The hallway felt unusually long.
As Ruko walked toward the club building, the sound of his footsteps echoed through the nearly empty corridor. Each step seemed louder than it should have been, bouncing off the walls and returning to him like a constant reminder of what he was about to do.
His grip tightened around his phone.
The screen was still illuminated by the article he had opened earlier.
[BREAKING] Legendary Roamer "Mitsuru" Reveals She Is Actually a Girl
The headline alone was enough to make his stomach twist.
Below it was the same paused livestream thumbnail he had stared at for nearly ten minutes during class. The image showed a familiar gaming setup, but what had captured his attention wasn't the keyboard, mouse, or headset.
It was the reflection.
Faintly visible along the edge of the monitor was a silver-and-blue crest.
The emblem of his school's Gaming Club.
No matter how many times he looked at it, the answer remained the same.
Mitsuru was here.
Somewhere inside this school.
Possibly closer than he had ever imagined.
The realization still felt unreal.
For three years, he had believed she was gone. Three years spent convincing himself that the past was over.
Yet now he knew she had been nearby this entire time.
Maybe they had crossed paths in the hallways.
Maybe they had sat in neighboring classrooms.
Maybe they had stood in the same cafeteria line without recognizing one another.
The thought alone made his chest tighten.
He should have ignored the article.
Closed the page.
Locked his phone.
Gone back to his normal routine.
That would have been the smart choice.
The safe choice.
Because chasing the past rarely led to anything good.
Especially when that past involved heartbreak.
Ruko stopped in front of a familiar door.
A polished nameplate reflected his expression back at him.
Gaming Club — Room 4-B
He stared at it for several seconds.
This was ridiculous.
He didn't belong here.
He hadn't touched competitive gaming in years.
He didn't enjoy socializing.
And he definitely didn't enjoy dealing with girls.
Not after what had happened three years ago.
Life had been easier after he gave up on all of that.
Simpler.
Predictable.
At least fictional characters couldn't lie to him after he confessed his feelings.
As he reached toward the door handle, a loud voice suddenly exploded from inside the room.
"Are you serious right now?!"
Ruko immediately froze.
The anger in the girl's voice was impossible to miss.
A second voice followed before the first had even finished.
"You call that gameplay? We couldn't even beat a team of middle schoolers!"
Ruko slowly lowered his hand.
"...Middle schoolers?"
The words slipped out before he could stop them.
Inside the room, silence briefly followed.
Then another frustrated voice spoke up.
"How are we supposed to make it into esports if we're playing like this?"
That caught his attention immediately.
Esports.
These weren't students casually playing games after class.
They were serious.
The sound of a chair scraping against the floor echoed from inside.
Then another voice spoke.
This one was calm.
Cold.
Final.
"I'm done."
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
"I'm not wasting my time carrying dead weight."
Footsteps approached the door.
Fast.
Ruko's eyes widened.
The handle suddenly turned.
The door swung open.
"And don't bother calling me ba—"
The girl stopped mid-sentence.
"Soa—"
Ruko lost his balance immediately.
The door had opened far more suddenly than he expected.
His foot slipped.
The floor rushed toward him.
A second later, he crashed shoulder-first onto the polished wooden floor.
Pain shot through his body.
For several seconds, nobody said a word.
The silence was almost painful.
Slowly, Ruko looked up.
Four girls were staring directly at him.
His brain stopped functioning.
The first thing he noticed was a pair of sharp red eyes.
A brown-haired girl stood closest to him. Her long ponytail swayed slightly from the sudden movement, and although her expression remained composed, surprise was clearly visible in her widened eyes.
Kazuha Shirogane.
Student Council President.
His childhood friend.
And, unfortunately, a constant source of trouble in his life.
Standing beside her was a silver-haired girl with icy blue eyes.
She was observing him with the same detached curiosity a scientist might show a strange laboratory specimen.
Risa Yukimura.
The genius gamer everyone in school constantly talked about.
Near the back stood a red-haired girl with an energetic appearance. Her arms were crossed firmly beneath her chest as she looked down at him.
