Lust Meter System: Conquering Beauties-Chapter 153: D—Sense

The campus was loud.

Students everywhere. Voices overlapping. Laughter. Someone shouting across the quad about a party. Backpacks hitting the ground. Footsteps on pavement.

Liam walked through it all, hands in his pockets.

Yesterday had been good. Really good.

After the yacht, after everything with Jane, they’d cracked open more drinks and just stayed out there. Talking. Laughing at nothing. At some point they’d all passed out on the deck.

The next morning they’d gone back out on the water. Just swimming. Floating around. Kelvin and Priscilla splashing each other like idiots.

Jane laughing at them, her head thrown back, completely losing it every time Kelvin tried to dunk Priscilla and she twisted away at the last second. The sun was warm, the water was cold, and nobody was talking about anything that mattered.

Then they’d split up. Kelvin and Priscilla went off somewhere. He and Jane just sat on the deck and talked. About nothing. About everything. It was easy. Comfortable.

After that, he’d come home and slept for twelve hours straight.

Today was the first day he actually felt like himself again. Ribs didn’t hurt. Head was clear. He was good.

And then there was the other thing.

This morning, when he’d woken up, the system had been there. Just floating in front of him. Clean white text.

**[New Skill Unlocked: D Sense]**

**[Always Active. No Points Required.]**

"He’d stared at it for a solid minute. It was straightforward enough — sense danger before it happened. Simple. But how exactly was that supposed to work? What did it feel like? When did it kick in? The system never explained more than it wanted to, and after a minute the text faded and left him with just that.

’Guess I’ll find out.’

He kept walking, weaving through groups of students, when he heard his name. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Liam!"

He stopped and turned around.

A group of guys was walking toward him. Five of them. All wearing athletic gear. One of them was tossing a basketball up and catching it with one hand.

Chase.

Tall, lean, built like someone who actually put in work. Dark hair cut short. He was wearing a black compression shirt and joggers, and he was staring at Liam with this flat, unreadable expression.

One of the guys next to him said something, and Chase smirked. The whole group laughed.

But one of them broke away and started walking toward Liam.

Drew.

Tall, broad-shouldered, dark curls pulled back in a messy bun. Wearing a graphic tee and grey joggers. He walked up with his hand already out. "Liam! Dude, it’s been forever. How you been?"

Liam just stood there for a second, staring at him.

’Why is he talking to me?’

Drew’s hand was still up, waiting.

Liam finally lifted his hand and dapped him up. "I’m good."

Drew grinned. "Don’t worry about them." He tilted his head back toward the group. "They’re just messing around. You know how it is."

Liam glanced past him. Chase was still watching, still tossing the basketball. One of the other guys said something, and they all laughed again.

Liam looked back at Drew. "Yeah."

Drew clapped him on the shoulder. "So what are you doing tonight?"

Liam raised an eyebrow. "Tonight?"

"Yeah, man. I’m throwing a party. You should come through."

Liam hesitated. "Uh... yeah. Sure. I guess."

Drew’s grin got wider. "Bet. That’s what’s up. A lot of people are gonna be hyped to see you there."

Liam frowned. "Why?"

Drew laughed. "Dude, you torched Chase in that pickup game. Everyone’s still talking about it. Half of them think it was a fluke. That you wouldn’t pull it off again." He shrugged. "So yeah. People wanna see you."

Liam just looked at him. "Alright. I’ll think about it."

Drew’s smile dropped a little. "Wait. You’ll think about it? I thought you just said yeah."

"I said I’ll think about it."

Drew stared at him, then laughed and shook his head. "Alright, man. Fair. Just let me know." He clapped him on the shoulder again. "Take care."

He turned and started walking back toward the group.

Liam turned around and kept walking.

Then he felt it.

A sharp tingle at the back of his neck. Like something prickling under his skin. Immediate. Clear.

He turned around.

The basketball was already flying straight at his head.

His hand shot up.

He caught it.

Clean. One hand. The ball smacked into his palm, and his fingers wrapped around it before it could bounce off.

Liam stood there for a second, staring at the ball in his hand.

Then he rubbed the back of his neck where the tingle had been.

’Holy shit. So that’s how it works.’

