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The bluish glow of the TV screen was the only light in the room, reflecting in Hiori Yo’s focused eyes. He was completely absorbed, his fingers moving with almost surgical precision across the controller, while Nanda Yukari watched him out of the corner of her eye, sitting on the rug with a salmon hossomaki in her hand.
She had always been patient—on the surface, at least—but her curiosity about what on earth was so captivating about that game called NieR: Automata was beginning to overcome her shyness. Hiori finally sighed, letting go of the controller with a satisfied smile.
“Honey, you need to get to know her,” he said, little knowing that those would be his words of regret.
“Who, Hiorin?” she asked, leaning forward with such enthusiasm that she nearly knocked the soy sauce cup over onto the rug.
Nanda quickly pulled herself together, her shyness giving way to an intense gleam in her eyes as the character on the screen executed an elegant sword move.
“Holy shit, is she wearing an eye patch? She’s amazing!” Her excitement grew louder, and that quiet, demure aura vanished in seconds.
Hiori blinked, surprised by the speed of the change, feeling a silly sense of pride at sparking so much interest in her.
“She’s 2B, the protagonist of NieR: Automata,” he continued, letting out a satisfied chuckle at seeing his girlfriend so mesmerized. “I highly recommend playing it; the story is thrilling and…”
He stopped speaking when he realized his girlfriend wasn’t hearing a word about the story, as she remained gaping, ignoring the sushi growing cold on her plate.
“Honey, why didn’t you ever tell me you were secretly dating a hottie like that?” she exclaimed, feigning indignation that masked her genuine admiration. “If I’d known she was like that, I would’ve already done a cosplay or saved a thousand fanarts of her from Pinterest!”
Yo’s laughter faltered. He’d expected a little jealousy from her, not that she’d fall in love with the character too.
Nanda watched 2B draw her sword with lethal elegance, and a mischievous smirk—the kind she only showed when she was completely at ease—appeared on her lips.
“What’s her personality like? Does she give orders? Is she bossy?” The question caught her boyfriend off guard, making him blush slightly.
“Well, she’s an exemplary soldier, so…”
Before she finished, she let out a squeal of excitement.
“Perfect! I’d let her lecture me for being clumsy. She’s got the kind of energy that would set me straight in a heartbeat.”
Hiori coughed, trying to regain his focus. He’d introduced her to his ‘waifu’, yet it seemed his girlfriend had found a ‘master’. She let out a mischievous giggle, the kind that indicated her thoughts had just wandered into dangerous territory.
“I tell you... If she gave me a lecture like that, I think I’d actually be moved. I’m kind of a masochist when it comes to beautiful, authoritative women, you know,” she confessed, a twinkle of amusement in her eyes.
He felt his face flush all the way to the tips of his ears. He was a calm and level-headed guy, but Yukari’s brutal honesty always caught him off guard.
“N-Nanda! Don’t say things like that out loud…” he muttered, trying to focus on the game while his girlfriend was already planning to search for fan art of the character.
“I’ve already decided,” she declared, with the absolute seriousness she reserved only for very important things, like choosing flowers or deciding the ending of one of her fanfics. “I’m going to cosplay as her. But a really faithful cosplay, with the blindfold and everything. And you’re going to have to give me orders just like the game operator, Hiori!”
Yo’s face, which was already red, turned a shade of glowing embers. He imagined Nanda—his cute, sensitive, and clumsy girlfriend—dressed like that and acting with such intensity.
“I… I don’t think I can handle this, Nanda…” he confessed, hiding his face behind his hands while she was already looking up prices for platinum-blonde wigs.
He took a deep breath, trying to regain control. He was a well-mannered young man, yet the sadistic ego he kept locked away under seven keys threatened to force the lock open. He glanced sideways at his girlfriend—she was so innocent, so focused on Pinterest, with no idea of the monster he had just unleashed. The idea of seeing her dressed as 2B, a cold combat android, yet begging for his orders… was too much for his self-control.
“Nanda… you have no idea of the danger,” he thought, with a smirk that she, thankfully, didn’t see.
He looked at the console and then at her, who was already struggling to mimic 2B’s battle pose in the middle of the room, nearly knocking over her art supply case in the process. Hiori regretted it the moment he realized he was no longer the cute boyfriend she’d been admiring, but rather the future “censor” of a cosplay he’d encouraged himself.
“Nanda, enough about 2B for today,” he said, trying to grab her phone. “If you keep this up, I’m going to end up taking this whole ‘giving orders’ thing way too seriously, and then you’re the one who’ll regret it.”
He sat down again, pulling his girlfriend close until she was leaning against his shoulder.
“I regret it, Nanda. Seriously,” he sighed, absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair. “I wanted you to like the game, but now I feel like I’m competing with my own waifu for your attention.”
Yukari looked at him, her gaze softening with that tenderness only she possessed.
“Oh, honey… she’s wonderful, but she’s made of metal,” she whispered, wrapping her arm around his. “You’re made of flesh and blood, and you’re my favorite gamer. And you give much cuter orders than headquarters.”
“Cute orders, huh?” he repeated, raising an eyebrow as a mischievous gleam returned to his eyes. “Well then, as your ‘operator’, I order you to eat the last piece of salmon sushi and stop talking about androids for five minutes.”
She broke into a beaming smile and obeyed immediately, though not before retorting with her mouth full:
“See? I’m very obedient! If 2B gave me a lecture like that, I’d even thank her.”
Hiori sighed, defeated.
“I give up. I introduced my waifu and ended up creating a one-person fan club right here on my own rug.”
Nanda finished chewing the last piece of hossomaki, wiping the corner of her mouth with her thumb before nestling herself against his chest.
“Don’t be jealous of your own waifu, love,” she whispered, her voice suddenly soft, all the agitation from before gone. “2B is a Greek metal goddess, but she doesn’t have that fabric softener scent of yours, nor that monk-like infinite patience to put up with my hyperfocus.”
She lifted her face, meeting her boyfriend’s calm gaze, which seemed to have finally disarmed any remnant of sadism or jealousy.
“You’re my favorite 2D character who, luckily, decided to come to life and date me. 2B wins in terms of design, but you win in everything else.”
Hiori felt a wave of heat that had nothing to do with the video game. She let out a sigh of surrender, wrapping Nanda in a tight embrace that smelled of comfort and home.
“All right, you win,” he murmured against the top of her head, a genuine smile finally playing on his lips. “I accept being your real-life 2D.”
He leaned down and placed a tender kiss on the tip of her nose; she closed her eyes, feeling like the luckiest girl in the world. 2B might have the sword, but right there, it was Hiori who had her heart.
“Honey?” Nanda whispered, pouting thoughtfully.
“Yes?”
“If I do the cosplay, do you promise you won’t actually get sadistic? It’s just that I’m sensitive, you know…”
He felt his ears burn again and buried his face in her neck to stifle his laughter.
“I promise, love. But I can’t promise I won’t want to order you to stay exactly like this, hugging me, for the rest of the night.”
Nanda smiled, defeated. It was a command she would obey with the greatest pleasure in the world.