"You don't need to worry about this. The people you usually associate with won't notice, since they'll be too busy imagining what it would feel like to have a real relationship with you. Only really observant people like me would notice. For example, when you found out we were both at university, you acted way too enthusiastic. It's cute in a way, but you should tone it down a bit."
Kazuya said, looking like a professor giving a lecture.
"I see. I appreciate it."
"No problem. After we eat something, I'll take you to the station. I doubt you'd want strangers to know where you live."
"Again, thanks for understanding."
"Don't worry about it."
Chizuru smiled and took Kazuya's hand of her own accord as they left the restaurant.
As they walked, Kazuya became thoughtful.
"This was fun. I wonder if the reason I got along with Chizuru so well is because she's my favorite character... No, that's not it. Today, I realized I'm living a real life. Chizuru is a real girl right now, not an anime character. Just like Hitomi is, and so am I. So, maybe if I try a little harder, I could get back what I lost?"
"You know, Kazuya, I have another piece of advice for you. You should fix that bad habit of getting lost in your thoughts."
Chizuru scolded him while tightening her grip on his hand.
Kazuya quickly snapped back to reality and apologized to Chizuru.
"There's no doubt about it, this Chizuru is human. She has insecurities and problems. Kazuya was being so foolish, putting her on a pedestal as the perfect girlfriend."
It didn't take long for them to reach the station, or at least that's what they thought, since they had been chatting happily.
"Thanks for today. I really enjoyed it."
"No problem. I had fun too."
Mizuhara approached him somewhat shyly and kissed him on the cheek.
"I don't think we'll see each other again, so this is my way of thanking you."
She said, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Kazuya was sure this wasn't an act. His heart raced to the point where he thought it might burst from his chest.
"No problem. We both helped each other."
He replied, recovering as quickly as he could. He knew the girl couldn't be more wrong, but still, he didn't want to say anything that would ruin the moment.
Mizuhara began to walk away, waving him goodbye. Once she was out of his sight, Kazuya started walking in the opposite direction.
Congratulations to the host for changing the storyline. Chizuru Mizuhara's impression of you is positive, unlike the original first meeting.
You have been rewarded with the talent [Parallel Thinking].
Parallel Thinking: The host's brain can separate functions into two consciousnesses; the second can perform simple tasks.
You have been rewarded with 2000 SP.
This piqued Kazuya's curiosity. It was the first time he had heard about talents. He reminded himself to check it out when he got home.
Walking with his hands behind his neck, Kazuya passed by a convenience store and bought a few things he needed.
When he got to his apartment, he focused on leveling up some skills and analyzing the new talent he had received before taking a shower and heading to bed.
The next morning, after completing his morning exercise routine, Kazuya was walking toward his university when a voice stopped him.
"Aren't you, Kazuya-senpai?"
When he turned to the source of the voice, Kazuya almost had a heart attack.
Standing before him was a girl who was about 150 centimeters tall, with short silver hair that had a slight black tinge at the nape, and big blue eyes. Her face was lit up with a childlike expression of happiness. She wore a long-sleeve shirt with the words "sugoi dekai" printed on the front, a short light blue skirt, black tights, brown boots, and a beige backpack hanging from her back.
Kazuya couldn't believe his eyes.
Seeing that Kazuya was in shock, the girl put on a guilty expression, thinking she had scared him, and asked anxiously:
"Don't you remember me?"
Upon hearing her words, Kazuya's mind finally started to function again.
Since he wouldn't know who the person in front of him was...
In his previous life, he had watched the anime, and it was one of those moments that almost touched the sky when the manga reached that long-awaited scene for the fans.
This girl is Hana Uzaki, the female protagonist from Uzaki-chan Wa Asobitai!. The question Kazuya was asking himself right now was why the hell this girl was in the world of rental girlfriends.
"Wait. Did she just call me Senpai?"
At that moment, Kazuya's brain started processing an overwhelming amount of information, causing him to feel dizzy and his legs to become shaky, while a sharp headache hit him.
"What the hell...?"
Memories of him attending high school flooded his mind—memories of when he met Hana Uzaki.
"Does that mean I took Sakurai's place?"
Warning. Too many processes are being carried out in a single thought unit, which is overwhelming your brain. It's recommended to use the talent [Parallel Thinking] to relieve the load.
Without hesitation, Kazuya quickly activated the talent he had recently acquired, and soon his expression noticeably improved.
Noticing Kazuya's condition, Uzaki quickly approached him and helped him to a seat.
"Kazuya-senpai, are you okay?"
She asked with a worried tone.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I've just gone a few days without sleep. Sorry you had to witness that, Uzaki."
"Senpai..."
Uzaki felt happy to be remembered. Still, her worried expression persisted.
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry. Classes are going to start soon, so you should hurry up."
"But..."
"I already told you I'm fine. Look, I can stand up and walk normally. There's no reason to worry anymore."
"... Alright."
She replied, her tone somewhat sad as she turned and walked away.
"Ah, Uzaki..."
She turned around, surprised.
"Thanks for helping me. I hope to see you later."
Kazuya said the words he thought would cheer her up, noticing that the girl looked sad and felt guilty.
With a smile on her face, Uzaki nodded and then ran off.
After what had happened, Kazuya decided to skip classes for the day, so he went for a walk. He wasn't worried about the classes, since he could catch up quickly.
Stopping at a café, Kazuya placed his order while thinking about what had happened today.
He had run into a character from another anime, and it seemed like they were both connected.
This led him to assume that the world he was in was a AU.
"When I saw her, I could recognize her through the memories of my past life. But in Kazuya's case, it was like his memories had been rewritten."
Sighing, Kazuya began to drink the coffee that had been brought to him.
"If it weren't for [Parallel Thinking], I'd probably be close to having a stroke right now... I wonder if, besides Uzaki, there are more characters from other anime in this world."
After finishing his coffee, Kazuya spent two hours wandering around the city before heading back to his apartment to take a shower, as he felt the day was going to be a bit hectic.