The Tuna Thief and the Controller

The moment morning broke, I climbed up to the motel roof.

The wiring seemed salvageable enough, which saved me a fair bit of trouble. I started by setting up the supports facing south. Once I mounted the panels and connected the wiring to the battery, my job was done. The rest was just waiting for the electricity to generate.

That was when it happened.

"Chanwoo! The lights inside the motel are starting to flicker on, even if it’s just a little!"

Revi poked her head out through the window, looking up at me with the good news. I felt a wave of relief, but I didn't let myself get carried away.

"Good. The power output is still weak, so let's flip the breaker and store the charge for now."

"Ah, understood!"

With this, our motel had become one of the few landmarks in this post-apocalyptic world to use electricity again. I hurried to ensure the power being generated was saved in the battery. After all, this electricity was meant for something far more valuable than just lighting up the motel.

Even though the current output wasn't enough to power a single building, I knew the drill. Following the "pro-gamer" logic I’d honed over the years, it wouldn't be long before I could make the area bright enough to keep monsters away even at night.

"It would be perfect if it showed the charge percentage like in the game..."

The only downside was that since the game’s system had vanished, I had to manually check the battery efficiency.

"Huh?!"

But the moment I finished speaking, a translucent window—the exact same UI ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I’d seen back when I played Star's Doll—popped up, showing the current electricity level.

"Whoa, wait, what?!"

"What is this... wasn't this an ability I could only use when controlling Revi?"

I didn't know. This ability hadn't existed in "reality" before. It felt like a unique blend of apocalypse and fantasy. It was surreal, yet if it was directly linked to my "survival," I was going to use it to the fullest.

"...Can I calculate the time it takes to reach 100% charge, just like in the game?"

Talk about precision. But the number was so exact that I couldn't even be happy about it.

"109 days... I need at least 70% to send a signal to space. That means I have to sit still and charge it for at least two months?"

The charging time was two to three times longer than the month I’d estimated. I planned to use various methods to gather electricity, but I had to admit, the first quest was already a grind.

"Revi!"

"Yes, Chanwoo!"

"Today is the calm before the storm! Let's head to the Villa District and grab more panels and canned tuna!"

"Understood!"

That’s the nature of survival games. If you’re frustrated, you just go back out and farm more.

The essential requirement for the apocalypse genre isn't food, powerful weapons, or reliable allies—it's maintaining a positive mindset. Laughing when things are tough might make you look like a lunatic, but crying won't change a thing. To manage my condition, which is the most important part of survival, I couldn't afford to lose my optimism.

Besides, I’m a veteran with over 50,000 hours in Souls-like games. The word "despair" doesn't exist in my dictionary. If anything, we "hardcore" players are the type to turn despair into pleasure.

"I have attained enlightenment."

And now, with this convenient ability, who could possibly shake my spirit, which had reached a state of Buddhist-like clarity in a world where even religion had vanished? Who, I ask!

"...Huh?"

"Oh?"

I encountered that "distraction" at the Villa District without much trouble.

"The tuna cans..."

"They're all gone!"

What kind of bullshit event is this? The bright expression I’d had since morning was immediately replaced by a dark shadow. The food that would have lasted at least 100 days... the room where my precious tuna had been stacked until yesterday was completely empty.

"Did the owner take them back?!"

"Ugh, if I’d known, I would have taken more yesterday even if I had to force it!"

It wasn't really something a thief should say, but I let out a sigh, feeling like I’d dropped the ball at the last second.

"Sigh. Fine. It can't be helped."

"Chanwoo?"

"They weren't our property to begin with. And I want to maintain a friendly relationship with whoever made these cans."

"So... we aren't going to track them down?"

"Yeah, let's leave it. I only swiped a few yesterday because I was panicked, but now that I know they belong to someone else, it feels a bit wrong to chase them, doesn't it?"

"...Understood. Regardless, I am an android who acts for your sake, Chanwoo."

Androids slaughtering their own kind over food. In Star's Doll, an open-world game with high freedom, you could play out that kind of development if you wanted. But since there were penalties and bad endings for an android—who was supposed to be hunting monsters—killing her own kind, I didn't want to go down that path.

