The world outside felt unchanged. The sun still rose over the city, casting its soft light over the streets, the hum of the world continuing as if nothing had happened. But for Kenn, everything had shifted. The system was gone. Yaoi—at least the version of her that had been consumed by it—was gone too, but what replaced her, what replaced all of it, was a world that suddenly seemed much bigger and much more uncertain.
He stood at the edge of the school grounds, his mind a whirl of thoughts and emotions. The scanner on his wrist was quiet now, its once bright pulse now dim, almost as if it were tired. He hadn't heard it since the system had collapsed, and that silence felt deafening. The weight of it was gone, and yet, in its absence, there was a new kind of pressure.
Lynn. She had to be the first person he spoke to. Through all of this, she had remained a constant, a safe harbor in the storm. He had to see her, had to explain. He wasn't sure what to say, or if she even knew what had happened—if she even understood. The fear of facing her, of having to explain everything, gnawed at him. But he knew he couldn't keep running from it.
Taking a deep breath, Kenn pulled his phone from his pocket and typed out a message, hesitating over each word. His fingers hovered above the keys before he finally pressed send:
"Can wee meet? I need to talk."
Within moments, her reply came through, simple and to the point: "Where?"
"By the park. Near the fountain."
It wasn't far, just a quiet spot where they'd sometimes meet after school. A place where no one could interrupt. He didn't know why, but it felt right—safe.
***
When Kenn arrived at the fountain, the familiar sight of Lynn waiting there, her warm brown eyes scanning the area as if she had been waiting for him forever, made his heart tighten. She stood with her hands tucked into the sleeves of her jacket, the soft breeze making her hair flutter lightly. There was a softness in the way she looked at him, like she already knew something had changed.
"Kenn," she said softly as he approached, her voice holding a mix of concern and hope.
He stood in front of her, his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn't sure where to begin, or how to explain what had happened, what he had done. It felt like the words were stuck somewhere deep inside him. But Lynn didn't press him. She simply waited, watching him with those understanding eyes.
"It's over," Kenn said finally, his voice hoarse. "The system… it's gone. I destroyed it."
Lynn didn't flinch. She didn't ask how or why or if he was okay. She simply nodded, her expression thoughtful. "And Yaoi?"
Kenn felt a pang in his chest at the mention of her name, but he forced himself to meet Lynn's gaze. "She's… I don't know. I think she's lost. The system was everything to her. Now, without it, I think she doesn't know who she is anymore."
Lynn's gaze softened. "That must be hard for her," she said quietly. "But you can't carry that burden, Kenn. You did what you had to do."
Kenn closed his eyes, letting the weight of her words sink in. He had done what he had to do, but the consequences weren't so simple. Yaoi's obsession had never been about him—it had been about her need for control, for something to hold onto in a world that had abandoned her. He knew that. But it still didn't make the aftermath any easier to bear.
"Lynn… I…" Kenn hesitated, unsure of how to explain the feeling that had settled over him, the sense of emptiness that had come with breaking free. "I don't know who I am anymore, either. Without the system, without all the quests and the manipulation… I feel like I'm lost too."
Lynn stepped closer, her expression tender. "Kenn," she whispered, her voice soft but steady, "you're not lost. You just need to find yourself again. And you don't have to do it alone. I'm here for you."
Her words were like a balm on a wound Kenn hadn't realized was so deep. He hadn't realized just how much he had been leaning on the system, how much it had shaped him. And now, without it, he felt like he was standing at the edge of something new, something terrifying and freeing all at once.
"But what about you, Lynn?" Kenn asked, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want you to feel like you're just… a part of my journey. I don't want to drag you into my mess."
Lynn shook her head, her smile gentle and reassuring. "You're not dragging me anywhere, Kenn. You never have been. I chose to be here. I'm not going anywhere."
The words settled in Kenn's chest like a warm embrace, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to breathe, to believe that maybe, just maybe, he wasn't as alone as he thought.
***
As they sat by the fountain, talking about everything and nothing, Kenn realized that maybe he didn't need all the answers right away. Maybe the future didn't have to be clear. What mattered now was that he had a choice—he could make his own decisions, shape his own path, and finally learn to embrace the things that truly mattered.
And Lynn… Lynn was part of that. She was more than just the quiet girl who had supported him from the sidelines. She was someone who had seen him for who he was, and not what the system had forced him to be. He didn't need the scanner, didn't need the system's manipulations. He needed her.
And that, for now, was enough.
***
Later that evening, as Kenn walked home with a quiet peace in his heart, he noticed something. The city lights glittered in the distance, the night stretching out before him. The feeling of the scanner on his wrist was gone. The weight that had once settled there was no longer pressing down on him.
For the first time, Kenn truly felt like he was walking in the world on his own terms. He was free.
But freedom, he now knew, was just the beginning.