Interior – Takamine Holdings, 27th Floor – 3:42 PM
The office was a cathedral of glass and silence.
Sunlight filtered through floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows across polished concrete. Desks were arranged in precise rows, each one a shrine to productivity—dual monitors, wireless headsets, and mugs that said things like "Synergy is sexy" or "I survived Q3."
Yuna Aikawa's desk was quieter than most. No clutter. No plants. Just a matte-black laptop, a stack of client briefs, and a half-drained cup of cold brew she'd forgotten to finish.
She was deep into a CRM comparison chart when the ad appeared.
No sound. No animation. Just a blinking banner wedged between two columns of data.
"Want to hack your crush's heart?"
HeartHack.exe – Gamify your love life today!
Yuna blinked.
"That's not Salesforce."
She moved to close it. But the cursor lagged. Her hand twitched. The click landed.
Interior – Yuna's Laptop Screen – 3:43 PM
The download began instantly.
No confirmation. No delay.
Installing HeartHack.exe…
"Optimizing emotional algorithms…"
"Scanning proximity targets…"
Her screen flickered.
The CRM tabs collapsed. The interface warped into something else entirely—pastel gradients, pixelated hearts, and a floating mascot with a suspiciously wide grin.
Welcome, Yuna! Ready to gamify your love life?
Tutorial Mode: ON
First Target Detected…
A photo loaded.
Renji Takamine.
Her boss.
Her emotionally unavailable, terrifyingly competent, tragically hot boss.
Yuna's breath caught.
Flag Unlocked: "Target Identified – Renji Takamine"
Buff Potential: Unknown. Emotional Sync: 0%
She slammed her laptop shut.
Interior – Break Room – 4:10 PM
The hum of the vending machine was the only sound.
Yuna stood by the sink, staring at her phone. The app had migrated. Her screen now pulsed with a soft glow, the UI hovering like a ghost over her calendar.
HeartHack.exe Mobile Companion Activated. Syncing…
She opened settings.
Tried to uninstall.
Error: Emotional Sync In Progress. Uninstall Blocked.
She groaned. "You've got to be kidding me."
The app pulsed again.
Buffu-chan says: 'Love is a system. Let's debug it together!'
She nearly dropped her phone.
Interior – Takamine Holdings, 27th Floor – 8:02 AM (Next Day)
Yuna dressed like a ghost.
Gray blouse. Black slacks. No perfume. No earrings. No eye contact.
She arrived early. Sat quietly. Pretended to care about quarterly projections.
The office was still waking up—keyboards clicking, coffee machines hissing, voices low and clipped.
Renji passed her desk like a shadow in a tailored suit.
She turned to greet him—too fast.
Her elbow clipped her coffee cup.
The spill arced like a cinematic betrayal.
Renji reacted instantly.
His hand caught her wrist.
Skinship.
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Triggered: "Accidental Skinship"
Emotional Sync: 2%
Renji Takamine reaction: Mild fluster. Excuse: "Poor ventilation."
Yuna blinked.
Renji cleared his throat. "Be more careful."
She nodded. "Right. Sorry."
Her phone pulsed again.
Buff Opportunity: "Proximity Replay" – Cooldown: 24 hours
She stared at the screen.
"I'm doomed."
Interior – Yuna's Desk – 8:07 AM
She sat down slowly.
Her dashboard had changed.
Renji's profile now had a glowing heart icon beside it.
Target Profile: Renji Takamine
Status: CEO. Buff History: 1 (Skinship). Emotional Firewall: Active.
Sync Status: Dormant but rising.
Yuna whispered, "Dormant but rising? What are you, a volcano?"
The app chimed.
Buffu-chan says: 'Volcanoes are hot! Just like your boss!'
She groaned.
Interior – Takamine Holdings, Break Room – 4:12 PM
The break room was a sterile cube of brushed steel and frosted glass.
Muted lighting. A coffee machine that hissed like it held grudges.
A vending unit blinked in the corner, stocked with overpriced energy drinks and suspiciously cheerful yogurt cups.
Yuna stood by the sink, staring at her phone like it had betrayed her.
It had.
HeartHack.exe Mobile Companion Activated. Syncing…
"Welcome to your flagged environment!"
She tapped the screen.
The UI expanded—pastel overlays, floating hearts, and a glowing proximity radar that pulsed every time someone walked past the break room door.
