Translator: AlfredoPoutineSoup Editor: DesTheSloth
In the carriage of the subway.
Zhuge glanced at the empty seat— There was a girl on each side, one was fairly ordinary, and the other one should be considered ugly?
Nevertheless, he didn’t take a seat on the empty seat. Looking at the ordinary girl who shifted her position and held her handbag tightly and the other ugly girl who pulled her skirt and moved as well.
It seemed that she would give you more room… but you’d better not come to sit.
Zhuge hesitated for a second and then a young man soon sat on the empty seat. Zhuge fell silent for a while before walking over to the corner of the carriage quietly.
He sighed slightly and opened his phone subconsciously– — <love&live>.
This was a nymph mobile game which carried the function of Live2D. Zhuge would spend half of his salary on this game almost every month.
Opening more functions, purchasing props can improve the affection, more attires, more scenes… But hadn’t unlocked more postures.
This is just a simple mobile game.
Moreover, he could not bear to violate Nanako who was pure and kind, didn’t judge people by appearance and even considerate.
Putting on his earphones, Zhuge delivered the present for this morning.
Nanako: “I am so shy! Did Zhuge have breakfast today?”
Input Method: Yes!
Nanako: “What did you eat? According to the analysis, it seemed that Zhuge has been having unhealthy breakfasts this week? Please pay more attention to your diet.”
Input Method: Yes, I got it!
Nanako: “You need to do more sports!”
Input Method: Yes!
In this way, Zhuge forgot the time completely, the gradually crowded carriage, the endless ‘standing time ’ then unknowingly arrived at its end.
When he got to the station, Zhuge squeezed out of the ticket barrier in a hurry. Without a reason, he was suddenly pushed by someone and fell down to the ground directly and the phone dropped out of his hand. At this time the awkward Zhuge burst out into a terrifying quickness. With the force from his both legs and ignoring the pain from the dive, finally, he caught the phone.
People who were rushing to work didn’t pay much attention to it; as for the one who would notice, it merely furrowed its brows at that moment.
Tai Yinzi was frowning. He had been frowning at the beginning of this morning when Zhuge went out from home…Watching this guy, he really couldn’t stand it anymore, so he gave a secret kick at that very moment.
Nevertheless, the work still needed to be done. Right now Tai Yinzi turned into a gust of ash black mist– –Normal men couldn’t see it even though it was as black as ash.
This gust of ash black mist twined round Zhuge easily.
Soon after, Zhuge returned to the company— a simple snack food corporation. He was a clerk in this company. Even though the title was secretary, but actually he served as a handyman.
“Zhuge! Please print this document for me!”
“Zhuge, please order 5 lunches for me, we are having a meeting!”
“Zhuge, some samples have been sent here. Please bring them over!”
Basically, there was no hope of promotion for jobs like this. Zhuge came back with a box of snack samples, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
“It’s nearly 1 o’clock.” Zhuge glanced at the clock on the wall subconsciously, there were a few people in the office room.
“Crap… It is the time to feed on Nanako! Mobile phone… Where is my mobile phone?”
Zhuge was stunned, it was an object that hardly left his body but at this time it wasn’t in his pocket. He couldn’t help feeling a little bit anxious before heading back to his seat and looking for it.
Not here…Not here… Not here?!!
Where was it?
All of a sudden, the familiar voice rang in Zhuge’s ear, the office was quiet due to the lunch break; hence, it was easily heard.
“Zhuge, I like you best!”
“No, Zhuge is the most handsome person!”
“Zhuge, so great!”
It seemed that the volume had been deliberately set to the maximum, not only did Zhuge hear it himself, but also the other colleagues who were resting or eating in the office could hear.
‘It’s from Nanako’…A sudden panic emerged in his mind, who looked towards the source of the voice subconsciously— a colleague, to be exact, it was an account executive who was good in business and was highly valued by the superior.
He was playing with the cellphone, as bursting into laughing. Even though it was not loud… but in Zhuge’s ears, the laughter was extremely harsh.
It was ten times more strident than the horn at the traffic lights.
“Give it back to me!”
Not having time to wonder how he knew his own password, he just wanted to retrieve his own object.
“Don’t be so mean, I’m just borrowing it for fun.” The colleague laughed carelessly and casually, “I usually see you holding it like a treasure so I got curious about it!”
“Give it back to me!”
He seldom got angry— It should be said ever since he began working here, his colleagues had never seen Zhuge angry. However, at the very moment, he was furious.
The colleague with a good performance in business was stupefied for a few seconds… There were also people in the office, hence, at this moment. he felt ashamed being growled by Zhuge in front of the other people in the office. Therefore, he shrugged his shoulders and said, “OK, OK, I give you back… It is just a game, don’t tell me you really regard it as your girlfriend? You are an adult anyhow. Could you please not be so naive? A character in a poor game acting cute to you, how could you laugh like that? Aren’t the characters in this kind of games all the same? Your girlfriend is now being played in other people’s hands? Haha… so disgusting! ”
There came some laughter in lower voices.
