â???â
Ryan was totally baffled, nearly dropping the plate he was about to take to the kitchen.
Alice looked up, puzzled, meeting Ryanâs eyes before quickly averting her gaze, confirming the voice in her head wasnât just her imagination.
Sheâs shy, isnât she? She must be shy!
Ryanâs mind was in turmoil, but he tried his best to act like nothing was amiss.
After putting the plate in the kitchen, he peeked through the crack of the door at Alice, making sure she wasnât looking his way before he could no longer hide his shock.
What the heck is a âfavorability ratingâ? Since when did my system have this feature?
And why on earth is Aliceâs favorability towards me so high?
Does she see me in such a light that she couldnât possibly harm me?
If a strangerâs favorability is between 0 and 30, and a friendâs is between 30 and 60, it seems the lady has already considered me a friend.
How did I end up becoming friends with this ice queen?
Ryan felt incredulous, a wave of dizziness washing over him.
He really wanted to ask Alice how she saw him, but she didnât give him the time of day, leaving the dining room without looking back after finishing her meal.
âSomethingâs off, way off.â
Watching Aliceâs retreating figure, Ryan felt uneasy, sensing danger for the first time since he started his mission.
Itâs easy to make someone dislike you. Wasnât there a psychological experiment where a good person was turned into a murderer in just 72 minutes?
Ryan had thought that since Alice was naturally ruthless, getting rid of him would be no problem for her.
But now, seeing her favorability towards him, Ryan felt like his plan to provoke his own demise was seriously jeopardized.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
Alice went about her business as usual, not saying a word to Ryan before she left, just a symbolic slight smile.
It was the same routine every day, but with the added layer of favorability, Ryan felt there was a deeper meaning to her actions.
After Alice left, Ryan sat in the hall, stunned by the recent events.
After a moment to gather his thoughts, he pulled up the system interface to see what his current situation was.
When the system interface popped up, Ryan was completely flabbergasted.
Before, it had only shown mission details, but now it looked like something out of a dating sim game.
Pink borders with heart patterns, though the two crossed machetes at the top added a sinister touch to the romantic game vibe.
[Target: Alice Sinclair]
[Difficulty: Three stars]
[Age: 19]
[Occupation: Mafia Princess]
[Favorability: 51/100 (Please keep below 70, going over might lead to unexpected events)]
[Health: 87/100 (Character dies when health reaches zero)]
[Fatigue Level: 23/100 (Character breaks down when fatigue maxes out)]
[Mood Level: 84/100 (Character may become suicidal when mood reaches zero)]
[Personality: 1. Cold outside, warm inside, 2. ???, 3. ???]
[Dangerous Events: 1. ???, 2. ???, 3. ???]
These features werenât there yesterday,it seems theyâre related to the recent increase in favorability.
Thinking back on his actions over the past few days, Ryan realized he hadnât done much besides courting disaster, so it made sense that the lady hadnât increased her favorability.
But today, for the first time, he genuinely complimented Alice, and she caught on, which must have triggered the missionâs activation?
âNo, wait, what does wanting Alice to kill me have to do with favorability?â
Ryan couldnât understand,in his view, the only reason someone would want to kill another is deep-seated hatred, right?
Is the system trying to make me drive Aliceâs favorability towards me into the negatives?
And why design such a cozy UI for that? Itâs just a waste.
Ryan mercilessly criticized the machine, this bizarre system heâd somehow ended up with was just full of quirks.
He scrutinized the systemâs content. Apart from some basic parameters, it seemed that only the favorability and Aliceâs first personality trait were unlocked.
The rest was replaced with â???â, meaning those parts were still locked.
Ryan had begun to sense her âcold outside, warm insideâ nature over the past few days, but seeing it spelled out was still a bit of a shock. So, beneath her icy exterior was a core of molten lava.
Ryan skimmed through all the content, but the note following the favorability system caught his attention.
The system advised him to keep the favorability below seventy, as going above might lead to unexpected events.
