Keith's mouth opened and closed like that of a fish marooned on land. 

He wasn't really all that shaken due to the surprise appearance of the tiny, fairy-like girl. Any otaku worth his or her salt wouldn't let such a thing bother them after all. He was instead shocked due to one specific detail - the clothes the mini bishoujo was wearing.

That uniform. That blue hair bunched in a ponytail. Those wings. Those double barreled beam cannons on the knees... 

There's no mistaking it! She looks almost identical to Mrs. Loheng-rinko!!! It's just that she's more like a teen rather than a hot MILF.

"Th- That appearance... Why do you look like that?!"

"Ehehe. Are you surprised Host? I just took on the image of the thing you had the strongest impression of and was longing for the most before the System's activation. I was supposed to interact with you through a direct mental link as a disembodied intelligence construct, as per standard procedure. But that would be really boring right? So I appeared in this form instead. Pretty good huh?"

The tiny girl gracefully sailed through the air and arrived right in front of Keith's astonished face. She looked to be excitedly anticipating what sort of reaction Keith would show next.

To her disappointment, Keith slowly sank to his knees and clutched his head in frustration.

"You mean to say the thing I long for the most deep down inside is actually a Gundam Girl (MILF/Ship type)?! Whatever happened to being a 'riajuu'? This... This is just too much man," Keith groaned in profound sorrow.

The mystery mini-girl slightly looked away and awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Ahaha. Well, what can I say Host? You're just that far gone. Just rejoice in the fact that you aren't a completely hopeless case. You're attracted to that childhood friend of yours right? At least you still retain some appreciation for RL girls," she gently coaxed.

"But maybe I'm just intrigued by the term 'childhood friends' y'know. It doesn't necessarily prove I've got normal tastes just because I'm attracted to Annie right?" Keith refuted.

"......"

A moment of awkward silence ran between the two.

The mini-girl slowly gave Keith a thumbs up sign and flashed a winsome smile.

"Don't mind," she curtly encouraged.

"But I do mind, dammit!!!" came the anguished retort.

***

After a few more rounds of frantic back and forth bantering, Keith finally recovered from the damage to his riajuu seeking soul and settled down somewhat. 

"So, you're saying you're a type of interface for this cheat System I've managed to acquire and your primary function is to assist me in its usage so that I can properly unlock all its functions and unleash its full potential?" he inquired. 

"Yes, that's basically correct Host," the mini-girl positively nodded. 

"And what was the name of that system again?" Keith questioned further somewhat hesitantly.

"The [Ultimate Gundam Otaku System]," the mini-girl answered.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

"Haaah..."

Keith slumped his shoulders in a dejected manner.

"Oh, c'mon Host. It's not all that bad. This is a pretty OP cheat system, considering your current circumstances y'know," the mini-girl consoled.

"I know. It's just... Ugh. Never mind," Keith replied and flashed a somewhat bitter smile. "I've read about weirder stuff anyway. I haven't heard about what that system is capable of exactly yet, but I assume it has something to do with mobile suits?" he then probed.

"Yup. Anything and everything to do with the entire Gundam franchise, as a matter of fact," the tiny girl puffed out her chest in pride as she replied.

"That does sound pretty OP. It doesn't even care about copyright issues after all," Keith agreed. "So, why me?" he pressed on.

"That's a S-E-C-R-E-T," the tiny girl cheekily responded and gave Keith a playful wink.

He popped a vein and wordlessly gave the tiny girl a mini iron claw using two fingers.

"Are you sure you can't tell me?" he asked in an intimidating manner.

"Auuu! I- I'm sorry! I really can't tell you yet. I'll get deleted!" the tiny girl frantically moaned.

After rubbing her small head for a few more moments, Keith sighed and let her go. The tiny girl retreated to the corner of the bed while nursing her sorry noggin.

"You're so mean Host! After all the effort I spent to look more appealing to you, this is the treatment I get?!" the tiny girl complained as she shook a small fist towards Keith in indignation. 

