EVIL SYSTEM

"Wake up," Dante whispered to Ben, nudging him gently, but Ben just stirred.

"Five more minutes," he mumbled, half-asleep.

"That's what you said half an hour ago," Dante said, kicking him in frustration, though Ben didn't feel a thing.

If a bullet couldn't hurt him, there was no way Dante's kick would cause him any pain.

"Let me sleep," Ben replied, exasperated.

"Don't you remember what day it is?" Dante asked.

"What day?"

"You've got your date with Judy today."

Ben's body shot upright, startling Dante, who jumped back.

"Hey! Don't scare me like that!"

Ben ignored him and got up, leaving the cozy sheets behind.

"What time is it?" Ben asked.

"It's 11:30 a.m."

"And you're *just* waking me up now?!" Ben bolted straight to the bathroom and turned on the shower.

"I've been trying to wake you up for hours, you idiot!"

"The date's at 2 p.m. I don't have time to argue with you." Ben soaped up and scrubbed hard.

In a matter of minutes, Ben emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist.

He grabbed his backpack and started rummaging for something to wear. No matter how much he searched, none of his clothes seemed right.

Dante watched all this with a hand on his chin before setting aside an outfit.

It was a pair of white cargo pants with multiple pockets and a simple black sweater with a rock band's name on the back.

White shoes with some black accents completed the look.

"I think this'll look good on you," Dante said.

Ben glanced at the clothes and liked them instantly—they were exactly his style—but he still asked, "You really think it'll look good?"

"Yeah, I'm sure."

Ben nodded and put on the outfit. He went downstairs with Dante and ate lunch with the others.

Many already knew about the upcoming date between the two, so they spent the time teasing them about it.

Though plenty of guys were still smitten with Judy, they couldn't deny that, among them, Ben was someone they considered worthy of her.

A good person, admirable, and highly talented.

When the time came, Ben was a nervous wreck, pacing back and forth.

Roger couldn't stand watching him like that.

"I thought you were a pretty chill guy. Why are you this nervous over a simple date?"

"You don't get it," Ben shook his head. "I *really* like her! What if she doesn't like me? What if the date goes badly? What if I bore her?"

Roger shook his head.

"We've lost him."

"Just be yourself," Dante offered some advice, and Ben stared at him for a long moment before bursting into loud laughter.

"Hahahahahaha!" Ben even rolled on the bed, unable to hold back the laughter that made his stomach ache.

"What's so funny?" Dante was indignant at Ben's reaction and yanked him by the leg.

"Haha, no, man, if a girl ever saw my real personality, she'd run away at the first chance," Ben said, pulling himself together and sitting up. "It's messed up to say, but women like being deceived a little. They expect a specific type of guy and dream of the perfect date."

"You just have to trick them a bit and then slowly win them over with your real personality." Ben rubbed his chin sagely. "Can you imagine what a girl would do if I told her my hobbies are watching anime and occasionally killing criminals?"

Dante fell silent, unable to respond.

"Killing criminals?" Roger asked.

"No, man, what I need to do is say my hobbies are music and martial arts. See the difference? You've got to understand that 80% of women only choose and reproduce with 10% of men. It's known that they'd even share a man they deem worthy rather than settle for a mediocre or failed one. If you can't adapt, you'll be part of that 90% that never gets laid, even with that pretty face of yours."

"I don't think that's what relationships are about," Dante said, crossing his arms.

"Well, you can also get a woman if you've got a lot of money or power. But all you'll find are gold-diggers and cheaters. I don't want those kinds of women," Ben shrugged.

Feeling more relaxed, Ben grabbed his wallet and pocketed it.

He left the room and headed downstairs to meet Judy.

"Hey, this is serious," Roger said, wide-eyed, unsure if they were messing with him. "What's this about killing criminals?"

Dante started whistling nonchalantly and slipped out of the room, leaving his grandfather alone with his jaw dropped.

"Tell me it's not true!"

---

When Ben met Judy, his breath caught for a moment.

*She looked so beautiful!*

She wore a sky-blue dress that made her look cute, gorgeous, and enchanting all at once. The nervousness he'd forgotten amid the laughter and banter came rushing back, and his heart started pounding.

"Hi," he greeted her.

"Hi," Judy turned and smiled back.

"You look really beautiful," Ben said, though his tongue stumbled a bit.

"Thanks," Judy smiled. "You look really handsome too."

Ben brushed a hand over his clothes at her compliment, a small smile escaping him.

"So?" Judy asked. "Where are we going?"

Ben panicked for a moment—he hadn't planned anything specific. He'd thought about taking her to dinner and a movie.

But it was too early for either of those.

Judy laughed at how nervous he looked.

"You know, I heard Magnolia has one of the biggest museums in the world. We could go check it out."

"Yeah, sure, the museum," Ben nodded quickly and gestured with his hand. "Let's go to the museum!"

Ben opened the taxi door for Judy and invited her to get in. Since he didn't have a car and didn't want to take her in the minivan, he'd opted for a taxi.

"To the National Museum, please."

"Yes, sir," the driver nodded and pulled away.

"Are you really into museums?" Ben asked with a nervous smile.

"I love them!" Judy said, brimming with excitement. "Museums show you the history of the world. You know that famous saying: those who don't know their history are doomed to repeat it."

"Oh?" Ben was surprised. "George Santayana, right?"

"Who?" Judy asked.

"Santayana—he's the one who wrote that," Ben said, though his voice trailed off into a whisper as he remembered this wasn't his world.

"I don't know," Judy shook her head. "No one really knows. It's a phrase that got famous about a thousand years ago in the medieval era."

"Some say it was the king of Venezia back then, others say it was a knight, but no one's sure."

"Wow!" Ben felt a surge of curiosity about who'd coined that phrase in this world.

Chatting pleasantly, they arrived at the museum, and after paying the driver, they went inside.

The place was massive and ancient, resembling a small castle.

According to the guide's explanation, it had once been the home of an old lord.

There were plenty of ancient paintings and beautiful artifacts. Though Ben hadn't had high expectations for this outing, he had to admit it was all pretty fascinating.

"What you see behind me is the portrait of an ancient lady," the guide said, turning to look at it with admiration. "In an era when women were underestimated and seen as mere accessories, Lady Stoneheart rose in defense, led her people, and made history as one of the bravest women of her time."

"She was the precursor to the women's revolution. A role model and a historical figure."

Judy gazed at the portrait with awe and fascination.

Meanwhile, for some strange reason, Ben couldn't tear his eyes away from it. The woman was beautiful, yes—arguably even more beautiful than Judy—but that wasn't why he was so transfixed.

He didn't understand why, but he couldn't stop staring.

The guide continued the tour, showing them many more things. When they reached an area displaying various weapons, Ben fixated on one in particular.

A katana with a red blade and an unusually large size—over two meters long.

"Who could wield a weapon like that?" he asked the guide.

The guide shrugged. "Our records from that era are scarce and fragmented."

"But we have our hypotheses." The guide put on a pair of black gloves and gripped the sword's handle.

Before everyone's eyes, he tried to lift the sword with all his strength, but it was impossible.

A few others stepped in to help, but they couldn't even budge it.

"We know the owner of this sword was someone insanely strong," the guide said, wiping sweat from his forehead before showing the group a section of the blade.

On that part of the sword was a half-faded inscription, though one part was still legible.

"Harvester of Lives."

"It's said this weapon may have taken over a thousand lives," the guide shook his head in disbelief. "And those are the lowest estimates."

Ben studied the sword with keen interest. Its design was beautiful, and he imagined himself wielding it.

*It'd look awesome!