Chapter 79: Silver Soul (Earth Arc)

Lovechoriss—currently the most popular romance game in Edo. Its in-game time is synchronized with the real world, and this petite, pocket-sized game girlfriend has quickly captured the hearts of countless shut-ins...

“Kintoki, where is Byakujo Heiko…?” Okakura Take stared rigidly at the sudden appearance of Kintoki, who had replaced Byakujo Heiko, and asked.

Unlike the machine made by Genwai, which only allowed for typed conversations, this game console allowed players to speak directly with the characters.

“She just killed herself after her son, Eisei, was murdered. Before she died, I seized the opportunity to overwrite her game code and transferred myself into this device. The creator of this game truly is a genius,” Kintoki said with a sigh.

She killed herself?! No way! Is this really a game character? Okakura Take was filled with doubt and suspicion, wondering if she had somehow brought something truly strange into her life…

“Ah, I’m a bit tired. Let’s call it a day—I’m going to sleep. Goodnight,” Okakura Take said, trying to turn off the game.

“Goodnight, Miss Okakura. Sweet dreams,” Kintoki replied with a gentle smile.

Okakura Take switched off the game, not noticing the peculiar expression that flashed across Kintoki’s face before the screen went dark.

Until the next morning…

“Miss Okakura, it’s time to wake up. The weather is wonderful today—you could go out for a walk.”

So noisy! Okakura Take groaned in her half-asleep state and muttered irritably, “I don’t want to go out. I want to sleep.”

Z… A few seconds later, her drowsiness evaporated. Wait a minute! Why was there a man in her room?!

She snapped her eyes open and bolted upright in bed—only to see Sakata Kintoki, smiling as he stood by her bedside…

Wasn’t this guy a game character? How could he be here in her house?

“How are you here?” Okakura Take asked in astonishment.

“You brought me here, Miss Okakura,” Kintoki replied with a smile.

“Don’t joke with me. Since when did I have the power to break through the dimensional wall?” Okakura Take’s mood was especially foul thanks to her morning grumpiness.

Kintoki shook his head. “That’s not it. This is the miracle of Lovechoriss. Anyone who has played the game will unconsciously sink into the interdimensional space between reality and the game—Love Infinity Space.”

“What kind of space is that? The unfillable hole in my brain? Why is something so bizarre happening first thing in the morning? Actually, I must be dreaming. If I go back to sleep, I’ll wake up in reality, right?” she said, trying to pull the covers over her head and drift back to sleep…

But she couldn’t. Kintoki’s gaze made her unbearably agitated. With a growl, she flung off the covers and scrambled out of bed.

“I can’t sleep at all! Get out—I need to change,” she snarled at Kintoki, who promptly left and even closed the door behind him.

After changing and freshening up in the bathroom, Okakura Take finally felt a bit more awake.

When she left her room, she found Sakata Kintoki sitting primly on her sofa and couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

She sat down across from him, studied him for a moment, then hesitantly asked, “Is it just me who can see you like this?”

“No. Anyone who has played the game and entered Love Infinity Space can see me,” Kintoki answered.

So only those as imaginative as she was could see him…

Okakura Take sighed and pressed a hand to her forehead. “Can you go back? You’re really disrupting my life like this.”

“Miss Okakura!” Kintoki suddenly panicked. “Please don’t drive me away. The reason I asked you to buy this game was because I wanted to use its code as a bridge into the real world. I wanted to see this world… and to see more of you, Miss Okakura.” His cheeks flushed as he spoke.

“Huh? What do you mean?” Okakura Take was completely mystified.

Kintoki glanced at her nervously, his ears reddening. “Miss Okakura! I… like you!”

“Pfft!” Okakura Take was sipping water, and at that, she spat it all out.

She stared at Kintoki, lips twitching… Did this guy just say he liked her?

She’d been confessed to by a game character. Not that it was her first time—she’d had countless confessions in various romance games—but it was the first time a game character had crossed into reality to confess.

Okakura Take wracked her brain, trying to recall if she’d unwittingly pursued Sakata Kintoki’s route in any storyline.

After his confession, Kintoki gazed at her expectantly, awaiting her reply.

Looking at his eager eyes, Okakura Take felt completely overwhelmed.

