Coercion

On the second night after joining the Katsuragi Faction, Kiryu Yume lay on his dorm bed, staring blankly at the system panel.

[Current Mothers: None]

Still zero. He tossed and turned, staring at that line. He had worked himself to sudden death in his previous life, and now that he finally had a system in this one, he was stuck on the very first step. He just couldn't say it.

During class that day, when no one was around, he had secretly called out "Mom" to the air a few times, keeping his voice extremely low. The system panel had not budged. He had also tried repeating it silently in his head more than a dozen times, but it still did not move.

What exactly counted? Did he have to say it to a real person and make sure they heard it? During break, when Morishita Ran turned her head, he had quietly said it once, his voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz. Morishita Ran showed no reaction, and neither did the system panel.

He tried again, a little louder this time.

Morishita Ran turned around. "Kiryu Yume, what did you just say?"

Kiryu Yume's face immediately reddened. "N-Nothing. I was reciting something."

Morishita Ran gave him a look and did not press further. But there was obvious suspicion in those downcast eyes. Kiryu Yume lay facedown on his desk and buried his face in his arms. Calling it out secretly did not work, but saying it loudly would make people think he was insane.

He turned over and stared at the ceiling, seriously considering his options. The system said, "The more mothers you have, the more bonds you have," but merely calling someone that was clearly not enough. The other person had to "acknowledge" him. How? He did not know. But he felt that, at the very least, they had to know he was calling them Mom and not object. But what normal girl would agree to something like that?

After thinking it over and over, he came to the conclusion that he needed to find someone whom he could call that without facing any consequences. Ideally, they would have something on them that he could use, so even if they were unwilling, they would not dare tell anyone.

The moment that thought surfaced, his stomach started growling.

He checked his phone. It was 11:20 p.m. The cafeteria had long since closed, but the convenience store downstairs was still open. He pulled on a hoodie, slipped his phone into his pocket, and headed out.

The hallway was empty. Motion-sensor lights blinked on one after another, then went out behind him one by one. The dormitory was quiet. Occasionally, a faint glow from a phone screen slipped through a crack beneath some room's door, but no one came out. Kiryu Yume softened his footsteps as he went downstairs. When he pushed open the first-floor entrance, the night wind rushed in and made him hunch his neck.

The streetlights bleached the ground pale. The direction of the field was pitch-black and deserted. He walked toward the convenience store along the brick path, his soles making soft, broken sounds against the pavement. The convenience store's lightbox stood out in the night, its white light brightly illuminating a small patch of concrete before the entrance.

The automatic doors slid open, and cold air hit him in the face.

A middle-aged man in glasses sat behind the register, looking down at his phone. The store was quiet, save for the hum of the refrigerated cases' compressors. Fluorescent tubes cast an even white light over neatly arranged shelves and spotless floor tiles.

Kiryu Yume grabbed a carton of strawberry milk from the refrigerated section, then picked up a bag of shrimp crackers from the snack aisle. As he carried them toward the register, he caught sight of a figure from the corner of his eye as he passed the last row of shelves.

Long, straight black hair. A burgundy school uniform.

Kamuro Masumi.

She stood with her back to him before the drinks shelf, her hand feeling around deep inside it. Kiryu Yume had not paid much attention at first and intended to walk straight past. Then he heard a very soft sound—the tear of plastic packaging.

He stopped.

Kamuro Masumi withdrew her hand from the shelf, now holding a bottle of drink. Instead of placing it in a basket, she swiftly tucked it into the inner pocket of her uniform jacket. The movement was light, quick, and clean.

Kiryu Yume froze. Why would she steal something she could buy with points?

Kamuro Masumi seemed to sense his gaze from behind and slowly turned her head.

Their eyes met.

Her expression did not change in the slightest. She still wore that calm, indifferent look. There was no panic, no shame, not even surprise. She merely looked at him, as if asking, "You saw it. So what?" Under the convenience store's white lights, her black eyes looked deep—too deep for any emotion to be seen within them.

Kiryu Yume's mind raced in that instant.

Then he realized—wasn't she exactly the kind of person he could call that without facing consequences? She had stolen something, and he had seen it. He had leverage on her. Even if he called her that, she could not possibly go tell anyone. Besides, she barely spoke to begin with and was always expressionless. At worst, she would glare at him after he said it. Perfect.

His heart began racing. His lips felt a little dry. He swallowed and encouraged himself inwardly: Opportunities like this are rare. If I miss this one, who knows how long I'll have to wait for another? If I say it, I have a chance. If I don't, I'll still be at zero. Can shame fill my stomach? No. Bonds can.

He took a deep breath.

Kamuro had already turned around, preparing to leave.

"Wait."

His voice was quieter than he had expected, but loud enough to make her stop. Kamuro Masumi did not look back. She merely stood still. Her shoulders tensed slightly, so subtly that most people would have missed it, but Kiryu Yume noticed.

Kiryu Yume's palms were sweating. He took one step forward, then another. He stopped behind her. Light from the convenience store entrance fell across them, stretching their shadows over the ground. He looked at her long, straight black hair and the sliver of neck visible above her uniform collar. Her shoulders were narrow, and her whole body was slim. Standing in the night wind, she looked like a tree that would not move.

"What is it?" Kamuro Masumi did not turn around, her voice cold.

Kiryu Yume opened his mouth. The mental preparation he had made earlier nearly collapsed at that moment. He could not say it. He really could not say it. He remembered blurting out, "Mom, save me!" whenever he ran into a desperate situation in games in his previous life. It had rolled right off his tongue then, without embarrassment or hesitation. Why did he become such a coward when facing a real person?

He gritted his teeth and cursed himself inwardly. You've already died once, and you're still afraid of this? Your heart stopped without warning in your last life. You went through something like that. What can calling someone Mom do? Can it kill you? No.

