“Tell you what-“

Before I could respond, he walked over, grabbed me by the waist, and pulled me close. His cologne had a pleasant-earthy fragrance that consumed my nose and throat; And as if he’d planted a seed in my stomach, something bloomed within me with every second I gazed into his handsome amber eyes.

“I know… I know that I’m busy with the family business along with other duties, but that doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to you,” Toshiaki said.

He bent down and caressed my back, both gentle yet wanting, as he leaned in. Then it happened, and my eyes widened as an array of colors sprung from the deepest part of my body. The warmth of his lips spread through mine, dripping down like a toxin through my body as I felt nothing but him and him alone.

I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, not wanting this moment to fade as he locked eyes with mine. His breath became my breath, his heartbeat was my heartbeat, as I closed my eyes again, indulging in a wonderful symphony of yearning.

I got off my tipped toes and touched my sensitive lips as they pulsed with an intense feeling. My entire body felt feverish, except for my cheeks, which felt like they were fire incarnate.

“What was… that for…” I whispered.

“W-well,” Toshiaki scratched his blushed cheeks while looking to the side. “I heard you got locked in the building yesterday. You know you could’ve called me and I’d handle it.”

That’s right… I forgot to tell him last night and send him a text. As soon as I got home on the night shuttle, I fell asleep. But that’s not the only reason.

“You’re… You’re always doing such important things, Toshiaki. I just didn’t want to get in the way…“ I said.

He lifted my chin with a single finger, and his gaze alone made my heart skip a beat.

“You’re always a priority to me, Reina. And you’ll never get in the way. If you need me, you know how to get in contact with me. Okay?”

I nodded. “Oh… okay.”

That was… my first kiss… and the way he was acting, I’d never seen it before. Usually, he’d express his love in subtle ways, but that was different.

Our relationship had been sort of ‘imposed’ because of our parents being so close in business, and we’d never played the roles of girlfriend and boyfriend. We had spent our entire childhood just acting like we admired each other in front of parties to appease our parents, but it never felt genuine. I was starting to think he didn’t like me, but…

“Yo, Reina.”

Tiger stood on the opposite side of the hall with Paige at his side. Toshiaki nodded with a smile, raising his hand for a shake.

“It’s nice to see you again, Tiger. How’s the club coming along—“

“You’re in our way. We just wanted to come through.” Tiger said, brushing past him.

Paige nodded several times before scurrying past, leaving Toshiaki with his hand raised and a gritty smile. The door closed behind them and I walked in front of Toshiaki.

“That was sort of rude. But don’t worry, Tiger’s just—“

“You’re defending that piece of shit?” Toshiaki said with flared eyes, along with his hand gripping into a tight fist.

“No… I was just…”

“The reason I put you in charge of advising this rudimentary club is because I thought you could keep them in line.” Toshiaki said, shoving his hand in his pocket. “Will this be a problem?”

“No. No! It won’t be. I’ll talk to him. Don’t worry.”

“Good. And don’t worry about meeting up later today, I’ve got some business to attend to. How about I take you out tomorrow to make up for this?” Toshiaki said.

I nodded. “That’s… fine…”

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

But before I could respond, he’d already walked several paces down the hall. I walked over and picked up the basket of muffins I’d dropped on the floor, caressing my lips for that same feeling, but… it had already passed.

What’s with him? First, he acts like he cares, then he just goes cold, like, colder than usual. Did something happen between those two? It must have, since both of them resent each other to some extent..

I placed a hand on the door, and it shot up into the wall.

Tiger and Paige were sitting in the rest area on the couch, watching a floating video feed. I sat across from them and crossed one leg over the other.

“You should be nicer to the person who allowed your club, you know.” I said.

Tiger swiped the screen away. “He didn’t allow it. You did. If he’d had his way, there wouldn’t be a club to begin with. Don’t discredit yourself for something he didn’t have the guts to do.”

“I… I suppose… even so, please try to get along with him. It’ll do you some good in the long run.”

“Yes, club adviser. I will try to get along with him.” Tiger said with a sigh.

He then got up and stretched his arms. “Alright, you ready Paige? Let’s get you set up on your Nex-Rig. You can take the seat next to me. Unless… you’ll be joining us?”

He glanced over at me and slid down onto his chair console.

