Interior – Takamine Holdings, Lobby – 7:58 AM
The lobby of Takamine Holdings was designed to intimidate.
Marble floors polished to a mirror sheen. A reception desk shaped like a blade. Walls of glass that reflected every insecurity back at you. Even the potted plants looked like they had performance reviews.
Yuna Aikawa stepped through the revolving doors, clutching her tablet like a shield.
She was early. On purpose.
Her goal: avoid Renji Takamine.
Her strategy: arrive before him, take the elevator alone, and pray the app didn't flag her for "Cowardice Buff."
Her phone buzzed.
HeartHack.exe – Proximity Forecast Active
"Target: Renji Takamine. ETA: 2 minutes. Buff Zone: Imminent."
Yuna stared at the screen.
"Oh no. Not here. Not now. Not in the marble judgment zone."
Interior – Lobby Security Desk – 7:59 AM
Renji Takamine entered like a weather system.
Tailored charcoal suit. Tablet in hand. Eyes scanning the lobby like it was a spreadsheet.
He nodded to the security guard, who nodded back with the reverence of someone who knew better than to ask questions.
Renji's internal system buzzed.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Subject Aikawa detected. Proximity: 14.2 meters. Emotional Sync: 9% → 10%
He frowned.
He hadn't authorized proximity tracking.
He tapped the alert.
Firewall Status: Stable (with microfractures)
Recommendation: Maintain Distance. Emotional Archive: Active.
Renji adjusted his cufflinks.
He didn't understand why his system was logging warmth.
Interior – Lobby Elevator Bay – 8:00 AM
Yuna stood by the elevator, pretending to read an email.
Her phone buzzed again.
Buff Opportunity: "Elevator Proximity" – Trigger Window: 30 seconds
"Chance of Skinship: Moderate. Chance of Fluster: High."
She whispered, "I will throw you into the fountain."
Buffu-chan popped up.
"But elevators are romantic! Small space, big feelings!" 💘
Yuna mentally drafted an apology email to HR.
"Dear Mika, if I accidentally seduce my boss in an elevator, please consider this a preemptive resignation."
Interior – Elevator Bay – 8:01 AM
Renji approached.
Yuna's heart did something stupid.
She pressed the button.
The elevator dinged.
Doors opened.
She stepped in.
Renji followed.
Her phone buzzed.
Buff Zone Activated: "Skinship Proximity"
Distance: 0.8 meters. Sync Spike: Imminent.
Yuna stared at the floor.
Renji stared at the ceiling.
The doors closed.
Interior – Elevator – 8:02 AM
Silence.
Soft lighting.
Brushed steel walls.
The kind of silence that made you aware of your own breathing.
Yuna's internal monologue began spiraling.
"Okay. Just breathe. Don't look at him. Don't touch him. Don't think about his jawline. Oh no, I thought about his jawline."
Renji's internal system logged a temperature variance.
Skin Temperature: +0.3°C. Emotional anomaly: unexplained.
He frowned.
"Is this tension? Or is the air conditioning failing?"
Yuna shifted slightly.
Their arms brushed.
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Opportunity: "Incidental Contact" – Cooldown: 12 hours
She whispered, "I'm going to die in this elevator."
Interior – Elevator – 8:02 AM
The elevator doors slid shut with a hiss that sounded far too judgmental.
Yuna Aikawa stood on the left side, clutching her tablet like it could deflect awkwardness. Renji Takamine stood on the right, hands in his pockets, gaze fixed on the LED floor indicator like it owed him money.
The silence was so thick it could be sliced and served with a side of regret.
Yuna's phone buzzed.
HeartHack.exe – Buff Zone Active
"Distance: 0.8 meters. Sync Spike: Imminent."
She didn't dare check it.
She already knew.
She was in a romantic kill box.
Interior – Elevator, Yuna's Internal Monologue
"Okay. Just breathe. Don't look at him. Don't touch him. Don't think about his jawline. Oh no, I thought about his jawline."
"What if I sneeze and he says 'bless you'? Is that a flag? Is that a proposal?"
"Why is he standing like that? Is he tense? Is he mad? Is he emotionally constipated?"
Her phone buzzed again.
