I left the room and headed towards the bathroom, the weight of my responsibilities as an Unveiled momentarily forgotten as I focused on the simple pleasures of a hot shower and a few moments of peace.
Outside, IM fiddled with his new ManggosPhone, scrolling through settings and experimenting with different features. He stumbled upon the SIM card settings and, on a whim, entered a random string of numbers into the operator ID field, hoping to somehow activate the phone's cellular connection.
"Hmmm... 3GG7... sounds good," he muttered to himself, then pressed Enter.
Suddenly, a notification popped up on the screen: "Registration Complete. Read more."
IM's eyes widened in surprise. "Yooo! It worked! Xian!" he shouted excitedly.
I was in the shower, the sound of running water drowning out his shouts.
I stepped into the shower, letting the warm water cascade over my tired muscles. I reached for the shampoo, a familiar scent of citrus and mint filling the steamy air. As I lathered my long hair, I couldn't help but notice how tight and pulled back it felt.
Is this from wearing the helmet so much? I wondered, a slight twinge of discomfort nagging at my scalp.
Finishing my shower, I stepped out, feeling refreshed and invigorated. IM was sitting on my bed, his face lit up with a broad grin.
"What's up?" I asked, towel drying my hair.
"It worked!" he exclaimed, waving his phone excitedly. "I put in a random code, and it worked!"
"Really?" I asked, surprised.
"Yeah! I just typed in twelve random characters, and the eSIM activated!"
"That's incredibly lucky," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "The odds of that happening are one in a million."
"Can you add me to your group chats?" IM asked, a hint of eagerness in his voice.
"You want to be in the group chats?" I asked, surprised by his sudden interest in social media.
"Yeah," he replied, leaning closer to peer at my phone screen. "It seems like a good way to stay connected with everyone."
I nodded, understanding his reasoning. I added him to both the Unveiled Family group and the Class 11-4 group chat.
"Thanks!" he said, a wide grin spreading across his face.
I nodded in response, a small smile tugging at my lips.
IM immediately took advantage of his newfound access, typing out a message and sending it to both groups simultaneously.
[IM: What's up, guys! It's Eem!]
I let IM do as he pleased, a small smile playing on my lips as I watched him embrace the world of social media with surprising enthusiasm. Meanwhile, I turned my attention back to my laptop, my thoughts consumed by Hana Putri.
It had been a while since I first encountered her, and I had yet to make any real move to get to know her. Why? Well, I suppose I wanted our connection to develop organically, not forced. But tonight, I was determined to change that. I would use a little deception, a small white lie, to initiate a conversation.
I opened my browser and created two new InstingConnection accounts, one for myself and one for a fictitious persona. Then, I began to craft a message, a carefully worded introduction that would pique her interest without revealing my true intentions.
I began texting back and forth between my two fake accounts, creating a dialogue that would appear as if I was chatting with a girl. I planned to send Hanna Putri's number to the "fake girl" account, making it seem like a wrong number mix-up. Then, I would text her later in the evening, using a different name. If she revealed her real name, it would be a jackpot. I could simply claim that I was catfished, that the original person gave me the wrong number, and I ended up talking to her instead.
"You sound so creepy right now," IM remarked, a hint of amusement in his voice.
I looked at him, a sheepish grin on my face. "In this evolved form, can you still hear my thoughts?"
"Of course," he replied, a smirk playing on his lips.
"Sigh..." I let out a defeated sigh, knowing that my privacy was still limited, even with IM's new form.
I shook my head, accepting the reality of having a telepathic companion. "Just don't read my mind while I'm in the shower, okay?" I said with a playful grin.
IM chuckled. "Don't worry, I have some decency left," he replied.
I continued faking the InstingConnection conversation, my fingers flying across the keyboard as I crafted a believable exchange between two strangers. As the sun set and the sky darkened, the anticipation grew.
This is the moment. I thought to myself, my heart pounding in my chest. I opened my contacts and found the name I had saved a week ago: "The Target: Hanna."
I opened the chat window and typed a message:
[Me: Heyyy, save me to your contacts! It's Xian!]
With a deep breath, I hit send.
As soon as I sent the message, the "last seen" indicator beneath Hanna's name changed to "online." I quickly backed out of the chat, not wanting to appear too eager.
IM leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with anticipation. "Is this it?" he asked.
I nodded, my heart pounding in my chest. "Wish me luck," I whispered.
A moment later, a reply popped up on my screen.
[Hanna: Hello? Who is this?]
I grinned, my heart beating faster. I opened the chat and typed back:
[Me: This is Xian! From InstingConnection! We were talking earlier!]
[Hanna: Earlier? From InstingConnection?]
"Of course she's confused," I muttered to IM. "Now it's time to play the 'wrong number' card."
IM just shook his head, a bemused expression on his face.
[Me: This is Maya, right?] I typed, hoping to bait her into revealing her real name.
I waited anxiously, watching the typing indicator appear and disappear beneath Hanna's name.
[Hanna: Oh no, this is Hana, not Maya... Where did you get my phone number?]
"Got you," I whispered, a triumphant smile spreading across my face.
I quickly opened InstingConnection, took a screenshot of the fake conversation, and sent it to Hana.
[You send picture]
[Me: We were just talking earlier... or perhaps I got catfished?]
[Hanna: Haha... yeah, I'm sorry to say it, but you got played by that girl...]
[Me: Damn it... what's your name again?]
[Hanna: I'm Hanna. And you?]
[Me: Xian Ying.]
[Hanna: Hmm, that sounds Chinese.]
[Me: I'm half Chinese.]
[Hanna: I see...]
I continued chatting with her, trying to build a rapport while subtly pushing the conversation towards topics that would reveal more about her. Even though I knew her name and student ID from the university database, I wanted to act as if I were learning it all for the first time. It was a delicate dance, one that required careful manipulation and a convincing facade. After all, I had the power to change the course of events if she rejected me, but I preferred to avoid such drastic measures if possible.
< Chapter 092 > Fin.