Three minutes of silence.
Riri sat frozen on the sectional, wine glass in hand, mind racing through implications.
System Bond. Permanent. Forever.
She thought about the past seventy-six days. How he'd shifted from clinical efficiency to something warmer. How his touches had become casual. Hand on her back, fingers on her shoulder. How he'd laughed at her jokes and smirked like he'd forgotten to maintain emotional distance.
How he'd scared off those four men at Red Cult Altar with nothing but his presence.
How her companions had accepted him into their pack structure.
How he was serious but loosened up around her. Protective without being controlling. Strong in ways that went beyond Combat Power. Handsome in a way that made her brain malfunction when he wore civilian clothes.
Riri took a slow, deep breath. Set down her wine glass with deliberate care.
"We have two weeks before the Hub opens," she said finally. "If we're going to bond, I need to know we can live together."
Samael's expression didn't change, but something shifted in his posture. Tension releasing fractionally. "You want to test run this. Us living in the same space."
Riri nodded. Waited.
He'd either agree or refuse. Either way, his answer would tell her everything she needed to know about whether this could work.
Three seconds. That's how long it took him to decide.
"Your house or mine?"
"Mine," Riri said. "Loki, Vesper, and Vermillion have gotten used to my space. I don't want to stress them."
Samael nodded. "Acceptable."
He picked up his food again, chopsticks moving with efficient precision. Then gestured with his head toward her abandoned Pad Thai.
Riri took the hint, resuming eating.
The atmosphere settled. Loki returned to his nap spot near the window. Vesper stayed behind Riri, draped across the sofa's backrest like a living scarf. Vermillion floated over to rest on top of Loki's back. All six butterflies settled into the wolf's thick fur. Loki huffed in what sounded like amusement but didn't move to dislodge them.
They finished eating in comfortable silence.
Samael stood, gathering trash with the same methodical efficiency he applied to dungeon clears. He left the wine bottle and glasses on the coffee table, then turned toward the door.
"I'll gather my things from my penthouse. Back in a few minutes."
Riri nodded absently, watching him leave.
The door closed behind him with a soft click.
Silence.
Then System #2's interface exploded into existence, confetti and glitter cannons firing in all directions.
[OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH HOST!!!]
[NEW MISSION AVAILABLE!][Mission: Bond with System #1][Reward: Luxury Lottery Ticket x3, +100 Luck Stat, +50 to All Other Stats, Unique Pet Egg (S-Tier Minimum)][Accept? Y/N]
Riri sat frozen, wine glass halfway to her mouth, staring at the notification with absolute deadpan.
Her System was bribing her to Bond.
With three lottery tickets. A hundred permanent Luck. Fifty points to every stat. And an S-Tier pet egg.
The rewards were obscene. Game-breaking. The kind of advantages that would put her leagues ahead of every other Player.
And System #2 was offering them as incentive to do something she'd already been considering.
"You have got to be kidding me," Riri muttered.
[This is VERY EXCITING, Host! System #1 and System #2 bonding is OPTIMAL for planetary progression! The rewards reflect the significance of this union! ♡]
"You're playing matchmaker."
[This unit prefers the term 'facilitating optimal outcomes'! ♡]
Riri pressed her fingers to her temples. Her System was an active shipper.
The door opened.
Samael returned carrying two bags. One duffel, one tactical pack. Both looked efficiently packed, nothing wasted.
He took three steps into the penthouse and stopped.
Riri was still sitting on the sectional, wine glass halfway to her mouth, staring into middle distance with an expression somewhere between disbelief and resignation.
"You okay?" he asked.
She slowly set down her glass. Turned to give him a perfectly flat look.
"I think my System is trying to play matchmaker."
Something flickered across Samael's face. His mouth twitched. "What did it do?"
Riri pulled up the mission notification, made it visible to party interface so he could read it.
His eyebrows rose fractionally. "A hundred Luck. Fifty to all stats."
"And three lottery tickets. And an S-Tier pet egg."
"That's..."
"Obscene? Excessive? A blatant bribe?"
"Significant." He set down his bags. "My System did the same thing while I was gone."
Riri's eyes widened. "System #1 is bribing you too?"
"Mission appeared the moment I walked into my penthouse." He pulled up his own interface, shared it to party view.
[Mission: Bond with System #2][Reward: +100 to All Stats, Legendary Weapon Voucher x1, Skill Evolution Token x3, Title: "Bonded Apex"]
Riri stared at the rewards. A hundred points to every stat. Legendary weapon voucher. Three skill evolution tokens that could upgrade abilities to higher tiers.
Both Systems were actively incentivizing the Bond.
"So," Riri said slowly, "our Systems have decided we should Bond and are throwing rewards at us to make it happen."
"Apparently."
"And you're still going through with this despite knowing your System is manipulating you?"
Samael's expression didn't change. "The mission appeared after I'd already decided. The rewards are irrelevant to my choice."
"But you'll take them anyway."
"I'm not an idiot."
Riri huffed a quiet laugh despite herself. "Fair point."
She looked at the mission notifications again. The obscene rewards. The blatant matchmaking. The two highest-ranked Systems on the planet apparently in agreement that their hosts should permanently link.
"Well," she said finally, voice dry as desert sand, "at least we know our Systems approve. That'll make the wedding registry easier."
Samael's mouth curved into that dangerous smirk that should be classified as a weapon.
"I'll take the couch tonight," he said. "Trial run starts tomorrow."
Riri nodded, trying not to think about the fact that System #1's host was staying in her penthouse.
Or that in two weeks, he might be staying permanently.