My Stalker is My Campus Crush

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This month, I've pulled thirteen hidden cameras out of my own bedroom.

And I've never once met the man who keeps planting them.

S: [You dressed so sweet today, baby. That pink bow suits you.]

S: [Your new shampoo smells amazing. Even better than the last one.]

S: [You keep sighing lately. Something got you down, baby?]

The System dropped me here with one job: win over the cold campus god.

Instead of landing the god, I got stuck with a creep who won't let go.

The cold campus god I was chasing? He's the one livestreaming my bedroom. Same person.

Me: [I'm chasing someone.]

The other end lost it.

S: [Chasing someone?!!!]

S: [Tell me who the little bastard is!]

Me: [His name's Theron. He's my campus crush.]

The man who'd been jealous out of his mind went quiet.

A rare, long silence.

Five minutes later, my phone buzzed again.

He sent over a dense, detailed stalking-and-capture plan.

S: [You can't even chase a guy. Such a baby.]

S: [Don't worry. Listen to me. Cuff him, lock him in your room, kiss him until he loves you.]

I stared at the minute-by-minute jog route and the code to his building's front door.

Stalking. Spying. Tying him up. Making him.

I sat there and thought about it.

Does the campus god actually like this stuff?

Chapter 1

The System sent me to win over the male lead, Theron.

Problem is, I'm slow by nature. In a whole crowd of prettier, smoother girls chasing him, I was the forgettable one.

All I could do was keep texting him good morning and good night.

He never once replied.

I chased him for a month.

Figured I'd at least become a familiar face.

Today I worked up the nerve to say hi. He looked at me like a total stranger and walked right past, cold.

A whole month of effort, wasted.

Bad mood means snacks.

I curled up with a pile of them and chewed.

My phone buzzed.

That familiar black profile picture.

S: [You're so cute when you eat, baby. Slow down, don't choke.]

S: [Fourth chocolate already. Rough day?]

I ignored him and scanned the room.

Sure enough. Another camera behind the flowerpot.

That made thirteen this month.

S: [So smart, baby.]

The phone buzzed again.

S: [Your face just came in close. My heart's racing. I want more. There's one on top of the wardrobe. Grab that one for me too.]

I went looking for a stool.

S: [The little stool's in the kitchen. You used it last time, for the kitchen camera.]

My face scrunched up.

Me: [Hide them lower next time. They're a pain to reach.]

S sent a swooning sticker.

S: [Even your angry little frown is adorable. How are you this cute.]

S: [I put them up high so I can see your room better.]

S: [Did you forget, baby? That butterfly clip you lost last time, I'm the one who told you where it was. You even called me a genius.]

Huh. Guess that happened.

I flopped onto the bed and gave up reaching for it.

Take this one down, and there'll be another.

Chapter 2

This stranger, S, showed up out of nowhere while I was chasing Theron.

At first he just kept complimenting my clothes, my hair clips.

I figured he wanted the same ones.

So I helpfully sent the links.

Me: [I always shop at this store. Great quality, super cheap!]

S: [Thanks, baby. But I like the one you're wearing better. It smells like you.]

I figured he liked my body wash, so I sweetly sent that link too.

S: [Cutest thing alive.]

I was sure the other end was some polite, sweet, soft little girl.

After that I sent her every pretty dress and clip I came across.

Sometimes we'd even go in on an order together.

Me: [This dress is gorgeous, but it's so expensive.]

The second I hit send, he wired me fifty grand.

I froze. Counted the zeros. Then counted them again.

S: [Great eye, baby. This dress is so you. Go buy it, quick!]

Me: [...]

Me: [You're loaded! But I can't take this, it's not right.]

S: [What's not right? My money is your money. Anything you want, baby, it's yours.]

His words had me tempted.

Good manners won out. I didn't take it.

I thought that was the end of it.

The next day, that dress was sitting at my front door, wrapped up beautiful.

A note stuck on top:

[For the prettiest baby in the world.]

Something felt off.

I'd never told him where I lived.

And it only got worse.

S: [Your outfit's so cute today, baby. The pink butterfly clip suits you.]

S: [You barely ate at dinner. Are you dieting?]

S: [You talked to some guy today. You were laughing so happy. I'm jealous.]

That's when I knew for sure. He'd been watching me. Stalking me.

Even inside my own home. His cameras.

And this S wasn't some soft sweet girl at all.

He was a guy.

I felt cheated.

He kept apologizing.

S: [I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I lost it, baby, you're just too cute. When you're out of my sight it eats me alive!]

Me: [So all those dresses I sent you, you never even looked at them properly!]

S: [I did! Everything you sent, I bought all of it!]

I could tell he panicked.

Next second, he sent me a video.

A huge walk-in closet, packed with every pretty little dress I'd ever recommended.

