Harem Stealing System

Eiden bowed dramatically to the crowd, basking in the lingering applause still echoing across the hall. Man, this is overwhelming, he thought, his heart still thumping like a bass drum. Even though I was prepared for this… it still hits different. He swept his gaze across the audience, eyes scanning for familiar faces. Sure enough, he spotted Sasha and the boys Deuel, Harry, and John all with visibly stunned expressions, their mouths slightly agape as if someone had just told them Santa wasn't real. A few people he considered close didn't even clap. Instead, they just stared at him, clearly taken aback.

Yeah… I figured this would happen. He chuckled inwardly. This reaction wasn't unexpected. He had, after all, never shown this side of himself before. His eyes wandered further and then he saw her.

Lyra. Her sharp, bookish gaze was locked onto him. There was a split second of direct eye contact, and without missing a beat, Eiden winked at her with exaggerated flirtiness. Lyra's face flushed instantly. She grabbed her bangs and ducked her head down in a panic, using her hair like a curtain to shield her blush.

Oh? So that's how she hides her embarrassment. Eiden smirked. Didn't catch that last time since I had my back turned. The moment passed. Eiden stepped off the stage to a shower of praise from students, a few teachers, and some total strangers. Compliments flew from all directions "That was amazing!", "You've got real talent!", "How are you still single?" and he accepted them all with a modest nod and a grin.

Then he noticed Sasha approaching him rapidly, her brows furrowed and her eyes filled with questions. Here we go, he thought, bracing himself. But before she could reach him "Yo, Romeo!" Deuel's voice called out as he and the boys swooped in like a tactical strike unit.

"Wha !?" Eiden barely reacted before Harry clamped down on his left shoulder and John locked onto his right. Deuel stepped up, eyes narrowed. "Explain."

"Explain what?" Eiden feigned confusion, his expression one of pure innocence. "Don't play dumb, you son of a b*tch." Deuel threw his arm around Eiden's neck and squeezed lightly like a mafia boss interrogating a traitor.

"Okay, okay! I get it," Eiden said, coughing slightly. "Can I get a drink first? My throat's parched after all that singing." The boys exchanged a look and reluctantly let him go.

Eiden casually walked to the refreshment table, picked up a glass, poured himself some juice, took a slow sip then sprinted straight for the door. "What the ?!" "Did he just ?"

After a beat of stunned silence, Harry blinked. "He escaped." "No shit, genius," John muttered. Deuel clenched his fist dramatically. "He may run… but he can't hide forever. He dare hide this from us? Muahahaha cough cough!" Harry shook his head. "Told you not to do that evil laugh. You suck at it."

"Shut up, Harry." The party went on for another thirty minutes, but Eiden was long gone, already in the comfort of his room.

Later that night, Eiden lay on his bed, limbs sprawled out like he'd just finished a marathon. He stared at the ceiling with a satisfied grin. What's Lyra's progress at now? he wondered. Ding!

Lyra Progress: 64%

He raised a brow, pleased. Not bad. All that effort paid off. Still, he was curious. "When do I get another skill from the system?" he asked aloud.

Ding!

System-chan: "You gain a skill quest at every level. Upon reaching Level 1, you received the 'Soothing Voice' skill quest. Your next skill quest will become available at Level 2."

"So basically, I need more EXP," Eiden muttered, stretching his arms. "Alright. That's fair." Another thought struck him. "Any potential harem targets at the party?" he asked, hopeful. Ding!

System-chan: "No."

"…Tch." He sighed. "Guess I'll have to keep looking." With a long exhale, he closed his eyes and mumbled, "Now how do I explain this to everyone…?" Sleep took him before he could come up with an answer.

The Next Morning. Something heavy pressed down on his stomach.bEiden blinked groggily and lifted his head. Sitting on top of him, straddling his stomach and facing him directly was Sasha.

He stared blankly. Talk about a cliché… a cute childhood friend waking up the MC by sitting on him? He sighed and flopped back down, pretending to sleep. "Don't you dare fake sleep," Sasha said sternly.

Welp, that killed the moment. Eiden frowned, opening one eye. "You're heavy."

"Explain," she said without wasting a second.

"…Explain what?" he asked, already knowing what was coming. Sasha narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare act ignorant." Wow. Déjà vu. He internally winced. Same line, different person. These two should coordinate their interrogation methods. He cleared his throat. "Shouldn't you be saying 'thank you' before demanding answers?"

She blinked. Her expression softened just a little. "Fine. Thank you," she mumbled. "Now explain. How did you know how to sing like that? And why didn't I know anything about it?" Eiden sat up, causing Sasha to hop off him.

"Well," he started, rubbing the back of his neck, "truth is… I never really tried singing before. So, I didn't know I could. I didn't hide anything. It's just your birthday was coming up, and I wanted to try something different. I figured I'd sing something for you." He paused for effect. "Turns out, I had some hidden talent. So I trained a bit before your birthday. That's it."

He definitely wasn't going to admit it was only two hours of cramming. Sasha looked at him suspiciously, trying to find a crack in his explanation. But in the end, she nodded slowly. "That… kinda makes sense."

Eiden smirked internally. Plausible deniability at its finest. He glanced at the calendar. "It's Saturday. Wanna hang out?" Sasha perked up. "Sure." Just then, a voice rang out from downstairs.

"Breakfast is ready!" Eiden's mother called. They both headed down. While eating, Eiden relayed the same story to his mom, who was already brimming with pride. "My, my! To think my son had this kind of talent!" said Mrs. Dally, her hands clasped together. "I was stunned at the party!" "What do you mean? I'm always talented," Eiden said confidently.

Sasha rolled her eyes. "In your dreams."

The two bantered like usual as they finished their breakfast.

Afterward, Sasha headed to the guest room to change outfits. Eiden returned to his own room to change, too. As he pulled a shirt over his head, he glanced at the neatly folded clothes Sasha kept in his drawer. This girl really made herself at home… Is this her lair or what? Ding! His eyes widened. System again?

He quickly turned to check, only to realize "Oh…" It wasn't the system. It was a phone notification. He picked up the device and saw a message: Which was just a red heart emoji , the sender was an unknown number. Confused, he tapped the profile. His eyes widened.

Lyra…?!