𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬

5. two souls in one body

"So does that mean, before you, there were others that played this game, and they died because Chen Miao died?" You asked in disbelief.

Then does that mean all those times you killed Chen Miao, you were actually killing the player that controlled him in the real life? If that is true, then that would mean there is someone there in the real world that is parallel to you, but this player said that the parallel you didn't appear before them, does that mean something happened to your other self after you gained awareness of this world?

"Were they killed?" You asked for confirmation.

"Yes. Each of them died a different death, but the polices believed that they were murdered by the same person because all the victims have a connection between them which is the forum I'm talking about."

"Then doesn't that mean that the polices knew about the existence of this game? Why did you say that they didn't believe you when you went there to report?"

"They were probably bought," He looked down, ashamed. "Most of the polices in my world are rather corrupted."

Could it be the developers bribe them? You thought. Then again, to make such a magical device, could someone like that be humans?

"You... Do you believe me?" He looked at you with a hopeful gaze.

"Huh?" You snapped out of your thoughts. "Of course I believe you, and even if you were lying to me right now, I don't find any harm in trying to believe in you."

He looked at you with a complicated look. "I thought... you would definitely say that my brain was fried from the fever."

Well, honestly, you would think that too if you didn't have self-awareness, but you won't tell him that you knew this world was a game, mainly because it would be pointless as it would always get censor whenever you did that.

"Anyway, thank you for trusting me enough to tell me," you pat him in the head. "I will definitely protect Chen Miao so that you can live a little bit longer."

His tears started to fall down again like niagara falls that you were starting to feel awkward.

"My time is almost up. Iー I have to go now. Can you ask Chen Miao where his mother is? I miss my mom." He sobbed.

Although you can't relate with his attachment towards his mother considering you first memory when you woke up here was the sight of you murdering your own parents, you do feel bad for this player but also a little bit of disgust. Mainly at the thought of this person using an easy way to achieve happiness in life by using Chen Miao. In your previous lives, where the protagonist would be studying till evening at school before heading to his multiply part-time jobs. You saw that the protagonist barely had any sleep that you were starting to wonder what kind of debt he was in, but now you knew.

Those players were using Chen Miao to increase their own IQ and wealth without putting any effort on themselves, and though this player only used Chen Miao to probably increase his grade and popularity at school (since Chen Miao in this timeline was an honor student), you still can't help but feel angry at them for Chen Miao's sake.

These players clearly knew what they were doing when they chose to play this game, yet when they have to face the consequences of the choices they made, they acted like a victim.

Still, lashing out at this person will get you nowhere. You needed more information about this game, and for that to happen, you needed this player by your side to trust you.

"Alright," you smiled. "I will ask Chen Miao later."

Not even a few minutes later, the protagonist blinked twice as if he had been in a daze all this time. He glanced at your hand which was on top of his head and quickly backed away. Fortunately, before the back of his head could have its first kiss with the wall behind him, you quickly interjected by pulling him into your embrace.

"YoーYouー! What did you do to me?" He struggled in your embrace. "Is it hypnotism? Did you just hypnotize me?"

You snorted. "You think too highly of me. If I knew the trick to hypnotism, the first thing I do wouldn't be to touch you on the head, it would be to push you down on the bed."

His struggle intensified at your words.

At his exaggerated reaction, you laughed and let him pushed you away. Chen Miao glared at you with tears of shame in his eyes and you cannot help but feel pity for him after a moment of laughter; at least, you were able to gain control of your body, but what about him? If you failed to keep him alive in this timeline, he would still be used and controlled by another player in the next life.

Chen Miao will never be able to experience what true freedom is.

"You beast. You're thinking about something perverted, right? Stop looking at me," he grumbled, the tips of his ears dyed in red.

"How did you even come to that conclusion?" You chuckled. "But you're wrong, I was actually thinking whether you will let me stay over tonight or not."

「The perverted classmate is definitely planning something insidious. Better lock the door tonight in case something happened again. Still, should you let her stay this once? She did take care of you meticulously.」

• 「Yes; "You can sleep in the master's bedroom."」

• 「No; "Go home."」

So I have been downgraded from a dangerous classmate to a pervert, huh. You don't know how to feel about that but at least, you knew that the system trusted you more than before, even if it's just a little.

"You can sleep in the master's bedroom," he spoke rather hesitantly. "BuーBut you have to promise me first not to do anything dumb like sneaking inside my bedroom while I was asleep, okay?"

You laughed. "I thought you would refuse me. Does that mean you trust me enough to let me stay, Ah Miao?"

His cheeks flushed red at the friendly way you called him, but didn't correct you. "I just... don't want you to go home this late at night. It would be unsafe."

"I see," you nodded and leaned closer to your classmate, fingers tracing on the bruise around his neck. "But it also precisely because it's unsafe I can't promise you not to enter your bedroom. What if that intruder came again? I may not look like it but I can easily smash a guy's head against the wall, you know?"

It's true. Perhaps it's because you were coded this way, but you can easily pinned down the protagonist on the bed and proceed to suffocate him if you wanted, and he would certainly be helpless to do anything. What makes you so confident of this is because you have done it twice to him in the previous timelines.

But of course, because he doesn't remember, Chen Miao is giving you a very skeptical look right now.