Zhuge heard it nervously… Those were from other colleagues.
“Let me help you come back to the real world!” Right now the colleague looked at Zhuge and laughed, then scratched his finger and instantly deleted the app. He didn’t hesitate when seeing the option ‘whether to delete user’s data or not.’
Zhuge had no time to prevent it who was distracted, looking at the interface of the phone that was conveniently placed on the desk by colleagues…The familiar icon has already disappeared.
The colleague clapped his shoulder right now, “Welcome to adults’ world. Don’t play this disgusting game anymore, if you want a girlfriend, just tell me, I will suggest one to you!”
“What do you know…”
“Hum?”
“You basically understand nothing… Nothing!!!” Zhuge raised his head suddenly and grabbed the collar of the man directly, growling, “You..Go to– –!”
He swung his fist fiercely.
Unexpectedly, he didn’t hit the man but was sharply trampled and pushed furiously by him. The whole body fell aback to the ground.
The colleague said unemotionally, “I am sorry! I shouldn’t have despicably deleted your things, I’m really sorry! Really sorry… Zhuge, please forgive me. How much do you spend on this game? I’ll give it to you. I’m really sorry, I actually didn’t know this game was so important to you, I didn’t know… You really regard a virtual game character as your girlfriend.”
…
“You’ve gone too far, is it good to bully people?”
Looking at Zhuge scratching the phone silently and rushing out of the office. At the same time, the other colleague’s feet thrust against the ground, the chair wheels sending him next to the first colleague.
The colleague was distracted and shrugged his shoulders, “I didn’t want to do this way. But I wonder why I couldn’t help doing so, it’s so strange. But, if he couldn’t put up with it, he deserves it… What is it? Fragile heart?”
“Hahaha, what a reason!!”
…
…
Hiding in the back stairs of the company floor, Zhuge kept poking at his phone screen ceaselessly.
Damn… Why didn’t I sync it with my other accounts at the beginning?
Nanako, Nanako…
As if losing the spiritual pillar. He crouched down the stairs, lowering his head, and staring at his mobile phone screen.
That man… just that guy, the damn guy… All his fault … All his fault!
It seemed the sound which rang from the heart.
‘Why did he laugh at me?’
‘I haven’t offended anyone…I was content all the time…Why did he laugh at me?’
‘Make fun of me?’
‘Why?’
‘Whom did I disturb?’
‘Why could they let my Nanako…’
Zhuge held his head, the sound of the heart kept coming out and a lot of malicious thoughts poured out. Eventually, it was like countless lines intertwined with each other.
All the ideas, twisted and turned into one, ‘Is the world bad? Isn’t it… able to accept me?’
“Do you want to change it? Change this unfair world… Change those… who laugh at you and have them receive punishment?”
“I…”
The weird black card came into existence in the flame gently. Zhuge’s eyes became dazed. The old voice seemed to constantly echo around his ears. “Make a wish… If only you do it… Money, power, status, women, and all the things…”
“I…”
His fingers touched on this weird black card at once— His eyes whirled, darkening, then turned bright.
The old pinewood door was just in front of his eyes. A strange force led him to step up and push the door, before walking in.
“Welcome… Dear guest, what I can do for you?”
“I… I only want a person who can understand me… I only want Nanako to come back to me.”
…
Looking at the new potential customer who belayed his wish directly due to the well planned early induction, Tai Yinzi, who went back to the club with the help of the black card, was also shocked.
‘This script is wrong? Was this trash stupid?’
‘What the hell… It was just what he wants? It’s completely different from what I thought? Tai Yinzi couldn’t help looking at the owner of the club.
Such a small request, there was no value in making the deal at all…
Tai Yinzi couldn’t help but be embarrassed. The first step of his performance was only this trivial achievement?
But Luo Qiu just said indifferently, “Is it only to simply restore the data or is it everything?”
Zhuge lost his mind, “What I want is the real Nanako… It isn’t data… Only Nanako could understand me, she won’t look me down… She cares about me, enjoys chatting with me. I want the real Nanako… I’d like to pay everything I have, including my soul.”
…
…
Zhuge suddenly got a headache. When he came back to his sense… he found himself in the small room he had rented.
“Did I dream…”
He laughed bitterly, feeling as if he had a strange sweet dream…The guy who wore the clown mask and the strange scroll that finally burned in front of himself.
“The soul… I’m crazy for saying those f*ckin words.” Zhuge shook his head with self-deprecation.
He took out his phone depressingly… ‘The only thing I could do is to download the game again? But… If I played it again, it would be another one?
It was no longer his Nanako.
At this moment.
The phone was suddenly glowing, and it shot up a beam of light towards the corner of the room— In the light column, some visible colored points of light were converging slowly.
It gradually became clear and true, turning into a real person in the end.
“Na. Nanako!”
It was not the Live2D of the projection, nor the image that any 3D technology could create, but the real live person who was smiling?
“I… I’m not dreaming!”
