Love Collector Ch. 18

It was strange to admit, but thanks to Bradley, Oliver was in a better mood now. Accepting that his powers were sourced from a psychic awakening was easier than it should've been. He had proof of his desires spilling out onto the world, so there wasn't much else he could do about it other than shrug.

Oliver was ready to tackle what came next and was glad he didn't have to do so alone. Even if his partner in crime was a thoughtform taking up permanent residence in the uncanny valley, it still made a big difference on his psyche.

"The biggest thing I'm hung up on is that it doesn't sound like I'll make much LP if I only focus on Mia."

Bradley tilted his head but remained smiling. "No one is FORCING you to make the most of your [Dating Sim Powers]."

Knowing how Bradley already cut into the heart of the matter, Oliver didn't see much reason to hide the truth. "No, but nothing this good has ever happened to me before. I'd be an idiot if I didn't make the most of them."

"Glad WE'RE on the [Same Page], but alas, you CORRECT correct! You won't be able to purchase more than a [Meager Handful of Skills] if you don't capture the [Hearts and Bodies] of more WOMEN beyond the [Tutorial Girl]!"

"Don't call Mia that. She's a person, not an NPC."

"If the [Appropriately Sized Footwear] fits! [Mia Rosas] poses the least difficult challenge out of your three available heroines, thus making her the PERFECT [Tutorial Girl]!"

"If you say so..." Oliver sighed.

"I think it's [Noble, If Misguided] you're mindful about hurting her, but you aren't looking at the [Big Picture]! There are multiple WAYS you could get around [The Harem Problem]."

"Even barring corruption skills?"

"Yes! Giving just ONE example, you could purchase a SKILL that alters reality, normalizing the fact that YOU are [Polygamous]. This would make it so that heroines no longer become upset AT you for having, pardon MY language, [Hella Bitches]. It just becomes another [Fundamental Law of Existence]!"

"That's its own can of worms, isn't it? Even if it isn't the same as purposefully brainwashing someone, changing the way the world works to suit my perverted desires still doesn't sit right with me."

"Conveniently ignoring the FACT that you already HAVE changed the world to suit your [Perverted Desires]?" Bradley smirked.

"I didn't ask for any of this," Oliver grumbled nervously. "And if I did, it was under the assumption that it wouldn't actually happen!"

"Be that as it may, if YOU want to have more than one [Committed Girlfriend] but are unwilling to utilize skills to help NORMALIZE that, [Honesty] is your only remaining option!"

Oliver blushed and looked away, laughing softly to himself. "Yeah, I'll just tell Mia up front that I'm interested in her but I still want to be able to hit on other chicks, too. Great idea if I'm looking to get stabbed."

"I believe you ARE blowing this [Put of Proportion]! May I speak [Honestly] with YOU, Oliver?"

"You don't need to ask my permission. You're weird as hell, and you still unsettle me a bit, but I get that you only have my best interests in mind. Just talk."

"I am HONORED that you ARE beginning to have faith in [Your Best Bro]!" Bradley smiled widely and adjusted his red bowtie with pride. "Your problem here, as is OFTEN the case, comes down to your [Embarrassingly Low Level of Self-Worth]."

"You're not going to tell me that as a man, I'm intrinsically worth more than one woman, are you?" Oliver laughed. "Because I spent a few years listening to washed-up steroid junkies who told me the same thing, and the only thing that got me was two years of therapy."

"[Apples and Oranges], Oliver! This is NOT that. This isn't about [Putting Women Down]. This is about [Raising Yourself Up]. So long as YOU satisfy the [Emotional and Physical Needs] of your heroines, why wouldn't they be happy with YOU regardless of your [Polygamous Inclinations]?"

"But... I don't have..." Oliver struggled with himself and what he wanted.

He was a guy. The idea of a harem didn't displease him, and it was admittedly his biggest fetish. It wasn't like he could deny he wanted one if there was a way to do it without hurting anyone or messing with reality. Furthermore, his desires were influencing the way his powers worked. They incentivized him to cast a wide net because that's exactly how he played his favorite games, jumping from heroine to heroine.

If not today, it was a bridge he'd have to cross eventually.

"Well, whatever. Even if I did have 'polygamous inclinations'-"

"Which you DO!" Bradley gave him an unsettling wink.

"...It's not like that even matters right now. Not when my only other options are Stacy and Tessa. What's going on with that, anyway?"

Bradley looked at him as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You hate [Stacy Lynn], YES, but you've always [Desired] her. Likewise, you are ALSO attracted to [Tessa Robinson]. They qualify as [Potential Love Interests] because IT'S within your power to win THEM over."

"No idea why that's the case, but there's no use in saying I haven't ever thought about Stacy like that. Not when you already know. I try not to think about her like that anymore, though. Those fantasies weren't healthy." Oliver looked off to the side and grimaced. "Fuck, I just realized that you're the only one who even knows about that besides my therapist. God, that's weird..."

"Would it be less WEIRD for you if we focused our [Bro Talk] on [Tutorial Girl Mia Rosas]? The last thing I want to do is make you UNCOMFORTABLE!"

"Oh, it's way too fucking late for that... but yeah. As long as you aren't creepy about it, I wouldn't mind zeroing in on Mia."

"Let's start with a SIMPLE question! Where do YOU believe you currently stand with HER?" Bradley asked to get him thinking.

Oliver closed his eyes and thought about his interactions with Mia over the last two days. He slotted all the pieces together like a puzzle in his mind, painting a more cohesive picture. He thought about the little things. The way she talked to him, her concern for his well-being, how surprisingly cute and pushy she could be...

