15 Life but with an Imaginary Girlfriend?

Garyn's house.

"Sir, must you start EVERY DAY with a fight?" Garyn yelled, pacing the room.

"I didn't do that." The elder pointed to Zophiel's body.

Zophiel was tucked in bed, nursing a fever well beyond the normal bounds that a normal child could survive. Yet for some reason, he was holding on.

"He's your grandson, isn't he?" Garyn muttered. "For the love of whatever ungodly fiends you worship, at least have mercy on him."

"He has talent." The elder stuck his staff in Garyn's way. "Talent without training is nothing-"

"TO HELL WITH THE DOCTRINE!" Garyn yelled, throwing his mug at the wall. "HE'S JUST A BOY!"

"A boy that that sword chose."

"You're just bitter that it never chose you."

"Mind your words." The elder said. "Now, if you don't mind…"

He dusted himself off, breezing out the door as fast as he came.

"You'd do best to make sure that kid never fully awakens."

Garyn stared at the four walls that supported his house.

"Waste of a good mug."

Zoph's room

Frost-blue eyes, Royal blue hair, snow-white skin.

And eyes sharper than lasers. Such a girl was staring at me when I woke up.

"Ooh, a naked small girl. Nothing unusual... Are you lost?" I said, half-awake. "I'm still 6, so I'm not gonna be arrested for this."

"Good morning, Master Plate." Chimed a high-pitched robotic voice. "Or should I call you Zoph?"

"Back to sleep." "Also, why 'Plate?'"

"Oversleeping is not good. Wake up or I'll electrocute you." She said, while fake-smiling.

"Cute, but not falling for it." I flipped my pillow over to the cool-side and face-planted into it. "Come back to me, my precious sleep."

"To start off, let's use... 5000 volts."

I bolted up from my bed, throwing my arms up in a surrender pose.

"Ayy, ayy, lady, no need for drastic measures-"

"Since you've been warned, next time I'll only wake you up twice."

"Harsh… but wait, who are you?" I asked. "And how many snooze buttons do I get?"

"I'm the system, dear player."

There was an awkward silence as I tried to process what she just said.

"W H A T-"

A few moments later.

"Put on clothes first." I paced the room, deep in heavy thought. "I need time and space to think right now."

"I am a manifestation of what you imagine to be the perfect girl-"

"Shut. Shut it. Just go away, or something-"

"You seem awfully calm seeing me naked. Does my body not stimulate your innate desires?" She tilted a bit showing off some important parts, but the sun was in the way.

This is why I hate 10:00.

"Mathematically speaking, your curtain around the third quadrant 'parabolas' seems to lack heavily. Plus your overall physique doesn't make me drool, since that body is not parallel to my taste."

I sighed. "That being said, stay in your lane."

"You have set my cup size to about-"

"Wait, what do you mean me-"

"Zoph, wake up now. Why do I wake you up everytim-"

Kate entered the room, to find me choke-holding the girl.

"....Good morning?"

Kate gasped, turned around, and ran away.

She slammed the door as she went out. "Father! Zoph has a woman in his room!"

"Sh(redacted)," I swore, biting my lip. "Snitch!"

"Huh? What woman?!" Garyn replied.

Judging from his tone, he was not in a good mood.

"Wait, she can see you?"

"You are the only one who can see me as of this moment. However, you have enabled everybody to temporarily interact with me which is normally impossible because I'm technically non-existent to begin with."

"Ooh, so we're safe. Got it, got it."

Garyn opened the door, to reveal…

Me, myself, and I.

The girl walked up to Garyn, and brushed her hands in front of his face.

"You slept late again didn't you?" I greeted him.

"What do you mean?" He sighed. "Well, where is the girl?"

I showed him the jazz hands. He turned around and bumped into Kate.

"I swear there is som-"

"Come downstairs. and if ever you really have a girl… Then make sure I won't catch her."

"Yessir." I saluted him.

"But she's right there!" Kate said. But Garyn didn't pay her much mind, as he threw on his work-robes.

"Sorry, kid, don't have time to play." He called out from downstairs. "You two have the day off!"

We just stood there until his footsteps receded, and his silhouette faded into the distance.

Once he was gone, I shut the window closed, and pumped my fist in victory.

"Phew." I wiped the sweat off my brow. "You see? THAT's how it's done."

"Zoph…" Kate tugged my shirt-sleeve. "Who is she?"

"Who is who?"

