The system notification shattered the delicate tension in the chapel.
Both Akira and Erika froze, staring blankly at the glowing message, only realizing far too late that they were still holding each other.
They pulled apart instantly.
Awkward.
Too close.
Way too close.
Akira turned his face away first, clearing his throat a little too loudly. Erika stood stiffly in place, hands clenched around her sleeves, cheeks burning red.
Almost reflexively, Akira opened the system window, but before that, he sent a telepathic message.
"Come on, sister. Why?"
Selena's reply came immediately.
"Don't look at me. I set it to auto-update. How was I supposed to expect your relationship to jump from zero to a hundred in, like, thirty minutes?"
"Whatever…" Akira shot back telepathically, already focusing on the update notifications to distract himself, using the system window as a shield. He couldn't face Erika right now…not like this. He just needed a moment. Just enough time to calm his racing thoughts.
Erika looked like she wanted to say something, but in the end, she didn't.
She needed a distraction, too.
Just then, Selena's voice echoed in her mind, accompanied by a quiet sigh.
"Good thing I moved the update forward."
Erika immediately realized that Selena had done this; she telepathically asked.
"You did this on purpose…Why did you do it?"
Selena replied without hesitation.
"Well, let's leave that stupid brother of mine alone for a moment and have an important conversation. What do you say?"
Erika glanced at Akira. He was staring at his system window now, eyes full of curiosity, clearly trying to distract himself just as much as she was.
After a brief pause, Erika answered quietly,
"…Okay."
Meanwhile, Akira clicked on the notification, and the system window expanded.
[Store Update – Congratulations]
[Star Soul System Update]
Store Function: UNLOCKED
• Star Credits Awarded: 500 (Launch Bonus)
• Pending Mission Rewards Processed: 1000 Star Credits
• Current Balance: 1500 Star Credits
Akira muttered under his breath, "Star credits…? How do I even get those?"
He tapped on the highlighted term, and new information immediately appeared.
[Star Credits]
Currency used within the Star Soul System.
Earned through mission completion, based on mission evaluation.
"…Huh."
More questions instantly surfaced in his mind, but he pushed them aside. Right now, there was something far more important.
He closed that window and opened the store.
[Store]
▸ Items
▸ Skills
▸ Power Systems
▸ Library
▸ Utilities
▸ Gacha
Akira stared at the list, eyes widening slightly.
"There are so many options…"
But the moment he saw the word Store, a single thought immediately surfaced, something he had wanted for a very, very long time.
Without hesitation, he selected Items and began scrolling.
A grin slowly spread across his face as he muttered, barely containing his excitement,
"…I'll finally have my lightsaber."
While Akira was absorbed in browsing the store, Erika and Selena were in the middle of a very different and far more serious conversation.
"Now tell me," Erika asked telepathically, "why did you do that?"
Selena replied calmly, "Well, I had to. Otherwise, who knows how many steps both of you would have gone in one go?"
Erika's face instantly turned red.
"Y-you… it was just… just a kiss… nothing more," she protested telepathically.
"I know," Selena answered, unfazed. "But both of your emotions are way too charged. If I had left you alone, I don't think either of you would have stopped."
"That's not true!" Erika suddenly blurted out loud.
Akira flinched and looked up at her. "Huh? What's not true?"
Erika froze for half a second, then quickly turned away. "N-not you. I'm talking to Selena. Go back to the store."
"O-oh. Okay," Akira stammered, immediately redirecting his attention back to the system window.
Selena giggled softly in Erika's mind.
"Fine, fine. Even if you didn't go that far… It's still way too soon for my brother to have any kind of intimate physical relationship. Even kissing."
"Why?" Erika asked in confusion.
Selena's tone turned serious.
"Because he's not emotionally stable."
"Is something wrong with him?" Erika asked telepathically, worry creeping into her thoughts.
"Nothing too serious," Selena replied. "Just remember what I told you before…his emotions were suppressed in his previous life. They never properly recovered, not even in this one."
Erika nodded silently. Yes, she remembered that.
Selena continued, "Recently, those emotions finally awakened. It's like a dam breaking. All the emotions he suppressed for so long are pouring out at once, without control. He's in a seriously emotionally volatile state right now."
"Emotionally… volatile?" Erika repeated inwardly.
She glanced at Akira just as he suddenly exclaimed aloud, "Oh! We can get Kyber crystals separately? Nice. Let's get the black one then…wait, why the hell does the black Kyber crystal cost a thousand star credits? That's just a color change!"
Watching him mutter and scroll through the store like usual, Erika asked telepathically, "He seems normal to me."
"It's not that simple, Erika-chan," Selena said gently. "He's not stable. Remember when he confessed to you? He looked way too out of control."
Erika hesitated, then nodded. Now that she thought about it, he had seemed different. But she had been so happy hearing his confession that she hadn't noticed much beyond that.
"He's in a very delicate state," Selena continued. "Physical intimacy at that level will only confuse him more. It could push him even further out of control."
"Out of control… how?" Erika asked quietly.
Selena continued, "Remember when he confessed to you? He even said he wanted to lock you up so you would never leave him."
"If you suddenly start an intimate relationship now," she went on, "he might become possessive. He might want to lock you in his room and keep you there, loving you intimately twenty-four seven. Think about it."
Erika's gaze flicked to Akira, who was currently muttering to himself, "Why are the red ones on a discount… suspicious…"
Her face flushed crimson as Selena's words sank in.
