The diner felt smaller that night.
Maybe it was because Eri Nakahara's presence was like a heavy perfume,thick, clinging, impossible to ignore. She sat in one of the booths now, wrapped in an old leather jacket Rei had given her, the red cocktail dress still clinging to her frame in ways that seemed designed to draw every man's eyes. The dim light from the camping lantern carved shadows along her legs, making them seem even longer.
Akane kept stealing glances from across the room, her expression unreadable. Rei, for her part, seemed polite but distant, tending to the food they'd managed to scavenge, a watery soup made from canned beans and the last of their instant noodles.
Kenji ate quickly, his mind split between exhaustion and a buzzing awareness of the new arrival. He could feel Eri's gaze on him even while pretending not to notice.
When the meal was over, they set the night watch schedule. Rei would take first watch, Tetsuo the second, Kenji the third. Eri insisted she could help, but Akane shut her down flat.
"You just got rescued," Akane said, leaning back in her chair. "Sit this one out before you get yourself killed."
Eri smiled faintly, like she was humoring a child. "As you wish."
By the time Kenji's shift came, the diner was silent. He sat by the window, watching the empty street. The cold was worse now, creeping into his bones despite his jacket.
Footsteps approached from behind, soft, careful.
When he turned, Eri was there, barefoot, her jacket gone, the red dress looking even more scandalous in the moonlight. She carried a steaming mug in both hands.
"You looked cold," she whispered, handing it to him. It was tea, weak, probably from some old stash in the kitchen, but it was warm, and that alone felt like a luxury.
"Thanks," he said, watching her as she sat beside him. Too close.
Her scent was different now, not the crisp perfume from earlier, but something warmer, more intimate.
"I've been thinking," she murmured, her voice low, smoky. "I don't like owing people my life. It makes me restless."
Kenji glanced back toward where Rei and Akane slept. "We can talk about it later."
She leaned in, close enough for her lips to brush his ear. "I wasn't talking about talking."
Kenji's grip tightened on the mug.
The system's voice purred in his head.
> [Target Lock: Eri Nakahara – Lust Potential 84%]
[Opportunity Detected: Gratitude Pathway Initiated]
Her hand came to rest on his thigh, fingers trailing upward. "You risked everything for me today. I don't… take that lightly."
He swallowed hard. "You don't have to—"
"Shh," she whispered, her other hand sliding along his chest. "Let me decide what I have to do."
The moonlight caught the curve of her smile as she shifted, straddling him in the chair. Her dress rode up dangerously high, the torn slit exposing almost everything.
Kenji's breath hitched, every instinct telling him to pull her closer, but his mind was still half on the danger outside. "Someone might wake up!"
"That," she said, lips brushing his jaw, "is part of the thrill."
Her hips rolled slowly against him, and his self-control started to fray. The system's Lust Meter surged.
> [Lust Meter: 72%]
[Skill Enhancement Trigger: Erotic Echo Lv.2 – Activated]
A faint moan escaped her, too soft to wake the others, but enough to make Kenji's pulse race. Her hands slid under his shirt, nails grazing his skin.
The apocalypse had made everything sharper, the cold colder, the hunger deeper, the desire more dangerous. In that moment, Kenji wasn't thinking about zombies or survival. Just her warmth, her scent, the press of her against him.
She tilted her head, eyes locking with his. "Tell me, Kenji… are you going to take what's being offered?"
The decision hung in the air like a loaded gun.