The scent of rose petals and freshly polished oak filled the air. A faint hum of magic flickered like static around the embroidered curtains fluttering softly by the half-open window. Sunlight filtered through stained glass, casting fractured rainbows onto the plush red carpet of the chamber.
And in the ornate canopy bed at the center of the room, a pair of eyes snapped open.
"—!!"
Rei's vision swam. The ceiling was impossibly high and decorated with swirling golden sigils and carved angels that looked like they might come to life. His head throbbed like it was filled with clattering gears and broken dreams. Every muscle ached like he'd run a marathon uphill in full armor.
Yet the worst part wasn't the pain or confusion.
It was the sudden, deafening silence.
For a moment, the world held its breath.
Then — a sharp, collective intake of breath echoed through the room, followed by a crescendo of high-pitched screams.
"HE'S AWAKE!!"
The voices were shrill, panicked, and yet strangely jubilant. It sounded like the alarms of a dozen musical sirens all screeching the same news: The host of their obsession, their beloved, their reason for existing, was alive.
The canopy curtains whipped aside in a fluttering storm of silk and perfume.
A dozen faces flooded the doorway like a tidal wave of aristocratic obsession.
Eyes glittered with unshed tears, hands trembled, and lips quivered in desperate hope.
Each face was beautiful. Each smile was unsettling.
Each smile was a warning.
"Rei!" cried a voice with a breathless urgency as a pair of slender arms reached out.
"Thank God! You're awake!" Another whispered, pressing a cold, trembling hand to his forehead. "You scared us all… don't ever do that again."
"Remember me, Rei? You promised we'd get married someday!" chirped a little blonde girl, her blue eyes wide and sparkling with naïve devotion—but tinged with a fierce hunger beneath the surface.
Rei's heart slammed against his ribs like a trapped bird. His mouth opened to speak, but no words came.
The room spun, his vision blurring, as the dozen noble girls flooded forward, surrounding his bed like a ring of sharp, glittering knives.
The weight of their gazes bore into him like molten iron.
Some faces were tear-streaked. Others wore smiles so wide they seemed to split their cheeks.
But none looked away.
The girls—now women, though to Rei's foggy mind they still seemed impossibly young—were draped in dresses of jewel tones and fine lace, each a perfect picture of noble grace twisted with something darker. Their eyes burned with possessiveness, adoration, and obsession.
And Rei, still weak and dizzy, could barely catch his breath.
He wanted to scream. To bolt. To disappear.
But even as his limbs trembled, a calm, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.
[System Booting…]
[Welcome, Host!]
[You have awakened as Duke Alister's heir, Rei Velvet.]
[Current Status: Weak, disoriented, surrounded by 12 affectionate noblewomen.]
[New Mission: Survive the next five minutes.]
[Warning: Affection Levels Critical. Threat Level: MAXIMUM.]
[Hint: Smile and pretend you love them all.]
The words echoed like a sinister lullaby, and Rei swallowed hard.
Survive the next five minutes.
He didn't even know how to survive the next five seconds.
A hand brushed his forehead. Cool and delicate, like touching a rare flower, yet gripping with an iron determination.
"Your fever's breaking, Rei. You're so strong…" whispered Lilia, the Duchess of Velvet and the most delicate among them. Her silver hair spilled like moonlight across the bedspread. She smiled softly—but her eyes held a spark of wild desperation.
Rei blinked, trying to focus.
Memories crashed against his mind like a tidal wave.
He recalled distant echoes of a life he'd never thought he'd relive: childhood laughter, whispered promises under starry skies, and the slow, insidious transformation of sweet friends into… this.
Yanderes.
The term echoed from the dozens of fantasy novels he'd binged in his previous life.
They were obsessives. Devourers. Sweet devils in lace.
And they had all waited. For him.
Suddenly, the bedroom door swung open with a theatrical flourish.
The air thickened.
A new presence filled the room — cold, confident, and dangerous.
