System Mission: Seduce the Final Boss [BL]-Chapter 32: Nah, not working

The day was peaceful enough or, at least, that was on the surface.

It started well. Suspiciously well.

Blake boarded the bus alongside Myles, they even had a conversation: not much, as always, since Myles never did, but enough to count as progress!

Blake leaned slightly closer, seizing the rare opening before it slipped away. "Right, today I invited a friend of mine to eat lunch with us!"

Myles turned his head toward him, slow and deliberate, eyes narrowing just a fraction as he tilted his head.

"His name’s Anthony. He’s super nice, I swear! I got to know him recently and he’s smart, honest and—"

"Okay."

The word cut cleanly through Blake’s sentence.

Myles turned back toward the window as if the conversation had already ended, gaze settling on the passing scenery.

Blake blinked. ’...That was fast.’

His fingers tapped lightly against his knee as he studied Myles’ reflection in the glass. No visible irritation (he could barely see it, anyway). No immediate rejection.

But also... nothing else.

’Mh, is that a nice okay or a doubting one?’

He couldn’t tell. And that was dangerous.

Still, it wasn’t a refusal. That alone was enough to keep the plan alive.

***

By the time they reached class, Blake had already adjusted his strategy twice.

Today, he returned to his usual seat, right next to Myles.

The shift didn’t go unnoticed, but no one commented. It blended in well enough, especially with Blake casually mentioning that the board had been a bit clearer from here.

Myles didn’t question it either, which Blake took as permission.

He leaned slightly over his desk, speaking just enough to be heard. "You finished the assignment from yesterday?"

"Yes."

Blake smiled faintly. ’Good. His tone is calm. There’s no hostility for now.’

He continued, carefully steering the conversation. Small topics. Safe ones. Homework, teachers, the absurd difficulty of a test coming up.

Each response from Myles was brief, but consistent.

No shutdown.

No visible annoyance.

Blake kept his tone light, his presence steady but not overwhelming. He knew better than to push too far. This wasn’t about getting Myles to open up, it was about maintaining a stable baseline.

A good mood. Or at least, a neutral one.

’If he’s even slightly irritated by lunch, this whole thing collapses.’

So Blake adjusted himself like a balancing act, measuring every word, every pause, every glance.

And slowly, very slowly, he felt it.

Myles wasn’t engaging more, but he wasn’t withdrawing either.

That was enough.

Lunch arrived quicker than Blake would have liked.

Anthony was already there.

He sat at the edge of the table Blake had chosen, posture stiff, hands folded together like he wasn’t sure what to do with them. His gaze flicked up the moment Blake approached, relief flashing across his face before quickly being suppressed.

’Good, he came.’

Blake slid into the seat beside him, gesturing casually. "Hey. Sorry if we’re late."

Anthony shook his head quickly. "N-no, it’s fine."

Myles sat across from them.

Silently.

Blake exhaled softly. ’Okay... here we go.’

He forced a small smile, turning slightly toward Anthony. "Anthony, this is Myles."

Then, shifting his gaze, "Myles, this is Anthony, the one I told you about."

Anthony straightened a little. "H-hi."

Myles looked at him.

It wasn’t long or intense, just a glance.

"Mm."

A hum.

And then his attention dropped back to his food.

Blake’s smile froze for half a second. ’...That’s it?’

Anthony’s expression faltered just slightly, but Blake caught it. The uncertainty, the immediate self-doubt creeping in.

’Crap.’

Blake leaned in a little, nudging the conversation forward. "He’s just a little shy," he said lightly, waving a hand as if it were nothing. "Takes time to warm up, you know?"

Anthony nodded quickly. "O-oh, yeah, I get that."

Myles said nothing.

Blake laughed softly, trying to fill the space. "Anthony’s actually really good at math. He helped me with that problem yesterday, remember the one I was complaining about?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

No response.

"Right," Blake continued, not letting the silence settle. "And he reads a lot too. You guys might have similar tastes."

Anthony glanced at Myles, hesitant. "I... like mystery novels mostly."

Myles didn’t look up.

"...Mm."

Blake felt the conversation slipping through his fingers like sand.

He tried again. Different angle.

"So, Anthony, didn’t you say you were working on something? Like a project?"

Anthony blinked, caught off guard. "O-oh, yeah. Just... a small one. Nothing special."

"That’s still impressive," Blake pressed, smiling encouragingly. "You should tell—"

"I’m not interested."

The words were calm.

Too calm.

Blake froze.

Anthony went still.

Myles finally looked up, but not at Anthony. At Blake.

A brief glance.

Then back down again.

Silence fell, heavier this time.

Blake’s chest tightened. ’...Okay. That’s worse than I thought.’

Anthony’s shoulders sank just a fraction, though he tried to hide it.

Blake forced another laugh, softer now. "He doesn’t mean it like that. He’s just... direct."

No one responded.

The rest of lunch dragged on in a strained, uneven rhythm.

Blake kept trying with small comments, shared observations, anything to build a bridge, but nothing held. Every attempt either dissolved into silence or was cut short by Myles’ indifference.

Anthony answered when spoken to, polite and careful, but he stopped initiating anything.

Myles remained exactly as he was at the start.

Unmoved.

By the end of the day, Blake felt exhausted.

Not physically.

Mentally.

They walked out of the school building together, though "together" was generous. Anthony kept a slight distance, like he wasn’t sure if he was still included.

Myles walked ahead, hands in his pockets, as if the entire lunch had never happened.

Blake slowed his steps.

Just slightly.

Enough to fall back.

Taking a look above Anthony’s head, he clenched his fist.

It lowered to -13

Blake exhaled slowly. ’...Yeah. That checks out.’

He wasn’t surprised.

Disappointed, but not surprised.

Still...

’Only minus three.’

That was the part that stuck.

’So it’s not a complete failure.’

But it wasn’t success either.

Not even close.

Blake glanced toward Anthony, who was now adjusting his bag strap, eyes downcast.

A quiet kid.

A good kid.

And completely defenseless against someone like Myles.

Blake’s expression tightened. ’I can’t risk his life.’

Because that was the reality of it.

And Anthony... wouldn’t survive that.

Not as he was now.

Blake’s fingers curled slightly at his sides. ’If I push this too fast, he’ll become a target.’

And once Myles marked someone like that, there was no undoing it.

So what was he supposed to do?

Give up?

No.

That wasn’t an option.

Anthony was still the best candidate Blake had found. The only one who even came close to fitting the criteria.

Solitary. Observant. Non-judgmental.

Compatible.

But compatibility alone wasn’t enough.

Timing also mattered.

He looked ahead at Myles’ back, eyes narrowing slightly. ’I tried to force the connection.’

That was the mistake.

Myles didn’t accept introductions.

He didn’t accept people.

If Anthony was going to become his friend...

It couldn’t be because Blake said so.

It had to be... natural.

Blake let out a quiet breath. ’...So I need to step back.’

Not abandon the plan.

Refine it.

Anthony couldn’t be presented to Myles.

He had to exist around him.

Blake’s gaze shifted between the two of them, Myles ahead, Anthony behind.

A small, thoughtful smile tugged at his lips.

’Yeah... that might work.’

He adjusted his pace again, this time walking between them.

’Round two,’ Blake thought quietly. ’And this time... I’m doing it right.’