Riku soon shuffled down the hospital corridor, clutching the plastic bag with his belongings—phone, wallet, and the clothes he'd been wearing when the truck kissed him.
The smell of disinfectant harassed his nostrils, sour and metallic, mixing unpleasantly with the faint odor of blood still in his shirt.
His head throbbed with every step, a dull reminder that he was somehow alive.
At the front desk, a familiar voice cut through the sterile quiet like a saw blade.
"Useless. Absolutely useless. Do you know he's two months behind on rent? Two! And now he's out here trying to die in the middle of the street. Who's supposed to cover his debt if he croaks, huh?"
Junko Takashima. She was here earlier but they'd refused for her to see him and now that he was being discharged, she's arrived again.
Riku froze mid-step, every muscle locking. He didn't need to see her face to know the sharp edge of that voice. It was etched into his memory from countless lectures through his thin apartment door.
When he turned his head, there she was.
Junko was in her mid-thirties, though the way she carried herself—tight bun, pressed blouse, arms crossed like a soldier's—gave her the air of someone older, battle-hardened by life. She had sharp cheekbones, the kind that could make a smile radiant if she ever bothered to use them, but her mouth was set in a scowl. Her eyes, sharp and dark, flicked from the nurse to a clipboard, her tone clipped and efficient.
But beneath the armor, there was something else. Riku noticed it now—lines of fatigue at the corners of her eyes, the faint sag of someone who had carried weight alone for too long.
She wasn't just the nagging landlady from hell. She was a woman ground down by her own disappointments.
Unfortunately, she was also the woman the System had picked as his "first conquest."
"…Oh, no," Riku whispered under his breath. His stomach churned.
As if in response, the faint blue glow flickered at the edge of his vision.
[Quest Timer: 70 Hours Remaining.]
[Failure Penalty: Soul Erosion 20%.]
The letters burned themselves into his sight, impossible to ignore. He flinched, clutching the bag tighter.
'Seventy hours. Less than three days. And if I fail, I… dissolve?'
He tried to steady his breathing. Tried to think logically. But the weight of the words pressed against his skull until his thoughts cracked apart.
I don't have to do this. Right? I could just… run. Leave the city. Screw the apartment, screw the system, screw everything.
Riku backed away from the desk, heart pounding. The nurses barely noticed—just another anxious patient. He slipped down the hallway, half jogging, nearly stumbling into a maintenance cart. His chest heaved, panic clawing at him.
What's the worst that could happen?
The system answered.
Without warning, the hospital walls melted. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered, then bled into red. His vision warped, and his body—his entire body—began to flake away into glowing ash.
Fingers dissolved first, crumbling like burned paper. His arms went next, chunks of him peeling off and floating into the air. The smell of scorched flesh filled his nose. He tried to scream, but his throat disintegrated before sound could escape.
He watched himself die.
And then it was gone.
The hallway snapped back to normal. His body was whole. The nurses still bustled in the distance, oblivious. Riku staggered against the wall, gasping. His hands clawed at his arms, at his face, searching for missing pieces. All there, intact.
A new line hovered in his vision, cruelly calm.
[Soul Erosion Simulation Complete.]
[Warning: No escape routes permitted.]
His knees almost buckled.
"…Locked in," he croaked. "I'm… locked into this nightmare."
He pressed his forehead against the cool wall, sweat dripping down his temple. His heart refused to slow down, pounding like it was trying to break out of his chest.
Junko's voice echoed faintly from the front desk, sharp as ever. "Tell him not to think he can use this accident as an excuse. Rent's due, and I don't care if he limps home in a coffin."
The words cut deeper than usual. Not just because they were cruel—because now, for Riku, they were a death sentence.
"Riku."
Her voice cut through the hall like a whip.
He froze mid-step, blood turning to ice. Slowly—reluctantly—he turned.
Click! Clack!!
Junko Takashima was storming toward him, heels clicking against the tile with the rhythm of an executioner's drum.