Oliver spoke from the heart with all that still fresh in his memory.

"Mia seems like she really cares about me. Like, way more than she reasonably should? Between her telling me she's trying to get out of her bubble and talk to me more often and how upset she got with me for going on autopilot... I don't know, man. The numbers say she might like me, but it's still hard to believe."

"And what are YOU planning to do about [Mia Potentially Liking You]?"

Despite his doubts, the answer came straight out of him.

"I'm gonna go for it," Oliver clenched his fists, his heart pounding with determination. "I'm scared and nervous, but who the fuck cares? I have her number. I'll text her later tonight and see how the vibe is going between us. I already promised Mia I wouldn't go to work tomorrow, but maybe I can still figure out some way to hang out with her after she gets off?"

"I'm proud OF your [Resolution]! Even if you don't find a chance to [Chill With Mia] tomorrow evening, there ARE many ways to [Progress and Develop Yourself] in the meantime!" Bradley reminded him.

"Yeah, that's true..." Oliver thought about the road ahead of him. It took a wild set of circumstances to get him here, but he finally had a good reason to start trying to improve himself. Everything seemed hopeless only a day ago, but if working on his stats got him closer to Mia, then it was time to start hauling ass.

"Is there anything I need to know about stat training, or do I just need to do activities related to the stat for it to increase? I'm sure I saw something about finding a tutor when I clicked on spark earlier, too. What was that about?"

"Finally, some [Juicy Exposition] for me to DUMP! This is what I was MADE for, [Baby]!" Bradley was excited at the chance to prove himself useful, so he gave a quick explanation of the way stat training worked.

To increase one of his stats, Oliver was correct in assuming that engaging in stat-related activities would naturally level them up. However, he needed to put significant effort into the activity for it to count. He couldn't just draw stick figures all day and expect a spark increase. It sounded like it would take four to eight hours of hard work to increase a stat by a single level, depending on the stat in question.

That would somewhat limit his scheduling since it meant devoting an entire day to the activity, but there might be skills that could help mitigate the issue.

As for stat tutors, these were experts who increased the potency of Oliver's level-ups while working under their guidance. Training on his own would lead to a plus one while training under a tutor would give him a plus two. The kicker was that it wasn't as simple as going to the gym and hiring a fitness coach for an hour. Stat tutors were like heroines in that they had to be someone Oliver could theoretically connect with so he couldn't just go out and search for them.

They would either show up or they wouldn't, meaning the important thing was for Oliver to get out of his apartment more often and start looking for new opportunities.

The only other way to increase his stats was buying Tier 1 skills, but that wasn't the most economical solution. Tier 1 skills were better bought in direct response to problems or roadblocks. The plus one to their corresponding stat was a bonus, not the main draw. Buying them if they didn't have an instantly practical application would only squander his valuable LP.

Oliver had a lot of information to go off of for now, and he had a plan in mind that he was ready to express.

"Okay. I think I know what I need to do next."

"Let's HEAR it," Bradley leaned across the table excitedly. "I'm all [Ears]!"

"When I'm texting Mia tonight, I've got to try and make actual conversation instead of just checking with her. Asking her about her interests is the most important thing because it might give me a solid direction to focus my stat training."

"You know, if you WANT to know how to impress [Tutorial Girl Mia Rosas]-"

"Stop calling her that."

"Then asking her about [Her Type] would instantly give YOU a better frame of reference!" Bradley shot him some more finger guns and cocked his head, looking for validation and perhaps some praise for what he thought was a solid suggestion.

"No way. This is the first time I've even texted a girl, dude. I can't just jump off the deep end like that and ask something so forward! I mean, I could, but I'm already going way out of my comfort zone, and I'm not ready to say anything that blatantly screams, 'hey, I'm interested in knowing what kind of guy you like so that I could maybe try and better fit that mold', you know?"

"True," Bradley rubbed his chin, nodding sagely. "But maybe you don't NEED to ask? Perhaps YOU already know [Her Type]?"

"Well, yeah. At least when it comes to 2D..." Oliver blushed and averted his eyes. "She likes anime dudes with wild, wavy hair, sharp eyes, fangs, and aggressive personalities, but that doesn't give me much to actually work with..."

"Doesn't it? I don't think you're being [Honest] with yourself! With that [Potent Information] in mind, what kind of [Man] do you believe might appeal to [Mia]?"

Something Oliver had to credit Bradley for was how good he was at flipping the script and pointing out whenever Oliver tried to downplay things or write himself off. It wasn't that Oliver couldn't draw any conclusions from knowing her taste in 2D boys. They were just truths he was uncomfortable with.

He sighed and owned up to it. "Forceful guys? Aggressive men with a lot of swagger?"

"I was thinking MORE along the lines of [Confident Men], personally!"

"Sadly, I don't have a stat for that..."

"Which is why you're GOING to have to work on it [Yourself]!" Bradley smiled, snapped his fingers, and pointed at Oliver like he'd made an excellent point. The thing was, he had.

"Yeah, yeah. You got me," Oliver threw his hands up. "I've gotta stop making excuses, I get that. I'll see what happens tonight when I'm texting her and see if I can't take some chances, all right?"

"You BET, [Best Friend]! Sounds to ME like we've got a SOLID game plan on our hands, which means there's only [One Last Thing]!"

"Right..." Oliver opened the skill menu and stared at his remaining total of 225LP. "It's time to figure out what kinds of skills I want to start with. Hear me out, Bradley. I think I have a wild idea."