Not every late arrival becomes a threat.
But the one who enters without a sound…
usually already knows where to strike.
Day Four – Late Afternoon
[Kazuki Status: Unknown Avatar – 18 Hours Left Before Auto-Claim]
[Lilith System: Observation Mode]
[Acxell Focus: Surveillance & Prevention]
School Field, After Class
The field was lively, filled with students practicing sports.
But the spotlight wasn't on the courts.
Kazuki Maren walked the outer track—
shoulder bag slung across his back, one earbud in,
eyes scanning students one by one.
Not random.
Not accidental.
Each gaze held calculation.
[System Signature Leak: Active]
[Emotion Probe Detected: ENVY / LONELINESS / CURIOSITY]
[Avatar Mechanism Type: Empathic Lure / Reflective Drain?]
Acxell watched from a distance, seated under a tree, sipping from a juice box.
His eyes hadn't left Kazuki since lunch break.
"Not a playboy vibe. But not passive either.
He's the type… who waits for the prey to come to him."
[Yuriko & Selena Arrive]
Yuriko: "You've been staring. Who's caught your eye?"
Acxell: "The new guy."
Selena: "Kazuki? He's… kinda strange. But girls are already talking about him.
They say he plays violin. Polite. Calm voice."
Acxell stayed quiet for a beat.
"Standard symptoms… right before they get eaten."
[System Ping: 3 Female Targets Scanned Around Kazuki]
[Targets: Reina (music class), Ayaka (art club), and... Yuriko]
[Risk Level: Medium–High – Yuriko Previously Bonded]
Kazuki halted his walk.
He turned—
and looked directly at Acxell.
Then smiled.
Kazuki:
"Ayasaka-kun."
"Join me on the rooftop? The wind's beautiful this evening."
Acxell (standing):
"Did you call me for the wind… or for the system?"
School Rooftop: Private Dialogue
The wind was calm.
The sun was low.
Two figures stood across from each other on the rooftop.
Kazuki leaned against the railing, staring at the sky.
"No need for pretense, right?"
"I know who you are.
And you know I'm not just another transfer student."
Acxell didn't answer, but the system inside him flared awake.
[Lilith System Engaged: Threat Acknowledged]
[Scouting Permission Granted – No Aggression]
Kazuki:
"Relax. I'm not the direct-attack type."
"This game's more fun when every player still believes they have a choice."
(He turned, violet eyes glowing faintly.)
"You want to protect them all… right?"
"But you won't be able to. Not in this system."
"And once you start choosing who to protect… the rest will begin to fall."
Acxell:
"If you think your threat will shake me, you're wrong."
"You have no idea what I'm willing to do to protect them."
Kazuki (soft smile):
"True.
But I don't need to know.
I just have to wait…
for the moment you start to fail."
[System Spike]
[RIVAL LOCK ESTABLISHED]
[Kazuki Maren: Avatar Class – Lure / Reversal]
[Hostile Intent: Passive]
[Lilith System Note: "DO NOT INITIATE COMBAT – OBSERVE EMOTIONAL PATTERNS FIRST"]
[Reward Unlocked: Bonus Insight Fragment – "Eyes of Delay"]
Kazuki turned and began walking away.
That same gentle smile stayed on his lips.
But to Acxell—
the world felt just a little darker now.
Kazuki:
"See you around, Ayasaka-kun."
"I bet you're dying to see who comes to me first… aren't you?"