After Joining the Game, She Came Out as Gay [Infinite] - Chapter 2

The middle-aged noblewoman roared, “So, what kind of game is it, and what are the specific rules!?”

The woman with heavy makeup asked, “Can… can we really be resurrected?”

Even the girl who had been silent until now crowded around, her solemn expression filled with a longing for life.

The others were the same.

The only ones who remained relatively calm, besides Qi Cheng, were the slender young girl who appeared to be the youngest among them.

“It’s true, it’s true~”

The God spoke with a beaming smile, stretching out a bear-like paw to gently push away the heavily made-up woman who was practically pressing her face against his.

“Games are meant to be simple~ It’s already Valentine’s Day in your lower world, isn’t it? Then for the first stage, let’s just have everyone fall in love!”

“Fall in love…?”

Everyone looked utterly bewildered.

“Yes~ For example—you…”

God pointed at the heavily made-up woman.

“And you…”

He then pointed to a man.

“Declare your vows to me to become lovers, and you will have cleared the first round of the game!”

Everyone stared at the two who had been named, then looked back at God.

“Wait… wait a minute, do you mean…”

Clearly, many people were falling into a state of confusion.

“‘The first round’…?” the younger beauty murmured, resting her hand on her chin as she pondered the phrasing.

God glanced at her, a strange smile flashing across his face as if he had discovered something novel, before returning to his usual hip-hop style demeanor. He addressed everyone:

“Now, I shall explain the specific rules of the Love Game! …Ugh, explaining it verbally is too much trouble. Just look for yourselves!”

Behind God, several lines of text were suddenly projected, clearly listing the rules for clearing the stage.

Love Game Clearing Rules

Witnessed by God, as long as two people mutually [Vow] to become lovers, they may proceed to the next stage of the game.

Each person has one, and only one, opportunity for [Divorce] and one opportunity for [Remarriage]. Please choose your partner carefully.

If you wish to reorganize a romantic relationship while you or your target has an existing partner, you must use [Divorce] on the original spouse before [Remarriage] is permitted.

[Divorce] is mandatory. Once either party proposes it to God, the romantic (team) relationship is immediately dissolved. Take note! (However, a [Remarriage] request can be rejected; it is not mandatory.)

A person who has been abandoned still has a [Remarriage] opportunity and will not immediately reach a Game Over; they will be forced into the next round (The Pardon Stage). However, if they fail to successfully pair up before the end of the new game (The Pardon Stage), it is a Game Over.

Once a [Divorce] takes effect, regardless of who initiated it, the two people after [Remarriage] will no longer have the right to [Divorce] or [Remarriage]. That is, each person is allowed only two marriages (one opportunity to change partners).

Violent behavior towards others is not permitted in the game (verbal abuse does not count). For example, using violence to force someone to [Divorce] and thus exit the game is forbidden. However, violence against one’s lover or oneself is permitted.

[Remarriage] requires two people to vow again and must be witnessed by God to be established.

Whether it is [Divorce] or [Remarriage], as long as it happens within the game, God will fulfill the [Obligation to Inform] and notify all participants.

The explanations in parentheses () are special considerations from this God. Be grateful~

These rules remain in effect until the final completion of the game

Five minutes later—

“[Vow]? What are we supposed to vow…?”

God said, “Hmm? It’s the same vows you humans exchange at weddings~

“I (Name) take you (Name) to be my partner in life and my only lover.

“I will cherish our friendship and love you until the end of the world.

“I will trust you, respect you, and protect you.

“I will laugh with you and cry with you.

“Whether our future is beautiful or bitter, difficult or easy, I will walk through it with you.

“No matter what hardships we encounter, I will always remain by your side.

“Just as I hold your hand tightly now, I give my life to you.

“Therefore, God, please witness our vows.

“—As long as two people make such a vow to me and become lovers who will never part, you can clear the stage!”

“Then what do [Divorce] and [Remarriage] mean?”

God looked leisurely at the middle-aged noblewoman, smiling serenely. “Didn’t I say it before? We gods embrace everything about humanity equally.”

He chuckled and continued, “This is very common among you humans, isn’t it? Joining together because of a spark, only to find you’re not right for each other after spending time together, so you separate. Or suddenly discovering someone more suitable and kicking the original partner aside… It’s okay. As a god, I understand this human behavior very well. Therefore, in the game, you are permitted to do the same~”

He wagged his finger and went on, “But~ if you keep switching back and forth, it’ll give me a headache… so you’re only allowed to change partners once! That is, as the rules state, each person is only allowed two ‘marriages.’ Violating the rules results in an immediate Game Over!”

