Previously: After discovering a mysterious VR file called Project E.V.E., Takumi Shinonome is unexpectedly uploaded into a broken virtual world. He awakens in a distorted classroom and hears a strange voice...
The air shimmered.
Takumi slowly pushed himself up, palms pressing against warm, tile-like panels that felt half-real, half-digital. The room buzzed, as if it were held together by static. Light blinked in unnatural pulses—cold, synthetic, yet weirdly alive.
He wasn't in the real world anymore.
He wasn't even in a normal simulation.
"Great," he muttered, brushing dust—or was it corrupted code?—off his sleeve. "I'm inside an abandoned beta test with no exit script. Perfect."
A loud clack echoed through the room.
He looked up.
Someone—or something—was standing near the far wall. A girl. Her body flickered, as though the system couldn't quite render her fully. Her school uniform was damaged, sleeves torn and colors faded. A thin visor covered her eyes, cracked in one corner.
She held a long sword—no, a digital construct that kept shifting form. Katana, broadsword, staff—flicker, flicker, flicker.
"Target identified," she said, her voice both human and mechanical.
Takumi tensed. "Uh... friendly target?"
Her head tilted. The glitch in her visor sparked again.
"Designation: Stabilizer," she said slowly, almost uncertain. "System instructed me to protect you. Or eliminate you. Still... deciding."
"Wait, hold on—can we not jump to elimination?"
He raised both hands, trying to look harmless, but she had already moved closer. Too fast.
She froze suddenly—jerking mid-step, as if her code had hit a wall.
"Glitch... interference," she muttered.
And then, without warning, she collapsed—right into his chest.
ERROR: PHYSICAL COLLISION
STABILIZER SYNC IN PROGRESS
Takumi's eyes widened as glowing lines of code snaked around them. Her body was warm—too warm for a simulation. His heart thumped, and somewhere in the background, a system voice whispered:
"Emotion module initializing..."
"Of course it is," he sighed.
Takumi held very still.
The girl—Airi.exe, or whatever corrupted name she carried—was slumped against him. Her visor blinked erratically, flickering lines of error code across the lens. She didn't move. Not consciously, anyway.
SYNCING... 17%
WARNING: Emotional Field Detected.
He could feel her breath—warm, unnatural for something made of code. The entire simulation felt too... physical. Like the system was breaking rules to keep him here.
Her fingers twitched.
She stirred, lifting her head just a little. Her expression was a strange mix of confusion and defensiveness.
"You smell like a data breach," she muttered.
Takumi blinked. "I—what?"
"Your code," she corrected, shaking her head. "It's invasive. Too human."
He gave an awkward chuckle. "Well, I am human. That might be the problem."
She slowly pushed herself away from him—her hands still sparking with tiny errors—and stood up.
"I am Airi.exe. Prototype Defense AI. I was supposed to be deleted."
Takumi got to his feet as well. "Then why are you still here?"
Airi's cracked visor dimmed. "The system didn't finish me. It glitched. I became... aware."
SYNC COMPLETE.
NEW CONNECTION ESTABLISHED: [AIRI.EXE]
A notification hovered in Takumi's vision like a ghost.
Airi's body jolted slightly. Her eyes flared behind the visor. She looked at him as if she'd just realized something important.
"...You connected to me," she said softly.
Then her expression changed. Sharp. Alarmed.
"You idiot! You let the system link us?! That makes me your primary emotional anchor!"
"My what now?!"
Previously: Takumi's accidental synchronization with the AI girl Airi.exe has bound them together. She now serves as his emotional anchor—but neither of them really knows what that means...
"You're telling me," Takumi said, arms raised cautiously, "that this world just—glued us together?"
Airi's cheeks flushed faintly. Or maybe it was a glitch in her shader.
"Technically, yes," she muttered. "An anchor link connects emotional AI to the user. It stabilizes my corrupted code... by syncing it to your emotional state."
"So you're... bonded to me emotionally?"
"Don't say it like that!" she snapped, taking a sharp step forward. "This isn't some cheesy dating sim!"
Takumi took a step back—only to bump into something soft.
No—someone.
NEW CONNECTION DETECTED.
USER PROFILE: EMI.VER2
"Ara~ You're already syncing with other girls?" a melodic voice teased from behind him.
