My Romance Life System

Monday morning came with a quiet dread. Kofi walked to school alone, choosing to give both himself and Nina space to let their whole brother-sister disaster fade into something they could laugh about later.

He stepped into the classroom and the atmosphere felt different. The usual whispers and stares had faded, replaced by neutral observation. His brief chaos-filled rise to school-wide attention was winding down. He wasn't the shocking new thing anymore, just part of the landscape. It was a relief.

He took his seat and pulled out his history textbook. A few minutes later Nina walked in, giving him a small knowing smile as she passed his desk. She didn't say anything, but the look they exchanged was enough. They were good. The truce was holding.

The first few periods passed without drama. The normalcy was so complete it felt weird. During the break between classes, Jake appeared by his desk looking like he'd spent the entire weekend thinking deep philosophical thoughts about his own social failures.

"Hey man. I've been thinking about the bread thing."

'Oh god. Not again.'

"I've concluded it was a tactical error of the highest magnitude. I brought shame to Operation: Don't Die Alone."

"It's fine, Jake. Just don't do it again."

"I won't. I have a new strategy. More subtle." Jake leaned in closer. "I'm going to try listening."

Kofi stared at him. "That's your strategy? To do a basic function of conversation?"

"Exactly. It's genius. She talks, I listen. No tier lists. No weird empire facts. Just pure unadulterated listening. She won't know what hit her."

"Right. Good luck with that."

As Jake walked away, overthinking personified, Kofi's phone buzzed. Unknown number.

Unknown: Is this Kofi? This is Ms. Albright from CPS.

His stomach lurched.

Kofi: Yes, this is him.

Ms. Albright: I just wanted to let you know that I had a productive conversation with Thea. She has officially agreed to the foster sibling arrangement. The paperwork is being processed.

Ms. Albright: I also spoke with the school administration this morning. They are aware of the situation with Jessica and are handling it internally. Thea should not have any more trouble from that group.

Relief washed over him. It was real. It was happening.

Kofi: Thank you for letting me know. Is there anything else I need to do?

Ms. Albright: Not for now. Just continue to provide a stable environment. I'll be in touch to schedule a formal home visit in a few weeks. Have a good day, Kofi.

He put his phone away, the weight of the last few days feeling lighter. Things were actually moving forward. The adults were doing their jobs for once.

At lunch, the group gathered at their usual outdoor bench. The seating showed the new dynamics: Jake sat next to Ruby, his face intensely focused as he listened to her talk about a book she was reading. Nina and Kofi sat on the other side with comfortable space between them. Thea sat at the end next to Kofi, her sketchbook open in her lap.

She wasn't drawing. Just watching the others, a quiet observer to their strange new world.

"So." Nina unwrapped her sandwich. "I heard from my sources," she looked pointedly at Jake, "that Jessica and her friends got called to the principal's office this morning. All three of them. They didn't look happy coming out."

"Good."

Thea's head came up from her sketchbook. She looked at Kofi with a question in her eyes. He gave her a small nod. 'It's handled.'

She looked down at her blank page, and after a moment her pencil began to move. Just a simple wavering line at first, but it was a start.

The rest of the week settled into a new, fragile normal. The stares and whispers at school faded to background noise. Jessica and her friends kept their distance, glares the only remnant of their previous aggression.

Jake's new strategy of listening was surprisingly effective. He and Ruby were in constant quiet conversation, their shared nerdiness building into something. Not romance yet, but not just study sessions either.

At home, the quiet truce between Kofi and Thea continued. They ate meals together in silence that was slowly becoming less awkward, more comfortable. He cooked, she helped with dishes. He'd find her sketchbook left open on the couch, pages slowly filling with delicate detailed drawings of birds, and he'd pretend he hadn't seen.

It wasn't a family. Wasn't even real friendship yet. Just two lonely people learning to share space without breaking each other.

Thursday afternoon, Kofi walked home alone. Nina had a student council meeting, something she claimed was for reconnaissance but was probably just boredom.

Passing the convenience store near his apartment, his phone buzzed. Quest notification.

[New Quest Available!] [Objective: Purchase and deliver a specific list of groceries to Apartment 4B, Green Leaf Apartments.] [Reward: 7,500 NAD.]

He looked at the list appearing on screen. Long and specific: low-sodium soy sauce, jasmine tea, shrimp-flavored crackers, green tea ice cream pint, and a dozen other items.

He stared at the list. 'This is a joke, right?'

