The King's Mandate: Anomalous System

After that me, Elena and Rachel ate lunch together. Rachel kept passing lewd jokes. I am glad Elena didn't understand those jokes.

Just to make sure, I asked Rachel if she plays LWO. She didn't even know what LWO was. Well, it was the same.

I am on my way home with Elena, thinking about last night.

If Rias is the same person mom was talking about, then that means...Rias is dead but alive in the game.

How is that possible? She doesn't answer me if I ask her anything. There might be a way to help Lily.

"What are you doing?"

Elena was walking beside me, but for some reason, she is walking behind me now.

"I am not trying to do anything."

That's not convincing!

She has a wicked smile on her face. She is trying to do something.

As I was walking, she hugged me from behind.

She just wanted to hug me? But why from behind?

As I was trying to figure that out, she moved her hands on my chest--

"What the hell are you doing?!"

"I want to touch you."

"You look like a pervert. How can you do that in public?"

"What's wrong with that?!"

"Everything is wrong! You can't just do that out of nowhere."

"It's fine when you do it, but it's not when I do?"

"....."

I need to find an excuse...my brain! Why don't you work when I need your help!

"Whatever. Let me touch you."

Well...she is right though. She let me touch her breasts, so I should let her touch my chest too. I shouldn't feel embarrassed here; it's more embarrassing for a girl to let a boy touch her breasts.

"Let's go to the park"

"Okay!"

It's past 3 PM. No one should be in the park at this time.

"Go ahead."

She touched my chest first, then my stomach and abs and everything. She kept feeling everything.

"Are you done yet?"

"2 more minutes."

It's already been 10 minutes!

She touched my chest again. Right, then left, right, left, right, left...

"Hey? What are you doing?"

"I can't sense your heartbeat."

"Oh...my heart is on the right side."

"Why?"

"Don't ask me! It's how I was born"

She touched the right side of my chest.

"I can't feel it!"

"Press your hand; you will feel it."

"I can feel it now!"

"Do you think someone can live without a heart?"

"I don't."

She hugged me.

"Elena?"

"I want to hear your heartbeat too."

She pressed her ears on my chest.

"I can hear them"

"How is it?"

"It's beating."

"Of course it will"

"The heartbeat says 'Elena' 'Elena' with every beat."

"...."

It does sound romantic, but somehow it sounds scary too.

"Are you done?"

"Yeah"

"Let's go now. It's hot here"

"Why is your heartbeat so slow?"

"It has always been like this"

"Okay. Now..."

"Huh?"

She is doing the same pose she did when she touched me. Don't tell me that she wants to do it again!

"Now, I want to touch your bare skin."

"What the hell are you saying!"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Are you seriously asking that?"

"What's wrong with that?"

Don't repeat it!

"Do you not realise what you are saying?!"

"I said 'I want to touch your bare skin', it's fine, right?"

"It's not!"

Seriously, what's wrong with her? She wants to touch me without clothes...that would be embarrassing even for boys! There is no way I will let her--

"You can also touch my bare breasts."

"When are we doing it?!"

"...."

"What?"

"You agreed instantly when I said I would let you touch my breasts."

"I will touch you, and you will touch me. That's fine"

"Pervert!"

How?!

"Don't tell me that you were kidding about--"

"Of course, I was!"

"Seriously?"

"Yes"

"For real?"

"Yes!"

"Really for real?"

"Yes!"

I got fooled!

"I can't let you see me naked yet. It's embarrassing."

"...."

Should I remind her that she wanted to go to a love hotel some weeks ago?!

"We will do it someday."

"Fine"

After walking for a while...

"Which level are you Das?"

There is no level for me, but...

"36"

"Level up by 4 in two days."

When I told Elena about world 0, I didn't tell her about my special permission.

"I already have all the skills, do we need to participate in the event?"

"You dropped the title, right?"

"Yeah"

"And you don't have that special gift they were talking about."

"Yeah"

"That's enough of a reason to clear it."

She is awesome! She wants me to get that title and that special gift. She is--

"And who knows maybe I will get the skills too?"

"...."

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You just want the rewards, right?"

"Of course I do. I haven't played raid and boss raid this week. There is a new player we have to beat now."

"...."

"Who is that guy, anyway? He cleared the raid and even killed the boss in one hit!"

"Yeah"

"He might be a cheater."

"...."

Stop it! And I don't think that is considered cheating. I defeated them with effort and Lily's help.

"What's wrong?"

"I was thinking about Lily."

"Lily is so cute. I want her, can you give her to me?"

"Ever since you two met, I am spending less time with both of you."

"Do you like her?"

"..."

"Do you love her?"

What should I answer? I do love her, but...she is an AI. No matter what I do, she will never be a real person who can exist in the real world.

"I am finding a way to be able to talk with her, interact with her in the real world."

"Should I take that as a yes?"

"You...can"

"So my second rival is an AI."

"....."

"Elena"

"Hmm?"

"Do you love me?"

"I don't."

"That's not funny!"

"I love you so much that I can't imagine my life without you."

"Thanks"

"What about you? Do you love me?"

"I undeniably love everything about you."

"How much is that?"

"Bigger than the stars."

"Stars are small!"

"They are not."

"The moon is bigger."

"Some stars are way bigger than the moon."

"Really?"

"Yeah but I love you more than that. If I ever have to tell how much I love you then, if the water is the ink and sky is the paper, then all the water in the sea wouldn't be enough to express my love for you."

"There you go again, saying cool things."

"I am just telling the truth---"

She kissed me. She has gotten a lot faster at kissing!

"I will kiss you every time you say cool things!"

"Then I have to keep saying that all my life."

"Then I will kiss you all my life."

"Please do."

"I want to see the stars."

"What's all of a sudden?"

"You talked about stars, so I am in the mood to see them."

"We can see them in LWO."

"I want to see them in the real world!"

"You want to see them?"

"Can I?!"

"There are some telescopes and other equipment at the palace; I will take you there sometime."

"That means I will meet your grandfather too?"

"Yeah"

I need to talk with grandpa too. I should tell him about Elena...I want to, but first, I have to sort out my feelings for Lier.

I am taking too much time thinking about it, but it's only because I care about Lier, she is my cousin, childhood friend, and a sister. I can't answer her with half-hearted feelings.

I don't want her to be with someone else...that I know for sure but can I make her happy? Will I ever be able to make her happy?

I have done so many horrible things to her. She was there with me when I needed her, but I wasn't...I wasn't there when she needed me the most. Just how is she still in love with me?

"I don't understand love, after all."

"There is no need to understand it. Just follow your heart."

"Yeah"

I dropped Elena off at her house and went home.

"I am back!"

No reply? Oh, mom said she would go to NGO today.

"I wanted to talk to her about Rias."

I need more answers!

"If I can get Rias's photo somehow, then I can confirm that they are the same person."

But...even if I did...

"What do I do after that?"

Ask her how she is alive in the game? Ask for her help?

"I don't know"