NOVEL WEB Chapter 38: Bookworm's Paradise
Cassius didn't consider himself to be someone righteous, but r*pe was definitely one of the few things that could tip him over the edge.
Yet, it wouldn't be until later that night, when he received dozens of nudes and suggestive comments, that he realized what was actually happening with the girl number situation…
The longer Cassius walked, the more attention he garnered from pedestrians, envious men, and swooning women. Yet, as if oblivious to it all, he focused on better balancing his body under the stress of so much weight. Even though his stats had improved considerably and the weight of each piece of Newbie Equipment hadn't changed much, it was still difficult to control his body the same way as before.
However, during his ten-minute walk to work, Cassius felt like he had become more attuned to the conditions imposed on him by his Newbie 1 Equipment set. Incidentally, the veins all over his body bulged and multiplied, which attracted even more female gazes, but at least he felt more comfortable living this way from now on.
A few minutes later.
By the time Cassius ultimately made it to his job, the whole town had started spreading rumors about the handsome, rogue-like actor. None of them had ever seen him on TV before, but it was certainly possible that he was a rising talent about to make his debut.
However, many people became confused upon seeing this refined man stop in front of a two-story bookstore. Sure, the place was quite nice and had a classical, historian feel to it, but why would someone like that go to a bookstore?
"Maybe he is a fan of literary works?"
"That could very well be possible… But I had assumed that all rich, luxurious people lived lives having not ever known the feel of a book…"
"Same… But now that I know this, I can't help but find him even more… attractive…"
"Geez, woman! Can you stop being so damn thirsty!? It isn't even 7, and yet you're already slobbering at just the mere sight of him!"
"Well, what would you know, you toad!? That man is a hundred thousand times better than you are!"
"Hwa!?"
Ignoring the pointless argument of a man and woman on the nearby street, Cassius walked through the front wooden glass doors of the 'Bookworm's Paradise' Library. A bell above the door rang, and the eloquent voice of a pretty black-haired girl drifted into his ears right after:
"Welcome to Bookworm's Paradise! Feel free to peruse at your own leisure— Wait, you look familiar…"
The girl turned around a corner. As her neatly combed ponytail swung behind her, she closely scrutinized the extraordinarily handsome man before her.
Suddenly widening her eyes, she blurted out, "Cassius!? Is that actually you!?? What happened… Did you get some of that expensive plastic surgery or something??? You shouldn't have done something like that…"
'Bella…' Cassius's lips raised awkwardly as he replied, "It's nothing like that, Bella. I just had another one of those late bloomer growth spurts…"
Bella further narrowed her twinkling twilight eyes in suspicion. She had been hearing the same excuse for the past couple of weeks, but it just didn't make any sense! How could someone possibly change so drastically naturally?
Though, in the end, she coldly sniffed. "I know you're keeping something from me, but if you don't want to tell me what that something is, then so be it. See if I care, humph!" She cutely pouted with her arms hugging the under area of her alluring breasts. "Just make sure not to lie your way through questions with other women, lest you end up single for your entire life!"
Cutting short her pouting, Bella glanced past him and looked through the shop's windows. "Those people crowded outside…"
Cassius looked behind him before refocusing on the black-haired beauty frustratingly tapping her perfectly carved feet. "I think they want protection services from me…"
"Protection services? What does that mean—" That was when Bella saw his pumped muscles, completely missing the intimidating wooden katana hanging in his veiny hands. "Have you been working out…?"
"...You could say that," replied Cassius as he averted his eyes from that suspicious glare of hers. "I just happened to find out that I have a knack for gaining muscle…"
"And this realization came before or after your repeated 'growth spurts'?" Bella further narrowed her eyes, not believing a single thing coming out of his mouth. Yet all she received in response was an awkward chuckle and the sight of her coworker and classmate scratching his neck.
Bella huffed, displeased.
She stormed away in a puff of smoke and made her way toward the second floor, where she got back to organizing the library's books from atop a tall wooden step ladder.
Cassius, on the other hand, was left standing right beside the bookstore's front desk, with dozens of people staring at him from outside.
He heard things like, "So the handsome actor is actually an employee here?? How can that be???" Yet he remained oblivious to the underlying context of the situation. Instead, he put his focus on the cart of used books that were bundled off to the side of the front desk.
While returning those returned books to their rightful spots in the bookstore, Cassius's mind traced back to the stunning black-haired beauty who worked with him. He occasionally glanced at her industrious figure, wondering how exactly he wound up working directly alongside one of the five ravishing beauties of Hoshito High.
'Ahh, that's right,' he thought as a light bulb flashed inside his mind. 'When I first started this part-time job three'ish weeks ago, Bella had started working here for the summer as well. Yet, when she first saw me, rather than avert her eyes like most people, she appraised me with her resplendent black globes and said, "You have honest eyes," then went to treat me like a decent human being.'
'I still have no idea what exactly Bella meant with that comment, but she was the first person to not appear visibly repulsed at being in my presence. She even made an effort to speak to me when we were on the same shifts…'