I crouched down, frowning slightly. “Why, Coco? Don’t you want to see Michael? Don’t
you miss him?”
She squirmed, her eyes darting to the side. “Ms. Handsome… you don’t understand. Michael’s different now.”
Her voice dropped to a whisper. “He’s scary. Really scary. Coco doesn’t want to see him. Please, can we not go?”
I couldn’t help but laugh softly. Typical kid behavior. Michael? Scary? The guy was the definition of calm and polite–probably the least threatening person I’d ever met.
I ruffled her hair, smiling reassuringly. “Don’t worry, Coco. I’ll protect you. Let’s go.”
Reluctantly, she nodded and followed me out of the dorm, though her steps were heavy with hesitation.
We’d barely made it down the hall when we ran straight into John and his group. V
froze.
Sarah stopped yelling.
For a moment, everything was silent.
She let out a cold laugh, her voice dripping with disdain. “Wow, and here I thought you were actually good at something. Typical Betty useless and weird.”
“You couldn’t level up properly; you were trash at dungeons, and now you can’t even figure out a low–level NPC. Pathetic.”
Her smirk deepened as she delivered the final blow. “People like you–antisocial losers living in your little fantasy worlds–aren’t good for anything. Why don’t you just do everyone a favor and disappear already?”
A sudden chill shot up from the ground, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Startled, I looked down to see an icy column snaking its way up my legs, frost spreading fast. Within seconds, my legs were frozen solid below the knees, sharp crystals glinting in the light.
This skill… I knew it. There was no mistake. It had to be her–the mischievous Coco from the beginner village in Sword World.
“Coco!” I shouted, panic slipping into my voice. “Are you acting up again?”
Her head tilted slightly, her big, round eyes blinking at me in confusion.
“Didn’t I just tell you last night to behave and listen to your grandpa? What, you forgot already? If you keep this up, I’m not bringing you any more pork floss buns!”
Her expression froze. She stared at me, wide–eyed, as if trying to process what I’d just
said.
“Who…“are you?” she asked, her voice soft and hesitant.
I crossed my arms, lifting my chin. “What? You don’t recognize me anymore? Oh, Coco, you’re in big trouble now! I’m never helping you steal the butcher’s cleaver again!”
Her eyes widened and then sparkled with sudden recognition. In an instant, she canceled
the skill and ran toward me, throwing herself into my arms.
“It’s you! Mr. Handsome! Coco finally found you!”
She hugged me tightly, burying her face in my chest, her voice trembling with
excitement. “You don’t know how much Coco missed you! Coco waited and waited, but you never came back to visit.”
I patted her head gently, trying to suppress a smile.
But then she pulled back slightly, her innocent eyes scanning me from head to toe. Her
brow furrowed in confusion.
“But… Mr. Handsome, why are you a girl now? Did you… did you turn into a girl? Did you get a sex change?”
I froze, completely thrown off by her question.
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Her wide, curious eyes stared at me, waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth and then closed it again, unsure of what to say. God, why did I ever think it was a good idea to create
a male character?
Letting out an awkward laugh, I quickly changed the subject. “Uh, let’s not focus on that right now. What I do want to know is why you lied earlier. I didn’t get your question wrong,
did 1?”
Coco’s smile faltered. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she lowered her head, her voice muffled as she spoke.
“I didn’t lie,” she said softly. “You were right. That used to be my favorite thing. But it’s not anymore.”
Before I could process what she meant, she suddenly looked up at me, her eyes blazing with anger.
“Ms. Handsome!” she shouted, pointing angrily toward the door where Sarah had locked herself in. “It was her, wasn’t it? She hurt you! She was mean to you, wasn’t she?”
Her small hands clenched into fists. “Don’t worry, Coco will protect you! Coco will get of her for you!”
“Wait, Coco-”
But before I could stop her, dozens of thin, glimmering ice threads shot out from her hands, slicing through the air like needles.
rid
Sarah barely had time to react. She let out a choked scream, scrambling to run, but it was
too late.
The ice threads pierced through her body in an instant, blood splattering the walls as she collapsed to the floor.
She didn’t even have time to cry out. Her lifeless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Her body crumpled in a pool of red.
Coco turned back to me, her face lighting up with pride.
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“See, sister? Aren’t you happy now?”
I stared at Sarah’s body, my chest tightening painfully. My breath caught in my throat.
“Coco,” I said carefully, forcing myself to stay calm. “You can’t just go around harming people like that. You’re still a kid–you don’t understand. This world isn’t like the one you
came from.”
I crouched down to her level, trying to meet her gaze. “When people gone here, they don’t come back. They’re gone forever. Do you understand?”
Coco pouted, clearly unconcerned. But when she saw the seriousness in my expression, she hesitated and then reluctantly nodded. “Okay… I’ll listen to you, big sister.”
Before I could say anything else, the school’s PA system cracked to life.
“This is an urgent broadcast. Attention, all students. Sword World NPC Michael is
currently searching for a specific individual: a man in a black bathrobe, with multicolored
hair, a passion for gardening, and a large red flower on his head.”
“Anyone with information is requested to report to the nearest TV tower immediately. This is a priority alert. A significant reward will be given for any leads.”
I froze, staring at the speaker in disbelief.
Seriously, Michael?
Did you really have to describe my character in excruciating detail?
I sighed heavily, grabbing Coco’s hand. “Come on, Coco. Michael’s looking for me. Let’s go find him.”
But before I could take a step, Coco tugged on my hand, refusing to move.
“Do we have to go?” she asked, her voice small and hesitant. “Can’t we just stay here?
Just you and me?”
I crouched down, frowning slightly. “Why, Coco? Don’t you want to see Michael? Don’t you miss him?”
