SSS-Class Profession: The Path to Mastery

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, and I found myself standing there shirtless, caught between four women who were clearly having some kind of unspoken conversation with their eyes. The accusatory looks directed at Alexis, combined with their collective expressions of betrayal, made it clear that they had some form of agreement that was broken.

I needed to defuse this situation before it escalated into something that could damage the balance we've had between all of us.

"Hold on," I said, raising my hands in a gesture of peace. "Before anyone jumps to conclusions, let me explain what actually happened here."

All four women turned their attention to me, and I could see the mix of curiosity and suspicion in their expressions.

"Alexis and I were conducting resistance training experiments. More specifically working on advancing my Poison Resistance and Pain Resistance skills using various animal venoms." I gestured toward my bare chest. "I took my shirt off because I didn't want to risk puncturing with a needle, getting venom or chemical residue on the clothing that Camille made for me. That shirt is custom-tailored and probably cost more than most people's monthly rent and I know she'd kill me if I damaged it."

Camille's expression immediately shifted as she processed this explanation. Her eyebrows rose slightly as she considered the implications, and I could see her weighing the value of her handcrafted clothing against whatever assumptions she had been making about Alexis and me.

"Oh," she said finally, her tone carrying the satisfaction of someone whose priorities had been properly recognized. "Well, in that case, you made the right decision. That shirt took me multiple hours to get the measurements and fabric tension exactly right since I didn't want to use my job title. Getting venom stains on it would have been a complete disaster."

The matter-of-fact way she dismissed everything else they had been concerned about in favor of protecting her craftsmanship made me chuckle despite the awkward situation. Leave it to Camille to consider her artistic creations more important than relationship drama.

My amusement seemed to break the remaining tension in the room. Sienna relaxed visibly, her shoulders losing the rigid posture that indicated she was preparing for conflict. Evelyn's head tilted in that way that suggested she was reassessing the situation through whatever senses she used to navigate while blindfolded.

"We're sorry for making assumptions," Sienna said quietly, her voice carrying the sincere regret that characterized her apologies. "We shouldn't have jumped to conclusions without asking what was actually happening."

"I'm sorry too," Camille added, though her tone was more pragmatic than apologetic. "We saw Rey shirtless and Alexis looking flustered, and we automatically assumed... well, something other than medical experiments."

"Same here," Evelyn said, adjusting her blindfold slightly. "The atmosphere in the room suggested something had happened between you two, and we reacted based on that impression rather than facts."

Alexis waved off their apologies with a gracious smile. "Honestly, I completely understand why you would think what you thought. The situation probably looked exactly like what you were worried about, and it's not like the conclusion you jumped to would have been completely unbelievable."

She paused, glancing at me with a slight blush that suggested she wasn't entirely opposed to the scenario they had imagined.

"If I had walked in on any of you in a similar situation, I probably would have reacted the same way. No harm done."

I was relieved that the immediate crisis had been resolved, but something about their collective reaction suggested there were underlying issues that hadn't been addressed. The way they had all looked at Alexis, the sense of betrayal, the mention of some kind of agreement - it all pointed to conversations and decisions that had been made without my knowledge.

"I'm glad that's all sorted out," I said, settling into one of the chairs around the dining table. "But I have to ask - what exactly were you all talking about? It's clear that some kind of agreement or arrangement was made between the four of you, and I'm apparently not aware of what it involves."

The three women exchanged glances, and I could see them having one of those silent conversations that people in close relationships sometimes develop. Finally, Sienna stepped forward, her expression showing the kind of resolve that suggested she had been designated as their spokesperson.

"We probably should have told you about this sooner," she began, her voice carrying a hint of guilt. "Especially considering the argument we had a couple of days ago about transparency and communication between you and us."

I remembered that argument well. Learned to show through actions than useless promises.

"When you left for the school this morning, we ended up talking about our situation - about the relationship dynamics between all of us and how we wanted to handle things moving forward."

She paused, gathering her thoughts before continuing.

"We made an agreement about expectations and progression. Specifically, the four of us decided that we didn't want to create a situation where some of us moved forward in our relationships with you while others got left behind."

Evelyn stepped forward, her blindfolded face turned in my general direction. "We agreed that we would progress together, as a group. If one of us isn't ready or able to take the next step in her relationship with you, then the other three would wait rather than leaving that person behind."

The logic behind their decision made sense, but I was starting to understand why they had been so upset when they thought Alexis had violated this agreement on the same day they had made it.

"We know we should have discussed this with you first," Camille added. "But we were planning to bring it up tonight anyway. The timing just worked out poorly with the whole shirt situation."

I nodded, processing the implications of their arrangement. It was thoughtful of them to consider each other's feelings and to want to maintain equality in their relationships with me, but it also created some practical complications.