Lucivella — the Demon Queen, oldest of the wives, and absolute mistress of patience — stepped inside with a languid grace.
Her black velvet gown whispered secrets as she moved, and her eyes gleamed with knowing amusement.
"So dramatic," she purred, sweeping her gaze across the flock clustered around Rei.
"Awake at last, my love. Welcome back to the nightmare."
Her voice was silk over steel.
The others parted as she approached, bowing with feigned reverence.
Rei's pulse quickened, torn between fascination and terror.
For the next few minutes, the room became a cacophony of competing voices, each girl vying for his attention in their own obsessive way.
"Rei! Do you remember our secret spot by the lake?" said Seraphina, her sun-kissed curls bouncing. "I waited every day for you, even when you were sick!"
"You owe me your life!" Drakana growled, crimson wings folding behind her. "Our fire pact is eternal!"
The silver-haired "Big Sis" cooed softly, brushing a stray lock of hair behind his ear. "I bathed you, fed you, cared for you. Nobody understands you like I do."
Lucivella sipped wine and smiled.
"I hold the final claim. Your soul and mine are entwined by blood runes no one dares break."
Rei's head spun.
Trying to respond felt like shouting underwater.
His voice came out a strangled whisper.
"I… I don't understand…"
Before he could say more, the system beeped again.
[Mission Update: Accept one hug.]
[Warning: Declining will cause emotional damage (yours).]
Suddenly, a pair of arms encircled him.
It was Seraphina, with her heart pounding like a trapped bird.
"Please, Rei… just one hug."
Her warmth was a tidal wave.
Rei's mind screamed run! but his body froze.
He felt the soft press of her cheek against his chest.
The other girls gasped and shifted, eyes flashing with hunger and competition.
The room felt like it might implode from the intensity of their affection.
And then the system pinged again.
[Hug accepted.]
[Mission complete: +1 Affection.]
[Next mission: Gain affection from 5 yanderes without dying.]
Rei's heart hammered in his chest as the girls closed in.
He realized, with growing horror, that his simple wish for peace was about to be drowned in a flood of love — or death.
Just as the atmosphere reached a fever pitch, a sudden pop echoed through the room.
A little cloud of smoke appeared in the corner, and Eris—the goddess with a penchant for chaos and fanservice—floated in, sipping bubble tea upside down.
"Oh, dear Host! Look at you all cuddled up! How adorable!"
Her voice was light and teasing, but her eyes sparkled with mischief.
"Don't worry, I'm here to help! Or maybe just to watch the fireworks."
Rei groaned.
"Goddess, please! Not now!"
Eris grinned and shrugged.
"Well, I did say Survive the next five minutes. Tick tock, tick tock!"
What followed was a whirlwind of frantic emotions, whispered promises, jealous glares, and desperate confessions.
Rei flailed between managing each girl's fragile feelings, dodging physical affection, and trying not to faint under the weight of their obsession.
"Rei! We should celebrate with tea and cakes!" chirped one.
"No! We should train together! Bond through combat!" growled another.
"Rei, your room is a mess. You need my help organizing!" another protested.
Lucivella raised an eyebrow.
"Do try to survive without embarrassing yourself."
The system continued to beep relentlessly.
[Mission: Avoid death.]
[Mission: Smile while hugging.]
[Mission: Deflect love potions.]
Rei's brain short-circuited.
As he stumbled through the emotional gauntlet, Rei's thoughts screamed in panic.
Why did I agree to this?
I just wanted peace!
Why does everyone have to be this intense?
Is this what happens when you press the giant red button without reading the manual?
He swallowed his panic and forced a smile.
"Okay, okay… I love you all," he croaked.
That was… probably a mistake.
Just when Rei thought he might survive the onslaught, a sudden tickle in his nose betrayed him.
He sneezed.
And at that very moment, one of the girls — the quiet, silver-haired one — blushed furiously and whispered:
"Will you marry me?"
Rei froze.
He knew what was coming next.
And he wasn't ready.
To Be Continued...