[CONGRATULATIONS! SPECIAL REWARD UNLOCKED!]
[BOND LEVEL: 100%]
[REWARD UNLOCKED: WORLD-TRANSFER RING]
"The hell is this?"
Onscreen, a small silver ring materialized midair in front of Aiko's sprite.
Aiko tilted her head.
She knelt in the mud, cautious fingers brushing the ring. In feudal Japan, rings weren't jewelry—they were foreign, meaningless.
The game's system note popped up:
[ITEM: WORLD-TRANSFER RING]
[Hold an object + touch ring to send to bonded player.]
[One transfer per day. No weight limit.]
Michael sat up.
Transfer items? Like… between her world and mine?
His mind raced. If Aiko could send him something, anything, maybe he could use it against Saeko's goons.
But how to explain it to her? The emergency message function was locked for seven days.
"C'mon, Aiko," he muttered, watching her poke the ring with a stick. "Just put it on. Please."
Aiko squinted at the strange silver circle.
It shimmered faintly, unlike any metal she knew.
Maikeru-sama's gift. She flinched as memories of the flowers resurfaced—petals raining down, warmth flooding her chest.
For days, he'd clothed, fed, and protected her. And now this… What does it mean?
She prodded the ring with her dagger.
When it didn't react, she lifted it. Too small for a bracelet. Too rigid for a hairpin. What is this?
She stood abruptly.
"Is this… a symbol?" she asked the empty air. "A mark of your claim?" Her cheeks warmed. Men of her clan wore family crests when betrothed. But Maikeru-sama was no ordinary man.
A cricket chirped in the wreckage.
Michael stared at his phone screen, shaking his head.
Think, Cobb. She's stuck. You're stuck. How do you explain "interdimensional FedEx" without words?
His thumb scrolled frantically through the game's UI.
No chat function. No emojis. Just the ring's vague description and a bond meter glowing at 100%. He leaned back, the bedsprings creaking.
"Think," he muttered, pacing his dorm room. His prosthetic arm buzzed faintly, as if annoyed by his lack of progress. "How do you talk to someone without words? Charades? Treats? Flowers?"
The answer hit him like a fastball.
Positive reinforcement. When she did something right, he'd reward her. When she guessed wrong, he'd give a different result. Simple.
Flowers for "good job," rotten meat for "stop that." Basic. But it's all he'd got.
Okay, time to experiment.
Aiko squinted at the silver ring glinting in the mud. What purpose does this serve? She'd heard witches swallow trinkets during rituals. Was this… like that? A initiation piece? She glanced at the sky. "Maikeru-sama? Am I to eat this?"
No answer. Just the chirp of crickets.
Michael slapped his forehead. He couldn't tell her, so he bought the cheapest item he could find—a dead fish.
[ITEM PURCHASED: ROTTING MACKEREL - $5]
A slimy fish smacked Aiko's face. She yelped, scrambling back. The mackerel flopped at her feet, reeking of decay. Ugh! Is this punishment? She glared at the ring. Clearly, eating it displeases him.
Michael groaned. Aiko. Try again.
Aiko dipped her sleeve in a puddle, scrubbing fish guts off her cheek.
Next theory: combat. She slid the ring onto her dagger's hilt as a makeshift guard. "A decorative enhancement?" She swung the blade experimentally.
Oh come on! Michael bought a rubber chicken.
[ITEM PURCHASED: ROTTEN CHICKEN - $10]
Aiko stared at the rancid floppy yellow creature and dodged while grimacing.
This isn't what Mikairu-sama wanted, either.
Michael facepalmed.
She's gonna take ages to get the right answer.
Aiko circled the ring. If not jewelry or weapon… perhaps a spiritual focus? She knelt, pressing the ring to her forehead in prayer. "Maikeru-sama, guide this humble—"
[ITEM PURCHASED: ROTTEN SQUID - $10]
The squid slapped Aiko's feet with a wet thwap.
Aiko gagged, flinging the slimy tentacle off her shoulder. "Wrong again?!" She hurled the ring into the mud.
Silence.
She stared at her hands—calloused, scarred, trembling.
Maikeru-sama's voice had been urgent earlier. Now… silent.
Was he disappointed?
Her chest tightened. No. He's never abandoned me. She crawled through the muck, retrieving the ring. "Once more."
Aiko studied the ring.
Circular. Fits on… A finger decoration?
She slid the ring onto her pinky.
"YES!" Michael fist-pumped.
Positive reinforcement worked. Now, time to make sure she stayed happy with her new accessory.
He quickly scrolled through the in-game store.
Flowers had worked before, right? Cheap, easy, and no creepy vibes. His thumb jabbed the [WILDFLOWER BUNDLE] button again.
Petals showered from the sky, scattering across Aiko's mud-caked knees.
She blinked as a daisy landed in her palm—soft, impossibly fresh despite the ruined forest around her. Her cheeks warmed.
Another gift?
