Lunessa looked around in quiet amazement at the sheer size of the shopping mall. Almost everything felt new to her, the polished floors, the bright lights, the soft music humming in the background.
She stepped into a boutique that caught her eye and immediately smiled at the staff member who greeted her.
"May I help you, Miss…?" The salesperson looked about her age, her smile practiced but warm, professionalism perfectly in place.
"Ah—it's okay," Lunessa replied quickly. "I'd like to look around first."
She smiled again, this time with her eyes, the excitement impossible to hide.
"Of course," the salesperson said politely. "Please take your time."
Lunessa nodded and wandered deeper into the store, her fingers brushing lightly over fabrics she had only ever seen through screens before. Soft knits. Clean cuts.
The old habit didn't die.
The moment something caught her interest, the first thing she did was check the price.
Her eyes widened instantly.
"Two thousand dollars… for a blouse?!" she whispered under her breath.
For her, two thousand dollars for a blouse was insane. That money could cover food for months. It could pay for part of Laura's medication. It could disappear into hospital bills without even making a dent.
Her fingers loosened around the hanger.
'This is stupid,' she thought. 'I shouldn't buy this.'
But then another thought crept in.
'The system will give the cash back anyway.'
She bit her lip, her thoughts drifting to the money Julian had given her earlier, how it had already doubled the moment she held onto the card.
It still felt unreal.
'Ah… so this is what it feels like to have money.'
Her hands curled into small fists at her sides as a quiet excitement crept in.
Not because she wanted to waste it.
Not because she suddenly liked expensive things.
But because, for once, she didn't have to stop herself.
Didn't have to calculate how many meals this would cost. Didn't have to think about Laura's bills. Didn't have to tell herself no before she even tried.
She looked down at the blouse again.
Two thousand dollars.
Then she raised her hand slightly. "Excuse me…?"
The salesperson came over at once, the same polite smile still on her lips. "Yes, Miss?"
"Can I try this?" Lunessa asked, pointing at the blouse. "Size S."
"Of course, Miss." The girl took the blouse from her hands. "Our fitting room is over there."
She gestured toward the far right corner of the boutique.
"Thank you," Lunessa said softly.
She followed the salesperson, heart beating a little faster than it should have over something as simple as trying on clothes.
Inside the fitting room, she stood in front of the mirror with the blouse draped over her arm.
For a moment, she just stared at her own reflection.
[MISSION: SEND A PICTURE OF YOU TRYING NEW CLOTHES AND GET HIS REPLY]
[REWARD: +20 CHARMS]
She stared at the words.
"What is the charm?" Lunessa asked slowly.
The hologram refreshed.
[CHARMS: HOST'S OVERALL ATTRACTION VALUE TO PRIMARY TARGET.]
[INCLUDES: PHYSICAL APPEAL, LIKEABILITY, EMOTIONAL PULL, AND DESIRABILITY.]
Her ears burned instantly.
"So… you mean how attractive I look to him?" she muttered.
[SIMPLIFIED: YES.]
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"And you want me to send him a picture," she said flatly, "so he can… judge me?"
[CORRECTION.]
[SO HE CAN REACT TO YOU.]
She folded her arms, staring at her reflection in the mirror.
"No," Lunessa said flatly.
She turned slightly, checking how the blouse fit her from the side, smoothing the fabric over her waist.
"I don't need that charming thing to charm him," she muttered. "He already treats me like I'm something he bought."
The hologram flickered.
[STATEMENT INCORRECT.]
Her brows furrowed. "What?"
[PRIMARY TARGET HAS NOT SHOWN POSSESSIVE ATTACHMENT.]
[CURRENT RELATIONSHIP STATUS: TRANSACTIONAL INTEREST ONLY.]
Her chest tightened.
"He literally said I'm his," she snapped. "How is that not possessive?"
[ANALYSIS: VERBAL CLAIM ≠ EMOTIONAL INVESTMENT.]
[PRIMARY TARGET CURRENTLY VIEWS HOST AS: REPLACEABLE ASSET.]
The word replaceable landed like a slap.
"That's not true," Lunessa said sharply.
The hologram refreshed.
[EVIDENCE: PRIMARY TARGET PROVIDED HOST WITH MONEY WITHOUT CONDITIONS.]
