The device sat on Rei's desk like a neon pink grenade.
It was the Luv Pulse 3. A silicone, egg-shaped vibrator with a dangerously long antenna tail. It hummed softly. Searching for a Bluetooth signal. Pulsing with a faint, rhythmic light that seemed to mock her.
"It looks like a parasitic alien," Rei said. She poked it with a pen.
"It is a standard industry tool," Nyx said. She was currently projected onto Rei's second monitor. She rearranged desktop icons with a flick of her finger. "Think of it as a haptic feedback vest for an FPS game. Except instead of taking bullet damage, you take... engagement."
Rei put her head in her hands. "I don't know how to set this up. I don't know how to make the 'donate' button trigger the... the rumble pack."
"Then outsource it," Nyx replied. She checked her nails. "You have an ally in your contacts list with the tag [DEGENERATE]. Utilize her."
Rei hesitated. Calling Rika.
Rika was her online best friend. She was also the most terminally online person Rei had ever met.
If Rei told her the truth, I am possessed by a corporate demon and need to stream to save my mom's kidneys, Rika would probably just say "Pog" and ask for the demon's @.
But Rei needed the tech support.
"Okay," Rei whispered. "Cover story. It's just a character. It's just a bit."
She opened Discordia.
[ STATUS: INVISIBLE ] -> [ STATUS: ONLINE ]
She clicked the call button on Rika_Tan (commissions OPEN).
RING... RING...
The connection was instant.
"REI!"
The video feed popped up.
Rika was exactly where she always was. Sitting in a dim room illuminated by the glow of three monitors and a Cintiq drawing tablet. She was wearing a massive pair of cat-ear headphones and a t-shirt featuring an anime girl making a face that would get you banned in a church.
Her hair was a chaotic dye-job of faded teal and pink. Held together by a chopstick.
"You're alive!" Rika screamed. Her mouth was full of Glitch-Stix. "I was literally about to file a missing person report. Or send a pizza. Same thing."
"Hey, Rika," Rei managed a weak smile. "I... I need help."
Rika stopped chewing. Her eyes narrowed playfully.
"You? Asking for help? Did you finally try to mod Skyram until it crashed your PC again?"
"No. I..." Rei took a deep breath. "I'm starting a stream."
Silence.
Rika blinked. Once. Twice.
"You? Rei 'Do Not Perceive Me' Locke? You're streaming?"
"Yeah."
"Gaming?"
"Not... exactly."
Rika's grin slowly widened until it looked physically painful. She leaned back in her chair. She steepled her fingers like an anime villain.
"Oh," she breathed. "Oh, this is delicious. You're entering your E-Girl Arc. I manifested this."
"It's complicated," Rei said quickly. She felt the Heat rise in her cheeks. "It's... a character. I'm doing a character. A concept stream."
"Say less, bestie. I'm already in your mainframe."
A notification popped up on Rei's screen.
[ REMOTE DESKTOP REQUEST: RIKA_TAN ]
Rei clicked accept. Her mouse cursor started moving on its own.
"Okay, let's see the rig," Rika's voice came through the speakers. Fast and clipped. "OBS is bare bones. Cringe. We need overlays. We need alerts. We need a Vibe."
Rika's cursor flew across the screen. She opened Holo-Shop on her end and streamed the canvas back to Rei.
"So, what's the lore?" Rika asked. She sketched furiously. "What's the persona... fursona? Are we going 'Wholesome Gamer'? 'Toxic Brat'? 'Mommy'?"
Rei glanced at Nyx, who was watching the interaction with critical approval.
"It's... a 'Cursed System' concept," Rei lied. She leaned into the truth. "I'm stuck in a game. The chat controls my stats."
Rika paused her drawing. "Wait. That's genius."
"It is?"
"It's meta! It's parasocial! It's literally gamifying the simp economy!" Rika started drawing faster. "Okay, so the overlay needs to look like a HUD. Glitch aesthetic. Cyberpunk but make it horny. Pink and black color scheme?"
