The morning after with Rika hit different.
Not just because of the sex, though, yeah, it was unforgettable, but because of the silence she left in her wake. She didn't stay the night. No lazy cuddles. No whispered goodbyes. Just a kiss on the neck, a soft "See you at school," and the faint scent of her cinnamon perfume on my sheets.
Still, something had shifted.
System Notification:
Emotional Sync Level – Rika: 42%
Passive Unlocked – Empathic Pulse (Tier 1): Temporarily sense emotional states of bonded MILFs.
I blinked at the words as they hovered in my vision, bright against the soft morning light.
"Tier 1, huh?" I muttered, running a hand through my hair. "We're just getting started."
At school, things weren't back to normal—they were something new. Rika walked past me in the hallway and didn't say a word… but her eyes lingered a second too long. Like she wanted to say something, but couldn't. Or maybe wouldn't.
System Ping:
Emotional Pulse – Rika:Anxiety masked as composure. Longing beneath restraint.
I smirked to myself. So that's how this new passive worked.
Still, I gave her space.
Let her come to me.
Because I wasn't chasing anymore. I was becoming the kind of man they pulled toward.
Lunch period brought another shift.
I walked past the nurse's office and paused, half out of habit, half out of instinct. Reina's voice called out before I even knocked.
"You don't need to sneak, Renji."
She sounded tired. But not cold.
Inside, she was sitting at her desk again—same bun, same flawless navy blouse—but today, her eyes looked… distant. Like she hadn't slept.
"You alright?" I asked, stepping in.
"Do I look alright?"
"No. You look like someone who forgot how to let people help."
That earned me a hard stare, but no denial.
"Close the door," she said.
I did.
She gestured toward the cot. "Sit. You're early for your daily bullshit."
I grinned and sat. "Maybe I just missed your voice."
"God help me," she muttered, but she didn't hide the soft twitch of her lips.
System:
Side Quest Progress – "Cold Hands, Warm Walls": 92%
Additional Trigger Required: Genuine Vulnerability Exchange.
I leaned back, arms folded. "Can I ask you something real?"
She tilted her head. "That'd be a first."
"I think... you're not really ashamed of your past. You're ashamed that it still affects you."
Her fingers froze mid-keystroke.
"Because you try so hard to be unaffected," I continued, voice low, "but the second someone sees through you, you panic. Like being seen means being judged."
She turned to face me, slower than usual. "You don't know me."
"No," I said. "But I want to."
Long pause. The kind that fills a room and makes it hard to breathe.
"I used to be... too trusting," she said, voice like gravel wrapped in silk. "I gave everything to the wrong person. And when it all blew up, everyone looked at me like I deserved it."
"You didn't."
"No," she said softly. "But that doesn't mean the shame goes away."
I stood, walked over, and sat on the edge of her desk.
"You're not broken, Reina. You're just bruised."
Her eyes locked onto mine. For once, she didn't look away.
System Ping:
Side Quest Complete: "Cold Hands, Warm Walls"
Reward Unlocked: Backstory Fragment + Massage Skill – Tension Release (Hands)
Emotional Sync – Reina: 15%
She looked at the system screen hovering beside me. "What is that?"
Shit.
I blinked, and the screen vanished instantly. "Just… personal stuff."
She narrowed her eyes, but didn't press.
"You're weird, Renji."
"Yeah," I smiled. "But I'm good with my hands now."
She chuckled, and it sounded like thawing ice.
Later that evening, I was back in my room, watching the rain again—same as the night I first kissed Rika.
Only this time, I wasn't thinking about sex.
I was thinking about them. About how both women, so different on the surface, were carrying the same weight—shame, scars, and this desperate desire to be wanted for more than their curves or control.
System Notification:
Main Sync Arc: "Healing the Wounds They Hide" – Progress 18%
I stared at the warning. "Emotional imbalance?" I scoffed. "What, you're my therapist now?"
System: Would you like me to be?
I laughed. A real one.