Though paralyzed, still radiantly charming!

Chapter 160: Does she want to commit suicide?

“???”

Ryan was totally baffled, nearly dropping the plate he was about to take to the kitchen.

Alice looked up, puzzled, meeting Ryan’s eyes before quickly averting her gaze, confirming the voice in her head wasn’t just her imagination.

She’s shy, isn’t she? She must be shy!

Ryan’s mind was in turmoil, but he tried his best to act like nothing was amiss.

After putting the plate in the kitchen, he peeked through the crack of the door at Alice, making sure she wasn’t looking his way before he could no longer hide his shock.

What the heck is a ‘favorability rating’? Since when did my system have this feature?

And why on earth is Alice’s favorability towards me so high?

Does she see me in such a light that she couldn’t possibly harm me?

If a stranger’s favorability is between 0 and 30, and a friend’s is between 30 and 60, it seems the lady has already considered me a friend.

How did I end up becoming friends with this ice queen?

Ryan felt incredulous, a wave of dizziness washing over him.

He really wanted to ask Alice how she saw him, but she didn’t give him the time of day, leaving the dining room without looking back after finishing her meal.

“Something’s off, way off.”

Watching Alice’s retreating figure, Ryan felt uneasy, sensing danger for the first time since he started his mission.

It’s easy to make someone dislike you. Wasn’t there a psychological experiment where a good person was turned into a murderer in just 72 minutes?

Ryan had thought that since Alice was naturally ruthless, getting rid of him would be no problem for her.

But now, seeing her favorability towards him, Ryan felt like his plan to provoke his own demise was seriously jeopardized.

Alice went about her business as usual, not saying a word to Ryan before she left, just a symbolic slight smile.

It was the same routine every day, but with the added layer of favorability, Ryan felt there was a deeper meaning to her actions.

After Alice left, Ryan sat in the hall, stunned by the recent events.

After a moment to gather his thoughts, he pulled up the system interface to see what his current situation was.

When the system interface popped up, Ryan was completely flabbergasted.

Before, it had only shown mission details, but now it looked like something out of a dating sim game.

Pink borders with heart patterns, though the two crossed machetes at the top added a sinister touch to the romantic game vibe.

[Target: Alice Sinclair]

[Difficulty: Three stars]

[Age: 19]

[Occupation: Mafia Princess]

[Favorability: 51/100 (Please keep below 70, going over might lead to unexpected events)]

[Health: 87/100 (Character dies when health reaches zero)]

[Fatigue Level: 23/100 (Character breaks down when fatigue maxes out)]

[Mood Level: 84/100 (Character may become suicidal when mood reaches zero)]

[Personality: 1. Cold outside, warm inside, 2. ???, 3. ???]

[Dangerous Events: 1. ???, 2. ???, 3. ???]

These features weren’t there yesterday,it seems they’re related to the recent increase in favorability.

Thinking back on his actions over the past few days, Ryan realized he hadn’t done much besides courting disaster, so it made sense that the lady hadn’t increased her favorability.

But today, for the first time, he genuinely complimented Alice, and she caught on, which must have triggered the mission’s activation?

“No, wait, what does wanting Alice to kill me have to do with favorability?”

Ryan couldn’t understand,in his view, the only reason someone would want to kill another is deep-seated hatred, right?

Is the system trying to make me drive Alice’s favorability towards me into the negatives?

And why design such a cozy UI for that? It’s just a waste.

Ryan mercilessly criticized the machine, this bizarre system he’d somehow ended up with was just full of quirks.

He scrutinized the system’s content. Apart from some basic parameters, it seemed that only the favorability and Alice’s first personality trait were unlocked.

The rest was replaced with “???”, meaning those parts were still locked.

Ryan had begun to sense her ‘cold outside, warm inside’ nature over the past few days, but seeing it spelled out was still a bit of a shock. So, beneath her icy exterior was a core of molten lava.

Ryan skimmed through all the content, but the note following the favorability system caught his attention.

