At this moment, Lunelle, whose appearance had already slightly surpassed "plain and unremarkable" and could even be described as somewhat pleasant-looking, fell into an eerie silence, utterly speechless for a moment.
Lunelle: "..."
This... This can't be right, can it?
Is this really a boy's wardrobe?
Why the heck are there nothing but girls' clothes inside, damn it!?
And of all things, they're all the various Seele cosplay outfits he had secretly ordered online anonymously in the past!!!
"See-chan, don't you think you owe me an explanation? What's the deal with this whole wardrobe full of girls' clothes?"
[Host, you've got it all wrong! This simulator just copied over the contents of one of your wardrobes from before you crossed over, that's all~]
So, in response to Lunelle's accusation, See-chan—who usually spoke with little confidence due to being rather ineffective—actually mustered some rare assertiveness this time.
The truth was exactly as See-chan said: the clothes in this wardrobe were indeed faithfully copied from one of Lunelle's own wardrobes from his past life.
"No way am I wearing girls' clothes! I clearly had a whole wardrobe of men's clothes—why didn't you bring those over instead? I, Lunelle, would rather starve to death, or jump off a building right here and now, than ever put on any of these girly..."
However, faced with See-chan's unwavering confidence, Lunelle suddenly seemed to grow flustered.
With noticeably less conviction, he once again attempted to declare his famous "pride-goes-before-a-fall" catchphrase!
But just then, Lunelle's sticky and uncomfortable body was suddenly hit by an indescribable itch.
Instantly, his seemingly resolute declaration got stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken with any real conviction.
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, Lunelle—with his face flushed red in embarrassment—dutifully rummaged through the pile of Seele cosplay outfits and pulled out one that was relatively less "cute," then scurried off to the bathroom for a shower.
After washing away all the grime from his body and stepping out of the bathroom...
For some reason, Lunelle suddenly felt incredibly refreshed.
If he had to describe it, it was like putting on a brand-new pair of underwear at the start of a new year!
But the moment he remembered he was currently wearing Seele cosplay, that refreshing sensation instantly turned into sheer embarrassment.
How could wearing girls' clothes feel so damn comfortable!?
However, Lunelle naturally had no idea that his skin had been permanently transformed by the talent's effect.
His skin now was far more delicate, fair, and tender than that of a newborn baby.
The shift from his previously neglected, grime-prone skin to this flawless, snow-like softness naturally gave him a feeling of openness and ease, as if a great weight had been lifted.
Unaware of the truth, Lunelle couldn't help but associate this strange sensation with the girls' clothes he was wearing.
Could it be... that he had awakened some sort of unspeakable fetish?
"No way! If it weren't for that darn simulator scheming against me and not leaving a single piece of men's clothing behind..."
"How could I, Lunelle, a full-grown man, ever wear girls' clothes? This is definitely all the simulator's fault!"
Feeling rather pleased with himself, Lunelle repeatedly emphasized in his mind that he had only put on girls' clothes out of sheer necessity this time.
So, rounding it off, wasn't it basically the same as never having worn them at all?
Yeah!
Girls' clothes? No way. Not in this lifetime!
After a highly effective session of self-hypnosis, Lunelle soon selectively forgot the fact that he was still wearing girls' clothes.
However, in his naive attempt to escape reality, Lunelle completely failed to understand the saying:
"There's only the first time you wear girls' clothes, and then countless times after."
"See-chan? If I try to escape Nagazora City right now, could I avoid the Honkai disaster that's going to break out in three days?"
After freshening up, and having already experienced the agony brought by the first simulation—though the result did show visible growth and progress—Lunelle was also curious: if he could leave Nagazora, this high-risk area, ahead of time, wouldn't that allow him to avoid the Honkai outbreak three days later and buy himself more, safer time to develop?
[According to the simulator's detection, Nagazora City is currently fully under the control of Anti-Entropy's Cocolia faction.]
[If the host attempts to leave the city at this time, there is a high probability of encountering inspections by Anti-Entropy forces.]
But the moment Lunelle voiced his escape plan, See-chan—the simulator's spirit—poured a bucket of "cold water" over his clever little idea, dousing it on the spot.
"What if I try to contact Schicksal's Far East Branch and use their power to prevent the Honkai outbreak in advance? Would that work?"
[Based on the simulator's analysis, once the host takes such action, it will quickly be exposed to Anti-Entropy's surveillance, and may even bring about a premature death threat!]
"Huh? That won't work either? This Cocolia really lives up to her reputation as the so-called 'domestic conflict phantom god'—all show at home, useless abroad!"
"When it comes to executing plans targeting humanity itself, her success rate is sky-high!"
Hearing that Cocolia was so deranged as to monitor Nagazora's communication channels in real-time, Lunelle couldn't help but feel exasperated.
