The Resurfacing Reality and a Chibi Companion

The early morning sunbeams should have slanted down, caressing the girl’s delicate features with a warm, beautiful glow. Yet, there was no sunlight in the basement. The imagery was all wrong.

“This is so annoying! I can’t sleep at all.”

She flung the quilt aside in self-abandonment, revealing a messy little head with long hair splayed out haphazardly. The girl stared blankly at the ceiling for a while, lost in thought, before slipping on her slippers and sitting up.

“Hiss, ouch, ouch, ouch…”

Perhaps due to her sudden movement, Xiang Qi’s hair was pulled sharply. A sharp gasp escaped her lips from the pain, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears, making her look utterly pitiful.

‘Girls truly are troublesome,’ she mused.

She rubbed her shoulder, where the phantom pain of a bullet wound seemed to linger, though not a single mark remained.

Since sleep refused to come, she might as well get some actual work done.

Dressed in loose-fitting men’s pajamas, the girl settled in front of her computer desk and opened her laptop.

“Hmm, it’s 2:32 AM. That means I’ve only been lying in bed for two hours.” Xiang Qi stared at the time displayed on the computer screen, propping her chin with one hand. Her two fair, slender legs swung idly as a thoughtful expression crossed her face.

After the game’s settlement, accompanied by a familiar sensation of disorientation, Xiang Qi found herself back in her basement.

Having been utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally, from the past two days of gaming, young Miss Xiang had no time to concern herself with trivial matters. The cumulative effect of repeatedly using her talent within a single day made her head feel as if it would explode. She hadn’t even bothered to find food, collapsing directly onto her bed to sleep.

She hadn’t even had the energy to check her body, completely unaware that her injuries had healed without a trace.

Honestly, this service was quite commendable; it was as if she had never been brutally beaten.

By the time she noticed, she was already awake.

Many changes had occurred. Now fully conscious, Xiang Qi began to try and untangle the information she had gathered.

First, there was the matter of the date. If the computer wasn’t faulty, exactly two days had passed since she was drawn into the game, which also aligned perfectly with the time experienced within the game.

‘Is it synchronized?’ Xiang Qi’s eyes narrowed slightly. ‘That could be problematic.’

As the game progressed, such situations would only become more frequent. For the original Xiang Qi, this wouldn’t be a major issue. However, if she had replaced Xiang Ran’s life, disappearing for periods would become a significant headache.

The issue of usurping an identity would have to be set aside for now, at least until a solution could be found.

Moreover, ‘Who changed my pajamas?’ She tugged at the strap on her shoulder, feeling utterly helpless. ‘Surely I didn’t change them myself in a daze?’

‘Could it have been the game? Don’t be ridiculous, how could that be?’

Her physical state also felt off. To wake up completely after only two hours of sleep, given her level of exhaustion, was undeniably abnormal.

Her stomach wasn’t hungry at all; instead, she felt a slight sense of fullness. Yet, Xiang Qi hadn’t eaten a single grain or drunk a drop of water for two full days. A normal person would likely be dizzy with hunger by now, wanting to gnaw on anything they saw.

Thus, the sense of satisfaction she felt was quite puzzling.

These things could perhaps be explained by the game system resetting her status, but the real problem was that all the small personal items she had been carrying were gone.

Or rather, not ‘gone.’ Everything was neatly arranged in its proper place, exactly according to Xiang Qi’s habits.

‘This is giving me a headache!’

All these circumstances gave Xiang Qi a very familiar feeling, as if she had experienced them before.

‘It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it?’ Although a guess formed in her mind, Xiang Qi absolutely refused to acknowledge it.

‘Never mind, I’ll think about it later.’

The girl’s bright eyes flickered, fixed on the computer screen, instinctively trying to avoid that particular question.

“First, let’s see what I gained from this game.”

Xiang Qi wasn’t sure why she did it, but she shifted her gaze from the computer screen to the box beside it.

Inside the box were still the transparent glass-like card and Xiang Ran’s ID card.

Honestly, this style of card was truly perfect for girls. Xiang Qi remained silent, once again discovering her damned father’s sinister intentions.

‘Don’t think that giving me things girls like will completely twist my psyche into that of a girl.’

‘I, Xiang Qi, am a straight man of steel!’

Then she recalled her recent behavior, and it seemed… perhaps… maybe she wasn’t that straight after all.

In truth, Xiang Qi wasn’t someone who paid much attention to gender. Whether male or female, as long as they were useful, it didn’t matter to her. Right now, she was simply stirring up trouble to distract herself.

Taking the card from the futuristic metal-style box, Xiang Qi noticed several new lines of small text on it.

“Name: Xiang Qi

Team: None

Talent: Heart of Sin

Armament: None

Points: 2300

Usable: 1800

Matches: 1″

Ugh, the interface was so simple it left Xiang Qi speechless.

The origin of these points came from Xiang Qi’s gains in the previous game. This included a base +1000, discovering a hidden rule +300, not using the Hunter’s power +500, killing people +300, surviving alone +200, using talent -300, and using an extra card -200.

Roughly grasping the rules, the reasons for point additions and deductions seemed reasonable. It was essentially about gaining points for reckless actions and losing points for reducing difficulty, much like another game she knew.

Killing three people added 300 points, and using her talent three times deducted 300 points, which also made sense.

However, these were minor matters. According to the information Xiang Ke had revealed, maintaining a basic score in a single game was the level of an average player, while making a slight profit indicated a player of considerable skill.

And virtually ninety-nine percent of new players would have points deducted in their first game.

As a newcomer, being able to earn points in her first game already satisfied Xiang Qi. The points gained from not using the Hunter template were essentially a bonus.

With the points’ origin explained, another detail on the card piqued Xiang Qi’s interest.

Yes, it was the chibi character image mentioned earlier.

“So you can move…”

The little figure had its eyes tightly closed, sitting with its legs hugged to its chest, appearing incredibly small, pitiful, and helpless. Occasionally, it would secretly peek open its eyes, only to quickly shut them again when it saw Xiang Qi still looking. It was utterly adorable.

It was like a paper doll, but one that could move.

“Are you that afraid of me?” Xiang Qi traced the card’s surface with her finger, looking rather exasperated. She hadn’t done anything strange to this card, had she?

As if sensing something, the chibi Xiang Ran tentatively opened her eyes. What she saw were Xiang Qi’s pure, bright black eyes, tinged with a hint of purple.

Then, finally, she let out a sigh of relief, lay down on the ground, and wore an expression of utter resignation.