Love Addict's RPG Ch. 21

Friday, February 16th

Oliver awoke the next morning to not-so comforting sound of bland, repetitive music. His day was only just getting started, and he already dreaded having to put up with this. He didn't even have the luxury of waking up and wondering if everything from the day before was all just some crazy dream. The proof was right there in his eardrums. If that wasn't proof enough, he had even more on his phone.

Oliver groggily opened his messages from the night before, smiling like a fool. His conversation with Mia made him happy to scroll back through, and the first few moments of his day were spent re-familiarizing himself with everything they said to each other. He had plans with her tonight but still couldn't believe it.

It was a little after eleven in the morning. Getting up so late on a Friday was a new experience for Oliver, having worked full-time since joining the workforce. It was nice not having to care so much about these things anymore. Free Ride meant he could wake up whenever he wanted every day from now on if he so chose, and he would make good on his promise to stay home today until it was time to hang out with Mia.

In the meantime, Oliver was ready to get out of bed and make the most of his new skill. He went to his refrigerator and opened it up, grabbing some eggs to fry on the stovetop. As he waited for the heat to kick in, Oliver fed a pair of bread slices to his toaster and pressed the lever down. When he was about to retie the bread, he noticed that the slices he'd just taken were replaced by seemingly identical pieces of bread, as if reality glitched out and duplicated them when he wasn't looking.

"Trippy..." Oliver remarked. Wondering if this was true for everything, he reopened the egg carton. Sure enough, the eggs replaced themselves, as well. "Gotta pay attention to whenever the next egg shortage comes around. Might be able to make a killing."

Oliver then enjoyed his breakfast in peace, scrolling through his phone and eventually reading a romantic comedy manga after reminding himself that checking the news and social media was bad for his mental health. Currently, his interest was captivated by a series called No, For Real, Stop Bullying Me Akumi-chan.

It was one of those thousands of 'bully girl teases an awkward and naive boy' manga that was all the rage these days. If you read one of them, you read them all. A cute girl bullies a guy who she actually not so secretly has a crush on, he blushes and pretends not to get off on the bullying, he says or does something that accidentally makes her blush back, and then the chapter ends without them making any actual progress on their relationship. They get together, but only after thirty or so volumes when the author finally runs out of material.

There was nothing groundbreaking about Akumi-chan, but Oliver's brain was more fried than his eggs. He was thankful for the adorable dopamine the mid entertainment provided him while waiting for Bradley to show up at noon.

He arrived precisely on the dot.

"I am HERE, my friend, right at [Designated Time]!" Bradley knocked on the door, his awkward, stilted voice projecting into the studio apartment. "And I ARRIVE bearing [Overpriced Coffee]!"

"From where? Everywhere is overpriced in this town." Oliver joked while letting him in. This was their second meeting, and Bradley still wasn't any easier on the eyes. The plastic-looking skin, hair, and artificial smile still gave Oliver the creeps, but he wasn't that bad of a guy.

"Today's overpriced COFFEE is from [Lunka Dunka Donuts]!" Bradley answered cheerily.

"Hate the name, love the coffee," Oliver took the hot drink extended towards him, sniffed the lid, and discovered it was his favorite item off of their menu. Some blend of chocolate and caramel that he couldn't remember the name of. "Thank you kindly."

Bradley closed the door behind him, and together, they sat at the coffee table, using it for its intended purpose.

"So..." Oliver said, sipping his first sweet taste of his pick-me-up. "Dare I ask what you got up to last night?"

"I wandered the STREETS of [Vista Venus] and made contact with some of the [Local Color]! One of my new ACQUAINTANCES educated me on [Rat Hunting] and then explained who I should trade WITH to get the best value for my [Captured Prey]! Should you require additional [Cash Money] for your romantic endeavors, I can SUPPLEMENT-"

"No, Jesus Christ, no..." Oliver took a hit of psychic damage, physically recoiling. "I can't believe I have to say this sentence, but, no, Bradley. I wager I can win over Mia without your ratcatcher money. Is that seriously what you did all night? Hang out with homeless people and catch rats?"

"Yes!"

Well, at least he didn't end up on the news. Oliver bowed his head in thankfulness. Little victories and all that.

Bradley told Oliver more about his misadventures after finishing the scalding-hot coffee he brought for himself in a single gulp. Oliver cringed when he saw how burnt it made Bradley's tongue. Oliver was never in touch with the homeless crowd, so hearing about Bradley mingling with their nightlife was interesting. From the way he explained it, they didn't sound that bad.

