The water stopped.
Acxell stood by the wall, unmoving, his eyes staring blankly forward—
—but every sense locked onto the fading sound of the girl behind it.
That voice—soft, almost emotionless—was gone, replaced by the soft patter of water slowing…
and then, silence.
[MISSION STATUS: IN PROGRESS]
TARGET: YURIKO HANEKAWA – EMOTIONAL DISRUPTION: 0.0%
HINT: INTROVERT. TRAUMA FLAG DETECTED. REACTS POORLY TO CONFRONTATION.
Acxell exhaled, a short breath.
Not excited.
Not anxious.
But his mind was moving—sharp, calculated.
And his heart… began to stir.
Not with lust.
But curiosity.
A hunger.
He stepped back from the wall.
His movement was light. Natural.
But every choice—distance, timing, vocal tone, eye angle—
was already calculated,
as if his instincts had been rewired.
Not by intelligence.
But by the system that was already fusing into his bloodstream.
CLICK.
The door to the room next door opened.
Soft, careful footsteps followed.
Acxell moved quickly, sitting at his desk with a textbook he had no intention of reading.
His door?
Deliberately left ajar—
just wide enough for a glimpse outside…
without looking too obvious.
She emerged.
She walked like a shadow come to life.
Average height.
Long black hair falling over her face, framing her features like a curtain.
Everything about her was… overly proper. Too clean. Too composed to be natural.
Loose long-sleeved blouse.
A grey skirt past her knees.
Thin black stockings.
All in soft tones, barely visible under the morning light.
She didn't glance left or right.
She walked like the world didn't exist—
but with the sure steps of someone who had memorized every tile on the floor.
Acxell didn't move.
But his eyes—
sharp, predatory—drank in every detail.
Just a flash.
A flicker of reflection.
Their eyes met—not directly, but through the glass in the hallway window.
She saw him.
And he knew she knew.
[SYSTEM PROMPT: GAZE REGISTERED]
YURIKO'S PERCEPTION OF YOU HAS SHIFTED.
EMOTIONS DETECTED: UNEASE. CURIOSITY. CONFLICTED MEMORY PINGED.
+1 TENSION POINT
A small smirk touched the corner of Acxell's lips.
Fleeting.
No more than a silent tap on a table.
But enough to store away.
Lunchtime – Academy Cafeteria
The air was loud.
The mix of greasy food, teenage sweat, and expensive perfumes formed the signature scent of a high-end school.
Acxell walked in late—
on purpose.
Timing mattered.
His eyes swept the room.
There.
Far back.
Right corner.
Yuriko sat alone.
Her lunch tray was painfully ordinary—
plain rice, miso soup, a few slices of apple.
No sauces.
No color.
Like her.
No one sat near her.
Not because she was new—
but because no one wanted to.
[TARGET ISOLATION CONFIRMED]
MAXIMUM POTENTIAL FOR CONTROLLED INTERACTION
Acxell picked up his own tray—fried chicken, rice, and a sad-looking salad—and walked across the room.
No smile.
No greeting.
"Hey," he said.
Calm.
Flat.
Without warmth.
Yuriko looked up.
Eyes widened, just slightly.
Surprised.
"Is this seat taken?"
The kind of question with an obvious answer.
She nodded.
Slowly.
No invitation.
But no rejection either.
Acxell sat down—across from her, but not too close.
No questions.
No chatter.
He ate.
Silently.
Minutes passed.
Three.
Five.
Yuriko kept her head down…
but he saw her.
Her eyes kept flicking sideways—stealing glances.
Once.
Twice.
Uncomfortable.
Not from fear—
But confusion.
He flipped open his student guidebook.
The sound of paper was just loud enough.
She looked up.
Instinctively.
Only a second.
But he didn't waste it.
His brow lifted slightly.
His gaze rose.
Their eyes met.
1.4 seconds.
That was all.
But her body froze.
Just slightly.
Her hand—holding her chopsticks—trembled before she regained control.
[GAZE LOCK ACHIEVED]
PULSE ELEVATED. EYE CONTACT EXCEEDED BASELINE.
EMOTION: UNCERTAINTY. INTRIGUE. GUARD SLIGHTLY RAISED.
Acxell tilted his head.
Only a little.
"I know which class you're in," he said quietly.
His voice wasn't loud.
But it seemed to ripple through the air between them.
Yuriko looked like she wanted to ask how.
But she didn't.
She looked down instead.
Scooping rice more slowly than before.
He stood up.
Cleared his tray.
No goodbyes.
[MISSION PROGRESS: 11.4%]
TARGET IS NOW AWARE OF YOUR PRESENCE. EMOTIONAL FIELD ACTIVE.
PASSIVE SKILL UNLOCKED: LINGERING PRESENCE – YOUR MEMORY LASTS LONGER THAN YOUR INTERACTION.
Dormitory Hallway – Evening
Yuriko walked slowly back toward her room.
At the far end of the hall, Acxell stood by the window—pretending his phone had lost signal.
She looked up.
Their eyes met again—this time, a fleeting second.
She didn't smile.
But she didn't look away either.
She entered her room.
The door closed…
softer than usual.
Acxell leaned back against the wall.
The system pinged again.
[EMOTION TRIGGER DETECTED]
TARGET INITIATED EYE CONTACT
EMOTIONAL ECHO RECORDED
He chuckled.
Low.
Knowing.
Seduction hadn't begun with a touch.
It began because he knew when not to touch.
Now?
He had a foothold.
A crack in the wall that Yuriko thought was hidden from the world—
but had accidentally shown him.