There was something deeply satisfying about waking up naturally rather than to an alarm, stretching in bed while mentally cataloguing the events of the past few days. Four dates, four completely different experiences, four women who had each shown me sides of themselves that I was still processing. The contentment I felt was warm and genuine, the kind of satisfaction that came from knowing I had managed to navigate a potentially explosive social situation without anyone ending up hurt or feeling neglected.

I padded into the kitchen in my pajamas, planning to make breakfast before anyone else woke up. It seemed like a small gesture of appreciation after they had all been so understanding about the dating rotation, though I suspected Camille would probably sleep until noon given her sleep-deprived state from the day before.

As I started pulling ingredients from the refrigerator, I couldn't shake the underlying nervousness that had been building about the upcoming Brazil trip. It was strange. I had faced down international conspiracies, survived assassination attempts, and addressed the United Nations without feeling this level of anxiety. But something about this mission felt different, more personal somehow.

Maybe it was because I had more to lose now. The last time I had left the country, my safety felt a lot more assured with me being expected by many international leaders. Now I was leaving for my goals and I was sure that someone wanted to prevent that from happening.

Or maybe it was just the pattern I had noticed over the past few years. Every time I left the country, I seemed to attract trouble like a magnet. Stranded on a deserted island, assassination attempts, diplomatic crises that somehow always seemed to center around me regardless of my original intentions. The rational part of my mind knew that correlation didn't necessarily imply causation, but the paranoid part that had kept me alive this long was harder to convince.

While the coffee brewed, I pulled out my phone to check the morning news, partly out of habit and partly because I was curious whether our arcade date had attracted any media attention. The answer was immediately apparent. There were hundreds of videos of Camille and me that were trending on multiple social media platforms, with dozens of different angles and perspectives documenting our afternoon of games and prizes.

Surprisingly, the commentary was overwhelmingly positive. Most people seemed to find the normalcy of the date charming, with comments ranging from appreciation for seeing public figures doing everyday activities to genuine excitement about the games we had played. There were the usual cynical responses questioning whether it was a publicity stunt, but they were vastly outnumbered by people who seemed genuinely delighted by the footage.

This was a relief, though I knew better than to trust public opinion to remain stable. I had seen how quickly public sentiment could shift based on new information or changing circumstances. People could go from celebrating someone to demanding their exile within hours of a single poorly contextualized video clip or misunderstood statement.

The sound of footsteps in the hallway pulled my attention away from the phone. Sienna appeared first, looking comfortable and alert in her pajamas and robe, followed closely by Alexis in what appeared to be expensive sleepwear that somehow managed to look both casual and elegant. Evelyn emerged last, her blindfold perfectly positioned and her movements as confident as always.

"Morning," Sienna said, stopping beside me to place a gentle kiss on my cheek before immediately taking over the breakfast preparation with the efficiency of someone who had been doing this routine for years.

"Good morning," Alexis said, following suit with her own cheek kiss before settling at the kitchen island with a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Rey," Evelyn said, her kiss accompanied by a smile that suggested she was pleased with how the date rotation had concluded. "Sleep well?"

"Very well," I said, stepping back to let Sienna work while appreciating the easy domesticity of the moment. "Camille still asleep?"

"Dead to the world," Alexis confirmed with professional assessment in her voice. "She's probably going to sleep for another eight hours minimum, given how little rest she got before yesterday's date."

"She was so excited," Sienna said as she started preparing what looked like enough breakfast for a small army. "I don't think I've ever seen her that enthusiastic about anything that wasn't related to fashion or design work."

The conversation was comfortable and natural, free of the competitive tension that had characterized the period before the dates. Everyone seemed satisfied with how things had gone, which was a relief I hadn't realized I needed.

"Evelyn," I said as Sienna continued cooking, "when are we looking at for the Brazil trip?"

"Ready when you are," she said, turning her attention fully to me with the kind of focus that meant we were shifting into professional mode. "Ideally within the next three days, though we can adjust the timeline if you need more preparation time."

"Three days should be fine," I said, though the timeline felt both too soon and not soon enough. "What exactly are we dealing with there?"

"Environmental problems," she said, accepting a cup of coffee from Alexis. "Deforestation, pollution, resource management issues that are affecting both their economy and their political stability. It's why they remained neutral during the UN meeting. They're dealing with internal crises that take precedence over international politics."

That made sense. A country struggling with environmental disasters would have limited bandwidth for global conflicts, especially when their immediate survival was at stake.

"But if you can help them address these problems," Evelyn continued, "they become much more likely to support our coalition against the World President. They have significant influence in South America, so their backing could bring several other nations along."

I nodded, understanding the strategic importance while trying not to think too hard about the complexity of environmental remediation on a national scale. "Speaking of international support, can you contact President Dubois?"

