Harem Stealing System
Chapter 46: Breakdown of emotions

Chapter 46: Chapter 46: Breakdown of emotions

Eiden stared at the floating system window hovering in front of him, his brows furrowed slightly as he read through the details. His eyes scanned his status again, pausing at one particular line:

Height: 6 ft (Previously: 5.8 ft)

"Huh..." A quiet but noticeable change yet significant enough to cause trouble.

Standing just a few feet away, Sasha was staring at him with the kind of dumbfounded expression usually reserved for seeing ghosts or long-lost celebrities. Her gaze moved from his face down to his torso, and finally to his feet.

Without a word, she dropped to a crouch and tugged the hem of his pants up. "Sasha... what are you doing?" Eiden asked in a flat tone, but she didn’t answer.

She was checking if he was wearing any kind of platform slippers or secretly standing on his toes. But Eiden stood normally barefoot, flat, and grounded. No tricks, no lifts. Sasha slowly rose to her feet again, her eyes narrowing suspiciously.

"Were you hunching all this time?" she asked slowly, as if trying to solve an equation that didn’t quite make sense. Eiden blinked at her, suppressing the rising panic behind a carefully constructed neutral expression.

"Did you ever see me hunch my back?" he asked, voice calm but firm. Sasha hesitated. That was the problem. She would have noticed. She should have noticed. After all, she had known him longer than anyone longer than his own parents, even. As his childhood friend, she’d practically tracked every centimeter of his growth since kindergarten.

A height increase like this? Two full inches overnight? It was something she would have noticed in an instant. There was no way he had gotten height surgery either he hadn’t even disappeared for a day, let alone months. He was always home, within reach. So... what in the world had just happened?

Eiden’s thoughts spun like a slot machine stuck on red. Shit. What’s she going to think? And how the hell did I forget this would even happen?! He didn’t say anything aloud, but he instinctively activated his skill, Face Master, letting it help him portray the perfect amount of confusion and obliviousness.

Making up an excuse would only make things worse. Sasha knew him too well. There was no way she’d buy something like "You must be imagining it" or "I hit a growth spurt." Even people who barely interacted with him might eventually notice the difference but Sasha? There was no hiding from her.

So Eiden played dumb. But Sasha’s face turned pale drastically pale as if she’d just remembered something terrifying. Her eyes went wide with alarm as she suddenly grabbed his arm.

"Eiden," she said, voice trembling, "Are you feeling pain somewhere? Headache? Chest pain? Anything at all?" Eiden blinked. "Huh?"

What? Why was she reacting like he was dying?

He was expecting suspicion, maybe shock, maybe even questions about growth pills. But this... this reaction was something else entirely. Was she... scared? "Sasha, what are you ?"

"Just tell me!" she almost yelled. "Does your head hurt? Your back? Are your legs sore? Is your vision okay? Answer me, Eiden!" Now he was getting freaked out. Sasha’s grip on his arm tightened to a painful degree so much so that her own hand was turning red.

"Sasha, calm down," Eiden said, placing his hands gently on her shoulders. "Look at me. I’m fine. You see that, right? No pain, no headache. I’m totally okay. First, breathe and "

"NO, YOU’RE NOT OKAY!!" she suddenly shouted, her voice cracking with hysteria. "I’ve read documents real medical records about people with growth hormone disorders! Some of them kept growing uncontrollably and their bones couldn’t support the size and and they got paralyzed or died!"

She was shaking now. Her words were frantic, breathless. "Yours is worse, Eiden! You grew overnight! This is not normal! Something’s wrong with you! We need to go! NOW! To a hospital!"

Her voice was rising with every word. "We need a doctor an ambulance I’ll call someone I know our family doctor we can go there!" She reached into her pocket, probably for her phone, but Eiden grabbed her hand quickly.

"Sasha, wait !"

"Eiden! This isn’t a joke!" she screamed, fighting his grip. "We have to go! We have to "

Just then, a voice floated in from downstairs.

"Eiden? Sasha? What’s going on up there?" It was Eiden’s mom, Dally Mores. "Is everything okay?" Eiden replied instantly, voice raised in a forced calm tone. "It’s fine, Mom! She just saw a cockroach!"

"Oh my!" his mom exclaimed from the hallway. "I’ll come take care of it"

"No need! I got it!" Eiden shouted, then turned to Sasha who looked like she was about to lose it completely. "Sasha, calm down "

"Miss Mores! Aunty! Miss Dally!" she shouted frantically, calling all possible titles like she was sending an SOS flare. "Something’s wrong with Ei mmph!"

Eiden slapped a hand over her mouth just in time. "Sasha!" he hissed under his breath. "Are you trying to get me dissected by the government?!"

She squirmed and fought him, eyes now brimming with tears. Her body shook as she tried to scream through his hand. Eiden’s heart ached at the sight. She was terrified... for him.

She really thinks I’m going to die or something. Damn it... she’s doing this because she cares. But if she kept this up, he wouldn’t be able to hide the system or the truth much longer. Not from her, not from anyone.

He whispered urgently, "Sasha, I swear I’m fine. Look I’m holding you down right now. You’re healthy, right? But I’m stronger. That means I’m healthy too." She didn’t seem convinced at all. If anything, she was crying harder, her resistance intensifying.

Then suddenly his hand slipped. Sasha took the opportunity and broke free, taking a deep breath as she glared at him with watery eyes.

"Why won’t you understand? Your life could be in danger, Eiden! I swear... I swear if you don’t go see a doctor, I’m going to hate you!"

Her voice cracked completely at the end, and tears poured down her cheeks. Eiden froze.

It had been years since he’d seen Sasha cry like this. The last time was five years ago, when her older sister Melissa had died struck by a rare, unknown disease that prevented her body from storing water. She had collapsed in their backyard, and nothing could be done as the symptoms happened immediately, it was considered to be an unknown or new disease in the world .

Sasha had cried for days. Now, that same expression had returned. That pain, that desperation. Shit... Clack! Sasha threw the door open and sprinted towards the hallway.

Eiden instinctively grabbed her wrist, spun her around, and pulled her back with more force than he intended. She yelped as she landed on his bed. He quickly slammed the door shut, turned the lock, and turned back to face her. But she had already jumped up again.

With quick reflexes, he wrapped his arms around her waist, tackling her back onto the bed.

"No! Let me go!" she screamed. He covered her mouth again. "Sasha, please !" Her eyes were wide, filled with rage and heartbreak and fear. She kicked and thrashed beneath him, completely ignoring the pain in her hands or legs. Eiden clenched his teeth and summoned the only help he could.

System-chan! Help! Ding! What kind of help do you need? Anything! Just give me something ANYTHING! I can generate a fake online medical report about your condition. It will appear credible and explain your growth.

Yes! Do it! NOW! Hurry! Eiden looked down at Sasha, still struggling under his weight. Outside the door, a soft knock echoed. "Eiden? Sasha? Everything okay?" His mother’s voice sounded concerned now, maybe even alarmed. "Eiden??" The loading bar from the system appeared beside his vision.

Loading: 23%... 24%... 25%...

He looked at Sasha. Then the door. Then the system window. Then back at Sasha. His heart was pounding in his ears. In a moment of pure desperation maybe madness he leaned forward. And kissed her. Right on the lips. Sasha froze. Her eyes widened in shock, her body stiffened, and for a second, the entire room seemed to stop moving. Her struggle ceased entirely.

No sound. No panic. Just the stunned silence of confusion and emotion colliding in a whirlwind. Eiden didn’t speak. He didn’t move. The only thing still in motion... was the progress bar.

Loading: 37%... 38%.