Chapter 34: Nooo! I died!!
— Red face, dilated pupils, clenched lips...— Valeria murmured with feigned seriousness, her eyes never leaving the flickering screen of the console. — You look like you’re about to explode. I guess it was worth spending a few hours scavenging through ruins to find the perfect size. I really put effort into it. Just for you.
Adam felt his throat tighten under the pressure of swirling thoughts. He swallowed hard, as if that could chase away the growing discomfort, and cleared his throat lightly.
— Where did you even... get that outfit? And the console? — he finally managed to ask, furrowing his brows and instinctively letting his gaze slide down her perfectly fitted swimsuit.
Valeria nodded, as if only now realizing what he’d asked.
— It’s called a handheld console, right? — she asked with a smirk, then returned to her game. — I spotted it in the hands of a girl at one of the stores. She was playing, completely ignoring her surroundings. A few minutes later, a zombie ate her. And since it was ownerless by then...— she shrugged. — I simply claimed it. The swimsuit had a similar story.
Adam’s brow furrowed even deeper.
— You watched someone die?
Valeria gave a sweet nod and kept playing, but seeing his expression, she looked up and added calmly:
— I told you before, didn’t I? I can’t interfere with your world. I can’t save people or change the course of events. The only thing I can do here is "observe" and play by the system’s rules.
Suddenly, she leapt from the bed with a feline grace. The swimsuit clung to her body like a second skin, and as her feet touched the floor, for a brief moment she seemed to shimmer in the room’s dim light. She walked slowly across the room, her hips swaying with natural allure, as if she was teasing him without even realizing it.
She stopped just in front of him, leaned in slightly, and her fingers gently brushed his chin. She slowly lifted it so their eyes could meet. Her gaze sparkled playfully, but beneath the surface lurked something deeper—an unsettling understanding.