"I see you are awake. I know we slept together, but I don't recall giving you my name." (Amane)
"D-don't recall? What the hell's that. Did you lose your memory? You told me to call you Amane." (Makoto)
Amenogawa Amane.
It's weird to call your boss by her first name, without honorifics, but Amane told me to do it because "Amenogawa-san" is too long. Of course, I could just call her boss, like everyone else, but
"That's no good." (Past Amane)
So I just ran with it.
"I have not lost my memory, how ridiculous an accusation. Last night was the first time we've met, I'm sure." (Amane)
"I've worked under you for two years, Amane." (Makoto)
"Could you stop calling me that? You have a good face, but a bad attitude." (Amane)
Good face?
ME?
I look like your typical middle-aged salaryman. Since when would I be considered good looking, and to someone like AMANE?
This office lady with a supermodel's figure.
I was so shocked by the compliment my brain went over the conversation we were having, and I noticed something out of place.
"Wait, you knew we slept together, naked?!" (Makoto)
What's with that!?!
"Of course. Your door was the only unlocked room, so without any other options, I got in bed with you." (Amane)
"HUUUUUUUUUUH??" (Makoto)
The room was empty, afterall?! I had no reason to be afraid, no, the opposite!
"You'd get in bed naked with a man you'd never met before??" (Makoto)
"Of course not. I'd only sleep naked with the man I fell in love with." (Amane)
So she was in love with me all this time? Since she forcced me to call her Amane? Wait.
"Last night was the first time we've met, I'm sure." (Past Amane)
"It was love at first sight?" (Makoto)
"That's right." (Amane)
"How do you feel about me now?" (Makoto)
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Pity and disgust." (Amane)
What's with this womaaaan.
Shit. Who would have thought she would have been offended by me misunderstandng the situation and leaving her to sleep? How was I supposed to know the room was EMPTY?
I don't really get it, but if Amane is into me, I can't let this get away from me!
I bow.
"I'm sorry for offending you. Please go out with me."
"Apology accepted and no thanks." (Amane)
She's still mad?
"I'm not mad, there's something you're misunderstanding here. I got in bed with you because I could only restore my HP in a bed. And there was no way you could do anything to me, because your level was truly pitiful." (Amane)
Level? HP?
What's with these game terms. I know this world resembles Sugar Maple but it's clearly not a game.
And Amane was born the year Sugar Maple came out, there's no way she could be famiiar wth this game.
"Levels? What do you mean by that?" (Makoto)
Amane gives me a puzzled expression.
"Perhaps, you don't know? Anything? What you are, or how you look?" (Amane)
???
Amane shifts her weight onto her back leg, crosses her arms and closes one eye.
"I see. So that's how it is. I have the quickest solution to this. Come." (Amane)
She beconed me to the opposite side of the first floor. We approached a stand with a vase on it. Behind it, on the wall, was a mirror.
"Look at your reflection. Do you not see a name above your head?" (Amane)
I gazed into the mirror.
There was no name above my head, but that's not where my eyes were drawn.
They were drawn to the hadsome youth starting back at me.
Early twenties, Japanese face with youth, the kind of face that would sell music CDs based on the cover.
A male idol's face, and one that vaguely looked like me, but with all the imperfections hammered out.
"Who is this?" (Makoto)
...
After the shock wore off, Amane explained to me that she had the "power" to see names of PCs and NPCs floating above their heads. She could investigate their stats, and had access to an extra dimensional inventory where she could place items.
Those were all game functions of the original Sugar Maple, but in this context, I could only think of them as
"Cheat." (Makoto)
"I'd prefer the term blessing." (Amane)
Cheat.
Cheat cheat cheat cheat cheat cheat cheat cheat cheeeeeeeeaaaat.
Why?!
Why did Amane get Appraisal, stat menus, and item storage, but not me?!
Is it because I've played Sugar Maple before? Is knowlede of the game that powerful that you would deny me even the most basic menu fuctions?
What the heeeeeelll!!!
"It's not fair." (Makoto)
"I'm sure god-sama granted you a special skill as well." (Amane)
"God-sama? You met god?" (Makoto)
"I did." (Amane)
Goddamn bullshit.
"Liar." (Makoto)
"It isn't a lie. God-sama apologized to me for allowing a 'rogue heat wave' to kill my department, so as an apology he reincarnated us into a fantasy world with video game mechanics." (Amane)
I feel like I'm going to cry.
"I don't believe in a god I've never met. This can't be real." (Makoto)
"All of my former subordinates met with god-sama and were granted special skills. And we all look the same. That's how I know I've never met you before." (Amane)
The only thing different about me now are my looks and my improved eyesight.
Are those my "cheats"? And I never met this "god-sama" either so I have no idea what she's talking about.
"Your people, can they all see the screens?" (Makoto)
"That's right." (Amane)
...
I think back to Tachibana and Hina. They were awake before I was, and they knew who I was despite my changed apperance. Or did my apperance remain the same while I was in the field, and it changed when I entered Olympia Skywalk?
"I can't see your name." (Amane)
"Huh?" (Makoto)
"Last night, the name above your head said 'sleeping naked handsome man'. Right now, it just says "Handsome man'."
I seem to recall plot relevant characters in Sugar Maple having their names hidden with tricks like that.
"But the color of your name is red, indicating you are not an NPC. You are a player like me." (Amane)
"So, adventurer."
"What is your name?"
INSERT COIN.
INSERT COIN.
INSERT COIN.