Harem Stealing System
Chapter 39 : Cafeteria Eyes

Chapter 39: Chapter 39 : Cafeteria Eyes

After parting ways with Airin, Eiden headed straight to the cafeteria. The moment he stepped in, the familiar aroma of oily fries and spicy ramen greeted his nose along with the louder-than-necessary shouting from one corner. There they were: Deuel and the rest of the gang. Without hesitation, he walked over and grouped up with them.

As soon as he sat, the conversation picked up right where it had been. "Anyway, that jerk deserved it," Deuel declared, cracking open a soda like it was a beer. "Wait, did Ruel even come to college today?" Harry asked, raising a brow. "No," John replied firmly, crossing his arms. "Why?" Harry followed up. John leaned in with a smirk. "He got suspended." Eiden raised an eyebrow. That was fast.

"And his family can’t do anything about it," John added with a tone that carried the smugness of poetic justice. "Sure, he might have a strong background, but compared to the authority of Fors Height the kind of place that has kids from elite families they’re nothing. Plus, this college is being sponsored by some of the biggest names out there."

"Yeah," Deuel chimed in. "Groups like Samsung, and they wouldn’t want any trouble." Harry nodded. "Especially since Ruel’s ex-girlfriend’s dad is a high-ranking police officer. He’s been keeping an eye on Ruel’s family ever since the breakup."

"They can’t act out unless they want to get obliterated," John said. "Unless they’re total beasts." At that, Eiden’s mouth twitched slightly.

"They kind of did act out this morning, though," he muttered. "Oh?" Deuel leaned in. "Then they are beasts. Lol." "AHAHAHA!" Everyone burst out laughing. The tension lifted, the boys enjoying the shared schadenfreude. But then something shifted.

John, who’d been mid-sip from his drink, glanced toward Petter. His brows furrowed.

"Hey... What’s up with you, man? You’ve been quiet this whole time. Don’t tell me did masturbation finally get to your head?"

The rest of the group turned toward Petter, curious and amused. Petter, however, didn’t respond immediately. He sat in the corner of their booth, the lighting casting shadows across his face. His eyes looked darker than usual, and his voice, when it came, was low and gravelly. "We’re being watched," he said.

Everyone paused. "Huh?" They echoed the same sound collectively. "Not exactly all of us," Petter clarified. His fingers trembled as he slowly lifted his arm and pointed. "Just him."

He jabbed a finger in Eiden’s direction. "Me?" Eiden blinked and pointed at himself. Petter gave a single solemn nod. Eiden instinctively glanced around, his heart briefly picking up pace. "Where?" he asked, scanning the room.

Petter’s expression twisted. His forehead bulged with veins as if he were holding back some curse or an explosion of emotions. His teeth clenched as he growled through them.

"She’s been staring at you since the moment you came in... with those eyes... you mother f*cker..." Following the direction of Petter’s shaking finger, Eiden’s gaze landed on Lyra.

She sat with Linda and a few of her friends. But unlike the others, Lyra was completely out of it. Her expression was soft, almost smitten. Her cheeks were tinged red, her lips parted in a subtle daze. Her eyes, however, were locked dead on Eiden dreamy and unblinking.

She hadn’t even noticed she’d been caught.

Eiden gave an awkward smile, his mind racing. "She really is in love with me, isn’t she?" He raised a hand and gave her a gentle wave. That snapped her out of it. Startled, Lyra suddenly straightened up, her eyes wide as her hand reflexively rose to cover her mouth. Then, trying to recover, she repositioned herself resting her head on her left palm while looking away, as if that would make her look less obvious.

A few seconds passed. Then, with a shy expression, she peeked toward Eiden again... and awkwardly waved back, blushing furiously. THUD! A loud noise erupted beside Eiden. He whipped his head to see Petter practically lunging across the table, his face red and eyes bloodshot.

"Y-Youuuu... dhhhddgddjsjs... son of... anhsshh... traitor... jskjsjs!!!" Petter spewed out incomprehensible syllables, trembling with what could only be described as betrayal-induced rage. John jumped in immediately, grabbing Petter’s shoulders.

"Calm down, you fatass!" Harry quickly joined in, struggling to hold Petter back from leaping over the table. Eiden scratched his cheek with an awkward chuckle, unsure whether to feel guilty, proud... or maybe terrified.

On the other side of the cafeteria, the girls sitting with Lyra were continuing their lunch as if nothing strange had happened. But girls, being creatures of high emotional sensitivity and intuition, had definitely noticed something was off.

They’d seen Lyra’s pink cheeks, the dreamy gaze, and the way her fingers unconsciously played with her hair. And yet, they said nothing. Instead, they subtly acted as if they hadn’t noticed at all. Because they knew their friend. Lyra was the most shy, most emotionally guarded girl in their group. If they pushed her too soon, she might withdraw or shut herself away completely. So, they pretended not to notice.

That didn’t mean they weren’t dying to find out what was going on. The biggest problem?

They were seated opposite Lyra, with their backs turned toward the direction she had been staring at. None of them could risk turning around to see who had captured her attention. And now, it had become a silent, high-stakes game. Beneath the table, chaos reigned. One girl subtly pinched another’s thigh. "Ow!"

"Shhh!"

"I want to turn around!!" one of them whispered, biting her lip. "Don’t. She’ll notice!"

"But I need to KNOW "

"Suppress it, dammit!" Fingers clutched forearms. Knees bounced. Eyes darted. The self-control was being tested at maximum capacity. And sitting among them, Linda was going through her own personal torment.

Linda’s Internal Screaming:

I sooo want to know whooooo is ittttt?!

She clenched her fists under the table and tried to focus on her food, but the curiosity was eating her alive more than the curry on her plate.

From her peripheral vision, she could still see Lyra’s oddly stiff posture. And earlier was that a WAVE?! Who the hell waves during lunch unless

Linda’s thoughts spiraled. Back at Eiden’s table, Petter had finally calmed down. John let go of him with a sigh, while Deuel wiped imaginary sweat off his forehead.

"That guy looked like he was about to have a seizure," Harry muttered. "Seriously," Eiden agreed, his hand still raised halfway in disbelief.

Petter sat back in his seat, arms crossed, lips trembling. "Of all the girls," he mumbled, "Why does the goddess-level one fall for you?" Eiden blinked. "Excuse me?" Deuel laughed. "Bro, Petter’s saltier than the ocean right now."

John snorted. "Man’s about to die from high sodium levels." "Eiden," Harry said dramatically, "I hate you. Just so you know."

The sarcasm and chaos only grew, but Eiden’s thoughts were elsewhere. That look in Lyra’s eyes... the expression of someone truly captivated.

This system... it really works, he thought. But at what cost? A sudden thought crept in what if her feelings became too real? Would she suffer later? Would he?

He shook the thought away. That was a problem for future Eiden. Present Eiden had to survive cafeteria bloodlust, hormonal friends, and lovesick stares. Meanwhile, at the girls’ table, the tension reached its peak.

One girl bit down on her lip so hard she nearly bled. Another was squeezing her friend’s thigh with Hulk-level strength. Linda, gripping her spoon, was mentally unraveling. She needed to know.

Who is it? Who is it? WHO IS ITTTT?