Hospital rooms have a very specific way of telling you that you've messed up. It's the smell—a mix of bleach, lemon-scented floor wax, and the lingering scent of "you almost died, you idiot."
My eyes snapped open, and for a terrifying second, I thought I was back in the quarry. My lungs felt like I'd swallowed a bucket of gravel, and my throat was a desert. I let out a pathetic, wet cough that sounded more like a dying seal than a legendary lover.
"Oh! He's awake! Granny, he's breathing!"
I blinked, trying to clear the crust from my lashes. The first thing I saw wasn't an angel—it was Lin. She was hovering approximately two inches from my nose, her eyes red-rimmed and watery. Behind her stood the "Grandmother of Wrath" and, leaning against the far wall with her arms crossed, the ever-stoic Rishie.
"Water..." I wheezed.
Lin scrambled for a plastic cup, but as she leaned over me, the world suddenly glitched. It was like a transparent screen had been dropped over my retinas.
[ TARGET IDENTIFIED: LINDSEY ]
[ AFFECTION LEVEL: 85% (LOVESICK/CONFUSED) ]
[ CURRENT DESIRE: WANTS TO FEED YOU JELL-O AND CRY ]
I choked on my own spit. What the hell is that? I rubbed my eyes, but the floating text stayed glued to her forehead. I looked over at Granny.
[ TARGET IDENTIFIED: GRANNY ]
[ AFFECTION LEVEL: -10% (CONTEMPTUOUS PITY) ]
[ CURRENT DESIRE: WANTS TO HIT YOU WITH HER PURSE FOR GETTING THE SINK WET ]
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Lucas," Rishie said, stepping forward. Her presence caused a new box to pop up, glowing a stubborn, icy blue.
[ TARGET IDENTIFIED: RISHIE ]
[ AFFECTION LEVEL: 2% (SHE LIKES YOUR JAWLINE BUT HATES YOUR SOUL) ]
[ CURRENT DESIRE: WANTS TO CALL YOU A DRAMA QUEEN ]
"I... I fell," I managed to say, my voice sounding like sandpaper.
"You fell? You fell into a quarry bridge after monologuing like a villain in a low-budget soap opera?" Rishie shook her head. "The doctors said you're fine, mostly. Just some bruised ribs and a severely inflated ego that took on some water."
Suddenly, the iridescent violet light from the water flared in my mind, and a new window—much larger and more aggressive—forced its way to the front.
[ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MISSION GENERATED ]
[ MISSION TITLE: 'NOT A TOTAL POS' ]
[ OBJECTIVE: REDEEM YOUR DOOMED REPUTATION. ]
[ TASK 1: SINCERELY APOLOGIZE TO RISHIE WITHOUT MENTIONING HER 'BUBBLY ASS' OR 'SLENDER LEGS'. ]
[ REWARD: 50 'CHARISMA POINTS' AND A $100 BILL (TO REPLACE THE ONE YOU LOST, YOU LOSER). ]
[ PENALTY FOR FAILURE: EVERY TIME YOU LIE, YOUR VOICE WILL SOUND LIKE A CHIPMUNK FOR ONE HOUR. ]
I stared at the screen in horror. Sincerely apologize? Me? That wasn't in my vocabulary. My vocabulary consisted of "Hey babe," "Nice heels," and "You're perfect, deeper."
"Lucas?" Lin asked, pressing the cold water cup to my lips. "Are you okay? You're staring at Rishie's forehead like there's a spider on it."
I took a sip of water, my mind racing. I looked at Rishie. She looked genuinely annoyed, yet she had stayed. Why had she stayed? I looked at the system prompt again. 50 Charisma points... and a hundred bucks. My skin was already feeling dry without that gel.
"Rishie," I started, my voice trembling. I tried to summon my usual smirk, but my ribs protested with a sharp jab of pain. "I... I wanted to say... that I'm sorry."
Rishie froze. Granny dropped her knitting needles. Lin gasped as if I'd just confessed to a murder.
"Sorry for what?" Rishie asked, her eyes narrowing. "The arrogance? The stalking? The plumbing disaster?"
"All of it," I said, and for the first time in my life, I wasn't actually trying to get into someone's pants. I was just tired. Tired of the act. "I was an ass. You weren't wrong about me being hollow."
The silence in the room was so thick you could have cut it with a scalpel. Then, a soft ding echoed in my ears.
[ TASK 1: SUCCESSFUL (BARELY). ]
[ CRITICAL HIT: RISHIE'S DISGUST HAS DECREASED BY 1%. ]
[ REWARD GRANTED: CHECK YOUR PILLOW. ]
I reached under my hospital pillow and felt the crisp, unmistakable texture of a hundred-dollar bill. My heart leaped.
"Did he just apologize?" Granny whispered to Lin. "Is there brain damage? We should call the nurse."
"I heard that!" I snapped, but then I caught Kit standing in the doorway. She was watching me, her eyes unreadable.
[ TARGET IDENTIFIED: KIT ]
[ AFFECTION LEVEL: ERROR... ERROR... ]
[ CURRENT DESIRE: [HIDDEN] ]
The System didn't know what she wanted. And for some reason, that terrified me more than drowning ever did.