The classroom buzzed with laughter and conversations, yet one seat by the window remained untouched by the noise. That was Kaito's spot — always by the window, always staring outside, as if the world in front of him was less real than whatever he saw in his mind.
Kaito was quiet. Not the mysterious, cool type that everyone adored — just... quiet. He didn't talk unless spoken to, and he never joined any group activities. People often forgot he was even in the class.
But give him a controller or a keyboard, and he transformed. In the world of games, Kaito was someone else entirely — confident, bold, unstoppable. Online, he was known as SpecterX, a top-ranked player in a fantasy MMORPG called Valerion Realms.
And then, there was Hana.
Hana was the complete opposite. Cheerful, popular, always surrounded by friends. Her laughter filled the corridors, and her presence was like sunlight — warm and bright. But today... there was no sunlight.
She sat with her head low, poking her lunch with chopsticks like it had insulted her family. Her friends exchanged worried glances.
"Come on, Hana, don't be like this," said Miho, her best friend, nudging her shoulder.
"He said I wasn't his type," Hana muttered. "Can you believe that?"
The group fell silent. Everyone knew Hana had just broken up with her boyfriend, but no one knew the reason — until now.
"He said... he met a girl. Through a game," Hana whispered, the bitterness in her voice barely hidden.
Miho blinked. "A game?"
"Yeah. He said she understood him more because she's a gamer too. He said I just don't get it."
"That jerk," another friend snapped. "You were always so sweet to him. What kind of excuse is that?"
Miho leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with an idea. "You know what, Hana? You should play a game too."
Hana blinked. "Huh?"
"Seriously! Join one of those big games. Meet someone hotter, cooler, stronger. Show him what he's missing. If he found love in a game, why can't you?"
The others joined in, encouraging her.
"It'll be fun!"
"Revenge is best served... pixelated!"
"Come on, Hana, just try it!"
Hana laughed a little — just a small one. It wasn't a complete laugh, but it was a start. "Okay… okay, fine. I'll try it. Just for fun."
She didn't know that the world she was about to enter — Valerion Realms — wasn't just a game. It was the beginning of something new.
And in that same world... SpecterX was already waiting.