"Pink and black is... accurate," Rei said.
"And the donation goals?" Rika asked. "What are we farming for? New GPU? Rent? Cosplay?"
"Debt," Rei said.
"Grim. I love it," Rika laughed. "The 'Sadgirl' aesthetic is huge right now. People love paying to fix broken things."
Rei winced. Too real.
"Okay," Rika said. She pulled up the plugins window. "Now, the hardware. I see the camera. I see the mic. And I see... oh. Oh my god."
Rika's cursor circled the "Luv Connect" icon on Rei's desktop.
"Rei," Rika said. Her voice dropped to a reverent whisper. "Is that the Pulse 3?"
"It's for the 'System' roleplay," Rei blurted out. Her face was burning. "To simulate... damage."
"That is chef's kiss," Rika cackled. "You are going to farm so hard. Can I configure the API?"
"Please. Just make it work."
Rei watched as Rika typed in the code.
"Okay," Rika narrated. "Linking tip alerts. 1 to 100 bits is a low hum. 500 bits is a pulse. 1000 bits is... let's set 1000 to 'Earthquake Mode.' Max vibration for 10 seconds."
"Ten seconds?" Rei squeaked. "That seems... excessive."
"It's content, baby! High stakes!" Rika cheered. "Okay, test run. Sending a signal now."
On Rei's desk, the pink egg suddenly came to life.
BZZT-BZZT-BZZZZZZT.
It rattled against the wood. Loud and angry. It walked across the desk on its own vibration power.
Rei jumped. She stared at the toy.
For the first time, she didn't just see a scary object. She saw a machine. A tool.
If that thing vibrates for ten seconds, Rei calculated, my Heat hits 50%. If I hold it there, I get the Charisma Buff. If I can talk through the vibration... I win the encounter.
"It works!" Rika clapped her hands. "Now, one last widget. The Heart Rate Monitor."
"The what?"
"The HR monitor," Rika said. She dragged a widget onto the screen. "If you're doing a 'System' roleplay, the chat needs to see your vitals. It proves you're 'scared' or 'excited.' It validates their power over you."
Nyx nodded in the background. "She understands the assignment," Nyx noted. "This human has excellent instincts for exploitation."
"Fine," Rei sighed. "Put it in the corner."
Twenty minutes later, Rei's screen looked like the cockpit of a degenerate spaceship. A sleek, neon pink overlay. A scrolling "Chat" box that looked like code. And a goal bar.
[ DEBT PROTOCOL ]
"It's beautiful," Rika declared. She wiped a fake tear from her eye. "My little shut-in is growing up and becoming a degenerate content creator. I'm so proud. Just remember me when you're famous," Rika said. "And hey, send me the link. I'll be your first mod. I'll ban the bots and hype the simps."
"Thanks, Rika," Rei said. She was genuinely grateful. "You're the best."
"I know. Now go wash your hair. You look like you've been living in a cave. Good luck, Player One."
The call disconnected.
Rei sat in the silence of her room. The setup was done. The stage was set.
[ MISSION COMPLETE: THE SETUP ]
[ SOCIAL LINK UPGRADED: RIKA (LVL 2) ]
[ PREPARATION: 100% ]
Nyx stepped forward. Her heels clicked on the floor. She picked up the Luv Pulse 3 by its antenna tail. She dangled it in front of Rei's face.
"Your friend is efficient," Nyx said. "But the 'roleplay' ends now."
She held the device out.
"Equip the item, Asset. We go live in ten minutes."
Rei swallowed hard. The Heat in her belly flared. Reacting to the command.
[ HEAT: 40% ]
Rei looked at the toy. Then she looked at the overlay Rika had built.
"It's not just a toy," Rei whispered. She took it. Her hand trembled, but her grip was firm. "It's a payout multiplier."
She stood up.
"I'm going to the bathroom to equip. Don't touch my settings."