‘Whoever you are. I love you!’ Jon thought as the camera returned to it’s default position leaving Jon with his modesty (mostly) intact.
Jons smile grew a bit brighter and he averted his eyes for a moment “Thank you for being a gentleman. I honestly expected you to go for the ‘Panty shot’-achievement by now. ” As soon as the words had left his mouth, Jon felt a powerful squeezing sensation in his chest and for a moment all he could hear was the sound of his own heartbeat. The sensation wasn’t painful and lasted only for a few moments, but Jon was panicking on the inside as he raised his head again and gave the camera a self-conscious smile. “Nothing to worry about. Your gallantry just made my heart flutter a bit.”
A message appeared on screen
‘Relationship changed: Toriko (Affection Lvl 2)’
‘Secret route unlocked: Premium
Congratulations, you have made a stellar first impression on your designated guide.’
“I was already determined to give it my all when guiding you through the exciting times in store for you and the resident heroines. As a member of Phantasm Inc my professional pride demands no less, after all.“ the girl on the screen declared proudly “But since the personality of all our AIs are unique some routes may be blocked of my accident. That is why, as a member of the administrative staff, I have a special dispense to fudge the rules a bit to make sure everything goes smoothly. ” her expression softened “ Like unlocking the ‘Archetype’-option that is usually reserved for our premium-users. Because even if you didn’t buy the gold-package you are definitely a premium-customer in my books.” She gave the camera a conspiratorial wink before walking over towards the empty wall.
As Jon stopped a few steps in front of it, a framework of thin green lines appeared on the wall that quickly resolved into an ornate full length mirror. Through the reflection Jon watched the camera move past him to focus on girl in the mirror.
“My default appearance has been generated from a composite of social media pictures from people close to your location. It is designed to ensure I do not stand out like a sore thumb as I help you navigate the exciting days of blossoming love and burning passion ahead. ” A button labled ‘Select Archetype’ appeared above the mirror “Each archetype changes the emphasis one the various parameters going into the algorithm generating my appearance, to reimagine me as a different kind of girl. So go ahead and try it, because I’d very much like to be the best companion you could wish for.“
As the player began browsing through the menus experimentally, causing the Toriko persona to launch into a short explanation at each new option, Sarah chimed in
“Just so you know. That isn’t one of mine. I set it up so the game would include small rewards if you, Jon not Toriko, liked what they were doing. “she gave an amused snort” A guy shows restraint for five minutes and you already trust his judgement enough the game decides he deserves the opportunity to turn you into a walking wet dream. ” she started to giggle “Oh you’re gonna regret that one Jonny boy!”
After she had finished laughing Sarah continued “Oh, by the way. No one remembers a boy like Jon even exists. Or any of the others who will join you in the next few days. If you want your life back…weeeellllll let’s just say you better make damn sure the player chooses the right girl or you better get used to wearing a bra. Doesn’t matter who he fools around with, but only one of you will receive the red string of fate. Ohhh told ya you’d regret it. ”
The last comment had been in response to the player choosing the ‘Justice’ Archetype, causing the image in the mirror to transform into a tall athletic blonde wearing a domino mask and spandex that left little doubt she had exactly the kind of body expected of a superheroine. Jon gave the mirror a mock salute “Looking forward to working with you, Commisioner.” he said with a smile so white it was almost blinding. “Now that I am on the case we will find that special girl in no time.”
As far as Jon could say nothing had changed about his, or rather Torikos, body. He certainly wasn’t wearing spandex and there was no long hair tickling the back of his neck. But Sarah was right, this wasn’t gonna end well for Jon.
Jon sighed inwardly with relief as the player opened the Archetype menu again to look for the next option. ‘Chivalry’ was closer to Jon/Torikos original look, but taller and with her hair worn in a thick braid, slapping against the back of her armor. Said armor wasn’t stripperiffic, enough to make any definitive judgement about her figure, but if it certainly suggested that there were bountiful soft curves beneath that hard exterior. Jon gave his reflection a brief nod, the stern expression of the warrior in the mirror warming into a genuine smile “Well met Sire. ” he said with a definite British accent “Until you decide to sheath your sword for good, I shall be ever at your side.”
Adding in a normal voice Jon added “Oh I almost forgot. There might also be slight behavioral changes in addition to the cosmetic ones since the algorithms for body language and motion are closely tied to that one. ”
Jon had mixed feelings about being stuck as a ren-fair reject, so he was glad when the player decided to move on after a few moments. He very much wanted to go back to being a Jon d’Archetype when ‘Divine’ turned out to be a slender blonde with inhumanly blue eyes and an impossibly delicate face. Where ‘Justice’ and ‘Chivalry’ had exuded a certain strength, the idea of this girl doing anything so crude as getting into a fight ( or even opening a jar of pickles) seemed wrong. ‘Your prayers have been answered.’ Jon declared, his hands raised in benediction ‘Heed my words of wisdom, and soon your hearts greatest desire shall be yours.’
And so it went on, each girl in the mirror bore a definite resemblance to Jon if you knew what to look for, but aside from that came from all walks of life, and – Jon noticed with worry - a lot of them looked too old to be in high-school. Most were a lot more less eye-catching than the first three choices: a cheerleader, a cute geek, an office lady, a teacher, an athlete and similar people you might run into walking down the street. But there were a few more odd-balls too, like the succubus who, instead of the sexbomb in a leather-outfit, looked more like the tomboyish member of a rock-band, just with a few additional holes in her strategically torn clothes to make room for the wings and tail.
‘Well it could be worse’ Jon tried to console himself when the player finally settled on a choice and hit ‘Accept’. “Are you sure about this?” Toriko echoed his concerns, continuing “Unlocking this feature was a one-time deal. My rule-breaking privileges only go so far, after all. You may be able to tweak it a bit, but once you hit ‘Accept’ again you will be stuck with this version of me.”
