61: Otome games

Seeing this, the old Divine Messenger's expression of helplessness deepened. He bowed and respectfully reminded her, "Lady Uka, the supplicants have been waiting before the hall for a long time."

Ukka-no-Mitama-no-Kami finally looked up, a trace of confusion over the game's ending still lingering in her glazed, lapis-colored eyes. Her gaze swept past the devoutly kneeling Mai, brushed over the silently standing Lin Luo, and finally landed on the pile of colorful gaming equipment on the stone steps. Her eyes instantly lit up, like a child seeing a beloved toy.

"Oh my," she said, putting away her phone, a look of realization and a hint of impatience appearing on her face. "So it was you who were calling for me. Are these... all meeting gifts brought for me?"

Uka's attention was then drawn to Mai, and she tilted her head. "Hmm...? The Law of 'Concealment' on this girl... Ah! I remember now. It's the effect from that wish 'to be completely left in peace' being granted earlier. How is it? The effect is pretty good, right? Guaranteed absolutely no one will bother you!" Her tone even carried a hint of "praise me," completely unaware of how much trouble this had caused Mai.

Mai opened her mouth, looking at this deity whose thoughts jumped around and who was completely different from what she had imagined, momentarily at a loss for words.

Lin Luo took a step forward, shielding Mai, and bowed slightly to Ukka-no-Mitama-no-Kami, getting straight to the point. "Honorable Ukka-no-Mitama-no-Kami, I am Lin Luo. While the intention behind the wish you granted may have been good, its execution was too absolute and has seriously affected Young Miss Sakurajima Mai's normal life. We have taken the liberty of coming here to implore you to withdraw or amend the effect of this wish."

"Eh—? Withdraw?" Uka blinked her large eyes, a rather troubled expression appearing on her face. She lightly tapped her chin with a fan (which had appeared out of nowhere). "Once a wish is granted, it's like choosing an option in a game; it's very hard to reload a save and start over... Besides, 'absolutely granting the wishes of the faithful' is one of the basic rules..."

But then she looked at Lin Luo again, her lapis eyes sparkling with a light Lin Luo had seen in the eyes of certain veteran game otakus when they encountered a rare character or hidden plotline. "However... rules aren't completely inflexible, you know?" She covered her mouth with her fan and chuckled. "Just like game rules, there are always exploits or... special redemption codes?"

She suddenly clapped her hands with a crisp sound, a bright and slightly mischievous smile blooming on her face, as if she had thought of a brilliant idea.

"Rules, you see, are like hidden routes in a game—there's always a way to unlock them! How about this, Mr. Lin Luo? I just bought this Otome Game, and completing every character's route is such a hassle. You help me clear all the endings, and in exchange, I'll use a bit of 'Administrator Privileges' to change her wish from 'permanent invisibility' to a 'manual toggle' mode. How about it? Very fair, right?"

Lin Luo looked at Uka's "you've got a great deal" expression, then glanced at Mai's eyes, which were a mix of hope and anxiety, and sighed inwardly. This deity's way of doing things was indeed extraordinary, but for now, there seemed to be no better choice. He took a deep breath and nodded. "I understand. Since this is Lady Uka's condition, I am willing to accept."

"Splendid!" Ukka-no-Mitama-no-Kami's smile grew even wider, and she snapped her fan shut. She turned gracefully, her wide sleeves tracing a beautiful arc. "Then follow me!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Lin Luo and Mai felt their surroundings blur and distort, as if space itself were being kneaded and reshaped by an invisible hand. The next moment, the feeling of solid ground returned. They were no longer in front of the solemn shrine hall, but inside a spacious washitsu filled with Japanese charm.

This was the daily residence of Ukka-no-Mitama-no-Kami, hidden in a corner of the Divine Realm deep within the shrine. The washitsu itself was elegant and quiet, with traditional tatami flooring and white paper shoji doors. One side seemed to lead to a meticulously maintained small courtyard, where a Shishi-odoshi and several clumps of emerald bamboo were faintly visible. However, this space that should have been tranquil was currently occupied by a modern, even somewhat frenetic, "collection."

Just as the old Divine Messenger had hinted, it wasn't dirty or messy; there was no dust, and the air was filled with a faint, sandalwood-like fragrance. But everywhere the eye could see, there was hardly a place to step. On the tatami, various models of game consoles, handhelds, and VR equipment were stacked like building blocks, with multicolored cables winding and tangling like the tentacles of some electronic creature.

Boxes for game discs and cartridges were piled into several precarious little towers, the handsome men and beautiful women on the covers showing off their charms in various poses. Several life-sized standees of popular game characters leaned against the corners, and some unopened limited-edition peripherals were scattered on the low table, almost completely taking over the space originally intended for tea sets. The air seemed to float with the scent of pixels and code.

"Sit anywhere, don't be polite!" Uka lightly bypassed the mountains of gaming equipment and cleared a small space amidst the clutter. She pulled out a shimmering limited-edition handheld from somewhere and thrust it into Lin Luo's hands without a word, her eyes sparkling with expectation. "It's this one, 'Melody of Intertwined Starlight'! With someone like you, who looks like a template for a Normie protagonist, you'll definitely be able to clear it easily!"

