At first, Gabriel refused Haruto's suggestion.
After all, she didn't want to live under the same roof as Haruto, who was practically a real demon.
Living together, Gabriel felt like she would be tormented every day.
However, before she could even voice her rejection, Haruto offered a deal she couldn't refuse.
"If you agree, I'll provide three meals a day for you. You already know Tohru, adding an extra pair of chopsticks is no big deal."
Haruto flashed a devilish grin.
The refusal that had reached Gabriel's lips was forcibly swallowed.
An angel never surrenders.... unless food and housing are included!
She had no choice, he was offering too much.
Gabriel would occasionally tag along with Shiro to mooch a meal at Haruto's place. She wholeheartedly acknowledged Tohru's cooking skills.
"I agree!"
After a mere fraction of a second of hesitation, Gabriel gave in.
As a result, Haruto casually reached into the air, and a document materialized in his hands.
Gabriel took it and saw that it was a fully drafted contract, meticulously detailed and formatted.
Gabriel: !
At that moment, a chill ran down Gabriel's spine.
Had she been targeted by this guy from the very beginning?!
Otherwise, why would he have already prepared a house transfer contract and follow-up agreements?
But in the end, Gabriel still signed the document with tears in her eyes.
Haruto clapped his hands.
Alright, mission "Subjugate the Fallen Angel" was complete.
Mission accomplished!
Just as Haruto was about to leave, he noticed something strange in the room's ashes. It looked like a monocle, or perhaps a half-head helmet of some kind. The device was still connected to numerous data cables.
However, due to the earlier explosion, its original appearance was completely unrecognizable.
Haruto pointed at the remains of the device and curiously asked,
"So, what is this thing?"
Hearing this, both Gabriel and Vignette turned to look.
Then, Gabriel suddenly dropped to her knees and lunged at the ruined device.
"My brand-new gaming equipment! A revolutionary full-dive gaming helmet!! I didn't even get to play it yet! And now it's been brutally destroyed! No! You can't leave me, my dear helmet!"
Vignette stood awkwardly beside her, digging her toe into the floor as if carving out a whole apartment in embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Haruto became intrigued upon hearing words like "revolutionary" and "full-dive" from Gabriel.
He grabbed Gabriel by the collar, lifting her off the remains of the device and setting her aside. Then, he pointed his finger at the broken device and moved it slightly, as if scrolling through a timeline.
"Za Warudo!"
With the activation of his power, the destroyed device began to change rapidly.
From its charred, lifeless state, flames reignited, then quickly vanished, leaving the device completely restored.
Seeing this, Gabriel and Vignette widened their eyes in shock.
"A miracle! This is an absolute miracle! My full-dive gaming helmet!"
Gabriel cheered and pounced on it.
Only to be grabbed by the scruff of her neck again, dangling in midair like a kitten.
Looking at the so-called full-dive gaming helmet, Haruto's interest deepened.
Interesting.
This wasn't Foundation technology.
The Foundation had never publicly released neural virtual access technology, nor had they introduced external VR advancements.
Which meant… this device was developed by someone else in the main world.
And it showed no abnormal fluctuations.
Clearly, it was the product of climbing the technology tree through conventional means.
Haruto pointed at the helmet and asked Gabriel,
"Which company is manufacturing this? Has it already been mass-produced?"
Gabriel shook her head.
"It's still in the closed beta phase. I think it's called a NerveGear. The beta version is advertised as allowing semi-full-dive gameplay, making the experience incredibly immersive. Since it's still in beta, only 10,000 units were released in limited quantities, and you had to secure a spot to buy one.
I got my beta access through another game and lined up for days just to get it! I heard the beta game is called SAO—a sword-based MMORPG."
Haruto's expression froze.
SAO?
Isn't that Sword Art Online?
The "new" game created by Akihiko Kayaba, using neural access technology to fully immerse players in a virtual world.
Kayaba was a genius… but also a madman.
