Cherreads

Chapter 35 - Chapter 35: Crossed Wires & Hidden Desires

Shen Yuo woke up to the soft buzz of his phone under the pillow. The morning sun filtered through the dusty blinds, painting golden lines across his bare chest. His hand moved instinctively toward the phone, expecting the usual: a System update, a cheeky message from one of his conquests, or maybe Sarada sending another sinful "breakfast photo" of herself in frosting.

But this time, the notification came from the MILF Conquest System itself:

[System Alert: Emotional Imprint Detected - Subject: Nari Hoshino. Obsession Meter: 12% and rising.]

Shen sat up. His body still hummed from last night's encounter with Nari—the sweet scent of her innocence, the trembling in her touch, the desperate curiosity in her eyes when she finally let him guide her body. She'd clung to him after, whispering his name like a prayer, fingers tracing his chest as though she needed to memorize every inch.

"She's falling hard," Shen muttered. He ran a hand through his tousled hair, glancing at the phone again.

[New Side Quest: Emotional Bind - Deepen Nari's Obsession to 25% or higher through a public or emotionally intimate act. Bonus if streamed anonymously via System Live.]

Reward: +2,000 Tokens, Minor Allure Upgrade, Skill Unlock: "Obsession Trigger"

"Damn. That's… new." Shen's lips curled into a smirk. "Let's see how far the rabbit hole goes."

---

In the dorm kitchen, Gon was already making his usual chaos. The electric kettle was screaming, eggs half-boiled floated in a cracked pot, and the smell of instant noodles mixed with some kind of lavender air freshener he'd borrowed—without asking—from Yue's office.

"Itajhi! My man!" Gon waved his chopsticks like a sword. "Tell me. If a girl sends you three red heart emojis and a white cat gif—she's totally into me, right?"

Itajhi, seated on the counter with a BL manga open across his lap, sipped his tea lazily. "No. She's into the cat. You're the background noise in her life."

"Cruel," Gon moaned, dramatically collapsing over the table.

Shen walked in right then, freshly showered, clean black shirt hugging his frame, jeans tight across his hips. Gon sat up like he'd seen a K-drama protagonist.

"Whoa. Who'd you bang this time?" he asked, half in awe, half in jealousy.

Shen didn't reply. Just poured himself a mug of coffee and smirked.

Tenjo strolled in a moment later, yawning in his boxers, phone in hand. "By the way," he said between yawns, "anyone seen the pink thong under the couch? I think it's Kichou's. Again."

Shen's hand froze mid-sip.

Itajhi snorted. "How romantic."

Tenjo raised a brow. "Why so tense, Shen? She yours now too?"

Shen gave a cool smile. "You'd be surprised."

Their eyes locked for a beat too long. The unspoken tension sizzled between them, veiled in smiles and innuendo. Tenjo laughed it off, but his gaze lingered.

---

Later that day, Shen met Nari outside the school library. She wore her usual oversized hoodie and long skirt, but something about her was different—brighter, bolder. She grinned shyly as she ran up to him.

"You came."

"I said I would," he replied gently.

She handed him a small gift bag. "I… baked these for you. I know Sarada-san's are probably better, but I wanted to try."

Inside were lumpy but sincere cookies, barely shaped and overly sweet, but made with trembling affection. He took one and bit into it, smiling as she looked away.

"They're perfect," he said. And he meant it.

They walked through the quad together. Students passed by without a second glance, but Shen noticed how Nari's fingers brushed his, how her steps stayed in sync with his. Her cheeks pinked whenever his shoulder nudged hers.

"You're different from the others," she said suddenly.

Shen arched a brow. "Others?"

"You… you've got this pull. Like something inside you is glowing. I see how girls look at you, how confident you are. But when I'm with you, I feel safe. Like I'm not weird for wanting… you."

Shen's chest tightened. It wasn't lust—it was something rawer, more intimate. The System glowed softly at his hip.

[Obsession Meter: 18%]

They ended up sitting by the secluded garden bench behind the gym, where petals littered the ground. Shen leaned back against the wooden rail while Nari sat beside him, nervously picking at her fingers.

"Can I… kiss you?" she asked.

Shen blinked. This wasn't like the others. This was shy, vulnerable, real.

He leaned in, cupped her cheek, and kissed her softly. Her body melted against him, and she let out a tiny moan of surprise and need.

He deepened it, pulling her onto his lap, her skirt bunching around her thighs. Nari trembled but didn't resist—her fingers clutched at his shirt as if to steady herself.

The phone in his pocket lit up again:

[Live Mode Available: Stream as "ShenKai_Blue" anonymously?]

> Y/N

He hesitated only for a moment.

> Yes

The screen dimmed and began streaming discreetly through his front camera, angled perfectly to catch her face in blissful abandon.

Shen's hand slid under her hoodie, fingers tracing the soft rise of her stomach. Her breath hitched as he moved higher, thumb brushing the underside of her breast through her bra.

She gasped into his mouth.

"Is this okay?" he murmured.

She nodded, breathless. "Y-Yes. I trust you."

[Obsession Meter: 22%]

He slipped his hand under her bra, finally feeling the soft, warm swell of her breast, her nipple tightening under his touch.

She arched into him. "Shen… I've never—felt this way."

"And you'll feel more," he whispered. "With me, always."

Nari's head lay gently against Shen's shoulder as they sat entwined on the garden bench, breath slowing, her body still flushed from the intimate moment they'd shared. Shen's fingers combed lightly through her hair, and she sighed, completely lost in the warmth of his presence.

His phone buzzed silently in his pocket.

