"Yes. I'll call you after I passed it to the main branch." She said after she is done taking a picture of his requirements.
After that, he leaves the rental shop and goes back home. It seems like the management still have to check his application briefly before he can work there, though Nikki ensured him that he only need until evening to get the call. The company who owns that retail shop seems to take every applicants on their company.
It might be because they are in demand of it due to the low wages. Well, no workers will stay when they can apply to a high paying job. Minimum wage jobs is like a place to acquire experience more than a stable job.
As he got back home, he quickly goes to the kitchen and cook a simple sunny side up egg. It's one of the simple dishes that he can make.
The egg is not even that good. The yolk hardens despite using a bit amount of salt.
He pairs the egg with sliced breads that he just bought on the nearby market. These meal is enough for him to be stuffed.
After he is done eating, he decided to go back to his room and laid on his bed.
He is already done cleaning his house. There is still the rat problem and some insect problems within, but he didn't have enough capital to buy some rat traps or hire an expert to take care of his insect problems.
He knows he can't just take care of all of it with just a bug spray or something, so he is thinking of hiring an exterminator in the future.
For now, he decided to take the time to rest, and let his mind wander.
".... Wait, I have that thing right?"
[Gacha Girls Alternative]
GP : 0
Heavenly Partners
(Games)(+)
(Alternative Shop)(+)
Opening and looking at the floating panel once more, he frowns when he recalls something.
"Right. This game is broken."
Heavenly Partners without the adventure or even most of it's important option to function as a game is not a game at all. He felt stupid trying this.
He decided to explore more of this mysterious floating panel and open the Games menu. When he got there and was just planning to unlock a new game, he is surprised to see that there are prices attached besides the game titles.
"100 GP!?" His eyes turned to the GP section. "Where would I get that amount!?"
He looks at the Alternative Shop and see that, unlike the Game section, it is now asking for real money. In US dollars specifically.
The things within the Alternative Shop are something he knows.
"Wait. Aren't these the items from Heavenly Partners?"
"But wait, there are also some items listed here that I don't recall being on the game. I wonder what are these?"
He shrugs his shoulder. "Well, it's not like I can buy any of these since I'm broke."
He is not literally penniless, but he have to save those money for emergency, and also for the taxes or else he will have a lot of trouble. So he is technically broke right now.
"Then what's the point of this power?" He said with a frown.
He goes back on the main section and pick the only game he have unlocked. The game loads before showing the home screen of the Heavenly Partners, minus the character that's supposed to greet him.
"What a scam! It's not even giving me the login bonuses!"
"Well, at least there is the Gacha function."
He picks the Gacha option, and the home screen changes to the Gacha Panel where it shows some of the characters he can take. Along with it are two options. These are the single roll and the 9+1 rolls.
To roll on the Gacha, he must have a 100 Destiny Stones first. Destiny Stones are the premium currency of this game and to get it, he must pay for it in real life, finish some main quest or event quest, or defeat a world boss of an even boss.
Those are impossible. There is no microtransaction options within this game, there is no main quest or event option within, and the world boss option is also missing. So he didn't have the chance to get whatever.
He is surprised when he found out that he have a single Dao Ticket. Dao Ticket is an item to roll for the Gacha. One of it equals one single roll.
"... Well, dunno how I can play with the character without the battle option, but whatever."
He decided to use the Dao Ticket, rolling for a single character. The scene changes into the image of the clouds with the sun shining through it. Then some spell circle with traditional Mandarin appears on the screen before a single blue flame lit up on one of the small circles within this spell circle. Another blue flame lits up until every small circles were lit up by blue flames.
After that, the blue flames converged and some fanfare occurs. It shows a critical success, repeating the previous animation awhile ago. Though instead of a light spell circle, it is now a purplish spell circle.
The blue flames coverges once again before it lits up, and a fanfare occurs.
The scene changed with a slip of a card and a silhouette of a character. After a moment, the silhouette of the character slowly unveils itself, showing the beautiful appearance of the character he got.
[SR ~ Li Xiaxi] (Story Complete)
HP : 5 Stars
Cultivation : 6 Stars
Technique : 5 Stars
Talent : 5 Stars
Charisma : 4 Stars
("I am Li Xiaxi, of the Eternal Sculpture Sect. If you want anything from me, just call me and this Big Sister will help you!")
(Abilities)
Pure Ice Physique
Winter Lady's Bloodline
Arctic Sculpture Sword Style
Heavenly Ice Manifestation
Domain : Ice World
Auxiliary : Cold Alchemy
Auxiliary : Traditional Arts
"... Oh, I got her."
Li Xiaxi, one of the characters in Heavenly Partners that's a part of the MC's harem. She is a beautiful girl with long snow-colored haired and sapphire-like eyes. She is a fairy rivalling the beauty of the gentle snow, though her anger seems to be likened to that of a raging snow breeze, or so what the game defines her.
Actually, he didn't have much of an impression of the girl other than "She looks like a Yuki-Onna".
He quickly left that screen with the back option and goes back to the home screen.
"... Right, it really is broken."
