'This… system, what kind of perverted skill is this? Can't you give me something else, something decent?'
I asked the system.
[Host, the rewards are something that either the host desires or needs. They can't be changed.]
I wanted to retort that I didn't desire these kinds of skills when I suddenly recalled the times when I read those cultured novels and found myself wishing for those perverted skills, thinking how amazing it would be if I had them.
The corners of my lips twitched, and I became silent.
But then, I quickly shook my embarrassment away and looked at my unconscious mom on my shoulder and thought, 'I can help her with this.'
Of course, I meant by giving her my blood, not the other stuff…
We arrived in front of Vicky as I was thinking about the skill's uses.
I greeted her and asked, "Hello, Vicky. Can you take us with you?"
"Ryan, I want to, but there isn't much space in the car." She said, pointing toward the backseat stuffed with her things.
"Don't worry. We will manage." I said. We had no other choice because no one except her would bother helping us in this neighborhood.
"But Lori is unconscious. She wouldn't be comfortable back there." Vicky said, shaking her head. She then bent down to speak to Felicity, "Baby, make some room for Aunt Lori."
Felicity didn't show any reluctance and immediately nodded before scooting over to the edge of the seat, near the gear handle.
Being neighbors, our families knew each other very well, and because our situation was similar, with them being just slightly better off than us, we empathized and connected better with each other.
Felicity's father had left a year before my father died for some young chick at his office, leaving Vicky, who was a housewife like my mother, to take care of Felicity and fend for themselves.
Because he had connections, he made it so that he didn't even need to pay her any alimony when they divorced. The only thing he left them was the house, and it too was most likely out of pity for his daughter, who he didn't want to live on the streets.
I gently put my mother on the seat before discreetly taking out the fire avoidance pearl from my pocket and putting it in her clothes so that she and Felicity wouldn't feel any heat.
Then I suddenly hugged Vicky, who was about to go around the car to sit in the driver's seat, surprising her.
"Thank you, Vicky." I said while taking out the last fire avoidance pearl and dropping it into her jacket's pocket.
Vicky patted my back. After a few seconds, I reluctantly pulled away from her comfortable embrace.
As Vicky went around the car, I opened the back door and sat down on the free space before gesturing for Cataline to sit on my lap.
Cataline blushed a little, but she entered the car and sat down on my lap without much hesitation.
After closing the door shut, I wrapped my right hand around her lower abdomen, and because I couldn't place my other hand comfortably on the bags and other things on the seat beside me, I had no choice but to place it on her thigh.
I was slightly nervous because the way we were sitting was a bit too intimate, but since Cataline didn't complain, I gradually calmed down.
"You ready?" Vicky asked.
"Yes. Let's go." I said before asking the system, 'How long does the Fire Avoidance Pearl last?'
[Half an hour, host.]
'I sighed in relief. Half an hour should be more than enough for us to leave this high-temperature zone.
Vicky twisted the key and ignited the engine.
As the car started moving, we all glanced toward our burning homes, feeling emotional.
Maybe because everyone was too distracted, they didn't notice that they were no longer feeling the heat.
I felt relieved seeing this because now they wouldn't find it suspicious, and by the time they recovered their senses, the pearls would have lost their effects.
Honk! Honk! Honk!
Because everyone was leaving, the roads were filled with vehicles, and therefore, they were moving slowly, which made people panic and made them sound their horns nonstop.
…
Less than half an hour later, we left the fire-affected area.
When we left, it was around 7 P.M., and the sky had started darkening.
Another half an hour later, Cat's nerves had loosened up, and she was comfortably leaning against me, but I could sense that she was feeling very sad about losing our home and worried about our future, just like Vicky and Felicity.
Maybe because I had come back in time and managed to save Mom and Cat, I was perfectly calm, happy even.
Besides, I had over $11,000 sitting in my bank account—$10,000 the system gave me for conquering my fear, and a little over a thousand was my savings. With this much money, we could easily live somewhat comfortably for a month or two. And since I now had a mystical system, I wasn't worried about getting any more and starving.
Unfortunately, Cat didn't know this, and therefore, she was worried.
I should have told her about the money so she could relax a little, but my mind was too preoccupied with suppressing my male reaction.
A few minutes after Cat sat on my lap and I relaxed, I became aware of how soft Cat's bottom was pressing on my… lap, how my hands were on her soft and warm belly and her thigh, and how her petite and somewhat skinny body and her natural scent felt very… feminine.
Several times, I told myself that she was my sister and I shouldn't have such reactions or feel anything sexual about her. I also repeatedly tried to distract myself by trying to think about something else but failed miserably, and each time I failed, it became hard to control my natural reaction.
In fact, by now, I was already semi-erect.
The only reason I wasn't losing my mind yet was because Cat had fallen asleep a while ago and hadn't noticed my shameful reaction.