Zororo barely slept that night. He lay in his luxurious bed, staring at the ceiling while his mind replayed every moment of the theft. Had Yukari really seen him? How much did she know? And most importantly what did she want?
The message had been deliberately vague. "I know what you did" could mean anything, but the timing was too precise to be coincidental. She had to have witnessed the bracelet theft somehow.
His system had assured him the theft was undetected, yet someone had seen through it. Either Yukari possessed abilities his system hadn't accounted for, or she was bluffing to see how he'd react.
Either way, ignoring the message wasn't an option.
Around three in the morning, Zororo finally drifted into restless sleep. He dreamed of ice and shadows, of golden eyes and silver hair, of accusations and exposure.
He woke to his alarm at six-thirty, feeling exhausted despite the stat boost from yesterday's mission. A quick shower and breakfast with his sisters who thankfully didn't notice his distracted state and he was heading back to Seika Academy an hour before classes started.
The school was nearly empty at this hour. Only the most dedicated students and some teachers were present. Zororo made his way to the rooftop access door, which was normally locked but opened easily when he touched it.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[SHADOW TOUCH AUTOMATICALLY UNLOCKED THE DOOR]
[SKILL PROFICIENCY INCREASED]
The rooftop was a flat expanse of concrete surrounded by safety railings. The morning sun painted the sky in shades of orange and pink. A cool breeze carried the sounds of the waking city below.
Yukari Shirogane stood near the eastern railing, her silver hair dancing in the wind. She wore the school uniform perfectly, as always, and her ice-blue eyes reflected the sunrise. She didn't turn when Zororo approached, but she spoke clearly.
"You're punctual. I appreciate that."
"You said we needed to talk," Zororo replied, stopping a few meters away. He kept his tone neutral, revealing nothing. "About what?"
"About what happened yesterday in the library." Yukari finally turned to face him. Her expression was unreadable, like a frozen lake hiding unknown depths. "You stole Akane Fujimoto's gold bracelet using some kind of shadow ability. A teleportation technique combined with remote manipulation."
Zororo's heart pounded, but he kept his face calm. "That's a serious accusation. Do you have proof?"
A slight smile curved Yukari's lips. "I don't need proof for a private conversation. But to answer your question yes, I do."
She raised her hand, and ice crystals formed in the air between them. The crystals merged and shifted, creating a three-dimensional replay of yesterday's events. Zororo watched himself bump into Akane, mark her bracelet, follow her to the vending machines, and steal the jewelry using Shadow Step.
The ice recording was perfect, capturing every detail from an angle that suggested Yukari had been watching from a concealed position.
"My Ice Mirror technique," Yukari explained as the ice display dissolved. "I can create invisible ice particles that record everything within a certain radius. I was studying in a private room with a view of the second-floor corridor. I saw everything."
Zororo assessed his options. Denial was pointless with evidence that clear. Running would accomplish nothing. Fighting was suicide Yukari was level 18 with an A-Rank system. His only real choice was to find out what she wanted.
"Alright," Zororo said carefully. "You caught me. What now? Turning me in to school security? Blackmail?"
"Neither." Yukari walked closer, her footsteps silent. "I want to make a deal."
That surprised Zororo. "A deal?"
"I've been watching you since you returned to school, Zororo Kurogami. You're different from before your illness. Your eyes glow with power. Your movements are more confident. Your presence feels... darker." She tilted her head, studying him like a fascinating puzzle. "You awakened something new, didn't you? Something beyond a C-Rank system."
Zororo said nothing, but his silence was answer enough.
"I won't ask you to reveal your system's true nature," Yukari continued. "Everyone has secrets. I certainly do. What interests me is your potential."
"My potential for what?"
"For helping me achieve my goals." Yukari's ice-blue eyes locked onto his. "I come from the Shirogane family, one of the three great system-user clans in Kazekami City. My family expects perfection. They expect me to graduate at the top of my class, join an elite guild, and eventually lead the family business."
"Sounds like pressure," Zororo observed.
"It's suffocating," Yukari admitted, a crack appearing in her icy composure. "But that's not the real problem. The real problem is my engagement."
"Engagement?"
"My family arranged my marriage to Kazuki Shirogane, my cousin and the heir to the main branch. He's twenty-two, arrogant, powerful, and completely insufferable. The engagement was finalized last month. We're supposed to marry after I graduate."
Zororo began to understand where this was going. "And you don't want to marry him."
"I'd rather freeze myself in eternal ice," Yukari said with surprising venom. "But my family won't break the engagement unless I prove I'm stronger than Kazuki or unless I find someone else they consider worthy."
