Chapter 230: Chapter 207 : Ray’s Troubles

In the Mental Space, the duo were Gods. While not quite omnipotent, the domain allowed them to do all sorts of things. One of their most noteworthy abilities involved memory.

It was well established that they could transfer memories but this wasn’t the extent of their abilities. Even more fascinating than this, and way more dangerous too, was their ability to alter and even erase memories.

Have you ever wanted to forget a movie or series, so you could re-experience it with fresh eyes? The duo had such desires, and in the Mental Space, could do exactly that, to the point where they could watch the same thing over and over and over again.

Still, while possible, the duo refrained from doing so, mostly, preferring to experience actual new things. Memory manipulation was taboo in the Mental Space. Needless to say, it was forbidden to tamper with each other’s memories in any way.

The duo, while trusting of each other, had mental defences active at all times to prevent this possibility. One’s memories were integral to one's sense of self, they knew this well. The domain of memories wasn't to be touched without serious thought and consideration.

All that said, the duo were always tinkering with possibilities, as was their curious nature, Ray especially. In his time alone, he had done many experiments and created dozens of memory-altering and recording devices. It was while tinkering with these devices that he was hit by an epiphany of sorts. He rushed to his other self to relay his idea.

Oh, you thought up a method to simulate a battle between Val and Micheal, using memory manipulation? Interesting. Let's hear it.

Ray explained his idea in full. Ralf heard him out…and agreed. His other self had indeed managed to find a good workaround. The duo then went at it, role-playing as Micheal and Val in a simulated duel.

Micheal’s stats, abilities and techniques were easy to input. Val was a lot of guesswork but his stats and abilities were similarly easy to input, with one exception, his precognition power. And that’s where the memory alteration/limited erasure came in.

The way it works was like this:

The fake Micheal and Val would do battle in a special virtual dome, that from start to finish, from picosecond to picosecond, would perfectly record everything within its confines.

When the fake Val activated his precognition, the dome world would pause, then essentially go back in time, rewinding anywhere between the ranges of 0.1 - 1 second. The duo didn’t know the exact amount of time the Sword of Light could peek into the future, so settled on those values. When the world rewound, the person playing Val would keep all his memories but the person playing Micheal would have their memories wiped for whatever amount of time Val had looked into the future.

The logic was simple. With their mind’s contents, more or less, identical, the person playing Micheal would repeat the same actions as they did before. This logic held true for the vast majority of the time, a product of their innate Chaos. With this advantage, the one playing Val ended up winning more times than not, by a clear margin actually.

The duo’s versions weren’t totally accurate by any means but the findings of their simulated battles provided food for thought.

*Step*

Exiting his personal dome, Ray left behind memories in his wake. They were unnecessary items, best left on a shelf to catch dust. He had just finished an anime. Usually, he would find Ralf to kill some time with, but not on this occasion.

The past week had been a hectic one. Back-to-back gruelling Events and tests had worn the group out and importantly, snubbed their usual get-togethers. They needed to blow steam desperately, and so with Saturday being a free day, they decided to pull an all-nighter in the get-together room to fully unwind.

The duo heard out their friends' requests and accommodated them. Ray and Ralf cancelled their planned duels. The former stayed in the Mental Space and played games with the group for a bit before working on anime. Ralf stayed in the outside world and also struck around a bit before hitting the sack.

He had been wanting to catch some zzz for a while now, having not done so in a long time, and so, welcomed the opportunity. He wished his friends a good night and then got comfortable on the king-sized bed in the main bedroom. Importantly, he maintained their Psi Controllers.

'It's 4 am, wonder if they're still going at it? Doubt it.'

Thinking this, Ray snapped his fingers and eight large displays appeared before him, each one representing an individual account. All showed Babel's home screen, except one, Charlotte’s.

‘Hmm...what is she doin- ah…oh, I see I see…’

Where at first confusion, understanding quickly visited the Transmigrator.

She was playing Lead Astray, a duo original. The game was a power fantasy following an insane trigger-happy super mercenary that traverses a barbaric world, going from battlefield to battlefield, gunning down others, enemies and innocent bystanders alike, in every which way the duo could imagine.

The section Charlotte was currently at was one of the many cathartic shows of overwhelming violence. The player character got atop a tank-like vehicle, mounted a turret and laid waste to mindless droves of frothing drugged-up enemies that would swarm their position with reckless abandon. To heighten the feeling of power, the turret had no cooldown and had an unlimited number of rounds.

What was important to note was that Charlotte had already killed all the enemies in the area. The mission prompt was blinking at her to move to the next location, but she remained as is, firing the gun. This was telling but even more so was the fact that her aim was swaying erratically, indicating that the controller's toggle was being touched as well.

'No no, maybe it's not that. Let me check.'

To confirm his thoughts, Ray examined her account’s footage, and lo and behold, it had been more of the same for the last five minutes. With the information gathered, the Transmigrator doubted his no theory no more, yet, he couldn’t help but facepalm.