Oliver had a skewed perspective of the homeless community around him because local propaganda taught kids to view them as an 'other', and it was hard to unlearn that when you were old enough to understand that most of them didn't live like that because they wanted to. It was an institutional problem that society gaslit people into believing said more about the character of an individual than it did the systems that failed them. It didn't help that Oliver was, by default, a paranoid person, though he could always try to be better.

After Bradley finished his recap, confirming Oliver's suspicion that he didn't need to sleep somewhere in the middle of his misadventures, the topic shifted to Oliver's progression with Mia. He'd briefly told Bradley over text the gist of what happened last night, but he went into a bit more detail now that he was sitting in front of him. He didn't show the texts themselves outright, as that felt a bit like kissing and telling, and Oliver wasn't about that.

Either way, Bradley was stoked.

"Up top!" Bradley extended his hand over the coffee table for Oliver to slap in celebration. He did, albeit awkwardly. "Down LOW!"

"We're not there yet," Oliver dodged the attempt at a follow-up.

"Fair enough!" Bradley snapped his fingers in disappointment and shot Oliver a brilliantly white smile. "You have [Six Hours] before your [Platonic Hangout Session] with [Mia Rosas] is SCHEDULED to OCCUR! I believe you mentioned wanting to get a START on [Stat Training] beforehand, yes?"

"That's the plan. I'm gonna pick up some stuff for spark training at the art store tonight, and in the meantime, I thought maybe you and I could walk around town for the next couple of hours. Think that would count as strength training?"

"I don't see WHY it wouldn't! Any [Physical Activity] counts!"

"What about when I was on autopilot yesterday? Did that count?"

"Any [Physical Activity] you are CONSCIOUS for counts!" Bradley corrected.

"Figures..." Oliver sighed.

"Before I [Sign Off], I must ASK if you've recovered FROM your [Hard Work]! It would be [Lame As Hell] if you were physically exhausted WHEN you picked up [Tutorial Girl], you know."

"Yeah, I'm doing a lot better today, and it's not like I'm saying we're gonna go for a four-hour jog or anything. I'm on my feet for eight hours all day at work, so it should be fine as long as we pace ourselves. We'll take it leisurely."

"Four or five hours of [Leisurely Strolling] will NOT be enough to trigger a [Strength Increase], just so you know!"

"But it's like experience in an RPG, and it builds up, right? I don't have to do it all at once?"

"Correct!" Another thumbs-up, another smile.

"Good. Then let's get on the grind."

With his loyal follower close at hand like a glitched-out Samwise who crawled out of the Backrooms, they hit the streets after he filled up a water bottle, put on some shoes, and donned a light jacket to prepare for the mild weather. Oliver wasn't the type to traditionally 'hit the streets'. He was an indoors kind of guy, and he always had been, even before his late teenage descent into full-on reclusivity and subsequent rehabilitation. His familiarity with his town came from driving around it, using public transportation, or being driven by his parents. Oliver rarely walked anywhere on foot if he could help it.

Part of it was because of the aforementioned homeless population, which unnerved him more than it probably should, but the main reason was that Vista Venus was a large city with loads of people walking to and fro every hour of the day. For an antisocial personality like himself, Oliver was out of his element in the place he was born. He didn't like looking at others or being looked at, which was inescapable with how bustling the coastal city was on your average day. No idea how Mia put up with it.

However, Oliver found out it wasn't so bad when he had a friend by his side. He and Bradley were making light conversation as they walked along the sidewalks. Things like Mia and Bradley's new experiences since becoming alive. Focusing on his smaller, insular world kept the outside stimuli from becoming overbearing, and Oliver was grateful for his unconventional companion. Even if Bradley was ragging on him.

"You missed out on a SIGNIFICANT opportunity when [Mia Rosas] invited you OUT tonight, Oliver, my friend!"

"Let me guess, you think I should've asked her if this was a date?"

"Wow, [Slam Dunk] on THAT one! Nailed it! Why DIDN'T you? I am certain she'd have accepted the opportunity to CALL it a DATE if only YOU presented it!"

"Nerves, mostly. I know I could've tried to play that up and maybe tease her about it, but even just talking to Mia over text was crazy stimulating. Feels dumb to get hung up on the few shots I didn't take, anyway. Not when I took so damn many. Plus, if we called it a date, I'd probably be even more anxious about it than I already am..."

"Hm. Understandable. May I offer a [Pointed Suggestion]?"

"It's what you're here for," Oliver gave him a tired yet friendly smile.

"You don't have to call it a DATE if it negatively impacts your [Precarious Mental State], but at the very least, don't settle for ONLY hanging out at the [Art Supply Store]!"

