The sound of his heartbeat was deafening in Kenn's ears as the weight of Lynn's gaze settled over him. The emotional currents swirling around them, like a storm threatening to tear everything apart, left him feeling helpless. Yaoi's presence behind him was a constant reminder of the dangerous game he was caught in, but it was Lynn's words that shook him to the core.
"I don't know what's going on here," she said again, her voice steady despite the turmoil in her heart. "But I need to understand. I don't want to be left in the dark anymore. What's happening to us, Kenn?"
Kenn couldn't bring himself to meet her eyes. He wanted to tell her the truth, wanted to explain everything—the bracelet, the system, Yaoi's obsession. But no words came. His mind was clouded by a mess of emotions, none of them his own, and the weight of the situation felt unbearable.
Yaoi's laughter, soft and taunting, broke the silence. "He can't tell you, Lynn." Her voice dripped with mockery, and the possessive gleam in her eyes only grew more intense. "You wouldn't understand."
Kenn wanted to scream, wanted to push her away, but the grip on him was too strong. The bracelet pulsed again, and the cold, mechanical voice of the system echoed in his mind.
"Quest update: Confront the emotional rift between Lynn and Yaoi. Failure will result in system penalties."
He recoiled slightly at the words, the weight of the system's presence pressing down on him. This wasn't a choice. This was a command. The system was forcing him into this, making him choose between two people who couldn't be more different.
Lynn's eyes darted between him and Yaoi, her confusion palpable, her heartache cutting through the air. Kenn could feel it all—the pain, the confusion, the betrayal. And in the center of it all was him. The one who had caused this rift, the one who was now caught between their emotional worlds.
"I…" Kenn began, but the words got stuck in his throat. He couldn't explain. Not when the system was dictating every move, every word, every emotion.
He glanced at Yaoi, whose eyes gleamed with a dangerous hunger. She had backed off just slightly, but her presence was still suffocating. He could feel the dark waves of her obsession pressing in from every side, like a crushing weight.
Lynn stepped forward, her expression faltering with the uncertainty that echoed in her heart. "Kenn," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "What's happening? I just… I don't understand. I thought I knew you, but this—this isn't you."
The words hit Kenn like a punch to the gut. He could feel the raw pain in Lynn's voice, and it broke him. She had trusted him, believed in him, and now everything was falling apart.
His chest tightened, and for a brief moment, he wished he could be rid of the bracelet, of the emotional scanner, of the system that controlled every part of his life. He wanted to tell her the truth, to tell her that he didn't want to hurt her, that he was just trying to survive in a world that was beyond his control.
But he couldn't. He couldn't say any of it, because the system wouldn't allow him to.
A cruel smile spread across Yaoi's face as she stepped closer to him, her eyes never leaving Lynn. "You think you can understand him, don't you?" she sneered, her tone laced with venom. "But you don't. You never will. He belongs to me."
Lynn's eyes widened, and for a moment, Kenn could feel the shock rippling through her. The sting of betrayal. She had heard Yaoi's words, and the hurt was evident in the way her posture stiffened, her hand clenching into a fist at her side.
"No," Lynn's voice was quiet, but there was a strength behind it now. "You don't get to claim him like that."
Kenn's chest constricted painfully, and he could feel the tension building between them, a crackling energy that threatened to shatter everything. The emotional chaos was overwhelming. He was being torn in two, pulled between Lynn's grief and Yaoi's possessive obsession.
He turned to look at Lynn, meeting her gaze for the first time in what felt like forever. Her eyes were filled with hurt, yes, but there was something else there too—something that made him feel like he could fall apart right in front of her and she would still be there to catch him.
But that wasn't the truth. He wasn't strong enough to put the pieces together. Not for her. Not for anyone.
"I—" Kenn started again, but the words faltered. "I can't." He wanted to scream it, but the system wouldn't let him. The consequences would be too severe. He could feel the system's eyes on him, calculating his every move.
Lynn took a step back, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. "Then what is this?" she whispered, almost to herself, as if she had already made up her mind about what he was becoming. She looked at Yaoi, then back at Kenn. "If you can't even be honest with me, then… I don't know what we're doing here anymore."
The finality in her voice crushed Kenn's soul. He could feel it—the breakup, the breaking of their bond, the slip of the connection they once shared. It was all falling apart, and he was powerless to stop it.
"Don't be stupid," Yaoi hissed, her voice sharp and mocking. She grabbed Kenn's arm, forcing him to look at her. "You can't fix this. You'll never be free of me. We're connected now, whether you like it or not."
The words sent a chill through Kenn's body, but the worst part was that he could feel them—he could feel the suffocating weight of Yaoi's obsession tightening around him.
And then, the system spoke again, cold and mechanical.
"Quest updated: Resolve the emotional conflict. Failure will result in severe penalties."
Kenn's heart sank as the realization hit him. There was no escape from this. No way to change the course of his life. He was trapped in a world where he couldn't control his own emotions, let alone the emotions of the people around him.
He could feel the eyes of both Lynn and Yaoi on him. One filled with betrayal, the other with dangerous possession. And somewhere in the middle of it all, Kenn stood—lost, broken, and at the mercy of forces beyond his control.
There was no way out. Not unless he learned to play the system's game.