"Ahnn~ This key isn't enough to satisfy me though~ My body has been deprived of male attention for so long that my hormones need some kind of outlet...so I suggest you come willingly, before I decide to take matters into my own hands~"

Her voice was low and sultry, her eyes gleaming with malevolent delight. He couldn't believe what he was witnessing, his mind racing to comprehend the unfolding situation.historical

"What the hell are you doing?! Where did you just put that key you freaking weirdo!? How am I supposed to get it back!?" He exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.

Venti chuckled, a sultry smile on her face, "Oh, don't be so uptight, Yomite. You should learn to loosen up a bit," she teased. "That being said, unless you give me your children, you can say goodbye to ever seeing that key again, or leaving this place alive."

Her ominous words hung heavily in the air, casting a sinister pall over the room. Yomite hesitated, realizing that Venti might be right.

He hadn't found the door yet, but Lisa had informed him that the key and the door were necessary to escape. If he failed to secure them, he would undoubtedly be trapped here forever.

But could he trust her? Was this key truly the one thing that could set him free? What if it was a duplicate? A fake key?

No.

He wasn't planning on having sex with anyone, especially not Venti. He needed to find another solution. Games like this were never one faced.

"Venti...I...I believe I told you, you're my dear friend. I don't want to enter a relationship with you, because what would happen to our friendship then? I don't have many male friends so that's why... please leave it be..." Yomite replied.

Venti's eyes narrowed, her playful grin replaced with a cold, stern expression. "So you think the other girls in your party are so much better than I am, right? Even when I changed my appearance to a girl to appeal to you, you still don't want to...be with me..."

"No! I mean...I..."

"Then why did you help Dvalin? Why did you bother saving Mondstadt!? I thought...I thought...I was the reason...I begged you to help me and you did...do you feel nothing towards me? Do you not like me at all...? We're you not doing that for me?"

Venti's cruel words cut deep, leaving Yomite at a loss for words. He stood there, silent and stunned.

Why did he save Mondstadt? Because it was a tutorial location, and he wanted money and housing.

Why did he save the Dragon Dvalin? Initially, he planned on killing it because it threatened his tutorial town, where he could establish his base.

Venti's feelings were never really his concern to begin with. It just so happened that he was there when he learned Dvalin wasn't a bad dragon, and then, once defeated, the dragon turned into Iris, who now belonged to him, and he was taking care of her.

"Even Dvalin is now...living with you...eating with you, sleeping in the same house as you...being hugged and cherished like an important pet...yet I'm still the only one left alone...just as I always was..."

But why did he choose to help Dvalin instead of killing it?

Why did he help Iris out of nowhere? Nobody knew, not even Yomite himself. He simply wanted to do the right thing.

He couldn't deny Venti's attractiveness, regardless of gender, but he didn't see him or her as anything he would ever date. He did care about him, but dating...

"Come on...Venti... you're my friend...you're one of the bro's I never had back on Earth... I'm really glad you're here for me...but I'm really not interested in you romantically...so please stop this..."

Even if this was a trial of darkness and nightmares, he couldn't bear to see Venti like this, her face twisted with pain and tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Why!? Why can't you see my appeal...my heart hurts when I think we can't be together! It breaks apart! Yet you're ignorant!"

"...I'm sorry, Venti, but I have to go. I can't stay here anymore, I need to get out of here or else they'll catch me. If you won't give me the key, then I'll find another way out of this trial." Yomite said, turning his back on her. "You're indeed dear to me. A great friend I sometimes wish to choke to death, but that's what friends are there for, at least I think."

The door shuddered, on the verge of being breached. Sinister beings, taking on the visages of his lovers, waited to strike with malicious intent.

"..."

Venti's haunting wails of despair behind him were impossible to ignore, but he forced his focus on the door and his surroundings.

There were no vents, no alternate exits from this room.

His only chance of escape would be to somehow maneuver around the monsters and dash for freedom. He had to keep in mind their "things down there" could change shape and even extend. He truly had to be careful.

According to the map, and his best estimation of his location, he needed to make a sharp left and sprint toward a corner where a maintenance room awaited.

That room could be his salvation, providing him the means to illuminate the darkened hallways and gain the upper hand against the skin-walker creatures.

As he steeled himself for this daring gambit, Venti's hand clamped onto his arm with unexpected force.

Yomite's instincts flared, and he struggled to free himself, fearing an attack.

"What are you doing again!?"

"Wait..." she whispered, leaning against his back, "Please...I beg of you...at least...at least...let me have this...in a nightmare...if not in the real world..."

Venti's lips brushed softly against Yomite's cheek, the kiss as delicate as a butterfly alighting on a flower.

The key, which Yomite thought she had hidden within her body, now appeared in her hands as if by illusion.

"Why...why would you..."

Venti drew back from him after the kiss, her eyes filled with yearning. "Just this once, I'll make an exception...after all, you are my dearest...friend, and I don't want to lose you to some ugly monster weirdos, ehe~"

She placed the key in Yomite's hand, closing his fingers around it. Yomite stared at the key, feeling its weight as he held it tight.

With a wave of her hand, the space around him warped, and they were teleported to another room.

Venti opened the door, gesturing in one direction. "If you go that way, you'll find the exit, though it's still quite far."

"Why are you suddenly...helping me...? Aren't you supposed to be my enemy in the trial? This doesn't make any sense..." Yomite asked as he exited the room.

Venti followed him outside, giving him a wink. "You should know that by now, silly~ How many times do I have to repeat myself? It's becau—!" Her voice cut off abruptly, interrupted by a loud noise and a blinding light filling the room.

Yomite shielded his eyes as he stepped outside. Soon enough, he reopened them, noticing a floating wall of text standing before him.

[#Error# The Entity 4 (4/6) has encountered an error. A reboot is necessary. Entity 4 (4/6) is blocked from further communication until the issue is solved. Error: Cheating. Failed to chase and immobilize the enemy. An error occurred during the encounter with the enemy. Reason: Feelings of deep love within the entity. Source: #Cheating# Description: The Entity 4's (4/6) strategy was incorrect for defeating the Player for the given scenario. Solution: Due to helping the player by skipping countless of hours worth of mandatory progress by teleporting and handing him the key to the entrance, Entity 4 (4/6) shall be disposed of until further notice.]

Yomite stared at the wall of text, trying to process it all, when he noticed Venti's body floating in front of him, her mouth opening and shutting wordlessly.

There was no voice coming out of her, but it seemed like she was trying to speak.

Yomite was focusing intently on her lips, trying to decipher what she was saying.

"...!? Venti!"

Venti gave him a weak smile before her body turned white and exploded into a cloud of tiny particles, which flew off in all directions.

The light faded away, and the white substance disappeared as well, leaving Yomite alone in the dark.

"..."

Yomite lingered for a few moments, disoriented and bewildered, before finally rising and continuing onward.

Perhaps it was because he was still in the body of a young child who couldn't yet control his feelings, or perhaps because he truly felt touched by the imposter Venti's affection, he found himself wiping tears from his eyes as he continued.

All of this was just an illusion. All of these nightmares were something he shouldn't have cared about whatsoever.

Yet, if someone dear to him died just like that in front of him, sacrificing themselves for him, would he be able to bear it?

As he continued walking, he couldn't help but think about Venti's final words before disappearing.

The words she tried so desperately to mouth out despite her inability to speak.

'Because I love you.'

Those words echoed in his mind, and he felt a strange sense of guilt and sadness enveloping him.

***