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Chapter 13 - 013 - The Redeemed

[STATUS UPDATE — HOST: LUCIEN CROSS]

[Strength: 30 (+15) → 45 (+30)]"Congratulations! You've graduated from 'accidentally bruising girlfriends' to 'punching through walls like they're made of wet paper.' (Side effect: Your handshakes now qualify as assault.)"

[Speed: 23 (+9) → 35 (+18)]"You no longer arrive late to class. You arrive before the teacher, just to watch them scramble. (Bonus: Outrunning your guilt is now a viable strategy.)"

[Charm: 114 (+15) → 114 (Broken, but who cares?)]"Your face is still illegal in three prefectures, but at this point, you're just flexing. (System Note: Charm stat locked. You've maxed out 'irresistible bastard.' Further increases would violate the Geneva Convention.)"

[Endurance: 34 (+21) → 50 (+35)]"You could run a marathon. Twice. While carrying Tsukimi. And she'd like it. (Side effect: 'Stamina' now includes emotional endurance. Congrats, you're a sociopath!)"

[Resolve: 6 (+5) → 12 (+10)]"You can now resist bad ideas for a full minute before caving! (Progress!)"

[Mana Perception: Upgraded → Mastered]"You can now see lies before they're spoken. (Also, you can tell when someone's thinking about lying. Privacy? What's that?)" 

[INVENTORY UPDATE]

[New Item: "Obedience Collar"] "Clip this bad boy on someone's neck, and voila! Instant cult member. (Warning: May cause spontaneous declarations of love, sudden amnesia regarding 'personal boundaries,' and an overwhelming desire to lick your shoes.)"

[New Item: "The King's Seal"]"Stamp this on a forehead (or other body part), and the target will literally treat you like royalty. (Side effect: They may start referring to you as 'Your Majesty' in bed. You're welcome.)"

[New Item: "Echo Whisper"]"An upgrade to the Whisper Key! Now you can implant three truths instead of one. (Warning: Overuse may result in the target developing a second personality that's obsessed with you. Not that you'd notice.)"

[New Item: "The Devourer's Ring"]"Wear this, and any physical contact (handshakes, hugs, other activities) drains the target's willpower. (Bonus: The more you take, the stronger you get. Side effect: You may start craving emotional suffering. Like a fine wine!)"

[Current Objective: "Keep your girlfriends from murdering each other (or you). (Reward: Not dying!)" New Suggestion: "Have you considered adding more girls? More targets = more distractions! (System does not condone polygamy. System encourages it.)"]

Natsuha was still curled against the railing, her uniform disheveled, her breath coming in short, uneven gasps. The Blood Blossom Charm glinted against her collarbone, a crimson stain on her pale skin.

I stood there, my hands clenched at my sides, my stomach twisting like I'd swallowed glass.

I crouched beside her.

"Natsuha."

She flinched, her fingers digging into her skirt.

I reached out and stopped.

My hands were shaking.

I exhaled, slow, and touched her shoulder.

She jerked away, her eyes wide, wild.

"D-Don't...!"

My chest tightened.

"I…" The words stuck in my throat. "I didn't mean to..."

[System Override: "LIAR."]

I swallowed.

"I shouldn't have done that."

Natsuha stared at me, her lip trembling.

"You did."

I closed my eyes.

For a second, I was back in that classroom, new, scared, desperate to be good. Before the system, before the quests, before the blood on my hands.

Before I became a monster.

[Memory Fragment: Unlocked]

...Me, laughing with Saki over stupid jokes. 

...Me, promising I'd never hurt anyone.

I opened my eyes.

Natsuha was still watching me, her expression unreadable.

[System Suggestion: "Use the Echo Whisper. (Rewrite her memories! Problem solved!)"]

I moved without thinking, the way a drowning man kicks toward the surface. My arms wrapped around her, pulling her against me.

Natsuha stiffened, then sagged, trembling. Her breath stuttered against my chest, hot and uneven.

It felt too familiar.

Tsukimi, in that hotel room, tears shining in her lashes, clinging to me because I'd told her Takagi betrayed her. Tsukimi, shivering when I said, "It's okay, I'll protect you now." Tsukimi, binding herself to me because I had broken her so completely she had no choice.

Now it was happening again.

[System Note: "Pattern Recognition achieved! (Host excels at recycling trauma.)" System Bonus: 'Predator's Rhythm' unlocked. You now instinctively know when someone is most vulnerable. (Warning: Side effect — you may start enjoying it.)]

I swallowed the bile crawling up my throat.

"I'll take responsibility," I whispered into her hair. My voice cracked, more confession than promise. "You won't have to cry alone again. I swear it."

Her fingers clawed at my shirt, desperate, as if she could sink into me and erase everything that had just happened.

