The next day, tension filled the air of Rose Academy. The exam was a few days away. Oberon, Helia, and other Thorn candidates studied, trained, and more or less put their nose to the grinder as last-minute preparations went underway. Myself? I spent my time reading, of course!

Between regular homework and reading, students like me had little to do. I enjoyed my peaceful life, but the threat of being an important NPC loomed over me like a dark cloud. There were several factors for me to consider for my game status. In fact, now that I was between classes, I strolled to a spot I claimed as my own in the main hall. The area next to the Rose Academy save point.

It isn't like I remember every single detail about this game. I had a perfect grasp of the story, but the plot meandered around. Players who skipped dialogue found themselves in new areas, not understanding why. Not to mention, each area had side quests galore.

In my favor, I knew one thing for sure: I’m a student character. Most of the female students served little purpose to the plot except as love interests in side stories, named NPCs for Oberon to romance, or —

“Ah!” My face collided into something firm. I hit it so hard, I took a step back and fell backwards. Braced for impact, I closed my eyes and threw out my hands behind me to catch the ground.

Instead, something planted on my back and waist. I opened my eyes and found myself dipped by a male student with messy white hair and blue eyes to rival my own. His shark like grin caught me off guard as he pulled me back up as if we had practiced a dance routine.

My heart skipped a beat. This is… he's…!

“Sorry, girlie,” the man grinned as he relinquished me. The guy pulled down a pair of headphones that were pressed against his ear. He scratched his chin as a slight flush came over his face. “I get so lost in the music, I forget to pay attention where I'm walkin’.”

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/966772585310335056/1043019655322800128/White_messy_hair_chiseled_jaw_handsome_man_fang_grin_bastard_villain_blue_s-23098105632.png]

“Oh, uh, well…”

“Name's Atlas. I've seen you around, I think…” His eyes closed in thought. He seemed to search for me in his memories. My heart beat as I realized he wanted to remember me. “You the library gal, ain’t ya? I seen you workin' there. Seems like fun.”

I mentally slapped myself to get a grip. Just because the Atlas stood before me in the flesh didn't mean I needed to fall apart now!

“Yeah, I work there. It's fun.” This was my fifth time ever talking to him. Before getting my memories back, I had a crush on this guy. I love him even more now that I know more about him.

Atlas was your archetypical Rival Reverie martial artist with a twist. His attacks were dance moves. A meme existed of Atlas based on his in game animations during random battles. He would stand there chilling and vibing to whatever music played from his headphones. When his turn came up, and you commanded him to do a basic attack, he'd walk up to the enemy and do any three different fancy kicks they animated for him, but the attacks looked like dancing.

There were two types of Atlas fans, but I want to explain his characterization. On the surface, Atlas had the air of a lone wolf and ran into a lot of trouble with the student council, with Oberon’s rival the vice president. He got into petty fights, had a horrible temper, and had that sort of trash veneer to him. Atlas strove to be the greatest mercenary and to be powerful, and he detested competition. He radiated dirty fighter energy mixed with an element of danger. Despite his edgy side, he goofed around a lot in cutscenes, had cheesy lines, and seemed like he would be a fun guy if he could just chill out. Some Atlas fans enjoyed Atlas as a character and other Atlas fans had body pillows of him. Guess which category I fell into?

The white-haired man seemed to examine me for a second, then he brought his face close to mine. So close I couldn't help but shrink backwards in shock. “As a book jockey, maybe you could help me out of this pickle I'm in. I'm trying to get ready for the Thorn test.”

“I don't think I can help you with that,” I interjected. Knowing what I knew about Atlas, I needed to stay away from him. He fancied himself a lady killer. In this world, he was pathetic. Made it sort of ironic, given that I had memories of him being attractive to a small community of super fans. “I’m not much of a fighter, so I doubt sparring me would help much...”

“Oh, nothin’ like that,” he waved it off. “I mean, I gotta get ready for this history test right before the Thorn one. My grade’s a grade away from tanking. You gotta be a straight C student to ‘earn the privilege’ of taking the Thorn exam. I thought maybe you'd know 'bout historical stuff cause of your job’ n' all.”

“Well, I’m pretty knowledgeable about history…” I trailed off as I adjusted my glasses. Humble bragging about my intellect — one of my many weaknesses!

“See? You got smarts, I just need ta borrow ‘em a bit. Think you’d be able to help highlight the stuff that’ll be on the test?”

“I mean, I’m pretty busy, so,” my eye twitched as I tried to let him down easy. Atlas is a character that I adore, but I need to steer clear of him. I’m not that attractive, cute, sure, but nothing to go crazy over. He wanted to use me and spit me out. He had yet to begin his character arc of becoming a better person. I doubt he would go for me even afterward.

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“Busy?” Atlas tilted his head. “I saw you sittin’ around the quad and main hall readin’.”

“It’s assigned reading,” I countered.

Atlas whistled long before chuckling. “Hoh, assigned readin’, ya say? You sure, doll? Cause, I’ve seen those covers…” He leaned down over me, showing off his nearly two head height difference, and said in a low voice, “I’d love to know what class has you readin’ those.”

How did he know!? I panicked and clutched the handle of my bookbag. Sandwiched between regular books, I had one with illicit text. Yes, I had a bodice ripper sort of novel. What of it!? I’m allowed to read spicy romance! People don't look at the covers of other people's books. Was he trying to blackmail me?

“A-And? What’s your point?” I frowned. “I can read whatever I want. Maybe it isn’t for class, but it’s still my free time!”

