The hallway of the Academy smelled like floor polish and regret.
Chizuru Shiina stood between two gyaru students, Mika and Rina, their dyed-brown hair and thick makeup clashing with the school's pristine white walls. Mika twirled a lock of hair around her finger, smirking as she leaned against a locker. Rina snickered, her phone screen glowing with a half-written message, likely another rule-breaking text to an outside boyfriend.
"You've been warned before," Chizuru said, her voice sharp enough to cut glass. "Skirt rolled up, phone out during class, and now this? Do you want to be expelled?"
Mika rolled her eyes. "Oh, Shiina-sama~! What're you gonna do? Tattle to Mommy Teacher?"
Rina giggled. "Yeah, like anyone cares what the Ice Queen thinks."
Chizuru's fingers twitched. Not from anger, from disappointment. "This isn't about me. It's about the rules. If you can't follow them, don't waste the school's time."
Mika pushed off the locker, stepping closer. "Or what? You'll cry about it?"
SLAM.
Chizuru's palm struck the locker beside Mika's head, the metallic echo ringing through the hallway. The gyaru flinched, her smirk faltering.
"Last warning," Chizuru said, her voice cold, "Fix your uniform. Put away the phone. Or I will report you."
Mika's face twisted. "You bitch-"
"Problem here?"
A new voice cut in, deep, lazy, and amused.
Lucien leaned against the hallway's corner, arms crossed, golden hair catching the afternoon light like a deliberate distraction. The gyaru froze. Even Chizuru's breath hitched, just for a second.
Mika's eyes widened. "C-Cross-kun?!"
Rina's phone clattered to the floor.
Lucien didn't look at them. His gaze was fixed on Chizuru, a slow smirk curling his lips. "You two. Run along."
They ran.
The hallway emptied. Only Chizuru remained, her back stiff, her hands clenched into fists.
"You didn't have to do that," she said, not looking at him.
"I didn't do anything," Lucien replied, pushing off the wall. "You handled it yourself. Impressive."
She finally turned, glaring. "I don't need your help."
"Never said you did."
"You're always there," she accused. "Lurking. Watching. Like a..."
"Like a what?" Lucien tilted his head, eyes gleaming. "A drago... villain?"(A/N: Kiryu-san)
She flushed. "A nuisance."
"Ouch." He pressed a hand to his chest, mock-wounded. "And here I thought we were friends."
"We're not."
"Then why do you keep looking at me like that?"
"Like what?!"
"Like you're one push away from breaking."
Her breath hitched.
=== SYSTEM ALERT ===
TARGET: Chizuru Shiina
AFFECTION: 32% (+2%)
INTEGRITY: 58% (-2%)
Chizuru's face burned. "I... I don't-!"
"Shiina? Cross?"
A new voice, heavy, annoyed.
Tamura-sensei waddled into view, his bald head gleaming under the fluorescent lights, his belly straining against his dress shirt. He looked like a man who had long since given up on everything, especially students.
"What's this?" he grunted, rubbing his temples. "Another incident?"
Chizuru straightened. "Tamura-sensei. These students were-"
"Yeah, yeah." He waved a hand. "Skirt too short, phone out, blah blah. Look, I'm busy. Can't babysit every little-"
"It's not babysitting," Chizuru snapped. "It's your duty as an educator to enforce the rules!"
Tamura's eyes narrowed. "Watch your tone, girl."
"No." Her voice was steel. "You're a teacher. Your job isn't just to teach, it's to guide. To nurture. To ensure students don't fall into bad habits that'll ruin their futures! Are you even aware of your responsibilities?!"
The hallway froze.
Tamura's face darkened. "You little-"
His hand shot toward her.
Chizuru didn't flinch.
She should have.
But before his fingers could make contact, a hand caught his wrist.
Tamura's arm stopped, suspended in midair. Lucien stood between them, his grip effortless, his smile gone.
"Apologize," Lucien said, voice soft.
Tamura's face twisted. "Let go of me, boy-"
"Apologize," Lucien repeated, his grip tightening just enough to make the teacher wince.
"Fine. Sorry." Tamura spat the word like it was poison.
Lucien released him. "Good. Now leave."
Tamura stumbled back, massaging his wrist. "You-! You'll regret this! I'll report you to the principal-!"
"Go ahead." Lucien's smile returned, sharp. "But if you ever raise a hand to a student again, I'll make sure everyone knows how unfit you are for this job."
Tamura's face paled. He knew, somehow, he knew, Lucien wasn't bluffing.
With a final glare, the teacher stormed off, muttering curses.
Silence.
Chizuru exhaled shakily. "You didn't have to-"
"I know." Lucien turned to her, his expression unreadable. "But I did."
She looked away. "Why?"
"Because", he stepped closer, "you deserve better."
Her breath hitched.
=== SYSTEM UPDATE ===
TARGET: Chizuru Shiina
AFFECTION: 35% (+3%)
INTEGRITY: 55% (-3%)
"Chizuru."
She flinched at the sound of her name.
Tsukino-sensei stood at the end of the hallway, her expression unreadable. The man Chizuru had spent months admiring from afar.
