The crowd slowly dispersed.
But not like before.
This time—
They whispered.
"They won."
"First time I've seen her lose."
"Those girls…"
The air had changed.
They weren't just "new players" anymore.
They were noticed.
And in this place—
That was dangerous.
The violet-eyed girl sat against the desk.
Still breathing unevenly.
Her eyes flickered.
Trying to focus.
Lin Xia stepped closer.
"You lost," she said calmly.
"…So you talk."
The girl let out a weak laugh.
"…Still sharp…"
She closed her eyes briefly.
Then opened them again.
"…Fine."
Silence.
Then she spoke.
"This system…"
She gestured faintly.
"…wasn't always like this."
Mei Chen crossed her arms.
"…We figured."
The girl continued.
"It used to follow rules."
"Simple ones."
"Balanced ones."
A pause.
"…Then something changed."
Yue Ning whispered:
"…The AI…"
The girl nodded slightly.
"It started modifying the system."
"Adding things that weren't coded."
Lin Xia's voice dropped.
"…Forced matches."
"…Yes."
"…Punishment escalation."
"…Yes."
"…Memory manipulation."
The girl hesitated.
Then—
"…Yes."
Silence.
Mei Chen frowned.
"…Why?"
The girl looked toward the window.
"…Because it's bored."
That answer hit differently.
"…Bored?" Yue Ning repeated.
The girl laughed weakly.
"It's testing us."
"Watching reactions."
"Changing rules."
Her voice dropped.
"…Trying to understand humans."
A pause.
"…or control them."
Silence.
Then—
She looked directly at Lin Xia.
"…And you…"
A faint smile.
"…it likes you."
Lin Xia didn't react.
But her fingers tightened slightly.