Arc 3 Chapter 3.4 ( Boundary Between Virtual and Reality )

Jiro choked in the air and pointed at Doze . " Who are you saying cheating? I'm not cheating! "

Doze looked at his master with an odd expression . His master now learned how to lie! This is bad! His master is dead!

Mrs. Zone will surely kill his master for cheating on him .

Jiro washed his face with imaginary water and showed Doze his phone . " Look , I'm really not cheating . I was just playing a cub raising game . "

Doze hesitantly looked at the phone .

Far away from them , a blonde elf exited the bathroom and wrapped himself with a towel . He whistled and started swaying his hips along with the music in his ears .

Uno changed his clothes and hid his pointed ears before he walks to the living room . There , a young girl could be seen playing piano tiles on her tablet  and stumped her feet on the ground in anger .

Uno ruffled the young girl's head and lifted her up and put her on his lap .

" What are you playing there Little Xiang.  "

Fu Xiang put her tablet on her lap and looked at her uncle . " Uncle , Li Xiaojian said that his cousin would buy him a limited edition shoes from XXX . Can you buy me a jade bracelet? "

Uno , whose name is also Yu Yī chuckled and pinched the girl's cheeks .

" How about I'll bring you to the amusement park instead? "

Fu Xiang pouted then reluctantly nodded.  " Then let's take a lot of pictures and send it to WeChat . I'll make sure those bear kids will get envious . "

Uno sighed and chuckled . " Go back to your room now . Your mom might visit tomorrow , go now and take a rest and grow up faster ."

Fu Xiang obediently put her tablet down and trotted towards the guest room .

Yu Yī/Uno was about to stand up when he suddenly felt an electricity numbing from his spine through his rear . Yu Yī jumped up in shock and suddenly found himself on top of a young man wearing a formal suit with round glasses .

Doze and Uno stared at each other in shock and hurriedly pulled away from each other .

Jiro who saw everything immediately catched his flying phone and stared worriedly that his cub might accidentally get hurt by the impact and sigh in relief when his phone got no damage .

" W-why am i here? Ah! Who are you?! " Uno pointed at Doze .

Doze was also shocked and blushed . He covered his mouth to cover his twitching mouth who was about to arc in a bashful smile .

Well ... The blonde guy who suddenly appeared out of nowhere was just too beautiful .

" I'm ... Doze " Doze stuttered and calmly stands up .

Uno also stands up and patted his wrinkled pajama and looked at the place he found himself at . Uno scanned the place and immediately learned that this is the head quarter of the famous company in Mundo De La Realidad .

This company is owned by a chinese native named Zhang Zhong .

This young man wearing round spectacles on the other hand is named Shi Er .

Alias Doze .

" Nice to meet you , I'm Yu Yī . "

Yu Yī bowed and didn't say anything else , after all ... He doesn't have much information about his own identity in this place . He only existed here as a medium between Reality and Fantasy .

Doze stared intently at Yu Yī and suddenly felt that he and Yu Yī are of the same kind .

Jiro left Doze and Yu Yī in his office and immediately went back to his home .

On the other hand Yu Yī decided to sit down and sip unto the coffee that was not yet opened . Doze watched the beautiful man sipping on the coffee that he brought and smiled asking " is it good? "

Yu Yī looked at the foolish assistant and laughed . He's a system and tastes doesn't really matter to him even if he possess the ability to taste . 

But seeing that this cute guy was eagerly staring at him for his answer . Yu Yī smiled and answered .  " Good "

Doze smiled in satisfaction and blushed . Yu Yī is really pretty , he cannot take his eyes off from him .

Doze himself cannot understand why is he not attracted to other people who has a face more prettier than the man in front of him . But he just have this attraction towards Yu Yī .

Like a magnet pulling him to be together with Yu Yī . Just what kind of a creature is Yu Yī to be able to move Doze's heart who was almost like a monk like the former Jiro ?

" Are you fine now? "

Zone smiled and nodded . Jiro on the other hand sighed in relief . He is currently sitting at the car's back seat while an artificial intelligence drove his car back to the mansion .

Zone sat on the bed and listened to his master's charming voice and hugged the book within his embrace .

" I heard that master will be taking a break this time? Are you in bad health? "

Zone's gentle voice entered Jiro's ears and he subconsciously smiled .

" Yes , it is also good for me since i will be attending my cousin's homeroom meeting tomorrow . It was just actually a misunderstanding on my assistant's part . "

" I got nose bleed earlier because i bumped my nose on a metal while walking . " Jiro causally made up lies and touched his nose which has two small tissues stuck in it .