Current Buff Zone: Active
Proximity Target: Renji Takamine. Distance: 12.4 meters.
Yuna whispered, "No. No no no."
She opened her settings.
Tried to uninstall.
Again.
Error: Emotional Sync In Progress. Uninstall Blocked.
She groaned.
The app pulsed again.
Buffu-chan says: 'You can't uninstall love, silly!'
Interior – Yuna's Apartment – 9:47 PM
Her apartment was small but clean—white walls, soft lighting, a desk covered in sticky notes and half-read novels. The only chaos was digital.
Yuna sat cross-legged on her bed, laptop open, phone buzzing beside her.
She'd tried everything.
Safe mode. Factory reset. App permissions.
HeartHack.exe had bypassed them all.
Her calendar was now color-coded by emotional forecast.
Her contacts had been sorted into "Buffable," "Neutral," and "Do Not Engage."
Her music app had auto-downloaded a playlist titled "CEO-sama's Heartbeat."
She opened the dashboard.
Renji's profile glowed.
Target Profile: Renji Takamine
Status: CEO. Buff History: 1 (Skinship). Emotional Firewall: Active.
Sync Status: Dormant but rising.
She tapped "Sync Status."
The graph loaded.
A slow curve. Rising.
Projected Emotional Trajectory:
Short-term: Volatile. Mid-term: Unknown. Long-term: Classified.
Yuna stared.
"Classified?"
The app pulsed.
Buffu-chan says: 'Some hearts are encrypted!'
Interior – Takamine Holdings, 27th Floor – 8:03 AM (Next Day)
The office was colder than usual.
Renji Takamine entered like a weather front—tailored suit, unreadable expression, tablet in hand. He moved through the rows of desks with surgical precision.
Yuna watched him from behind her monitor.
Her proximity radar pulsed.
Distance: 4.8 meters. Sync Spike Imminent.
She minimized the app.
Pretended to care about client metrics.
Renji paused near her desk.
She didn't look up.
He didn't speak.
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Opportunity: "Silent Proximity" – Recommended Action: Say nothing. Let sync rise naturally.
She whispered, "I hate this app."
Interior – Renji's Office – 8:10 AM
Renji's office was a glass box suspended in sky.
Minimalist. Cold. Efficient.
He reviewed logistics reports, tapped through quarterly projections, and ignored the flickering alert on his tablet.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Emotional Disturbance Detected
Source: Proximity – Aikawa, Yuna. Sync spike: 2% → 3%
He frowned.
Opened the firewall logs.
Firewall Status: Stable (with anomalies)
Recent Trigger: Physical contact. Duration: 1.2 seconds.
Renji leaned back.
He remembered the moment—her wrist in his hand, the warmth, the silence.
He dismissed it.
"Poor ventilation," he muttered.
Interior – Yuna's Desk – 8:12 AM
Her dashboard updated.
Buff Chain Detected: Skinship → Silence → Proximity
Combo Bonus: +1% Sync
Yuna stared.
Her emotional sync meter ticked upward.
Emotional Sync: 3% → 4%
She opened her notes app.
Typed:
"Day 2. I am being emotionally audited by a rogue dating sim."
Her phone buzzed.
Buffu-chan says: 'You're syncing beautifully!'
She whispered, "I'm going to uninstall you with fire."
Interior – Takamine Holdings, Executive Office – 8:15 AM
Renji Takamine's office was a glass monolith suspended in silence.
The skyline stretched behind him—steel, fog, and the distant hum of a city that never stopped calculating. His desk was a slab of matte obsidian, untouched by clutter. No photos. No plants. Just a tablet, a stylus, and a single ceramic cup of black tea cooling beside a stack of quarterly projections.
He preferred silence.
Silence was predictable.
Until his tablet buzzed.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Emotional Disturbance Detected
Source: Proximity – Aikawa, Yuna. Sync spike: 2% → 3%
Renji frowned.
He tapped the alert.
A graph loaded—his emotional sync meter, normally flatlined, had twitched.
Just once.
Just enough.
Interior – ExecHeart Interface – Renji's POV
The interface was sterile.
White background. Blue overlays. No animations. No distractions.
Renji navigated to the firewall logs.
Firewall Status: Stable (with anomalies)
Recent Trigger: Physical contact. Duration: 1.2 seconds.
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Risk Level: Moderate.
