On the street in the early hours, a man in pajamas sat limply by the roadside, his head aching as he recalled everything that had happened that day.
"Are you a Player too?"
A woman's voice came from far across the street.
The man turned and saw a young woman walking toward him, wearing a pretty black Lolita dress in the middle of the night. He had seen similar dresses online, with petticoats and layers of lace trim, but had always felt that world of young people had little to do with a Regular middle-aged man like him.
Of course, after everything he had been through in the Nightmare World, he could hardly call himself Regular anymore.
"My name is Chen Xi." The young woman in little leather shoes and a short dress stopped a short distance away, lifted her skirt, and curtsied elegantly. Yet her carefully made-up face held an air of pride, like a wealthy young lady accustomed to a pampered life since childhood. "Have you already 'died' too?"
"Ah." The man lowered his head dejectedly. "You're probably right, but it still hurts to hear it."
"Hey, mister, do you know what happened? My head's still a little fuzzy. All I clearly remember is that thing, the Administrator, saying I'd 'died' because I broke the Rules." Chen Xi looked shrewd, but she clearly did not understand her current situation either. "Are we really 'dead' right now?"
"My head feels like there's a whole hive of bees buzzing away inside it too." The man helplessly covered his face. "All I remember is getting up this morning and taking the subway to work like I used to. At work, I always just kept to myself and typed away. After a full day of grinding away, I'd go home, have dinner