It all started like this...
It was a perfectly normal day, the kind of day you would expect to be the end of your daily life. I had gone to work and took my usual train. I greeted all my colleagues in the office. I sat down in front of my computer and started to put together a spreadsheet that I had to distribute by the end of the day, so I was extremely focused.
So focused that I didn't notice my most unwanted colleague, Junichi. He was sitting next to me, probably trying to greet me with a somewhat stern expression on his face.
He was a lonely person, and I tried to make contact with him, but the result was always the same: he seemed completely annoyed by my presence. Not just with him, but with everyone, and what's more, he always gave me cold and rude replies. It was a shame, because he had a nice face, you could even say he was handsome.
His character just ruined everything, I couldn't quite accept being a nuisance to him, so every now and then I would shake hands with him.
But today I didn't pay any attention to what he was saying, and it was obvious just by looking at his face that he was annoyed. In the end, I just thought it wasn't a big deal and went back to work.
Maybe Junichi was about to say something when-
[Hello players, did you enjoy this easy mode of the game? This may be bad news for some of you, good news for others, but it will affect all of you. From now on, the difficulty of your game will increase drastically to EXTREME. You will be given some challenges to overcome and will either be rewarded if you succeed or punished if you fail. Enjoy the "GAME"]
This raised a lot of questions for us, completely unexpected. A game, challenges, what the hell was he talking about? I couldn't lose my composure, I kept a poker face and analysed my surroundings. I even thought it was all in my head, but when I looked at the others it was clear that it wasn't just me.
Everyone was in the same state as me, they didn't know what the message was about. I looked to my right, where my colleague was sitting. He had a pale face, he seemed completely frightened.
But I couldn't really worry about others now, I had to-
KrKrKrKr
I heard electric sparks flying and then I noticed that everyone in the office started to disappear. That sound was coming from them.
I looked at my own body: this process started for me too, as I looked I felt a hand on my right arm. I was just wondering what it was when I heard a trembling voice:
"D-d-don't ask any q-questions, I-I thought that if we d-d-did disappear, at least being b-b-both of us together would give us more c-chance of survival."
That wasn't a bad idea, because just as I was about to answer, my body disappeared, but I could still feel his touch. I didn't know how, but somehow I was still conscious, apparently my conscience couldn't communicate with Junichi's, though .
FshhFshhFshh
I could see my body again. There was nothing around me but a vast forest with no sign of civilisation, no people to be seen. I really was in another world. Out of the blue, another tablet appeared in front of my eyes.
[Character Display
Name: Akari
Race: Human
Age: 23
Class: Lover
Skill: Lover's Kiss Lv.1, Lover's Cheer Lv.1
Stats: Strength Lv.2, Defence Lv.1, Agility Lv.2, Mana Lv.3]
I couldn't understand a single thing about this, class, skill, stats. What the hell were they all?
FzzFzzFzz
Another body appeared near me, it was Junichi. I could feel his touch again, but unlike before, this time it was in a different place, on my chest. I started to blush and scream.
"Aaah, pervert!"
SpshSpshSpsh
Then I slapped him as hard as I could and got at least 5 metres away. He had a nice, shapely red mark of my five fingers on his left cheek. He didn't understand, it was natural, after appearing out of nowhere he just got a slap in the face.
"Calm down, please. It was just an accident because of the teletransportation of this "GAME" or whatever it is. Besides, I would never touch a woman there, especially if it's you."
"Ah, so you're saying you wouldn't touch me because I'm bad-looking, sorry Mr Handsomeness."
"How the hell did you get that? And why would you want me to touch your chest? Anyway, we have bigger things to deal with now".
That was true, I didn't know why I felt a little unhappy when he said that. Did I really want him to touch me? No, that would be impossible, those were just silly thoughts. I started talking again:
"Okay, let's say we are in another world and there is a "GAME" going on, what should we do? Also, can I consider you my ally or are you my enemy?"
This was a legitimate question, as the world could now become a PvP, perhaps a Battle Royal game.
"Of course I'm your ally, unless the "GAME" demands otherwise, for now let's exchange information. That's the most powerful thing right now. So let's see, my information is... What the hell is this class? Well, I'm just telling you the truth, but you might not believe me. Well, my class is The Loved One, I don't have any skills apart from Dagger Use, and as for my stats, they're nothing special, they're all at level 3."
I looked at him without saying a word. One thing has been on my mind for a while now, and what he just said was probably a confirmation. As soon as Junichi arrived, a message bombarded me.
[You have met your fated one, he is the one you love and cherish the most.]
My class was Lover, he was The Loved One, I received this message when I saw him. No matter how many times I thought about it, it all led to one and only one conclusion: I was forced to interact with him in the sense of a lover.
"Okay, now listen carefully and pay extreme attention to what I say... mhm... well... let's say our classes are connected and they work together, what would you tell me?"
I could see his expression stiffen, it was certainly something unexpected -
[Challenge: Survive the Attack
A lesser goblin has sensed your presence and your scent. Its hunger is driving it to you for a nice lunch. Survive its attack with all your strength.
Clearance condition: goblin killed (0/1)
Failure: death
Reward: +1 stat level to your choice]
We were caught up in the pace of the "GAME", and we couldn't even finish talking about it. A challenge, that's what the message we saw earlier meant. Basically, we're fighting for our own lives, but that's not everyday life.
FrrFrrFrr
The lesser goblin arrived right in front of us, its vicious intentions were oppressing us. There was no time to think about it, now I had to test if all my assumptions about the class were correct. I tried to remember what my abilities were, and one came to mind: Lover Kiss. There was only one thing I could do, the goblin was approaching and time was running out.
I gathered all my courage and then...
Smooch
A kiss, I kissed him on the cheek. Suddenly, his expression changed, as if he was now sure that he could win. Out of nowhere, Junichi picked up a dagger and rushed at the goblin. Now, his skills were higher than those of the monster, who tried to defend himself, but couldn't.
It all ended in a few seconds, yet this was only the calm before the storm. With the goblin's body dead, we could now rest easy. We took the rewards and then distributed these stats.
"What the hell was that? Did you really have to kiss me?!"
Now we came to talk about what had happened, we had to face it, and I inevitably needed him to be safe in this world, so I had to be on his side.
"Look, it's not that I dream of kissing you, and that was just my farewell. As I tried to explain to you earlier, it was all because of our classes. Yours is The Loved One, while mine is Lover. Can't you see that they are related?"
I took a few seconds to catch my breath because I was talking too fast. When he was about to say something, I started again:
"Besides, that's not my only proof, it was just a guess at first, which was later confirmed. As soon as I met you here, I received a message telling me that you were my beloved. So, since we had to face this lesser goblin in order to survive, I had to be matter-of-fact and just do something. As I suspected, my ability boosts you whenever I kiss you, so we'll keep working together, I guess."
"Mhm, good."
He replied with a disappointed face. But he didn't refuse, he just agreed reluctantly. Maybe because he felt that what I was saying was right, or maybe just out of desperation, he agreed.