Vampire Nightlife

[Starting Balance: 1,000]

[Total Credits Earned: 4,300]

[Total Credits Spent: 3,440]

[Ending Balance: 1,860]

"Okay, that's how many credits I have right now." Lukas stared at the digital screen in his bracer and then hit his head against his bedroom's headboard. "God that's how many credits I have!"

With the upcoming event, Lukas decided that he needed to buy some clothes for him to wear. However, as he looked at his balance, a defeated sigh escaped his lips.

"I guess this is what it means to be working at a bare minimum. Is Lily also working for the same pay as I am?" Lukas asked. "Probably not, right? She mentioned something about being the employee of the month–is that nepotism or something else?"

He slapped himself in the face.

"Come on dude! Just because you're having financial difficulties doesn't mean that you can think that way about your girlfriend. She's an incredible worker and deserves to be the employee of the month and even year."

He sighed softly.

"It's just that you don't know if you can even afford to attend the event and stay by her side. And now that I think about it, even though Chaerin doesn't work, she can afford to do so because she's a landlady."

Lukas paused a little.

Landlady.

Rent.

"Fuck. Do I need to pay rent?" he asked.

He hadn't even considered that and neither did Chaerin bring it up despite it being more than a month since he first came around.

"Is she being considerate because we're together?" Lukas asked. "Do I now have a boyfriend who rents free living privileges? That's… super depressing now that I think about that."

Lukas threw a pillow over his head and let out a muffled scream.

"Ahhhh!"

After a moment of screaming, Lukas removed the pillow from his face and sighed. "And that Serena was gonna offer a hundred thousand Nyx Credits just for me to participate in that stupidly dangerous mission. The difference between the rich and the poor huh? How wide is our wage gap? I mean, what does she even do? Is she just the child of someone wealthy? It appears so."

Eventually, Lukas shook his head and stood up. "Enough thoughts about her. There's more to be done and that's like getting an advance from work or finding a good bargain in Nox Chambers."

He dusted his clothes and took a good look at them before eventually padding his way out of his studio unit. When he opened the door, he caught sight of the luscious red hair hidden beneath a cream hoodie.

"Ah, Chaerin–how long were you standing out there?" Lukas barked out a nervous laugh. Surely she hadn't heard about the part about Serena right? He knew that it was a touchy subject.

"Not… not too long." Chaerin said.

"I see…" Lukas laughed. "Well thank you for deciding to accompany me to Nox Chambers."

Chaerin brightened up and hugged his arm. "No worries, I'd love to see you get all dressed up."

"What about you?"

"Ah, I have a dress I use for formal events, so I don't want to buy anything." Chaerin explained. She rocked back and forth on her heels as she squeezed him tight. "It's been awhile since I've used it, but it still fits."

"That's cool." Lukas said. He sometimes forgot how extraordinary his girlfriend was–Chaerin could take on the form of whoever she wanted to be and if that wasn't incredible? He didn't know what was.

Not that they've ever used it in bed but–

"Who is that gorgeous man?" a voice snapped his attention back to reality.

One moment, Lukas was with Chaerin at the apartment, the next moment, he was at Nox Chambers and a woman with thick rim glasses was all up over him.

Beside him, Chaerin was throwing daggers at the newcomer but wasn't saying anything.

"Look at that face, and these muscles… they're so toned." the woman marveled as she touched his arm and then rested a hand on her cheek. "You must become a model for some of my newest and latest designs. What do you say?"

"What?" Lukas asked with surprise.

"You. Model. For. Me." the woman explained.

"I get that, but…"

"Just a yes or no, dearie. "

"Yes please?"

"Good boy."

"Uh, thanks?" Lukas said as he glanced around quickly and took note of the price tags. He inwardly heaved a sigh of relief because the outfits that he was eyeing were at least two thousand credits, which he was actually one hundred forty credits short for.

The idea of actually borrowing that much from Chaerin was embarrassing. It wasn't like he actually took her on dates and neither did he do that for Lily… which was a little embarrassing now that he thought of it.

However, before he could sink further deeper into his thoughts, the designer snapped her fingers.

"Then it's settled, for the upcoming event–you'll be wearing the Midnight Luxury."

"I get to wear it for free?"

"Haven't you heard about modeling? Do you think we ask models to pay for the clothes that they wear?"

"No?"

The woman sighed. "There you have it. I see that a person really can't have everything. You might have had the face of a chiseled demigod, but certainly not the brains."

"Hey!" Lukas looked chagrined, but then decided not to say anything else. He had been worried about the clothes that he was going to wear to the gala, but this meant that his problem was solved.

He'd be able to stand next to Lily while being proud, without any concerns about how her family might perceive him.

"You're incredible." Chaerin beamed and kissed his cheek.

"I didn't do anything."

"Hey, don't say that." Chaerin pouted. "You're amazing just the way you are."

Lukas managed a weak smile. Somehow, ever since he had gotten ahold of the video game, Nightlife and had his entire world turned upside down by being transmigrated into his avatar's body… things were working out rather well.

It really didn't feel fair to him, but if there was good fortune coming into his life, then shouldn't he be happy?

Lukas sighed, but then eventually smiled for real this time.