'It’s not like this is a game where I can do multiple playthroughs. I’d be insane to do that.'

First of all, if you start killing your own kind, you become hostile to every other android you meet from the start, let alone finding allies. I didn't want to live in an apocalyptic world where I could only play solo.

Death to the monsters! Victory to the androids! And hope for humanity! Following that game slogan, I decided to just give up on the tuna.

"Forget it. Let's just gather more solar panels."

"Yes, understood."

Surprisingly, Revi accepted my decision easily, even though she was obsessed with the tuna. I thought she’d throw a tantrum, but she was humming a tune as she gathered useful panels from the villa roof, looking almost happy.

Wait, is she taking "that" too?

"This mushroom with the nipple pattern... I think this is why I started lactating."

"Oh, really?"

"Yes! So that you can have a refreshing morning tomorrow, Chanwoo, I’ll work hard to produce milk this evening and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠have it 'ready' for you!"

Revi’s breast milk, which I, Kang Chanwoo, personally found even tastier than the tuna. Remembering my words from yesterday, she was harvesting more of the so-called "nipple mushrooms" that temporarily turned her into a lactating state, as if to say, "Look forward to it."

'...I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know how to make her lactate without those things.'

Truly, Revi is the greatest "virgin bitch" created by R.P.M. How can someone with zero sexual knowledge be this arousing? Or is that exactly why she’s so arousing?

If we get closer later, maybe she’ll even do "that" for me.

Anyway, thanks to visiting the Villa District for three days in a row, we were getting the hang of it and farming easily. Just as we were about to head back after successfully finding a large haul of useful panels:

"Wouldn't this be enough?"

"Yeah. Seems so. Good work, Revi."

"Not at all. By the way, if we have this much time left, we can go back to the motel and make a cup of milk... no, I think I can make at least three cups!"

"Really? Then I guess I can eat my fill and go to sleep today."

"Hehe. That’s right!"

A glass of milk is the best thing before bed, after all. We were chatting happily when—

Click.

"Huh?"

Suddenly, I felt a familiar sensation in my right hand. The grip that made my heart race just by touching it. When I lifted my right hand, a game controller was already there.

"Oh? Chanwoo. What is that strange-looking object? I didn't even know you had it."

"Huh? This is the controller I used to control you, Revi...?"

"Oh! So that’s how you were able to do whatever you wanted with my body! I’ve never seen it before!"

Revi’s eyes sparkled with wonder. I was just as amazed. This wasn't an ability I could use at will. It had only manifested once, against a Queen-class monster the other day. I’d practiced secretly ever since, but it had never worked properly.

So why was it appearing out of nowhere now?

Without time to ponder:

'The first time this ability manifested was when Revi was on the verge of death by the Behimogigas. Does that mean this ability only appears when Revi or I are in mortal danger?'

It was just a guess, but it had only happened once. Only when one of us was crossing the threshold of death did it appear like a savior, combining with my "pro-gamer" skills to save us.

And if my deduction was correct, the fact that this controller was suddenly in my hand meant we were in serious danger.

"Revi, is there anything strange nearby?"

"Yes?"

"This is just a guess, but I can only use this ability when I'm in danger."

"...!"

"And the fact that it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠manifested means there’s some kind of threat to us right now."

"Is that so?! Understood. I will now increase your protection level, Chanwoo."

Without even asking for details, Revi immediately drew a blade from one hand. Usually, someone would ask a few questions, but her swift judgment made me smile at the sight of such a "loyal subject."

Meanwhile, on the roof of a derelict building in the Villa District:

"...Did they notice?"

The android, who had been secretly sniping the two of them while keeping her presence hidden, lowered her rifle. The owner of the tuna cans, her amethyst eyes shining between her dark, night-like twin-tails.

Codename: P859JSAO294ED.

In short, "Serika" had lowered her guard, realizing she’d been discovered. She looked genuinely flustered, not at all like a "genius."

"These guys... are they new models? How did they notice me?!"