System Mission: Seduce the Final Boss [BL]-Chapter 62: My anxiety is growing

But now that he had reached a number past 13...

[ Unlocked: Money ]

[ Unlocked: Shop ]

[ Unlocked: Favorability Privilege ]

Blake stared at the overlapping windows, one after another, each one hovering just slightly off-center, like they wanted to be noticed.

Blake exhaled slowly through his nose, his expression tightening ever so slightly.

’What are those, now? Seriously, this system just won’t leave me take a breath...’

At the very least, they didn’t sound bad.

Right?

"Blake."

The voice cut cleanly through his thoughts.

He looked up.

Myles was still directly looking at him, not with the smile from earlier. But, at least, the atmosphere hadn’t changed all that much.

Blake held his gaze for a second too long before forcing himself to look away.

If he could erase it, all of it, he would.

If someone offered to take all of his memories of the system and tear them out of his mind, he wouldn’t hesitate.

Because how was he supposed to keep going like this?

There was something sitting in his chest now, something that hadn’t been there before.

Not this clearly, at least.

It wasn’t even particularly overwhelming, but it lingered in his heart.

A dull, persistent weight.

Something close to guilt or maybe regret.

He couldn’t quite tell.

Blake let out a quiet breath, shaking his head as a short, almost disbelieving laugh slipped out of him.

He had his fun also the other day.

But, out of everyone, out of every possible person, he almost wished it hadn’t been someone from this world, especially Myles.

Because none of this was real.

Not a single part of it.

Every word, every gesture, every moment, it was all planned, there was nothing genuine about it.

And yet...

His jaw tightened slightly.

He had almost considered killing someone, just to avoid the possibility of being exposed and letting Myles see through him.

Just to avoid dying as a result.

’...What does he know?’

Looking back up at him, Blake couldn’t stop the faint, bitter curve of his lips.

At first, Myles had been suspicious of him.

Extremely, rightfully so.

He had grabbed him.

Pinned him.

Forced his head out a window without hesitation the first time Blake had tried to kiss his cheek.

That kind of reaction didn’t come from nowhere.

So now?

How suspicious was he?

Blake’s stomach twisted faintly.

This was the man who was supposed to destroy the world, so if course he is smart, although morally fractured.

The idea that his suspicion had decreased, that something in him had softened...

It made Blake’s skin crawl.

If he found out, if he realized that everything had really been nothing more than an act, how would he react?

What would his face look like?

Would he be sad?

"We have to go now."

Blake moved before the thought could finish.

He walked past him, not giving himself the chance to look at those eyes again.

’If it’s 13...’

His fingers curled slightly at his sides.

’Then his suspicion must be lower.’

He had questioned it before, more than once.

But every time, he had brushed it off and gnored it, assuming, no, convincing himself that he would go back.

That this wasn’t permanent.

That he hadn’t actually died.

That this was temporary and reversible.

Now... now he wasn’t so sure.

And that uncertainty settled in deeper than anything else.

What would happen after this was over?

After he completed the mission?

After he succeeded?

What happened to him then?

***

"Spoon."

Blake didn’t even bother sitting properly.

He dropped onto the bed, arms spread for a moment before one hand came up to drag across his face.

"How about you explain to me these new functions?"

He exhaled sharply, staring up at the ceiling.

Actually, there was still dinner, he couldn’t skip it.

Even if his appetite had quietly disappeared somewhere along the way.

The ride back earlier hadn’t been as tense as he expected, but it hadn’t been comfortable either.

It had just been...

Silent.

[ Yes, Dear Host ]

[ Money is now what you can get as a reward, and with it, you can either use it for missions or goals strictly connected to the Target, or you can buy skills or items. ]

Blake turned his head slightly.

"...Ah."

He raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the skills from the spinning wheel?"

[ Exactly, Dear Host ]

"Nice..."

At least now he didn’t have to get a shitty option after busting his ass off to obtain it.

"Can I open the shop now?"

[ Yes, Dear Host ]

[ Opening: Shop ] 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

The interface shifted, expandimg significantly.

Blake pushed himself up slightly, resting on his elbows as he looked over it.

"...Of course it is."

A quiet, almost humorless huff left him.

It was exactly what he expected.

Potions.

Weapons.

Strange, questionably legal tools.

Everything felt like it had been pulled straight out of the most cliché system imaginable.

"Ah."

His eyes moved across the options.

"That’s a whole catalog for the mask you gave me."

There were variations.

Different designs.

Different functions.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

Masks that could even turn him into a woman.

’At least... this might make things easier.’

His gaze lingered for a moment before shifting again, now there was still one thing left.

"What about Favorability Privilege?"

He gulped, feeling most excited about that.

"What do I get with that?"

[ Dear Host, that means that favorability will no longer be visible for free. ]

[ With the same money you receive, you may choose to purchase access to it. ]

...

Blake didn’t react immediately.

For a second, two, three... there was nothing.

"...What?"

But then his voice came out quiet, like he hadn’t fully processed it yet.

