Ark Simulator, Don't I Lack a Physical Form?

"What?!" Jessica's face flushed instantly. "N-no, I didn't!"

Liskarm sighed, "Anyway, we're leaving in three days, is that alright?"

Jessica opened her mouth, her throat tightening. Three days... Could Su Rui's materialization be completed? If they set off now, what if he suddenly...

"Um..." she mustered her courage, her voice trailing off, "Could we... postpone it for another week?"

The living room suddenly fell silent.

Franka and Liskarm exchanged a glance.

"Reason?" Liskarm asked bluntly.

Jessica's tail curled up uneasily. She couldn't tell the truth—she had never mentioned Su Rui to anyone.

"I... I'm currently in special training!" she blurted out, "I want to further hone my firearms skills!"

Franka raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Then let's go to the training ground now and let me see the results?"

Jessica froze.

[Su Rui...] she cried out for help in her mind, [What should I do...]

"No," Su Rui said calmly. "Just say you have a scheduled doctor's appointment for a routine check-up."

"I have a medical appointment!" Jessica blurted out, "It's the day after tomorrow! So..."

Liskarm stared at her for a few seconds, then finally nodded. "Next week then."

Franka suddenly leaned in, almost touching Jessica's face. "Little kitty, you've been talking to yourself a lot lately, haven't you?"

"Huh?!" Jessica was so startled that she leaned back.

"Never mind." Liskarm put away the file. "See you next week."

After the two left, Jessica let out a long sigh of relief and slumped onto the sofa. The terminal screen lit up—

Materialization progress: 96%

[Huh?] She blinked. [Why all of a sudden...]

"Because you're protecting me." Su Rui's voice was tinged with laughter. "Thank you."

Jessica's face flushed again. She rolled over, hugging her pillow, and began to think seriously.

How do we fill in the remaining 4%?

That night, Jessica lay on her bed, pondering her plan:

<The Su Rui's Final Materialization Guide>

Pretend to get your finger caught in a door (tried, +0%)

Talking in his sleep and calling out Su Rui's name (tried, +1%)

Slipping in the bathroom (too dangerous, rejected)

Singing a love song to Su Rui (extremely embarrassing, to be determined)

She bit the pen tip, her tail thumping anxiously against the sheets. Ordinary whining and feigning helplessness were no longer working; Su Rui seemed to have developed an immunity to her "little tricks."

"[Su Rui...]" she asked softly, "[What do you like best?]"

Why are you suddenly asking this?

[I'm just curious!]

After a moment of silence, Su Rui replied, "You look so focused on your work."

Jessica was taken aback.

[Huh?]

"When you're focused on aiming, your eyes squint slightly, and your ears perk up," Su Rui said with a laugh. "It's cute."

Jessica immediately buried her face in the pillow, her tail puffing up into a fluffy ball.

Terminal vibration -- 97%

She looked up abruptly, staring at the number, and suddenly understood something.

--It's not about deliberately trying to please others, but about being your true self.

Volume 14, Chapter 768: Jessica's Plan

The next morning, Jessica got up early and changed into her long-unused training clothes.

"I'm going to train hard today!" she said, clenching her fist in front of the mirror.

Su Rui seemed a little surprised. "You're not continuing your 'progress bar plan'?"

"Um..." she smiled sheepishly, "I've figured it out. Instead of trying to be clever, I'll do something that will truly make you happy!"

On the training field, Jessica was completely focused on practicing moving target shooting. Sweat streamed down her face, but she was oblivious to it. The gun in her hands felt like an extension of her body, and every bullet hit the bullseye with pinpoint accuracy.

"Beautiful," Su Rui exclaimed softly.

Terminal vibration -- 98%

In the evening, she offered to help her elderly neighbor carry her shopping bags home.

"What a good child." The old man patted her head affectionately.

"It's nothing~" Jessica said with a shy smile.

"You're stronger than I thought," Su Rui said.

99%

As night fell, Jessica sat on the balcony, gazing at the starry sky.

"[Su Rui,]" she asked softly, "[What's the first thing you want to do after you materialize?]"

I want to touch your ears.

Jessica chuckled: [It's that simple?]

"Mmm." Su Rui's voice was incredibly gentle. "I want to confirm that you're real."

Her heart suddenly softened completely.

"Well..." she took a deep breath, "I want to tell you a secret."

"What?"

[Actually, I--]

Before he could finish speaking, the terminal suddenly emitted a blinding light. The numbers began to jump wildly.

100%

After a blinding flash of white light, Jessica felt a tightening around her waist.

Someone hugged her from behind.

"I heard you." A warm breath brushed against my earlobe. "Your secret."

Jessica stood frozen in place, her heart pounding so hard it felt like it would burst out of her chest.

--Su Rui's hand was gently rubbing her cat ears.

Jessica's brain completely shut down for a moment.

Su Rui's arms were wrapped around her waist, his warm chest pressed against her back, and his breath brushed against her earlobe—and most importantly, she could clearly feel that there was no fabric covering Su Rui's body.

