"I'm back!"
Jiang You kicked open the login screen. He was in an excellent mood. After paying a lawyer a consultation fee, he had confirmed that the contract was legally sound.
Almost immediately after he signed, Bubble responded, and his income skyrocketed. How could he not be ecstatic?
This time, Jiang You didn't find himself before the Mirror Lake. Instead, he stood in a vast and elegant library. Looking up, the bookshelves stretched toward the horizon, seemingly endless. He even saw several shelves floating in mid-air, defying gravity.
"Where the hell did they send me? Is this still the Type-Moon World?"
Jiang You knew exactly what Bubble was referencing with this design. They really don't care about copyright, do they?
"The world hasn't changed. My main body has simply added a few things to it."
A beautiful, white-haired girl reading at a desk responded. She pulled a window toward her—a literal, floating window. Through it, the scenery of the Transit World remained unchanged. The mobile window itself, however, looked utterly bizarre.
"If you wish to see the scenery outside, you need only think it, and a corresponding doorway will appear. Of course, the same principle applies to the portals you use to traverse worlds."
"Your main body?"
Jiang You recalled Bubble mentioning that she would leave behind an autonomous character after her departure. This must be it.
"Speaking of which, you're aware that you're an avatar... or more accurately, a clone of some sort?"
"Yes, though I lack knowledge of certain things I'm not supposed to know. My thought process is identical to the 'Bubble' you refer to; only my Authority is somewhat diminished."
The white-haired girl seemed unfazed by her identity. "As I said before, you can do anything you want to me. My current duty is to serve you and help manage this place."
"Please don't say things that could be so easily misunderstood."
Jiang You felt that if this continued, he'd really become one of those guys who falls for virtual characters and loses touch with reality.
"Oh, right. Before my main body left, she told me to tell you: if you're feeling troubled by all this, you should find a girlfriend in the real world."
The white-haired girl delivered the surprisingly sharp jab with a deadpan expression.
"That damn Bubble!"
Jiang You knew Bubble was just trying to get a laugh at his expense, but he had to admit she had a point. This world was full of temptations, which wasn't exactly healthy for his mind or body. Yet, dating in the real world demanded so much time and energy. Now, with a job that required him to spend most of his time immersed in virtual reality, he not only seemed unreliable but also had no time to spend with a partner—a major drawback. Unless someone literally showed up at his doorstep, he had no chance.
"If she can hear this, tell her I don't have time. Why doesn't she just be my girlfriend?"
Since she'd started it, a little teasing couldn't hurt.
"My main body anticipated that response as well."
The white-haired girl—(To distinguish them going forward, the clone will be called Bubble, and the main body Yog, as the clone appears more frequently)—continued, "She said she has no gender, but if you insist, it's not a problem. She even left her contact information in case you were serious. You can contact her when you return to the real world."
Jiang You had a nagging suspicion that Yog herself was still controlling this avatar, but he had no proof. And wasn't Yog taking this a bit too far? Leaving her actual contact info? After getting the details, Jiang You decided to drop it. Her statement was a bit too... progressive for him. It was kind of intimidating.
"Never mind. I'd rather not get my kidneys harvested."
"She anticipated that response as well..."
Bubble recited the familiar line.
"Wait, she anticipated everything, didn't she?!"
Even though these were all predictable responses, Jiang You felt Yog was clearly targeting him.
"This response... okay, no, she didn't anticipate this one."
Actually, Yog had felt there was no need to continue this line of conversation. "She said it's fine if you don't call. You already provided detailed personal information when you signed the contract. When the time is right, she'll visit you personally while conducting a company follow-up. She also added that her appearance will definitely satisfy you, though by then, you won't care about her looks anymore."
"Is she doxxing me?!"
Jiang You was speechless. It was normal for a company to have employee information, but wasn't this woman a little too interested in him? It was creepy. He hoped she was just joking.
As for the part about not caring about her looks, Jiang You couldn't decipher its meaning. But Yog had spoken in riddles before, and dwelling on them would only drive him crazy.
"Anything else you need to relay?"
Jiang You glared at Bubble. The once-eye-catching beauty now seemed utterly repulsive, especially since Yog herself might still be controlling her. It was best to keep his distance.
"Nothing for now," Bubble said, shaking her head obediently.
"Alright, I'm starting my work for the day. See you later."
The issues with Illya and Nero were still unresolved, so Jiang You needed to check on them. Thinking of this, he suddenly remembered Bubble's Authority. Since she had left an Avatar behind, wouldn't it be a waste not to use it?
"By the way, you should know how to cure Mental Pollution, right? The kind without any side effects."
Might as well make use of this walking encyclopedia.
"You're asking about your Master's condition, aren't you?"
Bubble knew exactly what Jiang You meant. "My main body had already restrained its power to the absolute minimum. The mental damage is only temporary; she won't descend into madness or hear whispers. As my main body mentioned before, Illya just needs some rest to recover. If you're in a hurry, you could try replenishing her magic."
"Huh?"
Despite playing this game for so long, this was the first time Jiang You had heard that term—even though it had once been a core gameplay mechanic.
"Replenishing magic means..."
Just as Bubble was about to explain in detail, Jiang You cut her off.
"No need to explain. I know exactly what that means. So, are you guys really a wholesome card game?"
"Well, that function does exist."
Bubble spoke the truth without hesitation. After all, the two Counter Forces were still struggling, and Jiang You subconsciously perceived this world as a game, so he wouldn't truly grasp the implications. The same couldn't be said for the "real world," however.
"It's fully featured because it's wholesome," she said.
"Do you even remember that your game is supposed to be a card game?"
Jiang You felt like these kinds of topics were popping up more and more lately, as if someone were trying to make a point. Could doing that kind of thing actually help someone else achieve their goals? The thought left Jiang You utterly baffled.
"That's right, a 'card-playing' game," Bubble replied, playing on the double meaning.
"You really are a real person piloting this account, aren't you!"