Later, Just Once...
Iori was ultimately restrained by Yuseol. I rubbed my pinched cheek with my hand, trying to soothe the redness. It wasn't from embarrassment—it was because she'd squeezed it so hard I nearly had handprints.
"Sorry about that, Neru. She's got no self-control around cute things."
"Ah, no, it's fine..."
Having regained her senses, Iori apologized profusely to me.
"I'm really sorry! You were just so cute, I couldn't help myself..."
"It's a compliment, so it's okay..."
"You're joining as a 2nd gen, right? That's awesome! Let's get along from now on!"
Her extroverted energy was overwhelming. My own energy was already draining, and I wanted to head home ASAP. Still, since she meant well, I nodded with a smile.
Watching the exchange, Yuseol handed me a box.
"This is..."
"I picked it up on my last trip. Eat it, Neru."
"Whoa, thank you so much...!"
It looked like expensive chocolate. Was it okay to just hand this over like that? Either way, you don't turn down good intentions. Yuseol gazed at me with a pleased expression, then turned to Iori.
"Seo-yeon, when did you get here?"
"Ehehe, it was my day off, so I came to see you, President. But you seemed to be having an important talk, so I didn't come into the office..."
So Iori's real name was Seo-yeon. I doubted I'd ever need to use it, but I filed it away.
"Ugh, seriously."
"But I had no idea the important talk was about Neru! For real!"
"I know, you rascal."
The two seemed pretty close. I watched them blankly.
"By the way, Neru, how old are you?"
"Huh? Oh, uh... 24."
"No way, you're older than me? You look way younger!"
Was that a compliment or an insult? She probably meant my face looked young. Definitely not commenting on my short stature. Nope.
"Speak casually! We're all gonna be family anyway!"
"Ahaha... I'll try..."
Sensing my discomfort, Yuseol put Iori in a headlock and dragged her off.
"Seo-yeon, we need to talk about that last stream, remember?"
"Eek, President! That was a total accident!"
"You can head out now, Neru. I'll DM you all the details later—give them a read."
"Ah, got it. See you..."
And just like that, my first contract was done.
......
A little time passed, and I received various files via message. They asked for designs to create a new virtual avatar, sent schedules, and more. For a former jobless, on-leave student like me, this was a ton of work.
"At least my mental stamina's solid..."
Luckily, it didn't take long to handle everything. My body was a wreck physically, but my brain had always been sharp.
I kept my activity name as Neru, but they wanted a family name, so after some thought, I went with this:
[Hanako Neru]
The meaning? Honestly, I didn't put much thought into it. Just something that sounded good and wouldn't overlap with others.
"Ugh... They're making the 2nd gen group chat today, so maybe wait a bit..."
What to do until then? Eat the chocolate Yuseol gifted me, obviously!
I unwrapped the fancy packaging and popped one into my mouth reverently.
"Mmm~ It's bitter?"
My puffed-up expectations deflated a little. This new body apparently had elementary-schooler taste buds. It was high-end dark chocolate—not bad, just not my flavor.
"Good for when I'm tired, then."
I stashed the rest in the fridge. Time passed like that until a notification pinged in the group chat app.
I'd been invited to two: the overall Universe group chat and the Universe 2nd gen one. The 2nd gen chat was already buzzing.
The personalities shone through even in text. I chimed in with a greeting too—we'd be sharing rice bowls soon enough.
Yuseol didn't add more after that. Guess it was up to us to bond now? Yuzha, Ren, Luna, and me. Apparently, 2nd gen was just the four of us.
"Things are gonna get busy..."
The chat flowed decently—real-life stuff, past streaming experience. Luna and Yuzha's bright vibes loosened things up quick. With these new connections, I began debut prep.
......
Two days before Yuseol's planned meetup for 2nd gen bonding. I'd chatted a ton via the group in the meantime and roughly gauged their personalities.
Asagiri Luna: Super energetic and athletic. Word was she worked out hard—had abs, even.
"Maybe ask to see 'em later?"
Hmm. Once we're closer, definitely.
Next, Hanami Yuzha. She'd posted a selfie in the chat. Gal vibe, straight out of Japan—loved photos. TMI: Proud of her chest. It looked huge in pics.
"Later, just once... No, what am I thinking?"
Anyway, former idol trainee who'd quit. With a face like that, you'd see it everywhere—reasonable suspicion.
Last, Hoshino Ren. Quiet compared to the others, but a pro gamer. Cute voice, kinda like me.
"Gotta find a chance to get close."
Not that I wouldn't with the others. Ren seemed shy, so better to approach first.
As I sorted my thoughts on everyone, Yuseol called.
"Hello? President, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing much. Neru, you're really going with this character design?"
"Uh... yeah. Why?"
"It's just... doesn't it match your real-life look and features too closely?"
Ah, that. No helping it, though. It was a pre-planned concept—I hadn't expected my body to change like this. And even if I wanted to tweak it, the Neru in my head refused. Change the look, and it wouldn't be her.
"If you go out and someone leaks a red pill—er, blue pill in your case... But if you're okay with it, no issue."
"I hardly go out, so... I'm good."
"...Alright. You pushed so hard for it, so we'll go with this."
From what I'd heard, Universe 2nd gen's overall concept was cyberpunk. Perfect for my AI push (?).
"When's debut?"
"Hmm, late May at the latest?"
It was March now—not too long. No need to rush.
I wrapped up with Yuseol and checked the 2nd gen chat. I'd heard their voices via voice notes before— all solid. We'd agreed on casual talk. Except shy Ren.
"Ugh."
Not a fan of mala tang personally. Couldn't handle spice, and the flavor didn't suit me. Maybe my original tastes carried over. I remembered a female junior in college ordering it at a dorm party—I tried a bite.
Of course, I said it sucked back then too.
Thankfully, they settled on safe burgers. Meetup at the company lounge where I'd met Iori—Yuseol would brief us and we'd break the ice.
"Uggggh..."
I stretched luxuriously and decided on dinner. Cake for dessert later.