Can We Ship This Little Wu?

A new romance game has just come out.

It has a huge advertising budget and is incredibly popular. Ads for it are everywhere.

You can customize the faces of characters you can pursue, grow crops and steal vegetables, and enjoy gorgeous clothing and furniture models. The gameplay is incredibly varied.

After seeing the game's ad for the umpteenth time, Yuecheng Cang finally tapped the install button.

...But after downloading it, he realized the game wasn't quite like the ads.

There was no cozy little room when he opened it, and no way to freely customize a character's face.

The screen showed only a barren, gray background and a conquest target named "Xiao Wu."

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The person who modeled Xiao Wu must have been a genius.

Eyes as beautiful as the sky, soft white hair, flawless skin, and features so exquisite they seemed unreal...

And that glaring -50 affection rating.

"New Player Limited-Time Offer! Make your first purchase of just six bucks to buy your partner a bed to sleep in! Maybe he'll like you a little more~"

--This stupid game is asking for money right off the bat.

Fine.

I'll consider it payment for Xiao Wu's character model.

But one time paying turns into countless times.

The more you spend, the more you spend.

--

Xiao Wu is always sleeping in that bed.

Xiao Wu likes sweet cakes.

Xiao Wu doesn't like overly fancy clothes.

Xiao Wu says he hates it, but his affection keeps slowly increasing.

Adorable Xiao Wu. Xiao Wu who says one thing and means another.

My Xiao Wu.

Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu...

-

Just as Yuecheng Cang was getting more and more addicted, a notification suddenly popped up in the game.

"Affection target reached~! You can now let your partner go out on his own~"

"Please note, you only have one authorization. Choose Yes or No."

Of course, Yuecheng Cang chose "Yes."

The next day, his Xiao Wu was gone.

-

After a week of despair, Yuecheng Cang opened the game as usual to see if Xiao Wu had come home. But another pop-up appeared.

--"Would you like to meet your partner again?"

-

After hammering the "Yes" button, he really did meet Xiao Wu.

Only now, they weren't separated by a cold screen.

Warm, beautiful, living Xiao Wu.

...Xiao Wu, whose affection rating had gone back to zero.

The stupid game rubbed salt in the wound: "We accidentally sent you to an earlier point in your partner's timeline~! But he's a year younger now, so he's twice as fresh and youthful. Isn't that great ^O^/"

Yuecheng Cang: ...Give me my money back!

-

There was no chance of getting his money back.

But the stupid game said that once his affection reached the target again, it could return the wonderful times he and Xiao Wu had shared.

So should he...

conquer him all over again?

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*They meet online during the Prison Realm arc, and meet in person when Yuta enrolls.

Theme: Perseverance brings victory.