[Ding!]
A familiar chime rang in Gray's head just as he finished speaking. A translucent screen blinked into view in front of him.
[New Mission Unlocked!]
[Mission: Get Chloe Lancaster's Grades Up.]
[Objective: Help Chloe achieve a 20% improvement in her overall academic performance within one month.]
[Reward: +2 Influence | One Fully-Furnished Apartment Unit with a City View.]
'An apartment...?' Gray blinked in surprise.
He read the reward twice just to be sure he wasn't imagining things. His brows furrowed slightly.
A fully-furnished apartment unit.
That wasn't a small thing.
That wasn't even a normal thing.
That was fucking huge.
Especially for someone like him who had only stayed in a small apartment his entire life.
'Fuck... Fuck... Fuck...'
It excited him to the core.
Just thinking about it, put on a smile on his face. He could imagine a big space wherein Lily could freely walk around. Also, a city view? That was damn expensive.
Gray sat still for a moment, stunned at its absurdity.
But then... his smile even widened.
'Fuck this. Now I'm motivated.'
"Gray? Are you alright?" Chloe called, tilting her head to the side. Her forehead was creased as a little worry showed on her eyes. "You spaced out for a second."
"Hm?" Gray was suddenly pulled back to reality. He chuckled lightly and smiled at her. He could see the system's screen fading away as he shifted his focus to Chloe.
"Sorry. I was just recalling all the things that I prepared for today's session."
Chloe laughed softly, a genuine sound of it, echoed lightly across the room.
"Well, that's oddly funny," she said, propping her chin on her hand with a playful grin. "I didn't know you actually did all the preparations."
Gray chuckled in return, adjusting himself in his seat as he pulled out a slim folder that he had carried with him since he left his house.
"Oh, you have no idea. I did my homework. I'll make sure you'll learn by the end of this."
"Chloe let out another laugh, finding it funny. Usually, her tutors were all strict or meek. There was nowhere in between.
The strict ones annoyed her, so she wasn't really that eager to learn. On the other hand, the meek ones bore her to the core that sometimes she dozes off instead of learning.
But now, she was actually having fun.
Chloe leaned back into the plush sofa, her eyes still sparkling with amusement as she looked at Gray. There was a relaxed confidence in the way he spoke, enough to catch her attention.
"Well then, Gray," she teased, "go ahead and teach me."
"Alright then." Gray shook his head with a grin as he opened the folder.
That made Chloe laugh again, and just like that, their first tutoring session finally began.
The two started with business theory, easing into topics that Chloe was already familiar with to build momentum. Gray was patient with her, but he was sharp. Maybe it was because of his work that he had become good with details.
He noticed immediately her habits, the way her eyes drifted to the window when she got bored, and how she would tap her pen when she was unsure of something.
Instead of pointing it out and making her feel bad about it, he shifted his tactics. He changed how he explained things by using metaphors and even cracking a joke or two when the moment was right.
And it worked.
Slowly but surely, Chloe's attention stayed locked onto what he was seeing. She answered questions, asked for clarifications, and even challenged Gray on one of his examples, just for the fun of it.
They also moved on to a few mock quizzes, then a short review of the topics she'd struggled with before.
Chloe wasn't perfect, but she wasn't failing either. And most importantly, she didn't look bored.
By the time the session hit the 3-hour mark, Chloe exhaled deeply and stretched her arms above her head with a satisfied sigh.
"Okay, okay, I admit it," she said, a little breathless. She was surprised to see that a lot of time had passed, and also that she wasn't thinking of when the session would end.
"You're actually good at this."
"Is that a compliment I hear?" Gray raised a brow, smirking.
"Don't let it go to your head," she shot back, grinning. "It's just the first day."
"Well, lucky for you, I plan to make every session count." Gray chuckled, closing his folder.
Chloe leaned against the sofa's armrest, her body relaxed now that the session was done. A hint of amusement still played on her lips as she glanced sideways at Gray.
"So," she started casually, "when's our next session? Or do I get a break after surviving today?"
"Nope. It's tomorrow." Gray answered.
"Tomorrow?" Chloe echoed, her brows rising. "Already?"
"Yup," he replied. "Emily and I discussed the schedule. Mondays and Tuesdays, then Thursdays and Fridays."
"That's four days a week." Chloe blinked.
"That's right," Gray nodded. "We're aiming for results, remember?"
Chloe narrowed her eyes at him.
"That's practically a full-time job," she complained, though her tone was more dramatic than serious.
"Well, you can't do anything now, can you?"
"You're lucky you're not boring."
Chloe clicked her tongue and crossed her arms.
"Well, thanks," Gray said followed by a soft laughter. He slowly fixed his things.
Chloe just chuckled, but then her gaze softened just a bit as she watched him gather all the papers they used. Something in her chest warmed, though she didn't say anything about it.
"Same time tomorrow, then?" Gray glanced back at her once he was ready to go.
"Sure," Chloe nodded, still lounging on the couch. "Try not to be late, Gray."
Gray flashed her a grin.
"Don't worry."
As Gray walked out of the study room, Chloe stared at the door for a moment, her expression thoughtful.
'This might not be so bad after all.'