Mission in another world with my transformed best friend

From a pounding heart to a violent outburst of emotions, followed by a hasty conclusion, Wang Kai, filled with numerous doubts and confusions, returned to his guest room like a walking corpse, unable to fall asleep on the bed.

On this long first day after "returning home," Wang Kai had no idea how many unexpected and chaotic things had happened. Just thinking about it made his head feel like it was about to explode, and it was impossible to sort things out.

Putting aside all the trivial matters, and recalling the various moments of ambiguity and distance between him and Zhang Lan, he felt even more lost about the "future."

Putting aside the "main quests" that have barely been touched, even side quests like "building a good relationship" with your best buddy, which are completely negligible, feel incredibly difficult to handle.

"Just as the thought of kissing popped into my head, what exactly did Zhang Lan ask next? What were my brain cells doing at that moment? I don't think I remember a single word. I made the worst choice in this extremely important 'affection event' without even realizing it. If only I had a chance to reload the save..."

"By the way, why not change your perspective? If I had controlled Alice's body back then, and Zhang Lan's appearance was Kyle... um, I can't even imagine it. Never mind, besides, Zhang Lan, why are you being so petty? All I wanted was a kiss, it's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh. You keep describing me as a 'collection of lower-body thoughts' and belittling me."

"Even if we take a step back and assume the worst, with my current strength, I could easily go to the imperial capital and participate in some kind of 'Martial Arts Heroes Tournament,' defeat a bunch of powerful figures and become famous. The empire would then recruit me as a general in no time. Then fame and fortune would roll in, and I'd be surrounded by tons of girls—girls cuter than Alice, to choose from. Who knows, I might even meet a princess and have a 'poor boy ascends the throne' kind of overpowered protagonist storyline..."

"So... I might as well just quietly leave first thing tomorrow morning and continue playing my 'single-player mode,' which is how I've been doing it for the past three months anyway."

"And Zhang Lan, don't blame me for not showing brotherly affection. As it stands, it seems you don't really need anyone's help. After all, the title of 'Hermit' is already well-known. Now you have money and influence, you won't have to worry about food and clothing for generations, and with Hani backing you up, no one dares to touch this 'money tree' of yours."

"And that 'main quest' that might be related to the Four Heroes, I haven't seen you pay much attention to it these past few months. Oh well, I'll just enjoy the scenery and casually advance the main storyline whenever I feel like it, since no one's supervising me to complete this game anyway..."

"Wait a minute, the four heroes have only met the Fire Hero once, and know nothing about him except his appearance. Where are the other three heroes? Are they involved in the events of Tara Village? If so, what should we do? If not, what will the main quest become? Who will analyze the game's plot with me then? If I have to figure things out on my own, I might not even find my way before I die in my coffin..."

"This is what it feels like to have all the strength but not know where to start. Two or three months of hard work and you're just stuck in the same place? This isn't quite like my dream of an open-world fantasy game..."

Lost in a jumble of thoughts, Wang Kai's mind began to lapse, and coupled with the fatigue from a whole day of tossing and turning, he slowly drifted off to sleep...

I slept without a dream, and couldn't dream of anything anyway, since "chaos" was the dominant theme, and no one could offer any guidance amidst this chaos, not even the gods...

The next day, whether it was morning or noon, Wang Kai's long sleep finally ended. He opened his eyes to the blinding sunlight streaming in through the window, which made him feel a little disoriented. He closed his eyes again and let out a long yawn…

Wait a minute, I definitely drew the curtains before I went to bed last night.

"Mmm, Kyle...smells so good."

A girl's dreamlike murmur sounded beside him. Wang Kai turned his head and saw familiar brown hair, a faint girl's scent in the air, and a girl named Martha by the bed with half her face pressed tightly against the blankets, smiling as if she were having a wonderful dream.

Wang Kai blinked, confirming it was reality. After realizing that the sleeping Martha by the bedside was not a hallucination, he moved slightly to the side. However, the other woman's small hands were tightly gripping the blankets, and no matter how he moved, he would wake her up. While Wang Kai hesitated, several strange questions popped into his mind.

How long has this girl been sleeping here? She's sleeping so soundly, talking in her sleep and drooling all over the place... No, the most important question is why she chose to take a "second nap" here. I remember that in the old rented room, she would only come here occasionally to wake me up, but she never "slept with me."

Wait a minute, Masha's peaceful sleeping posture really does look a bit like... a pet dog that's attached to its owner, sneaking into the bedroom while its owner is sleeping, nimbly jumping onto the bed, finding a corner by the bed filled with its owner's scent, lying down obediently, and falling asleep peacefully with immense peace and happiness...

He didn't know why such a thought popped into his head, but regardless, before going to sleep last night, Wang Kai had made up his mind to quietly leave this place and return to his "single-player" identity. So, not wanting to disturb the sleeping Martha, he quietly got out of bed.

Just then, a bright flash of light caught her eye. Following the light, she saw the "sensing ring" she had given Martha the night before, now resting steadily on the ring finger of her right hand.

Seeing the object evoked memories. After all, Martha was the first NPC I encountered when I arrived in this other world. During the more than a month I spent in Merck Town "grinding points" from dawn till dusk, this girl silently supported me from behind. Whether it was cooking, washing clothes, or tidying up the bedroom, she never complained. Even when I planned to go to a faraway city to continue "grinding points", she endured the pain of parting and fulfilled my wish.

I owe her so much. I didn't even get a proper chat with her when I got back. I gave her a ring, but it also caused a "proposal misunderstanding." I should probably explain things clearly before leaving quietly. Martha is a pitiful and good girl, after all. Even if there's a sliver of a possibility in the future, I, who plan to "play solo" from now on, don't deserve her waiting so long.

"Martha, wake up..."

"Hmm, Kyle, I came to wake you up... As soon as I came in, this room filled with your scent made me feel so comfortable, and... um, it smells so good..."

Martha answered in a daze, her closed eyelids not moving at all. Presumably, this excuse had been in her mind for a long time, and now she was just reflexively saying it out loud.

Wang Kai had no choice but to remember something he had overlooked. He took out the pocket watch he had found in the "celebrity's former residence" from his waist bag, brought it close to Masha's face, and raised his voice slightly.

"Martha, wake up, look what I found for you..."

"What did you find, Kyle-nii-san...?"

Martha reluctantly opened one eye, and when her blurry vision focused on the pocket watch, she screamed and jumped back instantly.

"Ky... Brother Kyle, where did you find him?"

An expression as if her most secret little thing had been discovered immediately appeared on Martha's still sleepy face... At the same moment, some pink memories buried deep in her heart flooded her little head like a tide, and every scene and fragment in her memory floated before her eyes like a fleeting glimpse.