“…What a malicious set of rules…”

The beautiful young girl looked toward Qi Cheng; she was the only one who noticed Qi Cheng’s faint mutter.

The woman with heavy makeup asked, “Once the relationship has broken down, how do we [Divorce]?”

God said, “It’s simple. Just call out my name—

“Cry out: ‘O God, please descend here!’

“And I will appear before you~”

He licked his paw and said nonchalantly, “At that time, just tell me, ‘I don’t want to be with this fellow anymore, I want a [Divorce].’ I will immediately dissolve your relationship~ and it is a mandatory dissolution; I won’t give you a chance to argue or mediate~ If you regret it, you’ll just have to consume your one [Remarriage] opportunity. Of course, it’s perfectly OK if your partner isn’t around when you make the [Divorce] request to me! In other words, I accept the act of a quiet betrayal~! So, if you don’t want a divorce, you’ll have to work hard to maintain the relationship~”

Someone asked, “Then what’s the deal with ‘violence’…?”

God said, “Prohibiting violent behavior is natural; things that ruin the game’s atmosphere are strictly forbidden! We gods will be watching you at all times~ If violence against others occurs, it’s an immediate Game Over! However, ‘verbal violence’—insulting the other party—is perfectly OK! Also, violence against your lover or yourself is allowed~”

Everyone: “What—?”

“Aww, because some people have those special hobbies. After all, it’s a matter between two people, and we can’t very well deprive you of that pleasure~ Hee hee hee!” God feigned innocence.

The young girl asked, “Then what happens if it’s Game Over?”

God said, “Exactly what it sounds like. You will die; you will completely vanish from the Divine Realm.”

“…”

“Now, relax. You’re all already dead anyway~ You’re just facing the fact of death once more. By the way, those ‘reincarnation’ theories mentioned in certain religious legends don’t actually exist~ The moment it’s Game Over, you will truly evaporate from existence. So if you want to be resurrected, work hard to clear the game~☆”

God scanned the group and asked, “Any more questions~? I will tell you everything I know without reservation. Of course, if you have questions during the game, you can also call me to descend and provide answers.”

The young girl asked again, “What is the time limit for the Love Game?”

God: “There is no time limit~ After all, matters of the heart are hard to define—and we gods are very lonely (looking for more entertainment) so you can play for as long as you like hee hee. However,”

His attitude suddenly shifted from playful to deadly serious: “The sooner the lovers clear the first stage, the more advantageous the second stage will be for them.”

—That was it. As expected of a survival game with “resurrection” as the condition, there were several unknown stages. Many people had noticed this when they saw the game rules.

Qi Cheng suddenly raised her hand.

God looked at her and smiled, “Oh? Oh? Do you want to ask a question? Welcome, welcome~ ask away.”

Qi Cheng: “In other words, all the subsequent stages must be completed in ‘pairs,’ right? Then, in the end, are both people in the winning pair resurrected, or only one?”

The others: “…!”

This was a sharp question, and the one most relevant to everyone’s interests at the moment.

Yet, except for Qi Cheng, no one else had thought of it.

After all, the series of questions stemming from the rules was overwhelming, and being in a state of death, it was natural for their thoughts to be scrambled by the wording.

God looked at her, his eyes brightening. With a peculiar smile, he said in a voice only he could hear, “Aha, as expected of you. Just as the rumors say, you really are sharp…”

Then, he answered loudly, “The winning pair will, of course, be resurrected together! Otherwise, there would be no point in having you become lovers only to be separated by life and death~ Furthermore, when sending the winners to the lower world, your memories of the Divine Realm will be preserved~ Win together, and then live happily together.”

Qi Cheng held up two fingers and said, “Then, question two.”

God: “Yes, what is it?”

Qi Cheng: “In what form will the winners be resurrected?”

Except for God, everyone else looked at Qi Cheng with confusion: “In what form…?”

Qi Cheng sighed: “Let me rephrase the question—at what point in time before death will the winners be resurrected?”

Some people understood now.

God smiled mischievously. “I see. If the resurrection happens at the very moment of death, then winning would be meaningless—that’s what you mean, right?”

The middle-aged noblewoman said, “Exactly! Resurrecting only to die immediately would just be a vicious cycle.”

The young girl also nodded.

God said, “We took that into account in previous seasons. You will be resurrected one day before your death, with your memories intact. That should be no problem, right? Knowing you’re going to die tomorrow, you’ll find a way to avoid it! We won’t deliberately manipulate human life and death, so as long as the individual avoids it, no vicious cycle will occur.”

