The sound of chatter and shuffling notebooks filled the lecture hall.
Early morning sunlight streamed through the tall glass windows, scattering across rows of tired freshmen pretending to listen.
Somehow, I'd become one of them again—just another student half-dozing through economics class.
But unlike most of them, I had a holographic system floating quietly in the corner of my vision.
[System Idle.]
[Last Target: Emma Vale.]
[Emotional Resonance: 3%]
It was faint, almost transparent, but it was there—a subtle reminder that my reality was anything but normal now.
The professor's voice faded into background noise as I scribbled equations across my notebook.
I wasn't exactly bad at math, but ever since the system appeared, numbers had taken on a strange new weight.
Tenfold returns. Emotional resonance. Potential targets.
It was like I was living in a simulation that rewarded generosity instead of hard work.
And yet, somehow, that felt more honest than the economy outside.
I closed my notebook and leaned back in my chair, pretending to stretch while sneaking a glance at my phone.
No new messages. No new system notifications.
Just the quiet hum of campus life around me—footsteps in the hallway, laughter from the back row, the faint smell of coffee someone had smuggled in.
Normal. Mundane. Peaceful.
And yet, my thoughts drifted to her again.
Emma Vale.
Her poised smile. That faint, amused tone when she'd said, "Make sure your experiments don't bankrupt you."
The class finally ended.
I grabbed my bag, stepped into the corridor, and let out a quiet sigh of relief.
College life wasn't bad, but it felt… small.
The system had cracked something open inside me—a sense of scale I hadn't felt before.
Now, buying a coffee or tipping a server wasn't just an act of kindness.
It was an experiment.
I stopped at a vending machine near the stairwell and slid a few dollars in.
[Transaction Detected.]
[Target: Female Student, unknown.]
[Return: +$30.]
I blinked.
The girl who'd taken the soda from the machine smiled gratefully, then hurried off with her friends.
Thirty bucks. From a two-dollar drink.
I couldn't help but grin.
"Guess the system still works fine," I murmured, pocketing the money. "Even without Emma."
But the moment I said her name, the holographic panel flickered again—just for an instant.
[Target Reference Detected: Emma Vale.]
[Emotional Resonance +1%.]
"…Wait. Just thinking about her counts?"
If that was true, the Emotional Amplifier might not just respond to spending—it might react to feelings themselves.
Later, between classes, I sat beneath a large oak tree on the campus lawn, scrolling through my phone.
My notifications lit up—mostly spam, one from my part-time job, and… one from an unknown number.
Unknown:
"You're the guy from the café, right? Alex?"
My pulse skipped.
Me:
"Emma?"
A moment passed before the dots appeared again.
Emma:
"Took a guess you'd still be awake. Hope you didn't bribe another coffee machine this morning."
I laughed quietly to myself.
Even through text, her tone carried that same calm wit.
Me:
"Only once. Purely scientific reasons."
Emma:
"Ah, research. I see."
Emma:
"If you're serious about investments, maybe you should learn a few real ones."
[New Quest Unlocked: Invitation – Coffee & Capital.]
[Objective: Meet Emma Vale after class. Time: 4:00 PM.]
[Reward: Unknown.]
"…A quest?" I muttered.
The digital prompt hovered in front of me, pulsing softly, as if the system itself were holding its breath.
I leaned back against the tree, grinning to myself.
"Looks like class is about to get a lot more interesting."