"Sensei…" Chizuru's voice was barely a whisper.
The silence was thick enough to choke on.
Chizuru stood frozen between the two men, Lucien so close she could feel his heat, and Tsukino-sensei at the far end of the hallway, his broad-shouldered frame casting a shadow across the floor tiles.
Her lips parted. "Sensei…"
Her voice trembled. A girl's desperate call to the only man she'd ever trusted, admired, maybe even loved.
Lucien's eyes flickered.
=== SYSTEM ALERT ===
Quest: Shatter the Illusion
Time Limit: 24 Hours
Objective: Ensure Chizuru's rejection by Tsukino.
Reward: [???]
Note: Push her off the ledge. Make her fall, and only you'll be there to catch her.
Lucien smiled faintly. Time to cut the rope.
"Shiina," Tsukino-sensei said, his voice steady, careful.
Chizuru flinched, then gathered herself. "I... I wasn't doing anything wrong! I was stopping Mika and Rina, and then Tamura-sense-"
Her words tangled, desperate to justify herself.
Lucien stepped in smoothly, "She was protecting the school's reputation, sensei. You should've seen it, fearless. Almost… devoted."
Tsukino blinked, clearly uncomfortable under Lucien's subtle framing.
Lucien tilted his head, feigning casual curiosity. "You know, sensei… someone like her, it almost seems wasted on rules and lonely nights. She deserves someone who notices her. Who values her dedication."
Chizuru's breath caught.
Lucien's smile sharpened. "Tell me. If a student admired you, maybe even… loved you, would you ever return those feelings?"
The hallway went silent.
Tsukino's expression hardened instantly, like ice sealing over a lake. "That's inappropriate." His voice carried the weight of finality. "I would never view a student in that way. Ever."
Chizuru's heart cracked audibly in her chest.
=== SYSTEM UPDATE ===
TARGET: Chizuru Shiina
AFFECTION: 45% (+10%)
INTEGRITY: 40% (-15%)
SYSTEM NOTE: "And there it is. The moment she breaks. Keep her from shattering completely, by binding her to you."
Chizuru stumbled back, hands trembling. "I… I understand." Her eyes shimmered, but she refused to cry in front of Tsukino. "I'm sorry, Sensei. For everything."
She bowed low, too low, a gesture of both apology and goodbye, then turned away before he could answer.
Lucien caught her wrist gently, like he had caught Takagi's doom days ago.
"Don't," Lucien whispered, low enough that only she could hear. "Don't waste your tears on someone who never deserved them."
Chizuru's body shuddered. She tried to speak, failed. Finally, her forehead pressed against Lucien's chest, silent sobs rattling through her frame.
Lucien wrapped an arm around her shoulders, lowering his chin to her hair, smiling into the silence where Tsukino had once stood.
=== SYSTEM QUEST COMPLETE ===
Quest: Shatter the Illusion → Success.
Reward: [Bond of Dependency] (Passive) Effect: Chizuru's emotional stability is now tethered to you. When she breaks, she will always crawl back.
Additional Reward: +2 Strength.
Lucien's golden eyes gleamed. Another piece secured. Another rival discarded.
Chizuru whispered, broken and small: "Why does it hurt so much?"
Lucien stroked her hair. "Because you gave your heart to the wrong man." His lips brushed her ear, poisonous and tender all at once. "But I'll never throw it away."
Her breath hitched, half sob, half sigh. And in that fragile collapse, her last defenses bled away.
=== SYSTEM UPDATE ===
TARGET: Chizuru Shiina
AFFECTION: 60% (+15%)
INTEGRITY: 25% (-15%)
STATUS: Dependency Locked
SYSTEM NOTE: "Congratulations, player. The Ice Queen is almost yours."
The hallway had emptied. Only Lucien and Chizuru remained, shadows stretching long beneath the fading glow of the fluorescent lights.
Chizuru still clung to him, trembling, her voice raw. "It hurts… I thought he... he was different."
Lucien tilted her chin upward, forcing her teary eyes to meet his. "He isn't." His gaze was sharp, "He'll never see you. Not as you are. Not as you deserve."
She bit her lip, silent.
Lucien leaned closer, lowering his voice. "But maybe you're not convinced yet. Maybe part of you still thinks, if you just waited, if you just tried harder, he might look at you the way you wanted."
Her breath hitched. He was right.
Lucien's smile was cold and devastating. "Let me prove to you how wrong you are."
Chizuru blinked. "P-Prove?"
Without warning, Lucien released her and strode toward the end of the hallway, where Tsukino-sensei had just turned the corner minutes before. His voice rang sharp in the empty air.
"Sensei!"
Chizuru gasped, heart hammering.
Lucien didn't shout loud enough to summon him back. But the act, the defiance, the mockery, was enough to twist the knife deeper into Chizuru's heart.
Lucien turned back, expression cool. "See? He's already gone. He doesn't even care enough to look back."
Chizuru staggered. Her last defense cracked.
Lucien stepped toward her again, slow and deliberate, until his shadow swallowed hers. His hand brushed her cheek, gentle, reverent, in stark contrast to the cruelty of his words.
