Part 2From 99 to Zero

A suffocating weight pressed down on my chest.

Asher was right. To get the affection to 100%, I would have done anything.

I was so desperate to go home.

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The doctors gave me two months. Then, the System’s invitation appeared: complete a ‘mission’ in this alternate world, and I could return to my own, fully healed.

I agreed without a second thought. I was a drowning woman, and this was my driftwood. I threw my entire being into the mission.

Anything to raise Asher’s affection level. I swallowed my pride, sanded down my edges, and reshaped myself into the woman I thought he wanted.

For three years, every time the score dropped, I would frantically replay every moment, searching for my mistake. I would correct, verify, and adjust. If the number ticked back up, I knew I’d done the right thing.

That was how I became his perfect girlfriend. That was how I clawed my way to 99%.

This time was no different. I thought if I just studied up, if I could just make him happy in bed, I could win back his affection.

So I dedicated myself to it. I watched porn, read erotica, and even bought textbooks. The Joy of Sex, The Hite Report, Guide to Getting It On… I approached sex like a research project.

But books weren't enough. I came to the club tonight to observe, to learn how men and women flirted and connected in the wild.

And then, walking past that private room, I heard everything.