My wife is the stand-in.

My uncle can tolerate it, but my aunt can't.

Is anyone thinking of me?

Saria's voice rang out from outside the door at just the right moment, but Amanosaki refused to come in, saying, "I'm brainstorming ideas, don't come in."

"Keyboard, come on!"

Amanosaki roared, his fingers flying across the keyboard as he began a seemingly logical yet sarcastic debate with his opponent.

The debate quickly spread as the two engaged in a fierce online battle, and the topic successfully shifted to two questions: "Does your partner have any inhuman elements?" and "Should we define a person by their body or their thoughts?"

The discussion of the second topic is too profound and not in Amanosaki's main battleground, so we will leave it aside for now.

Under the first topic, netizens started photoshopping images, telling jokes, flooding the chat with comments, and making a ruckus as much as possible.

But this is a forum for martial arts enthusiasts. Even though most of the martial arts masters usually stay silent, this account, "Liver Emperor," is actually closely connected to them.

Amidst the chaotic commotion, a user with the ID "King Kong Train Hero" posted a series of photos: a bulging, dark back with two dashboard-like structures seemingly embedded in the back muscles. The caption read, "Posting photos of her husband on behalf of my wife. Am I considered an inhuman element here?"

The forum user, who identified himself as a martial arts expert, and the mechanical structure he personally displayed drew cheers from the onlookers.

Meanwhile, keep tagging @TrueSoul.

As it turns out, in a world that doesn't respect science, that person's emotional outbursts were simply asking for trouble.

Then, one after another, other people posted photoshopped pictures of themselves and well-known Chinese martial arts masters, all claiming "This is my wife" or "This is my husband's photo" to slap the real soul in the face.

Amanosaki naturally recognized the person who posted the dashboard as Sun Chun from yesterday's battle for chivalry. His impression of Sun Chun improved slightly, and he picked up his keyboard again to get back into the intense battle.

This guy was just joking around online, but he never expected that even his casual online commentary would attract such serious attention.

Because his casual remarks were not rigorous, he was repeatedly criticized by netizens but remained stubborn. When he realized that reasoning was not working, he started to argue irrationally.

[True Soul]: I clearly said that the woman you drew doesn't exist. If you really have a girlfriend like that, why would you draw her? If you're so capable, send me a picture!

Someone immediately commented below, retorting:

Come on, you're such a jerk. Even if you posted a picture, you'd say it's photoshopped. Hey, there's a phone number for Qingshan Mental Hospital on the utility pole downstairs from my house. Want me to copy it down for you? Go check if your nitpicking is incurable.

The comment section quickly became a chaotic mess.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Amanosaki smiled slightly, put away the keyboard, and pushed open the door with a loud laugh: "Saria."

Saria, who was tinkering with a bunch of bottles and jars that Amanosaki couldn't understand in the kitchen, pulled down her goggles, revealing her reliable face: "What?"

"Take some photos and help me shut down those trolls."

Saria turned off the glass container that was reacting. Amanosaki didn't know how Saria had found these things in the urban village in just one morning, but out of respect for her privacy, he didn't say anything.

Seria felt I needed to know, and that she would tell me. Amanosaki thought to himself.

"Yeah, let me take a look."

Saria leaned closer to the computer, glanced at the post, and then shook her head.

"I reject."

Amanosaki's eyes widened: "Why?"

“Because…” Saria tapped the screen lightly, “they’re talking about girlfriends here, but I’m not your girlfriend.”

"Huh?! Isn't that right?" Amanosaki was utterly shocked and at a loss for words. "Then, then we hugged before, and you even used your lap as a pillow..."

“Yes, we did it all. You even buried your head in my chest,” Saria said matter-of-factly.

"Then...this...this doesn't count?" Amanosaki's face turned red with anxiety, his mind buzzing.

Just then, he felt someone press down on his chest, and he was pushed against the wall by that force. A soft yet strong body pressed down on him, with a knee pressing against Amanosaki's groin and locking his hands, making him unable to move.

