. . . loading : real-life otome simulator !

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"Access denied, error 404," Idia tried to sound robotically and succeeded, making Yuu stunned. "You just rang a bell you can't unring."

Maybe this whole phrase was like a summary to what she subscribed to when she agreed to play with him.

"Alright, I thought we could just chat a bit without you calling me normie or something..."

He spotted her cheeks turning a very light shade of pink and couldn't believe his eyes. No way, even extroverts get shy all of sudden? Her usually collected image stuttered, leaving a hint of a vulnerability and Idia didn't know whether he wanted to take a look at her defenseless side or not. He, out of all people, knew best.

"I..." she continued after gathering her confidence. "Just wanted to get to know you better, Idia."

She noticed his hair going wild, tips turning sweet light pink, as if bubble gum syrup covered them. Ah, what a sight to witness, she thought, covering her smile behind her hand. Maybe her way of wording was still too much to handle for Idia, so she quickly corrected herself.

"As friends, of course!!"

Maybe she said it louder than she thought she would.

"Y-yeah, alright... The noodles are getting cold, you know." He relaxed a bit. "We'll see if you handle the spiciness, it's the hottest thing in Sam's stock!"

"Huh, are you implying I won't?" her cockiness arose again as she nudged Idia on his shoulder playfully. "Dude, you haven't even tried byoltak [2] kimchi flavored ramen, no way there's something spicier than that."

"Lol, what's kimchi even," Idia flashed a sly smile of his, his sharp teeth showing. "Bet you'll cry after your first try."

"Let's make a deal!" she laughed, reminding Idia of Azul, but in a softer way. "The first one to sniff is about to clear the next in-game choice without any tips!!"

"Deal! Just make sure you won't cry trying to get an answer from me."

"Wishful thinking, bro. Anyway, eat well!"

When was the last time Idia ate with someone? Ortho couldn't be counted as he just doesn't need to eat at all. Was it his parents he ate with when he was a child at the age of, like, ten? Was it his colleagues at STYX? White noise appeared in front of him each time he tried to recall memories of having a happy supper with at least someone breathing, but no reply of his brain was received.

Yuu actually didn't look like she was bothered at all, and there he caught himself thinking he actually enjoyed having someone to just be with. The girl flashed little smiles in between eating, her cheeks filling with a healthy red hue as she was eating. The long forgotten feeling of being able to speak to someone alive, who could keep up the conversation made Idia feel something pricking his chest painfully . Oh Sevens, when this ramen became so hot that even tears pooled in the corners of his eyes?

"Aha!" The girl exclaimed, almost dropping her chopsticks. "You sniffed!!"

"HUH?!" he was pulled out of his thoughts at her sudden joyful yelling. "No, wait, it's not what you think!!"

"I thought you don't use cheats in games, so no denying, Idia!! The next choice will be on your behalf~ Even though I think we might start over.. Oh honey, what if you flop?"

"But honey, what if I slay?" Idia retorted, copying her way of talking with a sugary sweet nickname, cringing afterwards, but still laughing genuinely. "Alright, l-l-let's end this real quick..."

Yuu insisted on cleaning up after eating and after everything was done they came back to the game choice.

"So, I actually was addicted to a game in my world and it had a similar plot twist, so... will you allow me?"