My girlfriend is from the future!

There used to be a joke online that said seventeen or eighteen-year-old boys like seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls; and even seventy or eighty-year-old men like seventeen or eighteen-year-old girls, to prove that men's aesthetic sense never changes.

But in reality, one's "XP" (sexual desire) does change with age, broadened horizons, and richer experiences. Just like a "young man" who likes anime and manga, he has a natural affinity for role-playing and loli-type girls with youthful appearances, because these are types that are both somewhat distant and the most familiar to him. When those anime/manga characters that he doesn't dislike and even deliberately tries to be close to are actually presented to him as real people, the feeling is undoubtedly the same as when Cao Zhi met the Goddess of the Luo River.

However, it's different for a "writer" to be a social being. His profession, environment, and social class have exposed him to too many types of women. There's the good in being innocent and the good in being provocative. Whether it's long legs in black stockings or yoga pants, it's easy to imagine that when what was once unattainable becomes commonplace and even within reach, his threshold has long been raised to another level.

Just as Cao Zhi eventually distinguished between the Goddess of the Luo River and Zhen Mi, adults who gradually learn to face life will eventually invest their true emotions in a real person.

Jiang Xixi was the best companion He Tianran could imagine during his "teenage" years. Unlike Cao Aiqing, who was an unattainable white moonlight, she could satisfy the hobbies and fantasies of a young man at that time, and she also had a more real and tangible feel to her. She was the kind of person who, even if Wen Liang had transmigrated, would have to learn some common sense about the second dimension in order to try to get closer to He Tianran, while she could seamlessly connect with the "teenager".

But times have changed. Looking at Jiang Xixi now, her beauty is not as intense and aggressive as Wen Liang's; nor does it have the tender charm that Cao Aiqing possessed in every gesture. So when the "boy" became a "writer," he felt more of a mature sense of "shame" when facing her...

However, this sense of "shame" is something He Tianran does not possess when facing others.

A navy blue sailor uniform, a red and black striped skirt, a short blue wig, white stockings, and that signature eye patch—when Jiang Xixi put on this outfit, He Tianran recognized the character she was cosplaying almost immediately…

"This is... Rikka Takanashi? What are you doing?"

"Love, Chunibyo & Other Delusions" is a must-see masterpiece for anyone new to anime and manga. It's a top-notch pure romance story about a group of teenagers who form a bond, leading to a youthful tale interwoven with everyday school life, romantic battles, and passionate comedy.

Just thinking about it, this anime and this character are both products from more than ten years ago...

"Kukuku~ Of course, it's to break the seal on Master Natural~"

"Ma, Masaka, Yami~ Don't... don't do it, don't do it."

Watching Jiang Xixi strike several ridiculously cringeworthy poses, He Tianran's sense of shame intensified. He subconsciously blurted out a couple of phrases from his hometown dialect, the hairs on his arms stood on end, and goosebumps rose all over his body. He instinctively curled up in the corner of the sofa, as if that would be enough to ward off this mental attack...

Jiang Xixi, however, was completely immersed in her role. She placed her left hand on her hip, and with her right index and middle fingers together, she pressed sharply against the eye patch over her left eye, chanting at the same time:
"The lazy soul wandering in this world, the phantom of the past slumbering in the prison of this world..."

He Tianran covered his face in anguish, a desperate eye peeking out from between his fingers.

Jiang Xixi took a step forward, her small feet, encased in white stockings, landing on the coffee table opposite the sofa. She suddenly raised her right hand diagonally upwards, fingers spread, as if welcoming something imminent:
"I am the successor of the Evil King's True Eye, the observer standing on the invisible boundary! In the name of the Contractor, I now call upon my other half to form an alliance of accomplices!"

With each word she spoke, He Tianran's toes dug deeper into his shoe, and the "writer" felt like he was about to suffer social death.

However, deep within his heart, a familiar yet shameful stirring, long suppressed, seemed to be beginning to stir restlessly...

"Look at this body eroded by the laws of reality! These eyes blinded by adult logic! This body bound by social discipline!"

