I didn't sleep after that. How could I? Having a "Celestial Roulette" wheel spinning in your subconscious is better—or worse—than a double shot of espresso. I spent the remaining hours of the night staring at the ceiling, my mind racing faster than the heart monitor beside me.
The "Eyes of the Beholder" skill felt like a heavy weight behind my pupils. It wasn't just a cheat; it was a weapon. If I could see what people regretted most, I didn't need to seduce them with cheap lines or my "perfect" physique. I could dismantle them. I could become exactly what they needed—or their worst nightmare.
If I play this right, I mused, I won't just be the king of the hallway. I'll be the puppet master of the whole damn district.
Around 4:00 AM, the night nurse walked in to check my vitals. It was the same woman from earlier, the one with the dark cloud over her head. Her name tag read "Nurse Miller." She looked exhausted, her hair pulled into a messy bun that had seen better days.
[ TARGET IDENTIFIED: NURSE MILLER ]
[ REGRET: NEVER TOLD HER FATHER SHE FORGAVE HIM. ]
[ CURRENT STATE: OVERWORKED / EMOTIONALLY BRITTLE ]
"Still awake, Mr. Chaycer?" she asked, her voice a flat, professional drone. "You need your rest if you're going to be discharged this afternoon."
She reached for my arm to check the IV, her movements mechanical. I looked at her, really looked at her, using the new skill. A faint, hazy image shimmered near her shoulder—a blurred memory of an old man in a hospital bed much like mine.
"Nurse Miller," I said softly. I didn't use my usual "Hey, baby" tone. I made it sound grounded, almost weary. "Do you ever feel like... even when you're in a room full of people, you're the only one carrying a specific weight?"
She paused, her hand hovering over the tape on my arm. She looked at me, a flicker of humanity breaking through her tired expression. "It's a hospital, Lucas. Everyone is carrying something. Why do you ask?"
"I don't know," I lied, the System's voice humming a faint approval in my ear. "I just had a dream about my parents. About the things I never got to say. I guess I'm just realizing that some silence is louder than others. Especially the silence we keep with people who are gone."
The air in the room shifted. Nurse Miller's eyes welled up instantly. She didn't sob, but a single tear traced a path through her foundation. She sat down on the edge of the guest chair, for a moment forgetting she was on the clock.
"My dad," she whispered, her voice cracking. "He was a difficult man. We hadn't talked in three years. When the call came... I thought I had more time to be angry. I thought I had more time to let it go."
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: GENUINE EMOTIONAL TENSION DETECTED. ]
[ LUST ESSENCE HARVESTED: +15 LP. ]
I felt a small, warm spark of energy hit my chest. It wasn't sexual, but it was potent. It felt cleaner than the usual rush I got from a quick session in a broom closet.
"Time is a thief, Nurse," I said, leaning back. "But forgiveness isn't for the dead. It's for us. I bet he knew, anyway. Dads usually do."
She wiped her eyes, giving me a look that wasn't full of the usual "look at this handsome kid" lust. It was gratitude. Pure, unfiltered connection.
"You're a strange boy, Lucas Chaycer," she said, standing up and smoothing her scrubs. "Most people say you're a troublemaker. But maybe you just see too much."
She finished her rounds with a much gentler touch, even sneaking me an extra chocolate pudding cup from the staff fridge before she left.
[ MISSION PROGRESS: REDEEM REPUTATION — NURSE MILLER NOW VIEWS YOU AS 'SOULFUL' RATHER THAN 'SYPHILITIC'. ]
[ REWARD: +5 CHARISMA ]
I ate the pudding, grinning to myself. This is it, I thought. The system doesn't just want me to be a 'Lust Fiend' in the bedroom. It wants me to dominate the emotional landscape.
I started plotting. Step one: Use the "Eyes" on Mrs. Adams to find out why she's really obsessed with me. Step two: Find out Kit's regret—because that's the only way I'll ever control her again. Step three: Survive school without getting punched by every guy I've ever cuckolded.
"System," I whispered as the sun began to peek over the horizon. "How many Lust Points for that 'Pheromone Control' skill?"
[ 2,000 LP, HOST. YOU ARE CURRENTLY AT 15. ]
"Right. Well, Rokehurst High is full of regrets," I said, swinging my legs out of bed. "I think it's time I go on a harvesting trip."