4 The system targets Eric.

Jade was not really surprised to discover that his new friend, with the elaborate name Skyheart Snowsong, was an elf. It suited her somehow. Elves in this world were a half dragon, half human race. Even if Harmony hadn't played this game recently, she'd obviously put some time into it in the past.

He composed a reply and watched with a smile as the little fairy dragon he had set as his own messenger flitted merrily off with the message clutched in it's foreclaws. He closed the large doors on his smithy and started up his sandskimmer.

As he'd predicted, her snowcat came bounding back with another message seconds later. "Wow, wow, wow!" Harmony's message began. "Your messenger is so cute! Where did you get it?"

Jade launched his skimmer in the direction of the closest portal before answering. The fairy dragon flitted off again carrying Hisui's words back to Skyheart Snowsong. "It's a special quest reward from the Sky City expansion that featured all those pixie halfs three years ago. Do you want to try it?"

--

In class the next morning, Jade snuck glances at Eric whenever he thought Eric wasn't looking. As soon as he'd arrived, the system had popped up a new subquest that said very specifically, 'tell Eric about a recent adventure in "Living Jade Empire".'

Eric caught him looking again and leaned over and asked teasingly, "something you want to tell me Jade?"

Jade was sure that he blushed, as he asked hesitantly in return, "um, do you play 'Living Jade Empire'?"

Eric looked away and shifted uncomfortably in his seat before giving a short nod.

Jade drew a deep breath before saying quickly, "I'm in the middle of helping someone who just returned to the game after a few years away through the quest that gives the fairy dragon messenger."

Eric turned back to Jade and replied with sudden intensity, "oh that one! That was as tricky as ferrets! Are you stuck?"

Jade blinked at Eric. "Uh, no, I've done it before, it's just long. Right now we're collecting the cloud seeds," he explained.

The system rang the soft chime of a quest completed, but another instantly popped up to replace it. This one also targeted Eric. 'Invite Eric to an activity.'

Eric caught the teacher glaring toward them and said softly, "let's talk more after class?"

Jade nodded silently.

He gazed at the new quest a bit worriedly. The system had always been there, but it had never interfered in his social life before. His mother complained that he was too cold to people sometimes, but the system hadn't ever seemed to care.

The only times it had ever named anyone in a quest had been things like when it told him to 'catch the rare butterfly sitting on Tom's lunch box' or 'take a picture in front of the fountain with your mother before you leave the park'. On the other hand, Jade had no real objection to trying to interact more with Eric. He snuck another glance at him.

After the class ended, Jade summoned up his courage and asked, "want to go shopping with me after work?"

Eric gave Jade a look that he couldn't interpret and asked a little sharply, "shopping?"

Jade almost replied, "I have a quest," but stopped himself in time. Instead he replied, "I need to get a few clothes, and that's a thing friends do right? At least, they are always talking about it." Jade pointed to a group of girls still clustered near the door chattering among each other.

Eric covered his eyes and muttered, "why do I even," before straightening and saying authoritatively, "fine, I'll help you out, but then you have to go to the VR movie I was planning to watch tonight with me instead of going home to play games."

"Ok," Jade agreed cheerfully.

--

Emily was back at work that afternoon, but Jade thought that maybe it would have been better if she'd taken another day to rest. She sniffled constantly as she stood listlessly behind the register.

The system popped up the list of cleaning subquests without any encouragement and Jade did all the cleaning again without complaint. When he finished he asked Emily, "has it been long enough that you can take more medicine?"

Emily frowned at him and said shortly, "medicine isn't something that should be used lightly. You become reliant on it, and then you can't get well on your own anymore." She sniffled again, but straightened as the door thumped and another customer walked in.

Jade never got sick, so he couldn't be sure, but he thought that cold medicines were probably not as bad as Emily claimed. The kinds they sold in the store weren't even restricted items.

When Harmony dropped by for her usual snack purchases, Jade told her, "I'm doing stuff with a friend from school tonight, but you should be able to keep collecting cloud seeds on your own."

Harmony winked at him and replied, "sure, no problem Jade! Enjoy your time with your friend tonight."

Emily gave Jade the strangest look after Harmony left. "What is it?" he asked. "Are you feeling worse?"

Emily sniffed again, and just shook her head.

--

Jade met Eric at a fast-food place near the shopping district. Eric asked, "what do you want?"

Jade looked at his quest list and replied, "pants, a couple of shirts, underwear and socks."

Eric gave him a look and then shrugged. "Ok, but do you want to get anything to eat first?"

Jade replied, "I'm not really hungry, but we can get food if you are."

"Just a quick snack then," Eric said agreeably, and entered his order. It popped up in the dispenser a few moments later, and he grabbed the carton and the cup, took a drink and said, "I can eat while we walk."

"Ok," Jade agreed. The system popped up a new subquest, 'ask if Eric wants more food after completing at least 2 item acquisitions'.

Jade flicked a glance at Eric, who was currently chewing a large bite of the crumbly fried item in his carton. His eyes flicked back to his subquest. It suddenly seemed disturbingly similar to the first mission you received after acquiring a pet in "Living Jade Empire".