Chapter 4: A Gift

“If I’m not mistaken, this… should be a lipstick, right?
Or maybe—just maybe—it’s a miniature firearm disguised as a lipstick…”

Luo Yan stubbornly clung to that hopeful thought.

But Nico wasted no time crushing his illusion.

“Tada~! What you’re seeing now, my dear Master, is the limited-edition anniversary model from the Queen’s Scepter Series—the N37 Flame-Crimson Candle. This lipstick contains micro-particles of golden mica, giving your lips a dazzling iridescent glow upon application. It not only smooths and softens but also enhances color vibrancy. The N37 was so wildly popular when it launched that it caused a buying frenzy. It was even hailed as The Crown of the Queen.“

Nico beamed with pride, clearly waiting for praise.

So… it really was just lipstick.

Luo Yan felt a sudden wave of exhaustion wash over him.

In a world that Nico herself had described as “riddled with wounds,” his so-called starter pack had yet to offer even a single item capable of self-defense.
At this rate, stepping outside would be the same as volunteering to become a bullet sponge.

Apparently, the original owner of this body prioritized beauty over survival.
And judging by her obscenely high charm stat, that checked out.

Just then, the second item finished forming.
Luo Yan glanced over—and immediately gave up hope.

It was a compact mirror, palm-sized and delicate.

After the emotional damage caused by the lipstick, he wasn’t expecting much from this one.

Nico chirped brightly:

“This is the Halo of the Angel, a sealed compact mirror with outstanding environmental adaptability! It’s resistant to high temperatures, corrosion, and abrasion. It also comes equipped with a distributed multicolor lighting system, all powered by a smart chip array. No matter the time or place, it’ll perfectly reflect your ultimate beauty. With this, you can touch up your makeup anytime, anywhere!”

By the end of her pitch, Nico was practically glowing, clearly wearing an expression that screamed, “Praise me!”

Luo Yan, internally, remained unmoved.

In fact, he was starting to feel an overwhelming urge to roast her.
Just how vain was the original version of this body to leave behind a beauty-gremlin like this?

Then Nico added, matter-of-factly:

“Both the lipstick and mirror are Class B items with self-evolution capabilities. Everything I’ve told you so far only covers their basic functions. Once they evolve, their potential will be even more impressive.”

They can evolve?!

Luo Yan’s spirits lifted ever so slightly.
Maybe… just maybe… this wasn’t a complete waste after all.

“Then what happens when they evolve?” he asked, hopeful.

Nico paused, falling suspiciously silent, as though deep in thought.

Then, suddenly lighting up, she declared: “Oh right! There’s one more item I nearly forgot to give you!”

As she spoke, she waved her hand and summoned more streams of water to converge and reshape.

“Pft—!”

Luo Yan nearly choked.

That whole “deep thought” routine?
Just a dramatic setup for the next part of her script.

Why do I keep expecting real answers out of a glorified recording…?

With expectations at rock-bottom, he braced himself for another fashion-forward, combat-useless trinket.
Maybe an overpriced perfume. Or a designer parasol.

He was starting to see right through this AI assistant—clearly warped by the tastes of her beauty-obsessed creator.

But to his surprise—

This time, what appeared before him was a sleek, cyberpunk-styled handgun.

What?!

The thing Nico had “nearly forgotten” turned out to be real hardware!

Nico explained calmly:

“This is a high-performance handgun equipped with embedded ammunition. It delivers significantly more muzzle energy and bullet velocity than standard models. It should prove quite helpful in the early stages of your journey.”

Luo Yan blinked.

Was it just his imagination, or did Nico’s tone sound noticeably less enthusiastic now compared to when she was describing the lipstick and mirror?

But none of that mattered.

He finally had a weapon.

Even without knowing the tech level of this world, in his past life, this thing would’ve been top-tier.

Embedded—or “integrated”—ammunition was typically used in custom-made, high-performance firearms.
It offered both high kinetic energy and exceptional armor-piercing capabilities.

Unless the world outside was crawling with Iron Men or Predator-class aliens, this gun would definitely do the job for basic self-defense.

“And that concludes the welcome gifts I’ve prepared for you, Master,” Nico said cheerfully.

“Since preparations for the Descent are still ongoing, I could only provide compact and exquisite items. But don’t worry—once you arrive outside, even more generous gifts await. Also, you may have noticed that I can’t interact with you directly right now. That’s because I’m still busy preparing for the Descent. For now, this projection is the only way I can communicate, and I hope you’ll forgive the inconvenience.”

“There are fifteen minutes left before teleportation begins. You can use this time to get familiar with your new body and the gifts I’ve given you—especially the clothes… I imagine you wouldn’t want everyone out there to get a full view of your flawless figure.”

“Lastly, I look forward to meeting you officially. I wish you the best of luck.”

With those final words, Nico pinched the hem of her glowing water-skirt and gave a graceful curtsy.

“Teleportation? Hey, wait—!”

Catching that keyword, Luo Yan instinctively reached out to stop her. But Nico was already one step ahead.

The moment her curtsy ended, her water-formed body dissolved as if its structure had been released. She vanished right before Luo Yan’s eyes.

Luo Yan sighed and muttered:

“Wow. Quick to ghost, huh? Hope I survive long enough to see you again.”

Not that it would’ve made much difference if he’d caught her.
This version of Nico was little more than a glorified voice assistant.

Trying to dig up secrets from her would’ve been pointless.

Still, the word “teleportation” lingered in Luo Yan’s mind.

The way Nico said it made one thing clear:
This space was not the outside world.

Which meant his earlier guesses—like Ark or space station—might not have been far off.

Furrowing his brow, he thought about it a little longer… before giving up.

No point overthinking it now.

There were only fifteen minutes left until the so-called teleportation.
He should use that time wisely—and get dressed.

His gaze turned to the floating Lightweight Skintight Combat Suit – Type Gamma.

But before he could put it on, he had to wear two other things first—

That white lace bra… and those white lace panties.

This is… crossdressing, isn’t it?
This is definitely crossdressing!

Get it together, Luo Yan.
You’re a girl now.
There’s no shame in wearing this stuff.
It’s totally normal.

After a full minute of intense mental tug-of-war, Luo Yan finally surrendered to reality and accepted his first-ever crossdressing experience.

******

He thought it would take a while to figure it all out.
After all, he had zero experience with women’s underwear.

Sure, he might’ve seen some… reference material in the past, but—

That wasn’t exactly practical knowledge.

Yet, to his surprise, it didn’t take long at all.

Somehow, he had a natural “intuition”—as if syncing to this new body came with built-in know-how.
Every time he hesitated, his instincts gently nudged him along.

Once fully dressed, Luo Yan clicked his tongue in amazement.

He could feel the smooth, snug leather hugging him like a second skin.
Every curve and contour of his body was defined with surgical precision.

His curiosity piqued, he glanced at his reflection in the water.

The black combat suit outlined his stunning, sinuous figure in high-definition clarity.

The bodice clung tightly to his full chest, accentuating every shape and swell with jaw-dropping precision.

The combat boots added just the right touch of tactical cool, giving him a commanding presence.

So this… is what they call an otaku’s dream girl.

Even knowing it was himself, Luo Yan couldn’t help but murmur:

“I’m so into this…”