Ryuto awoke to an odd discomfort, squinting against the morning light that poured through his window. Something hard was poking at his back, and with a groan, he shifted, reaching under himself only to find his smartphone. It had somehow ended up under his butt during the night. He rolled over and sat up, rubbing his eyes as the device powered on.
"Ugh, I must've slept on it all night," he muttered groggily.
As soon as the phone booted up, his eyes widened. The Dating App was open.
A chill ran down his spine. The last thing he remembered was checking his stats before bed, but now the screen displayed Elena's profile, and next to her smiling face was the number 100.
Affection: 100.
"Wait… what?!" Ryuto's voice cracked in panic. He hadn't touched the app, at least not consciously, and now Elena's affection had reached the maximum level.
Suddenly, a warning flashed across the screen in bright red letters:
"WARNING: Affection Level at MAX. Dangerous Behavior Expected."
Ryuto's heart skipped a beat as another message popped up:
"To reverse dangerous affection, you must create and use the potion called 'Delimiter.' If not undone within 24 hours, the affection will become permanent."
His breath caught in his throat. Permanent? That meant he'd be stuck with Elena's obsessive attention forever unless he acted quickly. Ryuto stared at the phone, his mind racing. He had to make this Delimiter potion, and fast.
After a quick breakfast, Ryuto checked the ingredients list on his phone for the Delimiter potion. The system provided him with detailed instructions, listing items like Silverleaf Petals, Dawnroot, and the Claw of a Dire Bear.
"Great," he muttered sarcastically. "A bear claw? Seriously?"
Just as he was about to sneak out of the house, a familiar voice called from outside the front door.
"Ryuto? Are you in there?" Elena's voice was sweet, but there was an edge to it that made his stomach twist. She sounded… intense.
Ryuto peeked out the window and saw Elena standing by the gate, glancing around as if searching for him. Her eyes held a wild gleam, and she was clearly not leaving any time soon. If she caught him now, there was no telling what she'd do with affection maxed out.
"Crap!" Ryuto hissed. He couldn't afford to let her see him.
Quickly, he slipped out the back of the house, making sure to stay low as he dashed through the gardens and into the woods behind the estate. He needed to find the ingredients fast and stay out of sight.
The Northern Woods were dense, but Ryuto knew the lay of the land well enough. He tracked down the Silverleaf Petals in a shaded glen, easily harvesting a few flowers and stashing them in his bag. Next on the list was Dawnroot, which he found near a stream. So far, things were going smoothly.
But as he ventured deeper into the forest, searching for the Dire Bear, he felt the familiar chill of being watched. His heartbeat quickened.
"Ryuto~!"
Elena's voice echoed through the trees, sending a shiver down his spine. How had she found him so quickly?
He ducked behind a tree, crouching low as he listened. The crunch of leaves under her feet drew closer, and Ryuto could practically feel the desperation in her voice as she called his name again.
"I can smell you, Ryuto!" Elena said sweetly, her voice almost a purr. "You can't hide from me~!"
Ryuto's breath caught. She could smell him? He had to move, fast. He broke into a sprint, running deeper into the woods, his mind racing with panic. If Elena caught him now, there was no telling what she would do.
Just as Ryuto thought he had gained some distance, a loud roar ripped through the forest. He skidded to a stop, eyes widening as a massive Dire Bear appeared from behind the trees. Its hulking frame towered over the forest floor, and its claws glinted in the dappled sunlight.
"Of course," Ryuto groaned. "A bear. Just what I needed."
With no time to think, Ryuto charged up his magic. Flames burst to life around his hands, and he let loose a fireball at the bear. The creature roared in pain but wasn't finished. It lunged at him, swiping with its massive claws. Ryuto ducked just in time, the bear's attack leaving a deep gouge in the tree behind him.
With one final, desperate blast of magic, Ryuto scorched the bear's chest, and it collapsed to the ground, defeated. Panting, Ryuto approached the creature, retrieving the Dire Bear claw.
"I hope this is worth it," he muttered, pocketing the claw and heading back toward the town.
Ryuto wasn't far from Roland's house when Elena found him again. She burst out of the trees, her eyes wild and locked onto him like a predator.
"Ryuto!" she cried, her voice trembling with emotion. "I've been looking everywhere for you! I… I have to tell you something."
Ryuto froze. He had nowhere to run, and she was too close now. His heart pounded in his chest as Elena approached, her eyes shining with a fevered intensity.
"I love you, Ryuto!" she blurted out, her cheeks flushed. "I've never felt this way about anyone before. I want to be with you, forever! I want to have all your babies!"
Ryuto's blood ran cold. Babies? This was getting out of hand, no, it had already gone too far.
"Uh… wow. That's… great," Ryuto stammered, taking a step back. "But I really have to, "
"No! Don't leave me!" Elena cried, lunging forward. Ryuto bolted, running as fast as his legs would carry him. He didn't dare look back, but he could hear her footsteps pounding behind him, getting closer with every second.
By the time Ryuto reached Roland's house, he was out of breath. He burst through the door, slamming it shut behind him.
"Roland!" Ryuto shouted, leaning against the door. "I need your help, now!"
Roland, looking bewildered, came rushing in. "What's going on? Why are you out of breath?"
"Elena, she's obsessed with me! I need to make this potion before she, "
There was a loud bang as Elena started pounding on the door, her voice muffled but full of emotion. "Ryuto, let me in! I know you're in there!"
"We need to hurry," Ryuto said, his voice frantic. "Help me make this potion!"
The two boys rushed to the kitchen, throwing the ingredients into a pot and following the system's instructions. The room filled with the pungent scent of herbs and magic as the potion began to take shape. Ryuto glanced nervously at the door as it rattled again, this time harder.
