Chapter 67: David, The Dirty Punisher
The morning came quiet over the Lower District.
David’s alarm hit at six. His hand was up before the second beep, killing it. He sat on the edge of the bed for maybe three seconds, then stood.
No stretching. No scrolling. He moved like he had somewhere to be.
Tank top first, then the hoodie — grey, no logo. Joggers. Sneakers, the pair he’d picked up last week, still clean enough that they looked wrong on his feet. He laced them standing up.
He grabbed his headphones off the nightstand, looped them around his neck, and crossed to the door.
Key in the lock. Twist. He stepped out into the hallway and reached back, pulling the door shut behind him. His hand found the key. He turned it.
The lock clicked.
That was when it registered.
Right there — directly in his line of sight, neighbour’s door open across the hall — was a fat ass. Sleep shorts, thin fabric, the owner of it bent forward going through a bag on the floor like she had all the time in the world.
David’s hand stopped on the key.
’Hmm.’
The ass had a faint tremble to it as she shifted her weight, and David’s eyes stayed exactly where they were.
He couldn’t blame himself. Not really. The shorts were doing very little and she was built in a way that made very little feel like a lot. His hand was still on the key in the lock, completely forgotten.
Then something else caught up to his brain.
Moving boxes. A stack of them, sitting against the wall right next to her door — the unit directly beside his. He clocked them one by one. Taped up, marked in marker, a few of them dented at the corners like they’d been dragged more than carried.
’Oh.’
New neighbour.
The jingle of his keys — his fingers had shifted without thinking — must have been louder than he realised, because she stopped. Straightened up.
A pink ponytail swung as she turned her head, the kind of colour that shouldn’t work on anyone and somehow did, and David’s eyes were already gone, snapped back to his door like they’d never left.
’Close,’ he thought.
She turned fully. Found him standing there, keys in hand, face completely neutral.
For a second she just looked at him. Then her expression opened up — bright, a little surprised, the kind of smile that hadn’t decided yet if it was flirty or just friendly.
"Oh wow — are you the one living next door?"
A notification blinked at the edge of his vision the moment she turned around fully.
[Name: April Holiday]
[Role: E-Rank Hunter]
[Temptation level: 10%]
’April Holiday? She’s a Hunter, huh.’
He read it once.
’But, what kind of name is that.’
The thought came and went. Then, half a second behind it, a quieter one — considerably less appropriate —
’Meh. Not like it matters. With an ass that fat, no one is gonna give a fuck about her name...hehe.’
He let that one go too.
"Yeah," he said. "Next door."
Her whole face shifted. The smile got wider, losing the polite edge, turning into something more genuine and a little caught off guard.
"Oh wow, seriously?" She glanced past him at his door like she was confirming it, then back.
"I didn’t even think about who I was moving next to." A beat. Her eyes moved over him — quick, not subtle. "I definitely wasn’t expecting — " She stopped herself. Cleared her throat.
"I’m April."
"David."
"David." The way she said it, easy, like it fit somewhere. "Okay. Nice to meet you."
"Likewise."
She shifted her weight, tucking a loose strand of pink behind her ear. "How long have you been here? Like, is it a decent building? I’m asking you because you actually live here, not because the landlord is going to tell me anything useful."
’Hmm...she’s a talky type.’
David thought about his own apartment.
Modest.
Exactly how he liked it.
"It’s quiet," he said. "Mostly."
"Mostly?"
"There are no rats, at least."
A faint chuckle ran through her lips.
"That’s quite the upgrade."
She leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed loosely, eyes moving around like she was taking inventory.
"It’s my first time in this part of the district, honestly. Feels different from what I’m used to."
"Where were you before?"
"East side. Shared apartment." She made a face that told him everything about the shared apartment.
"This is actually the first place that’s just mine, so." She shrugged one shoulder. "New territory."
"You’ll find your feet."
She smiled at that, like it was more reassuring than he’d meant it to be. Then her eyes dropped again — his hoodie, his joggers, the clean sneakers — and something in her expression shifted into curiosity.
"Are you heading out right now?"
"Gym."
"This early?"
"Best time to go... It’s a brand new day for the Lower district, so I gotta put in the work."
"Busy man." She tilted her head. "Are you a hunter?"
"Just awakened," David said.
"Oh, is that so."
He caught the flicker at the edge of his vision — A notification surfaced on his side a second later, quiet and matter-of-fact.
[Temptation Level : 11%]
’Eleven.’
He filed it away.
"What rank?" she asked.
"F. Fresh."
"Ohh. I’m an E-Rank, though." She said it without embarrassment.
"I’ve been at it a few months though, so... Anyway—"
She glanced back at her boxes, then at him.
"Anyway — I still have half of this to get through and you clearly have somewhere to be, so." She pushed off the frame. "When you’re back. Friendly chat. You, me. You know...just to get to know each other."
’Hmm? Get to know each other?’ David thought. ’That sounds a lot like a green light...right?’
He shook off the thought and finally replied.
"Fine by me."
"Good." She smiled at him — easy, no performance. "Go get your workout in, David."
He nodded, turned, and started down the hall.
As she turned back to pick up another box, he glanced back once.
She’d bent down to grab one of the larger boxes at the bottom of the stack, her plush shape now in total view for him.
He drank in the sight for a moment before he turned around and turned to keep walking. But then-
[New Quest Acquired! The Dirty Punisher: Grab and Knead April’s ass for 15 seconds straight.]
[Reward: ×1 A-Rank Skill!]
[Does Player accept?]
David froze. "What?" The words leaving his mouth before he knew it.
[Vague response detected.]
[System will assume that to be positive.]
[Player has accepted mission!]
"WHAT!?"