"Someone else," Zororo repeated slowly. "You mean"
"I need a fake boyfriend," Yukari interrupted. "Someone who can convincingly play the role of my partner. Someone strong enough to impress my family. Someone who won't actually fall in love with me and complicate things."
She stepped even closer, and Zororo caught the faint scent of winter mint.
"You're perfect for the role," Yukari continued. "You have hidden power. You're clearly intelligent and calculating that theft was executed flawlessly. You're handsome enough to be believable as my choice. And most importantly, you have something to lose if you refuse."
"The recording," Zororo said flatly.
"Exactly. I keep quiet about your theft, and you pretend to be my boyfriend in front of my family and at school events. A simple transaction." Yukari's expression softened slightly. "I'm not trying to threaten you, Zororo. I'm offering a mutually beneficial arrangement. You get protection from exposure, and I get freedom from an unwanted marriage."
Zororo's mind raced through the implications. Dating the Ice Princess, even fake dating, would draw enormous attention. But refusing meant exposure and possible expulsion. Worse, it might trigger system penalties if his villain identity became public knowledge.
"How long would this arrangement last?" Zororo asked.
"Six months. After graduation. By then, I'll have proven myself strong enough to reject the engagement independently, or I'll have found another solution."
"And what exactly would being your fake boyfriend entail?"
"Attending family dinners occasionally. Holding hands in public. Maybe a few staged dates where people can see us together. Nothing inappropriate," Yukari assured him. "I just need my family to believe I've chosen someone, which makes the arranged marriage unnecessary."
"What about Kazuki? Won't he be angry?"
"Probably. But that's my problem, not yours."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[UNIQUE OPPORTUNITY DETECTED]
[YUKARI SHIROGANE'S CORRUPTION POTENTIAL INCREASED TO: HIGH]
[FAKE RELATIONSHIP PROVIDES EXCELLENT COVER FOR VILLAIN ACTIVITIES]
[RECOMMENDATION: ACCEPT THE DEAL]
The system was encouraging him to accept. That made sense a relationship with Yukari, even a fake one, would give him social protection and access to higher circles. It could also provide opportunities for missions and increasing his power.
But there was another consideration. Zororo had inherited the original Zororo's memories and feelings. While he maintained emotional distance from most people, something about Yukari intrigued him. She was intelligent, beautiful, and clearly more complex than her Ice Princess reputation suggested.
A fake relationship could become complicated if real feelings developed.
"I need to know one thing," Zororo said. "Why me specifically? There must be dozens of guys who'd agree to this, blackmail or not."
Yukari looked away for the first time, a faint hint of color appearing on her pale cheeks. "Because you're the only person who's looked at me like I'm more than the Ice Princess. Yesterday in class, when our eyes met, you didn't look afraid or intimidated. You looked... curious. Interested in who I actually am."
She turned back to him, vulnerability flickering in those cold eyes. "Everyone else sees my rank, my family, my reputation. You're the first person in years who seems to see me as just... Yukari."
Zororo felt something shift in his chest. That honesty, that small moment of weakness it was real. Whatever else was happening, Yukari genuinely wanted this arrangement for reasons beyond just escaping an engagement.
He made his decision.
"Alright. I'll do it."
Relief washed over Yukari's face, though she quickly masked it with her usual cool expression. "Thank you. I promise to make this as painless as possible for you."
"I have conditions," Zororo added.
"Name them."
"First, complete honesty between us. If this is going to work, we need to trust each other, at least partially. Second, you help me train and get stronger. I have reasons for needing power quickly. Third, if this fake relationship starts causing problems I can't handle, we end it immediately."
Yukari nodded. "Agreed on all points. And I'll add one more condition we tell no one this is fake. Not your friends, not your sisters. The more people who know the truth, the more likely it leaks."
"Even my sisters?"
"Especially your sisters. Akari is an idol with public attention, and Himeko is famous in combat circles. If either of them accidentally reveals our arrangement is fake, it defeats the purpose."
Zororo grimaced but understood the logic. Lying to his sisters would be difficult, but necessary.
"Fine. When do we start?"
"Today." Yukari pulled out her phone. "I'm going to post a photo of us together on social media. Something casual but clearly romantic. By lunchtime, the entire school will know we're dating."
"That fast?"
"Gossip spreads at the speed of light in this school. We might as well control the narrative from the start." She moved to stand beside Zororo, holding up her phone for a selfie. "Put your arm around my waist. Look natural."
Zororo awkwardly placed his arm around Yukari's slim waist. Up close, he could feel the cold energy radiating from her body a side effect of her ice system. Despite that, there was warmth underneath, the heat of a living person beneath the frozen exterior.
