Xavier kicked off his shoes with a grunt, the leather creaking as he peeled off his jacket. The apartment was silent except for the hum of the city outside, the distant wail of sirens mixing with the occasional honk of hovercars.
He knelt before the Fragment of Goddess Astrea, the rock's faint glow pulsing like a heartbeat in the dim room. He talked with the goddess for more than 10 minutes, and Xavier told her everything that happened in the academy today.
The goddess's voice echoed in his mind, cool and distant. "Touch the rock, child."
Xavier pressed his palm against the stone's surface. A jolt of energy shot through his arm as golden light erupted from the fragment, bathing the room in divine radiance. The system notification materialized before his eyes:
[Justice System Activated]
Xavier's breath caught. "What is this?"
The goddess's voice resonated through his bones. "Remember, I am Astrea, goddess of justice and impartiality. This system shall be integrated with your unlimited money system."
Xavier's mind raced. "How does it work?"
"When you deliver justice and correct imbalances," the goddess explained, "you shall receive Justice Points."
Xavier's eyes narrowed. "And what do these points do?"
"In the Dimensional Store, they may be redeemed for anything you desire," the goddess said. "They are tokens that grant wishes - so long as they do not involve taking or giving life, or interfering with the system itself."
Xavier's lips curled. "The system is money. And money is me. So I can't do anything to myself."
Xavier's fingers tightened around the fragment, his disappointment crashing over him like a wave. "Is there no way to leave this weak, fragile body behind?" His voice was raw with frustration. "No way to become truly strong?"
The goddess's presence seemed to intensify, the golden light pulsing brighter. "This body is the reason you have the system at all," she chided gently. "Do not speak of it with such disdain. Your strength will come through completing as many unique tasks as possible, and through spending your money wisely."
Xavier tossed his shirt aside, the fabric landing with a soft rustle on the worn floorboards. He needed something to do - anything to distract from the gnawing boredom now that his daily tasks were complete.
Xavier was just pulling on fresh clothes when the apartment door swung open. Lilia froze in the doorway, her eyes widening as they locked onto Xavier's exposed lower half. A sharp gasp escaped her lips before she quickly averted her gaze, her face flushing crimson.
"For fuck's sake, Xavier!" she snapped, her voice tight with embarrassment.
Xavier hastily yanked up his pants, his own face heating. "You always come in at the worst possible times," he muttered, buttoning his shirt with jerky movements.
Lilia crossed her arms, still avoiding looking directly at him. "You're such a pervert. Do you just jerk off all day?"
Xavier's eyebrows shot up. "I wasn't doing anything! Just changing my clothes."
"Well, do it in the bathroom next time!" Lilia huffed, finally meeting his gaze with narrowed eyes. "This is a shared space, you know."
The tension between them dissipated as quickly as it had flared. Lilia settled in the corner with her study materials for the entrance exam, while Xavier grabbed his phone, the two falling into a comfortable silence broken only by the occasional beeps of notifications or taps of fingers on screens.
As evening fell, they made their way to the 10th floor restaurant. The owner looked up from wiping down the counter, her eyes widening slightly at seeing them together.
"Well hello there," she said, her voice warm with curiosity. "I didn't know you two knew each other."
"Hey Seraphina," Lilia smiled, though there was an edge to it. "Xavier's my cousin. He's staying with me now."
Seraphina's eyebrows rose as she glanced between them. "Family, huh? Well, family gets the best table." She led them to a cozy corner booth, her hips swaying slightly as she walked ahead of them.
The meal passed with easy conversation, although Xavier caught Seraphina glancing at him quite a few times. After paying, they returned to the apartment where exhaustion quickly claimed them both.
Xavier was jolted awake by his phone's sharp ringtone. He fumbled for it in the dark, squinting at the screen. Oliver's name flashed across it.
"Everything alright?" Xavier asked, his voice rough with sleep.
Oliver's voice came through, slightly muffled. "What are you doing? Are you free?"
Xavier rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, I'm free," he lied, already swinging his legs out of bed.
"Good. I'm outside Nexus Tower. Can you come out to meet me?"
Xavier was already pulling on his shoes. "Be right there."
He slipped out quietly, the night air cool against his skin as he made his way to where Oliver waited, his silhouette just visible in the dim streetlights.
Xavier's eyebrows furrowed as he took in Oliver's disheveled appearance under the flickering streetlight. "What happened? Why come meet me in the middle of the night without warning?"
Oliver ran a hand through his messy hair, his breath coming fast. "Dad's out of town for work. I saw my chance to slip out and do something... fun." He shifted uncomfortably. "You're the only friend I have to do it with."
Xavier's lips quirked into a small smile. "So what's the plan, then?"
Oliver's expression turned serious. "I talked to the hacker. She said this case is risky - we need to gather as much evidence as possible against Lucas and his friends. In cases like this, evidence gets cleared fast."
Just then, Xavier's vision flashed with the system notification:
[Task Triggered: Talk to Victim]
Xavier turned to Oliver, his mind already racing. "Do you know Mira's address?"
Oliver blinked. "It's in the police report. Why?"
Xavier's voice was steady. "What better way to gather evidence than talking to the victim herself?"
The night air seemed to still around them as Oliver processed this. The streetlights buzzed softly overhead, casting long shadows that danced across the pavement. Somewhere in the distance, a car alarm blared briefly before falling silent.
Oliver swallowed hard. "You're serious about this."
Xavier's gaze didn't waver. "Dead serious."
A beat of silence passed between them, heavy with implication. Then Oliver nodded sharply. "Alright. Let's do it."