He leaned back.
The moment replayed in his mind—her wrist in his hand, the warmth, the silence.
He dismissed it.
Override: Initiate Professional Distance Mode
He tapped "Confirm."
The system responded.
Distance Mode Active. Emotional Sync Dampeners Engaged.
Renji exhaled.
Control restored.
Interior – Executive Hallway – 8:30 AM
Renji walked the corridor with measured steps.
Employees nodded as he passed. He nodded back—precisely, politely, never warmly.
He reached the glass partition separating his office from the strategist pods.
Yuna was at her desk.
She didn't see him.
Her posture was tense. Her eyes flicked to her phone every few minutes.
Renji logged the behavior.
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna
Status: Disruption Variable. Buff Potential: Unknown.
Behavioral Pattern: Avoidant. Sync Forecast: Rising.
He didn't like unknowns.
He tapped into her personnel file.
Clean record. High performance. No disciplinary flags.
But something was off.
Interior – Renji's Office – 8:45 AM
His tablet buzzed again.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Passive Sync Detected. Subject proximity: 3.2 meters. Emotional Sync: 3% → 4%
Renji closed the file.
He stood.
Walked to the elevator.
Interior – Elevator – 8:47 AM
The elevator was a capsule of brushed steel and soft lighting.
Renji adjusted his cufflinks.
The doors opened.
Yuna stepped in.
She didn't speak.
He didn't either.
The elevator began to rise.
Then stopped.
Lights flickered.
A chime rang out.
HeartHack.exe – Event Triggered: "Elevator Buff"
Activating: Skinship Proximity / Romantic Background Music
Renji blinked.
Soft piano music began playing.
Yuna looked up, horrified.
Renji's tablet buzzed.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Forced Proximity. Firewall strain detected. Emotional Sync: 4% → 6%
He cleared his throat. "Poor ventilation."
Yuna didn't respond.
The elevator resumed.
Renji stepped out first.
He didn't look back.
Interior – Renji's Office – 9:00 AM
He returned to his desk.
Opened the firewall logs.
Firewall Status: Flickering. Cause: Unscheduled proximity. Emotional archive: unstable.
Renji tapped "Stabilize."
The system refused.
Override Denied. Subject logic exceeds predictive bounds.
He leaned back.
His stylus snapped in half.
Interior – Takamine Holdings, Strategist Pod – 8:06 AM
The strategist pod was a quiet alcove tucked behind the main bullpen—partitioned by frosted glass, lit by soft overhead LEDs, and lined with desks that looked like they'd been designed by someone who hated clutter and joy.
Yuna Aikawa sat at her station, posture rigid, fingers hovering over her keyboard. Her monitor displayed a client segmentation chart, but her eyes kept flicking to the corner of her screen—where the HeartHack.exe overlay pulsed like a heartbeat.
Buff Zone: Active
Proximity Target: Renji Takamine. Distance: 4.2 meters.
She exhaled slowly.
Renji had just entered the floor.
She could hear his footsteps—measured, deliberate, like a metronome set to "intimidate."
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Opportunity: "Silent Proximity" – Recommended Action: Say nothing. Let sync rise naturally.
She whispered, "I'm not playing this game."
The app pulsed.
Buffu-chan says: 'Too late! You're already syncing!' 💘
Interior – Strategist Pod, Yuna's Desk – 8:07 AM
Renji passed behind her.
She turned to greet him—too fast.
Her elbow clipped her coffee cup.
The spill was instant.
Dark liquid arced through the air, splashing across her desk, her notes, and—
Renji's sleeve.
He reacted without hesitation.
One hand caught her wrist. The other steadied the cup.
Skinship.
Her phone buzzed violently.
Flag Triggered: "Accidental Skinship"
Emotional Sync: 4% → 6%
Renji Takamine reaction: Mild fluster. Excuse: "Poor ventilation."
Yuna blinked.
Renji looked at his sleeve, then at her.
"Be more careful," he said, voice clipped.
She nodded. "Right. Sorry."
He walked away.
Her phone pulsed again.
Buff Opportunity: "Proximity Replay" – Cooldown: 24 hours
She stared at the screen.
"I'm doomed."
Interior – Break Room – 8:15 AM
Yuna scrubbed her mug under lukewarm water, replaying the moment in her head.
The warmth of his hand. The silence. The way her dashboard had lit up like a Christmas tree.