"Not trying to tell me I should take it back to her place, are you?" Oliver waited at a stoplight, his eyes turning towards Bradley with suspicion."

"Ha! Ha! HAH! No, that's [Endgame] material. I AM simply suggesting you [Smoothly and Casually] bring up THE possibility of [Grabbing a Bite] when you ARE finished procuring your [Spark Training Implements]!"

The light turned green, and Oliver stepped forward, nodding his head as he went. "Yeah, I could do that. Probably wouldn't be that big of a deal... it's Friday, though. Everywhere is gonna be busy."

"Leave that part to ME!" Bradley stopped in the middle of the crosswalk to point a thumb himself, almost getting run over if it weren't for Oliver pulling him to the other side of the street by his red bowtie. "I'll track DOWN potential [Restaurants and Eateries] with low wait times and have a LIST ready for you by the TIME you're done at the store!"

"You'd seriously go that far to help me out?" Oliver paused, feeling a little overwhelmed again by the concept of friendship.

"No, I'd go even FARTHER! Oliver, I am your [Best Friend], your [Loyal Henchmen], and your [Obedient Servant] all ROLLED into ONE! Think of me as a [Living, Breathing Gun] that shoots [Problem Eliminating Bullets]. You need ONLY point, pull my trigger, and [Thy Will Be Done] no matter [What] or [Who] you point me AT!"

"God, it's so creepy when you say scary shit like that when your face is all..." Oliver pinched the bridge of his nose and then shook his head. "No, scratch that. Thanks, Bradley. I'm going to try not to think about the implications you're dropping and just be thankful that you've got my back."

"I wasn't [Dropping Implications]!" Bradley winked and shot Oliver a thumbs up. "I will LITERALLY-"

"Hey, would you look at that!" Oliver quickly changed the subject so that he didn't have to hear the end of that sentence, pointing at a store a few buildings down called Bulk Up Fitness. "Why don't we go and take a look inside that shop? Would be nice to pick up a pair of dumbbells or something so I can do some simple strength training at home."

Bradley stopped in his tracks. The question of exactly how far he would go to help Oliver remained blissfully unsolved as the thoughtform's mind was now preoccupied with praising his friend. "A wonderful IDEA, Oliver! Let US go!"

Oliver let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders. He would have to be very careful about giving Bradley orders in case he wanted to avoid a potentially fatal misunderstanding.

The unlikely pair entered Bulk Up Fitness, a small fitness store on the corner of the street. There was only one employee present, a man who looked like the manager, and he was currently helping another set of customers with some advice. This let Oliver and Bradley browse around to their heart's content without interruption.

Much like he wasn't an outdoorsman, Oliver wasn't a sportsman, either. He simply did not personally understand the appeal of any form of 'put ball in goal' unless it was filtered through anime, filthy weeb that he was. He did understand why other people liked them, though. The problem was that most people didn't just 'like' sports. They instead treated them like a religion and athletes, their golden calves.

Not his thing. Especially not when certain sports fans looked at you like there was something wrong with you after telling them you didn't like the thing they liked.

All this to say that Oliver didn't know half of what he was looking at when browsing the shelves. He was going to have to put in some research to train his strength stat, but for today, dumbbells would suffice. The last time he'd ever lifted any was way back in PE class during high school. It wasn't something he ever excelled in, but it also wasn't something he ever put much effort into, either.

Like many other things, that would be different from now on. Oliver had no way of knowing what kinds of obstacles life would throw at him now that he had these powers. More than anything else, he wanted to put some work toward changing himself, and everyone started somewhere. As for him, Oliver started with a pair of ten-pound, cast-iron dumbbells that he brought to the register.

They obviously weren't all that heavy, making Oliver reassess what it meant to have zero in one of his stats. He didn't get much exercise, but he did help unload the delivery trucks twice a week. He figured that had to count as something. Zero was more likely 'absolutely average' rather than 'lacking'. It was a comforting thought, motivating him further to become better than he currently was.

Once he was finished getting ringed up, Oliver sucked his new purchase into his inventory, and they were out the door as quick as they came.

---

- Item Received! Pair of 10lb Dumbells -

- Spent $20 -

---

He and Bradley continued to walk around Vista Venus for the next two hours, at which point Oliver was starting to second-guess his plan for the day. The aches and pains he earned during his time in the void of autopilot were beginning to resurface. Bradley recognized this immediately and tried to get him to pace himself better, but Oliver was in too deep with his optimistic thoughts of self-improvement. His compulsive tendencies were getting the best of him, so onwards, they marched.