*Achoo!*
Akari sneezed, her body slightly trembling against Eric's chest.
After they stopped moving and their bodies began to cool down, the room no longer felt as hot as it did during the deed, especially with their sweat slowly cooling across their skin.
"Let's get dressed. You'll catch a cold if you stay like that, plus our booking time is almost up," Eric voiced his concern.
Hearing the suggestion, Akari lifted her head and rested her chin on his chest, gazing up at him while still lying down.
"We're going home?" Akari asked with a soft, pleading expression, still hesitant about parting ways.
She lay completely bare on top of him, her breasts pressed against his abs and her hands cushioning her head as she gazed up at him.
Eric paused a bit before replying, staring at the ceiling.
"...Well, not necessarily. We could stop by a few other places before heading home, maybe a dine out or something," he suggested.
Akari's face lit up at his words. "Really!?" she exclaimed, not even waiting for a reply as she quickly got up and began picking up her clothes scattered all over.
Eric sat up as well and began to dress himself, moving with a calmness that contrasted Akari's excitement.
'I don't know how to handle this. I can't just ignore her feelings after everything, but there's no way I can tell her I did it because a system told me to—that's way too crazy.'
Eric glanced at Akari, who was buttoning her top and humming to herself, and couldn't help but find her adorable in that moment. Her cheerful demeanor, combined with the remnants of their shared experience, made her look genuinely radiant.
'Maybe I should make things official with Akari. It's not like I intend to stay single forever; I was just waiting until I became successful. But given the current situation, it doesn't seem like a bad idea. In fact, it feels like the only solution.'
[CAUTION CAUTION CAUTION
The host is strongly advised against engaging in a serious relationship with any of the main quests after their progress reaches maximum levels.]
"What the fuck! You scared me! Stop appearing out of nowhere like that!"
A small window appeared briefly before being overshadowed by another window.
[Scaredy cat]_____[The host is advised to reconsider.]
'What's the problem with—Hey! I saw that!'
[Although there are no established rules regarding this matter, such precautions are provided to ensure the host's survival for as long as possible.]
'Now you're making it sound like Akari is some kind of dangerous animal.'
[The precaution applies not just to a single main quest but to all of them. Once a main quest is maxed out, the host can no longer belong to an individual but becomes part of the community as a whole.]
'So you're saying I should date all of them at the same time?.'
[That is also not possible, as it may lead to conflicts between the main quests.
Reminder: Yanderes are meant to be controlled. Placing yourself on equal footing with a yandere significantly increases the risk of backlash.]
'Now you're just making things even more confusing,' Eric thought, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"I'm all set, let's go," Akari said, fully dressed in her uniform, though a few strands of her front hair clung to her forehead from the lingering sweat.
Eric nodded and led the way out of the room, with Akari following close behind, her footsteps soft as they walked side by side.
"Oh, wait," Akari suddenly stopped just outside the door. "I forgot my purse," she said, quickly turning back and re-entering the room.
As she entered the room, Akari swiftly bent down near the base of the screen, discreetly retrieving a hidden camera, no larger than a coin, that had been carefully placed there.
'Though it might be a bit pricey, it's definitely going to be worth it,' she thought, a strange smile creeping across her face.
. . .
At around half past seven, Eric entered his house, greeted his mother and Nana, who were tending to their indoor plants in the hallway, and headed straight to his room.
He flipped the switch, revealing his spacious room, tossed his bag onto the study table, and flopped face down onto his bed, letting out a deep sigh.
'The rest of the date went smoothly. We hit the arcade, visited a cake shop, and explored a few more places. Akari acted like any typical high school girl, but I still couldn't shake the feeling of unease about the system's warning regarding her.'
'Fortunately, she didn't mention anything about us being together, but I know she'll bring it up eventually. I need to figure things out before that happens.'
'System, what exactly are these "fate strikes?"'
[Fate Strikes are a new type of reward generated by the system after adapting to the host's desires.
You will receive a reward and can destroy it to generate another, costing you one strike.
You may continue this process until you obtain your desired reward or run out of strikes.]
After reading the contents of the rewards carefully, Eric shot up from his bed, pumping his fist into the air with a grin.
"Yes, finally a non-sexual reward!" he celebrated quietly.
He felt things were finally heading in a brighter direction after going rogue for so long.
Unbeknownst to him, every sound, breath, and grunt was being carefully monitored through his newly won arcade keychain.
He had severely underestimated the nature of a Yandere, relying far too much on the supposed safety of the danger zones.
______________
[ANTAGONIST SYSTEM
NAME: ERIC DAWSON
AGE: 16
STRENGTH: 58
INTELLIGENCE: 47
LUCK: 18
CHARM: 68
ACTIVE QUEST 4/5
AKARI REI: 100% ( YANDERE SYSTEM INITIATED)
MIDORI SAITO: 43%
KEIKO KITAGAWA: 29%
EMILY WALTON: 42%
( Confiscated rewards will be available in a 50% completion of any other main quest)
]