Josh froze, then stuttered after a long pause,
“W–what?”
I said, “I forgot to introduce myself, I’m Sarah,
aka ‘Sarah‘ in the game.”
<
10:50
JOSIS race went through a series of
expressions.
Shock, doubt, disbelief, astonishment… He
could barely speak.
“Y–you’re saying you’re-
Just then, the elevator doors opened, and three
more people came out.
Two guys and a girl, all looking like college
students.
The girl must have heard me, rushing over with
wide eyes, “OMG! You’re Sarah?!”
I nodded, “And you’re… CheeseLover?”
She nodded vigorously, ecstatic, and finally managed to blurt out, “Y–you’re so pretty!”
She mumbled in a daze, “I was thinking, your skills have slipped a little recently. I was going
474
<
10:50
474
skills have slipped a little recently, I was going
to give you some pointers!”
“But now, I just want to ask: Can I hug you?”
Her personality was a bit like Chloe’s. I couldn’t help but smile, “That must have been my best friend playing on my account, I’ve been a little busy lately.”
She suddenly understood, “That makes sense! I
was wondering why you were suddenly so good, especially against Jo-”
Realizing her slip–up, she abruptly stopped,
“Ahem! Studies first! Studies first!”
But Josh had already heard.
He seemed to remember something, his face contorting.
I changed the subject, “This game developer is
<
everyone in person.”
I greeted the two guys behind her. They were
usually all talk online, but in person, they were
surprisingly reserved and polite.
CheeseLover looked around and finally asked,
“Hey Josh, is Summer not coming?”
Summer was Josh’s new girlfriend.
The girl next to him suddenly said, “I am.”
“Huh?” CheeseLover was taken aback and
quickly apologized, “Sorry! I didn’t recognize
you! So your profile picture isn’t actually you?”
Summer’s face darkened, “That was me on
vacation at the beach.”
CheeseLover was incredibly awkward,
whispering, “…That’s a huge difference, with
that much photoshopping, who could recognize
く
10:50
474
Summer was relatively new to our gaming
group, and she was terrible. No one wanted to
play with her except Josh, who spoiled her with
in–game purchases.
Honestly, we weren’t close to her. If she wasn’t
polite, no one would give her much face.
Summer stomped off in her high heels, heading
into the gaming center.
A guy came out, and Josh immediately greeted
him, “Alex!”
He turned and introduced us, “This is my gamer
friend, he’s the one who gave us the tickets.”
The guy named Alex explained with a smile,
“Sorry, our boss showed up unexpectedly this
morning, I was setting up the equipment, sorry
I’m late.”
9
<
Oh, so this was the professional player Josh
had hired.
One of the guys said enviously, “Money talks!
The VIP of VIPs!”
Ordinary people couldn’t afford a coach like
this, but Josh not only hired one but also got
tickets from him.
No wonder Josh was so smug, his face looking
much better than before.
“Everyone, have fun today, it’s all on me!”
Most of us were students with limited funds, so
Josh’s generosity immediately elicited cheers.
“Awesome!”
“Josh is the best!”
<
10:50
474
“Is this what it feels like to be bankrolled? I love
it!”
The cheering boosted Josh’s ego. He and Alex
led everyone inside.
The VR gaming center was huge and had a
futuristic design. As I looked around, I only had
—
one thought the owner must be loaded!
Alex introduced each area, “Feel free to try
anything that interests you.”
CheeseLover asked excitedly, “Zero–G spinning
saucer! Sarah, want to go together?”
I nodded, “Sure.”
Josh chimed in, “It fits five people, why don’t
we all go together?”
Summer clearly didn’t want to play this, clinging
10:50
<
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Jusil, I you !!!!
sickness, can we play something else?”
Josh coughed, glancing at me, and pulled her
hand away, “This is a rare opportunity, why
don’t you wait here?”
Summer gritted her teeth, “Then I’ll go with
you!”
CheeseLover was already putting on the
equipment with Alex’s help and suddenly asked,
“By the way, Sarah, is your senior not here
yet?”
I shook my head, “Not sure, he might still be
busy.”
Josh shrugged, “What could be so important? If
he misses this, it won’t be easy to come again.”
CheeseLover looked disappointed, “I was
curious about him! Are we not going to see him
today?… Sarah, have you seen him at school?”
<
10:50
Before I could say “no,” Alex suddenly looked
up and called out, “Ethan.”
Me: “???”
Were there really that many people named
Ethan these days?
I instinctively turned around and saw a
handsome, refined face.
My mind went blank.
477
Could someone tell me why Ethan Payne was
here?!
The room fell silent as he appeared.
CheeseLover gasped softly, “Whoa! Who’s that?
He’s so handsome! Did you guys hire him to
attract customers?”
“…No,” Alex’s expression was complicated,
<
10:50
The room became even quieter.
Ethan walked towards me, and I instinctively
held my breath.
Each step felt like a drumbeat against my heart.
He stopped in front of me.
My eyes widened slightly, “…Ethan, what are you doing here?”