According to the story, when SAO officially launched, Kayaba pulled a huge stunt. Every single SAO player in the public release was trapped inside the game.
The only way to escape was to clear all 100 floors of the game.
If a player died in the game, the helmet would fry their brain in real life.
A true death game.
Right now, it was just in beta, and the helmets only supported semi-full-dive, probably just visuals and partial sensory feedback.
Staring at the gaming helmet, Haruto fell into deep thought.
There's no way I can let Kayaba pull off his plan.
But at the same time, if full-dive gaming was being developed, mass adoption wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing.
If more people spent their free time gaming, it could reduce the need for memory-erasing protocols.
The Foundation never aimed to block technology outright, they simply introduced it at a pace society could handle.
Neural interface technology could also benefit the medical field.
Haruto handed the helmet back to Gabriel.
He decided to visit Argus soon.
Meanwhile, Gabriel, clutching her game helmet, looked around at her scorched apartment.
"Uh… can you fix my house too?" she pleaded.
Haruto shook his head decisively.
"You're planning to move and renovate anyway. Plus, Vignette was right, at least now your place is clean. If you dare to let cockroaches infest your new apartment, I will send you to heaven. No joke."
Gabriel's face immediately turned tragic.
"Um… can I take back the contract I signed?"
Haruto flashed a "good-natured" smile.
"Kid, what do you think?"
In the end, Gabriel hugged her full-dive gaming helmet and made her way to Haruto's apartment.
Her belongings had been obliterated by the explosion, so there was nothing left to move.
Haruto contacted the Foundation's external department and arranged for two renovation teams to begin reconstruction. Although some aspects of the renovation technically violated regulations…
It didn't matter.
He had connections.
In Japan, Haruto wasn't just a major player—
He was the game itself.
Japan's government was practically controlled by the Shinomiya and Momobami, both of which were under the Foundation's influence.
The renovation teams arrived quickly and started rebuilding Gabriel's heavily damaged apartment.
Vignette was about to leave, but Haruto stopped her.
"Vignette, you haven't had lunch yet, have you? Why don't you join me for a meal?"
He smiled.
Vignette hesitated, feeling a bit shy and wanting to refuse. But at that moment, her stomach let out a loud growl.
Her face instantly turned bright red.
Today had been one embarrassment after another for her.
And every single one had been witnessed by Haruto.
Embarrassment always felt worse around the opposite sex, especially when that person was insanely attractive.
At this point, Vignette had practically become numb.
Actually, these awkward little incidents were the perfect way to bridge the gap between them.
In the end, Vignette followed Haruto to his apartment.
The dinner was pleasant, and everyone enjoyed themselves.
---------------
The Next Day.
Shiro and Nao accompanied Haruto to the underwater station.
Today marked the final step of the "Eye of God Project."
The little witch (SCP-239) had been in Mondstadt for a long time now, and everything was in place.
She had fully accepted the foundational lore of "Teyvat."
The Foundation now had a team of Vision holders who had mastered the use of these external magic organs.
If they weren't still needed as "actors" for the plan—
They could already form a new Mobile Task Force.
At that moment, the little witch was on a mission with Paimon in Mondstadt's 1.6 update.
Their current quest was to clear slimes near the winery.
By now, dealing with slimes had become second nature to the little witch, a far cry from her previous panic.
Using the power of Anemo, she swiftly eliminated a few slimes.
"Mission complete! Time to collect our Primogems!"
Paimon cheered.
The little witch nodded happily, but also seemed a little disappointed.
She had been in Mondstadt for so long, yet aside from daily commissions, she had also tried searching for Dvalin and Barbatos.
But the ruins of Stormterror's Lair were in complete disarray, and there was no sign of Dvalin.
She had found nothing.
Just then—
She froze in place.
Deep in the forest, an unbelievable scene was unfolding.
A massive dragon lay motionless on the ground, its eyes tightly shut.
And a girl was reaching out, trying to touch the slumbering dragon.