What? Play that game? You’ve got to be joking.

“If I recollected, you talked about never setting foot in this space again. You wouldn’t just be coming here to score some brownie points for the student body, would you?”

My eyes widened as a smirk crept across my face.

“Whaat? No! Of course not!”

How the hell did he catch on? Is it that obvious?

Paige walked over and smiled while looking downward. “I… I never had an actual female friend that played Callixtus…”

Ha! As if I’d ever become friends with a girl with such low self-esteem. How desperate do you have to be for companionship? It truly is a burden to be a recluse gamer nerd.

“I hope we can get along well…” Paige said while twiddling her fingers.

But seriously, her not looking me in the eye when we talk is starting to piss me off.

“Of course! But, I… can’t go back in until you tell me what happened last time…” I said while rubbing my forearm.

“Well, you never told us what you experienced.” Tiger said. He then leaned back in his chair as the visor closed over his face.

“But tell us in-game, will you? There’s someone waiting for me on the other side.”

Paige then ran across to the seat beside me with a gleeful smile. “If that’s yours, then I’ll take the one over here! See you in-game!”

“I never said that I would…“

Before I could refuse, her visor lowered over her head as her hands relaxed on the armrests.

How did I get dragged into this? I didn’t even want to play this stupid game! And that demoness or whatever might bring me back to her lair and torment me—

Wait, how… what is this feeling? Am I getting excited about this silly game? No, no. I’m doing this simply to appease the student body into thinking I care about this club. Nothing more. And, and for Toshiaki too! He said needed me, and I will keep these idiots in line.

I sat down on the leathery mesh of the Nexern seat, allowing it to suck me in as the visor lowered onto my head.

〉 Relax yourself. You’re in my care now.

What the…? Who the hell was that voice?

〉 Calibrating brain waves.

〉 Signature detected.

〉 Vitals, clear.

〉 Supporting cortexes, clear.

〉 Cognitive connection, relative.

〉 Log-in, accepted.

〉 SRO, verified. MEGA-R, verified.

〉 Initiating sleep paralysis.

Sleep… what… and why am I getting… sleepy…

〉 Welcome, Yokamono. You’re about to enter the world of Callixtus.

White sparkling bubbles floated past my eyes, each popping and coating me in a silvery glitter. Then, a darker bubble emerged that branded me in darkness. My body felt like it was floating and I was being lifted by water until a sudden drop pulsed me awake.

I gasped, but… the air was different. I sniffed again.

Why does it smell like… baked bread with hints of honey? Wait, no… that’s not all… Simmering ham… Fruit… Am I in a restaurant?

Then, it hit me.

My senses flooded with blinding lights, loud sounds, and the smells intensified. It felt as if my head was being stuffed with mountains of information, but my mind was processing it all somehow.

「Reina, you in sync yet?」

All at once, the terrible ringing soothed into a restaurant ambiance of chatter and clinking glasses. The blinding rays evened out, with me now sitting at a wooden table in a tavern atmosphere. The ceiling shimmered with white and green crystal, resembling twinkling stars in the night sky. Tables were being served steaming meat buns and juicy white star-shaped fruit on ghostly three-fingered hands. A pair of «Serabliss» with gray skin, long-silver hair, and four pairs of brilles giggled while walking past.

I jumped up from my chair and stumbled, knocking back into something hard. A seven-foot «Crenaura» loomed over me, her entire body encircled with an angelic-neon blue aura. She moved a few pink locks of hair past her branch-like antlers and kissed my forehead, sending my head spinning.

「Reina! Reina!」 A young man’s voice called out.

I couldn’t feel my feet and fell over, but a pair of hands caught me as I shook off the hazy feeling subsiding. A young black man with a faded buzz cut and sharp jawline sighed while looking down at me. His light bronze armor, fitting acutely on his slim athletic figure, matched the color and ray protruding from his eyes.

A twirling crystal sat on the right side of his face. When I focused on it, a name appeared «Reign».

「Reign? Who… the hell is that?」

「Oh… right, heh. That’s my in-game name. It’s me, Tiger.」

My eyes widened, and I stood up, taking another look at my surroundings.

「Where… where the hell? How the hell?」

Reign walked back over to his seat and tapped the seat next to him. 「Sit, we’ve got some things to discuss.」