"Wait, wait--!" She jumped up suddenly, then immediately covered her eyes as she turned around, but secretly peeked through her fingers, "Sususu Su Rui, why aren't you wearing any clothes?!"

The black-haired boy tilted his head to look at her, his jet-black cat ears gleaming softly in the moonlight. He seemed completely unashamed, even somewhat confused. "This is the default state when materializing."

"But... but... but--!" Jessica frantically grabbed the blanket, pounced on Su Rui, and pinned him down on the bed, wrapping him up in the thick down comforter like a silkworm. "At least cover me up a bit!"

Su Rui was wrapped up with only his head sticking out, blinked. Jessica then noticed that his eyes had become even deeper after materializing, like a night sky melted with starlight.

"You don't like it?" He frowned slightly and tried to reach his hand out from under the covers—but Jessica pressed it back down.

"No, it's not a matter of disliking it!" Jessica's face flushed red, and her tail puffed up into a fluffy ball. "It's common sense! Humans wear clothes!"

Su Rui nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly said, "I have clothes in my storage space."

"... Huh?"

"It was prepared during my consciousness stage," he explained calmly. "Do I need to take it out?"

Jessica was stunned.

--So he was prepared all along? Then her hurried act of wrapping him up just now...

"However," Su Rui suddenly smirked, "It seems I can't move right now."

He innocently twisted his body, which was trapped by the blanket.

Jessica then realized she was straddling the rolled-up blanket, her hands gripping the edge tightly. This position made her face flush even more, but a strange discovery made her heart race—

Su Rui... seems to have no ability to resist?

She carefully loosened her grip slightly, and sure enough, Su Rui just watched her quietly, making no attempt to break free. His dark eyes held a indulgent smile, as if to say, "Do as you please."

A daring idea flashed through Jessica's mind.

"Then, then I have to make a condition!" she mustered her courage, her tail wagging honestly from side to side, "I'll only help you get your clothes if I do that!"

Su Rui raised an eyebrow. "What are the conditions?"

"Let me touch your ears first!" she announced, blushing. "You said you wanted to touch mine, now I want to touch mine back!"

The boy under the covers chuckled softly and nudged his head closer to her hand, "Please, go ahead."

Jessica held her breath and gently touched the pair of jet-black cat ears with her fingertips.

--Warm and soft, the downy fur was incredibly delicate. She gently rubbed her earlobe, and Su Rui suddenly trembled slightly, letting out a low whimper.

"...!" Jessica's eyes widened as if she had discovered a new continent. "Su Rui, is this your sensitive spot?"

"... Don't go too far." His voice suddenly became a little hoarse.

This reaction inexplicably excited Jessica. She took advantage of the situation and circled her finger around the tip of Suri's ear. Su Rui's breathing became visibly erratic, and her body, bound under the covers, tensed slightly.

"Jessica." He called her name warningly, but the blanket held it back, rendering it ineffective. "Clothes."

"Just one more time!" She was so engrossed in the game that she even boldly used her fingertips to lightly scratch the downy hair behind her ear. Su Rui suddenly turned her face away, her ear tips peeking out from her black hair, bright red.

Just then, the blanket suddenly came undone— Su Rui somehow managed to free one hand and precisely grab Jessica's wrist. In a dizzying moment, Jessica found herself pinned down on the bed.

"Had enough fun?" Su Rui looked down at her, and with his other hand, he reached out and pulled out a black shirt out of thin air.

Jessica then realized that he could access the storage space at any time!

"You lied to me!" she accused angrily. "You could have gotten your own clothes!"

"Hmm," Su Rui readily admitted, slowly unbuttoning her shirt. "But it's funny how flustered you are."

Under the moonlight, the half-open shirt revealed delicate collarbones, and the slightly upturned lips of the dark-haired boy stunned Jessica. Before she could react, she was already being pulled into Su Rui's arms, blanket and all.

"Now," he whispered in her ear, "It's time to keep my promise."

Warm fingers stroked her cat ears, and Jessica instantly went limp.

So this is what it feels like to have your ears touched?!

Morning light streamed into the bedroom through the sheer curtains. Jessica looked down at Su Rui, who was fast asleep in her arms, her heart pounding as if it would burst out of her chest.

The dark-haired boy rested his head on her lap, his eyelashes casting small shadows on his cheeks, his breathing even and warm. His cat ears twitched slightly from time to time, unconsciously rubbing against Jessica's palm, making her fingertips burn.

[So cute...] She held her breath, afraid of disturbing this rare moment of tranquility.

Just then--

Knock knock knock!

The urgent knocking startled Jessica. Su Rui was in her arms, frowned slightly, and seeing that he was about to wake up, she quickly patted his back gently and hummed an off-key lullaby like she was soothing a kitten.

Is Volume 14, Chapter 769 about to be discovered?

"Jessica?" Liskarm's calm voice came through the door. "Emergency meeting, starting in ten minutes."