[SYSTEM: RANDOM TRIAL EVENT – INITIATED] [TRIAL TYPE: CO-OP] [REQUIREMENT: PARTNERS MUST ELIMINATE TARGET TOGETHER] [FAILURE TO COOPERATE = SEVERE PENALTY]
The apartment darkened. Lights flickered. The TV fizzled into static.
Kaito sat mid-slouch on the couch, a controller still in his hand. "...You couldn't wait till I finished this boss fight?"
Aya had already summoned her magic—shimmering purple energy crackling around her fingers. She moved like a general. Sharp. Focused. Annoyed.
"This is our first system test," she said flatly. "Don't screw it up."
"I'm literally in boxers."
A portal opened in the middle of the living room floor. Blue mist leaked out. Then came a squelch.
Something crawled out.
A translucent blob with tentacle-like whips and cartoonishly angry eyes.
[TARGET: MUTATED SLIME – CO-TRIAL CLASS] [ONLY JOINT ATTACKS WILL DAMAGE TARGET]
"Ew," Kaito muttered. "It's jello with rage issues."
The slime charged.
---
Round One: Chaos
Kaito dodged left. Aya blasted right.
The slime split in two.
[INVALID ATTACK: SOLO STRIKES INEFFECTIVE]
Aya frowned. "What kind of logic is this?"
Kaito threw a chair at it. "The kind where teamwork isn't optional."
The slime countered with a slap that sent both of them flying into opposite walls.
---
Round Two: Bickering
"Why didn't you coordinate with me?!" Aya snapped.
"You mean why didn't I predict your unannounced death beam?" Kaito shot back.
The slime bounced happily, enjoying their drama.
---
Round Three: Strategy (Accidental)
In a rare moment of perfect timing, Kaito tripped over a table leg, flew forward, and his hand collided with Aya's mid-cast spell.
Their combined energy hit the slime dead center.
[COMBO STRIKE: ACCEPTED] [TRIAL PROGRESS: 50%]
They blinked.
Kaito: "...Did we just high-five the monster to death?"
Aya: "Don't touch me."
---
Meanwhile, in the hallway—
Riku, their overly cheerful neighbor, pressed his ear against the door.
BZZZZZZZTT
He was zapped and flung into the wall.
[SYSTEM NOTICE: EAVESDROPPING ON ACTIVE TRIAL = PENALTY]
He coughed. "Worth it…"
---
Back inside:
The slime had grown. Now it had eyes. Plural. And sharp teeth.
Aya and Kaito stood back-to-back, breathing hard.
"We'll need to time it again," she said.
"No problem." Kaito cracked his knuckles. "You shoot, I'll throw sarcasm."
Together, they charged.
---
Final Round: Perfect Sync
Aya's energy surrounded Kaito this time. He leapt mid-air, her spell launching him like a bullet.
He slammed his fist into the slime as she unleashed a blast behind him.
The apartment exploded with light.
[TARGET ELIMINATED] [TRIAL SUCCESS – COMPATIBILITY SYNC: 8%]
---
Aftermath
The apartment was now half a crater.
Aya stood, bruised, panting. "...Your couch is destroyed."
Kaito coughed up a feather from a now-deceased pillow. "So is my soul."
Then the System chimed again:
[REWARD GRANTED – ABILITY UNLOCKED] [Kaito Yamada: Skill Registered – "Imagine: Construct" (Prototype Stage)]
He blinked. "What... the hell is that?"
Aya turned sharply. "You awakened a skill?"
He laughed nervously. "A weak one. Probably broken. Might summon pencils or something."
[Skill Description Hidden – Verification Pending]
Aya squinted at him. Suspicious. But said nothing.
[PARTNER REST SYNC SUGGESTED: COMPATIBILITY BOOSTS AT NIGHT]
They looked at each other. Then the single mattress. Then the system suggestion.
"Couch," they both said in unison.
---
Elsewhere – Unknown Location
A cloaked figure reviewed their screen.
[Subject: Kaito Yamada – Skill Activated] [Classification: Inconclusive. Proceed to observe.]
The figure grinned. "Soon."
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