My fork stopped halfway to my mouth.
The footage showed a residential street somewhere in the city, blocked off by police tape.
Several patrol cars were parked outside a house, while reporters stood behind the barriers.
"Authorities have confirmed that an entire family was found dead inside their home early this morning."
"Police have not yet released the identities of the victims, but investigators have stated that the case bears similarities to six previous killings reported throughout the city this month."
The restaurant grew quieter.
"Seven already?" someone muttered from another table.
"I told my wife we should stop letting the kids walk home alone."
"Didn’t something happen near East District too?"
"Yeah. Last week."
The news quickly became the only thing anyone in the diner wanted to talk about, with each table adding whatever rumors or details they knew.
I turned toward Lea, expecting her to look uneasy, but she didn’t seem bothered at all.
"You don’t seem too worried."
She turned to me with a sweet smile.
"I am, but there’s no point worrying about it." Her fingers tightened slightly around her fork. "Let’s just enjoy the food."
I wasn’t sure what to make of that response. Most people in the diner looked worried, yet she barely seemed bothered.
Still, that alone didn’t mean anything.
When we were done, we headed back to our neighborhood. Everything was normal until she suddenly tugged on my shirt.
"Do you want to hang out for a little bit longer?" she asked, her gaze slipping to the side as her fingers fidgeted with the hem of my shirt.
No matter how I looked at it, she was obviously waving a giant flag at me.
"Let’s go to my house, then." I suggested it just to test the waters, but I wasn’t exactly expecting her to agree.
"Sure."
"Eh?"
.
.
.
’What did I just get myself into?’
Bringing a girl I personally barely knew back to my house was reckless. I knew that much. But backing out now would just make me look like an idiot.
Who was I fooling? In reality, I was already getting excited.
Lea looked around curiously, taking in the room before turning toward me.
"Where are your parents?"
Right. The old Raven never told her.
"They’ve been dead for a long time."
"I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to..."
"It’s fine. I’m used to it." I scratched the back of my head and quickly changed the subject. "I’m living with my aunt and uncle right now. They’re just out of town for a few days."
She paused. "So... you’re alone right now?"
I stared at her.
She stared back at me, her face turning bright red.
Did she have any sense of danger at all?
She followed a guy she hadn’t seen in years into his house without a second thought. Either she trusted me way too much, or she had terrible judgment.
’Good thing I’m a gentleman.’
"Are you feeling uncomfortable? We can hang out somewhere else if you want," I suggested.
"No, it’s okay." She nodded slowly.
We sat on the sofa, and I turned on the TV before heading into the kitchen to grab some snacks.
The System gave me almost no explanation about how recruitment worked, and with Lea already flagged as a candidate, this was the perfect chance to test it.
I sat back down beside her, offered her some snacks, and started chatting casually. Then, when the timing felt right, I brought it up.
"Lea, would you be interested in joining my group?"
"What group?"
I was about to make something up and mislead her when the System hit me with a notification.
[Host, you must ask her using the exact wording: "Join me and be absolutely loyal to me."]
Motherfucker. What kind of line was that?
There was no way anyone would agree to that unless I’d already earned that kind of loyalty—or had something I could use against them.
[Host, it won’t work unless the exact wording is used.]
To hell with it. I could just try it and pass it off as a joke if it failed.
"Forget what I said before. Let me ask you something else."
I took her hand and looked her straight in the eyes.
"Join me and be absolutely loyal to me."
Her lips parted slightly.
"A-Are you asking me to go out with you?"
My brain short-circuited.
Right. Holding her hand and staring into her eyes probably wasn’t the best way to recruit someone.
Too embarrassed to admit my mistake, I decided to double down and nodded.
She averted her eyes, her face turning red as she fidgeted with her fingers.
"O...Okay."
DING!
[Mission Complete]
[Experience Points Gained]
[Level Up! +2]
[Attribute Points +20]
Why did she agree to it so easily?
Before I could figure out what was happening, her hand pressed against my chest and shoved me backward onto the sofa. She was way stronger than she looked.
’So that level wasn’t for show.’
"Lea, are you okay?"
She leaned over me, her warm breath brushing against my face. It smelled faintly of mint, and I couldn’t help noticing how glossy her lips were.
"You’re my boyfriend now, right?"
Her smile widened slightly.
"You won’t change your mind later, will you? You asked me, and I said yes. So that means we’re together now."