"I understand the reasoning behind the agreement, and I'm not bothered by it," I said finally. "But doesn't this create a bit of a standstill situation? I'm supposed to take all of you on a proper date, but with everything that's been happening lately, we haven't had a moment of relaxation or normalcy."

"That's exactly the problem," Sienna replied with a frustrated sigh. "Between your work situation and Evelyn's condition, we're stuck in a holding pattern that none of us really knows how to resolve."

The Cain Protocol that affected Evelyn was indeed a significant complication. Until it was cured, she couldn't see me directly, which made traditional dating activities practically impossible. And with the current assassination threat and my involvement at Hudson Heights Educational Academy, finding time for romance seemed like an increasingly distant possibility.

"We got upset earlier because we thought Alexis had broken the agreement we'd made less than a day ago," Camille explained. "But obviously we were wrong about what was actually happening."

"I appreciate you all looking out for each other," I said, meaning it sincerely. "And I understand why you reacted the way you did. The agreement makes sense given our unusual circumstances."

I leaned back in my chair, considering how to shift the conversation toward more pressing matters.

"Speaking of unusual circumstances, I actually wanted to fill all of you in on what I discovered today at the school. I told you that I'd be more open to you all didn't I?"

The reaction was immediate and dramatic. Sienna's face lit up with genuine excitement, her usual shyness temporarily forgotten in favor of curiosity about my work. Camille grinned with the satisfaction of someone whose complaints about my secretiveness had finally been acknowledged. Even Evelyn's blindfolded expression showed clear interest in what I was about to reveal.

"Really?" Sienna asked, her voice carrying a hopeful tone that suggested she had been waiting for this moment for a long time. "You're actually going to tell us what's been happening instead of just saying everything is fine and that we shouldn't worry about it?"

"Yes, really," I replied, amused by her enthusiasm. "I've been too protective of information, and it's not fair to keep you all in the dark about situations that could potentially affect our lives."

They quickly arranged themselves around the dining table, settling in with the eager attention of an audience preparing for a particularly interesting story. Alexis took the seat across from me, while Sienna and Camille flanked my sides. Evelyn positioned herself where she could hear clearly without having to worry about accidentally seeing me.

As I prepared to begin explaining the events at Hudson Heights Educational Academy, Alexis reached into the pocket of her lab coat and withdrew a small vial containing what looked like water. She set it on the table in front of me with a casual gesture.

"Before you start," she said, her voice carrying the same clinical tone she had used during our earlier experiments, "I want you to drink this. It's part of the resistance training we were working on earlier."

I glanced at the vial, then back at her. After the intensive venom experiment we had just completed, I assumed this was some kind of recovery supplement or neutralizing agent designed to help my system process the residual toxins.

Without hesitation, I picked up the vial and drained its contents in a single swallow.

The liquid went down smoothly, with no particular taste or texture that would indicate anything unusual. But within seconds, I felt a burning sensation begin to spread through my throat and down into my stomach.

The burn intensified rapidly, becoming a searing pain that felt like I had just swallowed liquid fire. My body and newly upgraded Pain Resistance immediately began working to manage the sensation, but even with those advantages, the discomfort was significant and unmistakable.

"Alexis," I managed to say through gritted teeth, "what exactly was in that vial?"

She smiled with the satisfaction of someone whose experiment had produced exactly the expected results. "Diluted hydrochloric acid. Heavily diluted, of course, but enough to challenge your newly upgraded Poison Resistance. It's level 4 of the experiment."

The burning sensation reached its peak, and I found myself resting my head on the table as my system worked to neutralize the acid and heal whatever damage it had caused to my digestive tract. The pain was manageable thanks to my enhanced abilities, but it was still distinctly unpleasant.

"Damn it, Alexis," I muttered into the table surface, my voice carrying equal parts annoyance and resignation.

The sound of barely suppressed laughter filled the room as Sienna, Camille, and Evelyn all reacted to my predicament. Despite their obvious amusement at my expense, I could hear the affection underlying their giggles, suggesting that they found my willingness to trust Alexis both endearing and mildly ridiculous.

"You really should have seen that coming," Camille said through her laughter. "She literally just finished experimenting on you with snake venom, and you still drank something she handed you without asking questions."

"Alexis are you sure he'll be ok?" Sienna added, her shyness temporarily overcome by a mix of amusement and worry. "He just drank it like it was a glass of water."

Even Evelyn was struggling to contain her laughter. "You shouldn't be so naive when it comes to Alexis and her experiments, Rey."

As my system continued working to process the diluted acid and the burning sensation gradually began to subside, I reflected on the fact that this was probably exactly the kind of domestic chaos I should have expected when choosing to live with these 4.

But, at least they were all getting along again.