Something's Wrong with My Love Simulation Game (Patreon)

Chapter 23: Repairing the Helmet

"Ah, but I don't have the physical form to do it..."

An expression of frustration appeared on the ghost's face.

Without a physical form, how could she perform the curse-breaking ritual...

"It seems like I need to find a body first..."

The ghost mumbled to herself.

Dolls and toys probably wouldn't work.

If they did, Li Pai could have performed the ritual with a teddy bear.

But he waited until he had collected all of Elora's body parts before starting the curse-breaking process.

So, it seemed that she needed a flesh-and-blood body...

At this moment, the foam on Li Pai's head had nearly been rinsed away.

Observing this, the ghost swiftly rushed toward Li Pai's body.

Perhaps due to the fact that their souls hadn't completely separated before being severely damaged, the current ghost could hide inside Li Pai's body while he retained his soul.

Li Pai opened his eyes.

"I feel like someone's peeping on me while I'm showering..."

Li Pai looked around, but didn't notice anything unusual.

"Is it just my imagination?"

"Or is it because I'm mentally exhausted?"

Li Pai shrugged, quickly rinsed off the remaining foam, dried himself, and stepped out of the bathroom.

Mental fatigue and physical soreness left Li Pai with no inclination to check his phone. He simply lay down on the bed.

"Elora..."

Once again, an image of Elora with her golden hair, green eyes, and long legs flashed through Li Pai's mind, followed by the memory of her tearful face when she thought he was about to die.

The sound of sobbing echoed in Li Pai's mind, lingering for quite some time.

Li Pai knew he was undoubtedly smitten.

"Tomorrow, I must repair this helmet..."

Li Pai closed his eyes.

His breathing gradually slowed, and he quickly fell asleep.

The night grew darker.

From beneath the covers, the ghost exposed her head.

"Seems he’s already fallen asleep, right now, he is completely defenseless!"

A faint smile curled the corners of the ghost's lips.

This was the perfect opportunity to strike, while he was unsuspecting!

"For the possibility of you helping me break the curse, I won't kill you... for now!"

"But that doesn't mean I'll let you off too easily!"

The ghost chuckled.

She couldn't kill him, but a few hits to let off steam wouldn't hurt, right?

Her black hair floated gently as she moved toward Li Pai's neck.

With the ghost's current diminished power, the extent of her attack would be little more than pinching.

The ghost's dark hair converged into two sharp points and pinched Li Pai's neck.

"Hissss—"

A cold breath escaped the ghost's lips.

Li Pai turned over and continued sleeping.

Meanwhile, the ghost...

"Why... am I feeling pain!!!"

The ghost's widened eyes trembled with shock.

Pinching Li Pai shouldn't have caused her to feel pain as well!

Could it be...

A terrifying possibility dawned on the ghost...

Certainly, her previous actions had connected her soul with this guy's soul!

In other words, any harm he endured would be reflected onto her!

The ghost felt like crying.

All she wanted was a strong body to seek revenge against her stepmother.

Why did it have to be so difficult!

"Well, considering you might help me break the curse, I won't argue with you for now..."

The ghost grumbled, then burrowed into the covers.

Without a suitable body nearby, she had no choice but to wait for an opportunity.

...

Dawn arrived.

After a good night's sleep, Li Pai felt refreshed.

The pain in his ribs and arm had subsided.

Aside from a slight dizziness in his head, his body seemed fine.

"It looks like the side effects aren't that severe after all."

"Too bad the helmet got broken..."

Li Pai sighed.

If the helmet hadn't broken, he might be engaged in a friendly conversation with Elora by now.

"Oh, right..."

"I 'died' in the game, didn't I?"

"What state would I be in if I entered the game again?"

"Would I be a cripple?"

Li Pai was curious.

Considering how realistic the game was, he wondered how death was handled.

If dying in the game didn't come with any serious consequences...

Then death might not be so frightening after all.

Unfortunately, the helmet was broken, so there was no way to verify.

"I should go get it fixed first."

Li Pai placed the helmet and its parts into a bag and headed out the door.

The popularity of the game "Love Master" had led to the opening of several related repair shops in the neighborhood, much like how there used to be phone and computer shops.

After a 5-minute walk, Li Pai found one of these shops.

Upon entering, he was hit by a strong otaku vibe.

The walls were adorned with various posters of anime girls.

The display cases were filled with figurines and body pillows.

On the other side, there was a row of individual sofas.

Several "chubby hobbyists" were sitting there, wearing helmets with blissful expressions.

"Young man, buying a helmet or experiencing it?"

"For an experience, it's only 100 yuan per hour."

A gray-haired old man with a smiling face approached.

Li Pai had a faint memory of this old man.

When Li Pai was a child, this man used to be middle-aged, running a game store that sold consoles like the Nintendo Entertainment System and Game Boy.

He had certainly kept up with the times, transitioning to dealing with gaming helmets.

"One hundred yuan per hour..."

Li Pai couldn't help but click his tongue.

This was much pricier than the old internet cafes or console experience stores.

Could people really afford this price?

Li Pai glanced at the geeky men happily immersed in their experiences nearby.

Business seemed to be pretty good...

"Young man, you've never played before, have you?"

"Let me tell you, this Love Master is absolutely worth the price!"

"Just give it a try, and I guarantee you'll be coming here every day!"

"If you find it expensive, you can recharge a card, should you top up 2000, you would get 400 as a bonus – an excellent deal!"

The old man's crafty merchant side hadn't changed at all over the years.

"Um..."

"About experiencing it, let's talk about that later."

"Do you provide repairs for gaming helmets here?"

Li Pai inquired.

"Helmet repairs? You've bought a helmet?"

"We can fix it! Of course, we can!"

The old man nodded confidently.

Running this kind of shop, he surely had some repair skills.

"That's great."

"Could you take a look at it for me?"

Li Pai said as he placed the bag containing the helmet on the counter.

The old man opened the bag and his expression instantly changed.

"To think that the helmet would end up looking like this, young man, what kind of posture were you playing the game in…”

The old man shook his head repeatedly.

"I don’t know that myself, moving on, can the helmet still be fixed?"

Li Pai immediately asked.

"I’m not sure, But let me give it a try, just come again after an hour or two, Oh! Wait a minute! What brand is this helmet? I've never seen it before!"

The old man looked at Li Pai with a puzzled expression.