Adrian Hayes walked away from the cafeteria.
His steps were steady.
But his mind wasn't.
That girl… Emily Carter.
He only introduced himself.
Nothing more.
A simple handshake. A normal greeting.
Yet for some reason…
it didn't feel like a normal interaction anymore.
A faint sound suddenly echoed in his mind.
[Ding!]
Adrian stopped walking immediately.
"…Again?"
A transparent screen slowly appeared in front of him, as if responding to his thoughts rather than reality.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
[First interaction successfully recorded]
Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Recorded?"
Before he could finish that thought, the system continued.
[Target: Emily Carter]
[Emotional imprint established]
Adrian paused.
This time, he didn't immediately question it.
Instead, he repeated the words quietly in his mind.
Emotional imprint…
That didn't sound like simple progress.
It sounded like something deeper.
Something that stayed.
Then another line appeared.
[Target behavior instability detected]
Adrian frowned slightly.
"…Instability already?"
He didn't even do anything special.
Just a greeting.
Just a handshake.
Yet the system was already reacting like something important had happened.
The screen faded slowly afterward, leaving him alone again on the walkway.
Adrian stood there for a moment.
Then continued walking.
But his thoughts had already shifted.
So even small actions matter…
Or is she reacting more than I expected?
Either way…
he now knew one thing clearly.
Nothing about this system would be simple.
Afternoon sunlight filtered through the classroom windows.
Students were talking softly.
Pens scratching on paper.
A normal day continuing as always.
But Emily Carter wasn't fully present.
She sat at her desk, staring at her notes.
Trying to focus.
Trying to ignore the small distraction in her mind.
That handshake.
That voice.
That calm expression.
She frowned slightly.
Why am I still thinking about that?
It was just an introduction.
A stranger.
Nothing meaningful.
She lowered her gaze and forced herself to write.
But after a few seconds…
her pen stopped again.
"…Seriously?"
She whispered under her breath.
Not angry.
Just confused at herself.
Beside her, her friend leaned closer.
"Emily, you've been spacing out since morning. What's wrong?"
"I'm fine."
She answered immediately.
Too quickly.
Too sharply.
Her friend blinked.
Then smiled knowingly.
"Oh? You're fine?"
"I said I'm fine."
Emily repeated.
But this time, her voice was slightly softer.
Less confident.
And without realizing it…
her ears turned slightly red.
Her friend noticed.
And didn't say anything more.
Just smiled quietly.
The campus felt louder now.
Students moving between classes.
The usual rhythm of university life.
Adrian sat alone on a bench near the walkway.
Thinking.
Not about money.
Not about rewards.
But about patterns.
Then—
[Ding!]
The system appeared again.
Adrian didn't react this time.
He was already getting used to it.
A new screen opened.
[SYSTEM UPDATE]
[New Function Unlocked]
Adrian read slowly.
[Emotional Trace Detection Activated]
"…Emotional trace?"
A second line appeared immediately after.
[You can now detect how often a target thinks about you]
Adrian blinked once.
"…That's possible?"
Then more explanation followed.
[High thinking frequency increases emotional dependency growth rate]
[Warning: Excess attention may lead to unstable psychological development]
Adrian leaned back slowly.
Now it was clearer.
But also more complicated.
"So the more she thinks about me…"
He paused.
"…the more she changes."
The system didn't confirm it.
But it didn't deny it either.
And that silence said enough.
The next day.
Morning sunlight reflected off the polished hallway floors.
Students moved in groups.
Talking. Laughing.
Everything looked normal again.
But Emily didn't feel normal.
She walked through the corridor quietly.
Trying to ignore the strange feeling from yesterday.
But it didn't go away.
Every time she passed someone…
she felt slightly aware of herself.
Like something had changed.
It annoyed her.
Not because it was scary.
But because she didn't understand it.
Then she heard it.
"Hey… isn't that Emily Carter?"
"She talked to that guy yesterday, right?"
Emily slowed down for half a second.
Just a half second.
But it was enough for her to notice.
"…Adrian Hayes?"
Someone mentioned the name.
Emily frowned slightly.
Why was his name being repeated?
It shouldn't matter.
It was just a normal introduction.
But somehow…
it did matter.
And that realization made her even more uncomfortable.
Like someone was watching.
Far down the hallway…
a different girl stood quietly near the wall.
She wasn't part of Emily's circle.
She wasn't involved.
Not yet.
But she had noticed something interesting.
Emily Carter…
was acting slightly different today.
Not obvious.
But noticeable if you were paying attention.
The girl tilted her head slightly.
"…That's strange."
She followed Emily's direction with her eyes.
And whispered a name.
"Adrian Hayes…"
Then she smiled faintly.
Not warmly.
Not coldly.
Just curious.
And walked away.
Later that afternoon…
Adrian suddenly stopped walking.
[Ding!]
A red notification appeared in his vision.
[SYSTEM WARNING]
[Target emotional deviation increasing]
Adrian narrowed his eyes slightly.
"…Deviation?"
Another line appeared immediately.
[Secondary attention detected]
Then another.
[Multiple observation points forming]
Adrian slowly exhaled.
Now it wasn't just Emily.
"…Multiple people?"
The system didn't explain further.
But Adrian could already sense it.
Something was spreading.
Quietly.
Without control.
And it was growing faster than expected.
At night.
Emily lay on her bed.
Room quiet.
Lights dim.
Outside world silent.
But her mind wasn't.
She turned once.
Then again.
Trying to sleep.
Failing.
That same thought kept coming back.
Unwanted.
Uninvited.
That handshake.
That voice.
That calm gaze.
She pulled the blanket over her head.
"…Why am I still thinking about him?"
No answer came.
Only silence.
After a while…
she pulled out her phone.
She didn't know why.
Her fingers moved before her thoughts did.
She typed slowly:
Adrian Hayes
She stared at it.
Confused.
"…Why did I search that?"
Her finger hovered over the screen.
She didn't delete it.
Instead…
she tapped.
At the same moment…
Adrian's system flickered.
[Target Emotional Activity Detected]
A new line appeared.
[Target: Emily Carter]
[Thought frequency spike detected]
Adrian's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…She's thinking about me."
Then—
another line appeared.
[Obsession seed formation: 3%]
Adrian froze.
"…Already?"
He hadn't even done anything serious yet.
Just a greeting.
Just a handshake.
And yet…
something had already started.
The system spoke one final line.
[You are beginning to affect emotional systems passively.]
Adrian slowly looked up.
His expression wasn't shocked.
It wasn't scared.
It was understanding.
"…So it already started."
Somewhere in the city…
a girl who should have been normal…
was no longer thinking normally.
And she didn't even realize it yet.