"Elena's going to break the door down!" Roland whispered, his eyes wide with fear.
As the final drop of liquid fell into the mixture, the potion let off a faint glow. It was done.
"Open the door!" Ryuto ordered, grabbing the vial.
Roland hesitated for a second before flinging the door open. Elena came barreling in, her eyes wide and desperate as she immediately wrapped her arms around Ryuto, pressing her body against his and kissing him aggressively all over his neck and shoulders.
"Ryuto, I love you! I've been waiting all day to, "
"Elena!" Ryuto interrupted, trying to keep his cool despite the awkward and uncomfortable situation. "I, I made you something! A drink! It's, uh… special. Just for you!"
Elena blinked, her lips hovering dangerously close to his cheek. "A drink? For me?"
"Yeah," Ryuto said, shoving the potion toward her. "You should drink it. Now."
Without hesitation, Elena grabbed the vial and downed its contents in one gulp. Almost immediately, her eyes fluttered, and she collapsed to the floor, fast asleep.
Ryuto let out a long, shaky breath as he got a notification from his system:
"Affection Points may now be lowered."
He quickly opened the app and dropped Elena's affection to 20.
Elena woke up groggy and confused, sitting up slowly as she looked around the room. "W-What happened? Why am I here?"
Roland and Ryuto exchanged a glance, trying to come up with a story. "You, uh… fainted," Roland blurted out. "From exhaustion! Yeah, you've been working too hard."
Elena blinked a few times, clearly dazed. "I… guess that makes sense. I should probably get back to the guild."
As soon as she left, the two boys collapsed in relief.
"That was too close," Roland muttered, wiping sweat from his brow.
Ryuto, still shaken, nodded. "I'm never using that app again." He leaned against the wall, letting out a long sigh of relief. Elena had left, her affection back down to a manageable level, and for now, the crisis was over. But the damage had been done, and Ryuto couldn't shake the feeling that his problems with the Affection Points system were far from over.
Roland slumped onto a nearby chair, his face pale. "Man, that was intense. I thought she was going to break the door down."
Ryuto nodded, still catching his breath. "She almost did… I just can't believe it got to that point."
They sat in silence for a moment, the tension of the situation slowly dissipating. The faint smell of herbs and magic still lingered in the air, a reminder of the potion they had concocted in a panic.
"What's next?" Roland asked, looking over at Ryuto. "You've got the potion. Elena's affection is back to normal. Are we good now?"
Ryuto shook his head. "There's still Celeste."
Roland's eyes widened. "Wait… you're not saying her affection is maxed out too, are you?"
Ryuto grimaced. "No, not maxed out. But it's high. Too high. I need to get it under control before things get out of hand like they did with Elena."
Roland raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical. "And you think she'll just drink the potion without question?"
Ryuto stood up, his expression grim. "I'll figure something out. I have to."
The Velclair Estate was quiet, the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the curtains as Ryuto sat in his room, staring at the small vial of Delimiter potion in his hand. He had remade the potion after leaving Roland's house, following the same steps as before. But this time, there was no panic, just determination.
He couldn't afford another mistake. If Celeste's affection got any higher, she'd be as dangerous as Elena had been, if not more so. And there was no telling what lengths she'd go to if her obsession took over.
Ryuto's door creaked open, and Celeste stepped inside, dressed in a simple nightgown, her long silver hair flowing over her shoulders. She gave him a warm smile as she approached, unaware of his inner turmoil.
"Ryuto," she said softly, sitting down on the edge of his bed. "You're still awake?"
"Yeah, I was just… thinking," Ryuto replied, quickly hiding the potion behind his back. "Actually, I made something for you. A drink."
Celeste raised an eyebrow, her expression curious. "A drink? What kind of drink?"
Ryuto hesitated for a moment, trying to find the right words. "It's, uh… something to help you sleep. You've been so stressed lately, with all the guild stuff and everything. I figured it might help you relax."
Celeste smiled, clearly touched by the gesture. "That's sweet of you, Ryuto. I'll try it."
He handed her the vial, his heart pounding in his chest as she took it. Celeste uncorked the potion and gave it a cautious sniff, wrinkling her nose at the bitter scent.
"This smells awful," she said with a grimace.
Ryuto forced a smile. "Yeah, it's not the best-tasting stuff, but it works. Trust me."
Celeste gave him a skeptical look but shrugged and downed the potion in one gulp. The moment she swallowed, her face twisted in disgust, and she coughed, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
"That's… horrible," she muttered. "You couldn't have made it taste a little better?"
Ryuto didn't respond. He was too busy waiting for the system notification, for the same message he had received when Elena drank the potion.
But nothing happened.
Instead, the system chimed with a new message:
"Warning: Celeste's affection is permanent. No further adjustments can be made."
Ryuto's blood ran cold. Permanent? He reread the message, hoping he had misunderstood, but the meaning was clear. The system wasn't giving him any way to lower Celeste's affection. It was locked, just like that.
"Ryuto?" Celeste asked, her voice cutting through his thoughts. "You okay?"
He stared at her, panic rising in his chest. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine."
But he wasn't fine. Celeste's affection was permanent, and that meant she would always feel this way about him. Ryuto swallowed hard, trying to keep his expression neutral, but his mind was racing with the implications.
"Thanks for the drink," Celeste said, standing up and brushing off her nightgown. "It was gross, but if it's from you, I don't mind." She gave him a playful smile before leaning down and planting a kiss on his cheek. "Goodnight, Ryuto."
She left the room, closing the door behind her, and Ryuto sat in stunned silence, still processing what had just happened. He had expected to fix things with the potion, to lower Celeste's affection before it became a problem.
But now, it was too late.
Her affection was permanent, and there was no going back.