Narrator: Just when Aira thought the system couldn't get messier, an elegant ghost from Rein's past arrives Luma Renel, the girl the algorithm rejected. But what happens when a glitch blends jealousy with too much honesty and someone almost kisses someone else?
---
The moment Luma stepped into the sim, the temperature dropped by at least five degrees.
Not the actual weather—this wasn't real after all—but the atmosphere.
Aira felt it before she saw her.
A flicker. A shimmer. And then there she was.
Luma Renel.
Tall. Composed. Dressed in a navy-blue asymmetrical coat that probably cost more credits than Aira's entire wardrobe. Her expression? Like the world had tried to disappoint her once and failed.
Trailing behind her: a slim, violet-colored bot shaped like a crystalline fox.
YUNI.
"Luma Renel," LOVI announced, glitching slightly. "Former Compatibility Candidate. Rejected by central match AI."
Luma raised one perfectly curved brow. "I didn't *fail* the match, LOVI. I *rejected* the system's final verdict."
YUNI's voice was smooth, low-pitched, and slightly mocking. "She hacked her own breakup protocol. Legendary."
---
Rein froze when he saw her.
"Luma?"
"Hi, Rein," she said, too calmly.
Aira instinctively took a step closer to Rein without thinking.
Luma clocked it in a heartbeat.
"I see your new pair likes proximity," she said lightly, her gaze sweeping over Aira with the elegance of a scalpel.
Aira responded with a slow smile. "I tend to lean toward people when systems start to glitch."
"Admirable instinct," Luma said. "Though some glitches are self-inflicted."
Rein stepped between them before sparks turned into fire.
"Luma, what are you doing here?"
YUNI floated up beside her, scanning the room.
"This simulation is no longer on whitelist protocols. Luma inserted herself manually."
LOVI buzzed in panic. "Unauthorized intrusion."
"Relax," Luma said. "I'm not here to break the couple. I'm here to break the system."
---
They sat in the "Trust Café"—again—because the system loved forced metaphors.
Luma sat across from Rein. Aira chose the seat beside him without asking.
LOVI, SIPI, and YUNI hovered nearby like rival sports commentators.
Luma spoke first. "The algorithm is wrong."
Rein exhaled. "Still?"
YUNI projected a string of code midair. "Compatibility filters manipulate emotional output. They detect spikes, then feed targeted situations to reinforce attraction."
"Like that fake breakup test," Aira muttered.
"Exactly," Luma nodded. "You didn't miss each other. You were *made* to miss each other."
Rein frowned. "So what? All of this is scripted?"
"No," Luma said, "but it's weighted. Tilted. Like giving you cheat codes to fall in love with someone and then telling you it was fate."
Silence.
LOVI beeped. "Error rate increasing."
SIPI blinked. "System integrity unstable."
The walls shimmered.
The ceiling pixelated.
Then—
**Sim Overload Detected.**
**Emergency Reset in 30 seconds.**
---
Aira grabbed Rein's arm as the cafe dissolved into static.
"What's happening?"
"Too many overlapping triggers," Rein muttered. "Luma's presence, emotional conflict, conflicting protocol trees—it's collapsing."
They stumbled out into white light. The sky above flickered between blue and code.
LOVI yelled, "FALL BACK TO SAFE ZONE."
But then Aira tripped.
Rein caught her.
And for half a second, the world slowed down.
His hand on her waist. Her breath caught. Their faces inches apart.
"Aira—"
And then the sim reset exploded around them in a blinding burst.
---
They landed in separate chairs in a reset sim hub.
The kiss never happened.
But it almost had.
And that made it worse.
Rein stood up, running a hand through his hair.
Aira stayed frozen.
Across the room, Luma watched with the ghost of a smirk.
"That wasn't scripted," she said. "Was it?"
Aira didn't answer.
YUNI leaned in to Luma. "That girl's emotional signature is climbing."
"Good," Luma whispered. "Let's see how far we can push it."