Greatest Streamer System

Max was confused.

As soon as he exited the Lobby with Lily, his girlfriend refused to talk to him. She was always pouting and seemed to dodge him.

Usually, when they sat down on the couch, she would get close and snuggle at him. However, this time, she was sitting at the end of the couch and indulged herself to perfect her new song without glancing at him.

"Hey, Lily. Are you mad?"

"No."

"Alright, you're mad. Is it because I called you a bad cook in the show earlier?"

"No. It's just your imagination."

'Yeah, she's mad.'

Max thought that she wasn't mad because she still talked to him earlier. But that was just her professionalism that kept her calm. In truth, she was mad at him because he teased her too much.

"Look, Lily. I am sorry, alright? I was just trying to make the show fun."

"It's okay." She replied shortly without looking at him.

"Come on…" He shrugged his shoulders, unable to guess what she wanted. "I'll get some drink from the café down below. Do you want any?"

"Americano."

"Alright." Max rose from the couch and walked out. At least she still cared enough to request something.

'Not that mad, then.'

He decided to give her time alone and went to get some coffee.

The automatic door was opened and closed as he stepped out. When Lily heard that, she peeked her head up and threw her headphones away, hands clutching on her head.

"Why did I do that?" She muttered in a troubled tone. "Uuu… Stupid Max."

This was the first time she felt embarrassed, angry, and cared about something as much as she did right now. She couldn't understand why, but she didn't want him to say something bad about her.

"I want him to praise me. I want him to hold me. And I don't want him to look at another girl."

It sounded selfish, even from her perspective. Was being this possessive okay? She didn't think that even Ferin did this to Atlas.

Then, was she strange? She didn't know. But one thing was for sure.

"I am not acting like myself right now." She said as she rose from the couch. "I can't stay like this. What if Max hates me? No… I don't want that. But I want him to praise me first. Ugh… What should I do? Find your next read on мѵʟ

I hate this."

Praise and compliments were something that came naturally to Lily. She had been called talented so many times. She hated it. The empty words from people who didn't know her best, who didn't know her hard work.

But, just today… She wanted to hear praise from Max. And it troubled her, making her unable to think straight.

'I want him to call me a good girl. I want him to say I did good in the show. I want him to say I am the cutest girl.'

"Aah!" She suddenly screamed and threw the pillow she grabbed with full strength.

The pillow flew comically toward the door, prompting the automatic sense to open the door leading toward the main hallway. It landed right in front of Max, who had just returned with two cups of coffee in hand.

He looked at the ground before turning to the couch, where Lily still froze in a position after throwing the pillow, hand outstretched. She hoped he didn't hear the scream.

"What was that scream earlier?" He asked softly as he put one cup on his arm and took the pillow with him.

All hope was lost. He heard her.

Max slowly approached the couch and got closer to her. She wanted to scoot over, but he leaned forward after putting the cups on the table and closed her escape route.

"Now, we will talk. If you don't tell me why you're angry, then I don't know what to do. If you refuse to talk, then I will stay like this until you're willing. Feel free to test my stamina."

Backing away was useless. Her back was pressed against the backrest and Max's face was too close to her, causing her to blush in both embarrassment and anger.

"Uhh… So unfair." Lily complained and threw her face away.

"Am I unfair? Isn't that you, Lily? Look at me straight in my eyes. Are you angry because I teased you? If so, then I apologize. But if that's not the case, please tell me."

"I am not angry." She answered with a pout.

"You are." He retorted, sighing. He sat next to her and looked straight at her eyes, but she turned away and was about to escape.

Without much choice, Max had to hold her hand and sit her down again.

"Please, Lily. At least tell me what I can do for you. I am dull in terms of judging myself. If you never say anything, I won't be able to understand what I did wrong."

Lily could feel her defense crumble every second he leaned closer. With a small voice, she spoke.

"Hold me."

Even she was surprised by what she said. Her face was beet red, she knew it. However, upon seeing Max's soft smile after a while, she felt like it was worth it.

"Alright." He answered and hugged her softly, petting her. "What should I do next?"

"Tighter." She answered, letting her childish desire take over. "And close your eyes."

"Fine."

Max followed what she said and pulled her closer. He could hear her breath near his ears, and he could also feel her warmth.

"Listen." Lily whispered, "I am a selfish girl. I… don't want you to look at someone other than me. I am also dull and can't be honest. I hesitated… a lot. I was angry when you said I wasn't a good cook. I was angry when you made fun of me.

But I am also happy. I want you to praise me. Care for me. Can you praise me?"

"Of course," Max answered and realized his mistake. "I also want to do that."

He thought she hated being praised.

When he listened to her in the past, she said she hated being praised. But now, she wanted to be praised.

'Let's shower her with enough praise from now on.'

Stroking her hair gently, he whispered into her ears.

"You did great, Lily. You worked so hard. I know you did. You said you were selfish? For me, you're not selfish at all. Please be more selfish in front of me and tell me what you want.

I am your boyfriend, you can trust and depend on me. Even if everyone hates what you do, I will always be by your side."

"Un."

"And, look. You're the loveliest girl in the world for me. You have done many great things. I know you were mad the moment you elbowed me, but you managed to mask that and act professional. Not all people could do that, be proud of it."

"Un, I know. Am I a good girl?"

"You're a good girl, Lily. The one I love the most in this world."

Hearing that, Lily's lips curled up. She backed away and put her hands around her neck.

Both of them looked at each other briefly before she kissed him and pushed him onto the couch. All desires took over. Happiness overflowing.

"Max… I love you."

"Love you too, Lily."

Snap!

The room suddenly turned dark with a snap of Lily's fingers. Only two cups of hot coffee on the table witnessed their backs as they disappeared into another room.

***

Max left Lily's apartment once morning arrived. His face beamed with a bright smile as he walked on the street. He could as well say that he was the happiest man in the world.

'I didn't expect that.'

Lily was mad not just because of him teasing her, but also because she wanted more attention. She looked so cute and precious when she asked him to praise her. Well, one thing after another led to a bigger thing. He wanted to play it slowly, but she was unexpectedly craving more attention.

After everything was said and done, Lily was just a normal girl. She also wanted affection from her boyfriend and getting praised normally—just not excessive praise with an ulterior motive, but a pure and genuine one.

'I am happy knowing that she cares so much about me and my attention. Let's shower her with more love in the future.' He thought as he made his way back to his apartment.

Today, he planned to continue his Mercenary Quest. Because today was Sunday, he planned to stream as soon as he hit home.

'Well, I wanted to go on a date with Lily, but it's impossible now. She said she can't walk normally and needs to rest.'

Not that it was his fault. She seduced him first.

'Ah, I miss her already. It's just a few minutes since we parted, but I can't stop thinking about her.' He thought, looking at the sky. 'Let's fight some monsters and let this go off my head. If possible, I want to finish the main story today.'

With that, he half-run toward his apartment.