Chapter 96: 96 | Ready

Jason stared at the system window.

[The next objective will involve Vivian.]

He read it again.

Then again.

Nothing changed.

The words remained exactly where they were.

Jason dropped his phone onto the bed.

"No."

The room was silent.

He picked it up again.

"Absolutely not."

Still nothing.

He leaned back against the wall and rubbed his face.

The timing couldn't have been worse.

If the system had given him this objective yesterday, he would have treated it like any other problem.

Now it was different.

Now Vivian wasn't just another girl he barely knew.

She was Sarah's roommate.

His friend.

Someone who had just told him she needed distance because she didn't want to hurt Sarah.

And the system had apparently decided that this was the perfect moment to put her directly in front of him.

Jason looked at the countdown.

Five days.

He had barely gotten through Saturday.

Tomorrow would be Sunday.

The school week would begin soon after.

He had to deal with Sarah.

He had to deal with Vivian.

He had to deal with the system.

And somehow, he was supposed to keep his life from collapsing.

His phone vibrated.

He looked down.

Sarah.

Sarah: Are you actually home?

Jason: Yes.

Sarah: Good.

Sarah: Sleep early.

Jason: I'll try.

Sarah: You won't.

Jason: Probably not.

Sarah: I know you too well.

Jason smiled.

Then another message appeared.

Sarah: And Jason?

Jason: Yeah?

Sarah: Don't overthink today.

He stared at the message.

Too late.

Jason: I'll try.

Sarah: Goodnight.

Jason: Goodnight.

He put the phone down.

Then picked it up again.

He opened Vivian's conversation.

The last message was still there.

Vivian: Goodnight.

He stared at it.

He typed.

Jason: Goodnight.

Then deleted it.

He typed again.

Jason: Don't worry about today.

Deleted.

Again.

Jason: We'll figure it out.

He stopped.

That sounded too intimate.

He deleted it too.

Finally, he put the phone down without sending anything.

He needed sleep.

Nothing good would come from thinking about this all night.

He turned off the light.

Twenty minutes later, he was still awake.

His mind kept replaying the same moment.

If Sarah hadn't been your girlfriend...

Vivian had never finished the sentence.

Jason closed his eyes.

Eventually, exhaustion won.

Sunday morning came quietly.

Jason woke up later than usual.

He reached for his phone.

No new system message.

No Vivian.

No Sarah.

That was probably good.

He got out of bed, washed up, ate breakfast, and spent the next hour trying to occupy himself.

It didn't work.

By eleven, he had checked his phone fourteen times.

At eleven twenty, Sarah finally texted.

Sarah: Morning.

Jason: Morning.

Sarah: How did you sleep?

Jason: Bad.

Sarah: I told you not to overthink.

Jason: I tried.

Sarah: Liar.

Jason smiled.

Jason: What are you doing today?

Sarah: Staying home.

A pause.

Sarah: Vivian is studying.

Jason stared at that message.

Sarah: Why?

Jason: No reason.

Sarah: You asked.

Jason: I know.

Sarah: You're weird.

Jason: You knew that already.

Sarah: Unfortunately.

He smiled.

Then Sarah sent another message.

Sarah: You can come over if you want.

Jason's smile disappeared.

He looked at the system.

Nothing.

He looked at the message again.

Then replied.

Jason: Are you sure?

Sarah: Yes.

Jason: What about Vivian?

Sarah: She's my roommate, not my prisoner.

Jason: I know.

Sarah: Come over.

Jason: Okay.

Jason got dressed.

The walk to Sarah's apartment felt different from yesterday.

He couldn't explain why.

Maybe because yesterday he had expected to meet Sarah's roommate.

Today, he knew exactly who would be behind that door.

When he arrived, Sarah opened it almost immediately.

"Hey."

"Hey."

She smiled and kissed him.

Jason relaxed slightly.

"Come in."

He stepped inside.

Vivian was sitting at the dining table with several books spread in front of her.

