Chapter 30 God of all otaku
Daniel's POV.
Do you believe in God?
Or are you one of those people who believe everything is a mere coincidence—that this world was formed through evolution, dust, microbes, and other elements scattered across the cosmos?
But if you think about it, dust, microbes, and the building blocks of evolution couldn't form if they didn't have an absolute state of existence to begin with. Is the being who created this once-dead planet we call Earth four billion years ago just a work of fiction, or do they truly exist?
Believing in something that seems like a fairy tale—something that defies reality and logical science—is often seen as foolish, a mere form of fantasy.
But what if you found out that everything existing around you right now is just the figment of the imagination of beings from another time, era, and dimension?
Beings who cling to fantasies birthed by their own restless imaginations. Their fiction is our reality, while their existence as living beings is what we consider to be "make-believe."
Which of us truly exists?
By some impossible chance and for a very rare reason, everything decided to take shape.
But who was it that shaped each of us?
A few days passed, and as my agreement with Lea continued, she began visiting the house frequently. Since my factory contract had ended (Endo), I was back to being a "tambay" for a while—resting my mind and body. The humid afternoon air felt heavy in the living room, the ceiling fan whirring lazily above us as if it were just as tired as I was.
I also needed to show my parents that I wasn't joking about my decisions so they wouldn't worry—especially regarding Elisa's comments about me suddenly having a girlfriend.
Don't get it twisted; it's not like I've fully accepted this fujoshi girl into my life. I just need to make my family believe so they'll stop worrying about me. That's all it is. We have five years to get to know each other and see if we can actually live under one roof, even without love.
To be honest, this wasn't the plan I envisioned for Lea and me. I thought that if I agreed to the pact, I could just enjoy my life and we'd simply get married when we turned 30. That was the exact scenario in my head, but it seems things aren't going according to the original plan. I wonder if Lea feels the same way.
Today, we planned to kill time in the living room, making a ruckus while playing chess. Yes, chess.
From a distance, you could already hear us shouting and the crisp sound of a stick hitting flesh.
"Arrrggghh!" I screamed, clutching my stinging palms.
"Hahaha! What, giving up already? You're useless! Bwahahaha! Kneel before me, and perhaps the Crimson Princess will show you mercy," Lea bragged, brandishing a bamboo stick.
"Shut up, we're just getting started," I snapped.
We sat back down, the wooden chess pieces slightly mismatched from years of use. Since it was her turn, I quickly grabbed the timer and started it.
In this game, each person has only thirty seconds to move. If the alarm goes off and you're caught lingering, you receive the punishment: three whacks to the hand. And of course, to confuse and derail the opponent, trash-talking is legal—even if it gets personal or wildly unrealistic.
I admit, our way of playing is wrong. Most people say chess is a "game of the mind," and that if you don't want to get hurt playing sports, you should play chess. They clearly haven't played with us.
"Hurry up, you brainless creature. You won't win anyway, so why bother thinking?" I said while waiting for her move.
"Wait, you monkey! Just sit there and be quiet. I'll show you how this is played," she replied.
The bickering continued. Because of the time limit, she had to make a snap decision.
"No matter what move you make, your Rook is going to get eaten because its master is worthless."
"Just wait, you fool! This Rook is about to go Super Saiyan; it'll wipe out your whole kingdom and leave nothing of your lineage!"
She suddenly grabbed the Rook and moved it, slamming the clock to start my timer.
"What? You just moved it back? Your Rook is a coward. I thought it was going to destroy my kingdom?" I jeered.
"Idiot! My King ordered it back because he couldn't bear to lose his boyfriend. Their relationship is more important than any victory in war!" she declared.
Even in chess, yaoi plotlines were coming out of her mouth. That's a fujoshi for you. I wonder if she ever considered how the Queen felt about the King's blatant infidelity right in front of her?
"What now, Daniel? Move if you're so brave. Why don't you march your King out here alone?"
"What, am I stupid? Besides, you'll probably just turn my King gay if he goes over there."
But before I could touch a piece, she whacked my hand, making me let go and yell in protest.
"Ouch! What was that for?"
"Time's up!" she said.
I complained, arguing that I still had ten seconds left. We argued so much I didn't notice my time actually did run out, earning me another punishment.
"Bwahahaha! Come on, Daniel. Give me your sinful hand so it can be judged by the Goddess's holy stick!"
It was clear to me she was using dirty tactics to win. Because of Lea's blatant cheating, I refused to let her hit my hand.
"Hey! You can't skip the punishment! Don't cheat me!"
"You have the nerve to call me a cheat when you're the reason my time ran out!" I yelled.
Things got heated until we were practically wrestling. My hand gripped her wrist to stop the stick, and we were nearly falling off the sofa cushions. But before we could actually hurt each other, we were stopped by a knock at the door.
Elisa was standing at the open door, watching us bicker. The afternoon sun cast her shadow long across the tiled floor.
"Mind if I join the chaos?" she said.
The room went silent. My heart raced; I knew a confrontation between Lea and Elisa wouldn't end well. Elisa hated otaku, and things were even more complicated because Lea was a fujoshi.
"Huh? Wait, who is she?" Lea asked.
"She's the one I told you about—Elisa. My bratty neighbor and Romeo's best friend."
Judgment was written all over Elisa's face as she eyed Lea from head to toe. She walked straight in, inspecting Lea like she was a specimen in a biology lab.
"So, she's the girl who made the mistake of settling for you, Didi? You're really living out your 'lolicon' dreams, aren't you?" Elisa remarked.
"L-lo-lolicon?! Hey, I'm not a loli!" Lea screamed.
Lea winced, offended by the implication that she was a child just because of her height.
"Wait, I don't like your tone. Yeah, Daniel might be a lolicon, but I am not the little girl in his fantasies!" Lea snapped back.
"Hey! You too? Shouldn't you be defending me first?" I interjected.
