In Azlian society, there are a total of four genders, and cross-gender or same-gender marriage is commonplace here. However, the highest rate of pairing in marriage is between F+ and F-, as well as M+ and M-, due to their shared similar characteristics, and lifestyles, leading to better compatibility.
Statistically, Azlians who are F+ and F- are easily drawn to each other, much like Azlians who are M+ and M-, and they have special tactile senses that respond to each other. It could be called a sexual attraction hormone that both parties have.
Since this attendant is also M+, he was puzzled why Shan didn't seem like an M+ like him. If Shan were to say he is M-, it would still be more believable. Nevertheless, as a mere servant of the sponsor, he could only keep his doubts to himself.
In addition, with his tactile senses, the attendant strongly perceived Vinzent as an M+, unlike Shan in every way. Even though Vinzent was still young, his M+ nature might be suppressed by his youth. Vinzent himself hadn't reached full adulthood yet, so his M+ traits might not be fully evident. However, he could feel that Vinzent had a strong M+ presence, to the point where he himself felt intimidated.
At such a young age, Vinzent already exuded such an intense M+ presence that the attendant couldn't imagine what it would be like when he fully matured. He couldn't help but worry about the new sponsor, who seemed oblivious to this aspect of Vinzent. Out of concern, the attendant decided to offer a warning.
"Mr. Shan, you've just entered the capital. Do you happen to know the term 'trap'?"
"Huh? Trap?" Shan listened, furrowing his brow.
"Exactly," the attendant responded and explained further. "Trap is a slang term used here in the city. Since F+ and F- individuals, as well as M+ and M- individuals, share the same physical sex, it can sometimes be difficult to determine whether the other person is + or -. The term 'trap' is often used when one person falls in love with another, believing them to be their desired gender, only to find out later that they're not."
"Confused. I don't get it," Shan muttered, feeling increasingly overwhelmed by the complexities of gender in this game.
"Let me give you a simple example," the attendant continued. "Imagine Mr. S is M+ and falls in love with Mr. V, believing him to be M-. They fall in love and get married. Only later does Mr. S discover that Mr. V is actually M+. But it's too late to back out, as Mr. S has already lost his virginity to Mr. V. This is what we call 'trap.' It's a common occurrence in our city, hence it has become a slang term."
"Ah," Shan nodded slightly. "Interesting. But why did you tell me this? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with me."
"Huh?" The attendant was taken aback.
He thought he had made his point quite clear. The initials S stood for Shan, and the initials V stood for Vinzent. He had gone out of his way to warn Shan out of good intentions, as Shan was about to fall into a trap. He advised him to pull out before it was too late.
However, Shan seemed not only oblivious to the warning but also indifferent, dismissing it as irrelevant to him.
The attendant could only sigh, deciding to let it be. After all, it was none of his business. He was just a sponsor attendant.
Shan was watching the competition intently. Each side's Wishers often came from different sponsors, with some representing the same sponsor forming a team, while others mixed various affiliations.
Two teams would compete against each other, each side with 10 team members. The Wishers stood on circular platforms surrounding the arena, and the competition was displayed as a holographic projection in the center of the arena, showcasing their skills to the fullest.
Although the fighting wasn't much different from what Shan had experienced in the game, seeing it in real life with stunning and realistic special effects made it even more exciting.
However, Shan's reason for coming here wasn't to watch these competitions.
He was here to see Vinzent after all.
"So, when is Vinzent's round?" Shan could barely contain his excitement.
"Well, Vinzent…" the attendant stammered, "As I mentioned before, Vinzent is not accepted by either the sponsors or the other Wishers. In every competition, he always loses in the first round. While other teams can find 10 members to compete, Vinzent's team has no other members. He always competes alone."
"Why is that? Why don't you guys help him find a team?"
Shan had no idea his Waifu was in such a pitiful state. He thought Vinzent in the game was already miserable enough, but he never expected the beta test system to torment Vinzent in the same way. This game was just too cruel to his waifu.
