Chapter 11 – "The Guilt Layer"
Rika hadn't looked me in the eyes all morning.
She sat across from me at the café table, stirring her coffee so long it went cold. No witty banter. No teasing smirk. Just silence, brittle and full of landmines.
> System: Side Quest Active – "The Guilt Layer."
Objective: Discover the emotional burden Rika's hiding.
> Penalty: Lust Lockout for 7 Days.
Fuck. That explained the tension. And that threat? Might as well say death sentence.
I leaned back, watching her.
> "You're somewhere else today."
> "Just tired," she mumbled.
Liar.
> "You know I can take a hit, right?" I said. "I've been hit before. I've seen worse. You can talk to me."
Her hands clenched the cup tighter.
> "Stop being kind."
> "Why?"
> "Because it makes it worse."
There it was. A crack.
> "Rika," I said quietly. "What happened to you?"
She stood. Fast.
> "I can't do this. I thought I could, but I'm not... whole. You think you want me, but you don't know who I am."
> "Then let me know."
> "No. Because if I tell you, you'll stop looking at me the way you do."
She walked away.
---
I didn't go after her. I knew that wouldn't work. But later that evening, I did something else.
I waited outside the school.
Rika emerged at sunset, her eyes tired, steps slow. She jumped when she saw me, but didn't walk away.
> "You followed me?"
> "I waited."
> "Why?"
> "Because guilt's a slow killer. And I want to know what yours is before it buries you."
She stared at me.
> "You want the truth?"
> "Every fucked-up piece."
She walked past me.
> "Fine. Come on."
---
We ended up at her apartment. Not the one I thought she lived in. This one was smaller. Sparse. Quiet.
She poured herself wine. No offer for me.
> "I was married once," she began. "Six years. It was fine. Not passionate, not horrible. Just... there. Like breathing without really living."
> "And then?"
> "He cheated. With a student's mom."
I stayed silent.
> "I caught them. Walked in on him. I didn't even cry. Just stood there and left."
She downed the wine, laughing bitterly.
> "You know what's worse than heartbreak? Apathy."
> "You stopped feeling?"
> "Yeah. Until you showed up."
She looked at me. Really looked.
> "And that's why I'm terrified. Because this feels like something again. And I don't trust myself not to fuck it up."
> "You won't."
> "You don't know that."
> "Then let me prove it."
She stood. Walked to me. Grabbed my hand.
> "Then hold me. Don't fuck me. Just... hold me."
So I did.
We sat on her couch, her body curled into mine, her breath warm against my chest.
> System: Side Quest Complete.
> Reward: Lust Lockout Lifted. Emotional Bond +15.
> New Affection Path: "Healing."
She didn't say another word that night. And neither did I.
But in that silence, something louder than sex passed between us.
Trust.
And it might be the most dangerous thing of all.
[To Be Continued…]