In one corner of a small plaza where the fountain never stopped flowing, a silver-haired girl sat upright on a bench.
Simply by sitting there, she caused the gazes of passing players to drift in her direction.
People who had originally been walking in a hurry unconsciously slowed their steps, as though even time itself had decelerated around her.
The girl was long accustomed to this kind of treatment.
Expressionless, she waited for someone.
Not far away, a frivolous-looking young man and his companion were secretly observing her.
“She’s gorgeous.
Her real self has to be a beauty.”
“Eh, she’s all right.
Isn’t it normal for game characters to look good?
She’s just a little prettier than average.”
“Idiot!
Didn’t I tell you?
Characters in this game are generated using a special algorithm based on the player’s real appearance.
If the avatar looks better than normal, then the player herself is probably better-looking than normal too.”
“You said probably.
It’s not like you wrote the algorithm.”
“She even has one of those rare hair colors assigned by the algorithm.
In cases like this, there’s a ninety-nine percent chance I’m right.”
“Putting the ninety-nine percent aside, what if she’s in that one percent?”
“Are you physically incapable of not arguing?
I didn’t beg you to come.
Keep talking like that and stop following me.”
“I only said a couple things.
Why are you getting mad…?”
“Shut up.
Let’s go try our luck.”
“You go first…”
…
The two approached the silver-haired girl.
The frivolous young man bent over with a grin.
“Hey.
Here by yourself?”
The silver-haired girl stared straight ahead, as though she hadn’t seen him at all.
“Hellooo~ Can you hear me?”
Not only did she refuse to respond, her beautiful face even turned slightly to one side as her eyelids lowered.
His companion looked awkward.
“Maybe we should forget it…”
The frivolous young man glared at him, crouched in front of the girl, and forced himself back into her field of vision.
Just as he was about to say something else, a hand suddenly grabbed the silver-haired girl and pulled her up from the bench.
“Need something from my girlfriend?”
The newcomer was a handsome young man despite the unfriendly look in his eyes.
Standing beside the aloof, breathtaking silver-haired girl, the two looked like a natural couple.
The frivolous man, who had just crouched down, found himself being looked down upon.
His expression stiffened as he stood.
“No.
Sorry to bother you.”
He grabbed his companion and left.
“Huh?
We’re leaving already?” the companion asked reluctantly.
“Shut up!”
The young man watched them disappear into the distance before finally removing his arm from the girl’s shoulders.
The girl glanced at the shoulder he had touched.
“You don’t need to do that next time,” she said softly.
“Really?”
“Mm.”
She nodded, then waved open the game interface and transferred a sum of money to him.
“Here.
The dating fee we agreed on.”
“Why is there so much?” The young man stared at the long string of digits in surprise.
“The balance for this month, plus next month in advance.”
“So I passed probation?”
“Mm.”
“I still have to ask.
Is this really necessary?
This is a lot of money even when converted into real currency.”
As he spoke, the young man looked the girl’s flawless game avatar up and down, wondering what kind of beauty she must be in real life.
“If you stood next to the teleport gate and shouted that you wanted a boyfriend, people would line up.”
“Out of everyone I’ve met, you’re the one I’m most satisfied with.”
“Oh?
So I have some particularly attractive quality.
Tell me.”
“You…” The girl studied him seriously.
“Are more shamelessly profit-driven than anyone else.”
The young man nodded solemnly.
“You have excellent judgment.”
He accepted the transfer.
The numbers poured into his account with a cheerful stream of sound effects.
Once the transaction was complete, he bowed respectfully.
“Dating fee received in full.
Thank you for your patronage.
Please continue to take care of me next month as well, my dear wife.”
“That form of address is unnecessary.”
“Understood, my dear girlfriend.”
“I misjudged you.
Apparently you aren’t quite profit-driven enough.”
“Come on, we need at least a little ceremony, right?
For the next month, we’re lovers.
Talking about nothing but money would be boring.”
“There’s no need.
It’s only an online relationship.
Besides, ours is fundamentally a monetary arrangement.”
“So what research project do you have next?
Let me know in advance so I can arrange my schedule.”
“I’ll notify you when I decide.”
“Fine.
But I’m still curious about what exactly you’re researching.
Looking for bugs in the game?”
“I’ll tell you someday if the opportunity arises.
You wouldn’t believe me if I told you now.”
“All right.
I just hope you aren’t secretly in love with me but have no idea what to do, so you chose this method instead.
If that’s the case, it’ll cost extra.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Understood.”
Their conversation ended.
Both figures vanished from the game world.
…
Inside a cramped one-room apartment, Cheng Fei opened his eyes and removed the full-dive helmet from his head.
Looking back on his recent transaction in the game, Cheng Fei was very satisfied.
There went another half-month of living expenses.
A month earlier, that mysterious girl had approached him with an offer: she would pay him, and in exchange, he would date her inside the game and carry out whatever tasks she assigned.
Her assignments so far included, but were not limited to:
Observe his own avatar in the game, compare it to his real body, and submit a written report of no fewer than one thousand words.
Stare at her appearance in the game, observe his own reactions, and submit a written report of no fewer than one thousand words.
Attempt to relieve himself inside the game while imagining any target he liked—including her—and regardless of success or failure, submit a written report of no fewer than one thousand words.
And so on.
In short, calling it dating was generous.
He was more like her experimental subject.
The relationship itself was merely an excuse.
Granted, the full-dive game called Corridor was absurdly realistic, with visuals indistinguishable from reality.
There was certainly plenty worth researching.
Still, researching it to this extent was strange.
Cheng Fei didn’t care.
As long as the money was right, everything was negotiable.
Because Cheng Fei desperately needed money.
He was a first-year high school student this year.
He had been reborn into this world fifteen years ago.
No cheat ability had ever appeared.
His reincarnation had begun in an orphanage.
He possessed no remarkable talents whatsoever, and by the time he was five, he had already given up all hope of living the effortless protagonist lifestyle.
Thus, he devoted himself to studying.
For an orphan born with nothing, education remained the best path upward.
Starting in first grade, he had consistently ranked near the top of his class and placed among the best in examinations of every kind.
His dream for the future was simple: graduate from a prestigious university, find a cushy job that paid well and demanded little, then enjoy life.
At present, thanks to scholarships and various other methods, he had more or less become financially independent.
Even so, money remained tight.
The dating fee he earned from the mysterious girl was merely one source of income.
He also worked as a gaming companion, farmed equipment for other players, and took various real-world part-time jobs.
Even with all that, very little remained each month after essential expenses.
He calculated every last coin.
Just as Cheng Fei was going over his accounts, rapidly refreshing lines of text suddenly appeared before his eyes.
[Host has successfully maintained an online romantic relationship for one month.]
[Corridor Online Dating System activated.]
[Loading Host Agreement…]
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