He eyed the display through webbed fingers as his thoughts ran wild, imagining the scene taking place in the outside world. Amidst his internal chaos, a thought struck the Transmigrator, a thought that caused him to show a mischievous grin.

'That's right, I never did get her back for the milkshake incident. Now's the time to do so.'

With a thought, Ray summoned Babel's admin interface. A few taps brought him to Charlotte’s Psi Controller’s vibration intensity slider. It was set to 30%, the usual value. Ray’s fingers neared the slider slowly, apprehension and anticipation doing battle within his soul. If blushing was possible in the Mental Space, his avatar would certainly be doing so now, that and gulping hard.

After finally pinning down the slider's point, he paused to question his decision once last time. Should he go through with it or not? He spent but a moment to consider his answer, as memories of Charlotte's extensive teasing over the last few weeks came to mind. All apprehension gone with the wind, Ray went for it.

Swoosh!

Without pause, he jerked the slider to its highest value. His action provoked an immediate reaction. Charlotte's gameplay footage shook wildly in response and continued to do so for nearly fifteen seconds more before everything went still.

Ray watched the screen in trepidation, excitement and anticipation at what would come next - or rather if it had already happened. He waited with bated breath. Only after twenty seconds, did Charlotte's character begin moving again. The character left the turret to walk over to a nearby wall, then, drawing out an automatic pistol, shot at it.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

With speed and precision, the bullet holes formed a giant heart and then the word, “Thanxxx” next to it. Lingering on the message for a few seconds more, the connection was cut and the display returned to the home screen.

Ray’s gaze remained fixed on Charlotte’s monitor for a while to come, his mind recreating the scene, and picturing the cheeky smile she must have flashed at the end. He felt something inside him stirring anew and couldn’t help but sigh.

Shaking his head at the thoughts running through his head, the Transmigrator sought to thrust his new pent-up energy into another task.

***

“Oh, Ray?” Yuki's eyes flickered with surprise as she opened her room door to find the Transmigrator on the other side.

“Yep. Ralf’s busy on a game, so I’m filling in.”

The ice Mimic showed a warm smile. While his appearance was unexpected, it certainly wasn’t unwelcome. She all but shoved him into the hotel room and the pair quickly found themselves seated around a circular kotatsu-like table. Snacks and beverages awaited them, hers and the duo’s favourites, which the pair naturally helped themselves to during the tutoring session.

Shortly after the History test failure, the duo (mostly Ralf) had been regularly tutoring Yuki. It wasn’t that she was dumb or anything - on the contrary, Yuki was quite sharp, but her lack of interest in the subjects being taught and her poor educational background really hurt her academic results.

The duo moved to correct this failing with these types of sessions. They became a regular, almost daily occurrence; History wasn’t the only concerning subject Yuki struggled with, after all.

The duo intervened to keep their friend in the same grade, and not just in the standard ways either. To aid the learning process, the duo created many different educational games. Their own version of Who Wants To Be a Millionaire proved to be a mighty success.

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With their aid, Yuki’s grades saw a spike and she now sat comfortably at above average, a stellar feat considering the educational background of most of her classmates.

Today, Ray was helping Yuki with her philosophy essay. They would usually ‘use’ Charlotte for projects, but with most of it done, the pair was just adding the finishing touches. Still, these ‘finishing touches’ took hours to complete and drained Yuki of all life force.

“Aarrgh…finally done aah,” she squeezed out as she zombied towards the nearby bed and let herself collapse onto it. “So boring, so mind-numbing, and so pointless. Where does one true self reside, in one’s brain or their Mental Domain, and what constitutes the self, memories…agh, my brain is melting, when will this even be useful in real life,” the ice Mimic criticised as she wriggled on the bed.

She was clearly not one who could learn for learning’s sake. Rolling into a starfish position, she glanced towards her saviour. “Ray, thanks a bunch. Without you and Ralf, I’d probably have dropped out by now.”

“Hm, can’t have that happen. Without you, we wouldn’t be able to play ice hockey,” Ray said before resuming his sipping.

Yuki squinted. “Yeah, can’t have that happen."

Ray nodded and then got to his feet. As he did, he telekinetically cleaned up the table before gathering his things in one pile.

“Leaving?”

“Yeah, got a few things on my plate.”

“The movie with Violet?”

“That among other things, yeah.”

“Mm, I see. Hurry up with that, it's taking forever."

Ray rolled his shoulders. “Tell her that, not me. She wants it to be perfect and is constantly redoing everything. Well, I don’t mind. The process is fun.” He did a last once-over before angling his body towards the door.

Seeing this, Yuki quickly spoke up. “Hey, don’t forget your payment.”

“Mm,” Ray turned at the words and captured the sight of Yuki's arms spread wide. “Like that?” he asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah? I'm too tired to stand. Now, come on over."

