*Note: The IA is giving me problems again... do you know some AI that can translate to English very well? If not, it doesn't mind.
Have a good day :)
...
Both Akira and Kari stood staring at each other, but for very different reasons.
Akira couldn't believe who was standing before him. That girl was without a doubt Hikari Yagami—the sister of the main protagonist of *Digimon Adventure 01*—meaning she was a DigiDestined. Akira couldn't stop wondering what she was doing here. Could this world have Digimon too? Was this a mixed universe? But that couldn't be—it was impossible. He had never seen any other character that didn't belong to the *To Love-Ru* anime.
"Maybe I should investigate more… Could there be other girls from different anime in this world too? I guess I'll have to look into it," Akira thought.
The only way to find out was to go to Tokyo, where the stories of countless anime took place. Only by going there and checking if the schools he remembered from those anime existed could he confirm whether other heroines besides those from *To Love-Ru* were part of this world.
But that was something for the future. For now, he needed to focus on the girl in front of him. If Hikari Yagami existed here, then her brother Taichi Yagami probably did too—and that might even mean Digimon existed as well.
To be honest, as a casual anime fan, Akira had already searched the internet for the anime he used to watch in his previous life, but he didn't find any of them. In this world, there was no *Dragon Ball*, *Pokémon*, *One Piece*, or even *Digimon*. Only anime he had never heard of before, all of much lower quality than those he remembered.
Why didn't he just make those anime himself? The thought crossed his mind. But since he would become a king in the future, he wouldn't be short on wealth anyway. So… why bother? Though he did consider giving the idea to someone else to bring them to life. However, he hadn't met anyone interested in drawing manga or writing novels, so he shelved the idea for now.
While Akira pondered all that, Kari's mind was elsewhere. From the very moment she saw Akira, it was as if Cupid himself had struck her heart with an arrow. Mikan had told her that her boyfriend was handsome—but why didn't she mention that he was *this* handsome, even more than the best-looking model she'd ever seen on TV? Mikan had conveniently left out that little detail.
{Note: Everyone has different tastes. Someone I find beautiful might not seem that way to you, the reader. The same applies here. Akira is attractive, but not model-level. Kari just sees him differently. I needed to clarify this to avoid complaints about contradictions. Beauty standards differ for everyone.}
It wasn't that Kari didn't like boys—it's just that she had never met one who truly caught her eye. She had seen male idols, models, actors—both local and foreign—and even the handsome boys at her own school. But none of them had ever made her feel this way. Yes, those boys were attractive, but they were nothing special to her. Akira, however, was something completely different. His beautiful face captivated her from the start. Her cheeks flushed, her heart raced, and she couldn't stop staring at him, taking in every detail of his handsome features.
Did time stop while they stared at each other? Of course not. Time kept moving, even if they felt otherwise. The girls present watched in surprise. Akira stared at Kari as if she were someone he had seen before, while Kari gazed back, blushing deeply, completely ignoring everyone else.
"Wait… is Kari…?" asked Mami, shocked.
"Seems like it. I didn't think this could happen," replied Sachie.
"I can't believe it. She made fun of me so much, and now she falls in love just by looking at him. What am I supposed to do now—make fun of her?" said Mikan.
The two kept staring so intensely that the other girls' words went completely unnoticed.
"Um… maybe we should bring them back to reality?" Sachie suggested.
Neither seemed willing to look away.
Mikan knew Akira wasn't staring because he liked Kari, but still, she felt a twinge of jealousy. So she pinched his waist with an annoyed expression, which finally made him react.
"Don't you think it was a bit too bold to stare at my friend like that? Do you like her or something?" Mikan asked, slightly jealous.
Akira was caught off guard. Did he like Kari? Well, yes—when he saw her in *Digimon Adventure 02*, back when he was a teenager. Did he like the *younger* Kari? Sure—but not in the way people might think. Did he want her in his harem now that she existed in this world? Obviously, yes. But was he staring because he was instantly smitten? Absolutely not.
"It's not that… I just thought I'd seen her somewhere before, and I ended up staring without realizing it," he said, slightly embarrassed.
I probably shouldn't have stared that long. Now she's going to think I'm some kind of pervert.
"So, you don't think she's pretty? You don't like her?" asked Mikan.
Akira froze, unsure what to say. Should he admit it in front of her? Or deny it and risk offending the other girl? Even if Kari didn't care, what girl wouldn't be bothered to hear someone say she wasn't attractive? That's why he hesitated.
Seeing Akira so nervous made Mikan smile. The usually calm and composed Akira was flustered—something unheard of.
"Hehe, I'm just kidding. Come on, let's go inside and get to know each other better," Mikan said.
Meanwhile, Sachie and Mami took advantage of the moment to snap Kari out of her trance. She immediately blushed bright red when she realized how blatantly she had been staring at Akira. Not only would he think she was rude, but her friends would surely tease her later.
{Note: Friendly teasing among friends—no malice.}
Blushing to her ears, Kari followed Sachie and Mami into Mikan's living room, with Akira and Mikan walking behind them.
…
A few minutes later.
We entered Mikan's living room and sat around a heated kotatsu. It was quite cold today, and summer was still far away, so the warmth was very welcome.
The sky was overcast, and rain threatened to fall. The temperature hovered around nine degrees Celsius, so I had to wear something warm—but not too much. Surprisingly, I was starting to feel as if my physical strength and overall attributes were slowly improving.
I could now last longer during sex, and my stamina had noticeably increased. Each time, I felt more resilient and full of energy. Could the constant use of the Omnitrix be enhancing my overall power? It was possible—since I wasn't doing any particular physical training as a human.
Normally, I practiced using the Omnitrix in the garden by transforming into various aliens, but I hadn't been training my human body at all. Yet, my strength and other stats kept rising gradually, which in turn made my aliens stronger too.
Anyway, to my left was the spot where Mikan had been sitting before going to prepare some tea. On my right sat Kari, her head lowered, occasionally sneaking glances at me—glances she probably thought I wouldn't notice. Normally, that would've been true, but my improved senses made it obvious.
I wondered what she was thinking. In love, maybe? This isn't some manga, and I'm not handsome enough for girls to fall for me at first sight. Impossible. She's probably just embarrassed because I stared at her earlier. I should be more careful next time.
After a few minutes of silence, Mikan returned and served us all some tea.
"I think we've waited long enough! It's time for you to tell us the truth!" Sachie suddenly exclaimed.
Startled, I looked at her. What truth was she talking about? Did Mikan tell them about aliens and our real identities?
Seeing my expression, Mikan immediately shook her head. She had only told them briefly how we met but left out anything about extraterrestrials.
"Don't you think we should introduce ourselves first? How can I talk to you properly if I don't even know your names?" I said.
They hadn't told me their names yet—even though I already knew them, it would be strange not to ask.
"Oh, right! That was rude of me! My name's Sachie—just call me Sachie!" she said cheerfully.
Despite being Japanese, she didn't like being addressed by her last name—quite unusual for someone from Japan.
"My name is Nogiwa Mami. It's a pleasure to meet you," said Mami politely.
Unlike the energetic Sachie, Mami gave off a calming aura, like she embodied serenity itself.
"I-I'm Yagami Hikari, but my friends call me Kari. You can call me that if you'd like…" said Kari shyly.
Hearing her, her three friends were silently laughing inside. Was this really the same Kari who always teased them? Just look at her now—like a timid little girl in front of Akira, the complete opposite of her usual self.
"Nice to meet you all. My name's Sato Akira, but I'm not big on formalities—so just call me Akira," I said.