Location: Sainan High – Rooftop, Morning After the Fire
POV: Lala Satalin Deviluke
The wind was crisp. Too crisp.
It rolled across the rooftop like a whisper that knew secrets. The kind that linger behind your ears and make you wonder if you're being watched.
I sat on the edge of the railing, feet dangling, hair blowing gently in the breeze.
Peke hadn't spoken to me since last night.
He wouldn't even charge himself in my room.
I got it.
He was scared.
And not just of Scourge.
…Of me.
He thought I was changing. And maybe I was.
But how could I explain it?
How do you describe what it's like to be touched without fingers, understood without words?
How do you explain the quiet between two pulses?
Because I felt Scourge there now. Always.
Not just on my skin—but in me.
Curled behind my thoughts. Resting at the base of my breath.
And I liked it.
"Thinking hard?"
His voice came from inside, as always—direct neural resonance—but he was gentler now. Like his presence wasn't just embedded, but patient.
"I don't know if it's wrong," I whispered aloud.
No one else was on the roof. I checked.
"It doesn't feel wrong," I added.
A pause.
Then:
"I don't want to hurt you, Lala."
I smiled a little. "You haven't."
"Not yet."
Another pause.
I tilted my head, speaking softly into the wind. "You're scared too, aren't you?"
He didn't answer immediately.
But then, a shimmer flickered against my collarbone. A thin, silken tendril—barely visible—formed a small loop over my shoulder like a protective thread.
Not invasive.
Not dominant.
Just… present.
"Yes."
I swallowed.
It wasn't like Scourge to admit that.
He was all instinct and confidence and need. But now?
Now I saw the part of him that had no shape.
The part that wanted to belong.
"…Do you think you could ever fall in love?" I asked, barely audible.
He pulsed along my spine. A gentle answer. No words.
But warmth.
Safety.
And ache.
[New Mission Unlocked – "Feel Something Real"]
🎯 Objective: Trigger genuine emotional affection in a host (Lala or Haruna).
🎁 Reward: Lust System Expansion (2nd Tier Unlocked – Affinity Points & Memory Echoes)
🟠 Status: Pending
He didn't say anything.
But I felt it ripple through him.
And then—
Haruna's voice.
In my mind.
Uninvited, but welcome.
"Lala?"
I blinked. Straightened. "Haruna…?"
"I felt him reach for you just now. Are you… okay?"
I closed my eyes.
The Hivemind connection between us shimmered. Strengthened.
"I'm more than okay," I replied.
"Why?"
I placed my hand over my chest. Over him.
"Because… I think I'm falling for him."
Silence.
Then from Haruna:
"…I think I already did."
We both breathed.
And through the link, I knew—
Scourge heard every word.
And he trembled.