Hearing God say this, several people who had been anxious breathed a sigh of relief.

Qi Cheng held up a third finger: “Then, question three.”

God muttered softly, “Oh dear, is the mastermind starting to show her power?”

He said with a smile, “Yes, what? Ask.”

Qi Cheng: “In the first round, is one person eliminated, or are five people eliminated?”

Everyone was shocked again.

Indeed, this was the primary issue.

There were seven participants in total.

In other words, according to the rules, only three pairs of lovers could be formed.

Therefore, the limit on the number of people who could pass was crucial.

God said, “Brushing off five people in the first round would be quite boring So, at the very end of the first stage, only the unlucky soul who failed to become a lover with anyone will face a Game Over~ The lovers who are the first to vow to me can enter the next stage immediately! Is there anything else you don’t understand?”

Perhaps influenced by Qi Cheng, a man who looked rather timid raised his hand.

God: “Yes? Ask away.”

The man: “You want us to form three pairs… but there are only two men here?”

God suddenly burst out laughing.

The question itself wasn’t wrong, but asking it here made it seem foolish.

Among the seven people, at least four understood the essence of this game.

“Are concepts like man, woman, or sexual orientation really that important?”

—Exactly. As God said, not only was it unimportant, it shouldn’t even be considered a “problem.”

God: “True love has no boundaries. Do you understand? True Love! It seems you don’t understand love.”

The man felt humiliated by God’s words.

Qi Cheng gave a soft sigh.

From the moment she first saw the rules, she understood that this was a game with a sugar coating on the surface, but a truly malicious core.

God said, “Does anyone else have a question? …If not, then I declare the [Game Start]!”

“Wait a minute, wait a minute!” the woman with heavy makeup said urgently. “We don’t know who is who yet! Except for Xia Lin, I don’t even know the names of the others! This isn’t a one-night stand—how are we supposed to reach a romantic relationship?”

“That doesn’t matter~” God said. “Didn’t I just say? The Love Game has no time limit. You can start getting to know each other slowly from now on, whether you start with self-introductions or however you please~ Of course, if you want to reach a romantic relationship at the speed of a ‘one-night stand,’ that’s fine too~ After all, the [Vow] is based on your own sincerity, and we gods are not responsible for verifying that sincerity.”

Is the vow just a formality… or rather, is it a form of irony? —The four people who truly understood the game’s nature likely thought so.

“In addition…”

God clapped his hands, and the room immediately transformed into the style of a luxury hotel, complete with facilities and furniture.

“In the Divine Realm, you are no different from living people. You will get hungry, thirsty, need to use the bathroom, want entertainment, want rest, and even want to have sex~”

While blushing, God peered at the girls—who were in the weaker position—with a snickering look.

Stared at by such a gaze, the girls felt very constrained.

“Hehe, so I will prepare everything you desire~ In this stage, you don’t need to call for me to descend; as long as you think of what you want—provided it doesn’t ruin the nature of the game—I will make it happen for you~ I will also prepare an individual room for each of you. The layout and internal facilities are the same; I’m not biased toward anyone. The room numbers are already marked for you; you can take your seats accordingly~”

Since everyone had their own private room, “certain things” would be convenient to do.

God: “From now on, as long as you follow the game rules, you can do whatever you want~ Doing that kind of thing is also permitted~ After all, it is an important part of fostering feelings~”

Everyone: “…”

“Of course, I will guarantee the privacy of each individual. In this stage, unless it is in a public area or you call for me, I will not appear! Naturally, I wouldn’t do something so tasteless as to secretly observe your privacy~”

The young girl said, “Then, if we want to [Vow] with a partner, we must first call for you to descend, right? It’s ineffective if the two people just recite the vows in their hearts, isn’t that so?”

Some might have thought this was a redundant question.

Among those present, except for Qi Cheng, everyone else had varying degrees of understanding of this young girl. Some felt that perhaps because she was still young, she would ask such a “superfluous” question.

Only Qi Cheng, in a way others didn’t notice, showed an expression of appreciation toward her.

The middle-aged noblewoman was the same; since the girl asked that question, she no longer viewed her as a “child.” At the very least, in her mind, the girl had been elevated to the level of “a clever child.”

God said with a grin, “That’s right~ Little Xia Lin is so sharp! So everyone~ once you are ready to clear the first stage, call for me immediately~ Now, I shall take my leave~ I wish you all a swift union~”

After saying these words, God vanished.