With a zap!

Zap!

Ouch! Did Jessie just taze me or what?

It was Cammy! Had to be, because the shock came from the hand with the camera in it. That hand happened to be resting against Jessica's back, but thankfully she didn't seem to feel anything. An invisible camera with an invisible cattle prod. Oh wowee, thanks Cammy! Exactly what I've always wanted! he thought dryly. Still, it might be important.

Jessie was still crying on his shoulder, so he had to carefully lift his arm up just enough to see the camera screen.

Well done! You've found Jessica's 1st Key. You've given her hope that she'll escape her loneliness, and earned a small amount of trust because of it. Behind every strong man, there's a devoted sister! Rank 2 benefits will display shortly.

That... was a dumb saying. Cammy's sense of humor needed some work. Like I'm one to talk. The Rank 2 benefits came up on the screen.

Jessica Marshall, Rank 2
-Jessica will agree to one arrangement of your choosing, as long as it is not (initially) perceived as sexual.
-Jessica will now spend her free time with you whenever you ask, unless she has prior commitments.
-Jessica is now comfortable with wearing less layers of clothing around you. She'll still wear heavy layers if other people can see her, due to her trauma.

Trauma? he wondered. I thought all of this was because she was lonely.

The faint smell of peppermint filled his nose when he buried his face into her soft hair. What happened to you while I wasn't looking, Jessie? He hoped it wasn't something awful, but the word "trauma" implied a darker truth.

I need to ask Cammy about some of these advantages later. Wearing less clothing, agreeing to "initially" non-sexual agreements? It sure seemed like the System had more in mind than simply forging new friendships. That was all well and good (more like fucking great!), but with his sister? That's a bit much.

Then he remembered the picture on his camera of Jessie's cute feet, with each toe ending in sky blue nail polish, and how interested he'd been in the swell of her breasts underneath her hoodie. He could feel them pressed against him now.

Okay, maybe I'm a degenerate, but I'll sort that out with myself when the sister in question isn't crying on my shoulder.