Even in the unflattering white glow of the hospital, she carried herself with the poise of someone who had long since mastered the art of intimidation.
Arms folded, brows drawn tight, lips pressed in disapproval—she looked every bit the judge, jury, and executioner of his miserable life.
"There you are," she snapped, stopping just short of his bed. "Do you have any idea how inconvenient this has been? You nearly got yourself killed in the street and left me wondering if I'd have to chase rent out of a corpse. And don't think for a second that this stunt erases what you owe."
Her words were sharp enough to slice skin. Riku winced with each one, his already bruised pride curling into a ball.
"I… uh…" His mouth went dry. "It's not like I planned to get hit by a truck."
Junko's eyes narrowed. "Excuses. You've been coasting for months, and now you're costing me money on top of it." She shook her head in disgust. "Pathetic. I'll be keeping a very close eye on you from now on. You're not weaseling out of this."
Riku wanted to vanish into the floor. His hands tightened around his hospital bag, knuckles white.
He'd endured her scolding countless times before, but now it felt like something more—like she wasn't just berating him, but hammering nails into his coffin.
And then, as though to confirm it, the glow returned.
[Conquest Progress: 0%.]
[Tip: Conquest increases via Emotional Breakthroughs, Intimacy, and Physical Acts. Each stage unlocks new rewards.]
The letters hovered above Junko's head, taunting him.
Riku's eye twitched. 'A meter? You've got to be kidding me. I actually have to… ' He swallowed the thought, his stomach twisting. 'No. Don't even say it. Don't even think it. This is insane. This is impossible.'
Junko mistook his silence for sulking. "What? Nothing to say? Figures." She scoffed and turned sharply. "Come on. The hospital discharged you, right? You're walking back. And you're carrying something for once, since it's not like you're paying rent with money."
Riku shuffled after her, humiliation burning hotter than the fever in his skull. The system window still hovered in the corner of his eye, mocking him with its unchanging 0%.
The rain had stopped by the time they left the hospital, though the streets were still filled with puddles. They stopped at a corner store on the way back, Junko picking up a plastic basket and marching down the aisles like a general on campaign.
Riku trailed behind, dreading every step, until they reached the register. Junko shifted the heavy grocery bags into her arms, muttering under her breath about "lazy men these days."
Riku hesitated.
Don't. Don't do it. It's not worth—
Junko's grip slipped slightly on one of the bags.
Before he could stop himself, Riku sighed and reached out. "Here. I'll… I'll carry it."
Junko blinked at him, momentarily startled, before scoffing again. "Well. It's about time you acted like a man." She shoved two of the heavier bags into his arms without a second thought.
The system's glow pulsed.
[Minor Emotional Breakthrough: Conquest +5%.]
Riku almost dropped the groceries. His jaw went slack.
"You've got to be kidding me," he hissed under his breath. "Even this counts!?"
Junko shot him a glare sharp enough to cut glass. "What was that?"
"Nothing! Just… nothing." Riku plastered on the most innocent look he could muster, though inside he was screaming.
By the time they reached the apartment complex, his arms were sore and his head spun from the absurdity of it all. Junko snatched her bags back without so much as a thank-you and moved toward her own door.
Riku fumbled for his keys, desperate to collapse into bed and pretend the world outside didn't exist. He had barely shoved his door open when the system flared again.
[Next Step: Establish Physical Contact.]
[Time Remaining: 69 Hours.]
The letters burned bright across his vision, merciless.
Riku froze in the doorway, pulse spiking. Physical contact? Already!? What does that even—
Across the hall, Junko twisted the key in her lock. She caught his wide-eyed stare, frowned in confusion, then scoffed. "What are you gawking at now? Don't forget—you've got rent due, and I'm not giving you an inch of slack. Not one."
The door shut behind her with a decisive click.
Riku sagged against his own doorframe, his breath shaky. The groceries still dangled from his hands, forgotten.
"…This nightmare's just getting started."