"The Wisher Association isn't to blame for this, sir. Vinzent himself doesn't care about the wisher ranking system either. He seems to have registered as a wisher just to follow Dayland's regulations and maintain his ranking to receive his salary. Therefore, we can't help him, as it would be unfair to the others. Sponsors who are committed to progress wouldn't want Vinzent on their team, and any wisher who is serious about competing to rise in the ranks wouldn't want Vinzent as a teammate either."
Shan couldn't help but feel sympathy for Vinzent's isolation. It was perhaps this very sense of loneliness that drew Shan to this character in a special way.
When he first started playing the game, Shan's initial attraction to the young character stemmed purely from his personal preferences. He wasn't drawn to older male characters and felt indifferent to all the female ones. Instead, he found himself drawn to the young, shota-type characters, as they filled him with a sense of excitement and motivation to play. And for Shan, Vinzent fit perfectly into that category.
Vinzent was an UR character who was considered weak and had the smallest fan base. Players who pulled him from gacha rarely expressed joy, some players even became so frustrated that they considered quitting the game altogether. If they could switch to another UR character, they wouldn't complain this much.
In the game world, Vinzent was perceived as useless and worthless by almost all players, mirroring the negative perception he faced in the real world.
Shan, too, lived a solitary life. No one around him was genuine; everyone only cared about his money, not who he truly was. Perhaps Shan and Vinzent shared a commonality in their lack of love.
Shan was aware that without his wealth, he might be abandoned just like Vinzent, who was forsaken by both players and the in-game world.
In truth, even though Shan is dissatisfied with the game that created Vinzent to be such a miserable character and didn't even buff him at all, as an investor hoping for profit, Shan himself understands well that it's a brutal marketing mechanism. The format of Gacha games must include characters that are not worth it so that the remaining characters are valuable enough for players to spend money on in-game pulls.
Just like this in-game world with its ranking system, there must be lousy wishers at the bottom of the ladder, including UR Wishers like Vinzent who perform worse than SR ones. This serves to make those at the top of the rankings feel superior.
So, it's a sad fate for those who fall in love with a character labeled as the 'salt' of the gacha pool or a wisher who was banned from society.
Shan sat lost in thought until the stadium announcer called out the names of the next competitors.
"…Vinzent LeFolyn…"
Shan perked up immediately upon hearing the name of his favorite Waifu. All other thoughts vanished; his entire focus now directed towards the arena.
A young man with bright golden hair stepped onto the arena alone, without any teammates. He wore a gray shirt under a long white coat that fluttered with his movements. As his black boots landed on the circular platform, his hand encased in a leather glove gripped the gun tightly. Although his thin lips were pressed together in a smileless expression, Vinzen's youthful face still appeared strikingly handsome, contrasting sharply with his indifferent, bright orange eyes that seemed utterly bored with what he was doing.
Even though Vincent had an attractive and beautiful face, like an anime character known as a 'bishonen' (pretty boy), everyone in the stadium looked at him with disdain and contempt. Only a sponsor like Shan could see his charm and found himself irresistibly captivated by Vincent's cuteness.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere on the opposing team's side was entirely different. The rookie wisher team, sponsored by a renowned corporation, had identical uniforms and wielded top-tier weaponry. The crowd erupted in thunderous cheers for Vinzent's opponents, their attention solely focused on the formidable team. The solitary young man, standing like an outcast sheep, remained unnoticed and unappreciated.
To the spectators, this 10-on-1 duel was a foregone conclusion. Vinzent's team lacked the prowess to attempt a solo victory. Everyone knew this young man would be crushed, the match would end in just under ten seconds.
However, for the new sponsor, excitement was beyond his control. His mind was lost in a whirlwind of adoration. Previously, Shan had spent millions, only able to admire his waifu through a computer screen. But all the money he'd spent…it had brought him to this moment, where his waifu stood right there, beside the arena.
