Chapter 51: System’s Conditioning Successful? (R-18)
Today was also the final day of these particular system tasks.
If he wanted to, Max could simply invent another excuse and keep things going.
But he didn’t.
Not yet.
He wanted to see how far things progressed naturally first.
Only if Zerena eventually refused whatever new tasks the system assigned would he consider fabricating another one himself.
For now...
There was no need.
Leaning forward, he gave one of her already protruding nipples a slow lick.
From above, Zerena looked down at him with the same expression of weary revulsion she’d worn countless times before. To anyone watching, it would have seemed as though she was only tolerating the situation because of the absurd profits Max continued bringing in.
Yet the familiar bar hovering above her head told a different story.
The disgust on her face no longer matched what her body was quietly revealing.
The meter had climbed so high it was now only a small step away from being completely full.
[Zerena falkner]
[▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▰▱▱▱85%]
Max had managed to push the meter higher over the past few days.
Higher...
But never quite to the end.
No matter what he tried, it always stopped just short of completely filling, leaving both him and Zerena carrying a quiet sense of frustration for entirely different reasons.
Today, however, Max decided not to dwell on it.
Instead, he focused on finishing the final day’s routine.
Leaning in once more, he resumed where he had left off, lingering along the side before returning to the familiar rhythm that had become almost second nature over the past several days.
A soft sound escaped Zerena before she could stop it.
Despite how much she still insisted she disliked every second of this ridiculous routine, her body had become noticeably more sensitive than before.
It wasn’t limited to these sessions anymore.
Even throughout the rest of the day, the lingering sensitivity refused to fade completely.
The constant brush of fabric against her clothes was enough to keep reminding her of it, an irritating awareness that seemed determined to follow her wherever she went.
More than once, she’d caught herself wanting to rub away the persistent tingling.
She never did.
The thought alone felt far too embarrassing, uncomfortably close to intentionally touching herself.
So she ignored it.
Or at least, she tried to.
Which was precisely why, during these daily sessions, a small, reluctant part of her found the lingering sensitivity easing whenever Max’s hands brushed over those same spots.
And it wasn’t limited to her nipples anymore.
Her mind still reacted with lingering revulsion whenever the daily routine began, though even that feeling had gradually weakened over the past several days.
The rest of her body, however, had adapted far more quickly.
Whether it was her armpits, her lips, or the gentle pressure of his hands around her waist, none of it startled her the way it once had.
Even after the system tasks were finished, Max’s hands often remained absentmindedly resting on her, idly tracing familiar paths as the two of them settled down for the night.
During the first few days, Zerena would immediately brush them away whenever they lingered too long. Sometimes she’d even shove him aside entirely before trying to fall asleep.
That had changed.
Now, she usually let him fidget quietly while she closed her eyes. Occasionally his hands wandered across her waist or stomach, and every so often they drifted toward her chest as well.
The only complaint she still voiced was a tired,
"Enough... stop playing with those."
More often than not, Max obediently agreed.
At least until she fell asleep.
By morning, she would sometimes wake to find his arms wrapped loosely around her again, his hands having somehow found their way back to the same familiar place during the night.
She never remembered when it happened.
Only that it kept happening.
Even so, Max had been noticeably careful not to push any further.
He no longer tested her boundaries every chance he got.
Despite the temptation, he kept his hands well away from beneath her underwear, limiting himself to the areas she had already, however reluctantly, grown accustomed to.
Little by little, he had learned exactly where her current limits lay.
Watching him lower his head toward her again, Zerena felt him pause beneath her raised arm before his tongue brushed lightly across her skin once more.
She let out a tired sigh.
"Weren’t you finished licking there already?" she asked, sounding more exhausted than annoyed.
Max looked up and gave a small nod as he gently lowered her arm again.
"Sorry..." he admitted. "I kind of went there instinctively."
Without lingering on the matter any longer, he returned to the task he’d intentionally saved for last.
His attention settled on her chest once more.
The routine had become so familiar by now that his movements barely required conscious thought. One hand continued absentmindedly kneading the breast he’d been holding while he leaned forward again, his tongue tracing around the other before gently drawing the hardened nipple between his lips.
