My Scumbag System-Chapter 422: The First Turn in a Vicious Game

I sat back and watched the chaos unfold. Five sets of eyes on me like sharks circling chum in the water. The darkness made it worse, honestly. With only moonlight filtering through my window, their faces were half-hidden in shadow, their expressions reduced to suggestions and hints. Some kind of psychological warfare bullshit.

"So who’s going first with their request?" I asked, keeping my voice neutral. I’d dealt with Yakuza enforcers and cosmic tree gods. This was fine.

It wasn’t fine. This was a hundred times worse.

Nel’s voice whispered in the back of my mind. The audience ratings are going through the roof right now.

Of course they fucking were.

Akari shifted in the darkness, the lace of her nightie catching the moonlight as she moved. "I’ll go first since I started this." Her voice had that velvety quality that made everything sound like an invitation to sin. "What I want is simple. I want to watch."

"Watch what?" Emi squeaked.

"Everything." Akari leaned back on her hands, her pose casual but her eyes locked onto mine. "I want to see what all the fuss is about. I want to see what makes our resident scumbag worth fighting over."

I raised an eyebrow. "So you’re not participating, just spectating?"

She laughed, low and rich. "I didn’t say that. I want to watch... and then I want you to show me what I’ve been missing. After you’ve worn yourself out on everyone else."

Natalia made a sound in the darkness. Something between a laugh and a growl. "Ambitious."

"Always." Akari winked at her. "Your turn, Princess."

Cel sat perfectly still, her silver hair almost glowing in the moonlight. When she spoke, her voice was soft but clear. "I’m not certain this is wise."

"None of this is wise," Skylar muttered.

"True." Cel looked down at her hands. "But I’m struggling to reconcile what I want with what I should want."

I leaned forward. "Just say what you want. No judgment here."

"Easy for you to say," she replied. "You’re getting everything you want tonight."

"Not if I fail this quest."

She looked up at me, her periwinkle eyes catching the moonlight. "I want to know what it feels like to not be perfect. Just once."

The room went silent.

"Explain," Natalia said softly.

Cel’s fingers twisted in the fabric of her nightdress. "My entire life has been about control. About being the VHC’s perfect doll. About meeting expectations." She took a deep breath. "I want to know what it feels like to just... feel. Without analyzing. Without worrying about consequences or appearances or what my sister would think."

"So you want to let go," I said.

"Yes." She met my eyes. "I want you to make me forget my own name."

Holy shit.

I hadn’t expected that from her. The room temperature seemed to drop another few degrees as Natalia processed this request.

Emi cleared her throat. "Um... can I go next?"

Natalia nodded.

Emi’s face was already red, visible even in the dim light. "I want..." She stopped, her voice cracking. "I want Satori to hold me. And kiss me. A lot. And... and maybe touch me. If that’s okay."

"That’s it?" Akari asked, sounding genuinely surprised.

"Well, not forever!" Emi’s antennae twitched indignantly. "Just for tonight. And maybe... maybe Satori could tell me I’m doing a good job? That I’m... that I’m enough?"

Fuck.

That hit harder than any punch Braxton had ever landed on me.

"You’re already enough," I said without thinking.

Her eyes went wide, and even in the darkness, I could see tears forming. "See? That. More of that, please."

Skylar snorted. "You’re all so fucking soft." She pulled one knee up to her chest, her indigo hair falling over her face. "My turn, I guess?"

"If you want," Natalia said.

"Fine." Skylar’s voice was bored, but her eyes told a different story. "I want you to fight me."

"What?" Emi looked horrified.

"Not like that." Skylar rolled her eyes. "I want to be pushed back. I want to push you back. I want to see if you’re really as strong as this System says you are. And then, when you’ve proven it, I want you to hold me down and make me admit it."

The air in the room got thicker. Heavier.

"And that’s it?" I asked.

Her smile was sharp in the darkness. "No. After that, I want you to fuck me until I can’t remember why I was fighting you in the first place."

Akari whistled low. "Damn, girl."

"Shut up," Skylar muttered, but there was no real heat in it.

All eyes turned to Natalia.

She sat cross-legged on the floor, her back straight, her hands resting on her knees. The white streaks in her hair seemed to glow in the moonlight. She looked like some kind of meditation guru, except for the absolutely predatory look in her eyes.

"My request is simple," she said. Her voice was calm. Too calm. It was the kind of calm that came right before she froze someone solid. "I want what’s mine."

"Which is?" Cel asked.

"Him." Natalia’s eyes never left mine. "All of him. I want him to look at me, and only me, while he’s with each of you. I want him to remember who he came to first, who he belongs to no matter how many others join this... arrangement."

"That’s not fair," Skylar said.

"None of this is fair," Natalia replied. "But it’s how it is. He’s mine. I’m his. The rest of you can have pieces of him, but I get the whole."

The room fell silent again.

I looked at each of them in turn. Natalia with her absolute certainty. Skylar with her challenging glare. Emi with her desperate hope. Cel with her careful calculation. Akari with her amused interest.

"So," I said, breaking the silence. "How do we do this?"

Natalia stood up and walked toward me. "We start with me."

She straddled my lap, facing me, her hands sliding into my hair. "The others can watch. Or join. Or leave." She leaned in close, her lips brushing my ear. "But first, I establish what’s mine."

Her mouth found mine in the darkness. The kiss was possessive, claiming. Her tongue pushed past my lips without asking permission, and the Nectar hummed between us like electricity. Her body pressed against mine, all curves and warmth, her breasts flattening against my chest through the thin silk of her camisole.

When she pulled back, her pupils had expanded, swallowing most of the purple. "Mine," she whispered.

"Yours," I agreed.

She smiled and turned her head to look at the others. "Who’s first?"

Emi raised her hand, then seemed to realize how ridiculous that was and quickly lowered it again.

"Can I... can I be next?"