After getting a character, the home screen was supposed to show one of the characters he currently owned greeting him. Not seeing it makes him more convinced that this mysterious panel seems to be broken.
"... Well, let's just explore more of it. I am not even doing anything right now."
He operated the game and chooses the Character option. From there, he can see one of the character slots showing the image of Li Xiaxi.
He mentally poked it, and saw the usual options.
"Hm?"
He narrowed his eyes, seeing a new option called as Deploy. That's not an option within the game, as far as he can remember.
He tries to pick that, and is surprised when his room suddenly shined brightly. He covered his eyes with his arms.
After the light dims down, he slowly lowered his arms, looking at the direction where the light comes from. He gawks at the person that is suddenly standing in there.
It is a heavenly beauty with porcelain skin, and an elaborate robe that can be likened to a stylised kimono. She have a hair the same color as the snow and her slowly opening eyes looks like the ocean itself. She have a perfect angular face and shaped nose, and her thin soft lips quirks into a smile as her eyes pointed at him.
"My dear, I have finally found you!"
Without having the time to recover from his shocked, the beautiful lady spreads her arms and hugs his head. The side of his landed on her bountiful bosom, which makes him snapped out of his shock.
He tries to wriggle out of her way, but she is unrelenting on her hug. He might feel a bit excited at a beautiful woman wrapping him with her bosom, but the strength of her arms is too much that he is losing his breath.
"W-wha!?"
"Ah! I'm sorry!"
It seems like she noticed his predicament as she finally relented, giving him the time to finally take a breather.
'Fuck! Is that Li Xiaxi in the flesh!?'
His mind still can't comprehend it. The girl that appeared besides him is someone who only existed on his game. So seeing her in the flesh is breaking his common sense on this world.
'Is it because I chose that option?' His mind recall the Deploy option.
While he is trying to take his composure back, the lady is looking around the place with a look of disappointment.
"How cruel! This place lacks the Heavenly Qi!"
"You also lack any cultivation. I can't sense anything other than our fated bond with each other! Is this because of this Mortal Realm?"
"My poor dear, you have suffered so much. But you don't have to endure anymore. This Li Xiaxi will take you back to the Heavens and return your former glory! As one of your esteemed wife, I shall make sure you are well cared!"
The whole place suddenly turned cold, and the sky seems to be creating a large amount of snow. It's like the heavens is responding to her declaration.
"Woah there lady, hold that thought for a bit!"
"Hm? What is it, my dear?"
He felt strange seeing this heavenly beauty asking him with an innocent tilt of her head. He quickly shook his head out of that thought.
"Sorry. I don't have plan to go to heaven or wherever it is. I am fine living in this world!"
He don't know what is so appealing to the Heavens, but he definitely didn't want to go back there.
Recalling the disorganized plotlines that is the Heavenly Partners game, he knows that the world works on Xianxia cliches. It's full of faceslapping, looking for trouble, jade beauties, and young masters in it.
He didn't want to go to the Heaven where, if he remembers it right, are full of godly beings capable of deleting mortals with a single flick of their finger. Killing is also a common trope in it, which is also another minus for him.
'Fuck, why did I pick this game?' He mentally face palmed. 'Right, I didn't think about it too much when I am picking!'
He isn't seriously contemplating about it. The games are games, and it isn't possible to suddenly become real. Even when the floating panel is stuck in front of her vision.
Anyway, he really don't want to go back to his glory or whatever. He is sure it will be full of struggles and life and death situations. Life here will be much better than walking the thin line of death.
"If it's my dear's decision, then this Li Xiaxi will adjust and live with you! I swear upon my ancestor's name!"
He is having a hard time trying to wrap his head about that. Though he can understand why she is like this.
The faceless MC that the players uses have made it clear that he is the absolute top of that world, despite not showing it in-game. He is also the greatest authority within his harem, and his harem approves of this somehow.
It's been shown on many main stories, extra stories, and event stories how much they idolized the MC. They don't question his decision, and in the rare case that they did, they will immediately be proven wrong and their impression of the MC increases further. It goes to the point that even his own dirt are being worshipped by all of his wives.
Basically, it's a type of story where he shouldn't think about it too much and enjoy the contents of the game.
He is just curious about one thing.
"How did you know that it was me?"
She immediately comprehends his question.
"Of course. Our bonds of fate are connected. We are inseparable from destiny. Even the heavens can't deny this bond!"
He looks at her, not knowing what to say about that. He didn't see that anywhere on the story, so he have no clue whatever she is talking about.
'Bonds of fate? Destiny? What the hell are you talking about lady?'
He just shuts his mouth and let her be.
"Okay fine. You can live with me."
"Of course! That is decided a long time ago!"
He looks at her with a deadpan, not knowing where to retort on her sentence. He just sighs before looking at the sky.
".... Wait, why is there snow falling?"
As far as he can remember, it is still summer. Snow shouldn't be appearing right now!
"Ah...! I'm sorry...."
He glances at her and saw her looking at him sheepishly. Then he made another sigh.
'Goddamn, I have the literal embodiment of winter as my housemate. What should I do with this?' He lamented with another exasperated sigh.