Prologue: Creation
'My desktop is getting a little dull… Maybe I need something to liven it up.' the man at the desk shifted slightly as he opened up a program. He typed away before he began to drag his mouse across the screen. He was creating a small avatar, a cute girl with pinkish hair and eyes. She took form quickly, but after many little impulsive changes and tweaks, he found himself getting further and further away from what he wanted. So he took his additions away, and found that the basic girl was a better choice than the crazy anime/furry mash-up he had ended up with. Her blank eyes stared at him from inside the screen, but gave a blink the second he started her program. The tiny avatar fell from the top of his screen, face-planting at the bottom only to rise with a sad little look on her face. It changed quickly as she began to wander around his screen, giving him the idea to create something else.
He had no idea that the creation of his little shimeji friend would launch him into creating a virtual world for her on his laptop, but he watched in glee as she explored her digital home. She gave her creator a bright smile, and he couldn't help but smile back.
"Are you happy, little Sakura-chan?" he could have swore he saw her nod before he gave a glance at the time. "Ah… I better get to bed. As should you, young lady."
The man chuckled as the shimeji pouted and protested, unable to escape the mouse as it lifted her up and dropped her on the digital bed. Her little hoodie and skirt immediately changed into a cute night gown, but even then the 'girl' didn't seem to want to listen. The man laughed, finally getting her to lay down after he added a little bunny plushie to her bedroom. As the avatar's room when dark (signaling she had 'gone to sleep'), her creator followed his own advice and lay down in his own bed. He pulled his blanket up to his chin and turned on his side, but sat straight up when a soft voice hit his ears.
Goodnight, Kiku-sama.