The next morning, the sky was clear—as if trying tobefore.
But for Nic, no amount of sunlight could erase the shame still clinging to him like a shadow.
He stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection.
His hair was messy, and the bags under his eyes showed that he hadn't slept all night.
"Vivi... will love me in 12 hours?" he muttered.
He sighed.
"This has to be a joke. Who would believe something like that?"
After putting on his school uniform, Nic headed downstairs.
His older sister, Kiara, was sweeping the floor.
They lived together, just the two of them, since their parents worked overseas to earn more money.
"Not eating breakfast?" Kiara asked, glancing at him.
"Nah, not hungry," he replied flatly.
Kiara frowned.
"What's up with you? Your face looks terrible. Don't tell me you got into it again with that basketball kid?"
Nic simply nodded, not wanting to explain.
At the school gate, everything seemed normal.
Students were chatting, studying for morning tests, and rushing to class.
But for Nic, today was anything but normal.
As he stepped through the gate, the whispers returned.
"Hey, that's the guy from yesterday."
"Hahaha, the one who confessed to Vivi, right?"
"Damn, he still came to school? No shame at all."
Nic took a deep breath, lowered his head, and walked faster—trying to ignore them all.
He reached his classroom and collapsed into his seat, resting his head on the desk.
The whispers kept echoing in his ears all through the lesson.
And then came gym class.
He didn't go.
Instead, he stayed in class, pretending to sleep.
He couldn't bring himself to go to the basketball court today.
Not after yesterday.
"Nic, the loser, confessed to Vivi, the most popular girl? Is he insane?" he thought bitterly, letting out a long sigh.
He just wanted to forget everything.
While the class emptied out for P.E., Nic stayed behind, unaware that something unexpected was unfolding outside.
At the basketball court, practice continued as usual.
Vivi, as always, was the star—fast, focused, and precise.
But today… something felt off.
Her head felt heavy—not from exhaustion, but from thoughts.
No matter how hard she tried to concentrate, Nic's face kept popping into her mind.
"Why do I keep thinking about him?" she whispered to herself, clutching the basketball.
Yesterday, when Nic confessed, she had brushed it off as a joke.
But now… something strange was stirring inside her.
Her performance suffered—missed passes, weak shots.
It wasn't like her at all.
The coach noticed.
"Vivi, you're not yourself today. Take a break, okay?"
Walking down the corridor, Vivi tried to clear her head.
As she passed a classroom, her eyes drifted toward the window.
Inside, she saw Nic, asleep at the back desk—peacefully.
But a few students were nearby, snickering and clearly up to no good.
"Look at him, sleeping like a baby! Let's give him a little gift, haha!"
One of them picked up a chalkboard eraser and aimed it at Nic.
Without thinking, Vivi shouted,
"HEY! Don't mess with him!"
The boys jumped in shock.
"V-Vivi?! What are you doing here?"
Nic stirred awake, blinking in confusion.
His eyes met Vivi's, standing outside the window.
For a moment, their gaze locked.
Then, realizing how loud she'd been, Vivi's face turned red.
She panicked and ran away.
Nic sat there, stunned.
"Why was Vivi there… and why did she defend me? Wait… no way..."
Later that evening, at the school gate...
As always, Nic was the last to leave.
He often got stuck with cleaning duty—fate, or maybe just bad luck.
"Ugh… so tired," he groaned, dragging his feet toward the gate.
But then, he stopped.
Under a large tree near the gate, stood a beautiful girl with short pink hair—Vivi.
She looked nervous, fidgeting with the hem of her skirt.
Right then, the black phone in Nic's pocket buzzed softly.
He pulled it out.
A message appeared on the screen:
"Target Vivi has reached 100% Affection. Congratulations!"
His eyes widened.
"No way. Seriously?! IT WORKED?!"
His heart pounded as he walked toward her.
"Vivi? What are you doing here?" he asked hesitantly.
Vivi looked up.
Her face was red, and she seemed unsure of her own words.
"You're Nic, right..? I... I don't know what's happening to me."
Nic stayed silent, listening.
Vivi bit her lip.
"All day… I kept thinking about you. I don't know why, but… I think I… like you."
Time stopped.
The girl who used to never even glance at him was now confessing her feelings.
Nic's face turned pink, but he tried to stay cool.
"R-Really? I like you too, Vivi. That's why I confessed yesterday. I didn't want anyone else to take you."
Vivi gave a small smile—but confusion lingered in her eyes.
"But... it's weird. I don't understand why I like you. We barely know each other… so why does my heart feel like this?"
Nic swallowed hard.
"Maybe… it's just fate?" he replied nervously.
Vivi nodded slowly.
"Okay… then… wanna walk home together? Maybe we should try getting to know each other."
Nic nodded, and the two of them walked away from school side by side.
No one saw them—but to Nic, it felt like the whole world had changed.
Inside, he was bursting.
"It worked. The system actually worked! This is INSANE!"
But another thought crept into his mind...
"If this system can make Vivi fall for me… then maybe… it can work on any girl?"
And just like that, the black phone had unlocked something far greater than just love.
It had begun a whole new life.
To be continued.