Cracks in the System

The days that followed felt surreal to Kenn. After the confrontation with Yaoi, something had shifted. He hadn't expected her to give up so easily, but her absence left an unsettling stillness in the air. The emotional scanner, though ever-present, seemed quieter now, like it, too, was waiting. Or perhaps it was just Kenn who had changed.

Lynn remained by his side, though there was a distance between them that hadn't been there before. She hadn't asked him to explain the full truth just yet. But the questions were there—hovering in the air between them, in the space where their conversations once felt easy and effortless. Kenn knew he couldn't delay much longer. He had to tell her everything.

But how could he explain it? How could he put into words the weight of the system, the bracelet, the constant barrage of emotions from the people around him? And Yaoi—how did he explain her obsession, the way it twisted his world, his feelings, and the emotions of everyone else?

That morning, as the bell rang signaling the end of first period, Kenn found himself at the edge of the courtyard again, watching the flow of students moving around him. The normal rhythm of school life felt strange—too normal, too easy. Like something was about to shatter it all.

"You're quiet today," Kil said from behind him, his voice familiar and comforting. "You've been in your head a lot lately."

Kenn turned to his friend. Kil's easy smile was a welcome distraction, though Kenn could see the concern in his eyes. Kil had always been able to read him well, and Kenn knew his friend had noticed the shift in him after the confrontation with Yaoi.

"Just... thinking," Kenn said, offering a small shrug.

Kil raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Yeah? About what? Yaoi? Or… something else?"

Kenn hesitated. There were a thousand thoughts swirling in his mind, but he didn't know how to explain them, even to Kil. How could he explain the unease that had taken root in him? The system had always been an invisible force, something Kenn couldn't touch or fight, but now it felt more real—more suffocating. The emotional scanner buzzed in his mind, like a ticking clock, pushing him toward something he couldn't understand.

"I don't know," Kenn finally said. "It's just... everything. It feels like the system's pushing me in a direction I don't want to go. But I don't know how to stop it."

Kil leaned against the railing beside him, folding his arms. "You've got to fight it, man. You've been letting it control you for too long. You're stronger than this."

Kenn's eyes dropped to the ground, his hands tightening into fists. "It's not that easy," he muttered. "I don't know how to fight something I can't even see. The system—this bracelet, the emotional scanner—it's all tangled up in my head. And now… I feel like I'm losing control."

Kil was quiet for a moment, watching him closely. Finally, he let out a sigh. "I get it. But you can't just let it run your life, Kenn. It's not real. Not in the way you think. And you're not alone in this."

Kenn glanced up at his friend, his chest tight. "What do you mean?"

Kil's gaze softened, his smile returning, though it was tinged with sadness. "Lynn's not going anywhere. She's not going to leave you, not because of the system or anything else. You just have to trust her. Trust that she's there for you, even if it feels like you're going through it alone."

Kenn swallowed hard. Kil's words hit deeper than he expected. He had been so focused on the weight of the system, on the emotional scanner and Yaoi's obsession, that he had forgotten the most important part of it all. Lynn.

Lynn had been there, every step of the way, and he had pushed her away. He had kept her at arm's length, afraid of what the system might force him to feel, afraid of his own emotions.

But maybe it was time to let her in. Maybe it was time to stop fighting alone.

"I'm... I'm going to talk to her," Kenn said, more to himself than to Kil.

Kil clapped him on the back with a grin. "Good. You should. The sooner you deal with it, the sooner you can move on."

Kenn nodded, feeling a weight lift from his chest. For the first time in days, he felt like he had a plan. The emotional scanner hummed again, but this time, it didn't feel quite as overwhelming. Maybe he wasn't going to escape the system, but he could start taking control of how he responded to it.

***

That afternoon, after school, Kenn found himself waiting outside the gates, his hands trembling as he tried to steady his breathing. He had sent Lynn a text earlier, asking to meet, to talk. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but it had to happen.

When Lynn appeared, her warm smile made his heart ache. She looked at him with such hope in her eyes, it felt like a weight he had to bear. He couldn't keep hiding from her, not anymore.

"Hey," she said, her voice soft. "I'm glad you called. I've been thinking about what you said."

Kenn's throat tightened. This was it. There was no more running, no more pretending. "Lynn... there's a lot I need to explain. A lot I haven't told you."

She nodded, her eyes full of patience and understanding. "I'm listening."

For a long moment, Kenn simply stared at her, gathering his thoughts. The emotional scanner buzzed in his mind, but he pushed it aside. This wasn't about what everyone else felt. It was about him. About them.

"I've been feeling this pressure... this constant pull," he began, voice shaky. "It's the system. The bracelet. The emotional scanner... It's not just some random thing. It's controlling me, Lynn. And I don't know how to stop it. Every time I think I'm free, I feel it—like something's pulling me back, forcing me to make decisions, to feel things I don't want to feel."

Lynn's gaze softened, and she stepped closer. "What decisions? What do you mean?"

Kenn swallowed, his heart thundering. "Yaoi. She's... she's obsessed with me. And the system uses that. It's... it's like it's pushing me toward her, pulling me away from you. I don't know what's real anymore, Lynn. I don't know if I can trust my own emotions."

Lynn reached out, taking his hand gently. "You can trust me, Kenn," she said, her voice quiet but certain. "You're not alone in this. We'll figure it out together."

Kenn's chest tightened. For the first time in what felt like forever, he didn't feel so alone. He didn't have all the answers, and he couldn't promise everything would be okay. But with Lynn by his side, he was ready to face whatever came next.

The system wasn't going to give up easily. But neither was he.

Together, they could find a way to break the chains.