The announcement came during homeroom, blasting through the school-wide holograms:
> SYSTEM NOTICE:
LP COMPATIBILITY TRIAL – CLASS 1-A
Pairs will be randomly selected to demonstrate real-time emotional resonance.
Top scorers win immunity from LP drops for one week.
Groans, cheers, and scattered panic rippled through the class.
Luna blinked. "Wait. What's a compatibility trial?"
Kai Min, twirling his pen, snorted. "Basically, forced flirting with science. Should be fun to watch you short-circuit."
---
Trial Grounds – Later That Day
Students were paired off and flung into absurd mini-games—everything from romantic charades to "build-a-date-in-5-minutes" scenarios. LP spikes and drops lit the scoreboard like fireworks.
Luna got paired with…
Riven.
He grinned as they stood awkwardly beside a holographic kitchen. "Wanna bake a cake together?"
"Only if I get to throw flour at your face," Luna muttered.
"Bold," he said. "I like it."
Midway through whisking, Luna somehow dropped an egg, slipped on it, and caught the mixing bowl with her face.
The class erupted with laughter. Even Bella Choi choked on her smoothie.
Luna sputtered, hair full of flour. "I hate this system."
Riven? Dying of laughter. Then he grabbed a strawberry, placed it on top of the chaos-cake, and deadpanned, "Perfect. Just like us."
Ping!
> +8 LP
Audience Laughter + Emotional Bonding: Mild
Luna rolled her eyes. "I hate that that worked."
---
Back in the Hallway
Trial over, Luna tried to sneak away before the next wave of attention hit—but Riven caught up to her.
"Hey."
She turned.
He rubbed the back of his neck. "You're weird. But fun. And fearless. And I've never seen someone weaponize cake failure like that."
Luna blinked. "Thanks… I think?"
Riven held up a small holographic card—digital flowers bloomed from it.
"Wanna go out sometime? Like, not for points. Just for... you know. You."
Her heart skipped.
Before she could answer—
"Ahem."
She turned. Leejun stood a few feet away, immaculate as always.
"I heard about the trial," he said. "You were... messy. But oddly effective."
"Thanks?"
He stepped closer, gaze unreadable. "Tonight's my birthday. I'm inviting a few people to my dorm suite. But I want you to come."
Pause.
"To talk," he added quickly. "About our... LP resonance. And possibly cake. If you're still into that."
Luna stood frozen.
Riven raised an eyebrow. "Wow. Birthday invite and a system strategy session? You really know how to sweep a girl off her feet."
Leejun didn't flinch. "At least I didn't cover her in eggs."
Luna looked between them, torn, flustered—and maybe a little amused.
Ping.
> +12 LP
Source: Mutual Attention Spike
She sighed. "Do I at least get a slice of normal in this school?"
Both boys answered at once:
"No."