The atmosphere in the house had changed. What was once a sanctuary had become a cold, disciplined training ground. Aaryan stood by the window, his eyes reflecting the pale moonlight. Behind him, the System—now wearing the physical form of a girl named Riya—stood in perfect silence. Her beauty was unnatural, a perfection that no human girl could ever match.
And then there was Simran.
She stood in the center of the room, her head bowed. The "Slave Contract" was a heavy, invisible chain around her soul. She was no longer the arrogant girl from the earlier chapters; she was a tool in Aaryan's grand design.
"Listen carefully, Simran," Aaryan's voice was like ice. "There are new rules. From tomorrow, a top-secret phase of your training begins. You are not to come close to me unless I explicitly order it. You will not eat with me. You will not sleep in my room. You are to remain a shadow in the corner of my life."
Simran's heart cracked. She wanted to scream, to beg him to look at her with the warmth he once had, but the contract silenced her. Her lips trembled, but no words came out. She was forced to nod, retreating to a small, lonely guest room, while Riya—the personification of the very power that ruled Aaryan's life—stayed by his side.
THE COLD ROUTINE
At 4:00 A.M., the door to Simran's room flew open. Aaryan stood there, his expression unreadable. "Get up. One hour of high-intensity aerobic and strength training. Now."
Simran was exhausted. Her body ached, and her mind was foggy, but the Slave Contract pulsed in her mind, forcing her muscles to move. She ran through the dark streets of Bhilai, the cold wind biting at her skin, while Aaryan and Riya followed behind in a comfortable silence.
When they arrived at AKPS, the shock was even greater. Aaryan had used his "Glitch" influence and SC coins to register Riya as a new transfer student in Class 10.
As they walked through the hallways, every head turned. Aaryan was now flanked by two of the most beautiful girls the school had ever seen. But the dynamic was different. Riya sat in the seat next to Aaryan—the seat that used to belong to Simran. Simran was forced to sit in the back, watching them whisper to each other all day.
The boys in Class 10 were drowning in jealousy. "How does that loser Aaryan get a girl like Simran and now the new girl, Riya?" they muttered.
But Simran didn't feel like a winner. She felt like a ghost. Whenever Vicky or other friends asked her what was wrong, she simply stared at her desk. "Nothing," she would say, her voice hollow.
Aaryan watched her from the corner of his eye. He saw the jealousy. He saw the depression. And most of all, he saw the cold, hard focus that was beginning to grow in her eyes. 'Good,' he thought. 'Pain is the best teacher.'
THE SYSTEM'S TAX
After school, while walking back home, Aaryan communicated with Riya—not as a girl, but as his System.
'Riya, if you're a human now, how do I see my quests?' he asked internally.
Riya smiled, a playful spark in her eyes. "You can still see them in your mind, Aaryan. I am still the System; I just have a heartbeat now."
"Hmph," Aaryan crossed his arms. "And since you're now consuming my food, my wealth, and my space, I expect a discount on all System purchases. Maintaining a human body isn't cheap."
Riya pouted, looking remarkably like a real teenager. "Really? You're going to be that stingy with your own System?"
"Business is business," Aaryan said firmly. "I want a discount."
Riya sighed, her digital core calculating the loss. "Fine. 20% discount on all magic and stat upgrades. Happy?"
"Reasonably."
THE TWO-MONTH DESERT
They arrived at Damini Mam's coaching center. Aaryan introduced Riya as his cousin, and she took her place among the elite students. Damini Mam looked at the trio—Aaryan, the stoic master; Riya, the perfect student; and Simran, the silent shadow. She sensed the tension but said nothing.
The next two months were a living hell for Simran.
At home, Aaryan was no longer "free" with her. When Simran was ordered to do her homework and grueling physical exercises, Aaryan and Riya would sit on the sofa together, watching movies and laughing. Simran would watch them from the hallway, her heart burning with a jealousy so intense it felt like physical fire. She loved him, but she was being treated like a servant.
But Aaryan's plan was working.
Because of the extreme pressure, Simran's academic results surged. She was scoring 100% in every test. Her physical power had increased 10x. She was becoming cold-hearted, mentally resilient, and incredibly powerful. She had stopped crying. She had become a weapon.
However, the light in her eyes was dying. She was in a deep depression, convinced that Aaryan had replaced her forever.
THE BIRTHDAY SURPRISE
Then came Simran's birthday.
Her relatives arrived at the house, including her father. Aaryan pulled Simran aside before the guests arrived. "Behave normally," he ordered. "If anyone suspects the contract, the consequences will be severe."
Throughout the party, Simran put on a mask. She smiled at her father, thanked her aunts, and accepted gifts. But inside, she was empty. Every time she saw Aaryan and Riya standing close together, she wanted to disappear.
Aaryan was the only one who didn't give her a gift. He didn't even wish her a happy birthday.
After the guests left, Simran retreated to her bedroom. She sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the wall, waiting for the next order. The door creaked open. Aaryan walked in.
"Stand up," he commanded.
Simran stood, her body moving on autopilot. She expected a new training task or a cold remark. Instead, Aaryan stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her in a deep, warm hug.
Simran froze. Her heart skipped a beat, then began to race. It had been months since he had touched her with anything but coldness.
"Will you become my girlfriend again, Simran?" Aaryan whispered into her ear. "The Slave Contract... is dismissed."
[NOTIFICATION: SLAVE CONTRACT TERMINATED. SUBJECT SIMRAN RELEASED.]
Simran fell into a state of total shock. "W-what? Why? You... you have Riya now. You hate me."
Aaryan pulled back, looking her in the eyes. There was no ice there anymore—only the protective fire she remembered from the first day. "I never hated you, Simran. I accepted your apology the very first day you gave it. But I knew you weren't ready for the world we are entering. I needed you to be powerful. I needed you to be cold enough to survive the Dark System and the Watchers. I used Riya to push you to your limits."
"So... it was all a lie?" Simran's voice broke.
"It was training," Aaryan corrected. "I had to make you 10x stronger than you were. And look at you now—you're the top of the class and a warrior."
Simran began to cry, but these weren't the tears of a victim. They were the tears of a child who had finally come home. She sobbed into his chest, her hands clutching his shirt as if she were afraid he would vanish.
Aaryan leaned down and kissed her—a long, deep kiss that erased two months of pain.
"Why?" Simran sobbed between kisses. "Why me? I'm not trustable. I betrayed you once... I'm a mess."
"You are the most trustable person in my life," Aaryan said, his voice soft. "Because you survived the darkness I put you through and still chose to love me."
Riya walked into the room then, leaning against the doorframe with a small, sad smile. "She's right, Simran. I tried to actually become his girlfriend during these two months. I'm the System—I can give him everything. But he refused me every single time."
Simran looked at Riya, then back to Aaryan. "You refused the System?"
"I told her," Aaryan said, "that I would only accept her as a partner if you agreed to it. My heart was never vacant, Simran. It was always occupied by the girl I saved from the 10th floor."
Simran hugged them both, her heart finally full. That night, for the first time in months, the house was warm again. There were no slaves and no masters—only a boy, his girl, and the System that bound them all together. They slept together in Aaryan's large bed, a strange but powerful trio ready to face whatever the "Glitch" in reality had in store for them.