As Riku and Igris approached the burgeoning settlement, the subtle shift in the villagers' demeanor was immediate, almost imperceptible at first. A young woman, carrying a stack of blankets, stumbled slightly, her gaze snagging on Riku. Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson, and she quickly averted her eyes, a shy, nervous giggle escaping her lips as she hurried past. Riku's brow furrowed. Was that… normal?
He dismissed it. Just exhaustion, maybe. The village was still a chaotic hive of activity. But then, as he walked past a group of men hammering planks for a communal dining area, the hammers seemed to falter. A burly carpenter, sweat glistening on his bare chest, straightened up and offered Riku a surprisingly tender smile.
"General, lookin' sharp today, ain't ya?" the man rumbled, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Must be all that... fresh air." He then winked, a slow, deliberate motion that made Riku's skin crawl.
Riku mumbled a noncommittal response and hastened his pace, a cold dread beginning to coil in his stomach. The "unintended adoration" was already starting.
He found Levi supervising the digging of a trench, his usual clipped commands punctuated by grunts of effort. Ichinose and Erina were nearby, organizing the distribution of rations, their expressions tired but relieved.
As Riku approached, the air seemed to thicken, almost palpably. The people around him suddenly seemed to slow down, their heads turning in unison. A group of teenage girls who had been giggling over something suddenly went silent, their eyes wide, fixed on him. One of them, a shy girl named Lena, clutched a basket of berries to her chest and swayed slightly, her face blooming a furious red.
"Riku!" she whispered, her voice barely a squeak.
Riku felt a flicker of something close to genuine panic. This was escalating. Fast.
He reached Levi, who, surprisingly, didn't immediately launch into another tirade. Instead, Levi straightened, his gaze softening almost imperceptibly. "Riku," he said, his voice unusually mild. "You're back. Good. We were just..." He paused, his eyes tracing Riku's jawline, then his hair. A strange, almost wistful expression crossed Levi's face before he caught himself, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. "Nevermind. What's the next step, Dola?" His voice snapped back to its usual pragmatism, but Riku hadn't missed the momentary lapse.
"The next step," Riku began, trying to sound authoritative, "is to establish a..."
A burly man named Gareth, known for his gruff demeanor, stomped over. He looked Riku up and down, then let out a deep sigh. "Dola," he said, his voice surprisingly gentle, "you work too hard. A man needs to relax. You ever... need someone to share a drink with, or just, you know, warm up on a cold night... my tent's always open. Just say the word."
Riku's face paled. This was becoming a living nightmare.
Ichinose and Erina, who had been observing this bizarre exchange, exchanged wide-eyed glances. Erina bit her lip while looking at riku. Ichinose, however, remained calm.
"Riku," Erina said, trying to keep a straight face, "Are you... feeling alright? You seem to be attracting a lot of... attention."
Levi scoffed, but his gaze was still strangely soft. "A plague of popularity, perhaps. You're just a naturally charming fellow, Dola. Never noticed it before, but, well, you certainly have a way about you." He cleared his throat awkwardly. "Though I do agree, Gareth, a man needs his space." He shot Gareth a strangely possessive glare, which Gareth returned with an equally intense stare. The tension between them was palpable, a silent, bizarre rivalry over Riku.
Ichinose, ever the analytical one, stepped closer, a curious glint in her eyes. "A System effect, you say? Hmm. Is it... radiating?" She reached out a tentative hand, as if to touch his arm, but then hesitated, looking thoughtful.
Riku recoiled. "Don't touch me!" he yelped, then immediately regretted it. He tried to compose himself. "It's... it's a passive effect. An 'aura.' Apparently, I'm 'irresistibly charming' now. To 'all sentient beings.'" He finished with a groan.
Erina burst into laughter, a pealing, uninhibited sound that drew even more curious glances. "An irresistible charm aura?" she giggled, clapping her hands together. "Oh, Riku, you truly are something else!" Her eyes, however, held a distinct sparkle of amusement mixed with a subtle, unreadable warmth that made Riku nervous.
"It's not funny!" Riku hissed, looking around desperately. A group of children had started to form a small semicircle around him, staring with wide, adoring eyes. Even Igris, usually stoic, seemed to be vibrating with suppressed amusement, a faint, almost imperceptible shimmer around his bloody red form.
"Oh, it's hilarious, Riku!" Levi declared, a rare, genuine smile spreading across his face, though it quickly turned into a more familiar smirk. "Think of the advantages! You'll never have to negotiate again, just bat your eyelashes. Need supplies? Just give them 'the look.' Want to avoid a fight? Just charm the enemy into surrendering!"
"You think it works on enemies?" Riku asked, a new, horrifying possibility dawning on him.
"Well, it says 'all sentient beings', doesn't it?" Erina chirped, still chuckling. "Imagine, Riku, facing down a monstrous beast, and it just wants to cuddle!"
"Or a rival general, who suddenly declares his undying love for you on the battlefield!" Ichinose added, a mischievous grin playing on her lips.
"This is not a strategic advantage!" Riku almost wailed, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. "This is a cosmic joke! This is going to make my life a living hell!"
Levi clapped him on the shoulder, a little too familiarly, a possessive glint in his eye. "Chin up, Dola. Could be worse. At least you'll always have friends... and probably a few more admirers than you know what to do with." He then paused, eyeing the increasingly amorous glances from the surrounding villagers. "Alright, everyone! Back to work! Less gawking, more building! Unless you want to sleep in the mud tonight!" His voice, usually sharp, seemed to lack its usual bite, a subtle undercurrent of something soft tempering his commands.
Ichinose and Erina exchanged another look, this one containing a new, shared understanding. They both looked at Riku, then back at Levi, then at each other, and dissolved into fresh fits of laughter. Levi, realizing his softening tone, flushed slightly, trying to regain his stern composure.
Riku stood there, surrounded by his 'adoring' villagers, his pragmatic general, and his two giggling strategists. The war for survival had taken a truly bizarre turn. He was no longer just the leader; he was the accidental heartthrob, cursed to be desirable to everyone, whether he liked it or not. And he most certainly did not.