Buff Opportunity: "Shared Silence" – Cooldown: 18 hours
"Let the tension simmer. Bonus points for eye contact."
She whispered, "I will uninstall you with fire."
Interior – Elevator, Renji's POV
Renji's tablet buzzed.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Subject Aikawa proximity spike. Emotional Sync: 10% → 11%
He frowned.
The system was behaving erratically.
He tapped into the proximity logs.
Distance: 0.8 meters. Skin temperature variance: +0.3°C. Heart rate deviation: +6 bpm.
Renji blinked.
"Is this tension? Or is the air conditioning failing?"
He glanced sideways.
Yuna was staring at the floor like it had insulted her ancestors.
Renji logged her behavior.
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Status: Avoidant. Buff Potential: Escalating.
He didn't understand why proximity caused warmth.
He preferred metrics.
Interior – Elevator, Shared Space – 8:03 AM
The elevator hummed.
Floor 28.
Floor 29.
Then—
A jolt.
The lights flickered.
The elevator stopped.
Yuna's heart dropped.
Renji's tablet buzzed.
Yuna's phone buzzed.
Simultaneously.
HeartHack.exe – Event Triggered: "Elevator Buff"
Activating: Skinship Proximity / Romantic Background Music
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Forced Proximity. Firewall strain detected. Emotional Sync: 11% → 12%
Soft piano music began playing.
Yuna blinked.
Renji blinked.
Yuna whispered, "This is how I die."
Renji cleared his throat. "Poor ventilation."
Interior – Elevator – 8:03 AM
The elevator jolted once—just enough to make Yuna's stomach drop like a bad stock portfolio.
The lights flickered. The floor indicator froze at 29.
Then silence.
Not the normal kind.
The kind that felt like the building itself was holding its breath.
Yuna's phone buzzed.
HeartHack.exe – Event Triggered: "Elevator Buff"
"System Lock Engaged. Skinship Proximity: Active."
She blinked at the screen.
"Romantic Background Music: Loading…"
"No," she whispered. "No no no no—"
Soft piano music began to play.
From the ceiling.
Renji Takamine turned his head slowly, like a man realizing he'd walked into a trap set by a sentient spreadsheet.
Interior – Elevator, Renji's POV
Renji's tablet buzzed.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Forced Proximity. Firewall strain detected. Emotional Sync: 11% → 12%
He frowned.
The system was behaving erratically.
He tapped into the logs.
Distance: 0.6 meters. Skin temperature variance: +0.4°C. Heart rate deviation: +8 bpm.
Renji blinked.
"Is this tension? Or is the elevator overheating?"
He glanced sideways.
Yuna was staring at her phone like it had just proposed marriage.
Renji logged her behavior.
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Status: Visibly distressed. Buff Potential: Escalating.
He didn't understand why proximity caused warmth.
He preferred metrics.
Interior – Elevator, Yuna's Internal Monologue
"Okay. Okay. I'm in an elevator. With my boss. While romantic music plays. And the app is syncing. This is fine. This is normal. This is how people die in HR reports."
"Do I say something? Do I breathe quieter? What if I blink too loud?"
"He's standing so still. Is he calm? Is he buffering?"
Her phone buzzed again.
Buff Opportunity: "Shared Breath Zone" – Cooldown: 36 hours
"Bonus sync if you both exhale at the same time!"
Yuna whispered, "I'm going to uninstall you with a hammer."
Interior – Elevator, Shared Space – 8:04 AM
The music continued.
Renji adjusted his tie.
Yuna flinched.
Their shoulders brushed.
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Triggered: "Incidental Contact"
Emotional Sync: 12% → 13%
Renji cleared his throat. "Poor ventilation."
Yuna nodded. "Right. Definitely. The air is… very aggressive."
They stood in silence.
The elevator didn't move.
The sync did.
Interior – Elevator – 8:04 AM
The piano music was soft.
Too soft.
The kind that belonged in candlelit restaurants or breakup montages—not in a corporate elevator with two emotionally constipated adults.
Yuna Aikawa stared at the ceiling speaker like it had betrayed her.
Renji Takamine adjusted his tie again, which was now the third time in sixty seconds.
His internal system logged the movement as "Stress Response: Mild."
Yuna's phone buzzed.
