Chapter 40: The Digital Choice

Leo was sitting on the edge of his bed, tossing his keys onto the nightstand, when his phone suddenly vibrated in his palm. The screen flashed with an unlisted, completely unknown number. He blinked, his dark eyes narrowing in confusion as he looked at the digital clock on the wall. It was nearly midnight. Who could be calling me from a hidden number at this hour?

He swiped the screen, bringing the phone to his ear. "Hello?"

Silence met his voice. He could hear a soft, heavily staggered breathing on the other end of the line, as if someone was desperately holding their breath.

Leo waited for a few seconds, but when no one spoke, his brow furrowed in irritation. "Look, if you're trying to pull a late-night prank, go buy yourself a watch, check the time, and then find someone else to bother."

"W-Wait! Don't hang up!"

A cute, flustered female voice rapidly burst through the speaker, cutting off his annoyance. The voice was high-pitched, completely breathless, and laced with an intense wave of nervous panic.

Leo raised an eyebrow, his deep baritone dropping back to a calm pitch. "Nicole? Is that you?"

On the other side of the city, Nicole was curled up in a ball on her bed, her face a bright, burning shade of crimson as she clutched the phone with white knuckles. Hearing him use her real name made her heart skip a beat, but she forced herself to clear her throat. "Y-Yes! It's me, Nicole. You... you don't have to be so mean about the prank thing, you dummy!"

Leo let out a quiet sigh, a wave of profound relief washing over his chest. He leaned back against his pillows, his tone shifting into a relaxed, casual rumble. "Alright, Nicky. Calm down. How did you even manage to get my private phone number anyway?"

Nicole bit her lower lip, twisting a corner of her blanket. "I... I asked Stella for it. She was bragging to some girls in the campus corridors the other day about how she had your contact information."

Leo's eyes twitched in pure irritation, and he rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. Stella, he thought, shaking his head. That girl is literally everywhere. She just won't stay out of my business for a single day.

"Hey... Leo?" Nicole’s voice suddenly dropped into a remarkably soft, incredibly cute murmur, completely stripping away her usual fierce tsundere armor. She paused, swallowing hard before whispering, "Since... since you actually remembered who I was out there on the street... I guess I can fulfill my side of the condition. I'm ready to go on a date with you."

Leo sat bolt upright on the mattress, his dark eyes widening in pure shock. Inside his head, his mind practically exploded with a dramatic wave of emotional tears. Oh my god... I'm not going to die! The system isn't going to delete me over a weekend! Thank the heavens!

Forcing his voice to remain perfectly chill, calm, and effortlessly cool, Leo offered a smooth, relaxed smile. "That's nice to hear, Nicky. So, where exactly do you want us to go for this date?"

"I-I'll text you the location tomorrow morning! Just be ready by eight!" Nicole squeaked out in an absolute state of flustered panic, before instantly smashing the end-call button to cut the connection entirely.

The second the line went dead, Nicole threw her phone onto the sheets and let out a loud, high-pitched, pillow-muffled scream of pure, overwhelming excitement.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Her mother’s voice immediately echoed through her bedroom door again, sounding thoroughly exhausted. "Nicole! What on earth is happening in there now?!"

"Nothing, Mom!" Nicole yelled back frantically, her face practically glowing red in the dark. "I just... I stubbed my other toe against the exact same desk! I'm totally fine, go back to sleep!"

.....

Back in his studio unit, Leo set his phone down, letting out a long, grounded sigh. I got incredibly lucky this time, he thought, running a hand through his messy brown hair.

Ding!

Without a single sound, a straightforward golden screen suddenly materialised right in front of his face, illuminating the dark room.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: MAIN QUEST UPDATE]

[STATUS: TARGET 4 SUCCESSFULLY AGREED TO A DATE]

[EXECUTION METRIC: USER MUST LOG INTO THE VR SIMULATION HEADSET AT EXACTLY 8:00 AM TOMORROW SUNDAY]

[LOCATION: THE CHOSEN DATE SITE WILL BE REFERRED BY TARGET 4 WITHIN THE DIGITAL NETWORK]

Leo looked at the floating text, a tired smirk playing on his lips. "A virtual reality date? Well, at least I don't have to fight any more giant monsters in the woods for a while." He closed his eyes, his physical exhaustion finally catching up to him as he drifted off into a deep, peaceful sleep across his blankets.

.....

The bright, warm sunlight of Sunday morning sliced through the window blinds, waking him right on schedule. Leo didn't lose a single minute. He took a long, refreshing hot shower, prepared a light breakfast of toast and hot tea, and sat down at his desk.

With ten minutes left before the countdown hit zero, he reached out and picked up the sleek, high-tech VR headset. He pulled the band over his chocolate-brown strands, adjusting the alignment just as the clock struck exactly 8:00 AM.

Ding!

[WELCOME, USER LEO]

[VR INTERFACE INITIALIZED: LOADING RESIDENTIAL ENTRY BUFFER]

A soft, blinding flash of white digital light filled his eyes, and a second later, Leo found himself standing inside a stunningly rendered, hyper-realistic virtual recreation of a luxurious modern apartment. He was completely dressed in his casual gear, fully prepared to step out the front door to locate her server node.

Ding!

A sharp, glowing choice box violently materialized directly over his line of sight, blocking the doorway.

[TACTICAL SYSTEM CONFIGURATION: CUSTOM CUSTOMIZATION ACTIVE]

[MANDATE: USER MUST CHOOSE THE SPECIAL DATE OUTFIT FOR NICOLE BEFORE SHE GENERATES IN THE LOBBY]

• Option 1: An ultra-sexy, form-fitting black midi dress.

• Option 2: A pair of casual hot jeans paired with a sleek, tight bodysuit.

• Option 3: A short mini skirt paired with a cozy, soft knit top.

Leo stared at the three digital fashion options floating in the air, his fingers hovering over the selection keys as the chapter ends.

(The poll is already ended 2 yesterday. To join next poll please join my free membership on patreon. Thankyou for supporting.)