"Haha. Sorry. It's just that this all seems so damn crazy. I'm just way too overwhelmed y'know," Keith replied apologetically. "I mean, how do I make sure I'm not suffering from some sort of mental condition because of what happened inside the Gate a few days back?" he uneasily probed further.

"That's easy y'know," the tiny girl confidently answered. "I can produce something to serve as proof Host. You're entitled to a starter bonus as a reward for activating the System. You can just select a suitable item for me to materialize and show it to the others in this mansion. If they can see the item as well, it would prove that all this isn't just a product of your overactive imagination. Do note that the only items you can materialize right now are purely cosmetic in nature. That means they won't have any extra beneficial effects aside from looking like high quality collectibles," she added.

"Fine. Let's see em then," Keith agreed. 

The tiny girl floated near him once more and stopped right in front of him. "Please say [Display Menu Screen] out loud host," she instructed. Keith did so and a floating HUD screen appeared before him. 

"See that glowing present icon with an exclamation mark? Think about clicking that icon. Just picture it in your head," she further explained. 

A sub-window popped up near the earlier display after Keith followed the instructions. It listed out his starter bonus rewards. They were respectively 50,000 G-Credits, 100 free attribute points and a redeemable Cosmetic Item Ticket.

"Now mentally click that Ticket icon to redeem the item reward and choose fron the list."

Another window popped up. This time, it listed out all the redeemable items from the Item Shop. One particular object caught Keith's eyes. He decided to get that one almost immediately.

A bright glow was emitted by the outstretched hands of the tiny girl and an object popped out from mid air. It then landed on Keith's lap. He hurriedly grabbed and examined it curiously. 

It was Char Aznable's mask. It felt slightly cold to the touch, seemingly not made of plastic but a kind of lightweight alloy instead. Keith's otaku soul was inevitably moved by its sheer quality. It was perfect for cos-play!

"Hmhm! Well, what do you think Host? I'm amazing aren't I?" the tiny girl smugly boasted.

"Yep. I guess so. If this is all real anyway," Keith cautiously acknowledged.

"Seems you're still not fully convinced huh," the mini bishoujo said while shrugging helplessly. "Are you going to show that to your companions now Host?"

Keith lightly shook his head. "Nah. I'm really bothered about all this, but it's getting pretty late already. Let's do that tomorrow," he decided.

"Okay. It does look like you need some sleep yourself Host," the mini-girl agreed. "Let's save the rest of the tutorial for tomorrow then." 

After saying so, the tiny, fairy-like girl started emitting light particles and slowly began disappearing. 

"Hold on. How do I contact you again exactly? Do you actually have a name?" Keith hurriedly asked.

"Hmm. I don't really have a designated name but... since I chose to appear like this, you can just call me Angie-chan then. Just think real hard about wanting to see my cute form and I'll appear immediately Host," the mini-girl, who apparently wants to be called a cutesy name, cheerfully answered.

Keith chuckled bitterly at her reply. "Angie-chan huh? Guess it fits though. Whatever," he inwardly mused. "Later then, Angie-chan," he then replied back and nodded towards the glowing mini-girl.

She flashed him a triumphant V sign in an idol-like pose and fully broke down into motes of light which disappeared moments after.

Keith slumped back onto the bed in exhaustion of both the physical and mental kind. His taught nerves finally gave way and he soon drifted into a deep sleep.

***

"What the heck are you wearing?" Annie asked; seemingly weirded out.

"Oh, this? Got it from the flee market back in town. It somehow helps me calm my nerves. Pretty nice huh?" Keith answered quite naturally, without a break in his expression.

Annie shrugged her shoulders and shook her head in exasperation. "Just when I thought you couldn't get any weirder. Whatever. Just properly get your act together. We're departing for Wessen soon. You'd better shape up, Young Master. We have to get some results for this survey expedition no matter what," she reminded.

"I know. I'll do my best," Keith nodded gravely.

Annie then went to help pack all the needed equipment. Keith removed Char's mask from his head and let out a resigned sigh. "Gundam Otaku System, huh?" he muttered under his breath. 

He then followed after Annie with a mixture of trepidation and excitement swirling within him.