[SUB-QUEST TIMER: 47 MINUTES REMAINING]
[PUBLIC CONFESSION REQUIRED – FAILURE = PERMANENT DEATH]
I stared at the glowing red numbers in my vision.
"…So this is how I die," I whispered. "Not by sword. Not by magic. But by emotional damage."
I was sitting on a stone bench near the central plaza of the academy. Students were everywhere now—laughing, training, arguing, forming teams, forming rivalries.
And me?
I was timing my own social execution.
[CURRENT STATUS – KYLE VON BLACKTHORN]
Age: 18
Strength:24
Agility: 21
Endurance: 23
Intelligence:18
Charm:26 → (Temporarily Locked)
Luck: 3
Embarrassment Resistance: 3/100
Execution Countdown: 2 Years
Mental State:Unstable but coping (Barely)
"Why is Charm locked like a villain DLC," I muttered.
A voice suddenly spoke beside me.
"You look like you're about to attend your own funeral."
I nearly jumped out of my skin.
"What the—!"
A blond-haired boy had casually dropped next to me on the bench, stretching his arms like we were old friends. His uniform was messy, his collar slightly open, and his smile was way too relaxed for someone sitting next to the most feared noble in the academy.
"S–stay back," I warned. "I'm dangerous."
He stared at me.
Then burst out laughing.
"HAHAHAHA— No you're not."
"…Excuse me?"
He wiped a tear from his eye. "If you were dangerous, you wouldn't look like a man counting down his own death with his soul missing."
I felt personally attacked.
"Who are you?" I asked suspiciously.
"Name's Rex Calder," he said proudly. "Commoner. Fire affinity. Professional trouble magnet."
He leaned closer.
"And you're Kyle von Blackthorn. The so-called Mad Heir who just helped a crying girl instead of committing a war crime."
"…That rumor spread fast."
"Buddy, nothing spreads faster than 'villain acting human.'"
Buddy?
That word felt wrong.
Rex examined my face more closely.
"Huh. You're not sneering. That's odd."
"I retired from sneering," I said. "Too much jaw fatigue."
He laughed again.
"I like you."
I stared at him.
"You shouldn't."
"That just makes it better."
And just like that…
[NEW COMPANION DETECTED]
Name: Rex Calder
Role:Unofficial Buddy (Temporary)
Threat Level: Low
Chaos Level: Extremely High
"Oh no," I whispered. "The system labeled you."
"Did you just whisper 'oh no' at my existence?"
"Yes."
Fair.
---
The central plaza began filling rapidly.
Students gathered around the elevated fountain stage where announcements were often made. Today, the Dean was scheduled to speak about academy regulations.
Which meant…
Crowd = Witnesses.
Perfect for public humiliation.
Horrible for my soul.
[SUB-QUEST UPDATE]
[Witness Count Potential: 200+]
[Cringe Multiplier: EXTREME]
Rex followed my gaze.
"Ooo, big crowd. You planning a performance? Singing? Public duel? Stripping?"
"I am planning to confess to a woman who might murder me in two years."
Rex froze.
Slowly.
"…I beg your pardon?"
"Long story. Very short lifespan."
He stared at me like I had just confessed to being cursed by seven demons and three angry grandmothers.
"Which woman?" he asked carefully.
I pointed.
Across the plaza, Seraphina Dawncrest stood near the fountain's edge. Calm. Elegant. Surrounded by a few students who were subtly orbiting her like nervous satellites.
Rex sucked in a sharp breath.
"You mean the Ice Saintess?"
"Yes."
"The walking disaster?"
"Yes."
"The one who once froze a senior student's arm off during a spar?"
"…Yes."
Rex slowly turned to me.
"Brother."
"Yes?"
"I will attend your funeral."
---
The Dean's voice echoed through the plaza, announcing rules and schedules.
No one was really listening.
Everyone was watching me, because Rex, in his infinite wisdom, had just shouted:
"YO! KYLE! YOU GOTTA DO THE THING BEFORE THE OLD MAN FINISHES!"
Two hundred students turned.
Every pair of eyes locked onto me.
Seraphina's gaze followed.
Hero's gaze followed.
The world stopped breathing.
"…Rex," I whispered, shaking.
"I will haunt you."
He gave me a thumbs up.
"You don't even need to. I'll probably die first."
[CONFESSION WINDOW ACTIVATED]
[Voice Crack Requirement: Unfulfilled]
[Stutter Requirement: Unfulfilled]
[Awkward Pause: Unfulfilled]
I stood.
My legs felt like borrowed furniture.
Each step toward Seraphina felt like I was approaching a guillotine.
Students parted nervously.
Whispers exploded:
"What is he doing…?"
"No way…"
"He's walking toward her…"
Seraphina turned fully toward me.
Golden eyes calm.