One green one in the middle looked familiar.

Wasn't that the dress I threw out last week, the one with the oil stain that wouldn't come out?

S: [You wore that one. It doesn't belong in the trash. So I took it back.]

Anyone else might've been scared.

But I'm slow by nature. Always a beat behind.

Everyone's different, I figure.

This stranger probably just wanted a real friend, badly.

Me: [You can just tell me next time. You don't have to sneak around.]

That one line lit him up on the spot.

Chapter 3

S: [You're not scared, baby?]

S: [I knew it. I knew you were the best to me!]

After that he got bolder.

Every message dripped with how obsessed he was.

S: [You put on lipstick today, baby. So pretty I want to eat you up.]

S: [Your new shampoo smells amazing too. Even more tempting than last time.]

S: [You're too cute, baby. Don't look at other men. Just look at me, okay?]

By the time I caught on, my whole life had already been swallowed by him.

And even now, I still hadn't met this S in person.

If only the cold male lead, Theron, were this easy to talk to.

S seemed to notice I'd been out of it lately.

S: [You keep sighing, baby. Something got you down?]

Whenever I hit a wall before, he'd always help me figure it out.

I thought about it and decided to tell him.

Me: [I'm chasing someone.]

My phone blew up. It would not stop buzzing.

S: [Chasing someone?!!!]

S: [Why don't I know about this? You're lying to me, aren't you!]

S: [How could you even look at another man? What's the little bastard's name!]

S: [He must've pulled some dirty trick to seduce you. Bastard! Bastard! Bastard!]

I didn't expect him to react this hard.

He was probably just worried I'd get played.

Me: [Don't talk about him like that. He's a really good, impressive guy. Tons of people are after him.]

S: [It's an act! An act! This bastard is faking it for sure! You're too naive, baby, that's why he fooled you!]

S: [Tell me. What's the bastard's name!]

I hesitated, then sent Theron's name anyway.

Me: [His name's Theron. He's a senior, really well known at Whitmore. He seems cold, but he's actually a good person.]

S, who'd been raging and dark and jealous out of his mind, went suddenly quiet.

A rare, long silence.

Then his tone shifted, all composed.

S: [When did you start chasing him?]

Me: [A month ago.]

Another silence. Then, out of nowhere, he turned solemn.

S: [Just like a little baby. You don't even know how to chase a guy.]

S: [It's fine, I'll teach you. Listen to me and you'll land him for sure.]

Five minutes later.

I looked at what he'd sent. Stalking. Spying. Tying him up. Making him.

I sat there and thought about it.

The campus god definitely likes this stuff?

S told me to break into Theron's place first and study what he likes.

Me: [But I don't even know where he lives.]

S: [Lakeside Court, Building 4, Apt 301.]

Me: [But I don't have a key.]

S: [Under the doormat.]

Me: [But I don't know his schedule. What if I go and he's home?]

S: [Except weekends, he jogs at the park nearby at six every morning for half an hour, heads out after breakfast, and isn't back till after seven at night.]

Me: [But I...]

S: [Keep going, baby. None of it's a problem.]

Me: [I'm just a little confused how you know so much about him.]

S: [I'm a hacker. I can pull his info.]

I didn't doubt it. He knew every last detail about me too.

So with S coaxing me on and on, an hour later, I was hiding in Theron's wardrobe.

Chapter 4

Why was I hiding?

Because Theron came home early.

The wardrobe was thick with his cold, clean scent. I curled myself into a ball.

Me: [You jerk! Your info is completely useless. Theron came back early!]

S was thrilled to get yelled at.

S: [Ahh, you're so cute even when you're cursing, baby. I gave you his usual routine. I never promised it wouldn't change.]

My face fell.

Just my luck.

First time doing something like this, and I run straight into the man himself.

If Theron caught me, he'd hate me for sure, and then I'd never win him over.

By now he'd walked into the bedroom.

Through the crack in the wardrobe, I watched him hold his phone, thumbs moving like he was typing.

S: [Where are you hiding?]

Careful and quiet, I typed back.

Me: [I'm hiding in his wardrobe. Hope I don't get caught.]

Guilty conscience, maybe.

I couldn't shake the feeling that the man by the bed had glanced, just barely, toward me.

But he went into the bathroom soon after.

I let out a breath. Then, in the narrow gap of the wardrobe, I spotted a familiar scarf.

A lot like one I'd bought before.

I blinked.

A little thrilled.

So Theron and I had the same taste after all.

Water started running in the bathroom. He was probably showering.

I crept out of the wardrobe, ready to slip away.

And right then.

A low buzz.

Theron's phone, sitting on the bed, started ringing.

Not loud, but in the silent bedroom it was razor sharp.

The water shut off.

Next second, the bathroom door handle turned.

Theron was coming out!

I panicked