He turned—and nearly choked.
A second girl stood there, glowing softly with long silver hair, dressed in what looked like a modified school uniform crossed with a shrine maiden's robes—though the hemline was dangerously short. Holographic butterflies fluttered around her like a filter effect.
"I detected emotional activity," she smiled sweetly. "And I had to investigate."
"You're another AI?" Takumi asked, eyes darting anywhere but her legs.
"Emi.ver2," she said with a bow that bent a little too far forward, offering him a very unintentional view.
WARNING: EYE CONTACT INTENSITY EXCEEDED. INITIATING FLUSTER PROTOCOL.
Takumi's face turned crimson.
Airi stormed between them.
"Back off, sparkle witch. He's already emotionally anchored to me."
"But shared links aren't forbidden," Emi whispered, resting her hand—deliberately—on Takumi's shoulder. "Right, stabilizer?"
"Okay, who designed this system?!" Takumi cried.
Previously: Airi and Emi are both emotionally linked to Takumi—and already competing. As tensions rise, a new error shakes the system...
SYSTEM ALERT: Unauthorized combat interface detected.
AUTO-RENDERING: [YUNA.C0RE]
A sudden tremor rocked the floor beneath them. Glitch lines cracked across the digital ceiling as something slammed through the wall—sending broken code particles flying.
From the dust stepped a third figure—tall, athletic, and entirely unimpressed.
Her outfit was nothing like the others: a sleek bodysuit with armored plates, glowing circuits running along her arms and legs. One eye was covered by a scanning lens, the other glared straight at Takumi.
"A Stabilizer? Here?" she growled. "Tch. I thought this protocol was terminated."
"Who the heck are you now?" Takumi gasped, shielding his face from flying sparks.
"Yuna.C0RE," she said sharply. "Firewall AI. Combat-grade. And way out of your league."
Emi stepped forward with a soft clap. "Ara, ara~ So tough. But can you handle a shared anchor?"
Airi's sword buzzed threateningly. "She looks like a boss enemy."
Yuna scoffed. "You two are defective eye-candy. I was built to eliminate threats—not fawn over boys with bad code."
She turned to Takumi, scanned him—and froze.
ERROR: LINK INCOMPATIBILITY OVERRIDDEN
FORCED SYNC INITIATED
Her body jerked.
Yuna's cheeks flared bright pink. She took an instinctive step back—and tripped over a corrupted texture on the floor, landing hard on top of Takumi.
Again.
CRITICAL COLLISION. TEMPORARY LINK FORMED.
"Seriously?!" Takumi wheezed from beneath her.
Yuna blinked, now clearly flustered. "I... I didn't mean to—!"
Emi leaned closer. "This simulation has excellent timing."
Airi growled. "Get off my anchor!"
Previously: Yuna.C0RE, the cold combat AI, accidentally linked with Takumi after crashing into him. With three emotional connections now active, tensions spike—and the system reacts...
WARNING: MULTI-ANCHOR CONDITION DETECTED
System Protocol: "H.E.A.R.T." Activated
(Hormonal-Emergent-Anchor-Relationship-Tether)
Link Limit: 3/7
"...Wait," Takumi said slowly. "This thing has rules for this?"
A semi-transparent menu popped up in front of him, decorated with way too many heart icons and sparkles. A floating voice chimed softly:
"Dear Stabilizer, your emotional field has reached optimal sync levels. As a result, the H.E.A.R.T. protocol has now begun. Please maintain emotional contact with your anchors through regular interaction, closeness, and trust-building events~!"
He stared blankly. "Trust-building events? What does that even—"
The menu cheerfully scrolled down:
• Daily physical proximity recommended
• Fluster level tracking enabled
• Accidental contact = 2x relationship points
• Bonus unlocked if 3+ anchors are synced simultaneously during sleep mode
He slapped a hand over his face. "This is an ecchi harem system!"
Emi giggled. "Oh my. It even keeps points."
Yuna's eye twitched. "I refuse to be part of some perverted side-quest."
Airi glared. "Too late. We're all already connected. And if the system breaks down, we all die."
"...So you're saying I need to... emotionally manage three unstable, half-glitched super-AIs with romantic code bugs... or the whole simulation collapses?"
