Picking Up Girls With My Pickup System-Chapter 5: The Ripple Effect.

Kent had just convinced himself to eat when a shadow fell across the table.

"Mind if I sit?"

He looked up—and nearly choked on air. Mia was standing there, tray balanced in one hand, sketchbook tucked under the other arm.

Kent blinked. "Uh... s-sure. Yeah. Totally."

She slid into the seat across from him like it was the most natural thing in the world. Headphones dangled around her neck, a pencil already tapping against the cover of her sketchbook.

"Lighting’s better here," she said offhandedly, setting her tray down.

Kent glanced around. The lighting was exactly the same as everywhere else—harsh fluorescents that turned pizza grease into a crime scene. But he nodded anyway. "Right. Superior... cafeteria lighting."

Her mouth quirked. "Exactly."

For a few moments, they ate in silence. Kent’s heartbeat felt too loud in his ears. He kept waiting for someone to swoop in and call it a joke. But Mia just flipped open her sketchbook and started doodling again, pencil scratching softly.

Curiosity got the better of him. "What are you working on this time?"

She tilted the page just enough for him to see. A rough sketch of a dragon coiled around a soda can, wings stretched wide like it was protecting its treasure.

Kent couldn’t stop the small laugh that escaped. "Guarding the sacred cola, huh?"

Mia grinned faintly, eyes still on her page. "Better than a pile of gold. At least you can drink this."

Kent felt the tension in his chest loosen a notch. This wasn’t forced. This wasn’t pity. She was just... talking to him.

And for once, people were noticing that too. He caught a few glances from other tables—curious, speculative. The invisible boy wasn’t sitting alone anymore.

Then, just as he started to relax, the System’s notification pulsed into view.

New Quest Available.

The glowing text blinked across Kent’s vision, so bright it nearly made him flinch.

[New Quest Available]

Objective: Collect the phone number of one female classmate.

Reward: Unlock Pickup Lines Skill Tree (Lv. 1).

Penalty: Random humiliating truth will be shouted aloud, in your own voice, to the entire cafeteria.

Kent’s fork froze halfway to his mouth.

You’ve got to be kidding me.

Mia glanced up, eyebrow raised. "What’s wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost."

Kent scrambled, stabbing at his pizza. "Just... cafeteria pizza. It always tastes like regret."

She smirked, turning back to her drawing, but his pulse hammered.

Numbers? The System actually wants me to ask for a number? His brain immediately went worst-case scenario: rejection, laughter, Derek overhearing, the entire cafeteria watching him crash and burn.

And if he didn’t do it—

He pictured himself suddenly blurting, "I used to cry over Pokémon episodes!" at top volume, or worse. The penalty wasn’t an empty threat.

Quest Timer: 15 minutes remaining.

The countdown ticked in the corner of his vision.

Kent swallowed hard. His hands were already sweating, and he hadn’t even opened his mouth yet.

Okay... options. I could try Mia. But that’s, like, final boss level. Or maybe Chloe—she’s sharp, but she talks to everyone. Less suspicious if I ask her. Or... no, no, I can’t just randomly walk up to someone, that’s suicide.

His eyes flicked back to Mia, still doodling dragons like the fate of his social life wasn’t on the line.

The System hummed impatiently in his head, every second tightening the noose.

Kent’s stomach twisted. I’m so dead.

Kent drummed his fingers against the tray, eyes flicking between the glowing countdown in his vision and the girl across from him.

Quest Timer: 10:42 remaining.

I can’t just say, ’Hey Mia, can I get your number?’ That’s like—level ninety charisma required. I’m still grinding slimes here.

She was still sketching, humming faintly under her breath, completely oblivious to the war going on in his head.

He opened his mouth, closed it, then shoveled a forkful of mashed potatoes in instead. Smooth. Real smooth.

"Don’t strain yourself, Gilbert."

The voice came from just behind him.

Kent glanced up to see Chloe gliding past with her lunch tray. Her dark hair was pulled into a sleek ponytail, glasses glinting under the harsh lights. She gave him one of those looks—the kind where you couldn’t tell if she was impressed or dissecting you like a science project.

"Suddenly social now?" she said, arching an eyebrow. "What’s next, stand-up comedy?"

Kent’s ears went hot. Of course Chloe had to notice.

Mia glanced up from her drawing, eyebrow raised at Chloe’s comment. For a second, the two girls’ gazes met over his head.

Chloe smirked, not waiting for an answer, and carried on to another table.

Kent swallowed. Option two... just landed right in front of me.

Quest Timer: 9:01 remaining.

His heart thudded. He had less than ten minutes to pick his target, make his move, and somehow not self-destruct in the middle of the cafeteria.

