Airi spends the whole night pretending she isn't reading the Main Quest notification over and over. Surpass Rank #1. It might as well say: Start a war you never asked for.
By morning she feels hollow, like someone scooped out her insides and filled the space with static. She keeps expecting the System to retract the quest, claim it was a glitch, tell her she misinterpreted it. It doesn't.
Overnight Notifications (3) • Quest persists • Emotional Overload detected • Suggestion: Seek grounding interaction
Grounding interaction. Right. As if she isn't one bad conversation away from panicking.
The school feels louder than usual when she arrives. Students weave through the courtyard like data streams, holographic rank boards shimmering above them. She tries not to glance at her own numbers, but the System pushes them forward anyway.
Rank: 142 Yesterday she was 188.
Two jumps in twenty‑four hours.
Mina appears beside her. "You're walking like a ghost. Did you sleep?"
"Not… really."
"Thought so. Come on, zombie girl. Breakfast bar." Mina shoves a chocolate protein bar into her hand. "Eat."
Airi obeys out of habit. The System awards +1 Discipline, which feels insulting.
During homeroom, she notices Ren Takamine pass by their door. He doesn't stop, doesn't look in, but Airi's UI jitters. For a second she sees encrypted static trailing after him, like frost on glass.
System Note: High‑Rank anomaly remains unscannable.
She grips her desk. He's already suspicious. He'll notice if she keeps rising like this.
When the break bell rings, the System produces a new window.
Daily Quest: Stabilize mood through physical activity. Reward: Stamina +1
Mina gives her a look. "Are you spacing out again? You look like you're seeing floating aliens."
Airi chokes. "N‑no. Just stressed."
"Then move. Walk with me." Mina hooks her arm and drags her toward the courtyard. Airi's System approves with a cheerful ping.
They loop around the school garden. Flowers glow faintly under the morning sun. Airi's breathing steadies.
Only then does Mina ask, "Did something happen with the President? You looked weird after he talked to you yesterday."
Airi's steps falter. She can't lie well. The System will probably penalize her for emotional dissonance or something ridiculous.
"He just… asked about my rank."
Mina snorts. "That guy monitors the whole school like it's his personal ant farm. Don't let him freak you out."
Airi nods, but inside she thinks: Too late.
The next class is Combat Theory, which she normally ignores because it's 80 percent history and 20 percent blunted practice swords. Today, the moment she enters the room, the UI brightens.
Skill Opportunity Detected: Combat Tree Recommendation: Participate
Participate. She wants to laugh. She can barely lift her arms from last night's training.
Still, she does what the System wants. When the instructor calls for volunteers to demonstrate footwork, her hand rises before her brain approves.
Everyone stares.
Airi steps into the mat. Her body remembers Kurogane's corrections from the Arena District—the loosened shoulders, the grounded stance, the subtle weight shift. Her partner lunges. She dodges cleanly, her reflexes boosted just enough to look believable but sharp.
Whispers ripple.
The instructor raises an eyebrow. "Kisaragi. Impressive."
Her System practically glows.
Quest Complete. Combat +1 Reflex +1
After class, two students from the athletics club approach her.
"Hey, you've been improving a lot," one says. "Want to try the obstacle course after school?"
Airi freezes. That would trigger another quest. She knows it. The System practically wiggles with eagerness.
She's saved by the bell—and by the sudden, sharp flicker of red.
Warning: System Activity Nearby Classification: Unknown User Distance: 40 meters
Airi stiffens. In Chapter 2, the warning had faded quickly. Not this time.
The presence moves through the hall like a cold draft. Airi tries to follow the red shimmer without looking suspicious. It leads her toward the west wing—quiet, rarely used.
She rounds a corner.
A boy she's never seen before stands by the window, tapping something invisible. His motions are deliberate, like someone adjusting a UI she can't see. The red warning pulses harder.
Unknown System User Detected. Potential Threat Level: Moderate
Airi steps back instinctively. The boy's head lifts.
His eyes meet hers.
For a fraction of a second, his irises glitch—pixels rearranging like a broken display.
Then it stops.
He smiles politely. Too politely.
"Sorry," he says softly. "Didn't mean to startle you."
Airi's System flashes a new message.
Side Quest Triggered: Identify user's intent. Reward: Perception +2
Penalty: Risk of confrontation.
Airi swallows.
The boy tilts his head. "You're Airi Kisaragi, right?"
Her pulse jumps. He shouldn't know her name. He shouldn't know anything.
She forces her voice steady. "Yes. And you are…?"
The boy's expression doesn't change. But the red warning intensifies.
"Someone who's been waiting to meet you."
The hallway feels too quiet. The lights hum like strained circuitry.
Airi's System chimes once more.
Main Quest Updated: New branch available. Awaiting user action.
Airi takes a breath she doesn't feel enter her lungs.
The world is watching her next move.
And the System is too.