There are moments the system doesn't remember. But a human... will feel them forever.
Night. 2:14 AM.
Selena lay in bed, eyes wide open.
The room was dark, but the light of her internal system still glowed faintly.
Holographic screens hovered mid-air — mission reports, Acxell's emotional levels, his skin temperature when she got too close, his heartbeat when he pushed her away.
Everything was recorded.
Everything measured.
Everything... watched.
But Selena wasn't looking at any of it.
She stared at the ceiling — blank, expressionless — and slowly raised a hand toward it.
"Just one night…"
She sat up and opened the system interface.
Code, alerts, warnings flickered across her view.
Then, she found the forbidden function:
[SUSPEND ACTIVE MONITORING MODE – TEMPORARY]
⚠️ Warning: System functions will reduce by 66% for 30 minutes.
Actions taken during this time will not be logged or transmitted to Valestra's central system.
"Don't do this… But if I don't feel tonight, I won't know who I am tomorrow."
She tapped it.
The glow vanished.
The system fell silent.
And for the first time in forever — the room was completely still. No voices. No surveillance. Just the dark.
She stepped out wearing only a grey hoodie. No system uniform. No status interface.
Her hair was tied loosely. Her steps were soft.
She walked out —
To the back of the school, near the fence.
A small, quiet place.
The same place Acxell once sat alone, before anyone knew who he was.
She sat there now.
Eyes closed.
Breathing calm.
"Is this what life feels like without the system?"
"No data. No control. No guaranteed victory…"
She inhaled deeply.
"...and I like it."
Then — footsteps.
Crunching on gravel.
She opened her eyes.
Acxell.
He walked slowly, earphones hanging around his neck.
He saw her — and paused.
"What are you doing here?"
"Walking."
He gave a small smile.
"Most people don't walk around alone this late."
"Exactly. I wanted to feel like someone... different."
They stood there for a moment — the air cool and quiet between them.
Acxell pulled off one earphone, holding it out.
"You listen to music?"
"Never. The system always filters it out."
"And now?"
"Now... I feel human."
They sat together, backs resting against the cold metal fence.
No system.
No pressure.
No agenda.
Just two people — with nothing to say, and no need to say anything.
The song playing:
"Somewhere Only We Know."
Not romantic. Not intense.
But Selena... smiled.
Not a seductive smile.
Just a quiet one —
A smile the system didn't record.
"If I wasn't someone's avatar…
Do you think we'd still have met?"
Acxell didn't answer right away.
He looked at her — deeply.
And after a pause, he said:
"I don't know."
"But tonight… I think we met like real people."
And time ran out.
30 minutes.
The interface flickered back to life.
[MONITORING MODE REINITIATED]
WARNING: DATA GAP DETECTED. SYSTEM INTEGRITY AT 98%.
VALESTRA ACCESS – TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED (PENDING AUDIT)
Selena stood up. Pulled her hoodie tighter.
"I have to go."
"Will I see you tomorrow?"
She smiled.
"Depends on who shows up." "Me… or the thing inside me."
She walked away.
Acxell remained.
The song still played.
But only one of them heard it. And only one soul remembered that moment:
Selena.