The air was thick with that early-autumn chill, the kind that clung to your skin and made even high school hallways feel a little more alive. I barely made it through first period without zoning out—partly because Rika hadn't looked my way once, and partly because something else had shifted.
Something… new.
During second period, Kenta elbowed me. "Bro, you ever been to the nurse's office here?"
I raised a brow. "Why, you finally catch something from sniffing girls' seats?"
"Fuck off," he laughed. "Nah, for real. I tweaked my ankle during gym. Nurse Reina? Cold as ice. But like… kinda hot."
Reina. That was the name the system teased last night in my sleep. I thought it was a dream. Now it had a face—and apparently, tight scrubs.
I stared at the hallway pass in my hand, my excuse locked and loaded: stomach cramps.
System: New Presence Detected.
MILF Designation: #002 – Reina
Role: School Nurse. Trauma: Shame.
Personality: Cold exterior, starving for affection.
Note: Proceed slowly. Ice melts when handled right.
The nurse's office door creaked open like it hadn't been used all day. Inside, Reina sat behind her desk—black hair in a loose bun, white coat draped over a navy blouse that hugged her curves. She didn't even look up.
"Symptoms?"
"Uh… cramps. Real bad ones. Might throw up. Or cry."
She finally glanced up. Her eyes were a stormy gray, unreadable, like she'd seen a thousand students faking it and didn't care to play the game anymore.
"Sit down," she said dryly, pointing to the cot.
I moved to it, trying not to obviously adjust the growing problem in my pants.
She stood, grabbed a clipboard, and walked over. Her perfume hit me first—clean, almost sterile, but with an undertone of something floral and faintly sweet. Like she was trying not to smell good but failed anyway.
"Where's the pain?" she asked, voice flat.
"Here," I said, tapping my abs.
She lifted my shirt without asking. Her fingers were cool against my stomach.
"Any vomiting?"
"Not yet."
"Diarrhea?"
"Not unless you're into that sort of thing."
She gave me a sharp look. Not amused. But not mad, either.
"You think this is funny?"
"No. I think you're trying really hard not to flirt with me."
She froze for half a second. Not long enough for most to notice—but I did. Her hands pulled away.
"I don't flirt with students."
I smirked. "Maybe just one?"
She walked back to her desk, heels clicking, and sat with a sigh. "You're not even subtle, are you?"
"Wasn't trying to be."
There was a silence after that. Thick. Electric.
System: Emotional Trigger Detected – "Shame Barrier"
Side Quest Unlocked: "Cold Hands, Warm Walls"
Objective: Earn her first smile.
Reward: Unlock Backstory Fragment + Massage Skill – Tension Release (Hands).
I leaned back on the cot, folding my arms behind my head. "You know, Nurse Reina, I bet you weren't always this serious."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. I bet you used to be the fun one. The one who got too drunk at parties. The one everyone had a crush on but was too scared to talk to."
Her fingers stopped typing. Her eyes flicked toward me again—just briefly. But that pause told me I'd hit something real.
"And you're what? Psychic?"
"Nah. Just observant."
She stood up again and walked over. I expected her to chew me out. Instead, she grabbed a cold pack and placed it on my chest.
"Five more minutes. Then back to class."
But as she turned, I saw it—the tiniest twitch at the corner of her lips.
A smirk. A suppressed one. But a win's a win.
System: Quest Progress – 78%. Target softening. Keep going.
"Thanks, Reina," I said, using her name deliberately.
Her shoulders tensed—then relaxed.
"You're welcome… Renji."
Damn.
She knew my name.
System: Emotional Sync Initiated – 3%
Warning: Shame Wall Intact. Must earn trust before further progress.
When she sat back down, she didn't look at me again. But I could feel the tension between us, thick enough to cut with a scalpel.
I left the nurse's office feeling more alive than when I walked in.
Reina was going to be a challenge.
But I was already addicted to the chill of her walls—and the heat I knew she was hiding behind them.
[To Be Continued…]