"I can feed myself," Sean said automatically.
Sarah's hand froze. For a moment, something dangerous flickered across her face.
"You could barely sit up an hour ago." Her voice was soft, but there was steel underneath. "Let me take care of you. Please?"
It wasn't really a request.
Sean opened his mouth.
The soup was good—too good, actually. Homemade stock, real vegetables, perfectly seasoned. Sarah had clearly been making this for a while, refining the recipe.
For him. For the original Sean.
"How is it?" Sarah watched his face intently.
"Perfect."
Her smile returned, genuine and bright. "I'm glad. I've been practicing while you were... sleeping."
She fed him another spoonful. Then another. The motion was tender, intimate, and deeply unsettling. Her free hand rested on the bed beside his leg, close enough that he could feel the warmth radiating from her skin.
Sean's stamina ticked up slowly. 37... 39... 42...
"Sarah," he said between bites. "Can I ask you something?"
"Anything."
"Tell me about... us." He chose his words carefully. "About how we grew up together. I want to hear your version."
Sarah tilted her head, studying him with those unnervingly intense eyes stare. "Your version should be the same as mine."
Damn it.
"I mean," Sean backtracked, "I want to hear it from you. The way you remember it. My memories are kind of... fragmented right now. Hearing you talk about it might help."
For a long moment, Sarah didn't respond. She set the bowl down on the nightstand and turned to face him fully.
"We met when we were six," she said quietly. "Your family moved in next door. I was playing in my backyard when I heard crying from your side of the fence."
Her fingers traced patterns on the bedsheet.
"You'd fallen off the swing set. Scraped your knee pretty badly. Your parents were still unpacking inside, so you were alone." Her voice softened. "I climbed over the fence to help you. Do you remember what you said to me?"
Sean's mind raced 'He had no idea. The borrowed body offered nothing, no flash of memory, no instinctive answer, unlike all those isekai novels he used to read , where the main character always have the memories of the body they possessed, like this fucking game isn't hard enough'
"I..." He hesitated. "I don't remember the exact words."
Sarah's expression shifted. Not quite hurt, but something close to it.
"You said, 'Don't cry with me. If you cry, it'll hurt more.'" She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Even as a kid, you were always trying to protect me from feeling bad. Always putting me first."
She reached out and brushed a strand of hair from his forehead.
"That's when I knew," Sarah whispered. "That's when I knew you were special."
AFFECTION EVENT TRIGGERED
Sarah's Affection: 71% → 73%
"He's asking about our past. He wants to remember. He still cares."
WARNING: Approaching "Obsession" threshold (76%)
Sean's chest tightened. The affection was rising too fast. He needed to slow this down, redirect the conversation.
"What about school?" he asked. "How long have I been absent?"
"Two weeks." Sarah picked up the bowl again, offering him another spoonful. "Everyone's been asking about you. The teachers, the other students..."
Something dark crossed her face.
"Especially the girls."
There it was. That possessive edge.
"What girls?" Sean kept his tone casual, even as warning bells went off in his head.
"Oh, you know." Sarah's smile was sharp now. "The usual ones. Mira from the student council. That girl from the archery club. The twins from class 2-B who always giggle whenever you walk past."
She fed him the soup, but her grip on the spoon was tight enough that her knuckles had gone white.
"They kept coming by during the first week. Bringing flowers, cards, asking to visit you." Her voice dropped lower. "I told them you needed rest. That visitors would be too stressful for your recovery."
Sean swallowed carefully. "And they listened?"
"Most of them." Sarah's smile didn't waver. "The persistent ones... well, I can be very convincing when I need to be."
Before Sean could respond, a sharp knock echoed from the front door.
Sarah's entire demeanor changed instantly. The gentle, caring childhood friend vanished, replaced by something cold and territorial. Her hand moved to Sean's wrist, fingers wrapping around it with surprising strength.
"Stay here," she said quietly. "Don't get up. You're still too weak."
"Sarah—"
"I'll handle it."
She stood and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her with a soft click that somehow sounded like a threat.
Sean listened as her footsteps crossed the living room. The front door opened.
"Oh." Sarah's voice was ice. "Mira. What a surprise."
"Hello, Sarah." The new voice was polished, refined—the kind of voice that came from expensive private tutors and etiquette lessons. "I came to check on Sean. Is he awake?"
"He's resting."
"I brought medicine. From my family's personal physician. It's supposed to help with—"
"He doesn't need it. I'm taking care of him."
There was a pause. Sean could practically feel the tension radiating through the walls.
"Sarah," Mira said carefully, "I understand you've been looking after him, and that's admirable. But Sean is my classmate and the student council has a responsibility to ensure—"
"He. Doesn't. Need. It."
Sean's player instincts kicked in. This was a choice moment. A branching path.
He could: A) Call out to Mira, acknowledge her presence (unlock new character, gain potential healing ability, trigger Sarah's jealousy) B) Stay silent, let Sarah handle it (keep Sarah's affection stable, miss opportunity for crucial abilities)
His stamina was at 45. Still dangerously low. The illness debuff meant his maximum was capped at 120 instead of what should probably be much higher.
If Mira really had healing abilities...
But Sarah will lose it if I show interest in another girl.
Sean pulled up Mira's profile, which had appeared in his system the moment she arrived.