"France?" Evelyn asked, though her tone suggested she already knew why I was asking.

"I want whatever information he has on the Cain Protocol," I said. "If there's any chance of understanding how it works, maybe we can find a way to reverse its effects."

The kitchen went very quiet. Sienna paused in her cooking, and I could feel Alexis's attention sharpen from across the island.

"Rey," Evelyn said softly, and there was something in her voice that I couldn't quite identify. "You don't need to—"

"Yes, I do," I interrupted gently but firmly. "You deserve to have that choice. If there's any possibility of giving you your sight back, we have to try."

"I'll contact Dubois today," she said after a moment, and the gratitude in her voice made the potential political complications feel completely worth it.

Breakfast passed in comfortable conversation about logistics, travel preparations, and the various environmental challenges I might encounter in Brazil. Sienna had outdone herself with the food, producing a spread that included perfectly cooked eggs, fresh fruit, pastries that tasted homemade, and coffee that was somehow even better than usual.

As we were finishing up, I remembered something that had been pushed to the back of my mind during the recent focus on dating and travel plans. My Teacher job had reached A-Rank recently, which meant I could acquire another profession through the System interface.

"I need to check something," I said.

The System interface opened with its usual smooth efficiency, displaying my current job, skills and notifications. Sure enough, there was one waiting for me about getting a new job.

Given that I was about to travel to Brazil to help with environmental problems, I found myself hoping for something relevant to ecological restoration or environmental management. Something that would give me the tools and knowledge to actually make a meaningful difference rather than just applying existing skills to new problems.

The System interface showed the familiar loading animation as it processed my request for a new job. I watched the progress bar slowly fill, feeling oddly nervous about the result. So much of my recent effectiveness had come from having exactly the right skills for unexpected situations. Having a job that aligned with my upcoming mission could make the difference between success and failure.

The loading completed with a soft chime, and the result appeared on my screen.

New Job Acquired: Lumberjack - Rank B

I stared at the notification for a long moment, trying to process what I was seeing.

"Everything okay?" Sienna asked, noticing my expression.

"You've got to be kidding me, I just got a new job." I muttered under my breath.

Lumberjack. Not Environmental Scientist, not Ecologist, not Forestry Management Specialist. Lumberjack. A job whose primary focus was cutting down trees, which seemed like exactly the opposite of what Brazil needed for their environmental crisis.

"What did you get?" Alexis asked with professional curiosity.

"Lumberjack," I said, showing them the screen. "B-Rank Lumberjack."

There was a moment of silence before Evelyn started laughing. Not polite laughter or sympathetic chuckling, but genuine, delighted amusement that suggested she found the situation genuinely hilarious.

"I'm sorry," she said, trying to compose herself. "It's just... the irony is incredible. You're going to Brazil to help with deforestation problems, and the System gives you a job focused on cutting down trees."

"Maybe there's more to it than that," Sienna suggested hopefully. "Lumberjacks know a lot about forest management, sustainable harvesting, tree health assessment. That could all be relevant to environmental restoration."

"That's true," Alexis agreed. "Modern forestry is as much about conservation as it is about harvesting. You might have acquired exactly the skills you need, just packaged in a way that sounds contradictory."

I hoped they were right, though the System had a track record of giving me exactly what I asked for in the most unexpected ways possible. Maybe having deep knowledge of trees, forests, and sustainable resource management would be exactly what I needed to help Brazil address their environmental challenges.

"I guess we'll find out," I said, closing the System interface and finishing my coffee. "At least it's not something completely unrelated like Professional Bowling or Competitive Dog Grooming."

"Those would have been harder to explain to the Brazilian government," Evelyn agreed, still sounding amused by the whole situation.

The rest of the day passed in continued preparation discussions and logistical planning. Evelyn began making calls to arrange meetings with Brazilian officials, while Alexis started assembling a medical kit that would be appropriate for extended travel in unfamiliar environments. Camille, who woke up later, took charge of ensuring I had appropriate clothing for various climate conditions and social situations.

Through it all, the new Lumberjack job sat in the back of my mind like a puzzle I couldn't quite solve. The System had never given me something that wasn't ultimately useful, even when the connection wasn't immediately apparent. But the gap between cutting down trees and solving environmental problems seemed particularly large this time.

I supposed I would find out soon enough whether my new profession would be an asset or just another example of the System's occasionally twisted sense of humor. Either way, I was committed to the mission. Brazil needed help, our coalition needed their support, and Evelyn needed information about the Cain Protocol.

Even if I had to figure out how to save forests with the skills of someone whose traditional job was cutting them down.

"You've got to be kidding me," I repeated under my breath, already trying to figure out how to explain to Brazilian environmental officials why their international consultant's most recent qualification was in tree removal.

This was going to be an interesting trip.

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