"You want to forget him?" Lucien whispered. "Then let me overwrite him. Right here. Right now."
Her breath trembled against his palm. "…Lucien…"
He didn't wait for permission. His lips pressed against hers, soft but claiming, a kiss that carried no hesitation.
For a heartbeat, she froze. Then her hands fisted into his blazer, dragging him closer, desperate and starved.
The hallway filled with the sound of her muffled sob against his mouth, of the Ice Queen melting into the boy she swore she hated.
When Lucien finally pulled back, her face was flushed, eyes glazed with a storm of shame and need.
=== SYSTEM UPDATE ===
TARGET: Chizuru Shiina
AFFECTION: 75% (+15%)
INTEGRITY: 10% (-15%)
STATUS: Dependency Locked → Obsession (Forming)
SYSTEM NOTE: "Kiss received. Illusion shattered. She's yours now. Handle with care, or don't."
Chizuru's voice cracked, whisper-thin. "It… it doesn't hurt anymore."
Lucien smiled faintly, brushing a thumb across her damp cheek. "That's because you finally gave your heart to someone who wanted it."
Her hands tightened on his blazer. "Don't… don't leave me."
Lucien leaned down, his lips brushing the shell of her ear. "I won't. As long as you never look at him again."
Her nod was frantic, desperate. "Never. Just… stay."
The kiss still lingered on Chizuru's lips when Lucien finally drew back. She was breathless, trembling, eyes wide with the aftershock of everything she had just surrendered.
Her mouth opened, some mix of shame, relief, and need, but Lucien placed a finger gently over her lips.
"Later," he murmured. "Right now, you need to rest."
Her cheeks flushed, and she nodded, obedient.
Lucien guided her forward, one hand light on the small of her back as though she were glass. The Ice Queen walked beside him without her armor.
And that was the sight Rio Inami walked in on.
"...Lucien?"
The voice was soft, feminine, gentle as warm water. Lucien glanced up. At the end of the hallway, Rio stood frozen, her schoolbag dangling from her shoulder. Her chestnut hair framed her face perfectly, eyes wide with surprise.
[IMG Rio Inami - Kimi wa Yasashiku Netorareru - Lustful betrayal-]
Beside her stood Fuyutsuki Haruta, shorter, stiff-backed, his hand twitching like he wanted to reach for Rio but didn't dare. His glasses slipped a little down the bridge of his nose, betraying how nervous he was.
The childhood friends.
The "normal" pair.
The life Lucien might have had, if the system hadn't chosen him.
Rio's gaze darted between Lucien and Chizuru, lingering too long on their closeness. A small frown tugged at her lips, almost imperceptible, but her eyes gave her away.
TARGET: Rio Inami
AFFECTION: 90% (High, Jealousy Triggered)
STATUS: "Resentment toward surrounding rivals increasing."
NOTE: "Careful, Host. She's dangerously close to staking her claim."
Lucien smirked inwardly. Even here, before he'd spoken a word, she was already halfway his.
"Cross…" Haruta's voice was tight. He pushed his glasses up, forcing his courage into place. "What are you doing with Shiina-san?"
Chizuru stiffened at the sudden scrutiny, shame flickering across her features. But Lucien's hand pressed steady against her back, grounding her, anchoring her to him.
"What does it look like?" Lucien asked calmly.
Haruta's jaw clenched. He wanted to argue. Wanted to demand. But the words wouldn't come.
Rio's voice cut through instead. "Lucien…" She hesitated, then smiled softly, too soft, too careful. "It's… been a while."
Lucien inclined his head, his expression unreadable. "Rio. Haruta. You've both… grown."
The way he said it, like he was seeing through them, remembering their childhood bonds and yet towering above them now, sent a pulse of envy through Haruta's chest.
Rio, though, her cheeks flushed, her lips parting as if she wanted to say more. Wanted to step closer.
But her eyes flickered once more to Chizuru, still tucked close to Lucien's side. And in that moment, her smile faltered.
[TARGET: Rio Inami; JEALOUSY +20% POSSESSION INSTINCT: "High Risk"]
Lucien's smile curved, small but deliberate. He leaned down toward Chizuru, brushing a strand of hair from her face, an act intimate enough to twist the knife deeper.
Chizuru's breath hitched, but she didn't resist. She leaned into him, as if proving her loyalty before witnesses.
Rio's hand tightened on her bag strap.
Haruta finally spoke, his voice shaking. "Rio... let's go. Don't… don't get involved with him."
Lucien's eyes flicked to him, golden and sharp. "Still clinging, Haruta?"
The boy froze.
"Some things never change," Lucien said softly. Then he turned back to Rio, letting the words hang between them. "And some people outgrow the ones who never dared to speak."
Rio's breath caught. Her gaze lowered, conflicted, torn between loyalty to her childhood friend and the magnetic pull of the boy she had loved in silence for years.
Lucien's smile was patient. Predatory.
The system whispered in his ear:
[New Quest Available]
"Take the Childhood Friend's Crown."
Target: Rio Inami.
Objective: Sever Haruta's claim permanently.
Reward: ???