Jiang Xixi's voice suddenly rose, and her raised right hand abruptly fell, fingers spread, aimed at He Tianran, who looked "horrified":
"My 'first love, Emperor'! Are you willing to sink into the eternal nightmare called 'everyday life'? Can't you feel that within your sealed heart, the 'naturally innocent youth' is yearning to roar?!"

"Don't mess with the lines from 'chuunibyou'! And that Japanese-English hybrid phrase 'young man in natural' is so archaic! The audience can't understand it anymore!"

He Tianran finally couldn't hold back and let out a complaint through his fingers. The adult composure in his voice had loosened considerably, and it carried a trace of the exasperation that belonged to a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) teenager.

"It's working!"

Jiang Xixi's eyes lit up, and she became even more energetic. Suddenly, she spun around on the spot, her skirt fluttering...

He Tianran's pupils contracted!
Pink and blue stripes, checkered pattern!
The innocent type!
Although the other party's movement was very fast, He Tianran's experienced eyes still managed to grasp the key point in that split second!
Wake up, young man, you're naturally gifted!

"In the name of the contract that 'the world of anime will never betray the world of anime'!"

"Inspired by the blood flowing in the King's Canyon!"

"Using the shared resonance generated when 'complaining about the terrible endings of new anime series' as a bridge!"

"Cross the rift of 'time,' break through the barriers of 'reality,' and answer my call!"

"It is hereby declared—"

Jiang Xixi took a deep breath, and with all her might, grabbed her right wrist with her left hand, while her right hand, still with its five fingers spread, pointed at He Tianran, and shouted out that line that had been overused in countless anime and manga works, but at this moment seemed to carry a certain absurd magic:
"Explode, reality! Shatter, spirit! Banishment... this world!!"

"..."

"..."

The air seemed to fall silent for a moment, and even after Jiang Xixi's delicate yet explosive voice faded, it still resonated with a deafening, soul-stirring echo...

He Tianran, who was on the sofa, suddenly stiffened.

Then, his hand, which was covering his face, slowly, little by little, slid down.

The eyes that were once the eyes of a "writer," always filled with scrutiny, calmness, and occasional weariness, are now changing at a visible speed.

The sophistication and detachment of adulthood quickly faded away, replaced by a more direct, more vivid, and more... more shameful and indignant radiance called "chuunibyou" (adolescent delusions of grandeur)!

His face flushed bright red, even more vibrant than Jiang Xixi's panties.

He Tianran opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but the first syllable he uttered was a tone that changed to a glissando:
“…Holy crap…”

The sound wasn't loud, but it was filled with the tremor of a soul being publicly executed.

Jiang Xixi kept her hand raised, blinking her large eyes, which seemed even brighter despite the eye patch, and looked at him expectantly. He Tianran—no, the one currently controlling this body was clearly the awakened "boy"—suddenly sprang up from the sofa, the movement so large it nearly overturned the coffee table.

He stood there helplessly, his eyes darting nervously over Jiang Xixi's perfect Rikka cosplay outfit, over her outstretched hand, over the room filled with otaku stuff, just like his high school days, and finally met Jiang Xixi's smiling eyes.

"you you you you……"

"Young He Tianran" pointed at Jiang Xixi, his fingers trembling. After struggling for a long time, he finally managed to utter a complete sentence, filled with intense shame and despair:

"Jiang Xixi! Do you know how embarrassing this is?! And this line must be over ten years old! And you're wearing your eye patch backwards! The Evil King's True Eye is the right eye, you idiot!"

Although he was ranting and his voice was filled with despair, saying "This is so embarrassing," there was no trace of the "writer" in his surprisingly bright eyes.

Instead, it belongs to a soul that refuses to grow up.

Seeing his stubbornness despite clearly enjoying himself, Jiang Xixi finally couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing. She laughed harder and harder until she finally sat down on the carpet, clutching her stomach, laughing until tears were almost streaming down her face.

"Hahahaha... It really works! Hahahaha, welcome back, 'The Emperor of First Love'~ Hahahaha~"

"Young man" He Tianran watched her laugh without any regard for her image. The blush on his face hadn't faded, but the corners of his mouth were uncontrollably turning up little by little...

That smile was a little awkward, a little embarrassed, but exceptionally genuine.

