The afternoon sun hung lazily in the sky, casting long shadows as club activities wound down. Hozuki Nozomi walked side by side with Mai Sakurajima, leaving the school gates together.
He was helping her move today.
Boarding the train, they rode in comfortable silence until they arrived at the entrance of an apartment complex. Mai skillfully pulled out a key and unlocked the door to her unit. It seemed that whatever mysterious force had been erasing her existence had momentarily lost its effect—at least, for now.
The move itself was smooth. After gathering her things, Nozomi led Mai to Chihiro Sengoku's office for registration, securing her a room on the third floor of Sakurasou. With that, Mai Sakurajima had officially moved in.
Just as the process wrapped up, a familiar sound rang in Nozomi's mind.
[Ding! Congratulations, player, for completing the mission: 'The Dilemma of the Senpai.'] [Ding! You have received the special item: 'Intelligent Crystal.'] [Ding! You have been awarded a fixed currency bonus: 1 million yen.]
Mai was busy settling in, so Nozomi wasted no time returning to his own room to inspect his newly acquired item.
[Intelligent Crystal: Can be integrated into a mobile device to create a unique AI assistant.]
His eyes gleamed with excitement.
Artificial intelligence was still in its early stages, but with people like Kayaba Akihiko working on VR technology and Akasaka Ryunosuke already developing an advanced AI, the field was evolving rapidly. The crystal he obtained was clearly on a whole other level—something beyond even the little maid AI.
Without hesitation, Nozomi took out the crystal. It radiated a soft, sacred glow. The moment it neared his phone, the crystal merged with the device on its own.
A shimmering light cocoon formed on the screen.
[Ding! Crystal fusion successful. Please connect to external data.]
External data… Most likely internet access.
Plugging his phone into his computer with a data cable, Nozomi opened his browser.
[Data integration in progress… AI system incubating.]
The progress bar crawled forward at an agonizing pace.
Bored, Nozomi shifted his attention to the mysterious treasure chest sitting in the corner of his room. With three opportunities to open it daily, there was no reason to let them go to waste.
Grabbing a bag of potato chips, he tossed it into the chest as tribute.
[Ding! Reward has been generated.]
A golden light flashed as he opened the chest.
[Ding! Congratulations, player, for obtaining: 'Magic Potion.']
[Magic Potion: Restores magic energy. Useless if the user has no magic abilities. Use with caution.]
"…So, completely useless to me."
Nozomi sighed, tossing the potion into a drawer before preparing his second offering. This time, he threw in a cup of instant ramen.
[Ding! Reward has been generated.]
Another golden glow.
[Ding! Congratulations, player, for obtaining: 'Mysterious Magic Book.']
Pulling the book from the chest, he inspected the cover. The ancient-looking tome was bound in an unknown animal's hide. Inside, strange symbols and unfamiliar herbs were drawn across its pages.
"This definitely isn't from my world…"
He figured it was just another collectible item. But before he could put it away, his phone suddenly pulsed with a bright light, absorbing the book into its system.
[Ding! Crystal has absorbed advanced data. New special module unlocked: 'Magic.'] [Ding! AI incubation process nearing completion. Please select an optimal location for full integration. Once incubation is complete, the player will synchronize with the AI and gain access to the magic skill module.]
Nozomi stared at the glowing screen, stunned.
"Magic…? In a slice-of-life world?"
He rubbed his temples, trying to process the absurdity of the situation. But a more pressing question remained—where should he place the crystal for incubation?
As he pondered, a name flashed in his mind.
Kayaba Akihiko.
If there was any place ideal for the evolution of an AI system, it had to be the nerve center of VR technology. And with Kayaba and Ryunosuke currently working on advanced virtual environments, he now had in his possession the perfect catalyst to push their research to the next level.
Without hesitation, Hozuki Nozomi transmitted the crystal cocoon to Akasaka Ryunosuke's mobile phone in the form of data.
One minute later.
A notification popped up—Akasaka Ryunosuke was requesting a video call.
Nozomi clicked to connect.
On the screen, Akasaka Ryunosuke appeared, his usually disheveled hair looking even messier, his expression a mix of excitement and deep concentration. His voice, however, remained eerily serious.
"Nozomi, where did you get this crystal?"
Nozomi shrugged nonchalantly. "No idea. It just appeared on my phone. I figured a genius like you would find it interesting, so I passed it along."
"..."
Ryunosuke fell silent for a moment before inhaling sharply. "This thing… It's beyond anything I've seen before. It could revolutionize artificial intelligence. I don't know if I should be excited or terrified."
Nozomi chuckled. "Relax. If it turns out to be cursed or something, at least you won't be the only one doomed."
Ryunosuke sighed but couldn't suppress his excitement. "I shamelessly accept this. I'll research it thoroughly. If I find anything groundbreaking, I'll return it to you."
"No worries. Study away."
Nozomi waved dismissively, a knowing smirk tugging at his lips.
The crystal was already bound to him. With current human technology, there was no way to replicate it. But he knew someone who could push its potential to the extreme—Kayaba Akihiko. That man wasn't just a genius; he was an idealist with an obsession for creating a full-dive virtual world. Given access to the crystal, he would undoubtedly use it as the core of his game system.
And when that game world became reality, Nozomi's AI familiar would be fully incubated.
Through their link, Nozomi could monitor the crystal at all times, retrieve it when necessary, and even observe the surrounding research environment. The moment the artificial intelligence was born, he wouldn't just gain an AI companion—he'd unlock the magic skill module as well. A super AI with network control capabilities and magic? It sounded ridiculous, but this world was anything but normal.
A few minutes later, Nozomi received a digital contract from Ryunosuke's AI maid.
Curious, he skimmed through it.
"Heh… shares in the virtual reality development project?" Nozomi chuckled.
For donating the core technology, he was granted 30% of the project's shares. Considering the significance of the crystal, Akihiko and Ryunosuke probably thought they were getting the better end of the deal.
But Nozomi knew better.
Once the virtual world was complete, it wouldn't just be a game—it would be his domain.
Satisfied, Nozomi returned to his other pressing matter—the treasure chest. He still had one chance left for the day. It would be a waste not to use it.
Earlier, he had thrown in instant noodles and potato chips. This time, he grabbed a bottle of soda and tossed it inside.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then—the treasure chest trembled violently and let out a deep burp.
Nozomi blinked. "Oi… did that thing just burp?"
Before he could react, the chest abruptly flew open. Its lid stretched like a gaping maw, revealing a massive, slimy tongue. It quivered before letting out a loud cough.
[Ding! Congratulations, player! A treasure chest monster has been activated! Reward processing… Please prepare yourself!]
"Wait—what?!"
With a sickening squelch, the treasure chest monster coughed up two figures, both dripping in the same sticky liquid that covered its insides.
"Ahh! We're finally out! It was way too dark in there!"
"Lady Frieren, I told you not to just randomly open chests!"
Two girls landed squarely on Nozomi, knocking him flat onto the ground. Something soft pressed against his face—warm, fragrant… undeniably feminine.
"Mmmpf—!?"
Instinctively, he pushed against the weight pinning him down.
The girl on top—a silver-haired beauty with long, pointed ears—stiffened. Her face turned bright red as she clamped her legs together.
"A-AHHH! I WAS LICKED BY A TREASURE CHEST MONSTER!!"
Nozomi: "…"
I'm not a treasure chest monster!
But I did just lick something…