[EVIDENCE: PRIMARY TARGET DID NOT INQUIRE ABOUT HOST'S LOCATION, SAFETY, OR RETURN TIME.]
[EVIDENCE: PRIMARY TARGET HAS NOT SHOWN JEALOUSY, WORRY, OR ANTICIPATION.]
Her mouth opened. Then… she pressed it thin. "You're twisting things," she said weakly.
[CORRECTION: HOST IS ROMANTICIZING CONTROL AS ATTACHMENT.]
Her fingers curled into fists.
"So what," she said quietly. "You want me to beg for his attention now?"
[NEGATIVE.]
[YOU WILL POSITION YOURSELF AS DESIRABLE, NOT NEEDY.]
She laughed bitterly. "By sending him a fitting room selfie?"
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
"That's pathetic."
[HOST CONFUSES DIGNITY WITH IRRELEVANCE.]
Her breath hitched.
[MISSION PURPOSE: TEST PRIMARY TARGET'S INTEREST THRESHOLD.]
[IF PRIMARY TARGET RESPONDS WITH IMMEDIATE ENGAGEMENT, ATTACHMENT POTENTIAL INCREASES.]
[IF PRIMARY TARGET IGNORES HOST, HOST'S CURRENT VALUE CONFIRMED LOW.]
Silence crushed in around her.
"You're blackmailing me emotionally," Lunessa whispered.
Then she frowned. "Oh. I just realized something."
The hologram flickered faintly.
"You called me host instead of my name," she said slowly. "Why?"
[SYSTEM UPDATE: NAME LENGTH EXCEEDS EFFICIENCY PARAMETERS.]
Her eyes twitched, "My name is eight letters."
[CORRECTION: FULL DESIGNATION 'MISS LUNESSA' EXCEEDS OPTIMAL CHARACTER LIMIT.]
"By adding another word?" Lunessa scoffed. "Ah, come on…"
The hologram refreshed, completely unbothered.
[HOST IS NOW DEFAULT IDENTIFIER.]
She rubbed her temples.
"So I lost my name and my dignity today. Great."
A beat passed.
Then the text shifted again.
[MISSION STATUS: STILL ACTIVE.]
[REMAINING TIME: 47 MINUTES.]
Her stomach dropped.
"You're really not going to let this go, are you?"
The hologram refreshed.
[FAILURE = PENALTY.]
Her breath caught.
"Ah," Lunessa let out a weak, humorless laugh. "You're really good at threatening now."
The hologram refreshed.
[NEGATIVE.]
[ALL THE SYSTEM WANTS IS THE SUCCESS OF THE FIRST HOST OF THE GOLD DIGGER SYSTEM.]
She clenched her jaw.
"Don't say it like you care about me," she muttered. "You just don't want your first experiment to fail."
[CORRECTION.]
[HOST SUCCESS RATE DIRECTLY IMPACTS SYSTEM VIABILITY.]
"Right," Lunessa said bitterly. "So if I fail, you fail."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
Her lips pressed into a thin line.
"So you'll push me no matter what," she said quietly. "Even if I hate it."
[AFFIRMATIVE.]
She let out a quiet sigh and slipped out of the fitting room, blouse now in her hands.
The salesperson looked up immediately. "Does the size fit, Miss?"
Lunessa nodded. "Yes. I'll take this one." She hesitated, then added, "And… I'd like to look at a few more pieces."
"Of course," the girl replied, brightening. "Do you have a style in mind?"
Lunessa paused.
'Style?'
She'd never had one. She usually just bought whatever was cheap, durable, and decent enough for interviews.
"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. "Something that would catch my boyfriend's eye?"
She smiled as she said it.
Of course it was a joke.
Julian as her boyfriend? That was far too distant from the truth to even be funny.
But the salesgirl returned the smile immediately and nodded enthusiastically.
"Of course, Miss," she said brightly. "I'll bring you some dresses that will make your boyfriend's eyes go blink blink."
Lunessa let out a small laugh. "Blink blink?"
"Yes," the girl said seriously. "Men like that type."
She turned and hurried off.
Lunessa stood there for a moment longer, her smile slowly fading.
'Boyfriend…'