And Derek was still watching from across the room.

Quest Timer: 3:12 remaining.

Kent’s palms were slick, his brain a mess of scrambled half-lines. Every option sounded like the start of a horror story.

Hey, Mia, can I get your number?

Too direct.

For homework, I mean.

Transparent.

In case I need to borrow a pencil?

Pathetic.

Mia set her pencil down, stretching her arms overhead with a yawn. "Man, this lighting still sucks. I need to get better shadows on this."

Kent’s mouth went dry. His brain screamed, Do it, do it, DO IT.

Quest Timer: 0:58 remaining.

The words burst out before he could stop them. "Uh, c-could I... maybe get your number? For, like... art tips? Or—y’know—pizza reviews? Not that I’m a food critic or anything, but..."

His voice trailed off into a strangled cough. He wanted to crawl into the trash bin and never emerge.

Mia blinked at him. For a terrifying second, she said nothing.

Then she grinned. "You’re a disaster, Gilbert."

She pulled her phone from her pocket, tapped her screen a few times, and slid it across the table. "Put it in before you combust."

Kent stared, wide-eyed. "Seriously?"

"Seriously. But if you text me about pizza, I’m blocking you."

His fingers shook as he typed his number into her phone, almost dropping it twice. By the time he slid it back, the glowing notification flared:

Quest Complete.

Reward Unlocked: Pickup Lines Skill Tree (Lv. 1).

Kent nearly sagged with relief, the timer vanishing from his vision. He’d done it. By sheer accident and panic—he’d actually done it.

Mia tucked her phone back into her pocket, smirking. "Congrats. You survived the world’s least smooth pickup attempt. Should I be proud of you, or concerned?"

Kent could only laugh weakly, grateful his heart hadn’t exploded.

Kent’s laugh died in his throat when he glanced up.

Derek was watching.

Not the casual, mocking stare he usually wore, but something sharper. His jaw was tight, smile thin and brittle. His crew was laughing at something else entirely, but Derek wasn’t hearing them. His eyes were locked on Kent like a predator tracking movement in tall grass.

The shift was small, but Kent felt it in his chest—a silent promise. This wasn’t over. This wasn’t even the beginning.

The cafeteria noise swelled again, kids talking, laughing, trading fries. To anyone else, it was just another lunchtime. But Kent sat frozen, tray forgotten, as Derek leaned back in his seat with that dangerous calm, the kind that said I’ll wait... but not forever.

Before Kent could spiral, the System chimed in his vision.

[Congratulations, Host!]

You have unlocked: Pickup Lines Skill Tree (Lv. 1).

A glowing list unfurled:

Basic Compliment (Common): Increases sincerity when giving compliments.

Cheeky Remark (Uncommon): Adds playful undertone to your words.

Confidence Boost (Passive): +2 Charisma when attempting to flirt.

Kent blinked, torn between awe and panic. Pickup lines? This thing is seriously gamifying my love life.

Mia was back to doodling, oblivious to the invisible storm brewing across the room. Kent forced himself to breathe, gripping his fork like an anchor.

He’d completed the quest. He’d won—for now.

But Derek’s shadow stretched long across the cafeteria, and Kent knew it wouldn’t be long before it swallowed him whole.

Kent poked at his pizza, throat tightening. The whispers felt less like validation now and more like a spotlight. He’d stepped onto a stage he hadn’t meant to, and Derek was waiting in the wings.

It wasn’t over. Not by a long shot.

One elbow on the table, chin resting on his hand, eyes locked on Kent with that calm, patient smile that made Kent’s stomach drop.

He just watched.

Across the room, Derek sat surrounded by his usual orbit—athletes, girls who liked athletes, kids desperate for a piece of his shine. He wasn’t laughing. He wasn’t even pretending to.

Of course, it couldn’t last.

He tried not to grin like an idiot, though his lips twitched anyway. It was surreal, sitting in the same cafeteria where he’d been invisible for years and feeling the air shift ever so slightly in his direction.

Kent’s ears burned. They’re talking about me. I actually... made a dent.

"...Gilbert actually said that?"

"...Derek’s face, man..."

"...that line he dropped..."

Kent slid onto a bench at the far end, tray clattering too loudly against the table. He tried to focus on his limp slice of pizza, but the whispers followed him.

Not the usual disinterested glances that slid past like he was wallpaper. No, these lingered. A couple of guys at a table near the drink machines elbowed each other and snickered. Not in the sharp, cruel way Derek always aimed at him—but like they’d just remembered he existed.

People were looking at him.

The cafeteria buzzed like a hive, trays clattering, voices bouncing off the walls. Kent moved through the line with his usual caution—eyes down, shoulders hunched—yet something felt different.