Chapter 108: Sword Art Online
Seeing Franklin's sudden tension, a sly glint flashed through Momo's eyes.
"Then I'll have to trouble Mr. Franklin to let me go first," she said sweetly. "I'll give it to you right away."
Franklin knew Momo's personality fairly well—before truly becoming friends, it was best to stay cautious. He spread out his divine sense and scanned her body.
But before his spiritual perception could reach, a mysterious force blocked it ten centimeters away. Feeling the intrusion attempt, Momo puffed up her cheeks and glared at him angrily.
"Mr. Franklin, that's really rude! If Dad hadn't warned me about you being a cultivator and told me to prepare an anti-detection charm, you'd have seen everything just now!"
"Ahem—! That wasn't what I meant…" Not knowing how to explain himself, Franklin coughed awkwardly and released his hold, jumping off the bed.
"Forget it, I'm done playing along. You can take it out yourself. You and Nana probably came up with some kind of test for me, right? I get it—you're just looking out for Lala's happiness. I don't mind. But do me a favor and try not to mess with the people around me too much."
Momo had already suspected that the humiliation earlier was intentional, but she hadn't expected Franklin to admit it so casually. She wanted to be angry, yet somehow couldn't bring herself to be.
After giving him one last fierce glare, she plucked something invisible from the tip of her tail and handed it toward him.
"Mr. Franklin, I'll remember this. I will get you back for it someday."
"Of course. I was a bit too much just now," Franklin said with a faint smile. "But honestly, it started because you sneaked into my room."
While he spoke, Franklin stared curiously at Momo's empty-looking fingers. Because of the barrier, even his divine sense couldn't detect what she was holding.
"What exactly are you handing me? Is it just tiny—or invisible?"
Still pouting from being scolded, Momo smirked when she saw Franklin's confused expression. She stepped forward and pressed her fingertip lightly against his forehead.
"Mr. Franklin, you've let your guard down again. The consciousness transmitter has been installed. You're under my control now. Go to sleep—you'll wake up in another world. Whether you become my big sister's fiancé depends on your performance. Nana and I are really looking forward to it."
But when she finished, she noticed Franklin still wide awake, staring at her.
"Wait—why aren't you out cold? You should've passed out as your mind transferred!"
Franklin glanced inward—his divine sea was calm, and his guardian sword had gone silent. He sighed.
"Do you happen to have another consciousness transmitter? One doesn't seem to work on me."
Momo froze, staring at him as if she'd just seen a ghost. Then, realizing what she'd said a moment ago, her face turned bright red.
—
In Lala's room, Lala and Bulma were lying peacefully asleep on the same bed. Following Momo's lead, Franklin stepped into the dressing mirror with her.
The moment they entered, Franklin's eyes were drawn upward—to a colossal floating fortress suspended high above the clouds.
"Don't tell me you're planning to send me, Lala, and Bulma into that virtual game," Franklin said, pointing at the massive structure.
Following his gaze, Momo saw what he was referring to—Aincrad. Her eyes widened in disbelief. Not only had he instantly guessed their plan, but he'd even identified the floating castle as a virtual game.
"Mr. Franklin," she asked in amazement, "how do you know that? Can you actually travel between worlds? Have you seen this game before?"
Franklin smiled, shaking his head—then nodded slightly.
"I know this game. It's called Sword Art Online. That castle is Aincrad, right? But no, I didn't learn about it by traveling between worlds. As for how I know—well, that's a secret. Come on, keep going. I'm curious to see how far you've taken this simulation."
Momo looked conflicted. The failed transmitter, the fact that Franklin wasn't affected at all, and now his exact knowledge of the game—all of it made her question whether her plan was even worth continuing.
"So," Franklin continued casually, "how did you recreate this game? Are you making us start from the first floor and climb to the hundredth, or do you have something else in mind?"
His barrage of questions left Momo speechless.
"Mr. Franklin… don't tell me you even know what kind of boss appears on each floor?"
Franklin immediately shook his head. "Of course not. There are over a hundred bosses—I can't remember them all. But I do remember that when the game first launched, the logout function was disabled. Players couldn't leave until they cleared all one hundred floors. They were trapped inside for two years before a boy named Kirigaya Kazuto finally beat the game and freed everyone."
Momo froze mid-step.
"Mr. Franklin… you said when the game launched, the players couldn't log out—and two years later, a boy named Kirigaya Kazuto freed them? But… this game just released today in that world! I only made this plan because it's launch day! Yet you speak as if you've already seen it all—as if you were some omniscient observer watching it happen."
At that moment, a pink-haired girl came running toward them in a panic.
"Momo! Bad news! The game's bugging out—the admin permissions I managed to grab just got revoked, and my connection with big sis is completely cut off!"
Seeing Franklin behind Momo, Nana froze. Her expression hardened as she instantly stepped between them.
"You beast! What did you do to Momo? Wait—how are you still here? The consciousness transmitter was activated—you should be unconscious!"
Momo pushed her aside, adjusted a special pair of glasses, and stepped up to Franklin, staring straight into his eyes.
"You really are mysterious. Dad once told me—when you look at people, whether it's him, my sister, or Zastin, your eyes don't show the guarded wariness of a stranger. Instead, there's a sense of familiarity… and curiosity. I never understood what he meant until now.
"When we met, your gaze was that of someone seeing a familiar stranger. That's why I slipped up.
"Since you know the future of this game world… do you also know the future of our world?"
Franklin's heart trembled violently. He wanted to deny it, to argue, to hide it—but the eyes are windows to the soul.
And through her glasses, Momo could already see far more truth in his gaze than he wanted her to.
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)