The fog in the Ozark ravine didn't just sit; it breathed—a heavy, damp lungful of isolation that separated us from the rest of the school. I stood by a moss-covered limestone ledge, watching Stevens pace back and forth like a trapped rat, while Rishie and Chen Yue occupied opposite ends of a fallen log.
Suddenly, a violet pulse flickered in my retinas.
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZING... ]
[ STATUS: BORED. ]
[ OBSERVATION: HOST IS CURRENTLY IN A 'SITUATION COMEDY' DYNAMIC WITH 50% TOO MANY MALES. ]
Finally, you're talking back, I thought. What's the move?
[ NEW MISSION: THE THIRD WHEEL EXTERMINATION ]
[ OBJECTIVE: REMOVE 'STEVENS' FROM THE IMMEDIATE VICINITY WITHOUT LEAVING A CRIME SCENE. ]
[ REWARD: 100 LP & 'ISOLATION PRIVILEGES'. ]
[ SYSTEM OPINION: STEVENS HAS THE SURVIVAL INSTINCTS OF A DODO BIRD. EXPLOIT THIS. ]
I looked at Stevens. He was clutching his compass as if it were a holy relic. The guy was Brad's former lackey, and without a leader to follow, he was vibrating with nervous energy.
"The map says there's a ranger outpost about half a mile south of here," I lied, my voice steady and authoritative. "If we stay here, we'll freeze when the sun goes down. Someone needs to scout the path."
"Why me?" Stevens squeaked, his eyes darting toward the dark wall of trees.
"Because you're the most athletic one left," I said, leaning into the Silver Tongue buff.
"Think about it, Stevens. You come back with the location of a warm cabin, you're the hero. You're not just 'Brad's shadow' anymore. You're the guy who saved Chen Yue."
I saw the gears turning in his head—clunky, rusted gears. He looked at Chen Yue, who gave him a look of bored expectation that she usually reserved for a slow waiter.
"Fine," Stevens puffed out his chest. "I'll find it. Stay put."
As he vanished into the mist, the System chimed.
[ MISSION PROGRESS: 90%. ]
[ SYSTEM COMMENTARY: CONGRATULATIONS. YOU JUST SENT A SHEEP TO FIND A WOLF. HE'LL LIKELY GET STUCK IN A BRAMBLE BUSH WITHIN TEN MINUTES. ]
With Stevens gone, the atmosphere shifted instantly. The tension between the two women was no longer suppressed by the presence of a "regular." It was raw.
I sat down between them on the log, the wood damp against my trousers. I pulled out a small emergency thermal blanket I'd bought from the System shop earlier—a high-tech polymer that looked like cheap foil but radiated intense heat.
"It's going to get cold," I said, spreading the blanket across my lap and extending it to both sides. "Sit closer."
Rishie hesitated, her jaw set. "I'm fine, Lucas."
"Don't be a martyr, Rishie," Chen Yue said, sliding closer to me until her thigh was pressed firmly against mine. "The 'Mogul' is offering heat. It would be a poor investment to refuse."
Rishie eventually relented, sitting on my other side. I was the center of a very polarized heat map.
[ SYSTEM ANALYSIS: TRIANGULATION COMPLETE. ]
[ TARGET RISHIE: 85% ANGER / 15% CURIOSITY. ]
[ TARGET CHEN YUE: 95% PROACTIVE INTEREST. ]
[ SYSTEM SUGGESTION: HOST SHOULD COMMENCE 'PHASE TWO'. WOULD YOU LIKE TO PURCHASE 'ATMOSPHERIC PHEROMONE BOOST' FOR 30 LP? ]
Not yet, I told the System. I want to see how they handle the silence first.
"So," Chen Yue said, her voice a low purr that cut through the fog. "Now that the distraction is gone... tell me, Lucas. In that audit you ran back in town... did you leave any backdoors? Or are you the type who likes to seal the exit once you're inside?"
Rishie stiffened. "What audit? What is she talking about, Lucas?"
I looked at Rishie, then at Chen Yue. The fog was thick enough to hide the world, but it couldn't hide the truth.
"I'm the type who ensures the building is structurally sound," I said, my hand sliding behind Chen Yue's waist while my other arm rested casually behind Rishie's shoulders. "But occasionally, a demolition is necessary to build something better."
[ SYSTEM OPINION: VAGUE BUT DRAMATIC. 7/10 FOR STYLE. ]
"You're both hiding things," Rishie whispered, her voice trembling—not from the cold, but from the realization that the world she lived in was being rewritten by the man sitting next to her.
"Everyone has secrets, Rishie," I said, pulling her slightly closer. "Some are just more profitable than others."
As the darkness deepened, I felt the proactive warmth of Chen Yue and the trembling uncertainty of Rishie. Stevens was miles away, probably arguing with a tree. I had the valley, I had the fog, and I had the two most sought-after women in Rokehurst trapped in my orbit.