Ark Simulator, Aren't I Supposed to Have No Physical Form?

... So expressing your feelings directly is so effective?

She pursed her lips, deciding to try one more time.

[Su Rui...] She lay down on the bed, hugging her scarf to her chest, [Can you sleep with me tonight?]

The Sea of Consciousness was completely silent.

Jessica waited a few seconds, then suddenly felt a little uneasy.

"[... I mean, just like usual, you're with me in my Sea of Consciousness...]" she added softly, her cheeks slightly flushed.

"... Okay." Su Rui's voice finally rang out, deep and gentle.

Jessica breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile involuntarily crept onto her face.

The number on the terminal jumped to 66%.

She buried her face in the pillow and smiled silently.

... Looks like the progress bar will rise a little more tonight.

The next morning, Jessica stood in the dressing room and turned around in front of the mirror.

"[Su Rui, does this look good?]" She picked up a light pink dress and held it up in front of her.

"Hmm." Su Rui's voice echoed in his Sea of Consciousness, tinged with a hint of helplessness, "But you've already tried seven sets."

"[Because we're going out today!]" Jessica puffed out her cheeks. "[And...]"

She glanced furtively at the physicalization progress on the terminal—68%.

It's gone up a little more than last night.

She smiled to herself, happily changed into the dress, and put on a wide-brimmed hat to make sure her cat ears wouldn't be noticed by passersby.

The shopping street was still bustling with activity. Jessica, carrying a small bag, walked briskly through the crowd. Sunlight streamed through the glass shop windows, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"[Su Rui, that shop has some nice clothes!]" She pointed to a boutique. "[Want to check it out?]"

"Whatever you want." Su Rui's voice was indulgent.

Just as Jessica was about to walk over, a sharp argument suddenly came from the street corner.

"You poor wretch, you dare to come into a store like this? Can you afford to pay for the clothes you get dirty?!"

Jessica's ears perked up instantly, and she looked in the direction of the sound.

Outside a high-end clothing store on the street corner, three elegantly dressed young women surrounded a simply dressed girl, their tone harsh. The girl, head bowed, clutched a clothing tag tightly in her hand, weakly protesting, "I... I just wanted to check the price..."

"Looking at the price?" The girl in the lead scoffed, reaching out to snatch the dress. "This isn't a place for you, understand?"

Jessica froze on the spot, her fingers unconsciously tightening around the bag strap.

[They... are so mean...] she murmured to herself, her eyes slightly warm.

Su Rui paused for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Jessica, you brought a gun, didn't you?"

[Huh?] She paused, then subconsciously touched the portable weapon hidden in her bag. [I... I brought it...]

"In the past, we pointed guns at them," Su Rui said, her tone calm to the point of coldness. "No need to fire, just a scare would suffice."

Jessica's eyes widened instantly.

[W-What?!] Her heart suddenly raced. [No, no! How could you point a gun at someone like that!]

"They're bullying people," Su Rui said calmly. "Don't you hate this kind of thing?"

"But..." Jessica bit her lower lip, tears welling in her eyes, "I... I can't do it..."

She stood rooted to the spot, unable to move. The girls' mocking laughter continued, and the bullied girl was on the verge of tears.

"Jessica," Su Rui's voice was deep, "Didn't you want to become stronger?"

[I...]

Her fingers trembled, but she still didn't have the courage to take out the gun. Finally, she turned around abruptly and strode towards the nearby security booth.

[I'll go call security!]

Su Rui: "..."

Security guards quickly arrived, and the arrogant girls scattered in a huff. The girl who had been bullied thanked the guards, while Jessica hid behind a pillar on the street corner, secretly watching everything.

"[... It's resolved.]" she said softly, her voice tinged with a hint of grievance.

Su Rui was silent for a while, then suddenly sighed.

"... Never mind." His tone was helpless, yet seemed to carry a barely perceptible hint of tenderness. "At least you helped."

Jessica lowered her head, her toes lightly grazing the ground.

"I'm sorry..." she apologized softly, "I was too timid..."

"It's alright," Su Rui's voice softened. "Try harder next time."

Jessica sniffed, and suddenly, the terminal vibrated slightly.

She looked down—70%.

[... Huh?] She was stunned.

She didn't do anything, and even backed down... so why is the progress bar increasing?

Su Rui seemed to sense her confusion. "What's wrong?"

[N-nothing!] Jessica hurriedly shook her head, stuffing the terminal back into her bag, her cheeks slightly flushed.

She smiled secretly, pursing her lips.

... It turns out that Su Rui's popularity doesn't only increase because of her courage.

Even if she's a coward, he'll indulge her.