He looked up at Chase and his guys. They were all staring at him, mouths open, eyes wide. Nobody was saying anything.

’I was looking forward to going to train with Shay again to find out how it worked. It’s clear how it works now.’

Drew had stopped walking. He turned around, eyebrows raised. "Yo. How did you just catch that?"

Liam tossed the ball back. It sailed through the air and landed right in Chase’s hands. Chase caught it, but he was still staring at Liam like he couldn’t figure out what he’d just seen.

"Reflex, I guess," Liam said.

Drew stared at him for a long second. Then he started laughing. Hard. He walked back over and grabbed Liam by the shoulder, shaking him. "Bro, that was crazy. You gotta join the team."

"Nah," Liam said. "I’m good."

Drew laughed again, shaking his head. "Alright, man. Your loss."

The group started walking away. Chase glanced back once before they rounded the corner.

A few students who’d stopped to watch started moving again.

Liam turned and kept walking, a small smile pulling at the corner of his mouth.

---

The classroom was packed.

Students sitting in rows, some talking, some scrolling on their phones, some just staring at nothing. Sunlight came through the windows on the left, cutting across the room in long angles.

Miss Kelly was at the front, leaning against her desk. Blonde hair pulled back in a loose ponytail. Blue eyes. White blouse fitted tight, top two buttons undone. Black pencil skirt, short and tight. Red heels.

She was flipping through a folder like she didn’t notice half the room staring at her.

Liam walked in and looked around.

Kelvin wasn’t here yet.

He walked to his usual seat and sat down, dropping his bag on the floor. The room was warm. Someone had cracked one of the windows on the far side and the curtain moved slightly with the breeze.

Miss Kelly set the folder down and straightened up. "Alright, everyone. Welcome back. Hope you all had a good break." She picked up a marker and turned toward the board. "This semester we’re covering some really interesting material. Today we’re starting with Plato’s Allegory of the Cave and what it tells us about the nature of reality. So if you could all—"

The door opened.

Kelvin walked in, blue hoodie, black jeans, backpack over one shoulder. He walked straight to the seat next to Liam and dropped into it.

Miss Kelly stopped. "Mr. Monroe. Nice of you to join us."

Kelvin nodded. "My bad."

She gave him a look, then turned back to the board.

Liam looked at him. "Why are you late this time?"

Kelvin leaned back. "Drew stopped me outside. Asked me to come to his party tonight."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "He asked me too."

Kelvin’s face lit up. "For real?"

"Yeah."

Kelvin grinned. "Bet. So I don’t gotta drag you there this time."

Liam shrugged. "Guess not."

Miss Kelly cleared her throat. "Gentleman. If you’re done."

Kelvin looked up and smiled. "Sorry, Miss Kelly."

She gave him a look, then turned back to the board.

Kelvin leaned closer, voice low. "You gonna bring Jane?"

Liam shook his head. "Nah. Going solo."

Kelvin stared at him. Then his face cracked into this ridiculous grin. He put his hand over his mouth and made these fake sobbing sounds, shoulders shaking.

"I’m so proud of you, man," he whispered, voice breaking. "You’re growing up. Becoming a great man who isn’t chained by feelings. Me and Priscilla genuinely thought you were in love."

Liam just looked at him. "You’re stupid."

Kelvin wiped at his eye, still grinning. "So we partying tonight?"

Liam nodded. "Yeah. We’re partying tonight."

"Mr. Monroe," Miss Kelly said sharply, not even turning around. "One more word and you’re sitting up front."

Kelvin straightened up immediately, hands folded on his desk, face perfectly innocent. "Yes, ma’am."

Silence for a moment.

Then, barely above a whisper. "But we’re both talking. Why is she only coming for me." A beat. "Wait. You told her to, didn’t you."

Liam didn’t look at him. "Yeah."

Kelvin stared at the side of his face. "I’m guessing you’re really happy with yourself."

"Yes, I am."

Kelvin’s foot shot out under the desk and kicked him in the shin. Sharp. Quick.

Liam felt it. Gave a small smirk but didn’t say anything.

Kelvin leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, shaking his head.

Miss Kelly kept writing on the board, heels clicking with every step.

And for the first time all day, things felt normal.