Hm… this place hasn't changed at all, huh," Eriri muttered as we reappeared in the familiar living room of Multiverse VR. She looked around, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "But still, I thought we'd be transported directly to Orario… not back here."
"Ah, that's because we received something," I replied, noticing a notification window popping up in front of us—its bright letters confirming my suspicion.
[ Congratulations! You have successfully completed: Starting the Journey of Adventure ]
Rewards:
• 1000 Credits
• 100 Exp
• 3 Random Skills
[ Tutorial Complete. Access to Multiverse Virtual Reality System Fully Unlocked ]
A new interface appeared, larger and cleaner than before, displaying the overall status of our base.
Multiverse Virtual Reality System
• Level: 1 — 100 / 100 Exp (Ready to upgrade)
• Credits: 1000
Facilities:
• Living Room – Lv 1
• Personal Room – Lv 1 (x2)
The panel floated in front of me, showing the full status of our Multiverse Virtual Reality hub.
Eriri leaned closer to the screen. "So… we really cleared the tutorial, huh."
I nodded. "Yeah, we can access more features from this Multiverse VR system now. Let's start by upgrading the base first."
I opened the holographic panel floating in front of me and selected the upgrade option. With a soft hum, glowing lines of data expanded around the room as the system began to process the upgrade.
[Multiverse Virtual Reality System Lv.1 → Lv.2]
You have gained:
Personal Room – Lv.1 (x4)
Online Store – Lv.1
You can now upgrade all facilities to Lv.2.
Another party member will be summoned.
Three random skills will be granted after the new member's summoning.
I blinked at the final line. "Ah, looks like we're getting a new member."
"Eh? Another one already?" Eriri's eyes widened. "You mean, someone else is joining us?"
"Yeah, looks like the summoning's about to begin." I said, as a new string of glowing text scrolled across the holographic display.
[The Second Heroine has been selected to be summoned. Confirmation complete. Proceeding to summon the Second Heroine: Ai Hoshino! An idol who shines brighter than anyone else, hiding her lies behind a perfect smile. Beautiful, talented, and full of mystery—truly another ideal match for OP's tastes!]
I immediately felt Eriri's sharp glare burning into the side of my face.
"Heh… another heroine that you fancy, huh?" she muttered, her tone dripping with irritation.
"Ugh… I swear I have no privacy in this system," I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck. It was déjà vu all over again—the same embarrassment I felt when Eriri was summoned.
The system ignored my complaint, of course. The entire room was filled with a gentle hum as bright light began to swirl in front of us. Blue and pink motes of light converged, forming the faint outline of a human figure. Slowly, the glow solidified into the shape of a young woman.
As the light faded, I saw her—Ai Hoshino.
Her long, silky purplish-blue hair with a subtle pink tint shimmered under glow of light, and her star-shaped eyes—radiant and full of life—sparkled with that same hypnotic charm she showed on stage. She was dressed in her iconic idol outfit: a crimson dress adorned with golden ribbons, layered frills, and a matching hair accessory shaped like a star. The air around her almost seemed to glimmer, as if she carried the aura of a stage spotlight wherever she went.
I was also able to see her beautiful, sparkling eyes—like a sky full of stars, glimmering with a brilliance that felt almost unreal.Those eyes, which were supposedly just a metaphor in the anime and manga, were now alive before me, filled with warmth, depth, and that captivating charm that once made millions fall for her.
Ai blinked a few times, her gaze wandering as she took in the unfamiliar surroundings. Then, with the kind of smile that makes many fans fall in love, she tilted her head slightly, put her finger on her lips, and said, "Areee... Who are you? Hm, where am I now? The last thing I remember is... everything suddenly froze, like a dream."
For a moment, I was completely frozen. Ai's beauty was overwhelming in a way different from Eriri's. Eriri had that refined, tsundere charm—a heroine straight from an otaku's dream—but Ai radiated a magnetic aura, the kind of presence that could make anyone feel like the world revolved around her. Her beauty wasn't just physical; it was dazzling, almost divine, like the embodiment of the word "idol."
"Ah, sorry, you must be confused," I said quickly, trying to shake off my awe before I looked like a total fool. "But… you can call me Adi. Nice to meet you, and welcome to the Multiverse Virtual Reality. You've been chosen to join our group."
I gestured to my side, where Eriri was standing with her arms crossed and an unreadable expression on her face. "And the girl next to me is—"
"My name is Eriri Spencer Sawamura," she cut in smoothly, her tone polite but with that familiar sharp edge that made me wince a little.
From Eriri's reaction alone, it was obvious she didn't recognize Ai at all. That meant Ai wasn't a big celebrity in this world—or at least, not yet. I studied her closely, and something about her expression told me she wasn't the Ai from the very beginning of her story either. Her eyes had that faint warmth—the kind that came after rediscovering what it meant to smile genuinely. If I had to guess, this was the Ai after she found joy in performing again, after seeing her twin children dance when she did performed
'Yeah,' I thought, watching her tilt her head with that charming idol smile, 'this version of Ai fits perfectly for this situation.'
"Adi and Eriri, huh?" Ai repeated, her tone light and melodic. "My name is Ai Hoshino! Nice to meet you both~" she said with a cheerful wave, her trademark smile bright enough to light up the entire room. Her voice carried that same mix of playfulness and professionalism—like she was always performing, even when she wasn't on stage.
"Multiverse Virtual Reality, though…" she paused, glancing around at the glowing panels and unfamiliar surroundings. "That's not the name of an idol group or a TV show, right? Hm… wait, don't tell me…" Her expression brightened as she placed a finger on her lip and leaned in. "Are you guys trying to prank me or something? Did Saitou-san set this up?"
Her reaction made sense. For someone like Ai, anything strange like this would naturally seem like part of an idol gig or a hidden camera show. Meeting two random people in an unfamiliar place probably just felt like another over-the-top variety show stunt.
Eriri and I exchanged a glance. Yeah, this was going to take a lot of explaining.
[author]
Each chapter is about 1,000-1,200 words,
Monday to Saturday, every 5.00 AM in my country and maybe 3:00 PM in UTC since my reader lot from US. Thanks for reading!!!
[/author]