Chat Group Crossover: My System Simulates Infinite Anime Worlds — Chapter 66

Chapter 66: A Government-Mandated Wife

When Cecilia stepped out of the bathroom, the sight of her brought Nagumo’s thoughts to a halt. Wrapped in a simple towel, with her damp, silvery hair clinging to her shoulders, she was stunning. It wasn’t just her exquisite features; it was an innate, gentle aura that seemed to radiate from her, a purity that felt entirely out of place in his spartan apartment.

A strange sense of déjà vu pricked at him. He was certain he had seen that face before, but the memory was buried deep, lost in the haze of a life before this one. He began to sift through the archives of his distant past, trying to place her.

Just then, the doorbell chimed.

Two female Law Enforcers stood at his doorstep. They carefully straightened their uniforms, each holding a gift basket. The higher-ups had, after all, specified that this household required special care; he was, in their parlance, a person “under protection.”

A moment later, Cecilia, the Saintess from another world, left with the two officers.

Nagumo stood at the door, watching the three of them depart. As the car pulled away, the final piece of the puzzle clicked into place.

He remembered. She was a character from an anime he had watched long ago, before he had transmigrated. It was a gentle, slice-of-life series called Shiro Seijo to Kuro Bokushi—Saint Cecilia and Pastor Lawrence.

Nagumo turned and closed the front door, the revelation settling in his mind with a quiet thud.

He walked to the kitchen and pulled the massive Violent Bear paw from the refrigerator. After retrieving a large stockpot, he placed the paw inside. Pulling up a tutorial for honey-glazed bear paw on his phone, he set to work. With the precise heat control afforded by his Magnetic Field Power and the sheer strength from his Qi and Blood cultivation, the dish was soon ready.

Nagumo carved off a piece and took a taste. The flavor wasn’t much different from the braised version he’d made on Sunday, just a touch sweeter.

Meanwhile, at the Law Enforcement bureau, the officers had finished recording Cecilia’s information, including a preliminary assessment of her abilities. In turn, Cecilia learned about Nagumo’s personal history from the same officers.

Hearing about his family situation, a deep sense of respect bloomed in her heart. He was truly a strong person. If she had been forced to endure such hardships, she wasn’t sure she could have remained so composed. She likely would have been lost to despair for a very long time. It made his gentle treatment of her, a complete stranger who had just fallen into his world, seem all the more precious.

“Um, I have a favor to ask?” she ventured timidly.

The female Law Enforcer recording her information looked up from her screen, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Facing the officer’s inquisitive gaze, Cecilia lowered her head, her voice barely a whisper. “Um… can I… live with Mr. Nagumo?”

The question hung in the air. For a moment, the Law Enforcer’s face was a mask of pure confusion. Then, in the blink of an eye, it melted into an expression of unrestrained, gossipy delight. She leaned in conspiratorially, her professional demeanor vanishing completely.

Cecilia panicked, waving her small hands frantically. “It’s not what you think! I just feel like he needs the care of an adult… wait, I mean, he needs my care.”

The Law Enforcer’s expression softened into a knowing, “auntie” smile, as if she understood everything perfectly.

“You don’t need to say another word, I get it. Just wait a moment while I ask the higher-ups. If they agree, there shouldn’t be any problem.”

Cecilia wanted to explain further, but the woman had already bolted from the room, leaving her with a heavy sigh. In that moment, she deeply felt the sorrow of how unpredictable life could be.

The Law Enforcers contacted the Military Department. When the department heard the request, they responded not with a simple yes or no, but with a rapid-fire string of questions.

They asked about her physical condition, age, personality, and whether there were any abnormalities in her body. The interrogation was more thorough than one for a blind date, so much so that the recording officer was just short of revealing Cecilia’s three measurements.

Ultimately, the other side gave their approval. As for their underlying motive… well, it wasn’t exactly a state secret, was it?

Not long after, Cecilia received the good news and felt a pure, unadulterated joy bubble up inside her.

Just as Nagumo was preparing to go to bed, the doorbell chimed again.

When he opened it, he saw Cecilia standing there, now changed into a set of brand-new clothes. Several large bags filled with her belongings sat at her feet. In the background, he saw the Law Enforcement vehicle driving away.

