[???'s POV]
[Daffodil] sank onto her bed with a sigh, shrugging her jacket and blazer onto a nearby chair. 'She' then fumbled with her shirt, unbuttoning the collar and tossing her tie across the room.
…'She'd probably regret that later, but for now, 'she' didn't care. 'She' rubbed her eyes with one hand, feeling the tired skin beneath her fingers.
[9:00 PM] blinked on her clock.
It was already well into the evening. Glancing out her window, 'she' saw displays and neon screens scream their advertisements out to the city like fireflies in the night amongst trees of steel. The night-time work ethic was still going strong, as the windows on the corporate buildings just across from her apartment were peppered with so many dots of light they looked like beehives.
The city glowed outside like circuitry and inside, her room felt like the only place left running on battery. Even off the servers, her world still pulsed with the same pale light.
It'd been a while since 'she'd gotten to go home in weeks. Since Lucidia Online's VR launch, it had been endless bug fixes, reports, balance tweaks—you name it.
She was exhausted.
…At least her pillow was still fluffy.
However, things weren't all bad—'she'd met a girl at the ramen bar that afternoon, and 'she'd even gotten her phone number. A doctor? The girl at the bar certainly didn't look like it, but… she did look tired.
And she was cute.
Her name was Hiyomi.
…That was the same name as the player 'she'd secretly tracked in Lucidia for days out of personal interest. Surely it couldn't have been a coincidence that they looked nearly identical. But then, of course, if Hiyomi really was a doctor, when would she have time to play games?
…Not that it really mattered.
[Daffodil] hummed happily to herself as 'she' flicked on her phone, the screen flaring to life and painting her in pale light.
The light traced her shapely face, the mole on her chest, and her slender collarbones in a cold light, almost as if 'she' were under a doctor's operating table being examined.
Her phone buzzed—it was a text from Hiyomi: goodnight, with a sleepy cat emoji.
[Daffodil] smiled to herself. 'She' typed out a reply, her nails clicking against her phone screen.
'She' dimmed the phone, set it on the nightstand, and clicked on the lamp. A soft pool of light spread that was just enough to see, not enough to stay awake. 'She' let the day dissolve into the hum of the city, thoughts of the doctor looping in her mind until sleep and comfort claimed her.
- - -
[Hiyomi's POV, morning, the next day]
The morning light slanted through the blinds, dust motes floating in the air as the kettle chattered in the background.
I was making breakfast with the groceries I'd picked up on the way home (miraculously managing not to self-implode every time I thought about Kagura's sister, Daffodil and our interaction yesterday) when my phone buzzed on the counter like a tiny defibrillator snapping me out of autopilot. It was a wake-up text from Daffodil, asking me if I was free for lunch.
…?
E-Eh???
Oh my god, I completely forgot I gave her my number—wait, is she asking me on a date, or am I reading too much into this?
This is all going so fast…
I gently set down the knife that I'd been using to cut carrot strips, rinsing the blade before scooping the crunchy, orange chunks into a washbasket and wiping off my hands.
My fingers hovered over the screen, my heart hammering like a defibrillator, unsure how to respond. I fumbled over the screen, typing message after message and rewording every single bit before deleting it all over again.
"Sure," felt too plain. "Yeah, ofc!!!!" felt way too desperate.
Ah, fuck, brain—you can handle medical textbooks and patient reports, but not one text? Same with my fingers; I manage surgical instruments daily, why can't I type now?
Eventually I settled on "looking forward to it :D".
Hopefully that didn't sound lame…
Daffodil responded immediately, saying that she was busy right now and would send me the place later. I set down my phone and returned to my washbasket, tossing in other greens. Water frothed over the vegetables (and no, you degenerates, don't make that weird) as I scrubbed them clean and tossed them into a pot with soup base.
The steam curled up, fogging up my face and filling the air with the earthy scent of broth.
I wiped my hands dry once more before turning off the tap. Now I just had to wait. Happy happy, hehe~
Smiling, I grabbed a pack of udon from the cupboard. My mind started to wander. Daffodil was busy? What did she do for a living? She wore a suit, so… did she work in business or in a corporation somewhere? I'm sure she must be busy, then…
I hope she was doing okay, and hopefully it wasn't that bad. But I was still happy happy~
- - -
One udon later, I was back in Lucidia Online. I mean, I had the time…
My vision filled with white particles as the headset sealed around me with a soft, air-conditioned hiss. I skipped past the loading screen with the forest and Lucidia Online's logo and soon I was whisked away back into the gloominess of Alexander's dungeon.
