"Choose now, host," the system's voice purred, brushing against his ear like silk.
Akira blinked at the glowing red text hovering in front of him, his heart still pounding from everything that had happened. "You've got to be kidding me."
[OPTION A: Suppress your urges. Reward: +2 CHARM]
[OPTION B: Jerk off to the viral video of your humiliation. Reward: +5 PERV-POINTS]
Akira chuckled bitterly. "You can't be serious," he muttered, shaking his head. "This is messed up. You expect me to… what? Get off to that?"
"Oh, darling," the system teased, "don't act like you're above it. You want power, don't you? Power demands honesty... and indulgence. Pick, darling. I'm dying to see which one you'll go for."
Akira kept walking. "Yeah, right. I'm not playing your perverted game."
"Refusal detected," the system chimed in. "Host must choose."
"I said no."
The glow followed him all the way to his apartment door. He slammed it shut behind him, the screen still burning bright in his vision.
"Choose now, host," the voice repeated.
He threw his torn cape aside and dropped onto the couch, trying to steady his breathing. "This isn't real. It's just some crazy dream."
"Dreams don't make your hands shake like that," the voice whispered.
"Shut up and leave me alone."
There was no answer. For a second, he thought the system had given up. Then the red text flashed again, sharper this time.
[MANDATORY CHOICE INITIATED]
He groaned, dragging himself up and walking towards his desk. The room was quiet; his family was gone for the week on some trip out of town. No one to talk to, no friends to text, no phone; he had shattered the damn thing hours ago.
"Fine," he muttered. "Let's see how far this insanity goes."
He opened his laptop, typed Sakura Hanamura confession video, and there it was. His humiliation in HD. Her words echoed like poison: Hell no, never… not even in your dreams.
Akira felt a tightness in his throat as he watched himself on the screen. His voice trembled, and his hands couldn't stop shaking. The crowd was laughing at him, and he could feel a fire in his chest.
Before he knew what he was doing, his hand had instinctively reached for his belt.
Then he stopped. "What the hell am I doing?"
He slammed the laptop shut, breathing hard. "No."
The system pinged sharply.
[WARNING: Host inactivity detected.]
[Failure to choose will result in TERMINATION.]
Akira froze. "Termination? You're bluffing."
The system's tone darkened. "Action in five… four… three…"
He laughed nervously. "You wouldn't…"
"Two…"
Suddenly, he felt his throat constrict, as if air refused to enter his lungs.
"One."
"Wait!" Akira dropped to his knees, gasping, clawing at his neck. His lungs felt like they were collapsing. His vision darkened. "I… I choose A!" he choked out.
The pressure vanished instantly. He fell forward, coughing violently, sweat dripping down his face.
"Playing it good, I see," the voice teased. "It's only a matter of time before you stop pretending."
"Y-you tried to kill me!" Akira wheezed.
"I prefer to think of it as… enforcing the rules; just a slight motivation. Choice is survival, darling. Remember that. Now rest; you've earned it."
He lay on the floor for a while, staring at the ceiling. The hum of his old fridge was the only sound in the apartment. Finally, he muttered, "This isn't a dream."
The system purred softly in his mind. "No, Akira. It's your new reality."
He didn't remember when he fell asleep, only that his last thought was a bitter one: What happens when both choices are impossible?
—
Morning sunlight spilled through his blinds. Akira woke up groggy but alive. The crimson interface hovered faintly in his vision:
[STATS UPDATED: CHARM +2]
He rubbed his eyes. "Still here, huh?"
"Always, darling," the voice cooed. "Now let's see what mischief today brings."
Akira skipped breakfast, feeling restless rather than hungry. He quickly pulled on his wrinkled school uniform and grabbed his bag, where he hid his dagger before heading out the door.
The whispers started the second he stepped onto campus.
"That's the creep from the video."
"Creep King's back."
"Man's got balls showing his face."
He ignored them all.
But when he reached his locker, the words 'CREEP KING' were scrawled across it in red marker. He stared at it for a long second before smirking faintly. "Original."
"Pathetic," the system murmured. "They mock you because they can. Make them regret it."
But he didn't answer.
As he turned towards class, he spotted Mia Takahashi by her locker. She was wearing a short skirt and an untucked shirt, the kind of style that made teachers sigh in frustration and made it hard for guys to concentrate.
She was standing next to a smaller boy who was nervously holding his bag.
"When it's lunch time," she said in a sharp voice, "you'll buy me lunch with your money, loser."
The boy nodded, trembling.
The system's screen lit up immediately.
[CHOICE AVAILABLE]
[OPTION A: Step in politely.]
[OPTION B: Grab her ass and dominate… whisper "Behave."]
Akira's heart thudded.
"You're kidding me," he whispered.
"Tick-tock," the system sang. "Show me your true self, and remember what happens when you don't make a choice."
In his mind, he replied. "And what do I get as a reward if I choose option B?"
"Let's say it's going to be worth it."
He took a deep breath and then walked toward her. "Hey."
[CHOICE DETECTED: OPTION B]
Mia turned, narrowing her eyes. "What do you want, creep?"
Without another word, he reached out and grabbed her ass. "Behave, Mia," he whispered in her ear.
The hallway fell silent for half a heartbeat.
"What the…?" Mia snapped, eyes wide as they locked on his. For a moment, Akira braced himself for what might happen next; Mia would either slap him or shove him away and call him a pervert.
But instead, she grabbed his collar, dragging him into an empty classroom. "You got a death wish or something?" she hissed, but her cheeks flushed.
Akira didn't flinch. "Maybe. Or maybe I'm just done playing nice."
Something in his tone made her pause.
Mia slammed the door shut and slammed Akira against the wall. "What's your problem?" she demanded in anger, though her eyes said something different. "Why did you grab me?"
"You didn't stop me," he said, stepping forward.
Her eyes narrowed. "Because I was shocked!"
"Still didn't stop me."
They were close now, their breaths mixing in the warm air between them. He could feel her pulse racing at her neck, an undeniable flutter of nerves and excitement.
"Feel that? That's all you and what you can be. Make the right choices and you can have her… and many more."
Akira leaned in just a bit more, his heart pounding as if daring her to close the distance completely.
"You… you t-think you can just grab me like that?" she stammered a bit before regaining her fire.
"I already did."
Her glare faltered. "You're insane."
"Maybe." His voice dropped lower. "But I'm done being the joke."
Mia's lips parted. For a heartbeat, she said nothing, then she grabbed him and kissed him hard.
"Shut up," she muttered between breaths. "This doesn't mean anything."
"Sure."
Her hand slid under his shirt, nails grazing his skin. "That aggression... it's kinda hot, even if you're ugly."
Akira smirked. "Keep talking; maybe I'll believe you."
The system chimed:
[MINOR H-SCENE UNLOCKED — +15 PERV-POINTS]
Akira pressed her back against the desk, their bodies grinding through their clothes. "You like this?" he murmured.
"Shut up," she breathed, biting her lip. "You wish."
But she didn't move away.
When she finally did, her face was pink, and her breathing was shallow. "That's enough. Not here."
"Scared?"
"Curious," she said, smirking. "Meet me at the gym after school. We'll see if you can keep that confidence."
Akira grinned. "Deal."