Since Nemesis wasn't a life form in the normal sense, but a thought-form composed of dark matter—to put it bluntly, from the perspective of an uninformed outsider, she looked like a human formed from a mass of black mist—Kaito didn't have any psychological burden about it.
Naturally, this first-time experience seemed to open a new door for him.
But he didn't stray down that path; he simply made an exception for Nemesis.
Nemesis, to the very end, refused to be obedient and chose to retain her original identity, also because she was a thought-form.
This was like a Ghost King formed from countless vengeful spirits—asking it not to kill would be like killing it instead.
It was also like saying that the readers are ugly; the author wouldn't dare say that even if sacrificed to the gods, because the esteemed readers are all handsome, how could anyone lie!
If she didn't agree, then she didn't agree. If she ran, she ran. It wasn't like she could go far.
He could just let her wander wherever she wanted. As long as she was within this universe, Kaito, having memorized Nemesis's scent, could open a Spatial Gate before her at any time and bring her to the Jade Chamber.
It had to be said, Nakime's ability was incredibly useful.
Leaving the Jade Chamber and letting Nemesis rest inside, Kaito returned to his own large bed to rest.
He took out his phone and looked at the travel photos and stories shared by the ladies in the chat group.
Now, Yunyun and Hisui were having a great time playing with them. The only regret was that he wasn't with them.
But the world was vast, and with so much time, there would always be opportunities.
Thinking back to the "Sword Art Online" that Mika had mentioned to him, Kaito remembered Asuna and the others inside.
'Based on real-world time, it had been about a month, right?'
Kaito rubbed his chin. Since he couldn't sleep now, logging in for a while wouldn't hurt; he could log off during the day as usual.
Taking out the gaming helmet from the golden ripple, Kaito suppressed his strength so the helmet could link to his nerves for an immersive dive into the virtual game world...
Suddenly, Kaito's bedroom door was quietly opened.
A small head peeked out.
Then a second small head peeked out.
But after the two small heads saw Kaito sleeping with the helmet on, they withdrew and began whispering.
After deciding to give it a try, the first head popped out again and carefully, stealthily approached the bed.
"Kaito-nii..."
It was the adorable little Eve calling softly.
No response.
She gave a slightly firmer push. No response.
'Hmm!'
'Kaito-nii was either fast asleep or deeply immersed in the virtual world!'
Eve was very familiar with this type of helmet. After all, Tearju had bought similar helmets to play various virtual reality games with her, like Space Battle.
With this universe's technological level, making such games was incredibly easy.
"Mea, Kaito-nii is asleep!"
"I see~"
Mea responded softly.
Mea walked in and lay on the edge of the bed beside Eve. The two pairs of eyes blinked at each other.
"So... what's this wonderful thing you wanted to show me?"
Mea was curious about everything, and the fact that Eve mentioned before sleeping that Kaito had something she really liked made her even more curious.
In truth, Eve didn't know what it was herself. Her memories of what had happened earlier were fragmented.
It was like a dream, where she dreamed she had grown up.
Then she fell asleep again.
But she had woken up midway. Hearing strange noises, she didn't make a sound at first. Instead, curious as a child, she carefully went to Tearju's room.
And there, she saw Tearju holding something like the treasure she had dreamed about!
Unfortunately, she was still too sleepy. As an obedient child, Eve watched for ten minutes before returning to her own room and going back to sleep.
Now...
Tearju was asleep.
But Eve was too happy about having a little sister to sleep. Plus, Mea kept asking about the treasure. So, the two of them stayed awake all night, waiting until everyone was sound asleep before quietly getting up to begin a nighttime adventure in the top-tier suite, searching for the great treasure!
"Um... Mea, wait here... I'm sure you'll love this treasure too!"
Heave-ho!
Eve carefully climbed up, but halfway there, a figure appeared before her.
"Cough, Eve, what are you doing up so late instead of sleeping?"
"M-Momo-nee..."
Eve looked like she was about to cry, as if caught doing something wrong?
…
The game world.
The time in the New Sword Art Online world moved simultaneously with the real world.
So whatever time it was outside, it was the same inside.
Unsurprisingly, Kaito appeared in the Town of Beginnings. At this late hour, not many players lingered on the streets.
Looking at their expressions, they no longer seemed to have that panic, fear, or despair about the future.
Of course, the depressed would remain depressed, but those who wanted to survive started fighting for their future.
Kaito even saw several couples walking hand-in-hand. Looking at their levels...
Well, they were quite low, basically the same level as when he left.
They were ordinary people who, like him initially, didn't dare risk their lives but had to go outside to survive.
You couldn't say they lacked ambition, but at least they hadn't been completely defeated by their circumstances. They had simply chosen to lie flat.
Anyway, many women were also like this. Thanks to that, many of them had gotten together.
As for those who didn't...
Look at those guys in the distance, drinking together and boasting on the street.
"Hmm?"
"Someone's in my room?"
"Eve and Mea? Is Mea causing trouble again?"
Before Kaito could react, the helmet displayed the situation outside.
Even though the lights were off, the helmet had auxiliary functions, so he could see clearly. Fortunately, Momo had arrived, so there shouldn't be a problem. He could play the Sword Art Online game in peace...