The aftermath of the skirmish left the party catching their breath beside a twisted ruin of obsidian pillars and withered vines. The corrupted beasts lay scattered, their bodies dissolving into smoke. Ciel stood at the edge of the battlefield, her sword still drawn, her brows furrowed—not in frustration, but in... thought?
MC watched her from a distance, pretending to check the party stats on his interface.
[Ciel Affection: 50% — Link Effect Unlocked: "Iron Will - Latent Power Awakening"]
There it was. The system glow flared for a second, and MC's eyes widened as he saw a new passive unfold beside her name.
[Latent Ability Activated: "Breaker's Instinct"]Effect: Increases counterattack speed and physical perception under emotional strain.
Ciel, of course, had no idea. She was staring at her hands like they'd betrayed her.
"That move I used…" she murmured to herself. "I've tried that a dozen times in training and never landed it that cleanly."
She slashed once through the air experimentally. The blade cut through the wind like silk. Her balance, her reaction speed — it all felt sharper, more fluid.
"No way. It's not... him, right?"
MC quickly looked away, trying to look busy calculating the party's inventory.
Ciel turned toward him. "Hey."
"Y-yeah?"
"You didn't use any of your weird System crap on me again, did you?"
He gulped. "Define 'use.'"
She stormed over, jabbing a finger at his chest. "Are you screwing with my abilities? Am I some test dummy for your cheat powers?"
"No! I mean — not intentionally! It's just, um, we're kind of... emotionally synced."
She blinked. "What?"
"It's a System thing!" he said quickly. "The more connected we are emotionally — not romantically, necessarily! — the stronger the link becomes. Totally platonic. Mostly. Maybe."
Ciel's eye twitched. "You're telling me I suddenly got stronger because of... feelings?"
"Well, yeah. Sort of. Not like that, though! It's more like your inner strength is being... externally quantified and boosted based on your... uh... tsundere essence?"
She was silent for a long moment.
Then she turned away, her ears faintly red.
"Hmph. That's ridiculous," she muttered. "It's obviously just my natural growth kicking in. I have been working out more."
MC nodded too fast. "Totally. Must be the squats."
"I don't do squats."
"Right, right — sword drills. Classic strength stuff."
She kept walking, trying to ignore the fact that her heart was beating faster than usual.
Behind her, the system pinged softly in MC's mind again.
[Affection Milestone Achieved: "Stubbornly Yours"]Bonus: +10% resistance to Ciel's physical damage (when she's mad at you).
"Guess I'll need that," MC muttered, rubbing his shoulder where she jabbed him.
Ciel glanced back just once, saw him grinning at her, and immediately snapped her head forward.
"Stupid system," she whispered. "Stupid feelings. Stupid idiot."But her sword felt lighter.And her steps were quicker.And, for some reason...She didn't hate it.
END OF CHAPTER 68