"Kamuro Mom."

His voice was not loud, but it was clear enough in the quiet night.

Kamuro Masumi's shoulders visibly trembled. As if something filthy had touched her, she took half a step back. The movement was not fast, but it was direct. When she turned to look at him, a crack finally appeared in that expressionless face—her brows drew tightly together, the corners of her mouth dipped slightly, and her eyes were filled with unmistakable disgust. Pure, unhidden revulsion, as though she were looking at a cockroach that had suddenly crawled out of a sewer.

"What did you call me?" Her voice was lower than before, with a threat in her tone.

Kiryu Yume's heart pounded, but the words had already left his mouth. He could not take them back. He repeated them. "Kamuro Mom."

This time, she took a large step back. She really did retreat, her boots clicking sharply against the tiles as though she wanted to draw a clear line between them.

"Are you sick?" she asked, her tone several degrees harsher.

Kiryu Yume's face felt scorching hot. But he had no way back.

"You stole something. I saw it." He tried to keep his voice from trembling too much. "I won't tell anyone. In exchange, be my mom."

Kamuro's expression shifted from disgust to disbelief. She stared at him for several seconds, as if trying to determine whether he was truly insane or simply messing with her.

"Do you even know what you're saying?"

"I do."

Kamuro fell silent for a few seconds, her brow furrowing even more deeply. "You're sick." Her voice was quieter than before, but the disdain was still obvious.

"Maybe." Kiryu Yume said, "But I already called you that, and you heard it. You accepted it by default."

"I did not."

"You didn't refuse."

Kamuro looked at him and remained silent for a long time.

The convenience store lights shone on her face, cold white light revealing every detail of her expression. Her lips were pressed into a line, and her brows were tightly furrowed, as if she were pondering an incredibly difficult problem. That disgust had not disappeared, but something else had been added beneath it—she was weighing her options. The night wind swept past, lifting several strands of her hair before letting them fall back. Her gaze moved over Kiryu Yume's face several times, as if confirming that he was serious.

In the end, as though giving up on something, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again.

"What's your name?" she asked, her voice clearly impatient.

"...Kiryu Yume."

Kamuro nodded, as if committing his name to memory. Her expression remained unpleasant, her mouth still downturned. Though she had reined in some of that disgust, plenty remained. She turned to leave, moving much faster than before, as though fleeing the scene.

"Wait." Kiryu Yume stopped her again. "You still haven't agreed. If you don't, I'll take it as acceptance."

Kamuro's back stiffened. She stood there silently for several seconds. Kiryu Yume could see the back of her head, see her shoulders rise and fall slightly, as if she were suppressing some emotion. Finally, without turning around, she said, "Whatever you want."

Her voice was not loud, but her tone clearly meant, "Stop bothering me."

What exactly did "whatever you want" mean? Had she agreed? Or was she simply too lazy to deal with him? Kiryu Yume stood where he was and watched her walk away. With her hands tucked into her uniform pockets, she walked quickly. Once she rounded the corner of the dormitory building, she disappeared from sight.

Kiryu Yume stood alone beneath the streetlight, still clutching the strawberry milk and shrimp crackers. The night wind sent a shiver through him. Remembering the undisguised revulsion on Kamuro's face just now made his cheeks burn again. But no matter what, she had not explicitly refused. He would count that as acceptance.

He looked down at the system panel.

"Ding—"

"Congratulations, Host. You have obtained your first bond."

[Current Mothers: Kamuro Masumi]

[Bond: Coercion]

[Effect: When the target attempts to conceal something or lie, the Host has a chance of detecting fluctuations in their emotions. This effect strengthens as the bond deepens.]

Kiryu Yume stared at the screen for two seconds. Detect emotional fluctuations? So had the system helped him read some of the disgust on Kamuro's face just now? He thought back over their conversation—no, that level of disgust did not require a system to read. This effect was probably only useful when the other person hid it well.

He shoved his phone into his pocket and hurried back toward the dormitory. Once in his room, he tossed the milk and shrimp crackers onto the desk and flopped onto his bed. His phone vibrated. It was a message from Morishita Ran.

"Kiryu Yume, did you go downstairs just now?"

"Yeah. I went to the convenience store."

"I wasn't asleep either. I saw you from the window. Were you standing downstairs with Kamuro?"

Kiryu Yume hesitated. "We just happened to run into each other."

"Oh. What were you talking about?"

He typed, "I called her Mom," then deleted it. It was better not to let anyone know about this sort of thing. "Nothing much. Just said hello."

The other side was silent for a while. Then a message came through. "You're not close with her, are you? Why would you say hello?"

"I just... wanted to get to know more classmates."

Morishita Ran replied, "You really are strange. But Kamuro hardly talks to anyone normally. It's pretty impressive that you managed to greet her."

Kiryu Yume gave a bitter smile. Impressive? He had had no choice.

"Oh, right." Morishita Ran sent another message. "Sakayanagi went downstairs too just now. Did you see her?"

Kiryu Yume's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"No. Was she at the convenience store too?"

"She seemed to stand near the entrance for a while, but I couldn't see clearly. Forget it. Good night."

"Good night."

He set his phone beside his pillow and stared at the ceiling. Sakayanagi had gone downstairs too? What had she seen? Probably nothing. If she had seen it, there was no way she would not have stepped out. That woman loved watching other people's drama more than anyone.

He turned over and pulled the blanket up to his chin. He had obtained the bond and gained a mother, though it had not happened quite as he had imagined. At least the system was no longer at zero. Thinking of Kamuro's disgusted face still made him feel a little miserable, but it had worked.

He closed his eyes. Starting tomorrow, it would be another ordinary day.

At least, that was what he thought.