Picking Up Girls With My Pickup System-Chapter 6: Skill Tree Trail.

The glowing menu hovered in front of Kent’s eyes long after lunch ended, following him down the hall like an overeager hologram.

[Pickup Lines Skill Tree: Lv. 1 Unlocked!]

A branching diagram stretched out, each node labeled with skills that looked way too ridiculous to be real. At the base, three pulsed faintly:

Basic Compliment (Common)

Cheeky Remark (Uncommon)

Confidence Boost (Passive)

Kent rubbed his temple, weaving through the tide of students. "You’ve got to be kidding me. This is... what, a dating RPG?"

The System’s voice was smug in his head.

[Affirmative. Host has chosen the Pickup Path. Seduction, charisma, and smooth talking are your weapons. Use them well.]

Kent nearly walked into a locker. "I didn’t choose anything! You just dumped this on me!"

[Correction: You successfully completed Quest objectives, unlocking the first branch of your destined skill tree. Be proud, Host.]

He muttered under his breath, "Yeah, proud. Right. Because what I’ve always wanted in life is to be a walking rom-com."

Still, his eyes lingered on the skills. "Basic Compliment" seemed harmless enough. But "Cheeky Remark"... that one pulsed with a mischievous glow that made his stomach twist.

"What, do I just... click it?" he whispered.

[Simply think the skill name. The effect will activate in your next interaction.]

Kent stopped dead in the hallway. "Wait—next interaction? Like, no matter what?"

[Correct.]

"Oh, that’s evil."

The System hummed. [Effective.]

Kent exhaled, dragging a hand down his face. The very idea of this thing hijacking his mouth terrified him. But... it had worked with Mia. Against all odds, he hadn’t crashed and burned.

Maybe—just maybe—it could work again.

The question was: on who?

The hallway was crowded, but Mia fell into step beside him like it was the most natural thing in the world. She had her sketchbook tucked under one arm, earbuds dangling around her neck.

"You know," she said casually, "you looked like you were having a stroke at lunch. Everything okay?"

Kent’s heart jumped. Perfect chance.

He thought the words carefully: Basic Compliment.

For a second, nothing happened. Then warmth spread through his chest, like someone had turned up a dial. His mouth opened on its own—only this time, it wasn’t the stuttering mess he expected.

"I mean... I didn’t say it earlier, but your drawings are insane. The detail you put into those dragons? Like—how do you even think of that stuff?"

The words slipped out smoother than silk. His tone was confident, natural, almost effortless.

Mia blinked at him, then laughed. "Wow. That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said that didn’t involve cafeteria food."

Kent felt his face heat. "I... uh—yeah, well, it’s true."

She grinned, bumping her shoulder against his. "Careful, Gilbert. Keep this up, and people might think you’ve been replaced by an alien."

The System chimed in:

[Basic Compliment Successful. Charisma +1.]

Kent almost tripped over his own feet. Holy crap. It actually worked.

For the first time in years, a girl had laughed at something he’d said—and not in a mocking way. His chest swelled with a thrill he hadn’t felt before.

Maybe this System wasn’t completely cursed.

******

History class was already a nightmare. Mr. Thompson droned on about treaties, his voice flat as the chalk squeaking across the board. Kent sat near the back, doodling half-baked stick figures in his notebook just to stay awake.

Of course, Chloe was two seats over, neat handwriting flowing across her paper like she was drafting the Constitution herself. She didn’t miss a thing—and she didn’t miss Kent either.

She leaned over slightly, eyes flicking to his doodles. "Really, Gilbert? That’s your contribution to Western civilization?"

Kent froze. His first instinct was to sink into the chair until he ceased to exist. But then his brain caught up. Wait. This is it. The perfect chance to test... Cheeky Remark.

He swallowed hard. Okay. Just say it. Cheeky Remark.

Warmth buzzed through him again, but this time it wasn’t gentle. It was sharp, reckless. Before Kent could filter it, the words tumbled out:

"Careful, Chloe. If you stare at me that hard, people might think you’ve got a crush."

The moment hung like a dropped grenade.

Chloe blinked. Her pen froze mid-stroke. Slowly, her head turned, eyes narrowing like a sniper zeroing in on her target.

The students in the row ahead of them twisted around, grins already forming. Someone snickered.

Kent’s soul tried to leave his body. WHY DID I JUST SAY THAT?

The System chimed cheerfully:

[Cheeky Remark Successful. Target flustered. Charm +2.]

Chloe’s lips curved—not into a smile, but into something sharper. She pushed her glasses up with one finger, studying him like he was a bug under a microscope.

"Well," she murmured, just loud enough for him to hear. "Looks like someone grew a spine. Shame it’s attached to you."

The row of students bit back laughter. Kent wanted the earth to swallow him whole, but part of him noticed—her ears were pink.

When the bell finally rang, Kent bolted out of class, still feeling the burn of Chloe’s death glare on his skin. His heart wouldn’t settle, half mortified and half—against all reason—buzzing from the rush.

The whispers followed him into the hallway.

"Did you hear what Gilbert said to Chloe?"

"No way. That loser?"

"Man’s got a death wish."

"...or game."

Kent pulled his hood up, wishing he could vanish. But further down the hall, another set of ears had been listening carefully.

Derek leaned against the lockers, arms folded, his usual entourage clustered nearby. He hadn’t been in that class, but he didn’t need to be—the news had spread fast.

His smirk didn’t reach his eyes. "So... Gilbert thinks he’s funny now."

One of his lackeys, a buzz-cut linebacker named Todd, chuckled. "Yeah, man, he actually made Chloe blush. Whole room saw it."

Derek’s jaw tightened. "Blush?"

Todd grinned wider. "Yup. Pink as a strawberry milkshake."

The smirk vanished. Derek’s fists clenched at his sides, knuckles cracking. Chloe was his to tease, to chase, to corner whenever he felt like it. The idea of Kent—Kent of all people—making her react sent heat crawling up Derek’s neck.

He leaned in close to Todd and another lackey, voice low. "Keep an eye on him. If he’s really trying to climb out of the trash, we’ll be there to shove him back down."

Both nodded, grins vicious.

Derek straightened, his face calm again, but his eyes never left the corner where Kent had disappeared. "Gilbert wants to play games? Fine. Let’s see how long he lasts."

Kent ducked into the nearest stairwell, his pulse still racing from the Chloe incident. He leaned against the railing, dragging a hand down his face.

"That wasn’t me," he muttered. "That was... that was some alien ventriloquist act."

The System’s voice hummed smugly.

[Incorrect. That was you—amplified. The Host’s dormant confidence, given voice.]

"Dormant confidence? More like social suicide on steroids."

[Results speak for themselves.]

Kent groaned. Yeah, results... if you consider my chances of survival.

Still, he couldn’t ignore it. Chloe had actually reacted. Not with the usual dismissive snark, but with something else—something that made her cheeks go red before she tried to hide it.

It had worked. That was the terrifying part.

The stairwell door creaked open. Mia stepped in, sketchbook hugged to her chest. "You okay? You kinda bolted out of there."

Kent straightened too fast. "Me? Yeah. Totally. Just needed some... uh... air. Big fan of oxygen."

Mia gave him a look that said liar, but she didn’t press. Instead, she smirked. "Well, whatever’s going on, you’re way more entertaining lately. Don’t screw it up."

Her words hit harder than she knew. Don’t screw it up.

The System pulsed another notification:

[Warning: Rival Alert – Derek Mason has taken notice of you.]

[Projected Threat Level: High.]

Kent’s throat went dry. He didn’t need a system prompt to know Derek wasn’t the kind of guy to shrug this off.

This wasn’t just about flirty remarks or bonus Charm anymore.

This was about survival.