2. Meeting the Real Deal
Bewildered by the unnatural world, Lete first struck her own head hard. The throbbing pain confirmed it wasn’t a dream.
“Phew. Whether this is a delusion or possession, I’m not planning to do anything bad in a romance game anyway. It’ll be fine. It should be fine.”
Barely calming her mind, Lete let out a deep breath.
Let’s think positively.
The fact that the first episode had appeared meant she would soon meet her ultimate bias.
‘When I can physically touch my ultimate bias, whom I could never touch forever, what else matters.’
Trials always come with fandom, and this was less scary than her bank account hitting zero.
“I’ll choose option 2.”
You have selected option 2, ‘Duke’. You can now view the profile of the capture target ‘Duke’!
[Open / Close]
“No need to look. I have it all memorized.”
On a day when she was so exhausted and weary that even moving a finger felt burdensome, Cedric suddenly entered Lete’s world like fate—a comfort and a breath of fresh air.
It didn’t make the commute something to look forward to… but progressing the story to a happy ending with him allowed her to forget the hardships, even if just for a moment.
“Lete. Are you serious?”
The voice that broke Lete’s reverie was the count’s worried tone. Once she made her choice, the frozen world began moving again.
“Yes, Father. I’m serious. I’d like Duke Edwin to be my partner.”
This was kind of fun. It felt like becoming the cloak-wearing uncle from hero movies who could loop infinitely.
“I’ll send a letter to the Edwin family.”
“Thank you.”
Lete smiled brightly and stood from her seat.
The reply would probably arrive the next day. With acceptance, of course.
Back in her room, Lete immediately flopped face-down onto the bed and began wildly punching the innocent pillow.
“What do I do! What should I say when I meet Cedric? Your noble visage is insane? You, become my ultimate bias? Please give me an autograph?”
Lete covered her face with both hands. Just thinking about Cedric made her feel like her heart would burst and kill her.
My ultimate bias. The one she thought she could never cross the wall to meet, whom she thought she could only ever encounter as acrylic, paper, or a doll!
“Uwaaa… What do I do. I’m scared…….”
If anything, a perfectly alive person being sucked into a game seemed like the scarier case, but to Lete, that point wasn’t very important.
An ultimate bias is meant to live happily far away, after all.
When they suddenly come this close, it’s scary.
“I’m crazy. This is crazy. I’m going to die from not being able to breathe. No, maybe I’m already in heaven. I died from overwork, and God pitied me.”
Out of habit, Lete spun around and fumbled atop the nightstand with one hand.
Ah. No. There’s no phone.
There were no phones in this world.
“…It’s inside a game, but digital detox feels a bit contradictory, doesn’t it?”
A human so dominated by dopamine that she always watched videos at 1.5x speed—could she endure this?
Lete closed her eyes with a face full of regret, then opened them.
“Oh my, Miss! A reply!”
“Yes?”
‘No, I literally just closed and opened my eyes?’
Lete blankly blinked a few more times. She swore she hadn’t fallen asleep. She’d only just woken up, so she wasn’t even particularly sleepy.
There was no sense of reality. Ah. Come to think of it, since this isn’t reality, lacking a sense of reality makes sense.
Quickly accepting that, Lete shifted her gaze to His. His was beaming with joy, as if the reply had come to her personally.
“A reply came from the Edwin Duke family—here!”
Lete absentmindedly accepted the letter. A faint fragrance wafted from the stationery. Soft and warm, exactly the scent that evoked Cedric Edwin.
『Hello, Lete Étoile. This is Cedric Edwin.
First, I am deeply honored that you requested me as your partner. As I have not yet found a partner for the party, it would be my greatest pleasure if you would join me.
Then, I look forward to seeing you at the debutante.』
“Haa… This is troublesome.”
As Lete sighed as if the ground had collapsed, a flustered His leaned in to peek at the letter.
“Why? Could it be a rejection? But you wanted this, Miss…….”
“No. It’s too perfect.”
“……Yes?”
His’s expression turned bizarre.
Lete was already cradling the letter as if it were Cedric himself, holding it ever so carefully in her arms.
“My ultimate bias even has neat handwriting. I’m losing it, seriously. This way, I can only love him.”
Hehe. A sly laugh leaked out bit by bit. At this point, His, now scared of Lete, began slowly backing away.
“His.”
“Y-Yes?”
Caught trying to flee, His froze awkwardly.
Lete extended the letter toward His with both hands, holding it preciously as if even a fingerprint might smudge it.
“Could I possibly get a safe or something to store this?”
“The miss’s personal safe is on the shelf beside the desk.”
“Aha. Thank you, His.”
When Lete smiled brightly, His quickly bowed and fled.
Finding the safe, Lete carefully stored Cedric’s reply inside and closed it.
Of course, she set a new password too. Naturally, her ultimate bias’s birthday.
“As expected, fandom is the joy of life, the joy.”
Lete fondly stroked the safe, then plopped into a chair and picked up a feather pen that still felt awkward to write with.
“Now, shall I write a reply too?”
Unfortunately, however, Lete never got the chance to write her reply.
Not a single letter was written, even until the ink on the quill dripped and soaked the paper through to a hole.
“I want to write elegantly, but all I can manage is cringe!”
Should she just write the cringe? Lete, who knew Cedric’s personality inside out, could already picture his reaction.
If she wrote something cringey, he’d feel inwardly burdened but still treat her with overflowing consideration to avoid hurting her.
“You don’t have to be that kind…….”
Lete, slumped over the desk, muttered with regret in her tone.
At first, Lete had liked Cedric’s princely personality, like he’d stepped out of a manga.
So on days she got chewed out by her boss or when work was so overwhelming she felt like crying, she habitually sought Cedric in the game.
“I should have realized sooner that his kindness was an obsession. Who would’ve known Cedric had such a backstory.”
Lete blinked slowly. Then a pale blue screen blinked in front of her eyes as well.
[Loading…]
The familiar loading window that always appeared in the game. Once that ended, surely……
“Hey, you, system.”
‘Let me savor the scene and monologue like a protagonist too!’
Lete squeezed her eyes shut. She could feel the air change, making her truly afraid to open them.
That very moment.
“Lady Lete?”
A familiar voice came from very close by. Turning her head, Lete’s eyes widened in shock. Soon, ecstasy filled her blue eyes.
‘Cedric…!’
Jet-black hair that allowed not a single ray of light, golden eyes brilliant as if the sun had melted into them.
Shining under the sun, he was the exact male protagonist she had seen countless times in the game.
A sculpted face that seemed impossible in reality.
Elegant yet neat attire, a posture straight as a knight’s.
Everything was exactly as set in the game.
“Lady Lete, are you all right?”
Cedric asked, his eyes drooping with genuine concern.
Only then did Lete finally come to her senses and look around.
“Ah….”
A sigh of admiration slipped from Lete’s lips.
A beautiful garden unfolded before her eyes.
Clear water flowed from a white marble fountain, and colorful flowers embroidered every corner of the garden.
A gentle breeze brushed her hair, carrying the fragrant scent of flowers.
The colors were perfect, as if someone had adjusted the graphics.
‘The chapter has advanced.’
Unable to look directly at Cedric, Lete bowed her head deeply.
A large, sturdy-looking hand entered her field of vision.
“Please hold on. There are many stairs, so it may be uncomfortable.”
“Th-That’s……,”
Flustered, Lete babbled incoherently. Facing Cedric this close made her heart pound instantly.
Seeing him breathing and alive right before her, it felt like her breath might stop at any moment.
‘This is real. Really, Cedric Edwin.’
It was the moment of meeting her ultimate bias, one that would be eternally remembered.