Blank.
Waiting.
Aether (the Hero) stiffened slightly beside Lina, sensing danger.
Rex cupped his hands like a megaphone.
"CONFESSION TIME!"
I WILL KILL YOU.
Internally.
Outwardly, I stumbled.
Yes—stumbled on purpose.
I tripped on literally nothing.
Fell forward.
Caught myself in the most undignified way possible.
[CRINGE CONDITION 1/3 – TRIP: COMPLETED]
[+3 Agility, +2 Endurance]
Gasps erupted.
My face burned.
I straightened up in front of Seraphina.
She looked down at me.
Silently.
Terrifyingly.
"Kyle von Blackthorn," she said. "You are blocking my path."
My throat closed.
This was it.
I opened my mouth.
"N–N–N–No I'm not!"
Stutter.
Perfect.
[CRINGE CONDITION 2/3 – STUTTER: COMPLETED]
[+5 Luck]
The crowd was dead silent.
Even the Dean paused mid-speech.
I swallowed hard.
"L–Lady Seraphina…"
My voice cracked like a broken window.
[CRINGE CONDITION 3/3 – VOICE CRACK: COMPLETED]
SYSTEM PLEASE DON'T ADD MORE REQUIREMENTS.
"I–I just wanted to say…"
I froze.
Awkward pause.
Ten seconds felt like ten years.
[BONUS CRINGE – AWKWARD SILENCE: SUCCESS]
[Passive Growth Triggered]
Rex whispered loudly in the background:
"SPIT IT OUT BEFORE YOU FAINT, BRO."
I shut my eyes.
Full send.
"I–I–I THINK YOU'RE VERY COLD AND SCARY AND BEAUTIFUL AND I PROBABLY SHOULD NOT LIKE YOU BUT I DO AND THIS IS A TERRIBLE LIFE DECISION PLEASE REJECT ME QUICKLY—!"
Dead.
Silence.
Then—
The plaza exploded.
Laughter.
Gasps.
Shouts.
"What kind of confession was that?!"
"Is he insulting her?!"
"Did he call her cold as a compliment?!"
"This is the worst thing I've ever witnessed!"
Seraphina did not move.
Did not blink.
Did not react.
Her golden eyes studied me deeply.
Long.
Uncomfortably long.
Aether took a step forward instinctively.
Lina covered her mouth in shock.
Rex slapped his knee laughing.
"LEGEND! ABSOLUTE LEGEND!"
My vision blurred as the system went wild.
[SUB-QUEST COMPLETE: PUBLIC CONFESSION]
[CRINGE ARMOR (LVL 1) OBTAINED]
Charm +10
Luck +10
Embarrassment Resistance +15
[NEW STATUS UPDATE]
Kyle von Blackthorn
Strength:24
Agility: 24 ↑
Endurance: 25 ↑
Intelligence:18
Charm: 36 ↑↑
Luck:18 ↑↑
Embarrassment Resistance:18/100 ↑↑
Passive Skill:
Cringe Armor (LVL 1)– Emotional damage from humiliation reduced by 10%
I nearly cried.
It worked.
I was alive.
Now all I needed was rejection.
Safe, clean rejection.
"Lady Seraphina," I added weakly, "you can say no."
The plagiarism of my dignity was complete.
---
Seraphina finally spoke.
"Why," she asked softly, "do you wish to be rejected?"
The question hit wrong.
I blinked.
"…Because that's how confessions usually end?"
Her gaze sharpened.
Too sharp.
Around us, the crowd slowly quieted.
Something in the air felt wrong.
Different.
"He does not behave according to fear," she murmured, more to herself than me.
Then she said clearly:
"I do not reject you."
The world froze.
"What."
"I also do not accept you."
Double what.
"I will observe you."
Triple what.
The crowd ERUPTED.
"That's not a rejection!"
"What kind of answer is that!?"
"She didn't crush him!"
"She didn't accept either!"
Aether stiffened sharply.
Lina's expression shifted with unease.
Rex whispered in awe:
"BRO. YOU HAVE ENTERED A FORBIDDEN ROUTE."
My system screamed.
[WARNING: TARGET FIXATION INCREASED]
[OBSESSION SEED – STAGE 0.1 ACTIVATED (HIDDEN)]
Oh.
Oh no.
Seraphina stepped close.
Close enough that only I could hear her next words.
"You should not exist as you are," she said quietly.
"That makes you interesting."
Then she turned and walked away.
Leaving me in the center of chaos.
Alive.
Humiliated.
Stronger.
And possibly doomed in an entirely new way.
Rex threw an arm around my shoulders.
"Kyle… you just created the most dangerous kind of problem."
"Which is?"
"A girl who didn't crush you immediately."
I lowered my head.
"…I knew I should have died to the chair."