The Power of Attraction

[Part ① · Speaking Honestly]

David: "You were lying to me?"

Jack replied in a panic. "I wasn't..."

David murmured, "I've never hidden anything from you. When I made my requests to the receptionist, I was always open, humble, and respectful. When she turned me down, I didn't pressure her. Instead, I used [Hell Highway] to turn her into a book—honestly, I was deeply disappointed when she rejected me. She was a prostitute whose price was clearly marked, and yet she refused to share her private secrets with me even though I could pay. I just wanted to experience it, to experience someone else's life."

"Thanks to my Soul Stand, I can empathize with her without her even realizing it."

"I thought you were the same way. While reading my work, there was a moment when you could see me tear open my chest, bare my heart to you, and reveal it beating."

"But just now, Jack Martin, did you betray my [heart]?"

Little Jack clenched Sullivan's silk handkerchief, his eyes darting around.

"No... No, I didn't!"

Under the warm orange lamplight, Mr. David fell silent.

Little Jack tried to explain himself, desperate to get off the hook. "I only read the title page and the title... Yes, that's all I read! I swear! Reading only the title doesn't count, right?"

David Victor suddenly understood. "Oh! You only read the title?"

Little Jack nodded vigorously. "Right... and the opening line of the first paragraph..."

David Victor: "Oh! You read the opening line too?"

Little Jack: "Yes... and a little of the second paragraph..."

David Victor: "Oh... you even read the transition from the previous section?"

Little Jack: "That's right... because the opening and the transition both had the same line of dialogue... and the ending echoed the beginning."

David Victor: