Ultimate Spin System: Ero Spin?-Chapter 102 - Please, Shut Up!

Lucas narrowed his eyes, the unease in his gut growing. A promise? That was new. Lena wasn’t the type to keep secrets, at least not from him. Sure, she had her sharp tongue and a tendency to mock him whenever she got the chance, but this... this was different.

"Lena," he started, his voice low, "what did you do?"

She didn’t answer right away. Instead, she turned back toward the path, stepping over a thick root as if the conversation didn’t matter. "It’s not what I did," she said finally. "It’s what I’m going to do."

Lucas groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That’s even worse."

Lena chuckled, a low sound that made the hair on his arms stand on end. He had seen her irritated, seen her sarcastic, even seen her genuinely pissed off before—but this? This was calculated. Like she had already mapped out every possible scenario in her head and was just waiting for him to catch up.

Lucas rolled his shoulders, keeping an eye on their surroundings. They were deep enough into the forest now that even the ambient noises had started to change. The usual chirping of birds was replaced by an eerie silence, the kind that made his instincts hum with warning.

"...We should set up camp before dark," he muttered, deciding to shift the focus before his sister said something that made him want to strangle her.

Lena hummed in agreement. "Alright, let’s set up camp then."

Lucas nodded and dropped his bag from inventory onto the ground, rummaging through it to pull out supplies. He had water, dried rations, flint for the fire, his dagger—good. Everything seemed in order. He was about to pull out the tent when—

Wait.

Where the hell was the tent?

Lucas frowned, digging deeper. He pulled out a spare cloak, some bandages, even his emergency rope. But no tent.

His stomach sank.

Lena, who had been stretching her arms, turned back and arched a brow. "What’s taking you so long?"

Lucas didn’t answer. He checked again. And again.

Nothing.

His face darkened. "Lena," he said slowly, "did you... bring a tent?"

Lena blinked. "What? No. You were supposed to bring it."

Lucas froze. "Excuse me?"

Lena crossed her arms, frowning. "Don’t tell me you forgot."

Lucas stared at her, his hands tightening around the edge of his bag. "I forgot?! You were the one who picked this damn commission in the middle of nowhere!"

Lena scoffed. "So what? You’re the one in charge of supplies!"

Lucas gestured wildly. "Supplies that I usually prepare when we’re not dragged out into the wilderness on a whim!"

Lena narrowed her eyes. "Are you seriously blaming me right now?"

"Yes!" Lucas snapped. "You’re the one who insisted on taking this faraway mission without warning! I packed what I could in a hurry! Excuse me for not expecting to be stranded in the middle of the damn woods with no shelter!"

Lena let out a sharp breath, hands on her hips. "So what, now we’re just supposed to sleep out in the open like idiots?"

Lucas threw up his arms. "Unless you’ve got a secret pocket dimension with a fully furnished tent inside, then yes!"

Lena muttered a curse under her breath, her frustration bubbling over. "This is why I don’t trust you to handle logistics."

Lucas shot her a glare. "You literally just said I was in charge of supplies!"

Lena groaned. "You know what? Fine. We’ll improvise."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "How, exactly? You gonna build a shelter out of twigs and leaves?"

Lena smirked. "Actually, yes. Unlike you, I actually pay attention during survival training."

Lucas exhaled sharply, rubbing his temples. "Great. Just great."

Without another word, Lena stomped toward the treeline, picking up fallen branches and sturdy sticks. Lucas begrudgingly followed, still grumbling under his breath.

---

Half an hour later, they had a... well, something resembling a shelter.

It was lopsided, uneven, and barely held together with rope and branches. But it was better than nothing.

Lena sat back with a satisfied nod. "See? Not so hard."

Lucas crossed his arms. "It looks like it’ll collapse if we breathe too hard."

Lena rolled her eyes. "Then don’t breathe too hard."

Lucas let out a long, suffering sigh. "I hate this."

Lena grinned. "You love this."

Lucas groaned. "I hate this."

Lena smirked and leaned back against the makeshift shelter. "Well, I think it builds character."

Lucas muttered something about "building character through actual preparation" but didn’t argue further.

The sun was setting, and whether he liked it or not, this was their reality for the night.

"Just one night," he reminded himself. "Just survive one night with her without losing my sanity."

Easier said than done.

As night settled over the forest, the crackling of the fire was the only sound filling the silence between them. Lucas sat cross-legged, arms resting on his knees, staring into the flickering flames. His makeshift shelter still looked like it could collapse at any moment, but at least the fire provided some warmth.

Lena, sitting opposite him, stretched her legs out, leaning back on her arms. Her golden eyes reflected the firelight, making her expression hard to read.

Lucas sighed, pulling his bag onto his lap and rummaging through it again. He pulled out a flint and steel, striking it a few times until a bright spark caught onto the dry wood he had gathered earlier. The flames slowly grew, warming the space between them.

Lena watched him silently, her usual sharpness absent from her expression. Lucas noticed but didn’t comment. She’d been acting weird all day. More calculating, more distant, yet somehow... closer.

Something was definitely up.

Lucas exhaled, rubbing his face. "Alright," he muttered. "This sucks, but at least we won’t freeze to death."

Lena chuckled. "That’s the spirit."

Lucas side-eyed her. "You’re taking this suspiciously well."

Lena smirked but didn’t answer right away. She tilted her head slightly, gaze flicking toward the fire. "You really don’t get it, do you?"

Lucas frowned. "Get what? That we’re stuck in the middle of nowhere because somebody dragged us out here without a plan?"

Lena’s smirk widened slightly. "That’s not what I meant."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. "Then what do you mean?"

Lena didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she leaned forward slightly, resting her chin on her palm as she studied him. The firelight cast soft shadows on her face, highlighting the amusement in her eyes.

"You’ve changed," she said simply.

Lucas blinked. "What?"

Lena shrugged. "You’re different now. Not in a bad way, necessarily. Just... different."

Lucas frowned. "Okay, vague. Care to elaborate?"

Lena tapped her fingers against her knee. "You used to be an idiot."

Lucas groaned. "Gee, thanks."

"I mean it," Lena continued. "You were so stupid before. Just running around, doing whatever people asked of you, never thinking about yourself. You were pathetic."

Lucas’s eye twitched. "Appreciate the honesty."

Lena smirked. "And now? Now you’re still an idiot, but at least you’re less pathetic."

Lucas crossed his arms. "Gee, Lena, that’s real high praise. Really making me feel great about myself here."

Lena chuckled. "What? I’m serious. You used to be such a pushover. Always trying to please people, always chasing after things that weren’t worth your time."

Lucas tensed slightly, eyes narrowing. Something about the way she said that—

Lena watched him carefully, gauging his reaction. She knows.

Lucas cleared his throat, shifting his gaze to the fire. "Yeah, well. People change."

Lena hummed. "That they do."

Silence stretched between them again. The fire crackled softly, sending small embers into the night air. Lucas let out a slow breath, trying to shake the nagging feeling in his gut.

Lena was up to something. She had been watching him all day, dropping cryptic remarks, leading him deeper into the wilderness with no explanation.

And now she was talking about how much he had changed?

Lucas didn’t like it.

He shot her a suspicious glance. "Alright, out with it. What’s your deal? You’ve been acting weird since we left the city."

Lena smirked, but there was something sharp in her expression now. "Oh? And what exactly do you think I know?"

Lucas stiffened slightly.

Shit.

Lena’s grin widened. "Relax, Lucas. I’m not gonna tell anyone. That’d be way too easy."

Lucas’s pulse quickened. He forced himself to stay calm, leaning back slightly. "I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Lena chuckled, her voice laced with amusement. "You’re a terrible liar."

Lucas’s jaw clenched.

Lena leaned in just slightly, lowering her voice. "So? How was she?"

Lucas nearly choked on his own breath. His face burned instantly. "Excuse me?!"

Lena grinned like a cat playing with a trapped mouse. "The milf. The very married milf from the inn."

Lucas’s blood ran cold.

She knows.

Lena tapped her temple. "You really think I wouldn’t notice? You disappeared for way too long last night. And when you came back, well..." She smirked. "Let’s just say you weren’t exactly subtle."

Lucas wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Lena snickered at his expression. "Wow. You actually look embarrassed. Didn’t think you had it in you."

Lucas groaned, rubbing his face. "Lena, please shut up."