I stood on the maglev platform, watching Emiâs train disappear into the distance. Her face fading behind tinted glass, palm pressed against the window. The last rays of sunset painted the tracks in shades of orange and gold, and for a moment, I felt... lighter.
What the hell was that?
I couldnât even deny it to myself. Iâd enjoyed today. Actually enjoyed it. Not as Satori playing a role, not as Kaelen executing a plan, but as... whoever I was becoming in this strange new world.
My phone buzzed with Emiâs message. I read it and felt a genuine smile form on my face as I typed my response.
Youâre worth waiting for too. Sleep well, Emi.
And she was worth waiting for, in the most practical sense. Her healing Aspect would be invaluable to my plans. A logical acquisition.
So why did logical feel like a fucking cop-out right now?
I pocketed my phone and turned toward the train that would take me home. As I settled into my seat, the city spread out beneath me like a circuit board sprinkled with stars, I couldnât stop replaying moments from the day. Her laughter when I put on that ridiculous straw hat. The way her eyes lit up when I actually remembered details about her familyâs restaurant. That shocked, breathless look when I first kissed her.
A memory flashed, unbidden and sharp as broken glass. Takashi Ibuki, a Yamaguchi lieutenant. Cold-blooded killer whoâd executed rivals without blinking. Until he met a civilian girl who worked at a bookstore. Within months, he was talking about getting out, going straight. The old men mocked him behind his back, called him neutered.
Two weeks later, a rival family grabbed the girl. Takashi walked straight into the trap to save her. They put three bullets in his head while she watched. Then they killed her too.
Thatâs what attachment gets you in this game. A closed casket.
DING!
The Systemâs notification appeared in my vision, a cool blue screen materializing before me.
[+15 Schema Points for âLeading on the Cinnamon Rollâ]
I blinked at the words, and just like that, reality snapped back into focus. My genuine enjoyment was irrelevant. The result was what mattered, and the result was perfect. Iâd established a connection, created dependence, and done it all without making concrete promises. Textbook, indeed.
I leaned back in my seat, the ghost of my smile transforming into something harder, more familiar. A predatorâs smile.
Emi Aoyama would be mine. I would make her so completely addicted to the validation and affection I provided that when the time came to reveal the truthâthat she would need to share meâit wouldnât be a dealbreaker. It would be a price she was willing to pay to stay in my orbit.
The train glided to a stop at my station. I checked my phone once more: 9:43 PM. No messages from Natalia or my "parents." Perfect. If luck was on my side, maybe Iâd have some quiet time to myself before dealing with Nataliaâs inevitable jealousy over the dayâs events.
Luck, as it turned out, had left the building.
The moment I stepped into the condo, everything felt wrong. The air was differentâheavier, charged with something I couldnât name but recognized all the same. The lights were dim, almost all off except for the faint glow from the kitchen. No sounds of movement, no TV, no casual greeting.
Just silence. Dead silence.
Every survival instinct Iâd developed on Tokyoâs streets screamed one word:
Ambush
.
I slipped off my shoes and padded into the living room. The panoramic windows offered a stunning nighttime view of New Vein City, the lights of skyscrapers and hovering vehicles creating a sea of stars below us. Against this backdrop sat a silhouette on our couch.
Natalia.
She was curled up in the corner of the sofa, illuminated only by the city lights and the cold blue glow of her phone screen. Sheâd changed since this morning. The baggy sweats and tank top were gone, replaced by a black silk camisole and matching shorts that clung to every curve of her body. Her hair was down, slightly tousled, like sheâd been running her fingers through it.
She looked ready for bed. Or war. I couldnât tell which.
I flicked on a lamp.
CLICK.
Nataliaâs head snapped up, eyes locking onto mine. Those blue irises had turned to chips of glacial ice, cold and unforgiving.
Then it happened. Her nostrils flared slightly. Once. Twice. She took a slow, deliberate sniff of the air, her eyes never leaving mine.
And I knew.
The sweet, floral scent of Emiâs perfume clung to my jacket. A scent so different from Nataliaâs preferred citrus notes that it might as well have been a neon sign flashing "ANOTHER WOMAN WAS HERE."
"Did you have fun..." Nataliaâs voice was silk-wrapped venom, "on your
date
?"
I dropped my keys into the ceramic bowl on the entry table with a loud
CLATTER
that seemed to shatter the brittle quiet.
"You should be more careful when youâre tailing someone, Princess." My voice was dangerously soft. "Your silhouette is... distinctive. Especially when youâre trying to hide behind a holographic soda ad."
The mask of cold fury on Nataliaâs face shattered. Her eyes widened, lips parting in shock. A flush spread from her cheeks down to her neck.
"I wasnâtâI didnâtâ I have no idea what youâre talking about."
"Really?" I circled the couch like a shark, trailing my fingers along the back of it. "So that wasnât you in the hoodie and baseball cap outside Cloud 9? Or skulking near the fountain when we passed Elysian Threads?" I paused, directly behind her now. "Or watching through the window when I helped Emi pick out clothing?"
Nataliaâs breath hitched, her shoulders tensing. She was caught, and she knew it.
"Your surveillance was sloppy," I continued, moving around to face her again. "And your lack of faith is... disappointing. It requires correction. A lesson in self-control."
I reached into my jacket pocket and pulled out a small, clear bottle.
Click
. I popped the top. Inside were five small, shimmering pink pills. I shook one into my palm.
[APHRODITEâS VIRILITY PILL]