Upon receiving her token, Jasmine turned to Marcus with her usual glare.
"You are lucky that I—"
She stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at Marcus.
'What's wrong with this girl?'
Unknown to him, his new F-Rank talent Charm had already activated. Jasmine couldn't pinpoint what was different, but something about Marcus had... changed.
"Let's go," she said abruptly, turning away.
The barrier around the platform dissolved, and families flooded in from the stands.
"Mom!" Liana waved as Kayla pulled her into a crushing hug.
"20th place! That's my girl," Kayla gushed.
Liana giggled like a little girl.
Elara approached more hesitantly. She looked between Jasmine and Marcus, clearly unsure who to congratulate first.
"Jasmine, well done!"
"Marcus," she said finally. "You... you made it."
"Seems so," he replied, still clutching his token.
"I can't believe it. The Academy." Elara's voice cracked. "I never thought—"
"He got lucky," Jasmine cut in. "That's all."
But her eyes kept darting to Marcus, confusion evident on her face.
"We should celebrate," Elara announced. "Both of you getting in? This calls for a feast!"
"Pass for now," Jasmine said. "I need to do something."
"But—"
"See you at home, Mom." Jasmine ran off.
Elara watched her go, bewildered. "What's gotten into her?"
Marcus shrugged.
"Well, let's at least get you home," Elara sighed. "We need to talk about the Academy."
As they walked to the car, Marcus caught sight of Athena across the plaza.
She was surrounded by officials and admirers, but she met his gaze.
And winked.
'What did I get myself into?' he wondered.
...
At home, Elara prepared a feast.
A perfectly seared steak with a caramelised crust, accompanied by golden roasted potatoes and vibrant steamed vegetables drizzled in herb butter. The aroma filled the kitchen, making Marcus's mouth water instantly.
"Eat," she said, placing the plate before him. "You used a lot of energy today."
Marcus didn't need to be told twice. He dug in, savouring each bite.
"So," Elara started, watching him carefully. "The Academy."
Marcus nodded, mouth full.
"You realize what this means, right?" She leaned forward. "No male has attended in over thirty years."
He swallowed. "I know."
"Do you want to attend The Empress Academy?" she asked.
Marcus had already become a small celebrity in the male world. All the males that were in the tournament looked at him as if he were their only idol, despite the embarrassing moments he had with Athena.
So Marcus could potentially use that fame to make something out of himself, but nothing significant.
"I'm not sure."
"I see..." Elara nodded in understanding, It wasn't easy to be a man in this world. Especially when you are attending as the only male in the Empress Academy.
[Ding! Harem Choice System has been activated!]
[Choice 1: Attend The Empress Academy] REWARD: 10,000 Stars & 1 Harem Slot
[Choice 2: Do not attend The Empress Academy] REWARD: You will lose one random talent.
Marcus ignored the floating text. He couldn't risk Elara noticing him staring at invisible words.
'I'll check it later,' he thought.
After finishing, he stood and gathered the plates.
"What are you doing?" Elara asked, confusion evident.
"Uh-uhm, washing the dishes?"
"Why would you do that? We have a dishwasher."
"Sorry, overthinking things with the whole academy situation."
Elara's expression softened. "Don't worry about it. Just leave them on the table. Get some rest."
Marcus nodded gratefully and headed upstairs.
Once his door clicked shut, he immediately checked the system notification. The choice had no timer, hence the reason he delayed it.
'Great—no real choice at all,' he thought bitterly. 'Either lose a talent—probably fire mage, knowing my luck—or attend the academy and get... a harem slot?'
"What the hell is a harem slot?" he muttered.
As a former weeb, he knew what a harem was. But a slot? That was new.
"If it's harem-related, must be good, right?"
He selected the first option and flopped onto his bed.
'Wait, how do I access these stars?' Marcus frowned, experimentally poking at the air where the system notification had been.
A translucent menu appeared.
[System Storage: 5,000 Stars]
He tapped the number, and options materialized.
"Withdraw funds? Don't mind if I do." Marcus selected 1,500 stars.
His phone—which he hadn't even realized existed until now—buzzed under his pillow.
[Your account ending in xx00 has been credited 1,500 stars.]
"Sweet!" Marcus grinned. Free money was never a bad thing.
A knock interrupted his celebration.
"Come in," he called, assuming it was Elara.
Jasmine slipped through the door, and Marcus sat up straight.
'She knocked? Since when does Hurricane Jasmine bother with knocking?'
"Jasmine?"
"Yes, it's me. Who else would it be?" She rolled her eyes but with less venom than usual. "Now, for the first order—"
"Order? What are you talking about?"
Her eyebrow shot up. "The order you'll fulfil because you couldn't pay me a thousand stars? Or are you trying to back out already?"
She stepped closer—too close—until her face was inches from his. Marcus could feel her breath on his skin.
"No, I'm not backing out." He held his ground. "But who said I don't have a thousand stars? Give me your bank details. I'll send them right now."
Jasmine's smirk was pure disbelief. "Alright, let's see how long you can run this bluff." She pulled out her phone, rattling off her account information.
Marcus transferred the money without hesitation. Luckily for him, there was no password for the phone or the app. It was eye recognition instead, which he passed.
A moment later, her phone chimed.
Jasmine's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Impossible! How do you have so much—" Her expression darkened suddenly. "You didn't sell your body, did you?"
"What? No! Of course, I didn't," Marcus responded immediately.
Jasmine pressed on.
"Then where did you get this money from, huh? You do not work, nor do you have anything going on for you."
"I-I saved."
"Saved?" She laughed, the sound sharp and disbelieving. "From what? Your monthly allowance is barely enough for snacks."
Marcus needed an excuse fast. "I've been... participating in underground male fighting rings?"
"Fighting rings?" Jasmine's eyes narrowed to slits. "You expect me to believe that you have been fighting other men for money?"
"Yes?"
"The same you who screamed like a little girl when Athena chased you today?"
Marcus winced. "That was... tactical screaming."
Jasmine stared at him for a long moment before bursting into laughter.