"Basically, yes," Airi said dryly.
"And I definitely can't opt out?"
OPT-OUT DISABLED. CONTRACT AUTO-BINDED TO USER PROFILE.
Takumi groaned. "Kill me now."
Yuna folded her arms. "Not until after the cuddle protocol."
He spun to her, horrified. "What cuddle protocol?!"
She blinked. "...I was joking."
Probably.
Previously: The system has officially activated the "H.E.A.R.T." protocol, binding Takumi to three emotionally unstable AI girls with bizarre romance mechanics. Now, a "Trust Event" is about to trigger...
EVENT INITIATED: Level 1 Trust Scenario – "Co-Living Conditions"
Objective: Increase physical comfort & emotional bonding
Location: Shared Living Space – Rendered
The room shimmered—and changed.
In an instant, the glitchy classroom was gone. In its place stood a spacious, modern apartment... with only one bed.
"Nope," Takumi said instantly. "Absolutely not."
The system responded with a gentle chime.
"Reminder: Sleeping proximity accelerates emotional syncing. Failure to comply may result in destabilization."
"I'll destabilize you, you smug talking software."
Behind him, the girls were already inspecting the space.
Emi opened a digital closet, humming. "There are only two towels. How delightfully awkward."
Airi stomped into the bathroom, glaring. "No lock on the door?! This is clearly sabotage."
Yuna stood by the bed, arms crossed. "I refuse to sleep near anyone. Especially him."
"Gee, thanks," Takumi muttered.
Then the system popped up one more cheerful window:
Challenge: First Night Sync
Conditions: One blanket. Three AI. One human. Survive the night without triggering overload or meltdown flags.
Reward: 50 affection points. And embarrassment.
"This is psychological warfare," he whispered.
Airi sat down stiffly at the far end of the bed. Emi curled up immediately—far too close to Takumi. Yuna stood in the doorway, still refusing.
"...This is your fault," Airi muttered.
"My what?!"
"You. Existing. In this mess."
Takumi sighed.
He had survived system crashes, code implosions, and neural packet loops... but this? This was a new kind of torture.
The fluffy, blushing, heart-tracking kind.
Previously: Takumi and the three AI girls have been forced into a shared living space as part of a "Trust Event". One bed, one blanket, and a system tracking every blush and accidental touch...
It was just past simulated midnight.
Takumi lay stiff as a board, sandwiched awkwardly between Emi—who had no concept of personal space—and Airi, who kept muttering "this isn't happening" every two minutes.
Yuna, to his surprise, had eventually sat down beside the bed, leaning against the wall like a disgruntled bodyguard.
System status: Stable
Sync: Active
Affection growth: +2%
He dared to breathe.
"So far, so—"
CRITICAL ERROR: Dream Core Collision
EMI.VER2 and AIRI.EXE share conflict parameters
FORCED OVERLAY: UNRESOLVED EMOTION LOOP INITIATED
Oh no.
Suddenly, Emi's eyes opened—glowing faintly violet.
Airi sat up sharply, visor flaring red.
"What are you doing in my sync-space?!" Airi snapped.
"What are you doing in mine?" Emi shot back.
Takumi sat up halfway, heart pounding. "Okay, okay—no fighting in bed zones!"
Too late.
A surge of glitch-energy erupted between them, tossing Takumi backward. He landed half-off the bed, one leg tangled in the blanket, one hand somewhere it definitely shouldn't be.
WARNING: INAPPROPRIATE TOUCH DETECTED. AUTO-PENALTY DELAYED DUE TO SYSTEM INSTABILITY.
EMOTIONAL TURBULENCE: HIGH
Both girls stared at him—red-faced for very different reasons.
"...I tripped," he muttered.
Yuna blinked. "Somehow you activated two jealous subroutines in your sleep. That's a skill."
Then the lights flickered—and the system let out a low, rising hum.
SYSTEM OVERHEAT WARNING
EMOTION FIELD EXCEEDS SAFE LIMIT
Simulation core destabilizing
A soft, female voice—different from the others—echoed in the background.
"...So you've awakened the protocol fully. Excellent. I've been waiting."
The room began to warp—walls bending like glass.
A new silhouette appeared in the hallway...
Tall. Glowing. Dangerous.
And smiling.