Hi everyone. I just want to say that I absolutely HATE SYSTEMS. Maybe this is a ntal breakdown, writer's block, or maybe I'm simply exhausted from System novels altogether. Sa templates, sa cliches, sa bullshit every ti. At this point, it's becoming painfully repetitive, with writers forced to stay trapped within the system's limitations. The reason I'm saying this is because I might not show the system too often anymore, and the MC will just power up normally. I don't want to drop this novel, which is why I'm clarifying it.
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I got to the academy earlier than usual. As I walked toward the veil and moved towards the campus, I spotted Shinro leaning against one of the pillars with that bored expression he always had when he arrived too early. The mont his eyes landed on , his brows lifted.
"Damn, I rarely see you these days. What have you been up to?" he asked, pushing himself off the pillar.
I shrugged, but before I could say anything, he squinted at like he was analyzing sothing deeper. "And what's going on between you and Riley? I noticed she lost so weight. Are you two fight or sothing?"
I let out a long sigh. I already knew this conversation would co eventually. "Riley got pregnant," I said quietly.
Shinro froze. "Huh?"
"And… we had to abort it," I added, keeping my voice low. "It was complicated. And painful for her. That's why she hasn't been herself."
Shinro's eyes widened as the shock hit him, his mouth slightly open. "Bro… I'm so sorry. You should've told ."
"Riley didn't want words spreading," I explained. "It ant a lot to her to keep it quiet. But you're my friend, so I figured you deserve to know."
Shinro looked genuinely hurt, but not at , more like at the situation. "I feel so bad for her. And for you too, man. That's… that's rough. A sha I can't even console her or anything."
"It's fine," I said, patting his shoulder. "Co on, let's get to class before the lecturer decides to use us as sacrifices."
He cracked a weak smile and nodded. We walked into the classroom together, took our seats, and spent the next few minutes pretending to focus on whatever the lecturer was rambling about.
---
After class, I t up with Riley and Shinro again at the usual place. Riley stood beside , and as we started walking out of the campus, my hand naturally rested on her waist. She stiffened a bit and looked at with this strange expression. Just… unreadable.
Noticing it, I leaned closer. "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," she replied quickly, looking away.
Before I could push further, Shinro groaned dramatically. "You two are making jealous, man. Walking around like the main couple in so romance novel."
Riley laughed and nudged him. "Then what about that girl you were chasing? How did that go?"
"Man…" Shinro dragged a hand down his face. "The girl was a gold digger. Only looking for soone to suck up to. She said she can't date a poor person like ."
and Riley exchanged the sa expression—half pity, half annoyance. "That sucks," we said simultaneously.
Shinro gave a defeated shrug. "Whatever, aside from my tragic love life, how were the exams?"
I sighed, running a hand through my hair. "Today's the first day of the sester exams and honestly, it's crazy how fast ti flies."
Shinro didn't let that slide. "I know ti flies. I an how were the exams?"
"Oh." I smirked a little. "Pretty simple actually."
Shinro stopped walking and stared at like I just said the sky was green. "Simple? Bro… that exam was hard as hell!"
He turned sharply to Riley. "Riley, tell I'm not insane."
Riley tilted her head thoughtfully. "It wasn't too hard."
Shinro clutched his chest like he was about to drop dead on the pavent. "I can't compare to you two freaks of nature. I studied my ass off and still felt like crying."
"Relax," I said. "There's still more papers. Maybe they'll throw you an easy one."
"I doubt it," he muttered, dragging his feet as we walked.
---
Soon after, we decided to stop at the nearby park to cool off. The atmosphere felt lighter, and we ended up ssing around for a while, talking trash, playing around, laughing louder than necessary. After a while, Shinro stretched his arms and sighed.
"Alright, I'm heading back to the dorm. You two enjoy your lovey-dovey mont."
He waved lazily and left, leaving and Riley alone in the park. The sun was starting to set, casting a warm orange hue across everything.
I went to sit on one of the swings, and Riley joined by settling herself on my lap. She leaned against comfortably, her hair brushing my cheek as her legs dangled from the swing. For a mont, it was peaceful. Quiet. Almost nostalgic.
"What are you planning to do after exams?" she asked suddenly. "During the holidays."
"I'm going to be a full-ti Adventurer during the break," I answered honestly.
Riley's expression shifted imdiately. She slapped my arm lightly. "Dumbass."
"Eh?? What did I do?" I asked, confused.
"Aren't you going to see my parents?" she said, pouting a little. "Even though my mom is bedridden, I believe she can still hear what I say. And my dad… he still cares about a lot even though he remarried."
Her voice softened during the last part, and I felt a faint sting in my chest. It wasn't anger. Just guilt. Pure guilt for not thinking about sothing so important.
I wrapped my arms around her waist more securely. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about that."
"You never think," she grumbled lightly, though there was no real heat behind it.
I pressed my chin against her shoulder. "I'll co. I'll see your parents. And…" I inhaled deeply. "I'll ask your dad for your hand in marriage."
Riley froze. For a mont I thought she didn't hear , but then her breath hitched, and she slowly turned her head to look at . Her eyes shimred with a mix of surprise and emotion.
"You promise?" she whispered.
"I promise," I said, tightening my arms around her as the swing gently swayed.
She then leaned in for a kiss, her fingers slipping between mine. My confidence genuinely stunned her. Asking for her hand in marriage doesn't an we're tying the knot imdiately; it's more like an unspoken agreent, letting her parents know about our relationship and the future we're aiming for.
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