[Obsession Meter: 26% – Emotional Bind Achieved]

[Side Quest Complete. Rewards: +2,000 Tokens | Allure +1 | Skill Unlocked: "Obsession Trigger"]

[New Passive Skill Unlocked: "Cling to Me" – Targets with Emotional Bind will seek physical closeness daily. Bonus interactions generate increased tokens.]

Shen smiled faintly. But it wasn't just the System rewards that stirred something in him. Nari wasn't like Sarada, Kichou, or Sakura—women who knew the game. Nari was still halfway between girl and woman, untouched by the world's claws… until now.

He gently kissed her forehead, and she curled tighter into his chest like a kitten seeking its safe space.

"Shen," she whispered, "Will I… still matter to you after today?"

He paused, holding her a little closer. "You matter already. Don't doubt that."

[System Note: Subject's trust has reached threshold for "Devotion Route."]

[New Character Route Unlocked: Devotion Path – Nari Hoshino]

As Nari napped quietly in his lap, Shen opened the System's stream stats. Over 4,000 live watchers had tuned in—anonymous but thirsty. The comments ranged from awe-struck to absolutely unhinged:

> "Yo, ShenKai_Blue strikes again?? That girl looked pure! Damn!"

"This guy pulls innocence like it's a damn superpower."

"Was that a school uniform under the hoodie??"

"Is this the same guy from the MILF stream last night?"

"Yo this is why he's #1 now. Respect."

He turned off the feed, silencing the pinging hearts and flames of the stream chat. Too much attention could be dangerous… especially with Tenjo in the picture.

---

Back in the dorm later that evening, the lounge was alive with chaos.

Gon was performing some kind of "dominance dance" in front of Itajhi while waving his belt over his head. Itajhi ignored him completely, buried in his manga, headphones blasting orchestral soundtracks. The TV showed a paused image of some anime girl holding a rice ball seductively.

Shen stepped in just as Tenjo emerged from his room—shirtless, towel slung around his neck, freshly showered and humming.

"You missed it," Tenjo said. "Dorm Lady Rina was here. She came to 'inspect the hallway.' But I suspect she came to inspect me." He winked. "Took her into the storage closet for a little—organizational therapy."

Shen raised a brow. "You're seriously screwing one of the dorm staff?"

Tenjo grinned. "Hey, she's older, tight, and lonely. That's like a triple S rank in my book."

[System Ping: New Side Character Triggered – Rina Nakashima: Age 34, Dorm Staff. Interest Level: 41%]

Shen's eyes flicked toward the hallway. So Tenjo wasn't just playing around—he was actively laying groundwork in Shen's territory.

He sat down on the armrest beside Itajhi. "Any word from Yue?"

"Lecturer Hatake?" Itajhi replied without looking up. "Rumor is she's been seen in the faculty lounge staring at her phone for hours. Probably watching some scandalous video. The nerdy girls say she looked flushed."

Shen blinked.

[New Notification: MILF Conquest System Livestream Reached Yue Hatake's Device – Passive Exposure Bonus Applied]

So even Yue had caught wind of his escapades? The system's reach was expanding faster than he expected.

Just then, a message popped up from Sarada.

> [Sarada Ayane]

"Sweetheart… we need to talk. In private. It's about Tenjo. I think he's onto something. Come by the bakery tonight, back entrance. Don't tell anyone."

Shen stared at the message, thumb hovering over the reply button. The lines between his allies and rivals were starting to blur.

---

That night, the city lights danced like fireflies across the sidewalk as Shen approached Sarada's bakery. It was closed for the evening, the "Sorry, We're Closed" sign hanging at an angle. He circled around the back and knocked twice on the hidden door.

Sarada opened it immediately, her expression tight, apron swapped for a slim, form-fitting black dress. She didn't smile.

"Inside," she whispered, tugging him in and locking the door.

She led him through the back kitchen and into her office, shutting the door and drawing the blinds.

"I didn't call you here for sex," she said quietly, arms folded.

Shen frowned. "Okay… what's going on?"

She tapped her tablet and brought up a video file.

It showed grainy footage from the hallway outside Shen's dorm, captured from a maintenance camera. In the corner of the frame stood Tenjo… leaning over Shen's door, fiddling with something.

"What the hell…"

"I don't know what he installed," Sarada said. "But I know this look. He's been sniffing around. If he suspects the System exists—"

Shen clenched his jaw.

"He can't know. He can't."

Sarada leaned against the desk. "I care about you. Deeply. And not just because the sex is mind-blowing. You're… important. But you're playing in dangerous territory, Shen. The deeper your influence grows, the more targets you'll attract. Even friends will become opportunists."

"Tenjo doesn't play fair," Shen muttered.

"No," she said. "And if he finds out what you're building—he might try to hijack it."

Shen felt something in him click into place. Tenjo had always been reckless, selfish, and indulgent. But now… he was becoming a threat.

"Thanks for showing me this," Shen said, slipping his phone into his pocket. "I'll handle it."

Sarada stepped in close and kissed his cheek. "Be careful, Shen. And tonight—try not to seduce anyone else. Take a break."

He chuckled. "No promises."

---

Back in the dorm, Shen entered his room and activated the System manually.

[Admin Control Console: ACTIVE]

> Initiate Sweep – Detect Non-System Surveillance Devices Nearby

The scan began.

[Sweep Complete: 1 External Monitoring Device Detected – Location: Air Vent Above Bookshelf]

Shen climbed up and found a tiny black chip lodged inside a loose vent. It wasn't standard spyware—it had the faint shimmer of one of Tenjo's custom 3D-printed casings.

[Device Neutralized. Spy Attempt Logged.]

Shen stared at the device in his hand.

"Checkmate's coming, Tenjo."

---

More Chapters