Who am I? Where am I? What happened?

Amanosaki looked at Saria, who had pinned him against the wall, his mind filled with three questions about life.

Saria stared at the bewildered Amanosaki for a long while before sighing in disappointment and whispering in his ear:

"But you didn't agree to let me be your girlfriend."

That damned voice was like a vortex, like the thick mating pheromones in the spring air, like a witch calling out Amanosaki's name during a ritual.

Amanosaki's male spirit wailed silently before it shattered: It's over, it's completely over.

A few dozen seconds later, Amanosaki, looking flustered, finally managed to utter a soft, almost mosquito-like "Whatever you say."

Amidst Saria's smug laughter, she took various sweet photos with Amanosaki. After uploading them, Saria put her arm around Amanosaki, rested her chin on his shoulder, and muttered, "Didn't I ask you to draw? Why did you get into a verbal battle with someone? Especially with this argumentative person. Isn't this a waste of time?"

"Hmph." Amanosaki smiled without saying a word, but kept pressing the refresh button.

As expected, the number of comments and replies surged at an astonishing rate.

Amanosaki didn't speak, but kept thinking about one idea. After Saria sensed it through [As If I Were There], she looked at Amanosaki with an incredulous look.

"So you planned this from the beginning?"

"No, not really. I did intend to slack off at first, but I came across this guy called Shin-kun and that gave me the idea. It was just something I did on a whim, and I didn't expect it to work so well," Amanosaki answered truthfully.

Yes, arguing with the true soul is a plan, a kind of hype that is very common on Earth.

Amanosaki deliberately withheld his trump card—taking photos and even recording videos with Saria—first attracting public attention through a war of words, and then delivering the final blow once everyone had gathered.

Saria is undeniably beautiful.

Beyond her beauty, Saria is also a stunning woman with an incredibly strong will, capable of inducing even male fantasies of femininity. Her every move exudes an aura of aggression and masculinity that is irresistible.

Therefore, Amanosaki has no doubt that his photo with Saria will arouse a lot of jealousy among netizens, including men, but more of them will definitely be women!

Women who are more 'manly' than men are a lethal weapon against other women.

Amanosaki capitalized on this, successfully transforming this morning's events from "fighting with internet trolls" to "increasing Saria's popularity."

This was a very meaningful morning.

This also pleased Saria greatly.

Just as she was thinking about whether she could use the excuse of praising the person to get closer to the two of them and steal Amanosaki's first kiss, Saria suddenly realized something was wrong.

"This increase... isn't something wrong?" Saria stopped joking and began to expand her thinking, moving closer to the medical doctor and combatant who was closer to Terra. "Look at the data panel. Yesterday we risked a lot of danger to gain that level of recognition, how come it's increased so much so quickly today?"

Amanosaki took a closer look.

[Current Identity: Saria]

[Current popularity: Obscure (67)]

Amanosaki immediately sat up in bed and started refreshing the webpage.

The post they were in had made it into the top ten of the "Romance and Folklore" section, and the number one post had flames under every word.

Shocking! The mysterious person who awakened supernatural abilities in the martial arts arena is actually the Sea King, a potential candidate for the Sword Immortal's closed-door disciple!

The cover photo features me fighting alongside Hinata yesterday, and also the photo I just posted of myself with Saria!

Saria exclaimed "Expert!" upon seeing the username:

"Huh? I NTR'd myself?"

Chapter Fifteen: Following the Internet Cable

"...We originally expected a rising star to inherit Mr. Jie's mantle, but what we got was a morally corrupt, greedy, lecherous social outcast who wouldn't even pretend to be one."

This group has already found out this person's name and address: Amano Saki, residing at No. 69, 7th Floor, Qiaodong Street, Second Village, Yushan City. Before awakening his supernatural abilities, he was just a charlatan on the "Romantic Talk Forum," making a living by drawing pictures for low-level martial arts enthusiasts. We welcome all righteous individuals to come and punish him…tsk tsk.”

