Jerome climbed up the climbing frame onto the platform.
Before Ririko could get to her feet, he threw his weight over her, pinning her against the cold metal grating.
His fingers clamped around her wrists with enough force to crush her bones.
[Infatuation value has exceeded 80. Reward: resurrection count ×2] [Claim reward?]
Ririko stared at the system text. She hadn't expected the reward this time to be two resurrections.
But what the hell good would two resurrections do!
She didn't want to die, not even once, especially not at the hands of this redheaded bastard.
With Jerome's crazed face filling her vision, she had no choice but to claim the reward in desperation.
The next second, she activated Hair Control.
Black strands of hair shot out like snakes from her shoulders, her back, and the gaps in the metal grating, winding around Jerome's arms, wrists, and even his neck...
The hair tightened, cutting into his skin and leaving tiny, bleeding gashes along the side of his neck.
Jerome panted heavily.
He didn't even look down at the hair digging into his flesh.
His bloodshot eyes remained fixed on her. From the moment he had pinned her down, his gaze hadn't left her face.
"Don't leave me." His voice trembled. "If you go, I'll be alone again."
What showed in his eyes wasn't possessiveness, but the grief of utter loneliness, like a child whose mother had cruelly abandoned him at an amusement park...
Ririko couldn't spare a thought for any of that.
"Let go... Who would want to stay with a lunatic like you..."
The hair wound tighter around his neck. His face turned from pale to bluish purple, and his pupils dilated slightly, but she was still the only reflection in his eyes.
Suddenly, Jerome released his