Nagumo remained silent for a long while, his mind failing to process the scene before him. Just as he was about to resort to reading her memory, Cecilia handed him an official-looking document.

A moment later, Nagumo found himself staring at the “Appointment Document” in his hands.

To be honest, he had never, in all his simulated lives, anticipated such a turn of events. How could he even begin to describe this document? The sheer, bureaucratic absurdity of it was staggering.

To put it simply, the entire thing was utterly ridiculous. It was couched in stiff, official language, but the subtext was screamingly obvious. The government, in its infinite wisdom, seemed to be actively trying to set him up. The unspoken message was clear: ‘We’re concerned you’ll never get married, so we’ve taken the liberty of providing you with a girlfriend.’Nagumo looked over at Cecilia, who was now sitting nervously on the edge of his sofa, fidgeting with her fingers.’Forget it,’ he thought with a mental sigh. Since they’d already sent her here, he couldn’t exactly shove her back out the door. Besides, having her around was… quite easy on the eyes. And even if he did send her away, they would still see each other every day, since her assigned place of work was his school.

His mind drifted to a memory, unbidden. It was just as Elysia had told him all those years ago: ‘A beautiful day should always begin with a fresh encounter.’ The thought was followed by a sharper image: the two of them in an amusement park funded by Eden, silhouetted against the setting sun at the apex of a Ferris wheel. He could still feel the ghost of her lips on his as she stole his first kiss.

Nagumo gave a slight shake of his head, pushing the bittersweet memory away. He looked toward Cecilia.

“Don’t just sit there in a daze. Let’s get your room tidied up first.”

Hearing this, Cecilia looked up, her face brightening. She nodded vigorously, her eyes curving into happy crescent moons.

In the first-floor guest room, Cecilia happily began to unpack her things, placing some items into the empty wardrobe. Nagumo noticed that the supplies provided by the government were surprisingly complete. Everything she could possibly need had been purchased for her, right down to her undergarments.

Nagumo laid out the fresh bedding for her, then looked at Cecilia, who was still arranging her clothes.

“I won’t help with the rest of your things. But now that we’re living together, there are a few things I need to tell you.”

Cecilia immediately put down the clothes in her hands and sat up straight on the bed, looking like an attentive elementary school student.

Nagumo continued, “There are two bathrooms in this house, so that won’t be an issue. We’ll each use one. As for your personal clothes…”

Halfway through his sentence, Cecilia began waving her hands, her fair, pretty face flushing bright red.

“No need to say more, no need to say more! I’ll handle my personal clothes myself.”

“Alright, I’ll stop then.” Nagumo nodded, then added one more thing. “I should also mention that although you’re staying here and receiving a subsidy, you should probably contribute to the grocery bill.”

Cecilia immediately fumbled for her new bank card and pressed it into his hand. “Here,” she said earnestly. “I don’t really have any use for money.”

Nagumo gently but firmly pushed her hand back. “I’m not asking for your entire savings; I’m not a freeloader. I’m just laying out the ground rules. Besides, you’ll find that living in this world without money is incredibly difficult. Once you start working, just contribute half of your teacher’s salary for groceries. That will be more than enough.”

Afterward, Nagumo laid out a few other household matters.

Cecilia nodded in agreement to everything, thinking to herself that Nagumo was indeed a gentle person. Every single one of his terms was clearly for her own benefit.

After Nagumo left, he took a shower. Lying on his bed, he opened the system interface, let out a sigh, and then closed it again. He would deal with that later.

Meanwhile, Cecilia lay in her new bed, looking at her phone. She saw two new contacts: one for the Law Enforcement department, and the other for Nagumo. She looked out the window at the night sky, pumped a small fist in the air to encourage herself, and decided that today was officially her lucky day.

The next day arrived.

Nagumo sliced the honey-glazed bear paw he had made last night and boiled two bowls of porridge using fragrant Spirit Rice.

Cecilia ate with unrestrained delight. By the time they were finished, half of the enormous honey-glazed bear paw had disappeared, most of it into her stomach.

He hadn’t expected that such a small person could eat so much.