What kind of âunexpected eventsâ? Surely failing the mission wouldnât count as unexpected.
Ryan considered the possibility that a favorability above seventy might lead to outcomes not even the system could predict.
With more information at hand, Ryan wasnât exactly thrilled, especially since the favorability prompt felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Aliceâs favorability towards him was already at fifty-one. A few kind words could easily bump it up, and seventy wasnât that far off.
Sighing at the bleak outlook of his future, Ryan took out his notebook and jotted down his new findings.
Days were always dull, with Alice going out without him, which indefinitely delayed his plans.
Maybe, he needed to be more proactive.
The lady had already shown she was âcold outside, warm insideâ. If he didnât make a move, she might never suggest letting him go.
Ryan continued to study the newly appeared system panel, trying to figure out what the potential dangerous events involving Alice could be.
At seven in the evening, the maid timely reminded Ryan in the living room that the lady would be home in about fifteen minutes.
Ryan slightly adjusted his mood. Knowing that the lady considered him a friend had subtly changed his attitude.
âWelcome home, Miss Alice.â
Ten minutes later, Alice arrived home, and Ryan was already waiting at the door, greeting her with his signature smile as she entered.
It was the first time Ryan had actively welcomed Alice home, and her eyes brightened slightly at the gesture.
But remembering last nightâs sudden kiss and this morningâs flattery from Ryan, she was unsure how to treat him.
Casually handing her coat to Ryan without a glance, she walked naturally into the villa.
So, she really sees me as a doorman, huh? Ryan thought, somewhat speechless.
But Miss Alice looked very tired, so he decided not to take it to heart for now.
After hanging the coat on the rack behind him, Ryan caught a faint scent.
When he first arrived, he found it odd to smell winter daphne in autumn, but now, taking the coat, he could confirm it was indeed the ladyâs scent.
A cold, secluded fragrance, warding off anyoneâs approach, she bloomed alone, beautifully yet still desiring something.
Alice collapsed on the sofa, watching the dull news on TV and slowly closing her eyes.
She was too tired and needed a good rest.
After hanging up the coat, Ryan also moved behind Alice. Knowing about the favorability since the day had changed his view of her.
He had initially not understood why Alice kept him around, but now it seemed she instinctively sought some emotional support.
Yet, she was not good at expressing herself, so she had to resort to such methods.
On any other day, Ryan might have become good friends with her.
But Aliceâs identity as a mafia princess, a complete villain, weighed heavily on Ryanâs heart. The blood on her hands was evidence enough.
Ah, why waste sympathy on her? Letting her kill him was the real task at hand.
To get Alice to end him, Ryan had been crafting a series of plans, and with the introduction of the affection system, he knew he had to act fast.
When he opened the affection interface, he saw that Aliceâs affection for him was still at fifty-one, which was good news since it hadnât increased.
However, Ryanâs eyes quickly moved to Aliceâs status bars, and two items caught his attention.
[Fatigue Level: 83/100 (Extremely exhausted, character will break down when maxed out.)]
[Mood Level: 20/100 (Depressed, character may have suicidal tendencies when it hits zero.)]
What the heck?
Alice was fine when she left in the morning,how did she come back in such a state?
The fatigue level was somewhat understandable, and a good nightâs sleep would probably fix it, but that mood level was dangerously low.
If Alice collapsed before he could execute his plan, his own path to resurrection would be indefinitely postponed.
Ryan stroked his chin, visibly conflicted.
This resurrection mission was getting more complicated by the minute. He needed to be killed by the girl, but first, he had to ensure she wouldnât be the one in danger.
He had thought this was just a dating sim, but now it felt more like a management sim, and Ryan was feeling overwhelmed.
The mission is the priority, he reminded himself twice internally before making a decision.
Standing behind Alice, his hands cautiously reached towards the unsuspecting young ladyâs neck.
[Side Quest Accepted: Give Alice a Massage]