God Simulator: The Goddesses In The Simulation Are All Real

Aurielle leaned in closer, lowering her voice as though revealing a juicy secret. "Well, there was a moment where I felt kinda bad for Ted."

"You know, with me, Lucy, and you all being in relationships now. The poor guy looked like the third wheel of the century. So I decided to help him out."

Linsley's curiosity piqued. "Help him out how?"

Aurielle straightened, flipping her golden hair over her shoulder. "By becoming the ultimate wingwoman, of course. I introduced him to a few beautiful gamer girls—real pros, too. Figured they'd be impressed by his skills and maybe, you know, hit it off."

"And how did that go?" Linsley asked, already sensing the answer would be anything but straightforward.

Aurielle's grin turned sheepish. "Uh… not exactly as planned. Ted saw it as some kind of challenge instead of, you know, an opportunity to mingle. He ended up challenging every single one of them to their specialty games."

Linsley's smirk deepened. "And?"

Aurielle sighed dramatically. "And he crushed them. Ruthlessly. One of them even cried! She doubted her entire life after that defeat. Like, actual tears, Linsley. It was bad."

Linsley chuckled, shaking his head. "That sounds about right for Ted. Did you try explaining the point wasn't to obliterate them?"

"Oh, I did. Trust me, I did," Aurielle said, throwing her hands up in exasperation. "But Ted being Ted just shrugged and said, 'If they can't handle a little competition, they're not worth my time.'"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Linsley laughed. "So much for matchmaking."

Aurielle's tone shifted as she frowned slightly. "Well, here's the thing. After that disaster, I started wondering if maybe Ted just… didn't like women, you know? Which, whatever, no big deal. Love is love, right? So I figured I'd try a different angle."

Linsley raised an eyebrow, his amusement growing. "You're not about to say what I think you're about to say, are you?"

"Oh, I am," Aurielle said, grinning wickedly. "I introduced him to some handsome gamer guys. Real lookers, too. Figured maybe I just had the wrong approach before."

Linsley stared at her, half-disbelieving. "And how did that go?"

"Worse," Aurielle admitted with a groan. "He beat them all in their games too! And the same thing happened—defeated egos, crushed spirits, a guy or two walking away muttering about never touching a controller again."

Linsley pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to suppress his laughter. "So you tried setting him up with both beautiful women and handsome men, and all you did was leave a trail of broken gamers in your wake?"

"Pretty much," Aurielle said, shrugging dramatically. "At one point, I even asked him outright, 'Ted, do you swing this way or that way? Because at this point, I'm worried for Linsley's butt if you're secretly pining for him.'"

Linsley nearly choked on his own laughter. "What did he say to that?" Stay connected via empire

Aurielle sighed, shaking her head. "He just looked at me like I was insane and said, 'Aurielle, I don't feel attraction to anyone. Period. I'm not interested in romance or sex. It's just not my thing.'"

Linsley's laughter died down, replaced by genuine surprise. "Huh. So Ted's… aromantic and asexual?"

Aurielle nodded. "Looks like it. And you know what? That's fair. Not everyone's into that stuff. But still, I spent half the day trying to play Cupid, and all I got was a bunch of teary-eyed gamers and Ted reminding me how much he doesn't care."

Linsley chuckled, his admiration for Ted growing. "Well, at least now you know. And hey, if he's happy the way he is, there's no problem."

"Yeah, yeah," Aurielle said, rolling her eyes good-naturedly. "But you better believe I'm keeping him away from matchmaking schemes from now on. I've retired as his wingwoman—officially."

Linsley smirked, clapping her on the shoulder. "Good call. So, what's next on our itinerary?"

Aurielle grinned mischievously, tapping her chin as an idea began to brew. "Alright, Linsley. I've got something way better than aimlessly wandering through more booths or crushing newbies in games. How about we turn this date into something truly unforgettable?"

Linsley raised an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. "Oh? What exactly do you have in mind? And should I be concerned?"

Aurielle leaned closer, her violet eyes gleaming with excitement. "Picture this: We take this whole gaming convention up a notch—or maybe ten. You and I combine our gifts—my Gift Creation and your Real Fantasy—to create a virtual reality game. Not your standard VR nonsense, but something so immersive and realistic that it feels like the real world."

Linsley folded his arms, his curiosity piqued. "Go on."

She smirked. "We're talking a full-blown zombie apocalypse. The catch? Everyone here at the convention gets pulled in to play. And to spice things up, we tell them it's a 'death game.' If they die in the game, they 'die' in real life."

Linsley chuckled, shaking his head. "Aurielle, are you seriously planning on traumatizing half the convention?"

"Oh, relax," she said, waving him off. "It's just for fun! They won't actually die. If anyone 'dies' in the game, they'll just get ejected back to the real world with a harmless little pop. Think of it as… extreme immersion."

Linsley couldn't help but grin at her enthusiasm. "Alright, I'll bite. But if we're doing this, it's gotta be good. No half-measures. We'll need believable environments, dynamic scenarios, and actual stakes to make it worthwhile."

Aurielle clapped her hands together in excitement. "Exactly! With my ability to create any gift and your ability to turn fantasy into reality, we can make this the most epic game anyone's ever experienced. They'll be talking about it for years."

"And let me guess," Linsley said, tilting his head. "You've already decided on the setting?"

"Of course," Aurielle replied, her grin widening. "Zombie apocalypse. It's perfect—chaotic, thrilling, and everyone loves a good undead shootout. Plus, no one gets to use their real-world gifts."

"Everyone, even us, has to rely solely on their game character's abilities—guns, grit, and nothing else."