His fingers shifted with practiced ease, giving the other nipple a light brush before rolling it gently between his fingertips.
A quiet sound escaped Zerena.
The lingering sensitivity that had stubbornly refused to disappear over the past several days immediately flared again beneath the careful attention, the familiar tingling returning almost at once.
She hated how quickly her body reacted now.
The persistent irritation she’d been dealing with throughout the day eased little by little beneath the warmth of his mouth, the sensation gradually replacing the uncomfortable awareness that had followed her ever since these daily routines had begun.
Another restrained breath slipped past her lips before she caught herself.
Without seeming to notice, she leaned forward just slightly, allowing him easier access while stubbornly refusing to acknowledge she’d moved at all.
If anyone asked, she’d simply blame gravity.
He did exactly that.
Leaning in, he resumed with a little more enthusiasm than before.
"—nghh..."
A louder moan slipped from Zerena’s lips before she could stop it.
Max’s eyes flickered upward for only a moment.
Then, deciding not to push the same spot any further, he shifted away, letting the sensitive area rest while his attention wandered elsewhere. He trailed lower instead, lingering along the curve beneath her chest as though deliberately exploring every inch he’d somehow overlooked during the previous days.
His hands never stopped moving.
They gently lifted her breasts again, supporting their weight while he adjusted his position. From where Zerena looked down, one of them almost completely hid his face from view, leaving only the occasional glimpse of his fingers as they continued their absentminded fidgeting.
Another involuntary sound escaped her.
He really had become annoyingly good at finding the places that made it increasingly difficult to keep a straight face.
Just then, the familiar notification appeared before his eyes.
[Forbidden Act Progress: Kissing]
[Routine Exposure — Day 5 Complete]
Before Zerena realized it, the routine had already come to an end.
Max quietly pulled back as the familiar notifications rang through his mind.
His hands, however...
Didn’t seem to receive the same memo.
They lingered absentmindedly where they’d been for the last several minutes, idly fidgeting as though they’d developed separation anxiety.
Still sitting on his lap with her legs draped around his waist, Zerena looked down at him.
"Done for today?" she asked.
She sounded relieved.
Mostly.
Though, somewhere beneath the exhaustion, there was a faint trace of dissatisfaction she hadn’t even noticed herself.
Max gave a small nod.
His hands finally drifted away, settling around her waist instead.
"There are still no new tasks?" she asked.
For a split second, Max considered saying yes.
Technically...
There was one.
But throwing it at her now felt about as intelligent as kicking a sleeping bear because it looked lonely.
If he wanted even the slightest chance of her seriously considering that particular task one day, he needed patience.
A little deprivation first.
Let the routine settle in.
Let her get used to the silence.
Besides...
There was always the possibility the system would hand him something new before then, saving him the trouble entirely.
So he simply shook his head.
"No."
She looked... disappointed.
Which was honestly a little surreal.
A week ago, she’d been treating every new system task like a personal attack on human dignity.
Now she somehow looked mildly annoyed that there weren’t any.
With a quiet sigh, Zerena shifted her weight and started climbing off his lap.
As she did, her breasts slowly slipped free from his hands, leaving his fingers strangely empty.
For one dangerously tempting moment, Max seriously considered inventing a brand-new system task on the spot.
His self-control barely won.
Barely.
It certainly wasn’t getting any support from the rest of his body.
His penis had become so hard it almost seemed to have developed its own opinions, throbbing insistently as though trying to send him a message in morse code.
’Make one up.’
’Do it.’
’Make her do it.’
Max silently informed the traitor attached to his lower body that it wasn’t helping.
Not even a little.
Patience.
He’d already made this much progress.
Ruining everything because his penis had apparently decided to become the loudest voice in the room would be unbelievably stupid.
"Then let’s clean up..." Zerena said, completely unaware of the civil war taking place inside his head.
She finally stood, her naked body leaving his lap altogether.
The warmth disappeared with her.
So did the comforting weight of her breasts resting in his hands.
Max let out a quiet sigh of his own.
His hands suddenly felt far emptier than they had any right to.