Chapter 19: Compensation from the Company

When I returned to the rental apartment, it was already approaching 3:30 in the morning.

The room was inherently small, with air circulation practically nonexistent, and the stubborn smell of old furniture mixed with damp wood lingered indoors. 

The odor wasn’t pungent, but it was enough to keep one excessively awake— clearly not suitable for peaceful sleep.

I was well aware of this, of course.

Even so, I unhesitatingly collapsed onto that single small bed, letting my limbs spread out with gravity, like parts finally allowed to stop functioning.

“This is exactly…”

I swallowed the words halfway.

“…what’s going on?”

Rather than throwing questions into the air, it was better to confirm reality first.

I sat up, reaching for the phone that originally belonged to me.

I deliberately suppressed my gaze, not letting myself notice those overly slender, soft-feeling fingers.

This was my phone, no doubt.

The dents on the edges, and the “Yae Yoruichi” four characters I had childishly carved on the back shell with a small knife when I first got it, clearly proved that.

But the instant the screen lit up, my breathing involuntarily paused.

“…Gone?”

The virtual character named UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR in the phone had completely disappeared.

“Ah, ah, I know that, of course.”

I said in a low voice, almost self-soothing.

UNKNOWN NAME WARRIOR was originally just a backup account with no presence, never truly participating in any actions in the BHAO world; its disappearance theoretically wouldn’t affect my game progress even a bit.

But the problem was—

“No matter how you look at it, it’s weird, right?”

This phone had once been picked up by Ameno Yotsuba.

I still clearly remembered the expression that briefly flashed across his face when he handed the phone back to me—

Like confirming something, or wary of something.

“Its signal source is still on.”

“Inside… is there another account?”

That’s how he asked at the time.

“N-no.”

I denied almost subconsciously.

“That’s good.”

He nodded, his tone returning to calm. “In BHAO, dual accounts are strictly prohibited. Whether by THE EARTH RING official or among high-end players.”

This was the first time I’d heard such a thing.

Information about dual accounts was almost blank on the BHAO forum, like it had been deliberately erased.

And just as I was still immersed in these memories, he continued.

“However—”

“Eh?”

“In BHAO, there was once an urban legend.”

This topic still lingered firmly in my memory even now.

“There was a player who used two accounts.”

“He used one long-term, while the other was gradually ‘neglected’ by him.”

“Neglected…?”

Just that word made my spine inexplicably chill.

“Hm.”

“As a result, that neglected account developed self-awareness in BHAO.”

I held my breath.

“It initiated a duel against the original player.”

“And after winning, it seized all the opponent’s points, making the points directly turn negative.”

“Negative… negative?”

I almost repeated it.

In the BHAO world, negative points meant the character was forcibly deleted by the system.

And this was the cruelest rule in THE EARTH RING’s design, also the most hated by players.

A person could almost only have one character.

Once deleted, it was equivalent to permanently exiting BHAO’s stage.

“But that’s not the scariest part.”

Ameno Yotsuba’s tone was calm at the time. “That player, in reality… disappeared.”

“Disappeared?!”

“That’s too supernatural!”

“So it’s just an urban legend.”

That’s how he summed it up in the end.

—The above was the conversation between me and Ameno Yotsuba before leaving the BHAO club.

After that, it was just him saying he’d find a place nearby in the N district recently, we exchanged contact info, and then went our separate ways.

“Helping a former KING… to become a KING again, huh.”

I muttered to myself, hands supporting on the bed edge.

The phone screen was pitch black, yet it clearly reflected a strange yet familiar face.

Black long hair smoothly falling, framing that small and delicate features, like a flower blooming in soft light.

…Really cute.

…Wait, am I complimenting myself?

But on second thought, this was just a normal aesthetic judgment.

The Night Witch virtual character was originally known for being the “cute type.”

But now—

“The Night Witch is yours truly.”

That sentence almost slipped out.

The next second, I was harshly struck by my own sweet-sounding voice, reflexively grabbing the slime pillow to cover my face, rolling on the bed several times.

Aaaah! Calm down, Yae Yoruichi!!

But the brief shame was soon replaced by another emotion.

—Loneliness.

“Even turned into this…”

“I’m still alone, huh.”

No one to share this secret with.

No one to comfort me either.

“Get used to it.”

“You were like this anyway.”

I hugged the slime pillow tightly, muttering to myself, my tone calmer than imagined.

Then, my right hand unconsciously picked up Hatsuyuki’s pink phone again.

“…Everything seems to have started from this phone.”

Just then, the screen suddenly lit up.

An envelope with a wing mark floated on the BHAO forum interface.

“A message?”

The sender displayed as:

FROM THE EARTH RING

It was an official apology letter.

The content wasn’t complex— expressing apologies for the sudden abnormal BUG in ENDLESS WORLD, and issuing 500 points to all affected players as compensation.

“…Really stingy.”

I subconsciously quipped.

But the following content made me involuntarily sit up straight.

[This abnormality has caused some virtual-reality level impacts.]

[To protect the privacy of relevant players, specific impact details will not be disclosed.]

[The cause of the abnormality is still under investigation.]

[As one of the compensation measures, this company will provide affected players with a dedicated AR plugin.]

“AR plugin?”

I followed the prompt downward.

[This plugin can project the player’s original appearance image in reality.]

[As long as there is no overly close contact and no external signal interference, it can maintain stability.]

“I see…”

It seemed I wasn’t the only one affected.

I looked at the bottom of the letter, that plugin marked with a diamond pattern.

“At least…”

“Going to school can temporarily not be a worry.”