Chapter 55: The Weight of the Responsibility

Leo practically dragged his feet as he pushed open the door of his studio apartment. His entire body felt completely drained, the sheer weight of Julia's sidewalk threat pressing down on his brain like a physical anchor. He didn't even bother taking off his boots or changing his clothes. He simply stumbled forward, letting his body collapse flat across the sheets of his twin mattress. Staring up blankly at the dark ceiling textures, his mind frantically looped through the reality of his situation. An alien war... a trapped princess... a system that locked onto me because of a stupid VR visor... what the hell am I supposed to do now? Before his brain could be think more, his eyelids grew entirely too heavy, and he completely passed out into a deep, dreamless sleep.

DING!

The sharp electronic sound of a digital notification violently detonated inside his mind, snapping his eyes open to the bright morning sun.

Leo sat up quickly, rubbing his face as the familiar translucent neon blue text boxes initialized in the air right in front of his eyes.

[System Update: New Target Profile Unlocked.]

[Target Name: Eleanor]

[Current Affection Status: 0%]

[Warning: Complete the alignment sequence to unlock further metric data fields.]

Leo stared dead at the glowing floating text, his brow furrowing deeply in total confusion. Eleanor? He ran through every single of his memory, checking the names of every student and every childhood neighbor he had ever met. Nothing. The name was a complete blank space in his brain. He let out a long, frustrated sigh, swinging his legs off the bed frame. "Great. Another mysterious situation to deal with while I'm already tracking a death penalty." He shook his head, got up to freshen up in the washroom, pulled on a casual set of university clothes, and headed out toward the campus wing.

.....

The central university avenues were packed with students, but Leo wasn't paying attention to any of the standard campus energy. Throughout the entire morning walk, he was actively, deliberately avoiding Stella. Every time he caught a glimpse of silver-white hair in the distance, he immediately turned down a completely different corridor block. He desperately needed space to think straight, to think about his responsibility against his raw, human fear of death. If I run, the system fries my brain. If I stay, an alien executioner is finding the ways to kill me. I never asked for any of this, but I'm completely locked in.

Lost in his anxious thoughts, Leo aggressively rounded a sharp corner near the grand main hall, and crashed straight into someone standing right in the middle of the walkway.

"Whoa, sorry," Leo muttered, his hands instinctively moving forward to steady himself as he took a quick step back.

But the exact microsecond his eyes locked onto the person in front of him, he froze completely dead in his tracks, absolute, profound shock paralyzing his entire body. Right behind him, Stella, who had been secretly trailing his movements to break through his avoidance, abruptly stopped as well, her green eyes dilating in total, wide-eyed shock.

Standing right in the middle of the crowded university hallway was an exceptionally beautiful, tall young woman with long, luxurious purple hair that cascaded perfectly over her shoulders. She wasn't wearing a student cardigan, a casual jacket, or a faculty outfit. She was dressed in an incredibly gorgeous, highly detailed, and ultra-sexy royal gown that radiated an elite, high-society elegance completely out of place on a college campus.

Stella blinked comically, her playful mask entirely missing as she leaned closer to Leo's shoulder, whispering in a frantic, confused rush. "Leo... why on earth is she wearing a literal royal gown inside the university building? Is there a theater festival today that I missed?"

"I have absolutely zero idea," Leo whispered back honestly, his dark eyes wide as he tracked the purple-haired woman's posture.

The gorgeous woman didn't whimper or show any panic. Instead, she crossed her arms delicately over the full contour of her heavy bust, raising her chin elegantly as she let out a sharp, sophisticated clear of her throat. She locked her sharp eyes directly into Leo's face, speaking in a thoroughly egoist, high-and-mighty tone that demanded absolute submission. "Well? I am waiting. When exactly are you planning to offer a proper, formal apology for your exceptionally clumsy behavior?"

Leo’s brain violently snapped under the sheer absurdity of the interaction. He didn't have the mental stamina to handle an egoist high-society person while tracking an alien threat. He forcefully bowed his chin, dropping his voice into a sharp, quick rumble. "My mistake. I apologize for bumping into you, miss."

Without waiting for her to deliver another haughty line, Leo turned sharply on his heel and walked rapidly down the corridor walkway to leave, with a completely puzzled Stella hurrying right alongside him to escape the awkward tension.

The purple-haired woman stood perfectly still in the center of the hallway, her sharp eyes tracking Leo’s broad shoulders as his tall silhouette disappeared around the corner. She turned her body with absolute, flawless high-society etiquette and walking directly toward the doors of the Principal's administration office.

.....

At the afternoon lunch hour, the atmosphere at their usual corner cafeteria table was remarkably heavy.

Leo sat in his chair, his fork listlessly pushing a piece of chicken around his plate. Stella sat right beside him, shifting her eyes nervously as she tried to lean in to drop a quiet question. "Hey... Leo. About what we discussed in the room yesterday... what do you actually want to do about this situation?"

Leo completely ignored her words, keeping his eyes locked dead on his food as he let out a cold, distant silence.

The complete lack of his usual relaxed, teasing energy was entirely too obvious. Across the table, Chloe, Nicole, and Cynthia stopped their wholesome chatter, their eyes naturally tracking the deep lines of stress, anxiety, and exhaustion running across Leo's face. The domestic comedy was completely gone, replaced by a highly visible, heavy burden.

Nicole bit her lower lip, her violet eyes carrying a rare, deeply worried look as her usual tsundere defenses melted away. Even Chloe sat quietly, her possessive yandere energy dropping to zero as she looked at his rigid jawline.

Cynthia finally set her teacup down with a soft click, her amber eyes shimmering with pure, genuine care and gentle warmth as she leaned across the table space toward him. "Leo... is everything truly okay? You look completely pale today, and you haven't taken a single bite of your meal."

Leo caught himself, forcing his dark eyes to soften as he looked at the campus goddess's worried face. He forced an effortless, quiet smile to mask his panic, his voice carrying a calm, casual rumble. "Yeah... I'm completely fine, Cynthia. Don't worry. It's just... a bit of a heavy burden from the upcoming assignments and project. My head is just a bit cluttered."

Cynthia looked at his expression for a second, before offering a gentle, reassuring nod. "I understand. But please promise me you won't do too much at a single time, Leo. If the works get too heavy, you can always ask me to help you sort through the data lines."

"Thanks, Cynthia. I appreciate it," Leo murmured softly, though the weight in his chest didn't move an inch.

.....

An hour later, the university had officially dismissed for the day. Leo walked completely alone down the quiet, shadow-lined pedestrian path leading back toward his residential district. The golden rays of the setting sun cast long, lonely outlines behind his tall frame as he moved slowly down the concrete lane, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

He let out a long, heavy, and deeply exhausted sigh, his voice whispering quietly into the empty evening air. "I never should have taken that damn VR visor set from the boutique box..."

He clutched his forehead tightly, the sheer reality of his choices making his head feel incredibly messy. The human side of him desperately wanted to drop the duffel bag, run away from the university, and abandon the entire system network. But the heavy, absolute responsibility of protecting the smiles of the girls who trusted him, paired with the cold, primal fear of the system's lethal death penalty, left him completely cornered with zero exits. He sighed heavily once more, his lonely silhouette moving slowly down the quiet street.