Chapter 91| So Much for Keeping Lust Under Control"

Chapter 91: Chapter 91| So Much for Keeping Lust Under Control"

Sera was already at the table.

She wore an olive green hoodie today. He was pretty sure it was new but at this point the collection had grown large enough that tracking individual entries felt like a full time job. Still oversized. Still somehow managing to conceal everything it had been concealing since week one with the same dedicated commitment.

She pushed his coffee across when he sat down which had become a routine for her and Zane subconsciously counted the act as muscle memory.

She glanced at his face.

"You okay?" she asked in utter concern.

"I’m fine," he replied.

She looked at him for one more second with the settled expression and just filed it off. Then went back to her cup.

He drank his coffee.

’She clocked it,’ he thought. ’She always clocks it. Just doesn’t push.’

Got it. Here’s the updated section with notifications displayed:

Then the system started flooding his vision.

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Wind Burst — proximity confirmed 』

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Stone Wall — proximity confirmed 』

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Flash Step — proximity confirmed 』

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Heat Pulse — proximity confirmed 』

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Tremor — proximity confirmed 』

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Iron Grip — proximity confirmed 』

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Shadow Step — proximity confirmed 』

『 C-rank Sigil detected — Spark — proximity confirmed 』

Zane stared at the flood of notifications stacking in the corner of his vision.

’System,’ he thought. ’Are you malfunctioning. I thought I set you to B-rank acquisition only.’

『 System apologies for the mix up. Reverting to B-rank acquisition filter only. C-rank detections suppressed. 』

The flood cleared instantly.

One remained.

『 B-rank Sigil detected — proximity confirmed 』

『 Deciphering... 』

『 Sigil classification: Barrier Skin — B-rank 』

『 Function: Generates an invisible dermal layer that absorbs impact force up to B-rank output before shattering. Resets after 30 seconds. 』

Zane stared at it.

’Barrier Skin,’ he thought. ’Invisible defensive layer on the skin. Absorbs impact up to B-rank before breaking.’ He thought about Impact Breaker. ’So if I hit someone running this Sigil at under B-rank output...The hit just gets absorbed. But at 90% output, it’s still under c rank so probably the same results.’

’Actually,’ he thought. ’That’s not useless at all. That’s genuinely interesting for a defensive build but looks trash when viewed from another angle.’

’How did this peak B-rank,’ he thought. ’NSA just handing out ranks now.’

The system surfaced.

『 Barrier Skin is classified B-rank due to the absorption threshold rather than offensive capacity. A Sigil that nullifies B-rank output passively is categorically B-rank regardless of offensive limitations. The system notes your assessment was premature. 』

’Fair enough,’ Zane thought.

Sera was looking at him.

"Seems like you’re busy internally," she said.

"Just thinking about something," Zane added, throwing a minute smirk with it.

She gave him a steely look, accepted that and went back to her cup.

He gave her an unusual expression and looked around the cafeteria trying to identify the Barrier Skin source. The detection had already moved. Whoever it was had walked through his aura range and kept going. He scanned the room.

Nothing obvious.

He put his head down on the table. Face flat against the surface, only his eyes visible above the table edge, the specific energy of someone who had given up on something.

Sera looked at him.

Said nothing.

He lay there.

Then the system beeped again.

『 New B-rank Sigil detected — proximity confirmed 』

『 Deciphering... 』

He raised his head.

Looked toward the cafeteria entrance.

Maren.

And beside her, the girl from the dormitory gate. The one who had emerged in casual wear and asked if Zane was her boyfriend and got dragged back through the gate before she finished the sentence.

Today she was in a short pink skirt. Casual. The skirt sitting at exactly the length that made walking across a cafeteria a significant amount of visual information. Her figure doing what her figure had apparently decided it was going to do regardless of the occasion. Juggling her butt with each routine movement.

He put his head back down on the table. Just his eyes above the edge. Watching.

’First time I’ve seen these two in the cafeteria together,’ he thought.

Then his eyes found the relevant detail.

’So she’s B-rank,’ he thought. ’Interesting. Very interesting.’

Maren and her friend walked straight to the collection counter. Not sitting. Just picking something up.

Zane watched from his table-level vantage point.

The pink skirt. The thighs. The specific bounce of her butt in sync with her walk, that the skirt was doing absolutely nothing to contain.

He felt something he had absolutely no business feeling in a cafeteria at 12:30 PM. He could feel his crotch man ascending the skies.

’Damn,’ he thought. ’So much for keeping lust under control.’

The system surfaced immediately.

『 The system observes the host’s biological response. The system notes this is entirely consistent with a system built on the host’s previous life’s desires. The system is not surprised. The system is, however, entertained. 』

’Don’t,’ Zane thought.

『 The system is simply logging observable data. 』

"Zane."

He looked up.

Sera was staring at him. Then at the direction his eyes had been pointing. Then back at him.

"What the hell are you doing," she said.

He sat up properly.

"Nothing," he said.

"Your eyes were doing something very specific," she said. She glanced toward the counter where Maren and her friend were collecting their order. "Is one of them your girlfriend?" A pause. "So you’re cheating now?"

Zane looked at her.

"Cheating...?" he said. "No. I just happen to know them."

Sera laughed. Short and genuine.

"I’m just playing with you," she said. "Relax." She looked toward the counter with genuine curiosity. "I wouldn’t mind meeting them though. Should I go introduce myself?"

"No," Zane said immediately. "No need. I’ll introduce you properly myself next time."

She looked at him.

The smirk appearing at the corner of her mouth. the slow deliberate version. 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"Alright," she said. "I guess it’s a guy thing."

"It’s not what you think," Zane said.

"Sure," she said.

"I mean it," he said.