"We are extremely sorry for misbehaving with you."
Four middle-aged men stood with their heads lowered. Max glanced at Jennifer and Machina, then calmly took a sip of his latte. Jennifer looked at the men with clear disgust and waved her hand in dismissal, while Machina simply shrugged her shoulders.
"Strawberry Cake Croissant here is delicious, wanna try it?"
After the four men left, Jennifer smiled, picked up the menu, and pointed out a small pink-colored cake to Machina. Machina leaned in to look at it as well. For both of them, the incident did not seem to matter much, but Jennifer still peeked at Max with interest, while Max simply took out his phone from his pocket.
"Sure, let's have it."
Machina smilingly replied. Max, while sipping his coffee, looked at the message he got from Blanka. 'See you at 06:00 PM, don't forget to wear formal.' Seeing the message, he realized he had to take Machina there as well. Taking a deep breath, he took another sip from his almost empty coffee mug.
Blanka and Machina? Danica can handle her, but what about Machina? My head hurts just thinking about them together.
His eyes then landed on Jennifer, who quickly looked elsewhere, as she had been peeking at him the whole time. Feeling caught red-handed, her face flushed a little, but she still maintained her grace.
"Jenny, what are you doing this afternoon?"
"I… I don't have any plans. Tomorrow is the orientation, so I'll be sleeping early, I guess?"
Jennifer stuttered at first but answered clearly. Max nodded his head, then looked at Machina, who was gazing outside the floor-to-ceiling glass window panel. A naughty smirk sat on her face, as if getting into mischief was her default mode.
"I've invited two friends to a dinner party. I will take Machina as well. I was wondering if you would be able to join us. It's just that I didn't have any family when I graduated, so it's my sad way of celebrating my graduation and getting into a nice university."
Max shrugged his shoulders lightly. Jennifer looked at him for a moment, then gently leaned closer and took his hand. Her fingers held his for a second longer before she nodded her head.
"Of course, I will come to your party. Is that in your apartment?"
"Oh! No, it's in a restaurant called Les Deux. It's close, not that far."
Jennifer didn't give his hand back. She held it gently, then looked him in the eyes. When she heard the restaurant's name, a look of quiet surprise appeared on her face. It was a famous Michelin-star restaurant, something quite costly for a student.
"You have a nice taste."
"Yea…"
[Updated]
[New Main Mission: Acquire a Real Estate]
[Side Mission: Get a nice motorbike]
[New Side Mission: Join a Gym]
[New Side Mission: Purchase at least €20,000 worth of wardrobe for your doll.]
"Is there something on my face?"
"N…No, actually I have a favor to ask of you. I was not sure if that's appropriate."
Seeing the system pop-up, Max looked at it intently. Jennifer only saw Max staring at her face, and her already pink cheeks flushed a little more as she fanned herself with her free hand. She was holding his right hand with her left.
"Sure, you can ask me anything."
"Ahem! Where is my cake croissant?"
Machina cleared her throat to grab the attention of the two. She had been looking outside, and now she looked back inside to see her master and his friend flirting. How was she supposed to protect him like this?
"Y…Yeah, they haven't served it yet."
Jennifer instantly took her hand back, the pink blush turning red as she looked at Machina. Seeing his hand free, Max leaned back a little. While Jennifer had been holding his hand, he hadn't been able to lean back comfortably. Dismissing the system, he then looked at Machina.
"I wanted to ask if you could take her to buy some clothes, maybe a dress. The theme of the party is formal, so you will have to wear a dress as well."
Max looked back at Jennifer, then gave a small smile. Machina looked touched by his generosity. She leaned back a little, and for the first time, her mischievous eyes softened and looked almost normal.
"Sure, I can take her."
"Please, she's new here, and I don't know the city well myself. I will go to the ATM and bring some cash for her and you, Machina. Buy whatever you like. Tomorrow, we will go to utensil shopping together."
Max spoke to Jennifer first, then stood up and lightly patted Machina's head. She had appeared out of nowhere in his life, and he knew he had to take care of her. Despite what the system said, she was no doll to him—doll-like in beauty, perhaps, but still naughty. In this world, he could finally call someone his relative, and that didn't feel bad at all.
"Alright."
Machina nodded her head obediently. She looked like the 'goodest girl' ever. Even Jennifer, who rarely glanced anywhere other than Max, had to look at her. In Max's presence, this girl was unusually obedient.
Max nodded slightly at Jennifer, then went to the counter. He was a man, and of course he was paying. Jennifer had been hinting that she would cover it and not let Max or Machina pay, but now that he had money, that felt cheap to him.
"Sir, the total bill till now is €34."
"Here, take this €100 for now. Don't take any money from them. I'll be back."
Max stuffed the €100 bill forward and walked out of the shop. Both ladies watched him go, and Jennifer was clearly fuming. She pouted a few times and even gestured for him not to pay, but by the time she moved to stand up, Max was already gone, leaving behind a cheeky smile.
New missions are easy to solve. Just need to force Jenny to spend more on Machina. She really did fall in love with an ugly pig like me. Sigh!
Max walked through the street. The morning sun felt perfect. The new clothes helped, and he no longer felt homeless. His life had turned almost upside down in just a few days.
Need to grab at least €30,000 for Machina's clothes. I also have to wrap the two expensive necklace pendants I bought for the sisters as well. Well, well, the day has just started, Max.