[System Notification: Target Affection → 120%. Binding Deepened: "Obedience Thread" System Note: "Congratulations! You've gone from 'oops, I broke her' to 'full-time caretaker of the broken toy.' How noble! How villainous!"]

I closed my eyes, pressing my chin to the crown of her head.

Was this love? No. Was this mercy? Not really. It was the same lie I told Tsukimi. The same chain disguised as shelter.

And yet… when she whispered, voice raw, "Don't let me go…" I tightened my hold because I couldn't do anything else.

Because I remembered Tsukimi's voice, because I remembered promising Saki I'd never let go. Because every lie I told them was the only truth I had left.

["Look at you go! Hugging the broken girls you made. Almost saintly… if saints fed on despair."]

[Resolve: 12 (+10) → 14 (+11)] "Every time you break, you get stronger. Isn't that beautiful?"]

Her breathing slowed, hitching less, steadying. Her tears dampened my shirt, but her body relaxed, melting against me.

[System Suggestion: "Now kiss her. That always seals the deal."]

I grit my teeth.

Not yet.

This time, I wasn't going to follow the script so easily.

[Pattern Recognition: Activated] "Ahhh, how nostalgic! This is the exact face Tsukimi made when you told her Takagi betrayed her. (Host is so predictable. Adorable.)"

I stiffened.

Because it was true.

The same trembling hands. The same raw, desperate cling. The same way her voice cracked when she whispered, "Don't let me go..."

...Tsukimi pressed against the hotel wall, her tears mixing with the rain outside the window.

...Tsukimi, her fingers digging into my arms like I was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

...Tsukimi, whispering, "You're the only one who won't leave me."

Natsuha's grip tightened.

"Lucien…?"

I exhaled, slow, and cupped her face.

Her eyes were red, her lashes wet, her lip still trembling from the aftershocks of whatever the system had done to her.

I brushed my thumb over her cheekbone, tracing the path of a tear.

"You're not like her," I murmured.

She flinched.

[System Note: "Oh? Interesting. Host is trying to be different. (Cute. Doomed.)"]

I leaned in, my voice low, rough.

"You deserve better than this."

Her breath caught.

[Affinity: 120% → 125%]

I pulled back, just enough to see her face.

"But I won't lie to you."

Her eyes widened.

"You..."

"I won't leave you."

[System Note: "Ohhh, smooth. (Host is manipulating without items. Impressive. Annoying.)"]

She swallowed, her fingers clenching in my shirt.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

[New Binding: Activated]

["Target's emotional tether has shifted from Yamano Yuuta → Host Lucien Cross. (Old tether: Broken. New tether: Bound." Natsuha Shinomiya — Affinity: 125% → 150% (Devotion: "She believes you. How sweet. ")]

The Charm pulsed against her skin, brightening for a second before fading back to crimson.

[System Note: "Blood Blossom Charm effect: Amplified. (Target's emotional spikes now sync with Host's presence. Convenient!)"]

She leaned into me, her forehead pressing against my shoulder.

"I…" Her voice was small, raw. "I don't know what to do."

I brushed my lips against her hair.

"Then don't."

[Affinity: 150% → 160% (Trust. Ugh.)]

She shivered.

"But..."

"No buts." I pulled back, just enough to meet her gaze. "You trust me?"

She nodded, slow, hesitant.

"Then let me."

[New Title Unlocked: "The Shelter"]

["Congratulations! You've successfully replaced a boyfriend with yourself. (Gold star for emotional identity theft!)"

She stared at me, her eyes searching.

Then, she leaned in.

Our lips brushed.

Soft. Hesitant. Real.

[Affinity: 160% → 170% (Binding: "She's choosing you. How quaint.)"]

I didn't pull away.

She whimpered against my mouth, her fingers clawing at my shirt.

I pulled back, just enough to see her face.

Her eyes were glazed, her lips swollen, her breath ragged.

"See?" My voice was rough. "Not so scary."

She nodded, dazed.

[Affinity: 170% → 180%]

I pulled out my phone.

"This weekend."

She blinked.

"Huh?"

I grinned, soft, dangerous.

"Date. Me. You. Sunday."

Her face flushed.

"B-But..."

"No buts." I tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.

[System Note: "Host is planning a date. (System is disappointed in your lack of chaos.)"]

She bit her lip.

"O-Okay."

[Affinity: 180% → 190% (Anticipation: "She's excited. How cute. ")]

[Yamano Yuuta — Status: Unaware. (He still loves her. How annoying.")]

I pulled her closer, my voice dropping to a whisper.

"One more thing."

She tensed.

I brushed my thumb over the Charm at her throat.

"You don't tell him about this."

Her breath hitched.

"W-Why?"

"Because," I murmured, my lips brushing her ear, "he doesn't deserve you."

[Affinity: 190% → 200% (Loyalty: "She's yours. Completely.)"]

