Sunlight cut through the thin curtains and landed right across Ren's face.
He groaned, rolled over, and stared at the clock on the nightstand. 8:47 a.m.
"Perfect," he muttered, dragging himself upright.
He was supposed to have been on campus early—Lauren's voice still echoed from the night before, sweet and threatening: Be there before anyone else, Ren.
He threw on the nearest clean shirt, shoved a notebook and his phone into his bag, and ran. Down the stairwell, across the narrow street, onto the first bus that rattled past his stop. Somehow, everything moved his way this morning: no red lights, no traffic jams, no sudden stops. It felt as if the universe, for once, had decided to let him win a round.
By the time he reached the campus gates, it was nine-thirty.
He sprinted across the courtyard, lungs burning, and slipped into the lecture hall just as the door swung open behind him and Professor Hino—his male lecturer for Management Finance—stepped in.
Ren dropped into the nearest seat, chest heaving.
He'd made it. Technically.
The classroom filled with the dull rustle of notebooks and the low hum of conversation. Ren's pulse was still racing when his phone buzzed. He glanced down. Lauren.
[You're late.]
He frowned. Late? He was sitting in class before the lecture had even started.
Another message followed before he could type a reply.
[I told you to be here early. Early means before everyone else, not barely on time.]
Ren's fingers flew across the screen.
[Traffic. And my boss made me stay longer yesterday. Couldn't help it.]
The three dots pulsed. Then her answer appeared.
[You're taking me for a fool, aren't you?]
He exhaled through his nose, the irritation that had been simmering since last night finally breaking the surface.
[You're the one acting like one.]
For a moment there was silence. Then another notification arrived—this time not a message, but a link.
Ren hesitated, thumb hovering. Against his better judgment, he tapped it.
The link opened straight to Lauren's social page.
The newest post showed him—head down on the desk, mouth slightly open, clearly asleep in class on the very first day of the semester. The caption read…
[Some students start strong. Others… start snoring.]
His stomach tightened. She hadn't tagged him, but anyone who knew their class schedule would recognize the setting.
He locked his phone and pressed his palms together under the desk, forcing his face to stay neutral. The noise of the classroom blurred around him. He couldn't even get angry out loud; Hino was pacing in front of the whiteboard, starting the lecture.
Another buzz.
[Would you like to submit now, or should I post another link?]
Ren swallowed the heat rising in his chest. His reply came out clipped.
[What do you want, Lauren?]
[Meet me in the library after classes. I'll tell you then.]
He stared at the words until they blurred. Then he typed, Fine. and slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Professor Hino's lecture dragged on for what felt like hours. Ren tried to focus—graphs, case studies, capital budgeting—but the words melted together. Every few minutes he felt his phone vibrate, as though Lauren were testing whether he'd still respond. He didn't check.
Halfway through, the door opened again.
Professor Sato walked in, tablet tucked under her arm. She was early for her next class and looked as if she'd just come from an argument—jaw tight, steps sharp.
The students straightened automatically. Ren lowered his eyes, hoping she wouldn't notice him.
Of course she did.
Her gaze swept the room, caught him glancing at his phone beneath the desk, and froze there.
"Mr. Kaido," she said.
The entire class turned.
Ren stiffened. "Yes, Professor?"
Her tone was crisp. "If the course content is so boring that you must text through it, you can continue outside."
"I wasn't—"
"Out."
A ripple of laughter spread behind him. He bit back a retort, closed his notebook, and stood. The walk to the door felt miles long.
As soon as he stepped into the hallway, his phone buzzed again.
[Since you're free now, Lauren wrote, get me lunch and wait in the library.]
Ren stared at the message until the words swam.
He could almost hear her smirk behind the text.
Fine. He'd get her stupid lunch. The last class was nearly over anyway. Then he'd hand it over, listen to whatever new order she had, and be done with it.
The campus cafeteria was already thinning out by the time he arrived. The smell of curry and fried chicken lingered in the air, mixing with the metallic hum of vending machines. Ren joined the short line, drumming his fingers against his bag.
"Chicken bento," he told the cashier when it was his turn.
The tray slid toward him, steam curling from the rice. He reached into his pocket for his phone, thumbed the screen awake, and opened the folder where he kept his banking and payment apps.
That was when he saw it.
A small, unfamiliar icon sat neatly between his mobile-banking app and the calculator—something he was certain hadn't been there before. A black square with faint red edges, the image of a stylized wing folded over a glowing dot. Underneath, in silver text, were the words.
«Temptation+ (Beta)»
Ren blinked. He frowned, tilting the screen closer.
He had no memory of downloading anything new. The phone was set to reject unknown installs automatically.
He pressed and held the icon, waiting for the usual options—delete, app info, uninstall. Nothing appeared. The phone merely vibrated once, a short, sharp pulse that felt almost deliberate.
"Next!" the cashier called, breaking his trance.
Ren blinked, swiped open his banking app, paid, and picked up the tray. But as he turned toward the exit, his eyes kept drifting back to that strange symbol.
Outside, the campus had grown loud again. Students laughed near the fountain; a group was practicing for a presentation by the benches. Ren walked past them without hearing a word.
He found an empty seat beneath the shade of a tree and set the tray beside him. His thumb hovered over the screen once more. The icon seemed to pulse faintly in the daylight—maybe it was just the glare, maybe not.
"What kind of stupid prank is this?" he murmured.
He thought of Lauren, of her endless manipulation, of Professor Sato's glare, of Mrs. Arai's biting remarks at work. A long line of women with authority or leverage over him, each pushing him in one way or another.
He exhaled sharply, shook his head, and pocketed the phone.
"Forget it, Ren," he told himself. "Just lunch. Just get this over with."
He stood and started toward the library.
The library doors were propped open, the smell of old paper and air-conditioning greeting him. Lauren wasn't there yet, which was fine by him. He placed the bento on the nearest table and sank into a chair, resting his elbows on his knees.
His phone vibrated once more. Reflexively, he pulled it out. The notifications bar showed a single message—but it wasn't from Lauren this time.
No number, no contact name. Only a blank space where the sender should be.
[Welcome, Ren Kaido.]
He blinked.
[Beta access confirmed.]
The message vanished before he could scroll or screenshot it, leaving the screen empty except for that same black-and-red icon in the corner, glowing faintly.
Ren's pulse quickened. "What the hell…"
He pressed the power button, locked the phone, and stared at the dark screen.
Maybe he was imagining things. Maybe he was just overtired.
But even through the black glass, he could still see it—the faintest red shimmer, pulsing once like a heartbeat before fading.