Math class was never Elias's strong point. It wasn't that he couldn't understand it—he could—but after fifteen minutes of numbers and formulas, his brain decided it had better things to do, like counting ceiling tiles or wondering if he had enough leftovers at home to avoid cooking tonight.
Halfway through solving a problem on the board, something strange happened.
A soft, melodic ding rang in his head.
Elias blinked and glanced around. No one else reacted—no phone alarms, no laptop notifications. Just the usual scratching of pencils and the teacher's droning voice.
Then, a calm, genderless voice echoed inside his skull.
Boundless Intimacy: [Welcome, Host. AP acquisition enabled.]
Elias froze. "…What?"
He half-whispered the word without realizing, and from the desk beside him, Takumi leaned over.
"You good? You look like you just realized the cafeteria ran out of fried chicken."
"Yeah," Elias muttered, forcing his pen to move again. "Just… heard something weird."
The voice returned, unbothered by his confusion.
Boundless Intimacy: [Accrue Affinity Points (AP) through specific interactions. Exchange AP for skills and enhancements.]
Elias scratched his temple. Great. Either I've finally snapped, or I've got a subscription to the world's weirdest ASMR channel.
He tried to question it silently: Specific interactions? What does that mean?
The reply was annoyingly vague.
Boundless Intimacy: [Details… not necessary right now.]
The rest of the class was a blur. Elias kept waiting for the voice to return, but it stayed quiet. By the final bell, he'd almost convinced himself he'd imagined it.
Almost.
As they left school together, Takumi was in full chatter mode about some new RPG update. Elias nodded along, eyes scanning the street.
A woman in her late twenties walked past, phone in one hand, shopping bag in the other. She had that composed elegance that came with age—sharp blazer, neat hair, a subtle perfume that lingered in the air as she passed.
The voice chimed again.
Boundless Intimacy: [Minor Affinity gain: +5 AP.]
Elias nearly tripped. Takumi caught him by the sleeve.
"Whoa—careful. You get distracted that easily when you see an older woman?"
"Not distracted," Elias said quickly. "Just… curious."
They split ways, and Elias ducked into a convenience store for an energy drink. As he paid, he whispered under his breath, "So, what's the deal? I just… see someone, and you give me points?"
Boundless Intimacy: [Points require interaction. That instance met minimum threshold.]
"Minimum threshold," he repeated dryly. "Sounds like a dating app's rejection email."
No answer.
Back at his apartment, he tossed his bag aside and flopped into his chair. His laptop sat open, still on a paused drama he'd been watching the night before. He thought for a moment, then decided to test something.
He pictured the voice in his head. Can I… spend points?
A translucent blue panel flickered into view in the air in front of him. Elias jerked back in his chair.
[Boundless Intimacy – Shop]
Focus Boost (20 AP): Temporarily increases mental clarity and memory retention for 12 hours.
Quick Recovery (50 AP): Slightly accelerates physical healing.
Calm Presence (30 AP): Makes others more comfortable around you.
Keen Observation (40 AP): Improves ability to notice details in surroundings.
Elias whistled. "Okay… this is either a hallucination, or the best scam I've ever fallen for."
He had 5 AP. Not enough for even the cheapest upgrade. Figures.
Still… this was real. Or real enough to change things.
The next day, he walked into school with an idea. He wasn't going to obsess over it—he'd just live his life as usual and see what happened. If points came, they came.
At lunch, under the sakura tree, Takumi eyed his oddly focused expression. "You plotting something?"
"Just… experimenting," Elias said.
"With what?"
"My life."
Takumi rolled his eyes. "Man, you've been weird since yesterday."
Elias smirked, leaning back against the tree. Weird? Sure. But if this thing works the way I think… life's about to get a lot more interesting.