His voice sounded weird with his nose being stucked by tissues so he immediately pulled it out in embarrassment .

But what is more ridiculous is how he communicated with the game character as if he was talking to a normal human . It really made one wonder how the hell did the game company made this game .

Jiro was even almost convinced that he was talking to a human if not because of the anime character on the screen .

However , if a mentally weak person encountered such thing . They would really feel creeped out .

Even Jiro thought that the game was also weird . It's not that Doze was not an Artificial Intelligence himself . But Jiro never knows how Doze was made .

Is he really completely made up of O's and 1's . Or is Doze made by a powerful god from nothing . Jiro was already used to Doze's presence and didn't feel creeped out that he was talking to a non-human being .

But the world has always been weird and full of unfathomable mysteries .

Doze was a system and have suspicious origins . While this game also have suspicious origins , however ... It made Jiro wonder ... Wether he's really talking to a human or not .

His Intuition is really telling him that the anime boy in front of him was listening to his voice intently and even has a strong curiousity about the outside world . Artificial Intelligence would never ask about that ... Even if they are only a game character , why would the programmer , program a line like that?

Is there a hidden story behind it , or is Jiro just thinking about it too much?

Jiro's mind is in chaos .

Recalling how the cub reacted when he opened the communication mode . Any artificial intelligence would normally do not jump up in fright and ask who was it .

When he asked if the game character was fine . The game character shyly nods instead of answering in a formal way .

Like : I am fine , Master . Thank you for your concern .

Or: I'm really delighted that master is worried about my well being . I'm fine master , thank you .

Jiro suspected that it was only the gimmick of the programmers .

Jiro only has limited observation and he has to play the game more in order to confirm his suspicions. 

"Maybe ... There's a human operating behind the screen? "

" Or ... The artificial intelligence in this era truly had already reached black technology . "

" Even the Intersellar era didn't have such human like artificial intelligence . "

Zone nodded . " That's good "

" Then ... Does that mean that master would not visit tomorrow? "

Jiro immediately raised his brow .

This ai is really curious about the player's details . Any artificial intelligence would normally send good luck and be careful statements instead of asking  wether he will play tomorrow . Moreover , the ai should instead state 'play' instead of visit . It sounds like the game character never knew that he's inside a game .

" Aya~ maybe this is just how the ai creator programmed it to be . "

" I don't even know what ai really does and how they acts . "

After all , Doze had been a peculiar ai . Unlike the ai in the phone or car . In his life at the sealed campus , Jiro always hated how the g**gle assistant couldn't act more human like .

Ale**a , S*rri , and other ai from his past life couldn't even beat the intelligence of the game character in this game .

Aside from the inability to access internet , the game character acts more human and doesn't have a sense of coldness and formality in it .

Although the game character sometimes addresses him formally , he could feel that the game character respects him in odd way .

" Aish , my baby should be more intimate to dady instead of being so formal . I feel like I'm an elder in a cultivation novel and this cub was a discipline of mine . " Jiro scratch his neck and he couldn't organize his messy thoughts anymore .

Even he felt confused about his own thoughts about ai.

" Do you feel stressed master? " Zone asked

He waited for an answer then he heard a hoarse hum .

" Then how about I'll sing you a song? "

Jiro raised his brows and smiled . " Oh? You know how to sing? "

Zone chuckled " No no , I just know how to hum . I have not listened to any songs yet and didn't learn a single thing in all my life . "

* Huh? Then what did you do in all of your 30 years of life ? "

Zone tilted his head and said . " For all i remember , when i was still 15 years old . I have been sleeping for 20 years and only occasionally wakes up to eat small food then sleep again to conserve energy.  "

" I survive for 20 years by sleeping since i was 15. " Zone chuckled and joked . " I even thought that i was a vampire . "

As for how he learned what vampires are ... That's a mystery .

Jiro blinked in disbelief . So ... So the game character , was in a slumber for 20 years since he was 15?

He doesn't have any idea what the outside world looks like . Doesn't that mean that as 15 years old child , he also doesn't have any memory of the past 15 years before he slept?

Is this a part of a hidden background story?

Jiro's mind gears started turning and suspicions sprouted one after another .

Is this the reason why the cub's information were all question marks? Then if he unveiled all of these secrets would he get a reward?

At this time ... Jiro never know that once he really unveiled the truth . He would be shock by the revelation .

