23 Ivy

"Ivy..."

Luke's eyes were lost in the depths of her emerald gaze. 

The time seemed to stand still as his eyes were locked just on the girl that captivated his heart from the moment he laid eyes on her. 

Her enchanting presence enveloped him, making it hard to breathe. 

Her charm was irresistible, pulling him in like a moth to a flame.

He couldn't help but feel a magnetic pull toward her, as if they were destined to meet. 

"Hey bro, are you daydreaming about your imaginary girlfriend Ivy again?" mocked Jack, breaking Luke out of his trance.

"Y-You!" Luke wanted to defend himself, but his words caught in his throat as he realized how foolish he must have looked. 

'Damn these feelings!' Luke wanted to curse the previous Luke for falling so easily for a girl.

'They are not my feelings; I shouldn't think too much of her,' Luke thought, trying to convince himself that he could easily move on. 

But deep down, he knew he couldn't do that when he saw Ivy. His body reacted on its own, his heart quickening and his palms becoming sweaty. 

[The host is wrong.] Suddenly, the system voice interrupted his thoughts.

'What do you mean that I'm wrong?' Luke asked, his voice tinged with frustration and confusion. 

The system voice responded, 

[The host might assume that the emotions that you are currently experiencing for that girl belong to the previous owner of this body. However, if you hold this belief, you are mistaken.]

Luke's eyes narrowed as he tried to comprehend the system's words.

'What do you mean by that?'

[...]

The system stayed silent as if it were hiding something.

Luke was puzzled by what the system meant when it said that his feelings for Ivy weren't wrong.

Luke's mind raced with questions and doubts. 

Was he really just feeling residual emotions from the previous owner of his body? 

Or were these emotions truly his own?

Luke wanted to ask the system what it knew about the previous owner of his body and how their emotions could still be affecting him. 

He also pondered the system's meaning behind its words, but he couldn't seek clarification as Jack interrupted their conversation.

"Bro, you've been in love with Ivy for as long as I've known you," Jack said, breaking Luke's train of thought. 

Luke sighed, realizing that Jack had a point.

It wasn't a secret that he harbored feelings for Ivy. 

The previous Luke didn't even try to hide it.

But in the end, he still didn't confess his love for her, only because of his poor background and lack of confidence. 

Luke knew that Ivy came from a wealthy family, while he struggled to make ends meet. 

He feared that his financial status and background would be a barrier between them, preventing him from ever having a chance with her. 

That is why he admired her from afar, always longing for a future where they could be together. 

'Tskk, the same thing even in this world.' Luke thought to himself as he observed Ivy's elegant and refined lifestyle. 

Whether in his previous world or this one, social status and wealth always seem to be the determining factors in someone's worth.

'Wait...' Suddenly, Luke's eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind. 

What happened to the previous Luke?

Because of the sudden reincarnation and memories of the previous Luke, he forgot to ask this important question.

Questions flooded his mind as he tried to piece together the missing fragments, trying to find his answers in Luke's memories.

But he couldn't find anything that explained what had happened to the previous Luke. It was as if his memories had been selectively erased, leaving behind only what Luke needed to know.

"Hey, are you okay, bro?" Jack asked, concern evident in his voice after seeing Luke suddenly become lost in thought. 

Luke snapped out of his thoughts, realizing he had been staring into space for a while. 

Taking a deep breath, he shook his head and replied, "Yeah, just lost in thought."

"Hehehe~~ Are you thinking about my sister-in-law?"

Luke's face broke into a playful grin as Jack teased him about his thoughts. 

"Maybe," Luke replied with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.

"Wow, you never admit it when I tease you about her. Are you finally going to confess?

Finally, my friend grew some balls and is willing to admit his feelings for my sister-in-law," Jack said, playfully nudging Luke's shoulder.

|Pah|

Luke smacked Jack head in response to his teasing. "If you tease me again, I'll make sure to spill all your embarrassing secrets to everyone we know.

The sex doll collection that you are hiding under your bed will become public knowledge," Luke threatened, a smirk forming on his face. 

"Y-You monster!! You wouldn't dare!"

"Try me," Luke said with a mischievous grin. 

"I've seen enough embarrassing moments from you to fill a book. So, if you want to avoid that, I suggest you stop teasing me."

Jack's eyes widened in surprise, and he quickly raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, alright, I'll lay off the teasing. Your secret is safe with me," he said, chuckling nervously. 

Luke couldn't help but laugh, glad that he had finally managed to shut Jack up.

With one final look at Ivy, who was reading a book nearby, Luke sighed, not knowing what to do.

There are many questions in his head right now.

Now one can answer his questions, except for one person—the System.

When Luke returns home, he will need to figure out a way to make the system share all of its information with him.

He and Jack kept walking to their class, discussing their plans for the upcoming weekend. Luke couldn't shake the feeling of unease he was feeling.

Just when they were on the road to their class, an alarm suddenly blared in the whole district, causing Luke and Jack to stop in their tracks. 

Confusion and fear filled the air as students and the people on the streets panicked and looked around for the source of the alarm. 

***********

<< Ivy >>