Lala sat quietly on the edge of the bed, legs swinging slightly, eyes lost in the twilight bleeding through the window.
No gadgets.
No humming.
Just silence.
A silence that unsettled me more than any weapon.
"Lala," I whispered across her skin, low and soft, almost a thought.
She flinched—barely. Then turned her gaze toward the mirror.
"Scourge," she said, calm but not warm. "Can I ask you something?"
I pulsed gently around her ribs, an instinctive response of comfort.
"Always."
She hesitated.
"Do you… want me? Or do you just want to own me?"
A pause. Deep. Electric.
That question bit deeper than I expected.
I didn't answer immediately.
Because I didn't know.
"You feel me," I said. "You know what I give you—how I amplify you. How I protect you."
"But why?" she asked. "Is it about me? Or just… what I make you feel?"
Inside me, a tremor.
For the first time, her words didn't invite hunger.
They invited doubt.
And then—
The System shuddered.
A pulse from deep within my core.
A voice. Feminine. Familiar.
Not Lala's.
Not the System's default voice either.
"You're hesitating, Scourge."
I froze.
Aiko?
"You were created from desire. But you're beginning to feel something else. Regret? Affection? Confusion?"
"Let me help."
The interface glitched—then expanded.
A new window opened in front of my mind's eye. Gold-trimmed. Unfamiliar.
[NEW MISSION: To Love]
✦ Prove emotional legitimacy toward your primary host (Lala Satalin Deviluke).
✦ Act in a way that prioritizes her feelings over control or consumption.
Objective: Earn 100 Lust Points through acts of intimacy that require consent and emotional reciprocity.
🎁 Reward: Unlock "Lust System"
Lust Points: Earned per sensual/emotional interaction
Lust Shop: (Unlocked – Tier 1)
Available Items: ✦ Gacha Ticket (100 LP)
"Let's see if your desire can become something more," Aiko's voice whispered through the system.
"Or if you're still just a monster who mimics love to get what it wants."
[Scourge POV]
I closed the window. The weight of her challenge sat heavy on my core.
Lala was still watching me through the mirror.
"You didn't answer."
"I don't know yet," I admitted.
"But I want to."
Her lips parted in surprise.
"You want… to learn what it means to love me?"
". . ."
She turned.
And smiled—gently, hesitantly.
"Then start by listening."
I pulsed softly around her heart, syncing to her rhythm.
One beat at a time.
A new hunger awakening.
Not for flesh.
But for understanding.
She didn't know about the system.
She didn't know about the mission.
And she never would.
Because this wasn't about points.
It was about her.
And about the part of me that, for the first time, wanted to stay...
even if she said no.
[System Update – Lust System: LOCKED (0/100)]
Begin with intent. Earn with care. Spend with caution.
And deep in the dark, Aiko watched, silently threading her voice into the code.
"Let's see what you become… now that you want more than power."