kscans

Chapter 484 - The Tail End of a Date

"—Oof, gh, blaargh..."

The moment I woke up, my body was assaulted by an immense sense of wrongness, the likes of which I'd never experienced before. It was different from sensory fatigue; it was a feeling of malaise caused by the intense gap between my virtual self and the horrifyingly low specs of my real body.

This is so, so, so rough.

If I didn't have faith in [Arcadia], I'd be rushing to the hospital without a second thought. It felt like the virtual sickness I used to get in the early days, but amplified several times over—

"...Seriously? It's only been an hour?"

From my perspective, the current time is one hour after the event started three days ago.

The digital clock on the rig's holographic display showed exactly 22:00... My head feels like it's about to break.

I knew about this beforehand and had accepted it, but experiencing this absurdity firsthand is so impactful it's almost funny.

They're really not even trying to hide the real-life fantasy aspect anymore.

"Like that's anything new... Hup."

The rig detected my movement and opened the cover. I got out of the mechanical bed without waiting for the seat to lift my back. I'm a bit wobbly, a bit dizzy, and feel a little nauseous, but the common wisdom is that 'moving your body' is the best way to alleviate these symptoms.

It's caused by the brain's confusion over the spec disparity with my avatar. Forcing myself to move and get my senses accustomed to it is the quickest way.

Of course, I could get hurt if I fall over, so I shouldn't push it—well, as long as I don't do anything dangerous like going up and down stairs, I should be fine.

Anyway, I'll have some tea and go to sleep.

The login restriction that was announced is probably the system's way of telling me to 'rest'. Even though my virtual brain takes on the load, the memories of three nights and four days are reflected in my real head, so I must have accumulated some fatigue.

No overdoing it. The rational people I know, though some are questionable, will probably be taking it easy tonight. Debriefings and information exchange can wait—

...or so I thought?

"Alright, which one is it?"

Just as I was about to open the fridge, the sound of the doorbell stopped me in my tracks as I tried to guess who my visitor was.

Not Nia. We said our 'see you laters' and 'good nights' after the hellish relic recovery work, so it would be strange for her to ring my doorbell just a few minutes later.

So, my choices are narrowed down to two: either Ashe, who is no doubt full of energy even after finishing the event, or Chitose-san, here with some kind of message.

...or so I thought?

The figure on the monitor's screen didn't have black hair, but rather a fluffy, long caramel blonde that I still wasn't quite used to. I could tell even through the video that she was extremely fidgety, so I skipped the intercom and went straight to the front door.

I turned the key, opened the door, and was about to ask, "What's wrong?" at the sight of her face—

"—Huh, wait, what...?"

Before I could open my mouth, a body crashed into me, and my thoughts came to a screeching halt.

More accurately, at the closeness of her body heat. I guess my head wasn't working properly either; I should have realized from the video doorbell...

"Whoa-whoa-whoa, wait, wait, wait, your clothes! Put on some clothes—I mean, you're wearing them, but they're so thin! What are you doing walking around like that? A single shirt is not okay!"

Her heat was close. Her skin was close. I was also in light clothes due to the early summer weather, so in every possible sense, this was incredibly not good.

On top of that, I wanted an immediate explanation for her intentions, but she didn't seem to be holding a phone. The oversized T-shirt she was wearing like a dress didn't seem to have pockets either, so she was probably completely empty-handed.

What is she doing? Don't forget your precious 'voice'.

Damn it, no choice...!

"Ngh..., ...phew..."

With a will of steel, I beat down the thoughts that were starting to float up in the heat. I braced myself to keep from being pushed over by Nia, who was clinging to me without hesitation, and placed both hands on her shoulders.

Wow, she's so slender—that's not the point!!

"Answer me with a simple yes or no. I'm going to ask you straight up, and this is entirely your fault, so I'm not apologizing—This isn't a booty call, right?"

At that moment, she froze for a few seconds. Under the most palpable tension, I too held my breath and waited for her answer... The head she shook was side to side.

Right, good, okay. The sudden crisis has been averted—not that I can say that for sure, but at least it seems she hasn't lost her mind without warning.

I have no idea what she was thinking, though. In any case, I can't maintain this position, so I have to do something, anything, to change the situation.

'You should go home for today'—that probably won't work on her, I don't know for sure though.

Then there's really no choice. I'll do this.

"...I'll grant you an extension of thirty minutes... no, one hour."

I pulled the 'partner' clinging to me a little closer and closed the door that had been left ajar when she tripped me.

Looking again, her baggy T-shirt dress and sneakers could, in a way, pass for a variation of punk fashion... no, not really. That's basically pajamas. I have to believe she's wearing something underneath, right?

Anyway, at my words, she looked up, her green eyes blinking in surprise. It seems she's aware that she's doing something unconventional.

Excellent. Just keep that minimal level of reason intact, please.

---

Take-back.