The morning after the big gift delivery felt wrong in a whole new way. The steak and sushi were long gone, but the memory of how good they tasted stuck with me like a bad habit. I woke up to the usual notification buzz, but this time there was something different in the air. The blue panel had been flashing warnings in my peripheral vision all night, even when I tried to sleep with the lights on and the phone in another room.
AngelVesper is LIVE - Kai's Perfect Day#52
Current Viewers: 64,218
She looked extra put-together today. Soft makeup, that pastel hoodie again, and hair in those perfect twin-tails. The smile was there immediately, at this point I figured it was her signature expression.
"Good morning, my darlings. Our star had such a nice dinner last night. Did you like it, Kai? The viewers picked everything just for you. Thye are so generous when they see how happy you are."
I did not answer, I never did. I just got up, went through the motions of brushing my teeth and getting dressed while she narrated every second like it was the most fascinating reality show on earth.
The drone was waiting outside again. I flipped it off out of habit. The chat probably loved that.
Campus was the same nightmare even today. A couple of girls from yesterday's poll wave smiled at me longer than normal, figured the system had not wore off them. Lena texted me good morning but I did not reply. Every notification felt like another chain tightening.
I made it to the library before the big one hit.
My phone started vibrating so hard it nearly jumped out of my pocket. The screen lit up with a new alert.
Major Combined Spike Detected.
Likes + Gifts + Poll synergy at peak levels
First Fragment Awakening Triggered
The blue holographic panel exploded into full view, brighter and more solid than never.
{Observer System - Star Interface}
Star Points: +3,874
First Fragment Unlocked: Chat Whisper (Lv 1)
Ability: Send secret messages that only the host (Angel) can hear. No one else in the stream sees them.
Cost: 100 points per message
Warning: Host obsession level is critically high, Use with caution.
I stared at the floating text. Finally! Something. A way to talk back without the entire chat knowing.
But I did not use it right away. I just sat there in the library corner, phone in my lap, my heart hammering. Part of me wanted to type something angry immediately. Tell her to fuck off or tell her to leave me alone and go look for someone else to stalk and air on her reality TV show or live or whatever. But another part of me, the tired, calculating part that had been watching this nightmare for over a week, wanted to wait and try to learn the rules first and maybe even be lucky enough to break through to the system.
Angel's voice came through clear and excited on the stream.
"Oh? Something big is happening. The system is giving our star his first actual gift. How exciting, I wonder what he will do with it."
She did not know the details yet. Good, that gave me a tiny edge.
I spent the next hour in the library pretending to study while secretly testing the new ability in my head. The panel let me type a test message without sending. I wrote "Test" and hovered over the send button for a long time before deleting it. It was not yet time, not until I understood what it would really cost me aside from just the points.
Lena found me again near closing time. She was carrying her debate notes and that same hopeful smile from yesterday's poll boost.
"Hey. You never texted back, everything okay?"
Before I could brush her off, my phone buzzed with another poll.
New Side Character Approaching Again. How should Angel respond?
A) Friendly reminder (Mild)
B) Make the interest mutual (Reward)
C) Strong warning (Punishment)
The voting was fast and brutal. C won by a landslide.
Lena's phone rang almost immediately. She looked at me with wide eyes. "Kai...someone just sent me a message saying if I do not back off, private photos from lat year's party are going public. Was that you?"
I shook my head. I had not done anything. But I knew exactly who had.
Lena backed away quickly, muttering apologies and blocking me again. The chat cheered like it they'd won a war.
Angel's voice in my ear was soft and satisfied. "See? I protect what's mine. She'll think twice now about approaching you. The viewers are so protective of you, Kai. They know you belong to me."
I walked home in silence, the drone following overhead. The new Chat Whisper ability burned in the back of mind. I could use it now and finally say something back. But I did not.
Back in my apartment. I sat on the edge of the bed and finally opened the ability panel again. The first message cost 100 points. I had plenty now.
I typed slowly, and carefully.
Test message: Can you see this?
I hovered over send for almost a full minute, then I deleted it.
Angel started her evening narration from the TV screen again. She looked relaxed, happy, almost glowing.
"Kai had another good day. So many new friends. So much attention, but he knows who really cares about him. Who will always be there for him and do everything for him and anything to keep him safe and loved."
Her smile deepened as she leaned closer to the camera.
"And maybe soon...he will start talking back. The system is waking up and merging with our host. I cannot wait to hear your voice, Kai. Even if it is angry at first. Especially if it is angry."
She blew that slow, deliberate kiss again.
The blue panel pulsed one last time before fading.
[First Fragment Fully Awakened]
Chat Whisper ready.
Host Obsession level: Extreme
Every message sent will strengthen the bond.
I lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling, my phone still in hand.
I wished to ask the system which bond. Was it between me and the system or my and Angel because if it was the latter I'd rather not have it. Who would want a stronger bond with a psychopath?
I had a voice now that I could use, but using it meant stepping deeper into her world and feeding that thing that was consuming on my life.