Kenn sat alone in the classroom after school, the weight of his thoughts pressing on his shoulders like a heavy stone. The emotional scanner was buzzing faintly in the back of his mind, a constant reminder of the power that both connected and isolated him from the world. He could still feel the lingering echoes of Yaoi's emotions from the alley—her anger, her fear, and the crushing sadness that had clouded her every word. But it was her cold dismissal that haunted him the most. You'll never understand. She was right in some ways. He had never truly walked in her shoes. But the fear that gripped his chest was more than just the sting of rejection—it was the realization that he might not be able to save anyone, not even himself.
The room around him felt suffocating, like the walls were closing in with each passing second. He wanted to escape, to run from the relentless weight of the system, from Yaoi's pain, from his own inability to help her. But the scanner wouldn't let him. The system, the mysterious force that had given him this gift—or curse—had become more insistent. Its control was tightening around him like a noose, pulling him in directions he didn't want to go, making choices for him when he wanted nothing more than to make his own.
"Kenn."
The voice cut through his thoughts, soft but unmistakable. Lynn stood in the doorway, her figure framed by the light from the hallway. Her expression was a mix of concern and determination, and her presence was a welcome relief from the storm of emotions swirling around him.
"Can I come in?" she asked, her voice gentle.
Kenn nodded, barely able to meet her gaze. She stepped inside, shutting the door behind her, and sat down in the chair across from him. Her eyes scanned his face, searching for something, anything that would explain the distance that had grown between them lately. He could see the worry in her eyes, the way her lips were pressed together in a tight line, as if she were holding something back.
"How are you doing?" she asked quietly, her voice soft but filled with concern.
Kenn didn't answer immediately. The question felt heavy, like a burden he wasn't sure he could carry. He wanted to tell her everything, to let her know the weight of his thoughts and the suffocating pressure of the system. But a part of him feared that if he said it out loud, it would become real—too real.
"I don't know," he muttered finally, his voice raw with frustration. "I've been trying to help Yaoi, but… it feels like I'm just making things worse. And the system, Lynn…" His voice faltered. "It won't stop. It keeps pushing me, pulling me, and I don't know what to do anymore."
Lynn reached across the table, her hand finding his. Her touch was warm, grounding. She didn't say anything at first, just gave him a moment to gather his thoughts. The silence stretched between them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. It was a silence of understanding, of shared moments and unspoken truths.
"You're not alone in this, Kenn," she said finally, her voice steady. "I know it's hard, but you don't have to do it by yourself."
Kenn's eyes lifted to meet hers, a flicker of hope igniting in his chest. Her words, simple as they were, made him feel less like he was drowning. It was a feeling he hadn't had in a long time—the feeling that maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to carry the weight of the world alone.
"I don't want to drag you into this," he said quietly, his voice laced with guilt. "This is my mess, Lynn. I don't want to pull you under with me."
Lynn squeezed his hand gently, her eyes unwavering. "I'm not going anywhere, Kenn. You don't have to protect me from this. We're in this together."
Her words cut through the fog in his mind like a beacon, clearing a path he hadn't realized was there. He hadn't been able to see it before—his fear had been blinding him, making him think that if he let anyone too close, they would get hurt. But the truth was, he couldn't do it alone. He didn't want to.
"Thank you," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "I don't deserve you, Lynn."
She smiled, a soft, genuine smile that made something inside him tighten, both with longing and gratitude. "You don't have to deserve me, Kenn. I'm here because I want to be. And I'm not going anywhere."
The weight on his chest felt a little lighter in that moment, as if her presence had cleared a space for him to breathe, even just a little. But the moment didn't last long. The scanner flared to life again, sharp and insistent. The emotions were coming in waves, and this time, they weren't from Yaoi.
It was from Kil.
Kenn's heart skipped a beat. He looked up at Lynn, his brow furrowing. Her face mirrored his confusion, but there was something else there too—a sense of urgency.
"I need to go," Kenn said quickly, standing up. "It's Kil. Something's wrong."
Lynn stood as well, her expression torn between concern for him and worry about what was happening with Kil. "Kenn, wait…"
But he was already out the door before she could say anything more.
***
Kil was at the park near the school, sitting on the bench, his posture slumped and his head bowed. His emotions hit Kenn before he even reached him—an overwhelming mix of anxiety, guilt, and something darker, something Kenn couldn't quite place. The feeling was almost suffocating, and as Kenn drew closer, the realization hit him: Kil wasn't just troubled. He was afraid.
"Kil?" Kenn called softly as he approached.
Kil's head jerked up, his eyes wide with something Kenn had never seen in his friend before—fear. A cold, desperate fear.
"Kenn," Kil's voice trembled, but there was something else in it, something that felt like he was holding back a confession. "I—I need to tell you something. Something important."
Kenn's heart raced. "What's going on, Kil? What's happening?"
Kil looked around nervously, as if checking to make sure no one was listening. When his gaze finally met Kenn's, it was filled with a raw emotion that Kenn had never expected to see in his friend—something close to terror.
"The system," Kil whispered, his voice barely audible. "It's not just controlling you. It's been watching me too."
Kenn froze, the implications of his words sending a shock through him. "What do you mean?"
Kil swallowed hard, looking down at his hands, trembling slightly. "I've been getting messages, Kenn. From the system. It's been monitoring me, giving me tasks, telling me things I didn't understand at first. But now…" He looked up at Kenn, his eyes wide. "Now I think it's using me. Just like it's been using you."
The world around Kenn seemed to slow, the weight of Kil's words sinking in. He hadn't just been a passive observer in this. He wasn't the only one caught in the system's web. Kil was too.
And that meant everything was about to change.