Though Ye Qian's dream was to become an actor, he never expected his first job to be this absurd.
Staring at the breathtaking girl in the mirror, he was at a complete loss for words.
Lustrous black hair was tied into two low twin tails draped over her chest, adding a touch of maturity to her elegant, alluring charm. Her right eye—a mesmerizing wine-red—seemed to pull at his very soul, while the left was hidden behind a curtain of bangs, shrouding her in mystery.
She wore an ordinary high school uniform, like any nearby student, yet even the plainest clothes couldn't hide her perfect curves. Her slightly plump legs were wrapped in black stockings, every contour flawless.
This girl… was someone he knew all too well.
In fact, she had held the top spot on his waifu ranking for a full year—a record, considering he usually switched favorites every three months.
One of the Spirits from Date a Live—Tokisaki Kurumi.
"What the hell is this…?" Ye Qian covered his face, struggling to accept reality. "Why did I turn into Tokisaki Kurumi?!"
Though he was whining, he did have an idea of how this happened.
Fresh out of college and job-hunting, Ye Qian had received an odd employment email—asking him to play a role from Date a Live.
He didn't question why it was specifically from Date a Live. Maybe some fan group was doing a live-action adaptation? Whatever.
Considering he did have that light novel protagonist vibe, playing Itsuka Shidou shouldn't be a problem. So he clicked Accept.
Then—whoosh—the world spun, and he found himself here.
Not just in a new place.
But in a new body.
From Ye Qian to Tokisaki Kurumi.
"Seriously?! Sure, Kurumi's from Date a Live too, but I'm a guy! Anyone would assume they'd be playing Shidou!"
Just as he lamented to the heavens, a robotic, genderless voice echoed in his mind.
[Welcome to your acting mission. System G7 at your service.]
"Guess I should thank all those infinite flow novels I read… because somehow, I'm not even surprised." Rubbing his temples, he sighed. "Just explain the situation."
[As the host accepted the acting request, you will now portray ten Spirits from Date a Live. The assigned Spirit per world is random—no self-selection permitted. Same for world transitions.]
[Each world will assign Main Quests (mandatory), Side Quests (optional), and Random Quests (situational).]
[Fail a Main Quest, face penalties. Side Quests? Up to you. Random Quests? Also up to you.]
[Complete all Main Quests, and your performance will be evaluated. Rewards scale with role accuracy and quest completion.]
[Once all ten Spirits are portrayed, your mission ends, and you return home.]
[As payment, you'll randomly inherit one ability from each Spirit you play.]
"Ohhhh hell yeah! Now we're talking!"
Instantly, Ye Qian's enthusiasm skyrocketed.
Not only could he go home after this, but he'd also get Spirit abilities?!
Even one of those would set him up for life back in his world!
Sure, he had no clue where this system came from or if it was trustworthy—but come on. It teleported him to another world and turned him into Kurumi. If it had that kind of power, why bother lying?
Just roll with it.
Besides, job-hunting post-graduation had been brutal. Now work came to him, with rewards no sane person would refuse.
Sure, his first role being female was… a hurdle. But if the payout was this good? Who cared about shame?
"Act as a Spirit? Fine, I'll do it!" He smirked. "Back in my cringe days, I wrote Date a Live fanfics and studied the lore hard. Who knew that'd come in handy now?"
Date a Live had been his gateway anime—special to him. Hence why he'd gone all-out researching for fanworks.
He could confidently say no one understood the Spirits better than him.
…Probably.
It had been years, so some details were fuzzy, but he still remembered their personalities, habits, and quirks.
Starting with Kurumi? Lucky.
Of all the Spirits, he knew her best.
She was his waifu for a full year, after all.
Plus, compared to the others, Kurumi was easier to play. Less psychological strain.
No need to act like Yoshino, the moe-blob loli. No need to mimic Mukuro, the space-bound shut-in. No need to pull off Tohka's cool-but-airheaded "umu" act…
For a newbie, Kurumi wasn't a bad pick.
[Profile Updated]
[Current Role: Tokisaki Kurumi]
[Current World: Bungou Stray Dogs]
[Processing World Data…]
[Main Quest Issued]
- Become the Nightmare of Yokohama.
[Side Quests Issued]
1. Join one of: Armed Detective Agency / Port Mafia / Special Division for Unusual Powers.
(Bonus for joining multiple.)
2. Defeat Guild members.
(Bonus for defeating leader/multiple.)
3. Hide your otherworldly origins.
(Bonus if undiscovered/partially concealed.)
Staring at the holographic screen, Ye Qian took a deep breath.
For Ye Qian, these missions were impossible.
But for Tokisaki Kurumi?
Piece of cake.
This first performance had to be perfect.
"From now on… I'm not Ye Qian."
The girl exhaled slowly, slipping into character.
"I am Tokisaki Kurumi—the real one."
--+--
T/N: New Translation. By the time I upload this chapter, there should be an additional 20ish chapters on patreon if you want to support it.