“That’s true. So I guess you are sayin’ I need to sweeten the deal,” Atlas smirked and winked. A normal girl would have gotten annoyed. Instead, my heart started pounding in my chest. “I’ll take ya to the Rose Ball once I become a cadet. Ya know, you can only go if you're a Thorn or get invited by one.”

Ba-dump. Ba-dump. Why was this guy’s lame flirting getting to me!? Is this the power of being attractive!?

“It seems like a cat’s got your tongue. Better check for ya… it’s the polite thing to do…” His face got closer to mine.

Oh god, it’s going to happen. My video game husbando is going to kiss me. The fan girl in me is overjoyed, but me who lives in this world wants to run and hide!

I closed my eyes, waiting for lips that never came.

POP!

A plucky girl with a pink pixie cut hopped up and whacked Atlas one the side of the head with a tennis racket. She came out of nowhere. Atlas went flying straight into a wall from the impact. I stood there blinking as I looked from Atlas to this pink haired girl.

[https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/966772585310335056/1043020320363253800/Pink_pixie_cut._Cute_girl._Fun._Energetic._School_uniform_with_rose_insignia._Sc_s-2567115008.png]

“Stop being gross, Atlas. No one wants to kiss you!” She stuck her tongue out and pulled down her eyelid. In response, Atlas groaned as he struggled to stand up again. This girl packed quite the punch. She looked up, smiling at me. “Sorry about my classmate. He thinks he’s hot stuff.”

Io. This girl in front of me was Io, one of the main characters in the game. The shortest member of the party, Io, served as the cheerleader character with the weird weapon. As you could see here, she attacked using a tennis racket. Cutesy, adorable, and all-around happy-go-lucky, Io won the hearts of many fans. Perhaps, for obvious reasons, Io is the number one ship with Atlas because of their, admittedly, combative relationship.

“‘Cause I am, pipsqueak.” Atlas regained his composure and frowned. He marched right up to her and lowered his head until they were nearly pressing foreheads together. I could practically see the sparks crackling between them. “I’m strong, tall, and good-lookin’. Who’re you ta say I’m not?”

“A girl.” Io retorted handily with arms crossed.

This argument presented my chance to escape. I tiptoed away.

I retired to my dormitory. The spacious domiciles had two rooms connected to small, joint living quarters. Getting along with your roommate was of the utmost importance. Luckily for me, I loved my roommate. Helia, of course. She laid on the couch, captivated by the TV. The world has progressed enough to have television shows in color despite the lack of video games. Helia and I were fans of dramatic shows with corny acting.

“Ooh, is this the one where Eva realizes she is Adon’s mother’s cousin’s cousin twice removed?” I asked as I sat on the floor in front of Helia.

She answered, “You know it. But the highlight of the episode is, of course, that it shows Adon’s abs off.” Helia pointed at the screen as the shock of learning his lover was related to him caused his shirt to rip at the chest. As promised, Adon’s abs filled the screen and our eyes. Such a treasured sight. I didn’t go for buff guys, but Adon had the whole cute and kind idiot vibe I loved to see. A himbo. Lost in thought about Adon and his abs, Helia’s next comment startled me.

“Speaking of incredibly desirable men, I am pretty sure Oberon is into you.”

“Um… No. Plus, he isn’t that hot.”

“The man has a chiseled jawline that could cut through solid stone and piercing eyes.”

“Counterpoint: have you ever spoken with him? You can practically hear him saying dot dot dot with how many pauses he takes!”

“Counter-counterpoint: that is exactly what makes him so sexy. That far-off gaze and his mysterious aura. I bet he’s thinking about deep cosmic stuff.”

“I'm pretty sure he's thinking, 'fine' and ‘okay.’” As someone who played this game, I knew exactly what sort of inner monologue ran through Oberon's mind. The most major and fair critique of Oberon's character is that the game was full of his inner monologue. The monologue never went deep. Instead, Oberon's thoughts truly comprised statements that appeared as him rolling his eyes, scoffing, and other major teenager behavior. Oberon actually is a teen and just barely became an adult in this world.

However, I wasn't here to defend whether someone was written realistically. I needed to shatter Helia's delusions. Both that Oberon had anything more to him, but also that he had any interest in me.

“Just keep in mind our brief excursion the other day featured Oberon talking quite a lot. For him!” Helia added quickly. She hesitated for a moment before continuing, “ugh, why am I even arguing with you about hotties? You think Atlas is cute.”

Arrow straight to the heart. I confessed my adoration of Atlas to Helia earlier this year, much to her horror. I groaned loudly at her.

“Atlas has the same qualities as Oberon, but at least he is fun.”

“Same qualities? You need help.” Helia giggled.

We both ignored the TV and launched straight into girl talk. Helia recounted her time with Oberon during the tutorial. He tried to protect us from the Fire Jacks, and he adorably refused Helia's help to get to the infirmary, but she made him accept it.

I decided against coming clean about my encounter with Atlas. She detested him, plus I really didn't see him going for me. I wasn't unattractive, but I also wasn't drop-dead gorgeous. Plus, there was already evidence he would never really go for a library girl like me. In the game, he —

Wait. Wait wait wait wait.

I shot up from the floor and excused myself. Helia thought the conversation reached an embarrassing level for me. I retreated into my room and pulled out a pencil and paper. I drew a Venn diagram and listed attributes. As I filled the circles in, my heart raced. The more I wrote, the less room I had to write. In fact, most of what I wrote ended up in the overlapping circle.

Things like: loves books, works in a library, wears hair long, have glasses, have a huge crush on Atlas.

My eyes focused on what I labeled the two individual circles. Bianca and Library Gal.

Library Gal… isn't that what…

Finally, I had a good idea which NPC I was in this game and what role I was supposed to play.