'Do I look like a Normie?' Lin Luo thought to himself as he took the still-warm handheld. He was clearly a single person who even had to think about whose chocolates to return on Valentine's Day, though he did maintain good relationships with several outstanding women... "Luo-kun, Luo-kun—" Before he could clear his thoughts, Uka had already started the game. A 4K screen instantly lit up, illuminating the entire washitsu like a dreamlike stage. She playfully tapped his arm with the rib of her fan, a hint of mischief flashing in her lapis eyes. "As a man favored by multiple outstanding women—" she deliberately emphasized the word "multiple," as if she could see through his thoughts just now.

"If the heroine chooses here between [A. Clumsily but sincerely expressing concern] or [B. Showing an independent and strong side], based on your experience, which choice would be more heart-fluttering? This is important reference for the walkthrough!"

Lin Luo stared at the two seemingly simple but tricky options on the screen, feeling them to be even more difficult than handling a billion-dollar business contract. "This... from a standpoint of universal rationality, perhaps choosing A is safer?" He reluctantly gave an ambiguous answer.

"Is that going to work..." A soft, reproaching whisper came from beside him. Sakurajima Mai had sat down next to him at some point, her warm breath brushing against his ear like a feather. She nervously gripped the corner of her clothes, her voice filled with obvious anxiety. "This concerns whether my existence can be seen by the world. Please take it seriously, Lin Luo."

That moment's touch made Lin Luo's heart tremble slightly. He turned his head and met Mai's eyes, which were filled with unease; being so close allowed him to clearly see her trembling eyelashes.

"I understand." He took a deep breath, his gaze turning sharp as a blade as he looked back at the screen. "Let's re-analyze." His fingertip brushed over option A. "'Clumsy concern' might trigger a protective instinct, but in the long run, it might weaken the character's room for growth." He then pointed to option B. "Whereas the 'independent and strong' setting not only creates a more charming heroine but also fits modern aesthetics better. Considering the target character is an elite who appreciates a woman's ability, choosing B might open a deeper plotline."

"Mm-hmm, what you said makes a lot of sense." Uka agreed heartily and followed Lin Luo's suggestion to choose B.

"Mai-chan, what do you think of this?" Uka turned her gaze to Sakurajima Mai. The screen followed the branch of B, and then another choice appeared. Sakurajima Mai, who had never played this type of game before, could only steel herself and make a choice based on her true thoughts.

And so, under the alternating guidance of Lin Luo's "rational analysis" and Mai's "intuitive choices," the game's plot galloped like a runaway horse toward an unexpected direction. When the words [Ending: The Lonely Dreamer] appeared on the screen, the three of them fell into a brief silence.

"Who designed this script?!" Lin Luo suddenly sat up straight, his face written with disbelief. "In that scene just now, the heroine clearly worked so hard to express her feelings; any normal male would have been moved! Why was it judged as 'no feeling' here?! Is this reasonable?"

He was clearly completely immersed in it, even forgetting his initial reluctance. As a male, the moment of heart-fluttering he truly felt was heartlessly rejected by the game System, which gave him a strange sense of frustration.

Uka covered her mouth with her fan, her shoulders shaking slightly as she clearly struggled to suppress her laughter. "Oh dear, it seems real-life 'Normie' experience doesn't translate well to the world of Otome Games."

Looking at Lin Luo's rare expression of frustration, Mai's originally tense mood actually relaxed a bit. She lightly tugged at his sleeve, her tone carrying a bit of teasing. "It seems Teacher Lin Luo's 'male perspective' walkthrough method isn't entirely applicable in this world."

Lin Luo took a deep breath and rubbed the space between his eyebrows. "One more time. This time, I will definitely figure out the logic of this game."

In the deity's residence, there was no sense of time passing, only the silent flow of light and shadow from the screen reflecting the three figures, sometimes focused and sometimes weary. When Lin Luo finally pressed the last option, having thoroughly explored every possible branch, hidden easter egg, and even the smallest variation in the plot, a deep sense of fatigue washed over him like a tide.

He gently put down the hot handheld console and rubbed his bloodshot eyes. Looking around, Uka had at some point fallen fast asleep, hugging a character cushion and curled up next to the mountain of cartridges, her breathing light and slow. On the other side, Sakurajima Mai was also leaning against a soft cushion, her eyes closed; the long wait had caused her to inadvertently slip into a dream, her peaceful sleeping face appearing exceptionally soft in the faint light of the screen.

Lin Luo wasn't sure exactly how much time had passed in the outside world—perhaps a night, or perhaps even longer. But he had indeed done it—he had walked every possible path in this world built of data to its end and witnessed every ending of joy and sorrow.

He quietly watched the two sleeping before him. The sense of achievement from clearing the game and his extreme fatigue intertwined, finally turning into a sigh that was barely audible.