Ray assessed Yuki with a crinkled forehead. The ice Mimic was lying flat on the bed, arms spread to the east and west and legs parted to form a ‘ʌ’ shape. Imagining the form he’d have to assume to complete a hug, his face couldn’t help but turn troubled.

He looked away. “Uh, I’ll put the payment on your tab. You can pay it another time when your battery is full. Anyways, se-”

“No,” Yuki cut in sharply, a pout forming on her face. “A debt must be paid immediately…or are you suggesting that my hugs have no value and are worthless to you now?”

Wryness crept onto Ray’s expression at the string of words. His palms reached his face before he knew it. This fleshy mask was worn for a few seconds before sliding off to reveal a look of pure foolishness. “Of course not, exactly the opposite. If I could, I’d spend eternity in your embrace, my dear Snowball.”

“Mm,” Yuki’s scrunched-up expression relaxed and the light of approval shone in her eyes. “Good, now prove your words and accept the payment.”

Ray lingered on the spot for a few seconds, took a breath and then went for it. He approached the bed from the bottom end. Plopping his knees on the queen-sized bed, he dropped down on all fours like a beast and prowled forward.

He moved slowly, far too slow for Yuki's liking, but eventually shadowed her figure with his own. The ice Mimic's heart pounded loudly in her chest as she locked eyes with Ray above. Agitation turned into frustration as he kept her waiting, seemingly frozen in place.

“You’re taking an eternity to get here, come on,” she urged, her hands flopping like a fish out of water. Not getting an immediate response from him, she took things into her own hands. Her hands moved to his coat and she tugged, pulling his body towards her.

"Ah-"

Ray, whose mind was elsewhere, helplessly fell on top of her. But not just in any way. Yuki hadn’t pulled him straight down but slightly backwards, causing his face to crash land on her chest. She tanked the impact with ease, before enveloping him with her arms.

“There we go,” she said, showing a satisfied smile.

The Transmigrator’s mental cogs froze at the action, but after a few seconds, his rising body temperature unthawed them. Cogs spinning again, he didn’t resist the temptation before him. He made himself comfortable in her pillow-like bosom and then completed the hug.

Ray shut his eyes and let the payment process itself while relishing in the other’s warmth and ample softness. Wholesome thoughts were temporary existences though. The sensation of Yuki’s breasts and the subsequent closing of her legs around his own reminded him of their position.

Blood filled his nether region and the distance between the pair’s pelvis’ began shortening in real time. Sensing the trajectory, Ray had half a mind to let it happen. How many similar scenarios had played out in the last few weeks? He wasn’t sure about the number, but it was more than a handful and left him wanting for release.

But as things seemed inevitable, the other half of his mind doused him with cold water in the form of an unpleasant memory. He deflated at once, and all thoughts of continuing on his current path were disregarded.

Sighing, he exited the embrace and used his palms to push himself off of Yuki. The ice Mimic let him go without hassle, merely letting let out a disappointed murmur.

“Payment…received, thanks.”

Saying this, Ray turned away from Yuki at once, a choice that unknowingly spared him no shortage of body fluids. Her eyes dripping with desire, her flushed face, and her rapidly rising and falling chest combined to form an image that would instantly reverse the Transmigrator's trajectory. Fortunately or unfortunately, this reality was avoided.

Ray scooted off the bed. “Have a good rest, Yuki, see you later,” he said plainly before waddling to the doorway.

Yuki’s raised knees lowered with a slide, disappointment reflected clearly on her person. Still, she said her farewells with a smile. “Yeah, see ya, and thanks again for the tutoring.”

Ray did a backward wave at the words before making his exit. On the other side of the door, he let out a long all-too-familiar sigh.

‘These vixens grow bolder by the day. If this keeps up, then...then...'

Ray didn't complete the thought, he dared not. He shook his head and then moved, not to Violet's hotel room as he originally intended, but to his dorm room - he needed to. His physical limbs’ speed was deemed insufficient and his Psi was made to get involved. Within seconds, he was Flickering through the corridors, all to get to his destination that much quicker.

'And he's off, aha...'

Yuki sensed his agitation from her bed, causing disappointment to give way to amusement. The beauty remained as is for a few minutes as she replayed the scene with Ray in her mind. Her dainty hand travelled southward but stopped once it reached her navel. She was too tired for such acts, and so put it off for later.

Yuki undressed to just her panties and then wormed her way under the sheets before snuggling up to a long body pillow. The body pillow was white and had no markings or anything on it, yet at this moment, it became Ray in her mind’s eye. With the memory of their embrace still fresh in her mind and body, she wrapped herself around it tightly.

‘Not last time, not this time, but maybe next time…I’m getting closer and closer, we all are…yeah, just keep trying. Mm, yeah…’

With this string of thoughts, Yuki’s consciousness slipped into slumberland, confident that her future was bright.

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