The world shimmered—only briefly—as I opened the Lust System's interface.
Lines of pink-gold code traced the edge of my perception, familiar yet new.
This wasn't the cold, clinical grid of the Symbiosis Core.
This was something warmer.
More alive.
A menu bloomed before me like an erotic lotus.
[Lust Shop – Tier 1: UNLOCKED]
Available Balance: 10 LP
Item Available:
✦ [Gacha Ticket – Lust Tier 1] – Cost: 10 LP
"Random reward drawn from the Lust Pool. All items or abilities will relate to emotional or physical arousal, trust, seduction, or submission."
► [Redeem Ticket]
◄ Cancel
"Let's see what you've hidden from me, Aiko."
I selected.
The screen spun like a reel of thoughts, shadows of desires flickering behind it.
Then—click.
🎁 UNLOCKED: Passive Ability – "Scent of Submission"
"You emit a subtle pheromone field while in contact with a host. Effects include increased receptivity, lowered hesitation, and amplified attraction. Emotion-based. Increases exponentially the longer physical contact is maintained."
I paused.
Not because of the reward—but because of what it meant.
The system had rewarded restraint. It had acknowledged my choice to stay close without consuming.
And in return?
It gave me a way to make them come to me.
Slowly.
Willingly.
Irrevocably.
Lala stirred beside me, shifting under the blankets. Her back pressed lightly into my presence. A sigh escaped her lips—content, unaware.
"Mmh… feels nice…"
I activated the ability—just the faintest pulse.
She smiled in her sleep.
But then—beneath the system's glow—something flickered.
A broken thread. A buried memory.
A voice, not mine.
"You're going too far…"
The system twitched.
The message didn't come from the Lust thread.
It came from the core.
"I didn't want this."
The memory wasn't mine.
It was hers.
Aiko's.
I recoiled.
But the system held firm.
The shop closed itself.
The balance reset.
[LP: 0]
[Phase: Lust System – Tier 1 – Active]
New Subsystem: "Desire Web" – Locked
Next Unlock: 50 LP
Aiko had left more than a voice behind.
She had left a path.
And now?
I was walking it.
Whether I wanted to or not.