“Thank you for your confession, Kintoki, but you know as well as I do that we’re from different worlds. Um… is there any way you could return to the game world?” she asked.

Kintoki’s expression instantly fell. He lowered his head and murmured, “So even if I came here, it’s useless…”

“Kintoki?” Okakura Take couldn’t help but call his name again. Was it her imagination, or did a dark aura seem to be leaking from behind him?

The next moment, Kintoki lifted his head, his face once again wreathed in a smile. “Miss Okakura, for now there’s no way. You’ve already crossed into Love Infinity Space. Unless someone can break your space, I can’t return.”

“…” Okakura Take.

So once her imagination had opened up, it was difficult to close, unless someone came to shatter it!

But how was she supposed to find someone who could break her imagination open?

“So, does that mean you’ll always exist in this world from now on? What if I give the game console to someone else—would you still be here with me?” she asked.

At her words, Kintoki’s expression stiffened for a moment, then he quickly recovered. “Ah, that’s not possible either. I’m already connected to your Love Infinity Space, Miss Okakura. Wherever you go, I’ll appear.”

“But please don’t worry, Miss Okakura. I am, after all, just a game character. I don’t need to eat, sleep, or rest—I won’t intrude on your life too much,” Kintoki assured her.

“That’s not the only problem…” Okakura Take sighed. The main issue was that although Kintoki was a character from her game, she wasn’t exactly close to him. In the game, sure—but in real life, she couldn’t just live with a man she barely knew.

“Forget it, let’s not talk about that now. Didn’t you say you wanted to see the real world? I’ll take you out for a look around,” Okakura Take said.

“Now? Thank you so much, Miss Okakura!” Kintoki looked overjoyed.

“It’s nothing, really. Let’s go.” Okakura Take stood, grabbed her bag and keys, and motioned to him. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, Miss Okakura.”

And so, Okakura Take set off with the illusory Sakata Kintoki in tow.

Love Infinity Space—anyone who enters this space will see fellow travelers who have also opened this wondrous realm…

“…,” Okakura Take thought.

What is this?

Okakura Take now stood with Kintoki in the bustling heart of the commercial district, feeling completely out of sorts as she watched countless Saya and Yuri characters pass by. Normally, she would never have seen any of them!

Especially when she saw those otaku flirting shamelessly with their virtual girlfriends—she felt even more rigid. If those people sensed her Kintoki, would they look at her as a fellow oddball…?

No, just imagining that scene was enough to make her cringe.

But it was already too late. She’d already been detected by her own kind.

“No way, that blond hottie’s imagination is intense—he actually managed to transform Heiko into that guy?”

“Incredible! Hope he doesn’t enter the King of Fighters tournament in a few days, or I’ll never beat him…”

“I’m so jealous. His imagined girlfriend is gorgeous! Ah, Yuri, don’t be mad—you’re still the one I love most!”

Whispers and mutters abounded. Hearing those otaku murmuring, Okakura Take’s face turned pitch black…

How did those idiots’ imaginations work?! Why did they think she was the one imagined into existence?

Idiots! There must be something wrong with your perception!

But after her initial outrage, Okakura Take realized that being mistaken for a game character was actually better than being recognized as a fellow player.

Suddenly, she recalled someone mentioning the “King of Fighters” just now… What was that?

Okakura Take walked over and tapped the shoulder of the otaku who’d mentioned the tournament. “Excuse me, sir, may I ask you something?”

“Huh?!” The young man jumped, flustered by Okakura Take’s sudden approach, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

“Wh-what is it?” he stammered.

“Ah Hong!” The virtual Yuri beside him pouted, shaking his arm.

“What’s this King of Fighters you mentioned?” Okakura Take asked curiously.

“Ah, um… it’s an official Lovechoriss event. Everyone competes to see who has the best relationship with their girlfriend,” the young man explained nervously.

“I see… Thank you.” Okakura Take returned to Kintoki’s side.

“Kintoki, I’ve made up my mind—I’m going to enter this so-called King of Fighters tournament!” Okakura Take beamed at him.

“If it’s there, I’ll definitely find the most powerful imagination!”

She was full of anticipation—she would find the strongest imagination to shatter her own tiny illusion!

Out of her sight, however, Kintoki’s face turned completely dark…