How could Shan possibly just sit back and watch?
Shan, the crazed waifu enthusiast, tossed his sanity to the wind, strummed his brain into dust. He bolted from his seat, sprinted through the security checkpoint, and leaped over the barrier into the arena.
As the sponsor zone was a VIP area, it was positioned closest to the competition arena.
"Mr. Shan... no, you can't! Mr. Shan!!!" The officers sprang into action, chasing after the frantic Shan.
But Shan paid no heed, sprinting recklessly towards Vinzent, who stood on the circular platform, ready to enter the arena.
The entire stadium was now in chaos due to the unruly sponsor's intrusion, delaying the start of the match.
Who could have known that this sponsor's sole objective was...
"My beloved waifu! I'm here for you~!"
Shan shouted across the arena without any shame, ignoring the chaos he was causing.
Vinzent, standing on the circular platform, remained still and unfazed. He had always viewed these competitions as mere obligations to be fulfilled. This time, chaos erupted before the match even began, yet Vinzent watched the scene with an indifferent expression.
He saw the sponsor leap from his seat and run onto the field. The man ran towards him with a fanatical and overjoyed expression, pursued by security officers. It was as if a male dog in heat had spotted a female dog and bolted towards her in a frenzy, driven by an instinctive urge to mate, oblivious to the owner's pursuit.
Initially, Vinzent didn't think this incident had anything to do with him, so he watched it with a calm expression.
He pondered to himself that this sponsor didn't look familiar, probably a new one. But Vinzent had never cared much about the Wisher Association's affairs.
Nevertheless, Vincent couldn't shake off his sense of curiosity. Why was this man's gaze fixed on him with such an oddly sparkling intensity? More importantly, those eyes were incredibly captivating.
Until this sponsor shouted at the top of his lungs across the arena.
"Vinzent baby~"
Vinzent raised an eyebrow in surprise. Did this sponsor know him?
In Vinzent's perspective, this sponsor appearance was not bad. He was of average height, probably older than Vinzent. His dark brown hair was styled simply, and he wore a T-shirt, sweatpants, and white flip-flops. It was an unusual outfit for someone in the capital city, perhaps indicating a fashion trend from the foreign Azlia region. Of course, Vinzent had no idea that this was Shan's usual attire before he was transported to this world.
This sponsor was a short man, unable to run as fast as the security officers, so Shan's disruption of the competition didn't last long. Before he could even reach Vinzent's spot, he was apprehended by the officers.
Even though Shan refused to give up, he believed that his waifu, Vinzent, would hear him. The more Shan noticed Vinzent's gaze directed towards him, the more excited he became, akin to a crazed fan at a concert when their favorite singer looks at them.
"Vinzent! Listen to me!" Shan shouted.
Vinzent was surprised by the sponsor's behavior, acting as if they knew each other well, when he had never met the man before.
Vinzent couldn't understand why this man gave him a strange sense of familiarity. He waited to hear what the sponsor had to say but didn't pay much attention. Vinzent thought the sponsor seemed a bit odd, and his words probably wouldn't be too important.
Soon, he would be escorted out of the arena by the officers.
"Please marry me!"
However, Shan's words were completely beyond Vinzent's expectations. Shan shouted across the arena without a care in the world, amidst the stunned gasps from the spectators around the stadium. Even the officers who had apprehended Shan were left speechless in shock.
In the entire history of the Wisher League, such an incident had never occurred before. Never had a daring sponsor suddenly leapt from their seat, dashed towards an infatuated Wisher, and shouted a proposal of marriage.
Vinzent was stunned. Anyone would be shocked to be suddenly asked for marriage in a public setting, without a shred of shame or embarrassment.
It was as if Shan was declaring, 'I've been in love with you for a long time. I don't care when it started, but I'm going to announce my greatest love to the world!'
If Shan had intended to play this game to gain attention and be remembered by his number one Waifu...Well, he had already succeeded.