Chapter 34: Warning
Exhaustion finally claimed me after the long, relentless night. My body was completely spent, every muscle aching in the best possible way, while my mind drifted in a haze of lingering satisfaction. The spacious lounge had been left in complete disarray. Clothes were scattered across the floor, cushions had been tossed aside, and the lingering scent of sweat and sex still hung heavily in the warm air. Several maids had fallen asleep wherever exhaustion had overtaken them, some curled up on the carpet while others rested across the nearby sofas, their soft breathing the only sound filling the room.
I lay stretched across the massive couch, too drained to move. Lila was pressed snugly against my left side, her warm body fitting naturally against mine, her soft breasts comfortably squashed against my chest. Sasha slept on my right with one leg draped possessively across my own, as though afraid I might disappear if she let go. One arm rested around each of them, holding them close in a lazy, possessive embrace. Even as sleep slowly pulled me under, I absentmindedly found Sasha’s nipple again, gently nibbling and lazily suckling it while my eyelids grew heavier. At some point, Lila’s hand had slipped between us, loosely wrapped around my gradually softening cock as though she refused to let go even in her sleep. Eventually, the three of us drifted off together like that, tangled together beneath the warm lighting, skin against skin, while the Fragment of Lust finally fell silent for the first time in hours.
The peace didn’t last.
A faint buzzing began somewhere deep inside my head.
At first, I dismissed it as part of a dream, but the sound steadily grew louder, sharper, more insistent, until it became impossible to ignore.
______
[System Alert!]
Danger Detected.
Immediate Threat Level: High.
Recommend Immediate Awakening.
______
The warning flashed behind my closed eyelids in an angry crimson glow.
I instinctively buried my face deeper against Sasha, trying to ignore it, but the system refused to give up.
______
[System Alert!]
Warning: Host is in a compromised position.
Hostile presence detected nearby.
Survival Probability dropping rapidly.
______
The buzzing became a painful alarm, pounding against my skull again and again until my eyes finally snapped open.
The lounge was dim now, illuminated only by a few decorative lamps that cast long shadows across the room. Lila and Sasha remained fast asleep exactly where I’d left them, breathing softly against me. Lila’s fingers were still loosely wrapped around my cock. Sasha’s nipple was still caught between my lips.
Then I heard it.
Shhhk... shhhk... shhhk...
A slow, rhythmic scraping.
Metal against stone.
Someone was sharpening a blade.
The sound echoed faintly through one of the long hallways leading away from the lounge.
Every muscle in my body tensed.
The Fragment of Lust stirred, no longer burning with desire but blending with a cold surge of adrenaline that sharpened every instinct.
Carefully, I eased myself free without waking either girl. I gently slipped my cock from Lila’s relaxed grip before carefully lifting Sasha’s leg from mine. Neither of them stirred.
I slowly sat upright, my heartbeat suddenly loud enough to drown out everything else.
The other maids scattered throughout the lounge were still asleep.
Completely unaware.
Shhhk... shhhk... shhhk...
The scraping continued.
Closer now.
Whoever it was wasn’t even trying to stay completely silent.
I glanced once more toward Lila and Sasha. Sleeping peacefully, they looked almost vulnerable. After everything that had happened tonight, I wasn’t about to gamble with their lives.
Quietly, I reached toward a nearby side table and picked up a heavy metal candle holder. I tested its weight once in my hand.
Not ideal.
But heavy enough to crack a skull if I had to.
Shhhk... shhhk...
The scraping suddenly stopped.
Silence.
Then...
A woman’s voice.
Low.
Soft.
Barely above a whisper.
"...I’ll kill them all..."
"...Every last one of them..."
I froze.
The voice trembled with hatred.
"Lila..."
"Sasha..."
"Those bitches tortured me for so long..."
A quiet laugh followed.
"I’ll keep them alive."
"I’ll torture them myself..."
"Slowly..."
"I’ll make them scream..."
"...Just like they made me scream..."
My grip tightened around the candle holder until my knuckles turned white.
One of the maids.
It had to be.
The whispering became even more unstable.
"...But Master Adrian..."
"The only one who was kind to me..."
"The only one..."
A long pause followed.
Then came the sentence that made my blood run cold.
"...I’ll keep him."
"...If he won’t love me..."
