After the final school bell rang, signaling the end of the day, Roselle, Sarah, and Michigo gathered together near the school gates.

"I've got to head to karate practice now," Michigo said with a sigh. "I can't neglect my training regimen, you know."

Roselle and Sarah nodded understandingly

"Of course, Michigo," Roselle replied. "Thanks for helping us talk to Tori and for sharing what you've heard."

Michigo waved goodbye and headed off to her training, leaving Roselle and Sarah standing there. With Michigo gone, Roselle turned to Sarah.

"So, Sarah," Roselle began, "should we share what we learned with Harty, or do you think we should investigate Hashta first?"

Sarah raised one hand to the side of her face. “That’s a tough one for investigator Sarah. On one hand, sharing what we've learned with Harty could help us gather more information faster. But on the other hand, Hashta might have some insights or knowledge that we don't want to miss out on."

Roselle nodded in agreement. “You know what, maybe we should try to reach out to Hashta first and see what she knows. Then, once we have more information, we can decide whether to involve Harty or not."

Sarah agreed with the plan. "Sounds like a plan, Roselle. Let's try to find Hashta and see where that leads us. We can always bring Harty in later if we need to."

With their decision made, Roselle and Sarah set off on their quest to find Hashta and uncover more about the mysterious impersonator who had disrupted their lives.

Roselle and Sarah decided to ask around for Hashta, their next friend on the list, after leaving school. They wandered the school grounds, but nobody seemed to have any information about her whereabouts. It was as if Hashta had disappeared.

Just as they were starting to feel discouraged, they spotted someone standing by the school's gate. It was a girl who stood out with her unique gamer-girl appearance. Her customized school uniform and array of game-related patches and pins immediately caught their attention.

Roselle and Sarah approached the gamer-girl, who seemed engrossed in her handheld gaming device. Her knee-high socks and sneakers completed the gamer look.

"Excuse me," Roselle began, "we're looking for someone named Hashta. Have you seen her around?"

The gamer-girl glanced up from her game and adjusted her glasses. "Hashta? Yeah, I know her. She's pretty active in the gaming community here."

Sarah chimed in, "Do you know where we can find her? We need to talk to her about something important."

The gamer-girl, adjusting her glasses once more, nodded thoughtfully. "You can usually find Hashta at the arcades after school. Silver Star Arcade is her favorite spot. She practically lives there."

At the mention of that particular location, Sarah froze in her tracks. Her face which once were lively and asking for questions now became fearful for some reason.

Roselle, noticing Sarah's sudden change in demeanor, was concerned. "Sarah, is something wrong?”

Sarah hesitated for a moment, her mind racing. Finally, she spoke. "Silver Star Arcade...”

Sarah quickly shook off her momentary unease, putting on a reassuring smile. "It's nothing, Roselle. Just a strange deja vu moment. Let's go to Silver Star Arcade and find Hashta. Maybe she can shed some light on what's been happening."

Roselle and Sarah continued their journey and made their way towards the location. They passed by a peaceful park. It was at that moment that Roselle noticed that Sarah had started to slow down. Concerned, Roselle slowed her pace as well and glanced at her friend with a frown.

"Sarah, is something bothering you?: You’ve been acting a bit strange since we mentioned Silver Star Arcade."

Sarah hesitated for a moment, her gaze fixed on something in the park. Finally, she sighed and turned to Roselle looking conflicted. Sarah motioned for Roselle to join her on a nearby park bench, and they both sat down. Sarah took a deep breath, her eyes scanning the peaceful park around them.

"Roselle, i've heard a lot of rumors about Silver Star Arcade. People say it's a popular spot, but it's also kinda run down. Some shady characters hang out there, and there have been stories of fights and trouble. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but you know? If Hashta’s been spending a lot of time there, who knows what kind of people she's been around?"

Roselle took in the information and then smiled. "I see what you mean, Sarah. You’re worried we might get into trouble,but there’s no need to worry! All we have to do is keep our guard up while trying to find Hashta. We do need to talk to her and figure out what's been going on."

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Roselle couldn't help but notice Sarah's nervous demeanor, Beads of sweat went down Sarahs face.

"Sarah, you're a little jittery there," Roselle said with a gentle smile, giving her friend a pat on the shoulder. "Are you really that worked up about Silver Star Arcade? I mean, can you imagine Hashta as some kind of secret arcade overlord? Picture it: Hashta, the benevolent ruler of the arcade realm, making sure everyone's high scores are in order."

She chuckled lightly, hoping to lighten the mood and ease Sarah's apprehension

Sarah chuckled at Roselle's playful imagination.

"Oh, absolutely! Hashta, the mastermind behind the joystick, leading her arcade minions to victory and high scores."

The two friends shared a good-natured laugh. Roselle placed a reassuring hand on Sarah's shoulder and smiled warmly. "You know, even if Hashta has become the queen of the arcade underworld, she's still our friend. Let’s just focus on getting there and finding her."

Sarah’s gradually relaxed, and she returned Roselle's smile. "You're right, Roselle. Our friendship is stronger than any arcade gang nonsense. Let's go find Hashta and make sure she's okay."

