The night in Buena Village was steeped in the crisp, clean scent of greenery. Within the guest room of Zenith's home, the figure of March 7th quietly materialized, landing softly upon the wooden bed draped in coarse linen sheets.
She still carried a faint dusting of soil from the other world. Her pink, short-haired bob brushed against her shoulders, the tips glistening with a few stray droplets of night dew. It had been a day and two nights since she last left this place; Zenith's family had surely noticed her abrupt departure by now and were likely searching for her in a state of deep concern.
"Honestly, leaving without saying a word was way too rude," March 7th murmured.
She raised a hand to rub her cheeks, a flicker of guilt crossing her brow. She made a mental note to apologize to Zenith as soon as dawn broke. Turning toward the window, she pushed open one of the wooden shutters. The night breeze swept in, carrying the low chirping of nocturnal insects, but the moment her eyes adjusted to the view outside, her expression froze. Her voice was laced with confusion. "Why is it still night? I was gone for quite a while."
Almost simultaneously, within the apartment tucked away inside the system's one-cubic-meter storage space (it was just the right size to hold the miniaturized building), Su Mu, Himeko, Fu Hua, and Hu Tao all received March 7th's query.
Their consciousnesses intertwined for a heartbeat, and in that instant, they grasped the crux of the matter—when an exploration mission is paused, time in the other world grinds to a synchronized halt. Now that she had re-entered, the world remained exactly as she had left it: in the dead of night.
"I see." Su Mu leaned back against the sofa, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the armrest, a look of realization in his eyes. "We don't have to worry about time flying by here when we leave, yet time in reality barely passes while we're inside. It's a remarkably convenient setting."
Since it was still the middle of the night, going to find Zenith now would only cause an unnecessary disturbance, yet staying here felt improper.
After a moment's thought, March 7th produced a piece of rough hemp paper and found the charcoal pencil Zenith usually used. She began to write a note, stroke by stroke.
At first, she worried about the language barrier, but then she remembered that she had never encountered any trouble communicating with the people of Buena Village or the area where Anna lived. When she had invited Anna previously, the text on the system panel had automatically translated itself. Realizing the system had likely adapted the language and script for her, she relaxed. She tucked the note under a ceramic jar on the bedside table and vaulted out the window, her silhouette quickly dissolving into the ink-black night.
The forest path was rugged and difficult to navigate. Wild grass and thickets snagged at her skirt, and the cool dew soaked through her shoes and socks.
March 7th hadn't walked more than half a mile before she came to a sudden halt. With a pitiful expression, she crouched down, hugging her knees, and whispered a complaint to the empty air—this was her unique sensory link to her main body, Su Mu. Her voice was soft and wheedling. "Main body~ I'm scared of walking alone at night! It's pitch black and I can't see the path. Come out and keep me company!"
Back in the apartment, Su Mu arched an eyebrow, his tone teasing. "You're the avatar and I'm the main body, remember? What's the point of having a duplicate do the legwork if I still have to go out myself?"
"Don't tell me the main quest of this world is going to be carried entirely by me, a mere avatar?" March 7th traced circles in the damp earth with her fingertip. Her cheeks puffed out like an angry little hamster, her voice thick with indignation. "Main body, you're way too lazy! You're just hiding in the apartment taking it easy!"
"If you have an avatar and don't use it, isn't that just a waste of space?" Su Mu chuckled, sounding perfectly justified. "Being a bit lazy is the only way to do justice to my talent. Otherwise, what was the point of working so hard to gain more avatars?"
"Curse you! Even an avatar has dignity! Am I not a person? Am I even human anymore?!"
March 7th suddenly stood up and shouted toward the empty forest. Her crisp voice echoed through the silent night; had any villagers been passing by, they surely would have been startled half to death by the sudden outburst.
"Alright, enough with the memes," Su Mu said, his tone turning a bit more serious. "As for your question, I can actually answer that. You are..."
"No! Don't say it! I don't want to be a pleasure tool!"
Before Su Mu could even finish, March 7th had already anticipated his thought. She covered her ears and screamed, her voice full of frantic resistance and breakdown.
"Hehe~" Himeko leaned against the bookshelf, the tip of her finger resting against her lip. Her eyes crinkled into a smile, her tone one of fond indulgence. "Just accept your fate, little March."
Fu Hua stood to the side and let out a helpless sigh, rubbing her brow with a wry smile. "Honestly, you lot... always making such a fuss, even in the middle of the night."
The aura around her remained steady, possessing the restrained calm typical of a martial artist, yet she couldn't hide her tolerance for the group's antics.
Hu Tao, on the other hand, patted her chest and nodded vigorously, skipping over to Su Mu's side in total agreement. "This Director understands perfectly! After all, when the main body was home alone, he used to talk to thin air just to entertain himself. Now that he has an avatar, he's obviously going to take it to the next level!"
"Ahem!"
Su Mu, having his inner thoughts exposed by Hu Tao, felt his cheeks flush slightly. He let out a dry cough to hide his embarrassment.
Looking through March 7th's vision at the thick darkness surrounding her, he agreed that the forest path was indeed treacherous at night. He spoke through the sensory link. "Fine, fine. Come back to the apartment for now. You can continue the journey when the sun comes up."
"Yay! I knew the main body loved me most!"
March 7th's sorrow instantly turned to joy. Her gloom vanished as she transformed into a streak of pale blue light. In the blink of an eye, she appeared inside the apartment and threw herself into Su Mu's arms, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist and nuzzling her cheek against his chest.
"Naturally. Who doesn't love themselves?"
Su Mu laughed and ruffled her hair. However, his hands subconsciously slid down her back, landing precisely on a certain "treasured" spot.
"Eek! Don't touch me like that!"
March 7th shuddered, pushing Su Mu away like a startled rabbit. Her face turned bright red, her eyes filled with bashful irritation, even the tips of her ears flushing a deep crimson.
"Sorry, sorry. Force of habit. I couldn't help myself."
Su Mu spread his hands with a look of feigned innocence—ultimately, it was just him entertaining himself with his own self.
After the playfulness subsided, a sense of calm returned to the apartment.
Su Mu sat on the sofa and tapped the air, pulling up the status panels for Misaki, Yui, and Anna. His gaze landed on the affection level column.
After breakfast, everyone had returned to their rooms to prepare for their arrival in the other world. Only those currently on the top floor could afford to mess around so shamelessly.
The reason he was checking the affection levels now was, naturally, to see just how much they had increased.
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