The Heart System

Chapter 170: Chapter 170

The café was packed. The rain hammered the windows so hard the glass rattled. A Levi cosplayer two tables over kept wiping fog off his glasses. A Power girl was demolishing a stack of pancakes, syrup dripping down her wrist. Two guys in matching All Might hoodies argued over who owed twenty bucks for mochi. The air smelled like burnt espresso, sugar, and wet wigs.

We’d changed out of our cosplay the second the quiz tanked. Man... how did we fail so miserably? Only Minne was able to get the right answers.

The cold had rolled in fast, so we hit the family restroom, peeled off the outfits, and stuffed them into the black tote now slumped beside my chair. Nala wore a charcoal turtleneck that clung to her tits and high-waisted black jeans that made her ass look criminal. Gold hoops flashed every time she turned. Jasmine rocked a cropped cream hoodie and low-rise cargos, her belly piercing glinting when she laughed.

Tessa had thrown on an oversized pink bomber jacket over ripped fishnets, combat boots still dripping puddles.

Kim kept it simple: burgundy leather skirt, white crop top, bomber jacket knotted around her waist.

Minne sat quietly in the corner, tiny in an oversized gray hoodie and leggings, hood up, sipping hot chocolate with both hands. I stayed in my plain black tee and dark jeans, hair still flattened from the wig cap.

The bell above the door jingled. Delilah stepped in, shaking rain from a long camel coat. Under it was a sleeveless cobalt dress that hugged every curve, hem stopping mid-thigh, black stilettos clicking across the tile. A few damp strands framed her face. She looked like she belonged on a magazine cover, not in this nerd circus.

I lifted my hand. She spotted me, gave a small smile, and wove between tables.

╭────────────────────╮

- Quest Available

==========================

- Title: Another one

- Task: Persuade Delilah to join

in your harem.

- Reward: +1 LVL, 250c, 200 EXP

==========================

- Accept Quest? [Yes] [No]

╰────────────────────╯

Shit... a level-up bonus, 250 credits, and 200 experience points? I was only planning to test the waters with Delilah—to see where she really stood in all this. If she turned out to be a tough nut to crack, I’d have let it go and accepted that she’d never be okay with me being with other girls. Honestly, I could’ve lived with that. Keeping Delilah out of Jasmine and others was okay with me.

But this quest... damn, those rewards were something else. And the idea of adding Delilah to my harem was intoxicating—dangerously so. Still, I couldn’t shake the image of the Delilah I knew: the one who’d slap the hell out of me and never speak to me again if I even suggested it.

I tapped [Yes] before I could second-guess it.

”Ms. Komb,” I said, standing. ”Glad you braved the storm. Welcome.”

”Hello.” She nodded to the table. ”I’m Delilah.”

Jasmine leaned forward. ”Jasmine. Love the coat.”

Kim raised her latte. ”Kim. That dress is lethal.”

”Nala,” Nala said, offering a hand. ”Pleasure.”

Tessa kicked her chair back. ”Tessa. Sup.”

Minne peeked out from under her hood. ”M-Minne,” she squeaked, giving a tiny wave.

They shook hands one by one. I dragged an empty chair from the next table, spun it, and dropped into it with a sigh.

Delilah slipped off her coat, draped it over the chair back. The dress clung in all the right places; the café lights turned the fabric midnight blue. She sat, crossed her legs, and the hem rode just high enough to make my pulse kick.

Alright. All or nothing.

Delilah rested her chin lightly on her hand, eyes flicking between the others. ”So,” she said, ”how do all of you know Evan?”

Jasmine was quick to answer. ”He used to live next door. Helped me and Tessa out once when Karim showed up.”

Tessa snorted. ”That guy was a nightmare. Thought he could talk his way into our place. Evan didn’t give him the chance.”

Delilah turned to me. ”Oh, that Karim. Yeah. You fought him, right?”

”Not exactly fought,” I said. ”Just made sure he left them alone... and I got beaten. A little, though.”

Delilah blinked, a bit amused, a bit surprised. ”Well, that’s new. I thought your neighbor was a ’he’ Evan.”

”Really?” I asked. ”Hmm...”

”What about you?” Delilah asked. ”Kim, was it?”

Kim shrugged. ”I met him later. My boyfriend kicked me out. Evan took me in and let me stay for a while.”