Flag Triggered: "Romantic Background Music"
Emotional Sync: 13% → 14%
Bonus: Ambient Mood Enhancement
She whispered, "I'm going to sue the app for emotional sabotage."
Interior – Elevator, Yuna's Internal Monologue
"Okay. Music is playing. He's flustered. I'm flustered. We're both flustered. This is a fluster buffet."
"Do I say something? Compliment his tie? No, that's weird. Compliment his posture? That's weirder."
"What if I faint? Would that reset the sync? Or would it trigger a 'Rescue Buff'?"
Her phone buzzed again.
Buff Opportunity: "Shared Fluster" – Cooldown: 48 hours
"Bonus sync if both parties visibly react to romantic stimuli."
Yuna stared at the screen.
"I am not visibly reacting. I am internally combusting."
Interior – Elevator, Renji's POV
Renji's tablet buzzed.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Mood Interference Detected. Emotional Sync: 14% → 15%
He frowned.
The system was logging ambient music as a variable.
Firewall Status: Flickering. Archive: Active. Subject: Aikawa, Yuna.
He glanced sideways.
Yuna was gripping her tablet like it owed her money.
Renji logged her posture.
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Status: Defensive. Buff Potential: Unstable.
He didn't understand why music caused tension.
He preferred silence.
Interior – Elevator, Shared Space – 8:05 AM
The music swelled.
Renji shifted slightly.
Yuna shifted in the opposite direction.
Their shoulders brushed.
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Triggered: "Incidental Contact – Repeat"
Emotional Sync: 15% → 16%
Renji cleared his throat. "Poor ventilation."
Yuna nodded. "Yes. The air is… emotionally charged."
They stood in silence.
The elevator didn't move.
The sync did.
Interior – Elevator – 8:05 AM
The piano music was still playing.
Soft. Slow. Romantic.
The kind of melody that made you feel like you were either about to fall in love or get emotionally audited by a sentient app.
Yuna Aikawa was trying not to breathe too loud.
Renji Takamine was trying not to notice that she was trying not to breathe too loud.
Their shoulders were less than a handspan apart.
The air between them felt like it had opinions.
Yuna's phone buzzed.
Flag Opportunity: "Breath Distance" – Cooldown: 72 hours
"Bonus sync if both parties share a moment of synchronized silence."
She whispered, "I'm going to pass out from emotional suffocation."
Interior – Elevator, Yuna's Internal Monologue
"Okay. He's flustered. I'm flustered. We're both flustered. This elevator is now a pressure cooker of romantic tension."
"Do I say something? Compliment his tie? No, that's weird. Compliment his breathing? That's serial killer territory."
"What if I faint? Would that reset the sync? Or would it trigger a 'Rescue Buff'? Would HR get involved? Would Mika send me a form titled 'Romantic Incident Report'?"
Her phone buzzed again.
Buffu-chan says: 'You're syncing beautifully! Just one more brush and we'll hit 17%!' 💘
Yuna stared at the screen.
"I am not syncing. I am spiraling."
Interior – Elevator, Renji's POV
Renji's tablet buzzed.
ExecHeart v1.0 – Alert: Emotional Sync: 16% → 17%
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Firewall Status: Flickering. Archive: Active.
He frowned.
The system was logging ambient music, proximity, and breath patterns.
Skin temperature: +0.5°C. Heart rate deviation: +10 bpm. Emotional anomaly: sustained.
Renji blinked.
"Is this tension? Or is the elevator poorly ventilated?"
He glanced sideways.
Yuna was gripping her tablet like it was a flotation device.
Renji logged her posture.
Subject: Aikawa, Yuna. Status: Defensive. Buff Potential: Escalating.
He didn't understand why silence felt loud.
He preferred metrics.
Interior – Elevator, Shared Space – 8:06 AM
The music swelled.
Renji adjusted his tie again.
Yuna flinched.
Their arms brushed.
Her phone buzzed.
Flag Triggered: "Incidental Contact – Third Occurrence"
Emotional Sync: 17% → 18%
Renji cleared his throat. "Poor ventilation."
Yuna nodded. "Yes. The air is… emotionally charged."
They stood in silence.
The elevator didn't move.
The sync did.