I hadn't even shut the door when Star bombarded me with questions.

  "What was that place? What were those big metal things with wheels? What was that magic device that showed other people?"

  "Slow down," I grumbled as I leaned against the door and crossed my arms. "One question at a time."

  "Right, sorry." She cleared her throat. "I'll start with this. Where are you really from."

  "Mmm." I awkwardly scratched the back of my head.

  "Tell me!" She pressed against me. "Please, tell me!"

  "Okay! Okay! Just..." I pushed her away gently. "Sit down."

  "Okay!" She adjusted her dress and sat on her bed.

  "I...." Why is it so hard to say? She already knows. Why am I so nervous? "I'm from a place called Earth."

  "Earth?" She tilted her head. "Like the ground?"

  "Er...I guess that didn't help." I sighed in thought. "I guess it would be easier to say that I'm not from this world, but you already know that."

  "I know you aren't from here," Star twirled her hair in a finger as she stared curiously at me. "I know nothing about you being from another world."

  I snitched on myself!

  "Still," she smiled endearingly. "I want to hear about it."

  I already told her more than I needed to. I may as well feed her curiosity before it gets me in trouble.

  "Ask away."

  "What were those big metal things with wheels? Are those the monsters from your world?"

  "You mean cars?" I raised an eyebrow, amused by her assumption. "No, those aren't monsters. They're called cars, and they were our source of transportation."

  "Fascinating!" She gasped. "You must have been able to get from one kingdom to another in no time with how fast they traveled."

  "We didn't have kingdoms. We had states and countries."

  "We have countries."

  "Ah, so then you understand. A kingdom is like a state but different. Each kingdom has a king here, yes? We had representatives, mayors, and governors."

  "What are those?"

  "Think of them like the king's right-hand man, but there was one for every fifty states, and then there was one man who ruled over all of them."

  "What was he?"

  "We called him the president, and unlike this world, our people voted for our president. There were the republican and democratic parties. One voted for one candidate, and the other another. Sometimes, they'd switch, depending on how well the message and promises of the presidential candidate were delivered and what was promised."

  "Which party were you?"

  "Nice try, but I don't mix politics with my story. That's how you sell short."

  "Huh?"

  "Nothing. Ignore that. What I'm saying is that it's not important."

  "What about those flying things?" Star cocked her head.

  "Birds?"

  "No," she puffed her cheeks. "They looked like birds, but their wings didn't move."

  "Ah, an airplane."

  "An airplane?"

  "Remember how I said cars were a source of transportation? Airplanes are the same, but they move much faster in the air. They also can carry more people. You could use an airplane or a car to reach your destination, but sometimes you needed an airplane if you were flying overseas."

  "Huh?" Her eyes began to swirl at the influx of information.

  "S-Sorry. It's a lot, I know." I scratched my head. "It'll take a lot of time to explain it all."

  "Then tell me."

  "Hm?"

  "I'm here to listen, so explain it to me."

  "Er....I'm not sure about that."

  "Please!" She begged. "Pretty please!"

  "Okay. Okay." I sighed. "But you better buckle up. This is going to be a long ride."

  "Buckle up?"

  "It's a metaphor from my world. I'll explain it if you want."

  "Please do!" She stood up. "I'll make some tea while you do."

  "All right."

  ???????????????

  "Wow! So you played these video games, and some of them were just like our world?"

  "Yep! But you could save any time in the game and restart whenever you wanted, even if you died."

  "Wow!" She leaned closer to me on her bed, where we both sat. "So...you were immortal?"

  "Sort of. It's not exactly immortality. Besides, half the time, I never used saves. I was a speed runner, so I would restart my run if I died. I only used saves as a practice for strategies to find the most efficient way forward."

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Have you tried the strats from those games in the dungeons of this world?"

  "Nah, I'm too weak for that." I shrugged. "I'd get my ass kicked the second I walk through the doors."

  "Hehehe." She giggled. "From what I've seen of you getting beat up by a slime, I believe it."

  "What did I say about prying into my past?" I nudged her gently. "Just ask."

  "I can't help it." She pouted. "It's an ability I can't control. Just like that Charm of yours."

  "Huh?"

  "Exactly," she giggled. "But it's weird."

  "What is?"

  "There are...gaps in your memory." Star's eyes stared into mine, unwavering and sparkling with curiosity. "Almost like you're hiding something from me."

  "Hey," I raised my hands in surrender. "I'm not hiding anything, promise. Just ask, and you will receive." Her cheeks puffed.

  "I'll ask next time we talk." She looked at the door. "Your girlfriends are getting restless."

  "My girlfriends?" I stood up, walked over to the door, and opened it. Nia and Sabrina both fell on the floor on top of each other. The looks on their faces made it evident that they had been eavesdropping.

  "W-We weren't listening!" Sabrina immediately began to defend herself as I scowled at them both.

  "Yeah! Yeah!" Nia nodded her head vigorously. "It's not like I thought you'd flirt with the princess or anything."

  "Right!" Sabrina agreed. "I totally didn't think you'd cheat on me. I mean, how could you? I tamed you myself."

  "Right! Right!" Nia nodded violently again, her ears flopping up and down with the movement. "I totally wasn't thinking I'd hear moaning if I listened."

  "Me either!" Sabrina and Nia began nodding in sync.

  "This is the first time I've seen you two get along," I rested a hand on my hip with a smile. "I'm glad." I squatted down and rubbed Nia's ears.

  "Mmmm." She closed her eyes and purred. "That feels nice, nya!"

  Special event:

  Arouse Nia

  Option one:

  "You make me feel good."

  Reward: All stats increased by 25

  Option two:

  "You're a good girl."

  Reward: All stats increased by 25

  All of these are ass. Let me show you the power of a cringe dating sim player!

  "If you keep behaving," she chirped as I grabbed her chin and pulled her closer. She stared into my eyes as they shone brightly. "I'll make you feel even better."

  Notice:

  All stats increased by 50

  "Mmmyeaaahhh?" She drooled as I scratched under her chin.

  "Gross," Star gagged. "I don't want to see you doing that."

  "Jealous?" I asked smugly.

  "Of course not," Star sighed. "You're more of a brother than a romantic interest, and I don't want to hear your cringe flirting."

  Heh. I taught her that word.

  "Wait, brother?" My eyes sparkled.

  "Y-Yes." She sweat nervously. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

  "Will you call me onii-chan!?"

  "No!"

  "Why? Why not? Please!" Tears streamed down my face.

  "No! Never! Absolutely not!" She crossed her arms in an X shape with each refusal.

  "STARRRRR!" I sobbed as I fell to my knees. "I'm begging you! Just this once!"

  "W-Why...?"

  "I'm a single child, so I've never had a sibling to call me that."

  "I-I can call you brother."

  "No!"

  "B-Big brother?"

  "It's not the same!"

  "S-Stop being cringe, onii-chan!" her face flushed as she forced herself to say it.

  KYAAA! It felt like an arrow pierced my heart at the sound.

  "Now get out, you cringe lord!"

  "Hey, that's mean!" I complained as the guards grabbed my arms and began to drag me out. "Star! Take it back! I'm not a cringe lord! I'm not!"

  "Heh," she smirked as the doors slowly shut. "Get wrecked." The doors closed.

  I never should have taught her those insults!