Since I'm already gonna be in the neighborhood, would it bother you if I showed up?

Oliver:
Depends
You're not planning on breaking out your old pompoms, are you?

Stacy:
>:3
Tempting, but no.
I only did cheerleading for two years and I don't have it in me anymore... v.v
Anywayyy~
Don't wanna step on any toes, so just let me know if I'm not welcome.

---

Oliver wanted to tell her she wasn't, but the strangest thing happened when he tried typing it out. Ghosts must have possessed his thumbs or something because they put down the opposite of what his brain wanted.

---

Oliver:
Bradley is going to be there, too, so I don't think it'd be that weird?

Stacy:
Good to know, but not really what I meant.
You still kinda freak out around me, and I don't want you losing just because I'd be on the sidelines or whatever... ^^;

---

Who even was this person? Oliver blushed for some fucking reason as he took in Stacy's words. He tried considering why he was reacting this way and concluded he didn't see Stacy as herself via text. She could've been any random girl, and that bothered him. Mostly because he couldn't get the thought that Stacy sounded cute like this out of his head.

The solution was easy; he just had to tell her, 'Yeah, you might have a point,' but those damn thumb ghosts were as persistent as they were nonexistent.

---

Oliver:
It's fine, if you really want to show up then I don't think it'd bother me
I should probably start getting ready, though
See you later?

Stacy:
Sure thing~!
Byeeeee

---

The nightmare was over and Oliver was free of the trance which kept him glued to his phone. He took the opportunity to brush some sweat off his brow, reflecting on what the hell just happened. Oliver's main takeaway was that texting Stacy was much easier than expected, and he didn't know how he'd been swept into inviting her so quickly. Probably the 'thinking she was cute' thing, but if he didn't push that out of his mind for the time being, there was no telling what other strange thoughts would worm their way in.

I need to talk to Mia about this... Oliver thought, opening their chat log and starting to text his girlfriend. She'd help him make heads or tails of his feelings or at least help him refocus on what was important.

---

Oliver:
Hey, Mia?
I just did something really weird right now and I'm not sure how it happened

Mia:
wat up
u ok? do I need to tell my bros we're rescheduling

Oliver:
No, we're still on
I just sort of texted Stacy to ask her about my outfit and somehow ended up inviting her to the match tonight

Mia:
lol

Oliver:
Just lol?

Mia:
how else am I supposed to react, silly
did u want me to grill u bout why u were asking her opinion in the 1st place instead

Oliver:
No, just the whole thing felt really weird to me and idk why I did it

Mia:
and now ur feelin guilty about it so u immediately text me, huh?
were u flirting with her, sir?

---

Oliver was beginning to feel like he'd made a colossal mistake. Mia was clearly having fun with this, teasing him in her weird way. Should've expected as much.

---

Oliver:
Of course not

Mia:
then what's the big deal?
the more the merrier
is she gonna bring her pompoms

Oliver:
No, I asked lol...
I guess I was just worried you would be mad that I said she could come

Mia:
I'm not, but it's sweet of u to be concerned
u want my definitive opinion on the matter so u can calm down or what

Oliver:
Yes please, my head has too many thoughts in it and I need you to beat out all the stupid ones

Mia:
poor bb
Look
ur prolly freakin out again bcuz stacy is not the monster u remember and the emotional side of u has caught on to this before logical side can accept it
brain says 'no, stacy = bad'
heart says 'yes, stacy = okay and also kinda cute'
that sound about right?

Oliver:
...Yes, very
Except for the last part

Mia:
think I'm right including the last part lol
let me reiterate what I've already told u
1. not a jealous person
2. chatting with stacy and overcoming ur shit w/ her is prolly good for u and I approve
so stop worrying for for now, we'll sort it all out eventually
in a little over an hour u have a very stupid man to beat up so I'd suggest u get rdy
gonna go do so myself
see u in a bit, mi amor

---

There was no denying Oliver was a mental train wreck and that he was worrying about things he didn't need to be. Mia might not have helped him how he wanted, but it was silly to expect she'd be able to when he didn't even know what kind of advice he wanted from her. Feelings were confusing, and Oliver hated them. Oliver realized it would've been easier if she didn't want him talking to Stacy. As of now, it felt like his strange feelings were being encouraged, and that only added to his discomfort.

Even so, he had to trust Mia and not worry about this. He got what he wanted from his interaction with Stacy, anyway- five LP. Oliver could now sneak in one last skill before his fight and already had a good idea of what to invest in. One of his remaining problems, aside from his lack of punching power, was that his body had trouble keeping up with Hyper Reflexes. Eliminating this weakness would increase his ability to stall things and improve his evasiveness.

Oliver turned to a skill called Fancy Footwork Lv. 1 and went straight for it.

Fancy Footwork Lv. 1

Never let anyone claim you have two left feet ever again. Your overall agility becomes somewhat greater than the average man and your dexterity improves to go along with it, allowing for more precise movement than ever before. +1 to strength

The reaction was swift, taking place over a couple of seconds. His legs felt lighter as vitality filled them full to bursting. The temperature within fluctuated wildly, first blisteringly warm and then chillingly cool. His calves tightened, twitching and throbbing until they loosened upon having rebuilt themselves greater than before.

Since none of it hurt or left him psychologically rattled this time, Oliver was eager to test his new ability.

He stood up, finding the act of standing itself to somehow be easier as if he were supported by a cloud rather than the firm ground beneath his feet. Moving around in place, Oliver confirmed that he could now move his feet with greater coordination. This fed into his boxing skills, allowing him to mimic some of the more complicated motions he'd seen in the matches he'd watched with Bradley.

As this was only the first level of the skill, his leg control wasn't flawless. Oliver was still prone to making a misstep occasionally, but he was now skilled enough to jog around in place and hustle without his downstairs neighbors even hearing him. That was a significant step up in his control, and Oliver figured he should take time to get used to it.

He had thirty or forty minutes until Bradley stopped by to talk pregame strategy before they headed to the gym, so Oliver warmed up by shadowboxing again. Now that he'd been in a few fights and watched some match videos, Oliver had more mental data to work with, making his phantom opponents more accurate than the last time he did this. Despite their glow up, his new skill made it easier to better keep up with their imagined attacks, dodging and delivering counterblows now as easy as a subtle twist of the ankle or a strategic half step.

Oliver knew he'd picked the right skill even without getting to test it on a live opponent, and it was all thanks to Stacy. Physical activity had the additional benefit of helping Oliver clear his head on that subject, as well, now thinking he overreacted and that he just needed to get over it and accept the cognitive dissonance he was going through. Mia approved of him talking with Stacy to keep sorting his feelings out, so maybe that really was what was best for him...

A knock on the door pulled Oliver out of his trance. It was 5:35 PM, and Bradley was here. Time to get serious.

---