Kana Fujisaki.
The famous food vlogger whose online popularity had somehow become common knowledge throughout the school.
Leaning casually against a desk was another girl with long blue hair and striking purple eyes.
She carried herself with effortless confidence.
The kind that came from being constantly surrounded by cameras and attention.
Hikari Amamiya.
The school's idol.
"...Move."
A cold voice interrupted the moment.
Ruko immediately flinched.
He scrambled aside just in time for a tall girl with long black hair to walk past him.
She didn't even spare him a glance.
Her expression remained completely indifferent.
"I'm done with this club," she said.
There was no hesitation in her voice.
No regret.
Only exhaustion.
"Good luck embarrassing yourselves."
Without waiting for a response, she continued down the hallway.
The sound of her footsteps gradually disappeared into the distance.
When she was finally gone, the atmosphere inside the room somehow felt even heavier.
"...Are you planning to stay on the floor forever?"
Hikari's irritated voice snapped Ruko back to reality.
"Gah!"
He immediately jumped to his feet.
"S-Sorry! I wasn't trying to listen in or anything—"
"Then leave."
Kana pointed directly toward the hallway.
"You heard everything, didn't you? That's exactly why you shouldn't be here."
Risa adjusted her glasses.
"This club isn't accepting spectators."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"Especially ones standing outside the door."
"I wasn't spying," Ruko replied instinctively.
Then he paused.
In hindsight, that argument wasn't particularly convincing.
Hikari sighed.
"You clearly don't belong here anyway."
Her gaze swept over him.
"You don't even know anything about Nervanox, do you?"
The moment he heard that name, old memories resurfaced.
Professional matches.
Late-night practice sessions.
Draft discussions that lasted until sunrise.
The deafening cheers of stadium crowds.
And one voice.
A voice that always sounded happiest after a victory.
Mitsuru.
"...Yeah," Kana said dismissively. "That's what I thought."
"Please leave," Risa added.
Before Ruko could respond, someone suddenly grabbed his arm.
"Wait—HEY?!"
He nearly lost his balance again.
At the same time, Hikari grabbed his other arm.
The strength behind their grips was surprisingly terrifying.
"We're removing a distraction," Risa explained calmly.
"You're wasting our time," Hikari added.
"LET GO OF ME!"
Ruko immediately struggled.
"At least let me explain first!"
"Wait."
The room instantly fell silent.
Kazuha hadn't raised her voice.
She didn't need to.
Everyone stopped anyway.
Risa loosened her grip.
Hikari reluctantly did the same.
Kazuha stepped forward.
Unlike the others, she wasn't glaring at him.
She was studying him.
Trying to understand why he was there.
"...Let's hear him out first."
Kana frowned.
"Why?"
"Because throwing someone out without listening isn't fair."
The answer was simple.
Direct.
Exactly what Ruko expected from Kazuha.
She turned toward him.
Her expression softened slightly.
"...Please. Just give him a minute."
The room fell silent.
Eventually, Hikari clicked her tongue.
"Fine."
Risa released his arm completely.
Ruko rubbed his wrist and took a deep breath.
That had been far too close.
If they threw him out now, he'd lose the only lead he had.
Mitsuru was here.
One of these girls had to be her.
And he wasn't leaving until he figured out which one.
"I..." His throat felt strangely dry.
All four girls watched him carefully.
This was it.
"I know how to play Nervanox."
The reaction was immediate.
Kana raised an eyebrow.
"...That's your big reveal?"
"Everyone here plays Nervanox," Hikari said.
"That doesn't make you special."
"I'm not saying it does."
Ruko looked directly at them.
"I'm saying I can help you win."
The room became quiet.
Kana stared at him for several seconds before laughing.
"...You?"
The disbelief in her voice was obvious.
Hikari crossed her arms.
"You've been here for less than five minutes."
"And?"
Risa tilted her head.
"You're claiming you can contribute competitively?"
"I can."
"Then prove it."
The challenge came instantly.
