The dorm room was quiet, save for the ticking of the clock on Ethan's desk. His phone lay face down. The engagement ring box sat unopened beside it. He leaned back in his chair, eyes on the ceiling.
Why am I still doing this?
The meeting with the Wynns was still fresh in his mind—Isabella's neutral gaze, her parents' measured threat to dissolve the arrangement, and his own insistence that they let him fix it.
Was I proving something? Or just refusing to lose?
He opened the system menu absentmindedly. The familiar interface greeted him like a friend he'd grown used to. Too used to.
I could end this. Walk away. Let the engagement crumble. Let the system go silent.
Then it flickered.
[Warning: Critical Role Abandonment Detected.][Disengagement from strategic engagement will trigger permanent system shutdown.][All acquired skills and growth logs will be lost.]
Ethan froze.
He stared at the message. His skills—Emotional Intuition, Negotiator, Social Strategist—they weren't just tools. They were memories. Marks of effort. Of choice.
He scrolled through them slowly, eyes lingering on each one.
I didn't ask for this. But I didn't fake it either. I fought for it. I grew into it.
If I walk now, I'm saying none of it mattered.
He closed the menu. Took a breath. And chose.
"I'm not done."
The screen pulsed.
[Milestone Achieved: System Commitment Without Coercion]
[Life Upgrade System: Upgrade Feature Unlocked]
[New Feature Unlocked: System Missions]
A new tab appeared in the corner of the screen—sleek, angular, pulsing softly.
He tapped it.
[New Mission Issued]
[Objective: Contain public fallout from rumored triangle. Coordinate a unified front with Isabella Wynn.]
[Reward: 1 Epic Skill Draw — awarded upon successful public rebranding event.]
Ethan stared at it for a long moment.
A mission.
Not a demand. Not a manipulation.
Just a choice. A chance.
He closed the screen.
Then he picked up the ring box.
"Let's play this out."