"...I’ll keep his body beside me forever."
"...Even if I have to cut everyone else into little pieces first."
Shhhk... shhhk... shhhk...
The sharpening began again.
The system erupted into another series of warnings.
______
[System Alert!]
Hostile intent confirmed.
Armed threat approaching.
Multiple potential casualties detected.
______
Keeping as low as possible, I silently moved toward the entrance of the lounge, using the furniture for cover. The thick carpet swallowed almost every footstep.
Behind me, Lila shifted slightly in her sleep, murmuring something unintelligible before settling back against the couch.
The footsteps were getting closer now.
Slow.
Measured.
Deliberate.
Whoever she was...
She knew exactly where she was going.
I raised the candle holder, adjusting my grip.
The aggressive edge left behind by the Fragment of Lust sharpened my focus instead of clouding it. The fear was still there, but it had been pushed into the background, replaced by an almost predatory calm.
Whoever this maid was...
She had completely lost her mind.
And she was walking straight toward us.
The footsteps stopped just outside the lounge.
A long shadow stretched across the doorway before becoming perfectly still.
I held my breath.
My grip tightened around the candle holder.
The moment she stepped through that doorway...
I was going to strike first.
The shadow finally moved.
I tightened my grip around the heavy candle holder, every muscle in my body locking up as the figure slowly stepped into the lounge.
She looked about our age.
Long black hair framed a pale face, and she wore the same maid uniform as the others, though hers was wrinkled, like she’d been wearing it for far too long. In her right hand was a large kitchen knife. In her left, a whetstone.
Shhk...
She casually dragged the blade across the stone one last time before letting both hands fall to her sides.
Her eyes slowly wandered around the room.
She looked at the sleeping maids.
Then Lila.
Then Sasha.
Finally...
She looked at me.
The murderous look in her eyes disappeared almost instantly.
A smile spread across her face.
Somehow...
That smile scared me more than the knife.
"Master Adrian..."
Her voice was quiet, almost affectionate.
"You’re awake."
I didn’t answer.
She tilted her head slightly.
"I knew you’d wake up."
"..."
No.
Please don’t tell me...
I slowly looked upward.
"System."
Nothing.
"System."
Still nothing.
"...SYSTEM."
A blue window finally popped into view.
______
[System Online]
How may I assist you, Host?
______
I stared at it.
"...Seriously?"
"You couldn’t show up a few seconds earlier?"
______
[Response]
The system believed the host was resting.
______
"...There’s a girl standing in front of me with a knife."
______
[Response]
Confirmed.
Female.
Carrying one kitchen knife.
______
I blinked.
"...That’s your analysis?"
______
[Response]
Yes.
______
I pinched the bridge of my nose.
"...Who is she?"
A small loading icon appeared.
______
[Scanning Target...]
...
...
Scan Complete.
______
A second window appeared.
______
Unknown Character
Current Emotion: Happy
Current Target: Adrian Cross
Threat Level: High
Weapon: Kitchen Knife
Mental State: Unstable
______
"..."
"...You’re kidding."
______
[Response]
The system does not possess the ability to joke.
______
I ignored that.
"...System."
"...Is she..."
I looked back at the girl, who was smiling at me like we’d known each other forever.
"...A yandere?"
This time the system took a little longer to answer.
______
[Response]
Based on observed behavior...
Probability: 99.97%.
______
"...You’ve got to be kidding me."
The system added another line.
______
Additional Information
Congratulations, Host.
______
I stared at the message.
"...Why are you congratulating me?"
______
[Response]
The host has successfully encountered a rare character type.
______
"...I’m about to get stabbed."
______
[Response]
That is a possibility.
______
"Could you stop stating the obvious and actually help me?"
The system paused again.
______
[Response]
Suggested actions:
• Stay calm.
• Do not provoke the target.
• Try not to get stabbed.
Good luck.
______
I closed my eyes.
"...You’re completely useless."
______
[Response]
Feedback has been recorded.
______
The windows disappeared.
I slowly looked back at the girl.
She was still smiling.
The knife was still in her hand.
Behind me, Lila, Sasha, and the other maids slept peacefully, completely unaware that a knife-wielding yandere was standing a few meters away.
I let out a slow breath.
"...Why is my life like this?"