My Scumbag System Chapter 445: The Second Wife Auditions

Snatching my shirt from the floor, I yanked it over my head before jabbing a finger at Maki.

"Stay. Turn into a cat. Hide. No noise. No breaking stuff. No zapping people."

"So many don’ts." She pouted. "Where are the dos?"

"Exist in silence."

"Boring." Yet she shifted forms regardless, morphing into a lithe black cat that swiftly took over my pillow as her personal throne.

With a pounding headache demanding either heavenly aid or a gunshot, I staggered down the stairs. The common area resembled a battlefield already.

Five women occupied key spots throughout the room. Natalia dominated the armchair closest to the entrance, her purple locks still wet from the shower. Emi balanced on the couch armrest, her blue antennae drooping. Skylar lounged in the corner draped in my hoodie, violet gaze sleepy yet watchful over every movement. Celeste perched near the window, posture rigid as always, even if her poise showed faint fractures. Akari lounged across the loveseat like a feline basking in sunlight, emerald eyes relaxed yet piercing.

Tension thick enough to energize the whole atoll crackled in the air.

Raphael pumped out pushups right in the center of the floor. Jaime posed and flexed before his image in the window. Marco and Malachi waited on the steps. Jacob leaned over his datapad at the dining table. Hikari darted from one chat to another.

Isabelle observed me from the kitchen entrance, her wine-red eyes catching every detail.

"Tough night?" Her voice implied full awareness of just how brutal it had been.

"Braxton delayed practice until four." I snatched a Thunder-Strike from the fridge. The can fizzed as I popped it open. "Mom and Luka arrive this afternoon."

Silence blanketed the room.

Raphael froze halfway through a pushup.

"Your mom?" Emi’s tone rose sharply. "Here? Today?"

"Wellness check." I chugged half the energy drink in a single gulp. It burned with chemical bitterness and remorse. "Everyone must behave properly."

"What counts as proper?" Akari straightened, perking up. "Regular proper or fancy rich-folk proper?"

"No wrecking furniture. No rude comments to guests. No showing off Aspects unless they ask directly." I stared straight at Natalia. "Whatever hassle my mom throws at me, you’ll get it back ten times over in training."

Raphael let out a sharp laugh.

"Bring it on." He rose to his feet, amber eyes gleaming. "I’m taking the festival win regardless. Your leadership wraps up then."

"Yeah, right."

"I never diss moms, though." He folded his arms. "Abuela taught me manners. So your mother gets pure respect from me if she shows."

"Same here." Jaime bounded closer, grin stretching to bare every tooth. "Can’t wait to meet Luka! Stories of his Aegis Prime feats are legendary! He shrugged off a Crawler pincer hit and battled on! Those muscles have to be epic!"

"They’re...impressive," I conceded.

"This rocks!" Jaime flexed on instinct. "I’ll grill him on workouts! Protein habits! Views on pre-workout shakes!"

Marco drifted in from the stairs. "Your stepdad’s awesome. He got me ice cream once while I hauled boxes for your move."

"Fits him perfectly."

The five women remained rooted in place.

They held their individual domains, eyeing one another like gamblers concealing bluffs.

Emi rose first. "I’ll bake cookies. Moms love cookies, yeah? Mine are tasty. Way better than my eggs."

"Definitely beats your eggs." Skylar chimed in from behind her phone screen.

"I’ll assist." Celeste stood with elegant poise. "Finishing school covered baking. I handle flawless tea service."

"Naturally." Akari yawned and stretched, shirt hiking up to reveal toned midriff. "But chit-chat? That’s the true challenge."

"I’ve dined at state banquets with world leaders."

"Not the same." Natalia broke her silence, purple eyes icy. "This is Satori’s mom. No diplomatic tricks will sway her."

The air chilled noticeably.

Celeste’s posture stiffened more. "I didn’t mean—"

"You’re all stressing too much." I rubbed my temples hard. The headache intensified. "It’s just lunch. Perhaps dinner. Then they’re gone."

"It counts, though." Emi wrung her hands. "First impressions stick. What if she hates us? What if she decides we’re unworthy for—"

She halted abruptly.

Too late.

The gazes of the other four women turned razor-keen.

"Unworthy for what, precisely?" Akari’s smile sliced like shards. "His buddy? Teammate?"

"His girlfriend," Skylar stated bluntly.

The term lingered heavily, like drifting haze.

Natalia gripped the armrest tightly. From her fingertips, frost began spreading, delicate white patterns snaking over the leather.

"We should clean." Isabelle called out from the kitchen. "If Luka’s coming, this place has to resemble a proper dormitory, not a post-apocalyptic frat house."

She had a point.

The common room appeared as if an explosion had struck. Pizza boxes piled high by the trash. Protein shake bottles littered every surface. A pair of combat boots lay smack in the floor's center. The severed head of a training dummy had tumbled under the couch.

"Everyone cleans." I jabbed a finger at the chaos. "Now."

Raphael muttered under his breath yet seized the trash bags. Jaime scooped up protein containers with devout intensity. Marco and Malachi adjusted the furniture as Jacob sorted the scattered textbooks.

The five women stayed put.

Instead, they eyed one another.

"You know," Akari drawled, "whoever Kimiko favors most likely holds an advantage."

"An advantage at what?" Emi’s innocence stung sharply.

"At being second wife, obviously." Akari’s grin sharpened wickedly. "First wife’s already decided. But second place is up for grabs."

"There’s no first wife situation happening here," I said.

Natalia’s look implied the contrary.

"I’m already family." Her voice stayed even. Too even. "Kimiko knows me. Trusts me. I hold the edge right from the beginning."

"But I can cook." Emi wrung her hands. "I can prove I’m useful. Practical."

"I have political connections." Celeste’s tone held that sharp edge I’d caught in caves as she weighed survival chances. "And my sister personally praised Satori for rescuing me. That holds real weight."

"I’m fun." Akari shrugged casually. "Mothers wish for their sons’ happiness. I bring joy to people."

Skylar remained silent.

She simply tugged her hood over her head and returned to her phone.

Yet her jaw clenched firmly.

"None of you are marrying me right now." I downed the last of my energy drink and crumpled the can. "We’re eighteen. Can everyone just chill?"

"No." They replied together.