She dried the mug. Sat at the corner table. Opened her phone.
The dashboard had updated.
Renji's profile now included a "Flag History" tab.
Flag History:
1. Accidental Skinship (Triggered)
2. Eye Contact – Prolonged (Pending)
3. Silent Proximity (Logged)
She tapped "Eye Contact."
A warning appeared.
Cooldown Active – Emotional Echo Detected. Sync spike possible.
Yuna whispered, "What does that even mean?"
The app pulsed.
Buffu-chan says: 'It means your heart's about to glitch!' 💥💘
Interior – Renji's Office – 8:20 AM
Renji reviewed his firewall logs.
The system was misfiring.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Emotional Sync: 6%
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Firewall Status: Flickering.
He tapped "Stabilize."
The system hesitated.
Override: Partial. Emotional Archive: Active.
Renji frowned.
He opened the archive.
A new entry had appeared.
"Skinship. Silence. Proximity. All logged. All felt."
He closed the tab.
He didn't like feeling.
He preferred metrics.
But the system was no longer asking.
It was remembering.
Interior – Strategist Pod – 8:30 AM
Yuna returned to her desk.
Renji passed by again.
Their eyes met.
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Triggered: "Eye Contact – Prolonged"
Emotional Sync: 6% → 8%
She didn't check it.
She didn't need to.
She already knew.
Interior – Takamine Holdings, Strategist Pod – 8:45 AM
Yuna Aikawa had survived client meltdowns, budget implosions, and one cursed team-building retreat involving blindfolds and trust falls.
But nothing—nothing—had prepared her for Buffu-chan's voice at full volume in the middle of a silent office.
"Welcome to your HeartHack.exe tutorial! 💖 Let's buff that heart!"
She scrambled to mute her phone.
Too late.
Her screen lit up with a pastel interface and a bouncing pixel mascot: Buffu-chan, a heart-shaped creature with stubby arms, glittery eyes, and the emotional restraint of a karaoke machine.
"Lesson 1: Flag Types!"
"Skinship Flags, Eye Contact Flags, Confession Echoes, and the rare but powerful Backstory Reveal!"
Yuna hissed, "Shut up, shut up, shut up—"
"Lesson 2: Cooldowns!"
"Every flag has a cooldown period. Repeating a buff too soon causes emotional misfires!"
She tapped every button she could find.
The app pulsed.
"Lesson 3: Sync Mechanics!"
"Sync rises with proximity, vulnerability, and narrative tension. Bonus points for rooftop scenes!"
Yuna blinked. "Narrative tension?"
Buffu-chan winked. "We're a romantic system, not a spreadsheet!"
Interior – Renji's Office – 8:50 AM
Renji Takamine's tablet buzzed again.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Passive Sync Detected. Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Emotional Sync: 8% → 9%
He frowned.
The system was misfiring.
He opened the firewall logs.
Firewall Status: Flickering. Cause: Unscheduled proximity. Emotional archive: unstable.
Renji tapped "Stabilize."
The system refused.
Override Denied. Subject logic exceeds predictive bounds.
He leaned back.
His stylus snapped in half.
Interior – Strategist Pod – 8:55 AM
Yuna's phone vibrated violently.
Buffu-chan says: "Time for your first dashboard dive!"
A new screen loaded.
Renji's profile.
Name: Renji Takamine
Status: CEO. Buff Potential: High. Emotional Firewall: Active.
Recent Flags: Accidental Skinship, Eye Contact – Prolonged
Sync Level: 9%
Yuna stared.
Then scrolled down.
Warning: High-Risk Emotional Target. Proceed with caution.
She whispered, "I'm not proceeding at all."
Buffu-chan giggled.
"Too late! You're already syncing!"
Interior – Break Room – 9:00 AM
Yuna escaped to the break room.
She opened her phone.
The dashboard had evolved.
Renji's profile now included a "Sync Forecast" tab.
Projected Emotional Trajectory:
Short-term: Rising
Mid-term: Volatile
Long-term: Unknown
She tapped "Unknown."
The app refused to load it.
Buffu-chan says: 'Some routes must be walked, not previewed!' 💫
Yuna groaned.
She opened settings.
Tried to uninstall.
Again.
Error: Emotional Sync In Progress. Uninstall Blocked.
She stared at the screen.
"I'm not in love. I'm under siege."