"Smile," Yukari instructed. "Like you actually like me."
Zororo managed a genuine smile, thinking about how absurd this situation was. Yesterday he was a dead office worker. Today he was a villain system user pretending to date the Ice Princess.
His second life was certainly more interesting than his first.
Yukari took several photos, examined them critically, and selected one. "Perfect. I'll post this during first period. By lunch, everyone will be talking about us."
She lowered her phone and stepped back, the brief moment of closeness ending. Her Ice Princess mask was fully back in place.
"One more thing," Yukari said. "My family wants to meet you this weekend. Dinner at the Shirogane estate on Saturday evening. Dress formally and be prepared for intense scrutiny."
"This weekend? Isn't that rushing things?"
"My mother is... persistent. Once she heard I was seeing someone, she demanded to meet you immediately." Yukari's expression showed slight sympathy. "I apologize in advance for whatever happens at that dinner."
"Should I be worried?"
"Probably."
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION]
[NEW OPTIONAL MISSION AVAILABLE]
[MISSION: IMPRESS THE SHIROGANE FAMILY]
[OBJECTIVE: SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE DINNER WITH YUKARI'S FAMILY WITHOUT REVEALING YOUR TRUE SYSTEM]
[BONUS OBJECTIVE: GAIN THE APPROVAL OF AT LEAST ONE FAMILY MEMBER]
[TIME LIMIT: UNTIL SATURDAY EVENING]
[REWARD: 300 VP, INCREASED CORRUPTION POTENTIAL WITH YUKARI, SOCIAL STATUS BOOST]
[FAILURE PENALTY: RELATIONSHIP ARRANGEMENT ENDS, EXPOSURE RISK INCREASES]
Great. The system was already giving him missions related to this fake relationship. At least this one was optional, though the failure penalty made it essentially mandatory anyway.
The warning bell rang, indicating classes would start in fifteen minutes.
"We should head down separately," Yukari said. "Meet you at the library after school for our team strategy session. And Zororo?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you for agreeing to this. I know it's complicated, but... thank you."
She left the rooftop before Zororo could respond, her silver hair disappearing down the stairwell like a ghostly waterfall.
Zororo stood alone on the rooftop for another minute, processing everything that had just happened. His life was getting more complex by the hour.
When he finally descended and entered the classroom, several students were already whispering and pointing at their phones. Daichi rushed over the moment Zororo sat down.
"Dude! DUDE! Did you see Yukari's post?" Daichi shoved his phone in Zororo's face.
The photo showed Zororo and Yukari on the rooftop, his arm around her waist, both smiling naturally. The caption read: "Morning views are better with good company. "
The post already had hundreds of likes and dozens of comments from shocked students.
"You're dating Yukari Shirogane?!" Daichi practically shouted. "The Ice Princess?! When did this happen?!"
"It's... new," Zororo said carefully. "We've been talking more recently."
"Talking? TALKING?! My guy, you went from barely surviving school to dating the most untouchable girl in Seika Academy!" Daichi looked between his phone and Zororo like he couldn't believe either was real. "How? Just... how?"
Before Zororo could answer, Renji approached with a concerned expression.
"Kurogami, is it true? You're seeing Yukari Shirogane?"
"Yes," Zororo confirmed, wondering why Renji looked worried rather than surprised.
"Be careful," Renji said quietly. "The Shirogane family is powerful but dangerous. They have strict rules about who associates with their family members. And Yukari's fiancé, Kazuki Shirogane, is known for being... aggressive with perceived rivals."
"Fiancé?" Daichi's eyes bulged. "She's engaged?!"
"It's an arranged engagement," Zororo said. "Yukari and I have an understanding."
Renji still looked troubled, but he nodded. "Just be careful. I'd hate to see you get hurt physically or politically."
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[HERO SYSTEM USER IS SHOWING CONCERN]
[DETECTION RISK TEMPORARILY LOWERED DUE TO GENUINE FRIENDLY EMOTION]
[CURRENT DETECTION RISK: 8%]
The classroom door opened, and Yukari entered. Every conversation stopped. Every eye turned to watch her walk to her desk with her usual graceful composure.
But before sitting, she did something that made the entire class gasp.
She walked directly to Zororo's desk, leaned down, and kissed his cheek softly.
"Good morning," she said with a small smile visible only to him. Then she returned to her seat as if nothing unusual had happened.
The classroom exploded into chaos.
Zororo sat frozen, feeling the lingering cold of her lips on his cheek and the weight of a hundred stares.
His fake relationship with the Ice Princess had just become very, very public. And somehow, Zororo suspected that was exactly according to Yukari's plan.
---
[END OF CHAPTER 6]