Chapter 2 - Marianna Janne

"Uh, sure."Satoru replied, though the girl before him left him thoroughly bewildered.

"What's your name, then?"The girl inquired, her eyes shimmering with curiosity and a hint of excitement.

Her gaze, filled with the sparkle of eager anticipation, seemed to hang on every word as she awaited his response.

"Satoru, Kamikawa Satoru," he replied succinctly, his eyes never straying from the girl's exquisite face. He observed her reaction to his name with keen interest.

As he continued to gaze, his admiration for her appearance deepened.

The girl's radiant white hair, paired with her flawless, pale complexion, exuded a beauty and elegance akin to that of a vampire.

There was an enchanting allure about her that captivated Satoru, compelling him to look on with an almost insatiable fascination.

The girl before him seemed utterly indifferent to Satoru's gaze. Upon hearing his response, she merely nodded, then began to idly gesture in the air with her fingers.

Her nonchalant demeanor left Satoru quite astonished.

Reflecting on his previous encounter with the girl who had been reading in front of him, he couldn't help but compare their reactions to his attention, marveling at the stark contrast between their responses.

The difference in their attitudes felt as vast as the heavens and the earth.

"Alright, accept my friend request," the girl suddenly said. She lifted her gaze, locking eyes with Satoru, who had been intently observing her.

In that fleeting moment, an unspoken connection passed between them, and the atmosphere grew somewhat tense and intimate.

The sensation was indescribably peculiar, but Satoru found it rather intriguing and pleasant.

However, Satoru quickly snapped out of his daze, his confusion growing. Accept a friend request? That seemed like something only found in games.

"Open your system and accept it," the girl urged impatiently, observing Satoru's blank expression with a touch of exasperation.

"How do I open the system?" Satoru asked, his voice tinged with uncertainty.

He felt like he was asking a question that any normal person should know. Indeed, the girl's lips curled into a faint, amused smile upon hearing his query.

"Oh, you can't possibly be serious," the girl said, her voice tinged with a blend of mirth and incredulity as a soft laugh escaped her lips. "I must admit, you were quite amusing just now, but it's time to serious, Satoru."

Satoru was at a loss, his confusion palpable. He genuinely didn't know how to open his system.

Observing his bewildered expression, the girl began to realize that he truly might be unfamiliar with how to access the system.

But how did he even ended up in Astralsya without knowing this? she pondered silently in her mind.

"Are you really this clueless?" she asked once more, her voice carrying a note of genuine curiosity and concern, as if she couldn't quite grasp the reality of the situation.

Satoru's slow nod confirmed her suspicion, and she was left to reconcile the strange reality before her.

"Well, how to put it... just summon your system in your mind," the girl said, pausing thoughtfully. She was genuinely unsure how to provide a more precise answer, finding it hard to believe this wasn't common knowledge.

Satoru couldn't help but feel a bit exasperated by the vague response. It sounded implausible. Nevertheless, he decided to try to follow her instructions.

The next moment, a translucent blue interface suddenly appeared in front of Satoru. He was clearly taken aback, not expecting that he would actually succeed.

"Just summoning the system within my mind? How fascinating," Satoru mused, examining the floating blue screen with a mix of curiosity and amazement.

"Yes, it is fascinating, isn't it?" she replied, her eyes fixed on Satoru as he used the system for the first time. Internally, she giggled as she found his reaction quite endearing.

The system interface before Satoru was imbued with a futuristic elegance, its blue and black color scheme resonating perfectly with his aesthetic preferences.

Satoru thought that the worldview in this world must be well-developed and captivating; at the very least, he found the concept of everyone seemed to be having a system to be incredibly appealing.

"Just click on the friends option, and you'll be able to accept my friend request. From then on, we'll be friends in every sense of the word!" the girl urged Satoru, her tone both impatient and playful.

Following her instructions, Satoru navigated the interface and soon, they were officially friends.

"Marianna Janne?" Satoru inquired, looking at the girl with a hint of curiosity.