She glanced at the ring glinting on her finger. Had she… pleased him this time?
[WORLD-TRANSFER RING EQUIPPED!]
[ITEM UNLOCKED: RING USER MANUAL (ILLUSTRATED)!]
[PRICE: $9,999.99! ~ ONE TIME OFFER!]
"Classic move," Michael muttered. The Game waited until he'd already struggled, and was too invested to back off, and then decided to give him an offer that he'd first thought of as ridiculous.
Oh well.
Just letting her putting on the ring took such a pain, and he dreaded even thinking about walking her through the process of selecting an item, intending on offering it, and making sense of it vanishing it in front of her eyes.
[PURCHASE CONFIRMED: RING USER MANUAL (ILLUSTRATED)]
[REMAINING FUND: $30,217.01]
A swirl of light burst above Aiko's campfire. She yelped as a scroll smacked her in the face.
Aiko unrolled the parchment with trembling hands. The drawings were crude, clearly made by someone with the artistic skills of a concussed toddler.
Panel 1: A stick figure (her?) holding a ring.
Panel 2: The stick figure touching a rock to the ring.
Panel 3: The rock vanishing.
Panel 4: A happy face.
"You… want me to make things disappear?" Aiko muttered. Her ribs ached where Tatsuya had kicked her. Is this a test?
She picked up a pebble. Pressed it to the ring.
Nothing.
"Focus on intent," she read from the scroll's shaky calligraphy. "What intent?" She glared at the pebble. Go away? Transform? Explode?
The pebble wobbled.
Then popped out of existence.
Michael's phone buzzed. A notification blinked:
[ITEM RECEIVED: PEBBLE (COMMON)]
The stress ball on his desk thunked to the floor. In its place sat a wet, mud-stained rock.
"Yes!" Michael fist-pumped, wheeling backward so fast his chair slammed into the mini-fridge. "She did it! Okay, okay. Now respond."
He scrolled past weapons and armor, stopping at the florist section. Flowers worked before...but go big this time.
He winced at the price tag - [$500 for a "Heavenly Bloom Bouquet"] - but tapped [BUY] anyway. Worth it if it keeps her trusting me.
Aiko jumped as a burst of color exploded in front of her.
Dozens of roses, lilies, and strange spiral-petaled flowers tumbled from thin air, their sweet smell overpowering the forest rot. She caught a blood-red rose before it hit the mud, thorns magically softened.
Aiko stared at the sudden explosion of flowers, grip tightening on the muddy pebble she'd just made vanish. Her eyes darted between the ring and the fresh petals littering the ground.
"The pebble disappeared… then flowers came," she muttered, heart racing. The crudely drawn manual flashed in her mind—vanishing rocks, happy faces. "Mikairu-Sama, You… want me to send you things?" she blurted, holding up the ring. "This ring—it lets me offer you gifts!"
Michael nearly dropped his phone.
"Thank God, she's smart after all," he muttered, slumping in relief.
Now she can send me something useful. Maybe a weapon? A magical artifact? His mind raced with possibilities, fingers already itching to test the ring's limits.
Michael slumped into his dorm chair. Part of him hated how the game monetized basic human decency, but the relieved slump of Aiko's shoulders on-screen made his chest unclench. Keep her alive first. Figure out the what he's going to need later.
Right now, both her and his priorities are: food, sleep, security.
He tapped a [SLEEPING BAG - 200 ] , then [ROYAL STEW − 200].
The tent's floor suddenly sprouted a fluffy sleeping bag, while a steaming clay pot appeared beside Aiko.
Aiko yelped, dagger drawn, then froze.
The stew's rich aroma made her stomach growl. Maikeru-sama provides again. She slurped the broth, warmth spreading through her limbs. If before she blushes for eating in front of Kami-sama, now, she found herself more and more at ease with it.
The sleeping bag felt like cloud-down—softer than any brothel silk. She sank into it, clutching the phoenix cloak around her. Safe. Cared for. A foreign sensation prickled her eyes. Why… why does he…?
Michael smirked as her stress stats dipped. Good. Now, security. He bought [SHADEWARD TOTEM - $500], a glowing post that'd zap anything hostile. Aiko stared as the totem hummed to life outside her tent, casting a blue shield. No monsters tonight. Perfect.
Aiko curled deeper into the sleeping bag, cheeks flushing.
He thinks of everything.
Her mind drifted—what did Maikeru-sama look like? Kind eyes? A gentle voice?
She imagined a noble warrior, his hand brushing hers as he passed her a flower… Stop!
She buried her face in the cloak, face burning. Foolish. He's a guardian, not… not… But her chest fluttered traitorously.
Michael yawned, setting his phone to charge. She's safe. Tomorrow's problems can wait. He flopped onto his bed, prosthetic arm retracting to a normal-looking amputated stump.
For the first time in years, she slept as a young girl coming of age: all her troubles were reduced to a person… a man… that she'd dreamed about seeing in person.