She looked up.

Their eyes met.

"Hey."

"Hey."

That was it.

No awkward joke.

No smile.

No teasing.

Just a simple greeting.

Jason walked past her.

Sarah closed the door.

"She's been studying all morning."

Vivian looked at her.

"I've been studying for forty minutes."

"Same thing."

"No."

"Close enough."

Jason smiled.

Sarah noticed.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Why do you keep saying nothing?"

"Because you keep asking."

Sarah shook her head.

"You two are impossible."

Vivian returned to her notes.

Jason sat beside Sarah on the couch.

For the next hour, everything was surprisingly normal.

Sarah watched television.

Jason occasionally talked to her.

Vivian studied.

Nobody mentioned yesterday.

Then, around one, Sarah got up.

"I'm making lunch."

Jason stood.

"I'll help."

"I've got it."

"I'll help."

Sarah smiled.

"Fine."

She walked toward the kitchen.

Jason followed.

Vivian remained at the table.

Five minutes later, she heard Sarah call from the kitchen.

"Vivian!"

"What?"

"Can you bring me the salt?"

Vivian stood.

She walked toward the kitchen.

Jason was standing beside the counter.

Their eyes met.

Neither said anything.

Vivian reached for the salt.

Jason stepped aside.

She took it.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome."

She turned.

Then stopped.

"Jason."

"Yeah?"

She lowered her voice.

"About last night."

He waited.

"I meant what I said."

"Which part?"

"That I need some distance."

Jason nodded.

"Okay."

"But I don't want things to become awkward."

"They won't."

"You can't promise that."

"You're right."

Vivian smiled faintly.

"At least you're honest."

Sarah appeared.

"What are you two whispering about?"

"Nothing."

Sarah stared at them.

"Again?"

Vivian laughed.

"We were talking about studying."

Sarah narrowed her eyes.

"Sure."

She returned to cooking.

Vivian walked away.

Jason watched her sit down again.

Something felt different.

Not bad.

Just restrained.

The system window suddenly appeared.

[New Objective Available.]

Jason froze.

[Primary Target: Vivian.]

[Objective: Establish a private meeting with Vivian.]

[Requirement: The meeting must occur without Sarah's presence.]

[Time Limit: 48 Hours.]

Jason's stomach tightened.

That was it?

He waited for more.

Nothing appeared.

Then:

[Failure will result in quest penalty.]

Jason stared at the screen.

A private meeting.

Without Sarah.

That was exactly the kind of thing he couldn't casually ask for now.

He dismissed the window.

Lunch continued normally.

But Jason barely tasted anything.

He kept thinking.

How was he supposed to do this?

If he asked Vivian directly, she might think he was trying to pursue her.

If he asked Sarah, she would obviously wonder why.

If he invented an excuse, he'd be lying.

And the system had specifically said the meeting had to happen without Sarah.

The easiest option was to ask Vivian to meet him for something related to school.

That wasn't necessarily a lie.

They were in the same study group.

There were plenty of reasons to talk.

The problem was that Vivian now knew exactly who he was.

Any interaction between them would carry more weight.

After lunch, Sarah went to take a shower.

Jason remained in the living room.

Vivian sat at the dining table.

Jason looked at her.

She noticed.

"What?"

"I need to ask you something."

She closed her notebook.

"Okay."

"Do you have plans tomorrow?"

Vivian hesitated.

"No."

"Could we study together?"

Her expression changed slightly.

"Just us?"

Jason nodded.

"If you're comfortable."

She studied him.

"Why?"

"We've got that exam coming up."

"That's next week."

"I know."

"You've never cared about studying this early."

Jason sighed.

"Fair."

Vivian smiled faintly.

"What's really going on?"

Jason looked at her.

He couldn't tell her about the system.

He couldn't explain the real reason.

But he didn't want to lie.

"I think we need to talk."

Vivian's expression became serious.

"About yesterday?"

"Partly."

