He looked confused.
“SB… What? What’s that?”
I sighed.
“So you didn’t. Shame. We could’ve had a blast on it together.”
“I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Here’s the thing…”
I explained everything that happened yesterday. His expression went from surprise to doubt and finally, full distrust.
“It’s so sus I don’t even know what to say.”
“No cap! Do you think I’ve enough imagination to come up with stuff like that in a single night?”
“Hmm…. Just prove it to me, then.”
“Look there, do you see anything?”
“Just your sad face.”
“See? It’s only visible to me. How do you want me to prove it?”
“That’s why you’re so sus.”
“I’m not! Hey, if there were any sort of invitation system, you’d be in already. But I’m just a user, I can’t do that. I don’t even know if that’s possible. I think maybe they’ll include more people later. 100 is just too few. If you get prompted, just accept, okay? It’s slaps!”
“Yeah, sure.”
“Keep the secret until then, okay? I trust you.”
He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, whatever.”
I was saddened by his lack of belief in me. What could I do when everything was invisible to him? Still, I really wanted to have him in. We were the best combo, whichever game we played. Together, nothing could stop us.
We spent lunch together, focusing on topics that were more agreeable to him, like games, games, or games. Not that I minded, I lived for that too. I had wanted to discuss SBPR longer, but since he didn’t even believe me, there was no point in asking for his opinion.
During the afternoon, I placed the SBPR window on top of my school notebook, as if yet another paper. From there, I could manipulate it without attracting too much attention. It was still a bit suspicious, but that was the best I could do in class.
Speaking of which, I thought I should start monitoring people around me. If anyone was doing weird gestures for no reason, maybe they were also in the program. Knowing someone was in without them knowing about me would be a great advantage.
Bryer and I were always seated at the back of the classrooms. We were strictly following the immemorial adage of “the furthest from the teacher, the safer”. This gave us a good overview of the rest of our classmates, which was useful now.
My eyes automatically went toward Waverly, the girl I fancied the most in class. Long blonde hair, green eyes, and a smile that made men weak in the knees. She was chatting with her two usual friends in a corner of the classroom. I still hadn’t managed to interact with her yet.
As for the rest, no one was behaving oddly as far as I could tell. I somehow met eyes with Marjorie, a bespectacled girl, but she looked away immediately. The only person acting abnormally was me.
Back to SBPR, things were progressing. Women were still cautious, but men were trying hard enough for both genders.
[Bear Billboard. Male hand. 30 minutes. 10 points.]
[Iceman_8880888. Male feet. 20 minutes. 5 points.]
[DearScream. Female index finger. 5 minutes. 10 points.]
[Cyber Ghost Uno. Male arm. 30 minutes. 10 points.]
[ImAlwaysCalm. Male arm. 30 minutes. 15 points.]
[SkilledThief. Male leg. 1 hour. 25 points.]
There was a bit of everything. One tendency became clear. While women remained timid, men were more adventurous, even though success didn’t seem to reward their bold spirits. Most people probably had their first “experience” with the program and were looking forward to the next step. No one cared about the woman’s finger either, especially since it wasn’t free.
Since the current lesson was boring, I decided to post an offer too. Seeing that most things with a price weren’t popular, I went with free stuff again. My goal was to gain trust and experience points.
[Tenna_372692. Male hand. 10 minutes. Free.]
I was right in my assumption. A few minutes later, I received a demand.
[Queen of the Shadowy Night, female, wishes to rent your body part.]
It seemed no one was truly working or studying during work hours in this world. I happily accepted, ready to stay stoic no matter what happened. This time, it was my whole hand going, and the place felt a bit warmer than the classroom. The school always used the least possible amount of heating to save money.
The experience was very different from the previous one. This time, the renter didn’t lose a moment. Seconds after the timer started going down, I sensed her touching my hand. I couldn’t help trembling a little, even though I was prepared for it. It truly was hard to get used to the feeling.
Next to me, Bryer sent me a gaze full of interrogation, and I nodded to him, trying to convey I was playing with SBPR. He eyed me with suspicion while I couldn’t help smiling wryly. I would need to wait for recess to explain more.
The first few contacts on my hand were gentle, even playful. I could even imagine some in my mind. I was pretty sure that at one point, she was tapping the tip of her fingers on top of my hand, just like someone would drum on a table with their fingers. It was such a natural gesture that I could imagine myself doing the same in her position. She also made circles with what I assumed was her index finger or even traced my palm lines.
However, I somehow felt like her touch turned more… questioning? After a bit, she left my hand alone, allowing me to relax, but that ended up only being for a few short moments.
Soon, my whole palm touched something, and judging by the form, I believed it was her own palm. It was like she was measuring our differences in size, as she indeed felt quite petite compared to my large paw. She then did the same, but with the other side of my hand. She truly was doing anything she felt like trying. I guess that was SBPR’s whole point. I can’t say I would be better in her position.
My real hand had no choice but to follow the movement of my “cloned” one, which made it look like I was doing strange motions by myself. At least, she hadn’t done anything too weird. Just as that thought crossed my mind, my hand was released for a moment, only for a slimy sensation to replace the previous touch.
“Ag!”
I couldn’t help letting a weird noise out, trembling. A few of my classmates, who were interrupted while chatting with their neighbors, looked my way. I closed my mouth in shame, sending apologetic glances around.
There was no doubt about it. Judging by the wet feeling remaining on my hand, that woman had just licked me!