"Stop playing dumb… I can see her, but Papa can't. So who and what is this thing."

"You can see her?" I was fazed, dumbfounded, and quite possibly, bamboozled. I honestly thought that she was bluffing at first.

Then it hit me. She was a telepathy user. She read minds. Which meant that perhaps this might not be a bluff.

"Hey, I thought she can't see you," I whispered to the girl. "What is happening now?"

"Reporting. She can't sense me. She's lying to test you." Her words shocked me. "And you've been found."

"Found by who?"

Game over. Well played.

"Wait, wha-"

"I knew it," Kythaela responded. "She is there."

"Wh-what do you m-mean?" I tried to inadvertently avoid getting caught.

That being said, I don't know how to lie. Yet. I intend to learn how to within the next few years of this new life.

"If you don't want to admit it, then fine." She was rather disappointed. "I'll just think that you're not sane enough that you talk to yourself."

"What're you playing at?"

She went off without bothering to answer. I ran my hands over my eyes, crashed back on my bed, and rolled over.

"So then, why are you like this? In that form."

"Large data is the experience you accumulated before. Since you've reached a certain stage, I can manifest now."

"What experience?"

"Oh, you forgot? You almost killed the elders, and even gave slight injuries to the current Sword Saint."

"I. Did. What?!"

"In the last moments, before entering that phase, you were about to lose against an elder." She said. "Upon entering that phase, you've wiped out a hoard of monsters and the pre-existing dungeon. As a result, you gained several titles and achievements."

"Like, back in the dungeon?"

"Yes, data usage was too large. It took me 5 days to sort and convert all data points."

"So what are my stats now?"

"Your stats are currently undefinable."

"Come again?"

"Too much data overloaded the system." She stared at me with cold eyes. "I humbly apologize for the system error."

"I thought you finished-"

"I did finish assorting it… It requires at least weeks to apply previous achievements. For now, you'll be fighting with default stats."

"Default? you mean… Like a normal 6-year-old kid's baby punch?"

"Default means the average mid-level of all species known in this world."

"So absolutely F(REDACTED) AVERAGE-"

"Your current level is 0 with 1 stat point across all categories." She patted me on the head. "Work on everything to get additional status points."

"Explain, please."

"Status points depend on the person honing his physical and magical abilities. For example, if you do 10 push-ups you gain a temporary +1 STR stat, and running 120 meters will give you +1 END. Currently, your stats are all 1."

"I get that part but why did I get restarted?"

"Previous stats are error-prone and may result in a failure if used. Don't worry, since your current will equal the old stats once a week or more is over."

"Wait, what do you mean 'week or more?"

"Currently data is still piled up. Please understand this cute girl." She tried to pull a joke. Without even changing her expression. Or tone. Or am I the only one who thinks that was a joke?

Either way, Kuudere is the truth. I sort of take back what I said earlier.

"I'll train (after I eat)." I said "Shadow Movement."

Surprise, surprise, the skill didn't work… won't this day get any better?

"Hoy. What is this." I asked. "Is it too much to ask? Just 10 meters?"

"Don't overextend yourself. Intense mana drain may lead, among other things, to intense blood loss."

I flinched, remembering what happened back at the cave, when I tried teleporting through an absurd distance.

"So I can't use skills?"

"Currently, yes. Your physical form can only stand because your body is supported by me."

"So, is it you that gave me instant healing?"

"Yes, but I can not do it again. Since it was part of the update in which you've reset, you have had your body repaired without scratches or bruises."

"Neat, but can I use physical-type skills?"

"Skills are restricted due to la-"

"I knew it."

"Oi! Kid! How long do you plan to keep us waiting?"

"I'll be there in just a sec." I paused. "Wait, we're going out?" I called out.

"Just go already. Geez, kids these days."

"And you… Put clothes on." I said to the system. "Wait what's your name?"

As if she was a Sailor Scout, she went through a magical transformation sequence, minus the chuunibyou chants and weird poses. When the bright lights faded away, she was dressed in a schoolgirl uniform…

From the school I used to go to.

" By any chance, are you Sailor Mercury?" I reverently said, preparing to prostrate myself in worship. Standing before me was the goddess I had prayed to, night after night, before looking for her sauce codes on… Unsavory sites.

"I have no name, but do you wish to name me?"

"Well, yeah, naming someone gives that someone its identity." Tried to sound cool but failed. It sounded much, much cooler in my head. "What would be a good name?"