[ Favorability visibility is now a purchasable feature. ]

"...No."

He sat up fully.

"No, no... what do you mean purchasable?"

His voice sharpened instantly.

"You’re telling me I can’t see it anymore?"

[ Correct, Dear Host ]

"...At all?"

[ Not without purchase. ]

"You’re joking."

He let out a short, disbelieving laugh.

"You’re actually joking."

But there was no response acknowledging that.

Blake ran a hand through his hair, exhaling sharply.

"That’s—"

He cut himself off.

"No, that’s not just annoying, that’s—"

His voice rose.

"That’s insane."

He stood up abruptly, pacing around the roomm

"Do you have any idea what that means?"

No answer.

"Of course you do, you crazy shit!"

His jaw clenched.

"You expect me to do this blind now?"

Still nothing.

"I’ve been relying on that."

He stopped moving, turning slightly.

"That’s the only clear feedback I have, and now you’re taking it away unless I pay for it?"

[ That is correct, Dear Host ]

"...Why? Why would you make it even harder than it already is?"

[ That information is restricted. ]

Blake stared at the empty air in front of him.

"Then what about those rewards strictly connected to favorability level? Like just now with the money and shop thing?"

[ Dear Host, those unlock after you buy to see the favorability level. ]

His hand curled into a fist.

He turned away, dragging a hand down his face again.

This was bad, this was really bad.

Because now he couldn’t see it.

He couldn’t track it.

He couldn’t know.

Every reaction.

Every word.

Every shift in tone, he would have to guess.

And if he guessed wrong, if he spent money just to check and saw it had gone down...

His chest tightened slightly.

No.

He already knew.

That would break him.

It didn’t matter if now decreases were rarer.

Seeing it drop even once after paying for it...

"Tch."

He clicked his tongue, turning toward the small kitchen.

"Fine."

If he couldn’t fix the system, he could at least distract himself with cooking a simple, yummy soup.

Blake grabbed a knife, pulling out a carrot without much thought.

He started to slice.

Slice.

Slice...

His hand slipped.

Slash.

"Ouch!"

He froze, then slowly looked down, a thin line of red welled up along his finger.

"...Seriously?"

The irritation snapped.

He exhaled sharply, tossing the knife into the sink with more force than necessary.

It clattered loudly against the metal.

"...Great."

He pressed his thumb against the cut, jaw tightening.

It wasn’t deep, but it was enough to sting and annoy him.

"...This is ridiculous."

He muttered it under his breath, turning the tap on and rinsing it off.

Everything felt off.

Before, he had been conflicted.

Yes.

But it had been manageable.

But now everything felt unstable.

Because the one thing he had relied on, the one thing that gave him a sense of direction was gone.

Now he had to rely on instinct.

Blake exhaled slowly, turning the water off.

"Fine, fine."

He dried his hands, ignoring the faint sting.

He couldn’t sit here and spiral over it.

He didn’t have time.

None of this gave him time.

345 days.

That was what the system had given him.

It was already the end of January.

And the deadline was November 11th.

There was no time for hesitation or for overthinking.

He turned back toward the bed, sitting down and leaning forward slightly.

He had already completed the mission.

That part was done.

Now he needed to focus on other unanswered things.

His hand lifted slightly.

"Spoon, give me Ennora’s ring."

And a moment later, the blueprints fell from nothing.

Putting it in the pillow, he grabbed the same papers he wrote on some time before.

He needed to continue gathering every location.

He picked up a pen, leaning over them.

"...Let’s see."

He began marking the underground routes again, carefully labeling and connecting them.

Now he needed something concrete, finally objective that didn’t depend on someone else’s emotions.

Schools.

Marked.

Hospitals.

Marked.

Facilities.

Bases.

There were all sorts of tunnels beneath all of them like veins.

"...There’s no pattern."

He muttered it quietly, frowning slightly.

It didn’t make sense.

The selections felt random.

Until, his pen stopped.

"...Wait."

His eyes narrowed slightly.

He leaned in closer.

The amusement park, the one he and Myles had gone to, it was there, connected underground.

"...No way."

His gaze shifted, searching for more.

And then, another one.

And another.

More amusement parks.

All connected.

All linked beneath the surface.

Blake’s grip on the pen tightened slightly.

"...What is this?"

Trying to piece it together, he felt as if he was finally going crazy.

Schools.

Hospitals.

Amusement parks.

A pattern, there was one.

He just hadn’t wanted to see it.

"No... no, that’s..."

His expression tightened.

Because the more he looked, the more it aligned.

These places, they weren’t random, they weren’t arbitrary, they had something in common.

Something very specific.

His chest felt heavier again.

"...Children."

The word barely left his lips.

Schools.

Amusement parks.

In general, even normal parks were somehow connected.

Those were all places filled with them.

His gaze shifted.

Hospitals.

"So, the vulnerable..."

The sick, the weak.

The ones who couldn’t fight back.

Blake leaned back slightly, the pen lowering in his hand.

"...You’ve got to be kidding me."

He really, really didn’t want this theory of his to be right.