Alex stepped into the bathroom and immediately felt poor.
Well, formally poor.
The bathroom was larger than his entire studio apartment back on Earth. The floor was heated marble, the ceiling was high enough to fly a kite in, and the bathtub was essentially a small swimming pool carved from a single piece of jade.
"Ridiculous," Alex muttered, stepping into the shower enclosure.
He turned the handle. Water—perfectly heated—rained down instantly.
That was the thing about Erosbound. It wasn’t one of those gritty, medieval fantasy worlds where people threw buckets of poop out the window and bathed once a year. This was a Magitech world.
In some ways, it was actually more advanced than Earth.
Why drill for oil or burn coal when you have Mana Stones? Why build a power plant when a guy with a stick can shoot 10,000 volts of clean electricity out of his fingertips? Magic Engineering—or ’Magitech’—had streamlined everything. Cars ran on crystals, lights were eternal, and the plumbing was immaculate.
"Civilization is great," Alex sighed, letting the hot water wash away the sticky aftermath of his morning ’exercise.’
He was just beginning to relax when the monotone voice returned, echoing off the tiled walls of his skull.
[Had your fun?]
Alex jumped, nearly slipping on the wet tile. "Hey! Don’t startle me like that! And can I get a little privacy? I’m naked here!"
[Privacy?] The System scoffed. [Buddy, I am literally inside your brain. I can see your thoughts. I can access your memories. I know exactly how many times you’ve Googled ’big tiddy goth gf’ at 3 AM. I know your entire browser history. So don’t use the word ’privacy’ with me.]
Alex froze. He felt simultaneously violated and deeply, deeply ashamed.
"Can you not bring up the browser history?" Alex grumbled, scrubbing his face vigorously. "And why are you popping up now? You said you were going offline to nap. You sounded too lazy to even talk five minutes ago."
[I forgot to mention the mechanics,] the System droned. [We didn’t have a proper orientation because you were busy fainting. So, listen up.]
A blue translucent window flickered into existence in front of the shower spray.
[I am a Companion System. Simple concept: You get girls, you get power. The more companions you collect, and the more... ’intimate’ actions you perform with them, the stronger you get.]
"Right," Alex said, wiping water from his eyes. "So it’s a harem cheat."
[Essentially. I won’t be issuing stupid fetch quests. I’m not going to tell you to ’Kill 10 Slimes’ or ’Save the Cat.’ I’m a sandbox System. Do whatever you want. Check your status, manage your inventory, and use the Shop.]
[The Shop is the important part. You exchange ’Lust Points’ for skills, items, and stat boosts.]
[Speaking of which...] A distinct cha-ching
Alex paused, processing this. "So... you’re rewarding me for being a pervert."
[Yes.]
"You hypocrite!" Alex shouted at the air. "You spent all morning calling me a loser and a degenerate, and now you’re incentivizing me to do the exact same things? You’re a debauched System!"
[There is a difference,] the System countered smoothly. [Before, you were a sad loser jerking off to pixels in a dark room. That is pathetic. Now, you are doing it in 4K reality with a hot maid. That is ’cultivation.’ Get your facts straight.]
"That... actually hurts," Alex admitted.
[It was intended to.]
Just as Alex was about to argue back, the doorknob rattled violently.
Clack-clack.
"Hm? It’s locked?" A soft, feminine voice drifted through the wood. Then, louder: "Master! Why is the door locked?"
Alex winced. Old habits died hard. Back on Earth, living with roommates meant locking the door was a survival instinct.
"Uh—habit!" Alex yelled back.
"Master, if you don’t come out soon, you’ll be late for the Academy!" Lily called out. She didn’t sound worried about the time; she sounded annoyed that she was being kept out.
"Coming! Just a minute!"
Alex quickly turned off the water, grabbed a fluffy towel, and dried off. He made a mental note: Never lock the door. Apparently, in this world, privacy is an insult.
He wrapped the towel around his waist and unlocked the door.
Lily was standing there, looking fresh and pristine. She had fixed her hair and makeup, looking like the perfect dutiful maid again—if you ignored the hungry glint in her eyes when she looked at his abs.
"Finally," she huffed, stepping inside. "Come here. Let’s get you dressed."
She led him to the dressing area. The uniform for the Celestia Institute was sharp—a black blazer with gold trim, white trousers, and a high-collared shirt. It screamed ’elite.’
As Alex pulled on the shirt, Lily knelt down to help him with his trousers.
She buttoned them up, smoothing the fabric over his hips. Then, with a casual boldness that made Alex’s heart skip, she cupped his crotch.
"Everything tucked away safely?" she teased, giving his balls a gentle, firm squeeze.
Alex gasped, gripping her shoulder for balance. "Lily... we just did this."
"Just checking quality control, Master," she giggled, letting go and standing up to fix his collar.
Alex grinned. Two could play at this game.
As she fussed over his tie, he reached around and grabbed a handful of her ass. It was soft, yielding, and perfect. He gave it a firm squeeze, his fingers sinking into the plush flesh through her skirt.
Lily faltered, her breath hitching, but she didn’t pull away. She leaned into his touch, her eyes half-closing.
"You’re getting bold, Master," she whispered, finishing the tie.
"I’m just checking quality control," Alex smirked.
Lily swatted his chest playfully, though her face was flushed. "Get going, you menace. The carriage is waiting."
Alex stepped back, looking at himself in the mirror. Sharp suit. beautiful face. Huge... confidence.
"Alright," he said, straightening his blazer. "Time to go to school."