Yuriko returned to school.
But something lingered in the air.
A whisper along her spine—
right before she saw who was sitting beside Acxell.
Tuesday morning.
The skies hung low, a dull grey stretching across the city.
The school buzzed with its usual rhythm—bells, shoes squeaking, faint chatter.
But to Yuriko, the world felt... altered.
Her body was still tired—
Not from illness.
But from a closeness that had gone too deep.
And stayed too long.
She walked toward her classroom in silence, eyes fixed on the floor.
"He's there… isn't he?"
The classroom door slid open.
And in that instant—
her breath caught.
Someone was sitting beside Acxell.
Not just anyone—
A girl.
New.
Poised.
Her posture was confident, her hair dipped in two shades, and her smile—
wasn't friendly.
It was a challenge.
Selena.
She was already looking.
Right at Yuriko.
As if she'd been waiting for her to enter.
Yuriko said nothing.
She walked to her desk—two seats away from Acxell's.
But for the first time since she'd known him…
she didn't look his way.
And Acxell noticed.
Selena leaned back in her chair, toying with the ends of her hair.
Her voice was soft—only Acxell could hear.
"Is that girl yours?"
"Or are you just… playing with her heart like a doll you're too scared to break?"
Acxell's eyes didn't flinch.
"She doesn't belong to anyone.
But if you try to take her—
you might lose something you didn't expect."
Selena chuckled softly.
"Loss is just the entrance fee…
for true domination."
[SYSTEM ALERT]
"YURIKO BOND REACTING: JEALOUSY SPIKE DETECTED"
CURRENT EMOTION: CONFUSION. INSECURITY. SILENT PROVOCATION.
TRIGGER: PRESENCE OF RIVAL + LACK OF EYE CONTACT FROM MC.
First Break.
Acxell stood up, heading for the rooftop—his usual retreat.
Yuriko saw him move.
She didn't call out.
But as she rose—
Selena was already at the door.
Arms crossed.
Leaning.
Waiting.
Acxell approached.
"Heading up?"
"Or still hiding from the old flame?"
He didn't respond.
And just then—
Yuriko passed by.
She stopped.
Her gaze met Selena's.
Not sharp.
Not scared.
Just… steady.
"You're new here?"
Selena smiled.
But it wasn't sweet.
"Yeah.
And I really like my seat.
The view's… stimulating."
Yuriko's voice stayed soft.
But her words—
landed.
"Views are only beautiful…
when they're not trying so hard to be seen."
Selena's smirk deepened.
Acxell hadn't even spoken—
and already, the air crackled.
Not with loud conflict.
This wasn't a fight between girls.
This was a duel of goddesses—
trading gravity, not punches.
[SYSTEM STATUS]
EMOTIONAL PRESSURE FIELD DETECTED: YURIKO VS SELENA
ACXELL CAUGHT IN PASSIVE TRIANGULATION EVENT
BONUS EXP POTENTIAL: HIGH
PENDING: SEDUCTION STAT +2 (IF INTERACTION ESCALATES)
And just like that—
The day moved on.
No one won.
But no one backed down.
Yuriko returned to class.
Silent.
Selena followed Acxell to the rooftop.
No touching.
Just words.
Psychological flirtation—layered and slow.
And Acxell?
He started to understand what Lilith meant that night.
"Don't chase their love."
"Let them build a love that becomes their own poison."
"If this heart belongs to him…
then why does it still feel empty—
whenever he smiles at someone else?"
Late afternoon.
Classes had ended.
But Yuriko didn't head home.
She sat alone beneath a sakura tree that had yet to bloom, hidden behind the school grounds.
The sky above was grey—
a mirror to her thoughts.
Her fingers clutched the edge of her skirt tightly.
"Why do I feel this way…?"
She tried to smile to herself.
Tried to reason.
"Didn't he say I mattered?"
"Didn't he say… I was important?"
But the image wouldn't leave her.
That girl.
Two-toned hair.
Sitting beside him—smirking, fearless, bold.
And Acxell?
He didn't push her away.
"If I'm not enough…"
"If I'm just the beginning of his story…"
"Then what… exactly… am I now?"
Her heart began to splinter—
quietly.
She didn't cry.
But her eyes blurred, the wetness forming without warning.
Then—
a breeze touched her cheek, soft as breath…
[SYSTEM ALERT – YURIKO EMOTIONAL SPIKE DETECTED]
EMOTION: ABANDONMENT + INSECURITY + DEEP ATTACHMENT
STATUS: BOND COMPRESSION THRESHOLD REACHED – UNSTABLE
POTENTIAL TRIGGER: "YURIKO REAWAKENING FLAG" UNLOCKED
She closed her eyes.
Her breathing shortened.
And in the stillness…
She spoke—
not with her lips, but with her heart.
"If I'm not enough… then let me become something he can never leave behind."
"No matter what it takes… I'm not giving him to anyone else."
A faint red glow shimmered at the tips of her fingers.
But she didn't notice.
Something long-dormant within her—
a system unawakened—
had begun to stir.
[HIDDEN SYSTEM AWAKENING DETECTED – "EMOTION ECHO CORE: POSSESSIVE LOVE"]
CONDITION MET: SILENT BOND DESPAIR
STAGE 1 UNLOCKED: HEARTBIND PULSE
→ GRANTS PASSIVE EMOTIONAL INTUITION WHENEVER A RIVAL BOND THREATENS THE CONNECTION
Yuriko opened her eyes.
Her hands trembled—
but not from fear.
From decision.
"I won't stay silent anymore."
And in that moment…
For the first time—
Yuriko began to change.
Not just stronger.
But braver.
Brave enough to love…
in defiance.