I leaned back slightly in the booth while Dylan kept talking to the three women like he was performing on stage. He laughed at the right time, made jokes, poured drinks, and somehow kept all three of them focused on him.
I started to understand why he was a host.
He wasn't just talking. He was managing the whole conversation.
After a while, one of the waitresses came over and whispered something in Dylan's ear.
Dylan nodded, then stood up.
"Duty calls," he said to the women. "Don't miss me too much."
They laughed and waved him off.
Then he looked at me.
"Stay here," he said. "Talk to them. I'll be back."
I blinked. "Wait, what?"
But he was already walking away.
I slowly turned back to the three women.
All three of them were now looking at me.
This was bad.
Very bad.
One of them smiled and leaned forward slightly.
"So, Noah," she said, "first night?"
Above her head, I saw the system text.
Mood: Curious
Interest: 28%
Attraction: 19%
"Yeah," I said. "If I look nervous, it's because I am. I still don't know where anything is in this place."
They laughed a little.
"That's kind of cute," another one said.
I rubbed the back of my neck. "Yeah, well, give me a week and I'll probably look like I know what I'm doing. Or I'll be fired. One of those."
They laughed again.
Okay. That worked.
The third one picked up her drink and looked at me over the glass.
"So why did you start working here?"
I thought for a second.
"Because I checked my bank account and it made me realise that I was officially broke," I said.
They laughed again, louder this time.
"Honest again," the first one said. "I like honest guys."
Above her head the numbers were dwindling:
Interest: 34%
Attraction: 23%
We talked for a few more minutes. Mostly they asked questions and I answered. Where I lived, what I used to do, how long I planned to work here.
Then one of them asked, "So where do you live exactly?"
I opened my mouth to answer, but before I could speak, a voice came from behind me.
"Employees are not allowed to share personal addresses with customers."
I turned around and saw Marco, the security guy from the staff room, standing behind me with his arms crossed.
He looked at the women politely but seriously.
"It's club policy," he said. "For employee privacy and safety."
One of the women raised her hands slightly. "Alright, alright, we were just asking."
Marco nodded once. "I know. Just doing my job."
Then he looked at me for a second and gave a small nod before walking away.
I looked back at the women and shrugged a little.
"See? Even I don't get to know where I live anymore," I joked.
They laughed again.
The atmosphere stayed relaxed.
I tried to remember Dylan's rules.
Listen more than talk.
Make them feel important.
Remember what they drink.
I looked at their glasses.
One was drinking something pink.
One had whiskey.
One had a clear cocktail with lime.
I tried to memorize that.
Then suddenly, the system window popped up on its own.
[New Host Task Available]
I almost jumped.
I focused on the window and opened it.
____
[Host Task]
Customer Table Satisfaction
Objective:
-Keep customers engaged
-Increase average interest above 40%
-Increase attraction above 25%
Reward: Unknown
____
"…There are quests now?" I muttered quietly.
"What?" one of the women asked.
"Nothing," I said quickly. "I was just thinking about how loud this place is."
I looked at the numbers above their heads again.
Interest around 30%
Attraction around 20%
So I had to raise those numbers.
I leaned forward slightly.
"So what do you three do?" I asked.
They started talking about their jobs, their boss, their office drama, their coworkers they hated.
I listened and reacted.
"That sounds terrible."
"I would quit on the spot."
"Your boss sounds like a villain."
"You handled that better than I would."
At one point I said, "If my boss talked to me like that, I'd probably cry in the bathroom for ten minutes and then come back like nothing happened."
They laughed again.
Slowly, I saw the numbers change.
Interest: 36% → 39% → 42%
Attraction: 22% → 24% → 26%
"Oh," I muttered quietly.
So this really works.
After a while, Dylan came back and sat down next to me.
"How's the new guy doing?" he asked them.
"He's funny," one of them said.
"He's awkward but in a good way," another said.
"He's cute," the third said.
Dylan looked at me and smirked.
"See? Natural talent."
Then suddenly the system window appeared again.
____
[Host Task Completed]
Reward Received: Stamina +1
____
I blinked.
I immediately opened my status window again.
____
[HOST STATUS]
Name: Noah Walker
Age: 24
Occupation: Employed
Title: None
Stats:
Stamina: 6
Endurance: 4
Abilities:
Mood Scan Lv.1
Relationship Tracker Lv.1
Penis Optimization Lv.1
____
"My stamina increased…" I whispered.
Dylan looked at me. "You okay?"
"Yeah," I said. "Just tired."
But inside, I was thinking about something else.
This system wasn't just for reading people.
It was making me stronger too.
And I had a feeling that working at this nightclub was going to change my life in ways I still didn't understand.