"Yes, I am Marianna Janne," she admitted gracefully, her voice carrying a melodic quality.

"Oh, that's my fault," Janne laughed sheepishly, trying to cover up her oversight with a light-hearted chuckle. "We became friends, and I never properly introduced myself."

"I didn't mean to imply that you did anything wrong," Satoru quickly clarified, realizing she might have misunderstood him.

"Really? That's a relief," she said, her smile growing even more radiant. Satoru found himself captivated by her flawless smile, wishing that time could stand still, preserving her smile in an eternal moment.

"You are my first and only," Janne's sudden declaration caught Satoru off guard, snapping him out of his reverie as he was lost in her smile.

The weight of her words hung in the air, and Satoru found himself speechless, his heart racing slightly as he tried to process the unexpected confession.

"What are you thinking?" Janne quickly added, noticing the possible misunderstanding her words had caused. A slight blush colored her cheeks. "I meant you're my first and only friend."

"Oh, my bad." Satoru finally understood her meaning, mentally chiding himself for his poor logic. He should have realized that Janne meant it in a platonic sense. After all, who would say something so profound at a time like this?

The moment fell into an awkward silence because of this small mishap.

"By the way," Janne said, swiftly changing the topic to break the awkward silence, "I noticed you didn't even know how to use the system. You must be new to Astralsya, right? So, do you have a place to stay?"

She continued, her tone light and practical, as if she had just solved a puzzle. "I've been thinking—it's quite intriguing how someone who doesn't even understand the system could end up here. Perhaps there's a story behind it. I suppose I'm just really perceptive."

"Ah, I suppose I don't have a place to stay yet," Satoru replied, his mind wandering to the implications of her question. He wondered if Janne's inquiry was a subtle invitation to share lodgings.

If it were indeed an invitation, he would surely accept. After all, living with such a beautiful and warm-hearted girl would be a delightful experience.

It might even offer a chance to make up for the regret of never having shared living quarters with someone of the opposite sex in his previous life.

"Well… my place is quite spacious. I wouldn't mind having an extra person around, and I've been feeling quite lonely for a long time," Janne stammered, her cheeks flushed with a hint of embarrassment.

It was awkward for her to extend such an offer to a man she had only just met, especially considering the unconventional nature of inviting someone to live with her.

However, her deep-seated loneliness, stemming from personal reasons, made her yearn for companionship.

Despite her reservations, she had a gut feeling that Satoru wasn't the kind of person to exploit her hospitality.

Besides, even if he were, she was confident in her ability to handle him. After all, compared to someone who had just learned to use the system, she had faith in her own skills to manage any situation that might arise.

"Of course, this is a win-win situation for me," Satoru quickly agreed, his voice filled with gratitude.

He appreciated Janne's trust deeply. The fact that someone he had just met would extend such an offer spoke volumes about the trust he had managed to earn in such a short time.

"Is that so? That's wonderful, heehee," Janne replied with a bright, innocent smile, clearly delighted by Satoru's simple affirmation.

Seeing Janne's smile once more, Satoru felt a deep sense of affection for it.He found himself genuinely captivated by her smile.

"Her smile will be my sacred duty to protect!" he vowed silently to himself.

The sudden, unshakable determination in his eyes left Janne slightly bewildered. Yet, this quirky earnestness only made her smile even more radiant and charming.

"My home is situated halfway up the mountain; it's just a short walk from here," Janne said.

"The mountain's slopes? So this place, Astralaya, is actually situated on a mountain?" Satoru quickly grasped an unexpected piece of information from her words.

"Oh, I'm starting to wonder if you might be some sort of extraterrestrial being who just dropped in here. How could you not know such basic information? How did you even end up here if you don't know this?" Janne said, exaggerating for effect, though she was already accustomed to his apparent cluelessness.

"And by the way, it's Astralsya, not Astralaya, you silly," she added with a hint of playful reprimand.

"Ah, haha... My bad, my bad," Satoru could only laugh awkwardly to cover up his confusion, for he himself had no idea how he had suddenly found himself in this place.