29-year-old Maya Noi doesn't quite consider themselves to be male or female, which can make dating in the 25th Century quite a struggle when most people are expected to pick one gender or the other. Medical technology has finally reached a point where transgender surgeries are nearly flawless, but Maya has difficulty explaining to others why he doesn't want an operation. Few people seem to understand what it means to be genderfluid, and it's even worse when they look at her like she's an unhinged crazy snowflake.

Fortunately, the 25th Century has made it easy for someone like Maya to live incognito.

Virtual reality is a place where anyone can take any gender or appearance. On certain dating servers, it's possible to hook up with random strangers with no questions asked.「 Lucid & Slumber」 is one such anonymous sleeping server, and it's mostly intended for individuals looking to share their bed platonically on a restless night.

Love is too difficult, so a pillow companion is the best some of us can ask for.

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Cover art is not mine.