In the cramped bedroom, Saria finished reading the last paragraph of a bombshell post titled "Shocking! Possible candidate for the Sword Immortal's closed-door disciple, the mysterious person who awakened superpowers in the martial arts arena is actually the Sea King!"—a post so long it could be used as the title of a light novel—and was utterly amazed.

Amanosaki shook his head and clicked his tongue.

Saria pointed at the post, a little angry, and said, "You also think these people are going too far, right? It's obvious that I was a stand-in when you were fighting the demon yesterday; the fact that I have superpowers is as clear as day. These media outlets actually fabricated this kind of thing! I caught them red-handed!"

Amanosaki shook his head: "I don't think it's excessive, I just feel nostalgic, it's like I'm back on Earth eating celebrity gossip, only this time it's my turn."

He grabbed the somewhat exasperated Saria to prevent her from using Originium Arts to cause an accident that could shake the foundation and cause the building to collapse. The urban village was full of old houses and illegal expansions, and the building structures were not very stable.

Amanosaki realized that the girl in front of him, who had the same face as Saria, was indeed different from Saria in Arknights.

In the world of Ark, despite everything she's been through, Saria, who always seems aloof, still argues with Himeru, and the occasional glimpses of genuine emotion reveal an inexplicable persistence. It seems she must have had a passionate and fiery personality when she was younger.

And the one in front of her was just like Saria, who had not been changed by those disgusting darkness, despair, and all sorts of accidents filled with human-shaped malice.

The girl in front of me was displaying the nature of an "ideal type," influenced by the sunny Saria.

A heart as broad and inclusive as the earth, combined with a woman's delicate empathy.

In a sense, this is a very personal matter.

This is because it means that Saria will tolerate her willfulness and unreasonable behavior, interpreting it as her whining and seeking care.

That's why she adopted that bold strategy after waking up in the morning, forcing herself to give in, and then using the strong aura she created to "force" herself to agree to be her girlfriend.

Perhaps she realized that while Hinata and Amanosaki were quickly developing feelings for each other, the overly persistent Amanosaki didn't dare, or rather, couldn't convince himself, to confess to a girl when he had nothing.

Even if the other person is a stand-in.

Amanosaki cherishes this hard-won, intelligent Stand and regards it as a person rather than an object from the bottom of his heart.

Therefore, the only way to get Amanosaki, who is too shy to admit his feelings, to agree is to adopt this offensive strategy.

So Saria tolerated Amanosaki's feelings and took on the responsibility of confessing her love.

This girl who accepts everything about me, this girl who almost spoils me, of course doesn't want to see me sad, which is why she reacted so strongly.

She needed to release her emotions.

It's like a father helping his daughter scold the bad guys in a cartoon, or a boyfriend helping his girlfriend scold his stupid boss.

If the issue were only directed at her, given the limited knowledge displayed by all those bottles and jars in the kitchen today, Saria probably wouldn't even be interested in clicking on the news.

"Saria is so gentle."

Amanosaki held Saria's hand and gently squeezed it, feeling the slight elasticity brought about by the girl's higher body fat percentage and the strength of her well-tested muscle fibers taut, and couldn't help but sigh.

“What…” Saria shrank back as if stung by a bee, then showed a look of surrender and helplessness, tilted her head, her dark brown horns pressed against Amanosaki’s hand that was gripping her, and her half-open eyes were filled with a honey-like shimmering color.

Saria's fingers gently brushed against Amanosaki's cheek, and a blush that she never thought would appear on her face now truly appeared, lingering on her cheeks: "It's only for you, okay?"

Amanosaki regained the initiative at this moment. Although his moves sounded more like lines from a female protagonist in a Japanese anime, he did indeed take the initiative.

Surprised? It's my turn now!