The digital glow of the system flickered into existence before Riku's barely-opened eyes, words hovering sharp against the dim light filtering through his blinds.
[Questline: Intimate Bond Required.]
[Progression Stalled.]
Riku groaned, rolling onto his side and throwing the blanket over his head. "No. Not doing it," he muttered into the pillow.
He wasn't about to let some freaky ghost-god software bully him into acting out its twisted little mission. He'd kissed Junko already, touched her when he shouldn't have—that was more than enough. For now, he needed space to think.
"Yeah, maybe if I don't move forward, it'll just… stall. Or reset. Or disappear." His voice was hoarse, but he clung to the thought as if saying it out loud could make it true.
The memory of the "Soul Erosion Simulation" tried to creep back into his mind—the way his body had crumbled to ash, the sheer agony of it—but he pushed it down, convincing himself it had just been a scare tactic. "Smoke and mirrors. Just fear porn. They can't actually… do anything."
Satisfied with his rationalization, he dragged himself out of bed.
The hours that followed were dull in a way that almost felt liberating.
Riku forced himself through normal routines. He boiled noodles, chopped up the green onions Junko had shoved into his basket yesterday, and stirred them into the pot. It wasn't gourmet, but it smelled decent.
He sat cross-legged on the floor, eating while watching old sitcom reruns on the tiny TV in his room. The canned laughter washed over him, and for the first time in days, he almost felt like his old self.
He even pulled out his phone and lost an hour to some idle game, tapping away at the glowing screen while the system stayed silent.
By late afternoon, he leaned back in his chair and smirked. "See? Nothing happened. I knew it was just bluffing." He cracked open a soda, the hiss of carbonation like a little victory fanfare. "Screw your system. I'm not your puppet."
For a brief, shining moment, he even believed it.
It started with a bead of sweat rolling down his temple.
At first, Riku thought it was just the warm afternoon, or maybe the crappy ventilation in his room. But then his pulse spiked hard in his chest, like he'd sprinted five blocks.
He wiped his forehead, but more sweat followed, trickling down the side of his neck. His skin flushed, heat spreading like wildfire through every nerve.
He staggered to the bathroom sink, splashing cold water on his face. The relief lasted half a second before his reflection blurred in the mirror. His pupils were dilated, his breathing ragged.
And then the thoughts hit him.
Junko's lips pressing back against his.
Her breathy gasp when his hand had brushed her breast.
The faint scent of her hair when she leaned close in the hallway.
The memories looped like a broken record, sharper and hotter each time until his entire body ached with want.
A new notification burned across his vision.
[Warning: Declining Path. Punishment Active – Libido Overload.]
Riku's grip slipped on the sink, knuckles white. "Y-you've gotta be kidding me," he rasped.
He tried to fight it. He sat on the cold bathroom tiles, head between his knees, forcing himself to think of anything else—soccer scores, ramen flavors, tax paperwork. It didn't matter. Each attempt was drowned beneath the flood of images: Junko bending over with groceries, Junko laughing softly to herself, Junko biting her lip as she hid the faintest smile.
The sound of her voice drifted faintly through the wall—maybe she was on the phone with another tenant. To Riku, it was like someone had poured gasoline onto the fire already raging inside him.
Every syllable was a spark, and every spark shot straight down his spine.
"Sh-shit… this is hell," he hissed, collapsing back onto the floor, chest heaving. "This is actual… hell."
Riku staggered back into his bedroom, collapsing face-first into the mattress. His body shook, fever-slick with sweat, every nerve screaming with unbearable pressure.
"This is hell," he muttered into the sheets, voice cracked. He clawed at the fabric, twisting it between his fingers until his knuckles went white. His hips ground helplessly against the bed, instinct clawing through every attempt to suppress it.
"No, no, no… I can fight this," he whispered, but the words rang hollow. The heat only climbed higher, crushing him beneath its weight until he was gasping like a drowning man.
His vision shimmered, the system's text burning itself across his eyes.
[Refusal beyond this point will result in permanent stat degradation.]
[Accept mission parameters to end punishment.]
Riku's heart lurched. "Stat degradation…?"
The meaning hit him like a gut punch. It wasn't just temporary pain. If he kept resisting, the system would permanently break him down.
His body seized in another wave of burning lust, and he finally snapped.
"Fine!" he roared, teeth bared as he arched against the sheets. "I'll do it! I'll keep going—just stop this already!"
The system's glow pulsed once, as though acknowledging a command.
Instantly, the fire drained from his veins. The fever broke in a rush, leaving him limp and drenched in cold sweat. His chest heaved, lungs dragging in air like he'd been running for hours.
[Questline Reactivated: Intimate Bond.]
[Timer Resumes: 110 Hours Remaining.]
The calm hum of the system mocked him, so casual, so detached, like none of the torment had happened at all.
Riku lay there, staring up at the ceiling, the damp pillow cool against his cheek. His hands shook as he whispered, "There's no way out. No bypassing. No stalling… only forward."
For the first time, he understood the full weight of the trap he'd stepped into.
And then—
KNOCK KNOCK.
His body stiffened.
"Riku?" Junko's voice carried through the thin door, sharp but tinged with concern. "Are you in there? You sound weird."
Riku's eyes went wide, panic spiking as sweat dripped from his temple. He scrambled silently upright, still trembling.
The system flickered across his vision one last time:
[Opportunity Detected.]
The glow hung in the dark room as Junko knocked again, her silhouette faint beneath the crack of the doorframe.
And Riku froze, caught between the woman outside and the glowing chains of the system inside his mind.