Jessica lay on the soft bed in the bedroom, swinging her fair legs, her fingertips lightly tapping the terminal screen.

Materialization progress: 72%

She pursed her lips and chuckled to herself, her cat ears twitching happily.

--I see.

As long as Su Rui develops feelings of goodwill, concern, or... pity for her, the progress bar will rise.

She reflected on her experiences over the past few days:

She deliberately tripped and fell during training, scraping her knee. Su Rui's voice immediately tightened as she patiently guided her through treating the wound. Progress increased by 1% that evening.

She woke up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, curled up under the covers and sobbing softly. Su Rui gently comforted her, even unusually telling a lame joke to make her laugh. Progress +2%.

Today, she was so scared by those rude guys that she cried and went to find security... and the progress actually increased by 2%!

Jessica buried her face in the pillow, her tail wagging happily from side to side.

--So this is what Su Rui does!

She decided to make good use of this pattern, but she absolutely couldn't let him find out!

Volume 14, Chapter 767: Did you get burned?

The next day at breakfast, Jessica "accidentally" spilled the hot milk.

"Ah!" she gasped softly, watching the milky white liquid spread across the table.

"Did you get burned?" Su Rui's voice immediately became tense.

[N-nothing...] She lowered her head, deliberately making her voice sound a little aggrieved, [It's just... I specially heated up the milk to go with the pancakes...]

She glanced up discreetly at the number on the terminal—73%.

Success!

"Be careful," Su Rui sighed. "Have the housekeeper heat up another cup."

"Mmm..." She nodded obediently, but her heart was filled with joy.

During the afternoon training session, Jessica was "careless" and her arm was grazed by a simulated enemy's laser.

"Hiss--" She gasped, her eyes instantly reddening.

"Jessica!" Su Rui's voice was unusually angry. "Why didn't you dodge? I warned you three times about this angle of attack!"

"I... I was daydreaming..." She hugged her arms, tears welling up in her eyes.

Terminal vibration -75%.

Su Rui's anger instantly turned to helplessness. "... To the medical bay."

"Okay..." she replied softly, a secret smile playing on her lips.

Jessica "forgot" to bring a towel when she took a bath that evening.

[Su Rui...] She was soaking in the bubbly bathtub, her voice soft and gentle, [I... I can't reach the towel...]

silence.

A long silence.

Just when Jessica thought her plan had failed, the bathroom door was gently pushed open by the butler robot, and a fluffy bath towel was handed in by its robotic arm.

The terminal displays --77%.

"... Remember to prepare in advance next time." Su Rui's voice sounded somewhat resentful.

Jessica buried her flushed face in the bubbles, her tail wagging happily underwater.

However, when the progress reached 80%, an unexpected event occurred.

Jessica is really sick.

Perhaps because of yesterday's training in the rain, she felt dizzy and had a burning pain in her throat when she woke up this morning.

[Ugh...] She tried to get up, but her limbs went weak and she fell back onto the bed.

"Jessica?" Su Rui's voice was unusually panicked. "You have a fever."

[N-nothing...] She tried to sound tough, but was interrupted by a cough.

The terminal is vibrating wildly—85%!

But Jessica was too preoccupied to be happy. She felt cold all over and, in her dazed state, she felt someone gently stroking her forehead.

"... Idiot." Su Rui's voice was a mix of anger and heartache. "You don't have to force yourself like this."

Jessica instantly regained her senses: [You... you found out?!]

"It all started when you spilled the milk," Su Rui said helplessly. "Your acting was terrible."

Jessica buried her burning face in the blankets: [Ugh...]

But the next second, she felt a warm hand gently stroking her hair.

"However..." Su Rui's voice was incredibly gentle, "Thank you for wanting to see me so much."

Terminal digital display fluctuation -- 90%.

Jessica chuckled to herself under the covers.

--Plan is in place!

Liskarm laid the mission briefing flat on the coffee table and tapped the paper lightly with his fingertips.

"A new commission from Blacksteel Worldwide, good compensation, risk rating B+." She adjusted her glasses and looked at Jessica sitting opposite her. "You've rested long enough, time to get some exercise."

Franka leaned lazily against the sofa, her tail swaying gently. "Yeah, if this keeps up, my sword will rust!"

Jessica kept her head down, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt. The terminal was beside her, screen down—but she knew the numbers on it without even looking:

Physicalization progress: 95%

It's almost done.

"Jessica?" Liskarm frowned slightly. "Your current state isn't quite right."

"Ah! No, no!" Jessica looked up abruptly, her cat ears twitching unnaturally. "I was just... thinking about the mission details!"

Franka narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing her suspiciously. "Little kitty, you're not secretly dating, are you?"