My Scumbag System Chapter 463: Extreme Prejudice and a Pair of Shorts

I revisited my status screen, needing the confirmation of seeing it all laid out to truly accept its reality.

ACTIVE ABILITIES (3/3):

[EMBER] [IN USE]

[SPATIAL CLEAVE] [IN USE]

[LIGHTNING ROD] [NEW]

PASSIVE ABILITIES (4/4):

[MYSTICISM] [IN USE]

[PROTECTION FROM ARROWS] [IN USE]

[BLESSING OF THE SOVEREIGN] [IN USE]

[KINETIC ABSORPTION] [NEW]

PASSIVE TRAITS:

[STEEL BODY] [NEW]

[THERMAL VISION] [NEW]

[SOVEREIGN’S MANDATE] [NEW]

Current SP: 15

Just fifteen points remained in my reserves.

Hardly enough for even a single bronze-tier draw if I found myself in dire straits.

However, I possessed what was necessary. What I had ardently sought.

Direct countermeasures for Reyna's lightning-based onslaught.

Passive enhancements to bolster my entire team.

Multiple avenues to transform her overwhelming advantage into my own potent weapon.

Now, the only challenge was to endure long enough to deploy them effectively.

"Maki."

She materialized in a fluid shift of shadow and mist.

Still entirely unclothed.

Still displaying an utter lack of modesty.

"Yes, Master?"

"Our training session commences in twenty minutes. Can you manage to behave yourself until then?"

"I can." A pout formed on her lips, her lower lip jutting forward in a display likely intended for maximum cuteness. "But if that purple-haired one attempts to freeze me again, I’ll retaliate with extreme prejudice."

"That’s a reasonable response."

She promptly donned my hoodie, the fabric cascading down her small frame until it almost reached her knees.

No undergarments were worn.

Her posture conveyed absolutely no sense of shame.

"Let us go meet your companions properly. I am eager to discover what the commotion is about. You speak of them incessantly."

I regarded her intently.

Noticed the hoodie, which did little to conceal her form.

Observed the cat ears peeking through her disheveled black hair like fuzzy tendrils.

Saw the two tails swaying rhythmically behind her, as if conducting an unseen symphony.

"Maki. Conceal your ears and tails, please."

She blinked, her wide, innocent eyes meeting mine.

"Why would I possibly do that?"

"Because you resemble a cosplay convention that has disastrously imploded within my bedroom."

"Master is being unkind." She touched one ear protectively, and it twitched beneath her fingers. "These are integral parts of my being. Concealing them would be akin to commanding you to hide your limbs."

"You possess the ability to alter your form entirely. You demonstrated this earlier by transforming into a common house cat."

"That is entirely dissimilar. When I assume that state, I embody a different entity—a common feline." She crossed her arms stubbornly beneath the oversized hoodie. "This is simply me. My natural manifestation. Why should I conceal it?"

"Maki."

"Absolutely not."

I massaged my forehead, the throbbing headache resulting from the ability installations beginning to intensify with renewed vigor.

"Would you, please?"

"Still refusing." She settled onto the edge of my bed, her legs swinging freely. "And you have overlooked something rather significant."

"What is that?"

"I am still not wearing any trousers."

Nel’s voice echoed within my mind, and I could distinctly detect the amusement in her tone.

Right.

The trousers.

I proceeded to my dresser and retrieved a pair of athletic shorts from a drawer. Black, unadorned, unremarkable. Ideal for navigating this particular predicament.

"Don these."

"No."

"Maki."

"Master has yet to provide adequate incentive." She offered a smile, a sweet expression undercut by a hint of danger. "My operational framework is strictly contingent upon rewards. It is, in fact, quite equitable."

"I offered you affectionate ear scratches mere minutes ago."

"Those were compensation for remaining discreetly within your quarters and refraining from creating disturbances." Her tails swished behind her. "These trousers represent a distinct service. Different services necessitate corresponding remuneration. It is a fundamental economic principle."

My eye twitched involuntarily.

"What is your demand?"

"A kiss."

"I literally embraced you with a kiss no more than twenty minutes ago."