Delilah’s brow rose. ”You stayed with him?”

”Yeah. He didn’t ask for anything, just helped me get back on my feet.”

”That’s kind,” Delilah said, though there was something thoughtful behind the word.

Nala set down her cup. ”He helped me too. My brother... wasn’t someone I could handle alone. Evan stepped in before things got bad.”

Delilah’s expression softened. ”He does that a lot, doesn’t he?”

”Yeah,” Tessa said with a grin. ”He just can’t sit still, huh?”

”My ego is now inflated as hell, girls. Stop. Please.”

The comment drew small laughter around the table, and for a moment the mood turned light again.

Then Minne spoke. ”Master is very kind,” she said gently. ”H-he knows I’m her maid. But she treats me equ—”

Delilah blinked. ”Master? Maid?”

Minne nodded, smiling shyly. ”Yes. He looks after me.”

Tessa’s grin widened. Jasmine bit the inside of her cheek to keep from laughing. Kim looked at Delilah as if waiting to see her reaction.

Delilah tilted her head. ”Are you serious? You call him that? When did you get a maid, Evan?”

I just left her question hung in the air.

Minne nodded again, eyes bright. ”It’s just what I call him. I respect him.”

Delilah turned to me, smirking. ”Respect, huh? You sure that’s all it means? Are you doing naughty things with your maid, Evan? I expected better.”

I lifted my hands. ”It’s not like that. She started calling me that after I helped her. It stuck. That’s all.”

Delilah’s smile was skeptical, but not unkind. ”Right. Sure. A maid, huh? For that house?”

Jasmine leaned back, playing with her hair. ”He’s the same with everyone, honestly. Always helping, never explaining.”

Kim chuckled. ”And somehow, all of us end up in the same place.”

Delilah looked around the table again. ”Yeah, I noticed. You’ve got quite the collection, Evan.” She gestured at Jasmine and Tessa. ”Should I be concerned or just impressed?”

Tessa grinned, resting her chin on her hand. ”Maybe a little of both.”

Jasmine’s eyes flicked toward Delilah, a spark of challenge hidden behind her calm smile.

”I’m... confused.” Delilah said. ”Why would you even need a maid?”

”Right, I guess I should explain,” I began. ”Nala had a brother. Guy Nolin. He threatened to take everything from me because I stood up for his sister, Nala. So he made a plan to kick me out of my own house... but it backfired. Now I’m living in his penthouse, sleeping in his bed, eating his food.”

Delilah was stunned. ”What? Guy Nolin? The CEO?”

”Yeah.” I nodded. ”He’s a sick man, Delilah. Trust me.”

”Wow... tell me what happened, Evan. I want every little detail.”

I told her everything—how I took down Guy Nolin, how Tuck helped me, how I bought that USB, hid it in the safe, and framed her. How Anotta helped me with the blackmail and everything that followed.

Delilah nodded. ”So, this... group. You all live together?”

Kim answered first. ”We do. Better than living in that apartment.”

”So many people...” Delilah muttered.

Nala gave a quiet laugh. ”It’s loud, but never lonely.”

Delilah nodded slowly. ”I see.” Her gaze moved back to me, curious now. ”And you don’t think that’s... complicated?”

”No?” I said. ”Why would it be?”

Minne nodded softly. ”Master takes care of us. That’s all that matters.”

Something in her voice made Delilah pause. She watched the way Minne spoke, how her eyes stayed fixed on me rather than the table. Then she caught the small glance Jasmine gave her, the slight shift of Tessa’s leg under the chair, the quiet understanding between them that didn’t need words.

Her expression changed, only slightly, but I could see the realization forming behind her eyes.

”Well,” she said slowly, ”you’ve built yourself quite the little circle, haven’t you, Evan?”

That earned a laugh from everyone, even Minne. Delilah laughed too, but hers didn’t last as long. Her eyes lingered on me a second longer than they should have, her smile softer, quieter.

I knew that look. She was putting pieces together. ”You know, if someone walked in right now, they’d probably think you’re dating all of them.”

”Would they be wrong?” Tessa teased.

The table laughed again, but Delilah didn’t. She only smiled and shook her head. ”I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that.”

Her words were playful, but her tone was thoughtful, and when she looked at me again, her eyes said more than her smile did.

She knew. Or at least, the pieces were sliding into place behind those sharp hazel eyes.