Melo Academy

Trish stood in the doorway of Elias' house, looking unimpressed. She glanced around the small, simple home and scoffed.

"So, this is your place? Pretty pathetic," she said, crossing her arms. "How the hell did you even get me what I wanted before we broke up?"

Elias simply smiled. "Because you came in my life ."

Trish rolled her eyes, stepping inside as if she owned the place. Meanwhile, Elias' mind flashed back to earlier—when he was in the restroom, coming up with this exact plan.

He knew Trish loved designer bags. He also knew that, thanks to his skill Great Talk, she wouldn't notice anything suspicious. All he had to do was lure her in.

And now, it worked.

As Trish walked into his house, a notification popped up in his vision:

[Quest Completed: Communicate with Trish]

Reward: New Skill – Read the Protagonist's Thoughts

Bonus: Dominion Path – Force Obedience (Requires 40+ Likability to Activate but because of the Dominion path liked you the Required likeability for now is 15+)]

Elias smirked. Good. Now the real fun begins.

"Hey, loser!" Trish snapped, snapping him out of his thoughts. "Are you gonna make me wait all day? Where's the bag you promised?"

"It's in my room," Elias said smoothly. "Just wait here."

As he walked into his room, he picked up the bag. It was real—his past self had actually bought this for Trish before. So technically, I'm not lying… just repurposing a gift.

Glancing at his system, he checked Trish's Likability Score toward him.

[Current Likability: 2]

Elias scowled. After everything this body did for her… just a damn two?

Frustrated but determined, he took a deep breath and activated Great Talk. As he handed Trish the bag, he spoke in a carefully calculated way, flattering her just enough to keep her hooked.

The system updated:

[Likability +6]

[New Likability: 8]

Better. Seven more to go.

Elias needed another move. Then an idea hit him.

"You're leaving already?" he said, pretending to sound disappointed. "At least have some tea before you go."

Because of Great Talk, Trish couldn't refuse. She scoffed but said, "Fine. But make it quick."

Elias grinned. He went into the kitchen, remembering an important detail from the game—Trish loved a specific type of coffee. If he got it right, he could boost her Likability even further.

Carefully, he prepared the drink just as he recalled from the game. Once it was done, he brought it back to Trish, who was already getting impatient.

"Took you long enough," she muttered.

She took a sip—then stopped.

A strange expression crossed her face.

"This…" she mumbled.

Elias watched as her body language shifted slightly. She loves it.

[Likability +5]

[New Likability: 13]

Almost there.

Trish finished her drink and stood up. "Alright, I'm done here. I got what I wanted, so I'm leaving."

She turned toward the door.

Elias tried to activate Great Talk again—he needed just a little more! But as he focused, his vision blurred, and a notification popped up:

[Skill Overuse! Great Talk is on Cooldown.]

His body staggered slightly, and in that moment, Trish snapped back to herself.

"What now, loser?" she sneered. "Are we done? I'm leaving."

Elias clenched his fists. No. I need to teach this bitch a lesson.

A dangerous idea formed in his mind. His new skill—Force Obedience.

He focused on Trish and activated it.

"Stop," he commanded.

A powerful force rippled through the air. Trish froze in place, her body locked as if controlled by invisible strings.

The system popped up again:

[Force Obedience Activated: Target will obey for 13 minutes, because of user strong will.]

Elias grinned. "Finally."