didn't sleep.
I lay on the edge of the bed, staring at the faint glow of the city through the curtains, every breath shallow and controlled. The room was quiet—too quiet.
06:12:48
The countdown hovered in my vision, unmoving.
It had stopped the moment the system declared the evaluation "passed."
That alone terrified me more than the pain ever had.
"What happens now?" I asked silently.
For the first time since my rebirth, the system hesitated.
[Query received.]
Processing…
I sat up slowly.
That pause wasn't supposed to happen.
"You never hesitate," I whispered. "So why now?"
No immediate punishment came.
No pain.
Only silence.
Behind me, the bed shifted.
"You're awake," his voice said, low and alert.
I turned my head.
He was watching me—fully awake, eyes sharp, posture tense. He hadn't slept either.
"How long have you been awake?" he asked.
"All night," I said truthfully.
"Funny," he replied. "So have I."
The air between us tightened.
I could feel it then—an invisible pressure, subtle but unmistakable. Not from him.
From the system.
[Warning:]
Host emotional deviation detected.
There it was.
"You're watching," I said internally. "Aren't you?"
[Response:]
Observation has never ceased.
My fingers clenched into the sheets.
"So tell me," I demanded, "what rule did you not tell me?"
The system was quiet for exactly three seconds.
Then—
[Rule Disclosure:]
Once trust dependency is established, the host's survival probability becomes linked to Subject A-01's emotional state.
My blood ran cold.
"…What?"
[Clarification:]
If Subject A-01 perceives betrayal, rejection, or emotional loss, penalty protocols may activate.
I stared at nothing, my heart pounding violently.
"You didn't say that," I whispered.
Behind me, he shifted again. "Say what?"
I swallowed hard.
Nothing happened.
No pain.
The system didn't stop me.
That was when I understood.
It wasn't that I couldn't tell him.
It was that I wasn't allowed to tell him the right thing.
And for the first time since my rebirth, I was certain of one thing:
The system had lied.