Chapter 33: Inviting My Friend (Husband) to Dinner
Ten thousand dollars?!
The system was really going to give me ten grand just for having dinner with Lando?
[He needs to say "you’re beautiful" or "you’re pretty," Host.]
[If you only eat dinner and he doesn’t say it, the quest will count as failed.]
The system once told me that the harder the quest, the bigger the reward. So I couldn’t help but wonder, how difficult could it really be to get Young Master Lando to compliment me? He had called me "stunning" before.
[The word "stunning" doesn’t count. It has to be "beautiful" or "pretty."]
’I know! I know!’ I shouted at the system in my head.
Moments later, I cleared my throat to get Lando’s attention. "So ... since we’re both feeling lucky, maybe it’s time to celebrate our marriage slash friendship." I gave him a small smile. "I just realized we’ve never had dinner together since the day we got married. If you’re free tonight, would you like to have dinner with me? I can book a reservation at a good restaurant."
Lando glanced at me, his eyes widening a little, probably because I suddenly asked him out to dinner. At last, he nodded. "Alright. Tonight, then. You don’t have to worry about the reservation, I’ll handle it."
"No, no, no! I’ll handle it!" I insisted. "You’ve done so much for me, so let me do something nice for you this time!"
I hadn’t even given him a wedding gift, while he had already given me more than I could count. Besides, he only needed to compliment me and the system would give me ten grand in return. Sounds like a good deal, right? I mean, I’d probably only have to spend two to three hundred bucks to treat him.
I jumped up from the couch before Lando could say anything or refuse my offer. "Please, don’t say no this time, husband!" I said cheerfully, smiling at him. "You have to give me a chance so I can contribute to our marrig—I mean, friendship!"
"So I will wait for you at ...," I paused, thinking what time would give me enough time to get ready. "Seven! I’ll wait at seven o’clock!" I dashed for the door, feeling scared he’d insist on booking the restaurant himself. "Okay, see you later! I’ll copy the memory card after dinner!"
I waved at him before leaving his room. He probably thought I was a little crazy and wondered, how could I smile after remembering what Gideon did to me? But then again, I wasn’t exactly Helcia, so what happened to her didn’t hit me the same way.
I felt pity for her, but my reaction wasn’t as strong as the real Helcia’s. It affected me, but not enough to make me lose my appetite or refuse the chance to make money.
Besides, I already had plans to take down her family, so I thought that was more than enough.
Honestly, I felt a little jealous because Lando knew everything about Helcia but nothing about me.
[So, now you can feel jealous, Host.]
"Oh god, stop it!" I snapped at the system once I was sure no one else could hear me. "Why are you acting like a matchmaking system? We’re just friends!"
[The system is just trying to be friendly, Host.]
[You once said you had no friends left.]
The system’s answer froze me for a moment. I blinked several times before asking, "You’re trying to act friendly, so ... you can be my friend?"
[The system found no rule violations in being friends with its Host.]
[In other words, it’s possible for us to develop a friendship.]
Friendship?
Someone actually wanted to be my friend voluntarily?!
The system wasn’t human, but that didn’t really matter to me.
All my life, I’d been the one to take the first step when it came to making friends, whether it was back at the orphanage, in school, or even after I became a celebrity.
Maybe I just wasn’t that easy to love, so people rarely came to me first, or maybe it was because my background was too plain, too humble, for them to bother.
Some people thought kids who grew up in an orphanage had bad manners just because they didn’t have parents. Others believed that the ones who were never adopted must be troublemakers or simply too hard to love.
Maybe that was true in my case, but honestly, many of my friends in the orphanage weren’t adopted for a much simpler reason: they were just too old. Most families only wanted babies or toddlers, after all.
[Do you want our relationship to develop into friendship?]
[The system can also maintain a host–system relationship.]
"Being friends sounds nice!" I answered aloud, surprising myself with how bright my voice sounded.
I glanced left and right, making sure no one could hear me talking to myself in the middle of the corridor.
[Understood, Host. Friendly mode activated.]
[Since our relationship will be more informal, Host can choose a name for the system.]
"A name?" I blinked, tilting my head. "Do you even have a real name?"
[No, Host. The system doesn’t have a real name. We’re identified by our server.]
[Like this one, it’s called "Money-Making System #69."]
Oh, it felt a little sad, being born without a name.
The system’s voice didn’t even sound that robotic, which sometimes made it feel like I was talking to an actual person.
"Alright then." I paused, tapping my chin while searching for something simple and cute. "How about ... Penny? You’re a money system, after all, and it sounds way nicer than just ’#69.’"
[Penny. Name accepted.]
I couldn’t help but smile, a little laugh slipping out. "See? That’s much better. Now you sound like someone I can actually talk to."
[Penny will remember this, Host.]
"Good," I said softly, almost to myself. It was silly, but giving the system a name made the loneliness I usually carried feel a little lighter.
A few moments later, I spoke to Penny again. "So ... Penny, since we’re friends now, can you recommend a restaurant for, let’s say ... a date?"
[Date?] Penny’s voice carried a hint of confusion. [But didn’t you say you two were only friends, Host?]