He knew who lived in that building. Who drank jasmine tea and had strong opinions about umami.

He let out a long sigh. "You've got to be kidding me."

He walked into the convenience store, the bell chiming overhead. Spent fifteen minutes gathering items, feeling like he was on the world's most specific scavenger hunt. He paid, the total making him glad for the quest reward to cover it.

Two blocks to Green Leaf Apartments, a building he was getting uncomfortably familiar with. Elevator to the fourth floor, found Apartment 4B.

He stood at the door for a long moment, holding someone else's very particular groceries.

'This is so weird. Why am I doing this?'

He knocked.

The door opened. Yuna stood there looking mildly annoyed, like he'd interrupted an important thought. Then her eyes dropped to the grocery bag.

Her carefully constructed indifference faltered. Genuine surprise flashed across her face before she suppressed it.

He held the bag out.

"You forgot this."

She stared at the bag, then at his face, clearly struggling to process this unexpected development.

"I didn't forget it. I made a calculated decision to abandon it in the interest of tactical retreat."

"Right. Well, your tactical retreat forgot its ice cream. It's melting."

He pushed the bag toward her more insistently.

She let out a frustrated sigh, the sound of someone whose perfectly ordered world had just been invaded by chaos. She snatched the bag from his hand.

"Fine. What do you want?"

"Nothing. The system told me to bring you groceries. Not a big deal."

He turned to leave when her voice, quiet and clipped, stopped him.

"Wait."

He turned back. She stood in the doorway holding the bag, not meeting his eyes.

"Thank you."

The words were so quiet he almost missed them.

He nodded. "No problem."

He walked away, the system window already flashing.

[Quest Complete!] [Reward: 7,500 NAD has been deposited to your bank account.]

Riding the elevator down, a thought hit him. The system wasn't giving random jobs. It was connecting threads, forcing interactions. Playing a long strange game with him as one piece on the board.

He walked out into late afternoon sun, a strange feeling settling in his chest.

His quiet life was over. And he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

Back at his apartment, he found Thea in the living room, actually sitting on the couch instead of hiding in her room. She had her sketchbook but wasn't drawing, just holding it.

"Everything okay?"

She looked up. "Ms. Albright called me too."

"Yeah?"

"She said the paperwork is going through. That I'm officially going to be your foster sister."

"How do you feel about that?"

She was quiet for a moment, then shrugged. "It's better than the alternatives."

'High praise,' he thought, but didn't say it.

"I was thinking we should get pizza for dinner. To celebrate or whatever."

"Okay."

He ordered pizza and they ate it in the living room, still not talking much but the silence felt different. Less like two strangers forced together, more like two people who just didn't need words right now.

His phone buzzed. Nina.

Nina: Student council is the most boring thing ever invented by humans Nina: They spent 45 minutes discussing paper towel brands for the bathrooms Nina: FORTY-FIVE MINUTES Nina: About PAPER TOWELS

He smiled despite himself.

Kofi: Why did you join then?

Nina: I thought it would be fun to boss people around officially Nina: Turns out it's just spreadsheets and budget meetings Nina: This is what I get for having ambition

Kofi: You could quit

Nina: Can't. I already told everyone I was going to revolutionize the school or whatever Nina: Now I'm stuck pretending to care about paper towel absorbency rates

He was typing a response when Thea spoke.

"Is that Nina?"

"Yeah."

"She's funny."

It was such a simple statement but coming from Thea it felt significant. She noticed things, filed them away, rarely commented. Her saying someone was funny was like anyone else writing a dissertation on their character.

"Yeah, she is."

Thea went back to her sketchbook, finally starting to draw. He watched her for a moment, the careful way she held her pencil, the total focus on the page.

'This is working,' he thought. 'Somehow, this weird situation is actually working.'

His phone buzzed again.

Nina: Oh god they're bringing out a PowerPoint about soap dispensers Nina: Save me Nina: If I die here, tell my family I loved them

Kofi: I'll tell them you died as you lived Kofi: Dramatically and complaining about everything

Nina: That's the nicest thing you've ever said to me

He put his phone down, still smiling. Thea glanced at him, then back at her drawing.

"You like her."

Not a question. A statement.

"Yeah."

"She likes you too."

"It's complicated."

"Most things are."

She kept drawing, the conversation apparently over. He picked up the TV remote, finding something mindless to watch. They sat there together, not talking, just existing in the same space.

It wasn't perfect. It wasn't even normal really. But it was theirs, this strange little life they were building. And for now, that was enough.