Clearly, based on the general intel revealed by the simulator, to ensure the smooth execution of her plan to artificially induce a Honkai outbreak in Nagazora City this time, Cocolia had not only deployed a large number of personnel to screen anyone attempting to leave the city during this sensitive period...
She had even placed all electronic communications within Nagazora under the real-time surveillance of her daughter Bronya, a top-tier hacker.
It could be said that even if her plan to trigger the Honkai and induce a Herrscher's birth were exposed, unless someone could breach the firewall Bronya had set up...
It would be absolutely impossible to transmit intel about Cocolia's plan through communication channels.
In fact, attempting to do so would likely lead to being tracked down and eliminated by the impossibly skilled hacker Bronya through reverse-locking.
Good grief, she's got all these tricks up her sleeve for internal affairs, but when it comes to external threats, why doesn't this 'domestic conflict pro' learn to pull off some impressive moves like these?
Still, Lunelle only dared to grumble about it inwardly.
After all, with his current pitiful 3.4 in stamina—boosted, yet still inferior to the average grown man—if he really went up against Cocolia, that fierce military woman of Russian origin, he'd be wiped out in seconds!
And since Nagazora's surroundings had already been thoroughly infiltrated and sealed off by Anti-Entropy forces...
The only option left for Lunelle now was to rely on himself and find a way to survive the terrifying crisis three days later!
"Guess I'll just have to tough it out on my own... See-chan? Can I start another simulation now?"
Realizing he was well and truly out of options, and even though the memory of being washed away still haunted him, compared to dying for real in this world, Lunelle was absolutely not going to sit around and wait for death when it was time to fight!
[Each simulation session places a significant burden on the host's soul and consciousness. For the sake of the host's safety, See-chan does not recommend forcing a second simulation in a short period, as it risks soul fragmentation.]
"Huh? There's a restriction like that? How long do I have to wait normally before starting the next simulation, then?"
[The simulator can repair damage to the host's soul and consciousness incurred during simulations.]
[Under normal circumstances, as long as the host rests for a full 12 hours, the simulator can restore the host's soul to optimal condition. It is recommended that the host rest until the next day before attempting a second simulation.]
"Sigh... Guess that's the only way."
Hearing See-chan's warning, Lunelle reluctantly accepted the situation.
He had already suspected as much after the first simulation ended.
After all, if that inhuman, consciousness-level pain were to strike multiple times in a short period, he wouldn't be surprised if it actually killed him on the spot.
But with time so tight, having a cooldown imposed due to his consciousness's limitations only added to the pressure he felt.
Still, with the simulator as his only lifeline to survive the crisis three days later, and given that this warning seemed well-intentioned, Lunelle—who valued his life—wasn't about to foolishly ignore the advice.
Once it was clear he couldn't simulate again anytime soon, Lunelle suddenly felt hungry.
Fortunately, the simulator had been uncharacteristically considerate this time, remembering to transfer over the instant noodles Lunelle, the little shut-in, loved to hoard—and in equivalent quantities, synced to the Honkai world.
Basically, if the noodles Lunelle had before crossing over were from "Brand X," they'd be automatically replaced with a similarly priced "Brand Y" from the Honkai world.
Sure, instant noodles are junk food, but who can deny their convenience?
After quickly preparing a cup of noodles and filling his stomach a bit, Lunelle obediently crawled back into bed and immediately closed his eyes to rest.
Then, perhaps because the simulator had begun assisting in restoring his soul's condition, Lunelle fell into a deep sleep almost the moment his eyes shut.
--+--
Twelve hours passed in the blink of an eye within his dreams.
And once his mental state was successfully restored to its peak with the simulator's assistance, Lunelle woke up almost exactly at the twelve-hour mark.
Feeling noticeably stronger than he had the day before, Lunelle let out a smug chuckle.
"See-chan! After a night's rest, it suddenly hit me—simulations... what a wonderful thing they are!"
"Turns out, running simulations is something you gotta do with a smile! Let's start today's simulation!"
[Host command received. Simulation commencing!]
Summoning the simulator without hesitation, Lunelle swiftly launched the second simulation.
Perhaps because he'd had a good night's sleep...
Lunelle suddenly felt like he was back in the game, seemingly having forgotten all about the painful memories of his setbacks in yesterday's simulation.
But clearly, in most cases, there's a noticeable gap between ideal and reality.
So, as Lunelle began his second simulation in his male body, the outcome was, unsurprisingly, much the same.
It was the familiar scenario of landing only to be surrounded by two supreme powerhouses.
Another familiar encounter.
And then, well...
[You died!]
[This simulation rating: F]
[Simulation settlement: Ripping out the host's tongue!]
Lunelle: SCREW THIS GAME!!!
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.