"Well, you can call me Adi," I said, straightening my posture. "And yes, you're right—I'm the one who summoned you here. Welcome to the Multiverse Virtual Reality. You've been chosen to join this group."
I gave a polite bow, trying my best to mimic the refined mannerisms of a gentleman. It was something I'd seen countless times from butlers in movies and anime—Alfred from Batman, Sebastian from Black Butler, even that one random side character who always said "my lord" with way too much flair. Maybe it was silly, but I wanted to leave a good first impression.
Perhaps that was the right call, because Eriri didn't look hostile. Instead, she tilted her head, narrowing her sharp blue eyes as if trying to decide whether I was serious—or just another weirdo she somehow got stuck with.
"Join this group, huh... I'm curious about what kind of group this really is. This so-called Multiverse Virtual Reality?" she asked, her tone mixed with skepticism and curiosity.
Before I could respond, a soft beep echoed in the room. Suddenly, a wave of light shimmered in front of us, followed by a cold, mechanical voice.
[ Processing query... Answering as requested by the administrator. The Multiverse Virtual Reality is a system designed to gather selected heroines across this world. Participants will take on missions, level up, and earn rewards. ]
[ Think of it as a game—but with one major difference: everything that happens here will also influence your growth in the real world. ]
Lines of holographic text floated before our eyes, glowing faintly in the dim light of the room. Eriri's expression froze for a moment, her gaze darting between the hologram and me.
"…So, you're saying this really isn't a dream," she muttered, a mix of disbelief and nervous excitement in her voice.
"But heroines, huh? So I'm counted as one of them?" Eriri said, crossing her arms with a smug grin. "Well, of course I am. I am a beautiful, smart, and talented girl from a rich family, after all. It's only natural for me to be the main heroine."
Her proud expression was so perfectly Eriri that I had to stop myself from chuckling. Honestly, I wanted to tease her and say she was what people often called a losing heroine, but… maybe I should save that for later. It'd be far more fun to see her reaction when the time comes.
"So then, are you perhaps a heroine too?" she asked suddenly, tilting her head curiously.
"Me?" I blinked. "No, I'm not a heroine. I'm more like… a moderator of this Multiverse VR. I work alongside something called the Administrator—or at least that's what she told me."
It sounded absurd even as I said it out loud, yet somehow, Eriri didn't seem too shaken. Maybe it was her otaku side accepting the logic faster than a normal person would.
"Is that so?" she murmured, still looking unsure. Her blue eyes studied me closely, scanning me up and down like she was trying to confirm something.
"Well, for the record, I'm a man," I added, scratching the back of my neck. I could practically feel her misunderstanding from earlier.
"Eh—A man? A man?" Her face turned bright red as she took a small step back. "A man with that kind of face!? And appearance!!"
"Yeah, I need to prepare myself to get used to this kind of reaction," I sighed softly, brushing a lock of hair from my face. "I think before you arrived here, you must've received something—maybe a message or a warning?" I asked, trying to confirm what happened on her side.
"Ah, yeah," Eriri replied, folding her arms as she tried to recall it. "I got this weird message right in front of me, saying I was chosen and would be summoned into this 'Multiverse VR' in ten seconds. It also said my world would be frozen while I was gone. Sure enough, when the message appeared, everything around me just… stopped. Like time itself had paused." She frowned slightly, her tone a mix of disbelief and curiosity. "Honestly, it's still hard to believe… So you're the moderator, huh? And there's someone like a god behind this!?"
"Yes, that's right," I nodded. "He didn't introduce himself as a god, but as an Administrator. From what I understand, he manages not just one world but many. He sent me here as a moderator of this Multiverse VR to prevent this world from destruction."
Eriri blinked, her expression flickering between shock and intrigue. "Oh, that's… interesting. Somehow it's like an isekai story…" She trailed off for a second, then suddenly raised her voice. "Wait—saving the world from destruction!?"
"Ah, yes," I said with a small chuckle. "Things like this are just like a light novel, right? You're an otaku, so you'll probably find this kind of thing interesting."
"Wait, wait, wait…" Eriri stepped closer, her eyes widening as she stared at me. "You're talking about my world being destroyed… you're being sent here to save it… and you're calling me to possibly help you!?"
I took a step back as she grabbed my shirt collar, her face just inches from mine. The mix of disbelief and anger in her voice felt so real that, as an otaku, my heart couldn't help but race. Seeing her beautiful face up close like this—it was enough to make anyone lose their composure. And just like the system had said, out of all the heroines in Saekano, I'd always liked Eriri more than Utaha or Kato. So it couldn't be helped if I felt a little too excited being this close to her.
"Yeah, that's true. I know this may be difficult to accept… but to be honest, you being summoned here isn't a coincidence. I already know a lot about you," I said, looking straight at Eriri.
"Hm? What do you mean by that?" she asked, tilting her head. The confusion in her expression only made her cute face even cuter, almost making me hesitate.
Ugh… Do I really have to tell her? The thought crossed my mind, but if I wanted her to trust me and make everything we had to do easier, there was no way around it.
"I know a lot about you… like how you're an otaku who even draws hentai under the name Eri Kashiwagi, influenced by your fujoshi mother and otaku father… how you've loved your childhood friend since forever and promised him you'd be his number-one artist, working together to make games after he became the president of a game company. That's such a sweet childhood dream…" I spoke, my words tumbling out as memories of an anime I'd watched years ago in high school flashed back. It had been nearly ten years since the first season was released, yet I still remembered some parts of it vividly.
"G-Gyaaaa!! Why do you know something like that!?" Eriri shrieked, her face turning red as she quickly put a hand over my mouth to shut me up. "Stop! Don't say any more!!"
Her reaction was exactly like in the anime—sharp, flustered, and adorable.