I should've known dinner with all three girls would turn into a tactical warzone.
"I made cookies!" Cynthia announced, skipping into the room with a tray that was somehow on fire and freezing at the same time.
Luna raised a brow. "Are those cookies… glowing?"
"They're infused with affection!" Cynthia beamed. "And maybe a bit of experimental aphrodisiac code from a romance sim I modded last night."
I spat out my tea.
Celia took a cautious sniff, her eyes scanning the tray like it might explode. "Those are laced with emotional hexstrings. Where did you even get those?"
Cynthia puffed her cheeks. "The deep web of OtakuNet. Where true love coding happens."
System: [Host's hormonal levels spiking. Possible anomaly detected in Cookie No.4.]
Luna took a bite.
"Oh no," I whispered.
Her eyes shimmered. A soft blush crawled up her cheeks. "Ethan… your jawline looks extra sharp tonight…"
I did moisturize, but still—
Cynthia giggled. "Success~"
Celia stood. "This dinner is canceled."
"No it's not!" Luna latched onto my arm. "The system said we need bonding!"
System: [Host has entered: Multi-Girl Dinner Danger Zone. Survival Rate: 17%. Good luck.]
As I tried to navigate the dinner chaos, Null suddenly appeared inside the fridge.
"Your milk expired," he said.
"NULL!" I yelped. "Do you have to glitch into everything?!"
"It's a minor side effect of the surveillance patch GhostByte installed. Also…" he handed me a note, "We've intercepted Weaver code. You've got a new player in town."
He projected a hologram of a girl. Tall, goth aesthetic, eyes like TV static.
Name: Glitchbane. Reality Weaver Lieutenant.Known Ability: Emotional Scrambling and Data Reversal.
"She wants a date," Null deadpanned.
My eye twitched. "A what now?!"
System: [New Mission: Accept the Weaver's Challenge Date!]Reward: Truth Fragment + 1 | Unique Code KeyPenalty: Memory Wipe of One Girl's Affection Meter]
"That is so not fair!"
"Too bad," Null shrugged. "She'll meet you at Club PixelFade tomorrow. Dress code: Dangerous."
Later that night, after the cookie chaos subsided and the girls reluctantly retreated to their rooms (Celia confiscated the rest of the batch), I stared at my system menu.
It was blinking.
A new entry:
**[System Core Update: Stage 2 Unlocked] Warning: Relationship mechanics will now influence battle stats.]
"Oh great," I muttered. "My love life is now part of combat mechanics."
System: [ The battlefield of love is the deadliest of all.]
I faceplanted into my pillow.
And outside, in the real world, a shadowy figure smiled while watching me through dozens of screens.
Glitchbane whispered to no one, "Let's see if he can handle a date with a Weaver."