The system advised him to keep the favorability below seventy, as going above might lead to unexpected events.

What kind of ‘unexpected events’? Surely failing the mission wouldn’t count as unexpected.

Ryan considered the possibility that a favorability above seventy might lead to outcomes not even the system could predict.

With more information at hand, Ryan wasn’t exactly thrilled, especially since the favorability prompt felt like a fishbone stuck in his throat.

Alice’s favorability towards him was already at fifty-one. A few kind words could easily bump it up, and seventy wasn’t that far off.

Sighing at the bleak outlook of his future, Ryan took out his notebook and jotted down his new findings.

Days were always dull, with Alice going out without him, which indefinitely delayed his plans.

Maybe, he needed to be more proactive.

The lady had already shown she was ‘cold outside, warm inside’. If he didn’t make a move, she might never suggest letting him go.

Ryan continued to study the newly appeared system panel, trying to figure out what the potential dangerous events involving Alice could be.

At seven in the evening, the maid timely reminded Ryan in the living room that the lady would be home in about fifteen minutes.

Ryan slightly adjusted his mood. Knowing that the lady considered him a friend had subtly changed his attitude.

“Welcome home, Miss Alice.”

Ten minutes later, Alice arrived home, and Ryan was already waiting at the door, greeting her with his signature smile as she entered.

It was the first time Ryan had actively welcomed Alice home, and her eyes brightened slightly at the gesture.

But remembering last night’s sudden kiss and this morning’s flattery from Ryan, she was unsure how to treat him.

Casually handing her coat to Ryan without a glance, she walked naturally into the villa.

So, she really sees me as a doorman, huh? Ryan thought, somewhat speechless.

But Miss Alice looked very tired, so he decided not to take it to heart for now.

After hanging the coat on the rack behind him, Ryan caught a faint scent.

When he first arrived, he found it odd to smell winter daphne in autumn, but now, taking the coat, he could confirm it was indeed the lady’s scent.

A cold, secluded fragrance, warding off anyone’s approach, she bloomed alone, beautifully yet still desiring something.

Alice collapsed on the sofa, watching the dull news on TV and slowly closing her eyes.

She was too tired and needed a good rest.

After hanging up the coat, Ryan also moved behind Alice. Knowing about the favorability since the day had changed his view of her.

He had initially not understood why Alice kept him around, but now it seemed she instinctively sought some emotional support.

Yet, she was not good at expressing herself, so she had to resort to such methods.

On any other day, Ryan might have become good friends with her.

But Alice’s identity as a mafia princess, a complete villain, weighed heavily on Ryan’s heart. The blood on her hands was evidence enough.

Ah, why waste sympathy on her? Letting her kill him was the real task at hand.

To get Alice to end him, Ryan had been crafting a series of plans, and with the introduction of the affection system, he knew he had to act fast.

When he opened the affection interface, he saw that Alice’s affection for him was still at fifty-one, which was good news since it hadn’t increased.

However, Ryan’s eyes quickly moved to Alice’s status bars, and two items caught his attention.

[Fatigue Level: 83/100 (Extremely exhausted, character will break down when maxed out.)]

[Mood Level: 20/100 (Depressed, character may have suicidal tendencies when it hits zero.)]

What the heck?

Alice was fine when she left in the morning,how did she come back in such a state?

The fatigue level was somewhat understandable, and a good night’s sleep would probably fix it, but that mood level was dangerously low.

If Alice collapsed before he could execute his plan, his own path to resurrection would be indefinitely postponed.

Ryan stroked his chin, visibly conflicted.

This resurrection mission was getting more complicated by the minute. He needed to be killed by the girl, but first, he had to ensure she wouldn’t be the one in danger.

He had thought this was just a dating sim, but now it felt more like a management sim, and Ryan was feeling overwhelmed.

The mission is the priority, he reminded himself twice internally before making a decision.

Standing behind Alice, his hands cautiously reached towards the unsuspecting young lady’s neck.

[Side Quest Accepted: Give Alice a Massage]