Or more specifically, his boss room.
I glanced around—I didn't see the elegant snowy ribbons of Lilith's hair, so she probably wasn't back on yet. She looked devastated when Dame Airi… you know… Hopefully, she's doing okay. (pure little girl, must protec…)
All I could see was the wreckage of the boss room, and oh, jesus christ—-
About fifteen notifications popped up in front of me with so many chimes it sounded like someone'd dropped a box full of instrument trays on the floor. The blue, translucent floating windows all crowded my view and vied for my attention as I began swiping through them one by one.
———
Congratulations: You've defeated the boss of [Alexander's Madness], [Mad Doctor Alexander]
You've leveled up! [x7]
You have attribute points available!
———
First kill bonuses have been distributed to the contributors of the battle!
———
Server-wide Announcement:
Congratulations to Players: HA_MDwastaken, Lilith_OHC for the first clear of Dungeon, [Alexander's Madness].
———
Yeah, well… it wasn't really me who killed the boss. It was Dame Airi…
I continued scrolling.
———
Boss Drops:
Apocryphal Item - Purified Syringe x1
Unique Item - Purified cloak x1
———
I could look at the boss drops later (completely forgot that it was a thing ngl…).
———
A quest has been updated.
Quest: [A Source Of Problems]
Objective: Return to the Alchemist School
Time limit: N/A
Reward: ???
Failure: N/A
Description: After following the ???s to their den, you've killed Alexander, their creator, the doctor. Now only the aftermath remains… It seems like Midori wants to talk to you about something.
———
The quest NPC Midori for the quest [A Source Of Problems] can be found at the Alchemist School.
———
…Well, I guess I should start heading back—it'd take me a while to get back to Agëmon. I rubbed my eyes.
Right. I glanced around the boss room. What had once been a hospital was nothing more than a carcass—the walls were torn open, the smell of ozone and iron was thick in the air, and debris was scattered like the aftermath of a failed surgery.
I grimaced.
Let's try not to think about it.
…Now how do I get out of here?
- - -
After a while, I found the exit. It was a small door inside what appeared to be Alexander's office that opened up to a portal. I tried to ignore the sick instruments and concerning objects around me as I stepped through with a shudder. They were the kind that you'd see in malpractice lawsuits.
Honestly, it made sense that Alexander would have stuff like that lying around.
Eugh.
Fucking…
…You know what, I won't finish that sentence because I don't think I'll be able to hold myself back.
The portal made sense, though. This was so far away from the front line, as well as Agëmon's Royal Hospital—he'd probably need some magical source of transportation if he 'made' all of his patients here.
…At least there wouldn't be any more patients to worry about.
I stepped through.
The portal swallowed me whole and I felt cold and hot at once, like contrast dye was flooding into my veins before a scan. The blues of the magical port swirled in my vision—sky, ocean, frost, even the same sterile hue as medical scrubs.
Something tugged me apart, then snapped me forward. I hit the ground hard, knees first
"Fuck," I coughed. Hopefully I'll never need to do that again…
I looked around me.
Where was I?
I was in the middle of a hallway with squeaky clean floors, followed by magical lighting above that seemed too clean, like someone had disinfected reality. There was writing on the walls which told me, upon reading them, that they apparently led to other wings.
My heart sank.
Was I back in the boss room somewhere? I heard a voice behind me.
"Excuse me, why are you here—oh my god, are you hurt???"
I whipped around, instinctively grabbing my gathering knife out of my inventory.
Uncomprehending eyes clad in a white uniform stared back at me. A red cross was embroidered across her bosom.
It was a nurse…
Her shoes squeaked against the polished floor as she grabbed me by the arm, looking me over. She turned over her shoulder and opened her mouth, probably going to call for help.
"Wait," I interrupted, palming my knife. "Where am I?"
"You're at Agëmon Royal Hospital," she said, glancing at my clothes. I was in tatters, and I figured dry blood probably caked my skin. Just a hunch, you know. Not like I had a boss fight yesterday…
But I was back in Agëmon. I was safe, and I knew how to get back to the Alchemist school.
- - -
Five minutes later and I was back in front of the Alchemist school in downtown Agëmon. Nothing had changed about the building—moss still crept over the wood and vines still hung lazily from pistachio-green glass windows.
My feet tapped on the cobblestones and the door creaked open, the same as usual. The air smelled faintly of herbs and rain-damp wood. Light filtered through pistachio glass in soft green slants across the room.
