3.04 - Upgrade - Downfall of Humanity

[Host, I'm back. Here are your things.]

Bing Shi eagerly took the phone and hard disk from Kuro, cradling them in her arms like they were the most valuable treasures in the world. She hugged them tightly, feeling a sense of relief and satisfaction wash over her.

These were more than just objects to her. They held all of her memories and secrets — the moments she had shared with Xuan Mu and the details of her past life.

["Thank you. Give me a few minutes. You can play around for the time being."]

[Can I stay with you?]

["You can."]

Bing Shi smiled warmly as Kuro slithered onto her lap, feeling grateful for the companionship.

["Do you want to see him?"]

She asked, referring to Xuan Mu. Seeing its nod, she quickly asked for a charger and plugged in her phone, waiting for it to charge. As soon as it was ready, she turned on the phone and showed Kuro a few photos and videos of Xuan Mu that she had.

Bing Shi shared a memory with Kuro, reminiscing about her time with Xuan Mu.

["You see, Kuro,"] she began, ["Xuan Mu had a bad habit of scratching his chest during his sleep when he went on business trips for more than two days."]

Bing Shi paused for a moment, lost in the memory, before continuing, ["So I bought him overall shark pajamas. This is the first and last time I saw him wearing it."]

Bing Shi's mind wandered to a memory of Xuan Mu wearing the shark pajamas. She could hear a girl's laughter in the background of the video, but it was drowned out by the sound of her own lonely heart.

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° Start of Flashback...

° The whole time a girl's joyous laughter could be heard in the background of the video.

° "Bing Shi, I'd rather have no sex for a week than wear this horrendous thing," Xuan Mu had joked, running out of the walk-in closet towards the bedroom while unbuttoning the pajamas.

° "Noooo, don't take it off!" Bing Shi ran after Xuan Mu with laughter in her voice. She put the camera down on the nightstand and jumped on his back, determined to stop him from undressing and fighting for the shark pajamas' justice. "It's cold in Russia. What if you catch a cold?"

° "I got an anti-cold shot," Xuan Mu said as he untangled Bing Shi from his back, playfully tossing her onto the soft bed. He began to strip off the shark pajamas, revealing his toned upper body.

° Instead of appreciating the yummy sight, Bing Shi's gaze fell on the discarded pajamas lying on the floor. She picked it up and held the soft fabric of the discarded pajamas close to her chest before slipping them on.

° The loose fabric hung off her small frame as she looked up at Xuan Mu with puppy-like eyes, silently pleading with him to put them on once again.

° Xuan Mu merely sent her a flying kiss before walking toward the closet. His back muscles were well-defined and hinted at the strength he possessed, despite not being completely ripped.

° She had seen Xuan Mu effortlessly take down several men at once. His secret to strength? Nourishing his muscles, even if it meant keeping some body fat and not having a perfectly chiseled six-pack.

° Bing Shi couldn't resist and jumped on his meaty back. "I wasted like my entire fortune on it," she said, her tone both humorous and slightly exasperated.

° Xuan Mu let out a deep chuckle, the fluffy shark on his back bobbing with each movement. He walked towards the camera, a sly smile spreading across his face. "I'll pay you back with my body, alright?" he said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

° "Alright," Bing Shi agreed, snuggling her head on his shoulder. Her silver frames sent a cold sensation to his neck. "At least wear a T-shirt."

° "I'm leaving for three days. Will you miss me?" Xuan Mu asked, feeling a gentle peck on his shoulder from Bing Shi. He smiled and switched off the camera, cherishing the moment before he had to depart.

° End of the flashback...

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["He is so charming! His voice can always turn me into jelly. And that smileee, ah."]

Bing Shi couldn't help but act like a fan-girl meeting her idol. Her heart would skip a beat every time Xuan Mu spoke, his voice turning her into a pile of mush.

And that smile...it could light up the whole room and make her weak in the knees. She found herself fanning away tears of joy every time he laughed.

[Host he avoided your last sentence.]

["You really are a smart snake,"] she said, patting its head. ["But he didn't avoid it. There was a clear answer. What he meant was: A simple T-shirt can't solve it. End of discussion."]

Answered Bing Shi in a good mood.

[...How do you know it?]

["We can read each other's moods and thoughts. It's no joke! I know him better than I know myself, and the feeling is mutual. As for his answer...Xuan Mu didn't want to hurt me with his words, and I assured him that I understand."]

A short video was enough to charge Bing Shi fully. Overwhelmed with emotion, she turned to Kuro and asked for a portable printer and a white gold locket bangle.

After showing Kuro the photo she wanted, their first picture together in her Sydney apartment, she received the scissors and carefully cut it into the shape of a locket. With the locket secured on the bangle around her wrist, she felt a sense of comfort and closeness to Xuan Mu, despite the distance between them.

(A/N: To see the bangle check this paragraph comment.)

["Kuro, what about the upgrade after a successful mission?"]

Bing Shi asked Kuro with a satisfied grin on her face.

[You can upgrade your inventory to draw out larger items or prolong the duration of pills to 10 minutes with a 25-minute cooldown for 2500 points.]

So far, she could draw out pills for 5 minutes with a 25-minute cooldown and items in the size of a suitcase. 

["I don't need larger items. I want a bigger snake."]

Bing Shi suggested that instead of Kuro changing into various animals, she would prefer to be able to change its size. 

["Kuro, you have no idea how many emotions I can draw out of people with a huge snake next to me. Imagine a combat system. How cool it would be?"]

She couldn't help but wiggle in excitement, her body language mirroring her eagerness to upgrade Kuro.

["You have faster reflexes and a broader field of vision, those self-improving skills would be such a waste on me."]

[Other Hosts like to depend on themselves. After finishing their world missions, they could bring self-improving skills with them.]

["I know... How is it possible to draw out so many items for free?"] Bing Shi asked, curiosity lacing her words.

Kuro got used to her neverending questions and answered with a calm genderless voice.

[These items have always been available, but nobody has ever bought them. They have been piling up, so the headquarters decided to implement this function for me.]

Kuro kept quiet about the fact that the free items were also meant to aid Bing Shi in her future missions, which would involve interacting with broken unique souls. The headquarters carefully selected hosts and systems that were well-suited to each other, based on their personalities and mission requirements. 

["Woah, that's amazing. I never thought about that,"] said Bing Shi. She glanced around, trying to locate Kuro, but found no trace of the snake system. 

'I always wanted a talking pet snake that doesn't need to be fed.'

'Xuan Mu, Kuro is so me!'

'A total mood killer.'

Bing Shi's giggles echoed in the room as she scrolled through the recordings and pictures. She was completely engrossed in her task, forgetting about the passing of time.

 · · ────────── · ⊱❈⊰· ────────── · ·

[Host, I'm back.]

["Welcome back."] Bing Shi replied, taking off her headphones and handing over the items for Kuro to store reluctantly. ["How did it go?"]

[You saved Headquarters lots of resources when I said that you only wanted a bigger snake, they went a bit overboard with me, LOL.]

["Huh? Really? Show yourself then."]

Suddenly, the whole room was filled with Kuro's massive body, which was thick like a tree and long like a whale. Bing Shi couldn't help but burst into hysterical laughter.

"OH, MY GOODNESS!!!!" she exclaimed between fits of giggles. "Kuro, you're huge! This is too funny!" She clutched her stomach, trying to catch her breath from laughing too hard.

(A/N: To see Kuro check this paragraph comment.)