" Why are you sleeping for 20 years? "

Somehow ... Jiro felt that this is not a good question .

[ Cub's Favorability : 24 ]

[ Cub's Favorability : 23 ]

[ Cub's Favorability : 22 ]

Zone hung his head down , and his eyes turned cold . " Ahehe , i have been waiting for you in these past 2 decades . Master~ "

Jiro's eyes widened as goosebumps spread all over his skin . When he heard such way of speaking in the mouth of the game character who happened to have similar voice with his wife .

Jiro thought that the one who talked just now was Zone , his wife .

Jiro's eyes turned watery and he immediately turned away and wiped his eyes .

" I'm so lonely . "

" I don't have anyone to talk to . "

" It's so terrible . "

" I'm tired of sleeping . "

" I want to go out . "

And i want to restore my memories .

Hearing such words , Jiro felt pain within his heart . His breathing turned ragged and looked at the red eyed character at the screen .

" Zone " Jiro's voice turned hoarse .

Jiro immediately shut the microphone and rubbed his chest who is hurting like hell . He felt like something squeezed on it , not letting him breathe so easily . His throat also tightened up and Jiro felt the difficulty to breathe .

" Zone "

" Zone ... Zone , i miss ... You . "

Jiro's hoarse voice became broken like an old machinery . As tears kept falling down his cheeks , he has a pained look upon his face . Longing , Sadness , Despair , Depression , Restlessness , Worry and concern with deep love , and desire mixed and brewed within his heart and mind making Jiro's mind turn into chaos .

He was almost at his limit , although he was willing to wait for a hundred of years for Zone . He cannot bear to live such a miserable hell like life , without Zone .

Regrets keep piling up one after another within his heart . And it makes his mind to almost go insane like a string that was stretched taut that was about to snap.

Zone noticed the silence within the room and looked mid-air . The room was so silent that Zone could hear the rain drops hitting the roof of the house followed by the flash of lightning that illuminated the whole world , Zone could see the vague window being splashed with spherical rain drops and slid down like drops of tears unto the ground .

Zone suddenly touched his cheeks and realized that a single tear dropped down to his left cheeks .

Zone was about to turn back to look at mid-air . He suddenly heard his master's cry .

His master seems to have not noticed that Zone could finally hear his voice . Jiro also did not noticed that he accidentally turned the microphone on .

Zone could hear his master's painful cry , as if ... He was crying for a lost love one .

And his name is Zone .

Zone's heart started pounding .

He could hear his master uttering his name so intimately with a hint of sadness and longing .

He misses 'him'

Who is he? Who is his master talking about?

Is he talking about me?

Or is he talking about someone else ?

Just ... Why did 'Zone' left you?

Why did he make you so sad?

Why are you crying so painfully?

Did he hurt you?

How can ' Zone ' bear to leave a man so gentle like you?

Master ... Zone is here .

I will ...

Not leave you ...

Again ... Again?

Why again? I have never left someone .

No ... Did i left someone before?

That's not it! Someone left me first!

But why do i feel like i indeed left someone before .

Zone wanted to deny , but guiltiness started creeping within his heart coiling around like a venomous snake spitting its tongue in mockery .

Uno who was still talking merryly with Doze paused and looked in shock at the shaking chains around his soul .

' The master's restraint are going to collapse . '

This is not good! Zone has only played for 1 and a half day and his memory are already starting to get restored!

If this really happened and get noticed by the world consciousness . We'll suffer from attack!

Uno immediately disappeared and went to reinforce the seal .

Doze ok the other hand was stunned by the disappearance of his crush .

" What happened? He's really not a human? " Doze was shocked beyond belief and slapped himself .

" I knew it! He was never a human! "

When Uno arrived at the monitoring place where the medium to reinforce the seal was located . It was already late as fragments of memories was already restored .

Uno can't seal those back as Zone may suffer backlash so he could only stop the escaping fragments from the Chains' restraint .

[ Cub's Favorability : 100 ]

Uno who saw this immediately edited it .

[ Cub's Favorability : 28 ]

But thinking that it was too low . He decided to edit it again.

[ Cub's Favorability : 30 ]

The option to unlock the place outside of the house was already met given that the favorability has already surpassed 99 . But it will be too startling for his master's husband if he saw it .

Let's get it slow for now , and raise the favorability points every 5 hours by 5 points .

No 5 points are already big .

Ah! I don't care now! I'll just let the fate go with the flow .