Ultimate Spin System: Ero Spin?-Chapter 38 - Did She..?

Maya approached Lucas, who simply smiled and tried to act normal.

Lucas placed his backpack in the car’s trunk. Maya stood beside him with a faint smile. Her gentle hand brushed against Lucas’s cheek, and her fingers moved up to his hair, softly stroking it.

"Oh? Your hair isn’t rainbow-colored anymore, huh?" Maya said with a small smile.

Lucas froze for a moment, just realizing that his hair had turned back to jet black. "When did this change? Did the system mess with my appearance too?" he wondered.

"How did you know, Mom?" Lucas asked.

Maya chuckled. "Of course, from Lena."

The brief conversation ended with Lucas saying, "I want to see Dad’s condition."

---

The two of them got into the car. The ride was silent, with only the faint hum of the engine filling the space.

"Lucas, are you sure you want to go straight to the hospital? Your father is still unconscious. We could stop by home first to rest for a bit," Maya said softly.

Lucas stared out the window with a serious expression. "I want to see Dad as soon as possible," he replied.

Out of nowhere, the system appeared in the corner of Lucas’s vision in the form of a transparent blue panel.

[From now on, ’Tasks’ will be referred to as ’Quests’ to match the style of the games you used to play.]

Lucas let out a short sigh. "This system really likes meddling with trivial things," he thought.

The system added in a playful tone:

[Hey, at least I’m trying to make things more fun. Don’t be so serious, Host!]

Lucas ignored the comment. There was no point arguing with the system while Maya was sitting right beside him.

---

The car stopped in the hospital parking lot. Lucas got out first and grabbed his backpack from the trunk. Maya walked beside him, her face looking tired and worried.

They entered the hospital lobby, where the sharp scent of antiseptic filled the air. Nurses moved briskly around, and the faint beeping of medical monitors echoed from a distance.

Maya paused for a moment, taking a deep breath. "Lucas... are you sure you’re ready to see your father like this?"

Lucas gave a small nod.

They walked down the hallway toward his father’s hospital room. When the door opened, the sight before Lucas made his chest tighten.

His father lay on the hospital bed, his face pale, connected to various medical devices. The slow, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor added to the heavy silence in the room.

Lucas stood beside the bed, staring at his father’s face with a mixture of sadness and determination.

"Dad... I’m here."

---

[Ding! Quest Completed!]

Reward: 50 Spin Tokens, 300 Points

The system chimed in again with a teasing tone:

[See? I’m not stingy, Host! That’s a pretty good reward for such a simple Quest. Use it wisely!]

Lucas clenched his fists at his sides. He received the reward, but there was no sense of satisfaction.

Maya stood behind him, her voice soft yet heavy with emotion. "Lucas... we have to prepare ourselves for anything. The doctor said..."

"...your father’s condition is still unstable. They can’t guarantee when he’ll wake up."

Maya’s voice trembled at the end, but she tried to stay strong in front of Lucas. He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to steady himself.

"I understand, Mom. But I believe... Dad will wake up," Lucas said softly, yet with firm conviction. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Maya gave him a weak smile, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. She knew Lucas was trying to be strong, even though deep down, fear loomed over him.

After a moment of silence, Lucas turned around and walked towards the hospital room window, staring at the dimming twilight sky. The view seemed to mirror his heart—calm on the surface, but turbulent within.

Maya stepped closer and gently wrapped her arms around Lucas from behind. Her warm hands encircled his waist, and her soft body pressed lightly against his back.

"Lucas... you’ll never be alone. I’ll always be your mother," she whispered softly.

Lucas froze. His breath caught in his throat as he realized something—the gentle pressure of her embrace. His face turned crimson, and he struggled not to react.

"M-Mom, I... I’m fine," he stammered.

Maya chuckled lightly at his nervous tone. "It’s okay, Lucas. You can cry if you want. You don’t have to pretend to be strong in front of me."

Lucas clenched his fists. He wasn’t sure how to feel right now—somewhere between touched, nervous, and embarrassed for reasons he couldn’t quite explain.

The system popped up again with bold text on the blue panel in front of Lucas:

[Warning: Emotional Overload Detected!]

"Oh, shut up!" Lucas thought irritably.

Maya slowly pulled away from the hug and turned to face Lucas. She reached out and gently caressed his cheek.

"We have to be strong, Lucas. For your father... and for our family." Maya smiled, though it was clear that smile was forced.

Lucas nodded slightly, trying to push down the unease rising in his chest. He took a deep breath and returned his mother’s smile, albeit awkwardly.

"Let’s go home for now. You must be exhausted," Maya said gently but firmly.

Lucas simply nodded and followed her out of the hospital room. As they walked back to the car, Lucas’s mind spun with thoughts. There was something... different about Maya. Not just her behavior, but the way she looked at him, her smile, and the way she approached him earlier.

---

The atmosphere in the car felt even quieter than before. Lucas sat in the passenger seat while Maya focused on the road ahead. But from the corner of his eye, Lucas noticed her hands trembling slightly on the steering wheel.

Lucas’s thoughts raced with questions that made his chest feel heavy.

"Could it be... did she ever cheat?" he thought, but quickly shook his head. No, that couldn’t be. Even Evelyn, who had been under the Charm of the Forbidden, never went that far—she had intentions, but she never acted on them.

"No... she’s not that kind of person," Lucas whispered to himself.

But the thought lingered, like a slow-acting poison seeping through his mind. Every smile and glance from Maya now felt like a puzzle he needed to solve.

Lucas closed his eyes briefly, trying to calm his mind.

"If Evelyn could resist, then Mom can too. I have to trust her."

The system appeared once again in Lucas’s vision:

[Host, think logically. If you keep dwelling on this, your emotions will spiral, and it’ll affect your performance in future Quests.]

Lucas let out a short snort. "I know," he muttered.

---

The car finally stopped in front of their family home. Maya turned off the engine and unbuckled her seatbelt. She turned to Lucas with a gentle smile.

"We’re home, Lucas. Let’s go inside."

Lucas followed Maya to the door. As they stepped inside, the familiar scent of their home greeted them—a scent that had always made Lucas feel safe and at peace. But this time, the air felt... different. A faint tension lingered.

Maya closed the door softly and walked towards Lucas. The smile on her face seemed a little... odd.

"Lucas... I missed you so much," Maya said softly, her voice carrying a strange weight of emotion.