Chapter 4
"You're eating so slow today," Raul said, tilting his head with a smile. "Are you still not feeling well?"
"A little," I replied. "My head's still a bit dizzy."
"Then eat more. You need to get your strength back." He picked up a piece of fish and put it on my plate, the gesture natural and caring. "I made these for you. It's your favorite lemon grilled fish."
I stared at the fish on my plate, and a thought suddenly struck me.
If he was hungry, if he couldn't tell the difference between love and hunger, then what did it mean when he cooked for me?
Was it love? Or was it another way of fattening me up, so I'd taste better?
The thought sent a chill down my spine, but I didn't let it show on my face. I picked up the fish, chewed for several seconds, swallowed, and then smiled at him. "It's really delicious. Thank you, baby."
He froze for a second.
Then he laughed. Not that gentle, eye-smiling grin from before, but a deeper laugh that rumbled up from his throat. It was soft, like something deep inside him was slowly coming to life.
On the panel, it showed: [Affection: 90→91
[Hunger: 78%→79%]
As I watched him laugh, it suddenly dawned on me that calling him "baby" made his affection rise. He clearly liked it, so I could keep using that nickname.
But his hunger went up too, which meant every bit of intimacy was pushing him closer to the tipping point of his berserk hunger mode, where he'd lose control and devour me.
It was a paradox.
If I wanted to survive, I had to make him fall for me. But the deeper his love grew, the stronger his desire to consume me became. And once he loved me enough, he'd really devour me.
The win condition and the death condition in this game were exactly the same: his love.
*****
After dinner, I helped him clear the table. He took the dishes and started washing them. I stood behind him, pretending to mess around on my phone. But really, I was checking the system panel.
Two special rules had already been revealed, with five still a mystery. It seemed every 5 points of affection unlocked a new rule. Rule two popped up at 90, so rule three should show at 95, and rule four at 100. But since there are seven rules in total, the affection cap might be higher than 100.
Or maybe some rules could be unlocked in other ways, like triggering certain taboo actions, or exploring specific places.
I decided to explore the house.
"Raul, I'm going to sit out on the balcony for a bit," I said.
"Okay. I'll come find you when I'm done with the dishes," he replied, not turning around, his voice still as gentle as ever.
On my way to the balcony, I spotted a closed door at the end of the hallway. Unlike the others, which were all wooden, this one was painted white with a matte finish and had an old-fashioned round brass knob.
I reached out and tried the doorknob. It was locked.
On the panel was [Tip: You've discovered the "Locked Room." You'll need a specific key to open it.
[Tip: The key is on Raul.]
I didn't hang around the door and headed straight for the balcony. It was pretty big, packed with all sorts of plants: mint, rosemary, basil, and a bunch of flowers I couldn't even name. The sunlight was warm, soaking right into my skin.
I leaned on the railing and looked down. We lived on the seventh floor, and below was a quiet community garden. Some old people were out for a walk, and a few kids were pedaling around on tiny bikes.
Everything looked totally normal.
But something was off.
The old folks and kids down there barely moved at all since I started watching. They weren't frozen, just creeping along at a snail's pace, like watching a video in slow motion. One kid pedaled his tiny bike, the front wheel spun once, and then it took a whole thirty seconds before the back wheel finally turned again.
This wasn't the real world.
Or maybe this was where the boundaries of the instance. The building itself was real, but everything downstairs was just scenery, a set designed to make one feel like everything was fine.
I looked away and turned to head back inside.
Then I saw Raul.
He was leaning against the balcony doorway, hands in his pockets, watching me with the sunlight behind him. The light spilled out, tracing his silhouette in gold. He looked so gorgeous he didn't seem real.
"What are you looking at?" Raul asked.
"The scenery," I replied.
"Is it good?"
"It's okay."
He came over and stood next to me, glancing down at the garden below. Then he slipped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer. His body heat radiated through his thin T-shirt, making me feel warm.