"T-that's…" Erika stammered telepathically. "That sounds… bad…"
Selena fell silent for a moment, observing Erika's reaction.
"…She doesn't look like she hates the idea that much," she thought.
With a quiet sigh, Selena sent another message. "He might become so possessive that he'd want to eliminate any boy you come into contact with. What would you do then?"
"That's not possible!" Erika blurted out loud.
Akira looked up at her in shock. "Huh…? But red kyber crystals are suspicious, you know, the Sith use them."
"I'm not talking to you," Erika snapped. "Go back to your crystals."
"Yes," Akira replied obediently, immediately returning his attention to the system screen.
Erika turned her attention back to Selena and spoke telepathically.
"There's no way he would do something like that."
Selena replied calmly, "Believe me, he's completely capable of it. Though he would probably stop himself if he thought it would make you sad. Still… the switch is there."
"What if he thought someone was going to take you away from him?" Selena continued. "What if he decided they were his enemies?"
Erika knew Akira could be merciless to his enemies. That much was undeniable.
But doing something like that to an innocent person… she couldn't imagine it.
And yet…
If he truly believed they were his enemies…
Would he really show mercy?
She didn't know.
"Then… what should I do?" Erika asked telepathically.
Selena answered, "Nothing. Just progress your relationship normally. Honestly, your previous pace is fine. Though… the two of you are already far more intimate than most people who aren't even officially boyfriend and girlfriend, you know."
"That's not true," Erika immediately shot back. "We're not that intimate."
Selena sighed. "Oh, come on. Have you seen what your blood-drinking sessions look like from the outside? It's way too much. That's R18-level."
Erika's face went completely red.
"No…" she thought frantically. "That's not true. There's no way."
…But as the memories surfaced, she hesitated.
"It's… not like that," she insisted to herself.
And yet, deep down, she couldn't fully deny it.
Selena continued, "Fine. Let's call it PG-13 then, though it's barely PG-13. Still, the point is, you're already close. You can just move forward slowly with more advanced things. Take your time. Just be yourself."
Erika's thoughts were tangled and conflicted.
She had loved him for so long.
She had waited for so long.
And now, it was finally happening.
A part of her wanted to pour out every emotion she had been holding back, to give in completely, to close the distance all at once.
But…
She knew Selena was right.
Akira was unstable right now.
In the end, Erika gave a small nod.
"Fine," she said telepathically. "I'll hold back."
"Good," Selena replied.
After a brief pause, Erika continued, her thoughts hesitant.
"But… can you tell me how far is too far?"
Selena fell silent.
For once, she didn't have an immediate answer. She didn't quite know how to handle that question either.
Meanwhile, Akira finally made up his mind.
"Alright… I'll get the red one. Yes, the red one," he muttered to himself. "I don't care if it's suspicious…it's on discount. I have to get it."
He stared at the store display where the different lightsaber kyber crystals and their prices were listed:
Black Kyber Crystal – 1000 SC
Purple Kyber Crystal – 350 SC
Blue Kyber Crystal – 150 SC
Green Kyber Crystal – 150 SC
Yellow Kyber Crystal – 150 SC
Red Kyber Crystal – 100 SC → 80 SC (20% off)
Akira let out a small sigh.
He really wanted the black one, but the red one was fine too. And more importantly, it was on discount.
Still, his finger hovered hesitantly over the purchase option.
Normally, he spent money without thinking. He had effectively infinite funds in most situations. But now, Star Credits were limited, and suddenly the decision felt… heavy.
It was like a child wanting to buy a toy they really liked, but feeling guilty because they knew they didn't have much money.
And instinctively, he wanted an adult's permission.
So he looked up at Erika.
She was wearing a serious expression, clearly in the middle of some important telepathic conversation, probably with his sister, but Akira asked anyway, a little unsure.
"Erika… can I buy this red kyber crystal?"
Erika snapped out of her thoughts, looking at him in shock.
"…Why are you asking me?" she asked.
Akira stuttered slightly. "I mean…I don't know, I just…well…"
Before the awkward silence could stretch any further, Selena's voice echoed telepathically in his mind.
"Sure. Just buy it. One is fine."
"Really?" Akira replied instinctively. "Okay then."
He immediately confirmed the purchase.
Erika grew even more confused as she watched him, completely unsure what was going on anymore.
"Don't worry, Erika-chan," Selena added calmly. "I'll explain later."
Erika sighed. "…Okay."
A soft light gathered in Akira's hand, and a red crystal materialized before his eyes.
His face lit up.
"Finally," he said with genuine satisfaction. "I have a kyber crystal."
Erika glanced at the crystal in Akira's hand, then asked, "What about the rest of the lightsaber?"
Akira smiled confidently. "Don't worry. I can make it myself," he said lightly. "I can actually make it better, hehe."
Then, as if remembering something, he tilted his head. "So… what were you talking about with my sister anyway?"
Erika waved it off quickly. "Oh, it's nothing. Just some girls' talk. Don't worry about it."
"I see," Akira replied.
There was a brief pause.
He suddenly looked a little flustered, scratching his cheek as he hesitated. "…So, um… does that mean we're boyfriend and girlfriend now?"
Erika answered immediately, without even a second of hesitation. "Yes. Yes, exactly. We are."
Akira nodded, visibly relieved. "Okay. Good then."
He pulled out his phone and, without another thought, updated his relationship status.
Little did he know what kind of chaos this simple action was about to cause.