"That was a farewell gesture as Apollo departed. This is a motivational kiss." She tapped her lips with a single finger, her fingernail noticeably sharper than anatomically plausible. "These fall into distinctly different classifications. Confusing them would compel me to expound upon the entire taxonomic system. It is exceedingly intricate and features numerous subcategories."

I observed her closely.

Truly studied her.

Noted the cat ears that twitched with barely suppressed delight.

Witnessed the tails that seemed to be mocking me openly.

Saw the oversized hoodie that concealed virtually nothing of significance.

Detected the knowing glint in her golden eyes, an unmistakable sign that she had me completely deciphered.

"One kiss."

"A profound kiss. With tongue." Her grin widened, revealing canines that were subtly too pointed. "I observed your interactions with the others last night. Do not restrain yourself merely because I am new to this. I require the genuine experience."

Nel interjected her commentary.

Be silent, Nel.

I approached the bed deliberately, my movements measured.

Maki’s gaze followed my every step, her pupils dilating with eager anticipation.

Her breathing became noticeably more rapid.

Her tails grew perfectly still behind her.

As I reached the edge of the mattress, she gracefully rose to meet me, no longer seated.

She remained about six inches shorter than me, even when standing at her full height.

Still utterly brazen about what the borrowed hoodie didn't conceal.

Still gazing at me as if I were the most captivating sight in existence.

With one hand, I cradled her jaw, my fingers sinking into the soft strands of hair at the nape of her neck.

I tilted her face upward, guiding it to mine.

"You're trouble."

"The most delightful kind," she replied. Rising onto her tiptoes, she brought her lips closer to mine. "Now, kiss me properly before I reconsider and insist on two kisses plus the ear scratches as a mandatory package."

I kissed her.

This time, it wasn't gentle.

Unlike the kiss I gave Emi when she was shrouded in nerves and uncertainty.

It was fierce.

Assertive.

Resembling the kiss I shared with Skylar when she dared me to prove the sincerity of my intentions.

Maki immediately yielded against me, her body turning pliant in my grasp.

Her mouth parted for me without a hint of hesitation.

Her tongue met mine midway, full of eagerness and a spark of electricity.

The Nectar of the Gods flowed between us, its supernatural essence sharpening and intensifying every sensation, making it exquisitely sweet.

A sound escaped her, a blend of a purr and a desperate moan.

Her nails dug into my shoulders through my shirt, the pressure palpable even beneath the fabric.

Deliberately, I slid my hand down her back, tracing the elegant curve of her spine.

Beneath the hem of the hoodie, I found the alluring curve of her backside.

My grip tightened, enough to leave an imprint on her skin.

She gasped directly into my mouth, the sound reverberating between us.

We broke the kiss, her reluctance evident.

Her hazel-gold eyes were wide, brimming with both shock and fervent pleasure.

Her pupils had expanded so much, they almost consumed the gold, leaving only thin, distinct rings of color.

"Master is cruel," she whispered, her voice trembling.

"You requested motivation."

"I am exceedingly motivated now." She swayed slightly, requiring me to steady her with the hand still holding her hip. "Give me the shorts before I completely forget why I need them."

I handed her the shorts.

She put them on, her legs visibly unsteady, the fabric resting low on her hips, revealing a considerable expanse of skin between the waistband and the hoodie's hem.

However, it was a marked improvement over having nothing at all.

"Ears and tail."

"Fine." She pouted once more, though this time with less conviction. "But I expect another kiss later. Several, in fact. With added interest."

"We shall see."

"We most certainly will see, yes." She closed her eyes, focusing intently.

The ears and tail began to shimmer at their edges, becoming translucent.

They gradually faded.

Disappearing entirely, as if they had never been present.

When her eyes fluttered open again, she appeared nearly fully human.

Almost.

Her pupils retained their vertical slit shape, deviating from the standard round form.

Her nails remained fractionally too sharp and pointed.

And her movements possessed a fluidity, a lack of joint stiffness, that was too unnatural for a typical human woman.

Yet, from a distance, within a bustling, distracting crowd, she would likely pass as ordinary.

"Good girl."

Her face lit up with a brilliant smile directed at me.

A genuine, sunlit expression that transformed her entire countenance.

"I am Master's best girl!"