Chương 22: Maintenance
Eric and Emiko entered the house while Darcy was busy cleaning the stairs.
"Welcome back; you're home much earlier than I expected," she greeted, standing up from her crouched position.
"Nana, I told you not to do this kind of work. You could hurt your back again. Where are the maids?" Emiko scolded as she glanced around the house.
"What nonsense; this is nothing for me," Darcy replied, flexing her biceps with a smile. "Since no one's in the house today, I told them they could take the day off," she continued.
"Oh, where are the others?" Emiko asked.
"Liam mentioned his class was having a reunion after his music lesson, and Sir said he was going fishing since he was free today," Darcy replied.
"I see... Well, that's fine. Anyway, dear, go rest in your room. I'll make you chicken brisket for dinner, just the way you like it," Emiko told Eric, who was standing beside her.
Eric nodded and headed straight to his room.
He flopped onto the bed, staring at the ceiling. 'Ugh, this is so frustrating. No matter how much I think about it, I can't find a way to break free from the system's clutches,' he thought, loosening his tie.
'I thought upgrading it would reveal a way to break free, but I was dead wrong. Now I have a whole new system added that's even more dangerous,'
'System, how many points have I saved up so far, and can you check the price for the solution methods?'
[The situational method pricing for each danger zone is as follows: 10,000 points for green, increasing by 10,000 points for each subsequent zone. You currently have 100,283 points.]
'Really? Only that much? Then check the solution method for Akari Rei, Yellow Zone.'
[Yandere system
Akari Rei (Clingy)
Danger level: Yellow
Maintenance: Pack x1]
'open,'
[Maintenance: Pack x1 (opened)
The solution method will be transmitted directly to the host's brain.]
Then, all of a sudden, Eric felt a quick zap in his head, as if new knowledge had been forcefully added.
He flinched at the sudden sensation and closed his eyes, trying to process the new information he had just acquired.
'I see... So the solution method isn't exactly a solution but an explanation of why the danger level has risen, along with various choices to lower it,' Eric thought as he sat up straight.
'While it's not exactly how I imagined it, it's still not that bad,'
'Hmm... Now I kind of see how Akari turning into a yandere is somehow my fault.'
Eric got up, changed into his boxers, and then rummaged through his bag to find his cell phone.
'Whoa, that's a lot of messages as always—some from old friends and group chats. Let's leave those for now; I need to call Akari real quick,'
'Among the system's solutions to lower the danger level, spending quality time would be hard for now, so option B—reassurance it is,'
_________
'From the way Eric-kun hurriedly left, I think he's upset with me,' Akari thought, curled up in her bed with her legs tucked under the blanket.
'But I don't want that... *sniffle*,' she thought, on the verge of tears, her eyes welling up.
'I gave all the signs and signals for him to make a move, and yet when he finally did, I couldn't handle it. It turns out I was all offense and no defense.
Ugh, how pathetic can I be? I want to call him so badly, but I'm scared I'll just make things worse.
He said, "See you tomorrow," so that probably means he'll be coming to school.'
Akari thought as she collapsed onto her side, tears streaming from her eyes.
"And what if he ignores me and doesn't want to talk to me anymore? That's... that's terrifying," she whispered, closing her eyes as she wrapped herself tightly in her blanket.
*RING RING*
Akari stretched out her arm to reach her phone, feeling the vibration near the top of her head.
Without even glancing at the screen, she pressed the phone to her ear, confident it was her mother. She never gave out her number, not even to close friends. Eric was the only exception, but he'd said he wasn't into digital stuff and never replied to any of her texts.
"Mhhmmm," she grumbled, not bothering to sound sweet in front of her own mother.
But on the other end of the line, a gruff yet mesmerizing voice resonated.
"Uh... is this Akari Rei?"
Akari's eyes widened at the sound of the voice, and she quickly glanced at the phone screen. To her surprise, it showed "Eric" with a purple heart next to it.
"Hyah!" she cried, attempting to sit up, but the blanket wrapped around her was too tight. In her struggle, she dropped her phone, and it slipped into the folds of the blanket.
On the other end, Eric could only hear the sound of frantic rummaging, making him wonder if he had dialed the right number.
But when he checked his text messages, he confirmed it was indeed the correct one, so he settled in and waited.
"Hello? Eric-kun, is that you?" Akari spoke into the phone, her voice much softer than before.
"Yes, um, I'm sorry for calling out of the blue. Are you busy?"
"No, no, I'm totally free—like, very free, to be exact," Akari replied, desperation evident in her voice and urgency.
"I see, well, that's good then. Uh, ahem, the reason I called is about what happened today."
Akari tensed at Eric's words. She desperately wanted to talk to him, but at the same time, she was scared to confront the topic.
"Oh, really? Wha-what about today?" she stammered.
"I feel bad for leaving so abruptly when we already had plans, so I thought of a way to make it up to you."
Akari felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. Hearing that Eric wasn't mad at her made her feel almost emotional.
"Mhm hmm," Akari muttered, barely able to get the words out.
"How about we hang out after school?" Eric proposed, it was the only thing he could think of on such short notice.
"I-I would love that," Akari replied, sitting down on the floor with a cute smile spreading across her face, her eyes still a bit red from before.
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