He scratched his head and muttered, "...Seriously, I can't do anything with an idiot like you."

Jiang Xixi, who was sitting on the ground laughing, suddenly raised a finger to signal him to shut up and corrected him:
"Mental age-wise, I'm older than you now, so you can't talk to me like that!"

"Me... Ha, that's funny."

He Tianran didn't want to argue. Jiang Xixi patted her skirt and hands, stood up, stepped onto the coffee table, and lightly jumped onto the sofa to sit cross-legged again. The young man glanced at her, and seeing that she was staring intently without saying a word, he shifted his gaze elsewhere and asked somewhat awkwardly:
"Last time...didn't you say...that the 'He Tianran' you liked wasn't me? Why are you making me come out now?"

The scene that happened at Jiang Xixi's house last time was still vivid in the young man's mind. He also remembered that Jiang Xixi said that the "He Tianran" she liked was someone who would not be ambiguous, would not hesitate, and would have the courage to move towards the future with regretful memories.

But does that "He Tianran" still exist in this body now?

The boy had no answer and was confused, thinking that such a person could not be himself.

"What? Just because nobody likes you, you're ashamed to face anyone? Hiding yourself away and running away from everything."

Jiang Xixi looked intently at He Tianran in front of her. Having lost the composure of a "writer," the "young man" appeared embarrassed by such a direct approach, and finally simply said:

"If 'escaping' works, why not? Since the other two versions of me can share the responsibility and are more capable of handling the current life than I am, why should I come out and steal the spotlight? Besides, there's no place for me in this world right now. I'll only make things worse. Back in school, I had a main task of 'studying,' but now that's gone. What else can I do? Lie down, let the ridicule come, and don't cause trouble. I think that's the best thing I should do."

As He Tianran spoke, he sat down next to Jiang Xixi, expressing his heartfelt feelings.

"I didn't realize you were so perceptive."

Jiang Xixi teased, and He Tianran, arms crossed and feet casually propped up on the coffee table in front of him, snorted twice and uttered a profound statement:

"As an otaku like me, having read too many comics and played too many games, what logic don't I understand? I will never have the illusion that I am the protagonist in this lousy game of 'reality'."

"But last time you ordered Wen Liang, Sister Cao, and me around, weren't you quite arrogant?"

"...That was a bug."

"What bug?"

This follow-up question left He Tianran somewhat silent, but considering their previous statements, Jiang Xixi didn't think the answer was too difficult to guess.

"Because you feel that no one loves you, so you won't love anyone else? This is an instruction that has never appeared in your system, and you have never gone through such a plot. The frame rate of reality is too high, and your system is too tired to run. You want to see special CGs but there is only one guide. You don't care about our personalities at all, and you don't know what we think of you. So after I confronted you that day, you couldn't turn on your computer?"

"Only those in the world of anime and manga can truly understand it," this vivid analogy immediately made He Tianran lose his composure, and he retorted:
"No! It's just like I said before, there's no suitable task for me in this world, and I don't know what I should do, so there's no need for me to appear!"

"Have!"

"W-what?"

Jiang Xixi made a decisive decision:
"I'm giving you a task right now. Tomorrow, Saturday, there's the last pre-Lunar New Year game and animation carnival at Hall 8 of the Jiangbei Convention and Exhibition Center. I've been invited. Will you come with me?"

"What...what am I supposed to do there?"

"Hmm...can you just take some photos for me? Or come with me to cosplay, that's fine too. We've done it together so many times back in college."

Jiang Xixi's words were perfectly reasonable. She took off the blue wig from her head, and her original long hair was draped down. Although her face still seemed to have lost its childishness and was cute, there was already a hint of maturity in her eyes that was appropriate for her age.

"What... what kind of mission is this? Do I really have to go?"

The girl shrugged casually, but her tone betrayed a hint of disappointment and resignation.
"Please do me a favor, because this might be my... last time cosplaying, so I need to find a trustworthy photographer to document it!"

Looking at the somewhat unfamiliar Jiang Xixi before him, He Tianran remained silent for a moment before finally nodding with a hint of trepidation. (End of Chapter)