Lord of Perverted Ladies

I stood in the middle of the apartment for several minutes after the system window disappeared, the mug of coffee slowly cooling in my hand. The question marks lingered in my mind far longer than the blue screen itself.

Adrian Cross.

Noah Walker.

???

There were only supposed to be two people capable of changing the main story.

Noah was the original protagonist.

I was the variable that shouldn’t have existed.

So who—or what—was the third name?

I placed the mug on the kitchen counter and walked over to the sofa, dropping into it with a tired sigh. Ever since waking up in this world, I’d relied on one advantage above everything else.

Knowledge.

Even if my memories weren’t perfect, I still knew the broad outline of the game’s story. I knew which characters mattered, which routes led to death, and which events were impossible to avoid.

That advantage had already started slipping away.

The Mystery Research Club hadn’t existed in the original game.

The encounter with Yuna hadn’t existed either.

Neither had the system calling someone else a main character.

Every change made the future a little harder to predict.

"...This is getting annoying."

The apartment, naturally, offered no response.

I leaned back and closed my eyes for a moment before speaking again.

"System."

A familiar blue window appeared almost immediately.

______

[System Online]

Awaiting instructions.

______

"Can I ask something without you hiding behind ’insufficient permissions’?"

______

[Response]

The system will answer what it can.

______

"Fine."

I folded my arms.

"The original story."

"Is it still following the game’s timeline?"

The response took longer than usual.

______

[Response]

Approximately.

______

"Approximately?"

______

[Response]

The main framework remains intact.

Individual events may differ.

______

"Because of me?"

______

[Response]

Host is one contributing factor.

______

"One?"

______

[Response]

Confirmed.

______

I frowned.

"So someone else is changing things too."

The system stayed silent.

Silence was answer enough.

"...Great."

I rubbed my forehead.

"That’s exactly what I wanted to hear."

The blue window disappeared without another word.

I looked at the clock hanging above the television.

Almost six in the evening.

There wasn’t much I could do about hidden protagonists or mysterious countdowns tonight.

Tomorrow we’d continue preparing for the exhibition.

The day after that...

Whatever the system had been warning me about would finally arrive.

Until then, worrying wouldn’t accomplish anything.

At least, that was the excuse I used.

---

An hour later, my notebook was spread across the coffee table.

Half the pages were filled with rough sketches of the Mystery Research Club’s exhibition.

I had started with the crime scene itself.

A victim found inside a locked study.

Four suspects.

One hidden motive.

Enough clues for visitors to piece everything together if they paid attention.

Ryan wanted dramatic twists.

Marcus wanted everything to make logical sense.

Daniel kept suggesting hidden codes.

Ethan was more interested in making the room look convincing.

Noah, meanwhile, would probably spend tomorrow questioning every detail until the timeline was airtight.

Honestly...

It sounded fun.

I smiled without realizing it.

Maybe that was exactly what I needed.

Something normal.

Something that didn’t involve ghosts or fragments of sin.

A loud vibration pulled me out of my thoughts.

The new phone Bianca had bought me lit up on the table.

Ryan Carter

I stared at the screen.

"...He already has my number?"

Then I remembered.

We’d exchanged contacts weeks ago.

Right.

Different body.

Different memories.

I answered.

"Hello?"

"Adrian!"

Ryan’s voice exploded through the speaker.

"You busy?"

"Not really."

"Good."

"I’ve got an important question."

I already didn’t like where this was going.

"...What is it?"

"If our victim is poisoned..."

I blinked.

"...That’s your emergency?"

"It is."

"Can poison make someone’s tongue blue?"

"...Why are you asking?"

"Because it looks cool."

I pinched the bridge of my nose.

"We’re making a mystery."

"Not a superhero movie."

"Oh."

A short pause followed.

"...Purple?"

I couldn’t help laughing.

"You’ve been thinking about this all evening?"

"I take club activities seriously."

"I somehow doubt that."

"I resent the accusation."

Another voice suddenly came through the phone.

"He’s lying."

Daniel.

"I’ve been listening for five minutes."

"He only called because he wants permission to buy fake blood."

Ryan immediately protested.

"We need fake blood!"

"We do."

"But you were going to buy ten liters."

"You never know."

"I know."

"We’re decorating one classroom."

I laughed quietly while the two continued arguing.

Eventually Noah’s calm voice interrupted them both.

"Ryan."

"What?"

"You’re on speaker."

"...Oh."

A moment of silence followed.

Then Noah spoke again.

"Adrian."

"Sorry about this."

"It’s fine."

"We’ll meet in the club room after classes tomorrow."

"I’ve already booked it until six."

"Sounds good."

"Also..."

He hesitated.

"I’d like to discuss something after everyone leaves."

That caught my attention.

"...Something important?"

"I think so."

His tone wasn’t worried.

Just thoughtful.

"We’ll talk tomorrow."

The call ended shortly afterward.

I placed the phone back on the table.

"...Discuss something."

Knowing Noah...

He’d probably noticed something everyone else had missed.

That was both reassuring and slightly terrifying.

___

The evening passed quietly after that.

I cooked a simple dinner, washed the dishes, and spent another hour polishing the mystery scenario before finally deciding it was good enough for everyone to criticize tomorrow.

Outside, the city gradually settled into its usual rhythm.

Traffic grew lighter.

Apartment windows lit up one after another.

Somewhere nearby, children were still playing in a small park despite the fading sunlight.

It almost reminded me of home.

My old home.

I lay down on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

"...Ethan."

The name slipped out before I could stop it.

It still felt strange.

That had been me.

Twenty-three years of memories.

Family.

Friends.

Late-night gaming sessions.

Complaining about work.

Ordering far too much takeout.

All of it now belonged to someone who technically no longer existed.

Sometimes I wondered whether anyone back there even knew what had happened.

Maybe they’d found my body.

Maybe they’d simply assumed I’d disappeared.

Or maybe...

None of that world existed anymore.

The thought left an uncomfortable weight in my chest.

I slowly closed my eyes.

"...I hope they’re okay."

A soft chime echoed inside my mind.

______

[Hidden Condition Met]

Host has acknowledged unresolved attachment to previous life.

No immediate reward.

______

"...You really monitor everything, don’t you?"

No answer came.

I let out a tired laugh.

Then, eventually, I stood up.

Tomorrow was going to be busy.

The exhibition preparations.

Noah’s mysterious conversation.

And one day closer to whatever the countdown meant.

I switched off the apartment lights and headed toward the bedroom.

The digital clock beside the bed read 10:47 PM.

For once, sleep came surprisingly quickly.

No nightmares.

No haunted factories.

No system alarms.

Just darkness.

Somewhere else in the city, however, another pair of eyes remained wide open.

A figure stood alone on the rooftop of a tall building overlooking the academy in the distance.

The evening wind tugged gently at the edge of a long coat as the figure looked down at a photograph held between gloved fingers.

The picture showed six boys leaving the academy together earlier that afternoon.

Adrian.

Ryan.

Marcus.

Daniel.

Ethan.

Noah.

The figure’s thumb slowly rested over Adrian’s face.

A quiet chuckle escaped into the night.

"So..."

"You’re the one who changed the story."

The photograph disappeared back into the coat.

Far below, the academy’s lights continued glowing peacefully.

The figure turned away from the rooftop and disappeared into the darkness without another sound.

At almost the same moment, a blue notification quietly appeared before unseen eyes.

______

[Main Story Synchronization Complete]

Participant Three has begun moving.

Countdown: 44 Hours, 11 Minutes.

______