The Incubus System Chapter 1095. Random Call

The Incubus System Chapter 1095. Random Call

Of course, I wasn’t about to let her get away with it for long. Before I could formulate a plan to regain the upper hand, though, my phone buzzed in my pocket. The sound of it ringing broke the silence between us.

Frowning, I fished it out to check the caller ID. A name appeared on the screen.

Kevin.

My frown deepened. Kevin was one of my classmates from last semester, but we weren’t exactly close. Scratch that—we weren’t even acquaintances, really. We’d exchanged a few words in group projects, but that was it. Plus, as far as I knew, we weren’t even in the same class next semester.

So yeah, this call was random. And weird.

Puriel tilted her head, her eyes watching me curiously. “Shouldn’t you answer that?” she asked. “The name of that thing is… a phone, right?”

I sighed, glancing back at the screen. “Yeah, it’s a phone,” I said, still debating whether to answer. The little green icon kept blinking, daring me to press it. Finally, I huffed and swiped to accept the call. “Hello?”

“Ethan!” Kevin’s voice boomed through the speaker, way too cheerful for someone who barely knew me. “Long time no see, man!”

I blinked, holding the phone a little farther from my ear. “Uh, hey, Kevin,” I said cautiously. “What’s up?”

“Not much, not much!” he said, his tone as friendly as if we were lifelong pals. “I was just thinking about you and thought, hey, why not give Ethan a call? You busy?”

I narrowed my eyes, suspicion creeping in. “Not really,” I said slowly. “Why?”

“Well,” he said, drawing the word out, “I was thinking we could hang out! You know, catch up and stuff. I just called Larry, too—he’s in.”

My confusion hit a new level. Kevin and Larry weren’t exactly besties either, and now he wanted the three of us to hang out? Out of nowhere? My brain immediately jumped to the most plausible explanation. ‘He didn’t plan to trap me in one of those shady marketing seminars, did he?’

It wasn’t an uncommon tactic among business students like us. The promise of “networking opportunities” often turned into high-pressure sales pitches for pyramid schemes. And Kevin had always seemed like the kind of guy who’d fall for that kind of thing.

“For what?” I asked bluntly. “I mean, you don’t usually invite me to stuff.”

Kevin laughed, the sound overly casual. “Aw, come on, man! Just to catch up, that’s all. No big deal.”

I squinted at the phone like it had personally offended me. His tone was too smooth, too rehearsed. Still, I didn’t want to jump to conclusions—yet.

“Where are we meeting?” I asked, my tone laced with caution.

“The coffee shop near PeaceBlossom Square,” he said without missing a beat. “In an hour. Sounds good?”

It didn’t sound good at all, but I couldn’t think of a reason to say no. “Fine,” I said reluctantly. “I’ll be there.”

“Great! See you then!” Kevin chirped before hanging up.

I stared at the phone for a moment, then shoved it back into my pocket with a sigh. Puriel, who had been watching the entire exchange, tilted her head again. “Are you alright?” she asked, her voice soft with concern.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I said, though I didn’t sound very convincing. “That guy’s just… weird. I need to call Larry.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t press further as I pulled my phone out again and dialed Larry’s number. He picked up almost immediately.

“Ethan!” Larry’s voice came through the line, sounding just as puzzled as I felt. “I was about to call you. Did Kevin call you?”

“Yeah, he did,” I said, my suspicion growing. “Did he tell you anything about this ‘catch-up’ thing?”

“Nope,” Larry replied, and I could hear the confusion in his voice. “I was just as surprised as you. I mean, Kevin? Really?”

“Exactly!” I said, pacing the room now. “We’re not even friends, and suddenly he wants to hang out? It’s sketchy, right?”

“Super sketchy,” Larry agreed. “Do you think it’s one of those pyramid scheme things?”

“That was my first thought,” I admitted. “But he didn’t say anything about it outright. Just said it was to ‘catch up.’”

Larry let out a dry laugh. “Yeah, because we’re all such great pals with Kevin.”

I sighed, rubbing my temples. “Should we even go?”

“I mean…” Larry trailed off, thinking. “It might be worth it, just to see what he’s up to. If it’s shady, we bail.”

“Alright,” I said reluctantly. “I’ll meet you there in an hour.”

“Cool,” Larry said. “But Ethan?”

“Yeah?”

“If this turns out to be some multi-level marketing crap, you owe me a coffee.”

I laughed despite myself. “Deal.”

Hanging up, I slipped my phone back into my pocket and turned to see Puriel still watching me. “Everything okay?” she asked, her expression a mix of curiosity and concern.

“Yeah,” I said, though I wasn’t entirely sure I believed it. “I’ve got to go meet some friends. Well, one friend and one… weird acquaintance.”

She nodded, her eyes thoughtful. “Be careful,” she said softly. “Humans can be… unpredictable.”

I snorted. “You’re telling me,” I muttered. Humans? Unpredictable was putting it lightly. Humans had a knack for making even demons look like amateurs in the chaos department.

Puriel tilted her head, watching me with a curious expression. “Shouldn’t you go now?” she asked, her eyes flicking to the clock on the wall.

“Nah,” I said, pulling out my phone and flopping onto the edge of the bed. “I’ve got my portal skill, so I can show up right on time without rushing. Besides, I’m not exactly hyped about this little meetup.”

She frowned slightly, her hands folding neatly in front of her. “Then why go at all?”

I shrugged, already typing out a text. “Curiosity, I guess,” I said absentmindedly. “And Larry’s going, so at least I won’t be walking into whatever this is alone.”

The truth was, I didn’t trust Kevin as far as I could throw him. The guy wasn’t malicious or anything, but he was definitely the type to think he was slicker than he actually was. If this turned out to be one of those “once-in-a-lifetime business opportunities,” I’d portal out faster than he could say “Ponzi scheme.”