The rest of lunchtime passed in a blur of nervous giggles and stolen glances. Samantha and Liza clung to each other, a newfound awkwardness hanging in the air, thick and heavy as the humid afternoon. Mochi, sensing the shift in atmosphere, wisely kept his commentary to a minimum, zipping silently between them.
"So…" Liza began, her voice hesitant as they walked towards their afternoon class. "About that… kiss…"
Samantha's cheeks flushed. "Yeah?"
Liza bit her lip. "It was… nice."
Samantha's heart skipped a beat. "Nice?"
Liza nodded, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Yeah. Maybe we should, you know… do it again sometime? For… for practice?"
Samantha choked on her own spit. "Practice?"
Liza giggled. "Just kidding! Mostly."
Samantha rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. "You're impossible, Liza."
Liza linked her arm with Samantha's, her touch sending a pleasant shiver down Samantha's spine. "But you love me."
Before Samantha could retort, a sharp chime pierced her thoughts.
[New Sub-Mission Unlocked: Go on a Date with Your Best Friend]
[Time Limit: 7 Days]
[Reward: Increased Luck]
[Penalty for Failure: Extreme Unattractiveness]
Samantha stumbled, nearly tripping over her own feet. "What the—"
"Sam-chan! Are you okay?" Liza asked, her voice filled with concern.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," Samantha replied quickly, her eyes darting around to make sure no one else had heard the system notification. "Just… clumsy, as usual."
Liza frowned. "You've been extra clumsy today. Maybe you should sit down for a bit?"
"No! No, I'm good! Let's just… get to class," Samantha insisted, pulling Liza along.
Mochi zipped in front of her face, his blue eyes wide with excitement. "Ooh! A date! This is getting spicy!"
Samantha glared at the ghost. "Shut up, Mochi."
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger! The system wants you to go on a date! Not my fault you're living a double life of romance and danger!"
"Romance?" Samantha scoffed. "It was a dare, Mochi! A stupid, crazy dare!"
"Sure, sure," Mochi said, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "And that kiss was just 'practice,' right?"
Samantha's face flushed. "That's… that's different."
"How?" Mochi challenged.
Samantha hesitated. "It just is! Besides, I have more important things to worry about! Like saving Ren!"
Mochi's expression turned serious. "Right. About that…"
"What?" Samantha asked, her voice laced with anxiety.
"I've been… sensing something," Mochi said, his voice low.
"Sensing what?"
"A… a disturbance," Mochi said, his eyes glowing slightly. "Like a ripple in the energy. Something… dark."
Samantha's heart pounded in her chest. "Where? Is it near Ren?"
"I don't know," Mochi admitted. "But it's getting stronger. You need to be careful, Samantha."
Samantha clenched her fists. "I will be. I won't let anything happen to him."
Another chime echoed in her mind, even more urgent than the last.
[Urgent System Alert!]
[Main Mission #2: Save Your Older Brother]
[Difficulty: ★★★★★]
[Time Limit: 24 Hours]
[Reward: ???]
[Penalty for Failure: Irreversible Consequences]
Samantha stopped dead in her tracks. "Irreversible consequences?"
"What is it? What's wrong?" Liza asked, her voice filled with concern.
Samantha's mind raced. She couldn't tell Liza about the system, about Mochi, about the impending danger.
"It's… it's my mom," Samantha blurted out. "She… she texted me. She needs me to come home right away. Something about… about a leak in the kitchen."
Liza's eyes widened. "A leak? Oh no! That's terrible!"
"I know! I have to go! I'm so sorry, Liza! We'll have to… postpone our… our hangout," Samantha said, her voice filled with fake regret.
Liza frowned. "But what about our afternoon class?"
"I'll… I'll email Ma'am Cruz and explain," Samantha said, already turning to leave. "I promise I'll make it up to you, Liza!"
"Okay… be careful, Sam-chan!" Liza called out as Samantha ran down the hallway.
"I will!" Samantha shouted back, her voice barely audible over the pounding of her own heart.
Mochi zipped beside her, his expression grim. "You lied to her."
"I had to!" Samantha retorted. "I can't tell her the truth! She'd think I was crazy!"
"Maybe," Mochi conceded. "But you hurt her. I could feel it."
Samantha bit her lip. "I know. But I'll make it up to her. I promise."
"Promises, promises," Mochi muttered. "But right now, you need to focus. You have less than 24 hours to save your brother from… whatever that is."
Samantha nodded, her eyes narrowed with determination. "I know. And I won't fail."
As she burst through the school gates and into the bustling city streets, Samantha felt a surge of adrenaline coursing through her veins. The world seemed to blur around her, the sounds of the city fading into a dull roar.
All that mattered was Ren.
She pulled out her phone, her fingers trembling slightly as she dialed his number.
"Come on, pick up, pick up," she muttered under her breath.
The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer.
"Ren, where are you?" Samantha whispered, her voice filled with desperation.
She tried again and again, but each time, the call went straight to voicemail.
"This isn't good," Mochi said, his voice laced with worry.
"No kidding," Samantha retorted. "Where could he be?"
"Think, Samantha, think!" Mochi urged. "Where does Ren usually go after school?"
Samantha hesitated, her mind racing. "He… he sometimes goes to the arcade with his friends. Or… or to that bookstore downtown."
"Let's try the arcade first," Mochi suggested. "It's closer."
Samantha nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. She hailed a taxi, her hands gripping the door handle tightly as the driver weaved through the chaotic traffic.
The minutes ticked by, each one feeling like an eternity. Samantha's anxiety grew with every passing second.
"Please be okay, Ren," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Mochi floated beside her, his tiny form tense. "I still feel that… disturbance. It's getting stronger."
Samantha closed her eyes, trying to focus. "What does it feel like, exactly?"
Mochi hesitated. "Like… like a shadow. Cold and empty. Like… like something is about to be taken away."
Samantha's eyes snapped open. "Taken away? What do you mean?"
Mochi shook his head. "I don't know. But I don't like it."
The taxi screeched to a halt in front of the arcade. Samantha practically leaped out of the car, throwing a handful of bills at the driver before rushing inside.
The arcade was a cacophony of flashing lights and loud music. Teenagers crowded around the machines, their faces illuminated by the glow of the screens.
Samantha scanned the room, her eyes searching for Ren.
"Ren!" she called out, her voice barely audible over the din. "Ren, are you here?"
Mochi zipped around her head, his blue eyes darting from face to face. "I don't see him."
Samantha pushed her way through the crowd, her anxiety growing with each passing second. She checked every corner, every game, but Ren was nowhere to be found.
"He's not here," Samantha said, her voice trembling slightly.
"Don't panic," Mochi said, his voice trying to sound reassuring. "Let's try the bookstore."
Samantha nodded, her heart sinking. She rushed out of the arcade, her mind filled with a growing sense of dread.
As she ran down the street, her phone suddenly buzzed.
It was a text message from an unknown number.
Her fingers trembling, Samantha opened the message.
The message contained a single picture.
A picture of Ren, tied to a chair, his face bruised and bloodied.
Samantha gasped, her breath catching in her throat.
"Ren!" she whispered, her eyes wide with horror.
Mochi hovered beside her, his expression mirroring her own. "Oh no."
The message contained another line of text.
"If you want to see your brother again, come to the old warehouse on Elm Street. Alone."
Samantha's blood ran cold.
"This is it," Mochi said, his voice barely a whisper. "This is what I felt."
Samantha clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
"I'm coming, Ren," she whispered, her voice filled with a deadly determination. "I'm coming to save you."