She looked toward the bathroom.

Sarah was still inside.

Then back at him.

"Okay."

"Tomorrow?"

"Where?"

"Campus?"

"Campus is crowded."

"Library?"

"Too many people."

Jason thought.

"Coffee shop?"

Vivian considered it.

"Okay."

"What time?"

"Two?"

"Two works."

She nodded.

"Okay."

The system window appeared.

[Objective Progress: 100%.]

Jason's heart skipped.

The objective was already complete.

He hadn't expected that.

Apparently, establishing the meeting was enough.

He dismissed the window.

Vivian looked at him.

"You look relieved."

"I am."

"Why?"

"I thought you were going to say no."

She smiled.

"I almost did."

Jason laughed.

"Thanks."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Why?"

"Because we still have to actually have the conversation."

She reopened her notebook.

Jason leaned back.

The bathroom door opened.

Sarah walked out.

She looked at them.

"What did I miss?"

"Nothing," Vivian said.

Jason almost smiled.

Sarah narrowed her eyes.

"Why does that sound suspicious?"

Vivian shrugged.

"Jason asked me to study tomorrow."

Sarah looked at him.

"Oh."

She waited.

Then smiled.

"That's fine."

Jason blinked.

"Really?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

"I don't know."

Sarah walked over and sat beside him.

"Because she's my roommate?"

"Maybe."

Sarah leaned against him.

"I trust you."

Jason looked at her.

"You do?"

"Yes."

She smiled.

"But if you're secretly planning something stupid, I'll find out."

Jason laughed.

"Understood."

Sunday passed quietly after that.

Jason eventually left around evening.

Before he went, Sarah kissed him at the door.

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow."

She smiled.

"Good."

Jason walked home.

His phone vibrated before he reached the end of the street.

Vivian.

Vivian: Where are we meeting tomorrow?

Jason: You pick.

Vivian: That's dangerous.

Jason: Why?

Vivian: Because I might pick somewhere expensive.

Jason: Then I'll make you pay.

Vivian: Wow.

Vivian: And here I thought you were a gentleman.

Jason smiled.

Jason: Coffee?

Vivian: Fine.

Vivian: 2 PM.

Jason: See you.

He put his phone away.

The system appeared.

[Objective Complete.]

[Reward: 100 FP.]

Jason stared.

Then another message appeared.

[Additional condition unlocked.]

[Before the next objective becomes available, the target's current emotional state must be determined.]

Jason frowned.

"What?"

The system disappeared.

He stopped walking.

That wasn't normal.

The system had never asked him to determine someone's emotional state.

He continued walking.

Tomorrow, he would meet Vivian alone.

And for the first time, he genuinely didn't know what the conversation would become.

Jason stood at the bottom of the stairs for almost a minute.

He didn't move.

The system window remained in front of him.

[New Temporary Quest.]

[Objective: Maintain the primary relationship while preventing emotional damage to the secondary target.]

[Time Limit: 5 Days.]

He stared at the word "secondary."

He didn't like it.

Not because the system was technically wrong.

Because Vivian was a person.

She wasn't a target.

She wasn't a secondary anything.

And yet the system had started treating the situation like a problem that could be solved if he followed the right sequence of actions.

Jason dismissed the window.

"Not happening."

He walked home.

This time, he didn't check his phone.

He didn't need another notification.

He already knew what tomorrow would bring.

School.

Sarah.

Vivian.

The study group.

And whatever else the system decided to throw at him.

When he reached his apartment, he changed clothes and went straight to bed.

He fell asleep faster than expected.

The next morning, Jason woke up to a message from Sarah.

Sarah: Morning.

Jason: Morning.

Sarah: You're coming to campus today, right?

Jason: Unfortunately.

Sarah: Don't complain.

Jason: I haven't even gotten out of bed.

Sarah: Exactly.

Jason smiled.

He got ready.

By the time he reached campus, the usual morning crowd had already filled the walkways.