I glanced around. Midori sat slumped on the couch with her head buried in her hands.
*Clack.*
I gently eased the door closed behind me before making my way over, skirting around the massive pots filled with plants that I still didn't recognize.
My boots padded softly on the wooden floor.
Pad, pad, pad...
Fwoomph.
I dropped down next to Midori on the couch. I wasn't sure what to say. I mean… the girl's best friend just died in front of her.
"Are you okay?" …Hopefully that wasn't insensitive…
She leaned into me, heavy in the way people get when they stop pretending they're fine. I jolted slightly as I felt her warmth along my side. Midori sniffled.
Heat rose up my face as Midori buried her face into my neck and grabbed my arm (so big…). I did my best to ignore the pair of rather conspicuous objects pressing into my bicep as she enveloped me like a frightened child.
She smells so good… wait, what am I thinking about ////
Something warm and wet slid down my neck as Midori cried and—was she nuzzling me??? My chest tightened as I felt her skin brush against mine, her hair flowing down my shoulders, the top of her head against my cheek. I didn't know what to do, so I put my arm around her, gently patting her head, comforting her. "It's okay… it's okay…"
…Though honestly, I wasn't sure who was consoling who. My heart felt pretty ready to explode right now. We stayed like that for a while before she drew away, looking up at me with eyes and face red from crying.
"I'm sorry—" she started.
"You're red," I blurted out.
…Wait, why did I say—oh my god I'm so sorry please don't mess up the relationship meter like last time—
Midori just stared at me, blinking back tears. I was about to apologize when she grinned weakly and laughed, the clear sound sending ripples out from my heart.
"I guess I am," she admitted. She wiped back her tears with one hand before leaning forwards.
Too close.
Too close too close too close too close too close—
My skin burned as one of her hands found my shoulder and toppled me over, pressing me down onto my back so that I was lying flat on the couch. The couch creaked beneath us. Her breath brushed my neck, quick and uneven.
"E-Eh??? Wait—"
"You're red too."
Her eyes were still wet, but she smiled anyway, a fragile curve fighting through the ache. Even when she smiled, I could still hear the tremor in her breathing.
I really fucking wished that I could be better with this kind of thing. I… didn't know how to feel.
…My brain short-circuited as Midori bent over me, her hands next to my head on the couch. She was on all fours now, and she gently let her body down to press against mine.
I was used to hearing heartbeats, but now my heart was racing in my ears. I could usually count these things—I'm supposed to be able to, obviously—but now, I just felt them, like how I felt her thighs straddle my hips once more as her abdomen and her enormous chest came to rest against me.
Before I knew it, Midori was lying on top of me, her full body flat against me. I could hardly breathe as her body heat choked my own. All I could smell was her perfume mixed with her body and the slightest twinge of sweat as my heart officially overloaded.
I screamed internally—I had no idea what was going on anymore.
I—
"Hiyomi." Midori's voice was soft and low, her breath coming in short, hot desperate gasps as she blinked again and again, trying to keep back tears from falling onto my face.
"Y-Yes…" I managed. ///
She started hesitantly. "I don't know how to feel. I still can't get over Rena, and Dame Airi just…" There was sadness in her round, pearl-like eyes, the opulent grey swirling with melancholy.
Ah.
Yeah…
That's true, but you're… kind of… on top of me right now?
"I've noticed how you look at me. I'm not that dumb," she continued. "I think it's cute. I know I tease you a lot. Jokes aside, though… I'm sorry. I can't reciprocate your feelings, but… I can give you this much."
*PING!*
A small screen floated up in front of my face with a chime. My eyes barely caught it as I was distracted by Midori leaning closer to my face.
———
NPC (?) Name: Midori, The Re[ept*[]n1st
Relationship Level: Friend with Benefits (High / Admired)
———
Ah, I thought absentmindedly. (So uhmmmmm it's kind of hard to focus right now, I'm sure you know what I mean—)
That was fine. I could work with that. Besides, I didn't want to force her over Rena either… She leaned closer and closer, to the point where I could feel her breath on my lips.
Her eyes glazed over slightly, she opened her mouth, and her tongue—
*CLATTER*
"Ah—"
Midori froze. We both turned.
Lilith had fallen over by the Alchemist School door, her hands over her eyes with a very noticeable blush up to her ears.
Oh.
Of course.
Of course she was watching. My life is a soap opera now.