Wanting to find their friend intact, Roselle and Sarah got up from the park bench and continued their journey toward Silver Star Arcade.

Roselle and Sarah finally arrived at the Silver Star Arcade after several minutes. They could immediately tell that it was an active area. The neon lights from the entrance illuminated the night and the sound of machines, laughter, and excited chatter was all about. It was an unexpected full house with people of all ages gathered to enjoy the games and entertainment.

Roselle glanced at Sarah. "Looks like we've found the place."

Sarah looked around curiously. “There’s a big crowd today …”

Roselle raised both of her fists up to her face. “Let’s see if we can find Hashta in this crowd!”

With a plan in mind, Roselle and Sarah ventured into the lively area. While Roselle scanned around, her eyes became drawn to a thrilling racing game in the corner. A young gamer girl was engaged in an intense racing game. She skillfully maneuvered the virtual car through the twists and turns of the track. It looked like a lot of fun!

Roselle moved towards one vacant seat in front of the racing game; however, before she could sit down and grab the steering wheel, Sarah gently but firmly pulled her away.

"Roselle, we're not here to play games," Sarah reminded. "We need to find Hashta and talk to her. Remember why we're here."

Roselle sighed in agreement, realizing that they had a mission to accomplish. She tore her gaze away from the tempting racing game and nodded at Sarah.

Roselle in her search momentarily lost sight of Sarah amidst the sea of people engrossed in their games.

“Sarah? Sarah where did you go?”

Roselle began to navigate through the crowd, hoping to spot her friend. All of a sudeen, she accidentally bumped into a group of guys who were engaged in a heated discussion about a game. Startled by the collision, the guys turned their attention to her with angry glares.

"Ey, Yo! Watch where you're going, eh,” the largest among them grumbled.

Roselle turned quickly and bowed her head to them, "I'm so sorry. My bad," she said, making eye contact with each of the guys before each bow she made.

The guys looked at each other and then shook their head. One of them turned to face her and said, "No worries, just be more careful next time."

Relieved that the situation didn't escalate, Roselle continued to look around for the friend who disappeared within this crowd. Roselle continued to navigate through area until her eyes fell upon an intriguing figure. The girl before her wore a school uniform, but it had been customized in a unique way, with her shirt open in a fashion that revealed her bra underneath. Her cat headphones had a greenish glow to them.

With her attire fitting of a gamer-girl, it was clear that this girl was deeply engrossed in the game she was playing. Roselle watched in awe as the girl's fingers danced across the controls, executing precise moves and combos with incredible speed and accuracy.

Moments later, the game screen flashed with the words "NEW HIGH SCORE" as the girl had managed to somehow surpass 1 million points.

1 million points in that game? She must be some type of gaming prodigy if those even existed. She considered approaching the girl to strike up a conversation but sighed and made the decision to continue her search for Sarah. ‘I need to find out where Sarah went first’ she thought to herself.

When Roselle turned to leave, the girl with the cat headphones and green hair suddenly called out,

“Roselle!”

Surprised, Roselle stopped in her tracks and turned back to face the gaming prodigy.

Roselle was suprised when the girl with the cat headphones and green hair called out her name. She turned to face her with surprise and curiosity. The girl, seemingly unfazed by Roselle's presence, played with her hair and addressed her.

"Roselle," she began, her tone tinged with amusement, "you're acting like you haven't just stumbled upon a friend. Is this about what happened a couple of days ago? Are you trying to get back at me by showing up here?"

Roselle blinked in astonishment. She quickly shook her head, a friendly smile appearing on her face. "No, no, nothing like that," she replied, “I’m not here for any grudges. Actually, I'm looking for someone named Hashta, and I thought you might know her. Have you seen her around?"

The girl with the cat headphones and green hair continued to tease Roselle with a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Oh, so you really are here for revenge, huh? I knew it!"

But then, she dropped from that look to a smile and leaned in closer to Roselle to the point where their faces almost touched. She let out a small laugh. "Alright, I'm just messing with you. You got me. I am Hashta."

Roselle gasped in surprise. "Hashta? Is that really you? You're the one I've been looking for! We need to talk to you about something important."

Hashta nodded, her curiosity piqued. "Alright, let's chat. But first, follow me. We can't really talk in the middle of all this noise."

She led Roselle away from the cacophony of games to a quieter corner of the establishment where they could have a more private conversation.

Once they were in a quieter corner of the establishment, Hashta wasted no time and asked her first question. She leaned in slightly, her green hair falling gracefully over her shoulder as she spoke.

"I know you’re still mad about what happened the other day, Roselle," Hashta began, her tone sincere. "And honestly, you have every right to be mad at me and the others, but here's what's been bothering me: if you're not here for revenge, why did you forget who I was altogether? It's like you erased all memories of me. You and I used to be friends, and you looked at me like I was a total stranger to you."

Roselle sighed, realizing that this was a conversation she needed to have. She looked into Hashta's eyes, her own filled with of guilt and uncertainty.

“Look…this isn’t something iv’e told anyone yet...”