Kenn stood frozen, the weight of Yaoi's words hanging heavily in the air between them. His heart pounded in his chest, the battle of conflicting emotions threatening to tear him apart. He glanced at Lynn, whose face was a mix of defiance and frustration, and then back at Yaoi, whose eyes burned with something darker—something obsessive.
"Yaoi, stop," Lynn said, her voice steady but with an edge of desperation. "This isn't helping."
Yaoi's laughter was low and bitter, sending a shiver down Kenn's spine. "Oh, I'm not trying to help. I'm trying to open his eyes. She'll never be able to give you what you need, Kenn. She's a puppet, just like the rest of us. Controlled by the system. You think she can just break free from that? You're so naïve."
Kenn felt his chest tighten. Yaoi's words resonated with the fear he'd been carrying since the moment he'd realized just how deep the system's control ran. He wanted to believe Lynn. He wanted to believe that she was different, that she could escape the system's grip. But Yaoi's accusations—her relentless certainty—made it so much harder to hold onto that hope.
He turned to Lynn, his gaze searching her face. She looked so certain, so vulnerable, but so did Yaoi. Both of them were fighting for something. For him. For his trust. But how could he choose between them when everything he thought he knew about both of them felt so uncertain?
"I don't know who to trust anymore," Kenn whispered, his voice cracking under the strain. "I don't know if I can believe either of you."
Lynn's expression softened at his words. She took a small step toward him, her hands outstretched as if to bridge the space between them. "Kenn, I know it's hard to believe, but I'm not lying. I've made mistakes, I've been wrong, but I'm trying to make things right. I'm trying to help you, not control you."
Yaoi's face twisted in disgust at Lynn's words. "Help him? You've already hurt him more than anyone else ever could. You're the one who dragged him into this mess in the first place. And now you expect him to just trust you again?"
Kenn flinched at Yaoi's harsh tone, but his gaze never left Lynn. "Why should I believe you, Lynn? How can I be sure you're not still under the system's influence? What if this is just another part of the game?"
Lynn's eyes welled up with tears, but she held her ground, refusing to back away. "Because I'm not controlled by the system anymore, Kenn. I'm fighting against it. I don't want to be its puppet anymore. But if you keep letting it control you, we'll never be free."
For a moment, everything stood still. Kenn felt like he was standing on the edge of a cliff, the winds of doubt and fear battering him from all sides. He wanted to reach out, to believe her, but a voice in the back of his mind kept warning him that he was being deceived again. That he was being manipulated.
Yaoi, who had been silent for a moment, took a step forward, her eyes flashing dangerously. "You think she's the one you should trust, Kenn? You think she's the answer to your problems? She's still part of the system, even if she doesn't realize it. You think she's different because she says she's different? Wake up."
Kenn's head was spinning. The emotional scanner, once a tool that gave him some clarity, now felt like it was failing him. He could sense the raw emotion radiating from both Lynn and Yaoi—the desperation, the fear, the longing. But there was something else, too. Something darker. The lies, the hidden motives. He could feel them swirling around, making it harder and harder to discern what was truth and what was deception.
"You're both so convinced you know what's best for me," Kenn said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But you're both fighting for control. You want me to choose you. And I—I don't know if I can make the right choice."
Lynn's face softened, and she stepped closer to him, her voice barely audible. "I'm not asking for control, Kenn. I'm asking you to trust me again. Please. I need you. We need each other."
Kenn's heart ached at her words. He wanted to believe her. But then, Yaoi spoke again, her voice quiet but filled with an almost eerie calm.
"You don't understand, Kenn," Yaoi said, her eyes narrowing. "You can't choose her. You can't choose anyone. The system is always watching. It's always listening. And it's waiting."
Kenn's blood ran cold at her words. He didn't need the emotional scanner to sense the raw, terrifying truth in her voice. Yaoi's obsession, her desperation—he could feel it, twisting in the air like a noxious fog.
He turned to her, his voice shaky. "What are you saying?"
Yaoi's lips curled into a smile that sent a chill down Kenn's spine. "I'm saying that no matter what you do, you can't escape it. Not now, not ever. The system is too powerful. And if you think you can fight it on your own, you're only fooling yourself. Lynn can't save you. She can't protect you. And neither can I."
Kenn looked between Yaoi and Lynn, his thoughts swirling in a dark cloud of confusion and fear. The emotional scanner hummed softly in his mind, filling his senses with the raw emotions of both girls—Lynn's desperation, her hope, and Yaoi's rage, her twisted obsession.
"I don't want to be controlled," Kenn said, his voice quiet but resolute. "I don't want to be anyone's pawn. I just want to find a way out."
Lynn took another step closer, her eyes pleading. "Kenn, we can do this together. Please, believe me."
But Yaoi's voice rang out, sharp and final. "There is no together, Kenn. Only alone. You'll never be free as long as you let them get inside your head. Let me show you the truth."
Kenn felt the weight of their words, the weight of their emotions, all crashing down on him at once. He was drowning, suffocating under the pressure. The system, the choices, the broken relationships—everything was falling apart.
He closed his eyes, letting the cold wind wash over him, trying to find some semblance of clarity. What did he want? Who did he want to be? Was it even possible to break free?
When he opened his eyes again, both girls were staring at him, waiting for his decision.
But there was no easy choice. No clear path.
Kenn took a deep breath, trying to steady his racing heart. He didn't know what the future held. He didn't know who to trust. But in this moment, he knew one thing for certain: the decision he made now would shape everything.
And whatever happened, he would have to live with the consequences.