She shivered.

"O-Okay."

[New Binding: Complete]

["Target's emotional tether to Yamano Yuuta is now severed. (Host is officially her everything. How romantic.)"]

The rooftop door creaked open.

[Mana Perception: ACTIVE]

[Aura detected: Yoshida Saki – "Emotional State: Concern (90%), Love (100%), Fear (5%). (She's worried about you. How touching.)"]

Natsuha flinched against me, her fingers digging into my shirt. I didn't pull away. Couldn't. The Blood Blossom Charm pulsed against her collarbone, a crimson heartbeat syncing with her own.

Saki stood in the doorway, her eyes wide and dark with something I couldn't name. The afternoon sun caught the gold in her hair, making her look like an angel who'd lost her way.

[Yoshida Saki — Affinity: 100% → 105% (Worry Detected: "She sees the change in you.")]

"Lucien..." Her voice was soft and hesitant, as if she were afraid to startle me.

Natsuha tensed, her breath hitching. I could feel her heart pounding against my chest, a rabbit's rhythm.

I exhaled, slow, and pulled back from Natsuha, just enough to meet Saki's gaze.

[System Suggestion: "Use the Whisper Key. (Plant: 'Everything is fine.' Problem solved!)"]

I ignored it.

Saki's eyes flicked to Natsuha, then back to me. Her hands clenched around her bag straps.

"You're... different."

I didn't answer.

She stepped closer, her shoes scuffing against the concrete. The distance between us felt like a chasm.

"Did I do something wrong?"

[Affinity Spike: Yoshida Saki — 105% → 110% (Insecurity: "She blames herself.")]

The system hissed in my skull, a static whisper.

[Suggested Action: "Lie. (Or don't. Watch her suffer. Your call.)"]

I swallowed.

"No."

Saki's shoulders sagged. She reached out, her fingers brushing my sleeve.

"You've been... distant."

[Affinity: 110% → 115% (Longing: "She misses you.")]

I closed my eyes.

The weight of it all pressed down on me, Natsuha's trembling, Saki's worry, the system's mocking laughter echoing in my skull.

When I opened them again, Saki was watching me, her eyes glistening.

[Yoshida Saki — Emotional State: Breaking. (Affinity: 115% → 120%. "She loves you more when you're weak. How poetic.")]

I reached out, my hand cupping her cheek.

She leaned into it, her lashes fluttering shut.

"I'm sorry."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

[Affinity: 120% → 125% (Devotion: "She'll forgive you for anything.")]

I pulled her into a hug, my arms wrapping around her.

She clung to me, her body shaking.

My throat burned.

[New Message: Ruki Kurogane] - "Hey, Lucien~! Remember that unfinished game of Street Fighter? ;) Come over tonight. Bring Saki. (Or don't. I won't mind~.)"

[System Note: "Ruki Kurogane — Affinity: 50% → 55% (Amusement: "She's planning something.")]

I exhaled, slow, and pulled back from Saki.

She wiped her eyes, her cheeks still wet.

"Lucien?"

I showed her the message.

Her eyes widened.

"R-Ruki's place?!"

I grinned, despite everything.

"Yeah."

[Affinity: Yoshida Saki — 125% → 130% (Relief: "She thinks you're back.")]

She bit her lip.

"B-But what about Tsukimi?"

"I'll tell her to go home tonight."

Saki was staring at me.

"Lucien... are you okay?"

[Affinity: 130% → 135% (Concern: "She sees you.")]

I didn't answer.

Instead, I pulled her closer, my lips brushing her forehead.

"Yeah."

[New Quest: "The Gambler's Return"] [Objective: "Defeat Ruki in Street Fighter. (Reward: Her pride. Failure: Her wrath.)" Suggestion: "Lose on purpose. (She likes it when you're weak.)"]

I smirked.

"Let's go."

The hallway was empty, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead.

Saki walked beside me, her fingers tangled with mine.

She hesitated, then stopped, pulling me to a halt.

"Lucien."

I turned, meeting her gaze.

Her eyes were serious, steady.

"I'll love you no matter what."

[Affinity Spike: Yoshida Saki — 135% → 140% (Devotion: "She's all in.")]

My chest tightened.

I didn't look away.

"Even if I'm a monster?"

[Yoshida Saki — Emotional State: Unwavering. (Affinity: 140% → 145%. "She knows what you are.")]

She smiled, sad, soft.

"Especially then."

[Affinity: Yoshida Saki — 145% → 150% (Pure Love)"]

I pulled her into another hug, my arms wrapping around her like she was the only thing keeping me from drowning.

She held me back, her fingers digging into my shirt.

[System Alert]

[New Title Unlocked: "The Redeemed"]

["Congratulations! You've almost regained your humanity! (Too bad the system will crush it again. Soon.)"

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