Hikari walked toward one of the gaming computers and powered it on.
The familiar startup sound echoed through the room.
Soon, Nervanox appeared on the monitor.
The sight alone made Ruko's chest tighten.
Three years.
It had been three years since he last touched this game.
Three years since he abandoned everything connected to it.
The familiar menu appeared.
His fingers twitched unconsciously.
"...You hesitated."
Risa noticed immediately.
Sharp as always.
"Just sit down already," Kana said. "Unless you're bluffing."
Ruko stared at the screen.
Part of him wanted to walk away.
Because the moment he touched this game again, every buried memory would return with it.
The victories.
The failures.
The championship.
The confession.
The lie.
"...Fine."
He sat down.
The instant his hands touched the keyboard, something changed.
It felt natural.
Comfortable.
As if his body remembered everything his heart wanted to forget.
"Custom match?" he asked.
Risa nodded.
"Map awareness test."
Efficient.
Simple.
The lobby loaded quickly.
Character selection appeared.
"Pick whoever you want," Kana said casually. "It won't matter if you can't survive lane phase."
Ruko's cursor moved across the roster.
Every character reminded him of something.
A strategy.
A tournament.
A memory shared with Mitsuru.
For several moments, he simply stared.
"...You're overthinking it," Hikari observed.
Maybe she was right.
Eventually, he made his choice.
Kana blinked.
"Wait. Seriously?"
Risa leaned forward slightly.
"That's a mechanically demanding character."
Hikari folded her arms.
"Interesting."
The match began.
At first, the rust was obvious.
His movement lacked precision.
His timing felt slightly off.
Kana smirked.
"Yeah, I knew i—"
She stopped speaking.
Because instinct returned.
Almost instantly.
His fingers accelerated across the keyboard.
Movement became smooth.
Precise.
Effortless.
He dodged attacks by the narrowest possible margins.
Predicted enemy jungle routes before opponents appeared.
Rotated between objectives with perfect timing.
Every decision flowed naturally.
The room gradually became silent.
One outplay became another.
A successful escape became an objective capture.
A losing fight turned into a victory through positioning alone.
"...No way," Kana whispered.
Risa leaned closer to the monitor.
"...His minimap tracking is absurd."
"Disgusting," Hikari muttered.
Ruko barely heard them.
For a brief moment, he felt like he had returned to the past.
Back to professional competition.
Back to standing on the world stage.
Back to playing beside someone who always understood him.
Then he heard it.
A voice.
Soft.
Quiet.
Familiar.
"...Ruko."
His hand froze.
The room disappeared.
"...You've improved."
His heartbeat stopped.
"...I'm surprised you found me."
He turned so quickly his chair nearly tipped backward.
The room fell silent again.
All four girls stared at him.
Confused.
Concerned.
Suspicious.
"...Are you okay?" Kazuha asked.
Kana tilted her head.
"You look like you saw a ghost."
Risa observed him carefully.
"Your pupils dilated."
"That's creepy," Hikari said.
"I'm being observant."
Their conversation barely registered.
Because his thoughts were racing.
That voice.
He knew that voice.
Not perfectly.
Not completely.
But enough.
Enough to know one thing.
Mitsuru was here.
Inside this room.
Watching him.
The match eventually ended.
VICTORY
The word filled the screen.
Ruko leaned back and exhaled slowly.
"...Is that enough proof?"
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Kana laughed.
"Okay. You're actually insane."
"Annoyingly useful," Hikari admitted.
Risa nodded.
"Your fundamentals exceed professional standards."
Then Kazuha smiled.
It wasn't a dramatic smile.
It was small.
Warm.
Genuine.
And somehow it caught him completely off guard.
"...Welcome to the Gaming Club, Ruko."
His chest tightened.
Not because he had been accepted.
Not because he had returned to Nervanox.
But because he already knew this wasn't a coincidence.
One of these girls was Mitsuru.
The girl who had shattered his heart three years ago.
The girl he had never truly forgotten.
And whether he wanted it or not, the game he thought he had escaped from had already begun once again.