"PFFFT—!"
Eriri Spencer Sawamura, who had just taken a sip of water, sprayed it all over her monitor.
"C-Cough! Cough, cough—"
One hand slammed onto her desk while the other clutched her chest, coughing violently with tears threatening to spill from her eyes. The impact of that bombshell nearly sent her to the afterlife!
What kind of plot twist was this?! Was she munching on internet gossip only to find herself smack in the middle of the drama?
Her brain practically short-circuited.
[UMR (Assassin)]: "Wow—! That behavior of yours... I can't unsee it now!"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "That blogger you like is only 15, right!? You realize that's still a minor, don't you?!"
[Gabriel (Priest)]: "You're a pervert!"
[Gabriel (Priest)]: "Let's kick her out!! Get the ban hammer!!"
[Kanikou (Shield Warrior)]: "D-Don't kick meeeee!! (;￣Д￣）!"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "So what's the plan? Confess to him? Tch, Kanikou, stop being a criminal! Making a move on a minor is against the law, you know!"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Maybe she'll suddenly disappear from the guild one day."
[Shining (Warrior)]: "Yep, arrested and hauled off by the morality police~ (PД`q.)."
Kani Nayuta, who had just sent a message to Touji-kun on her phone, glanced back at the guild chat. Her face turned completely black. She didn't even blink as her fingers thundered across her mechanical keyboard.
[Kanikou (Shield Warrior)]: "What are you all talking about!?"
[Kanikou (Shield Warrior)]: "I'm sixteen! SIXTEEN! It's not illegal for me to fall in love, okay!? I won't be arrested, you bakas! (╯゜Д゜)╯︵┻━┻!"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "Ehhhhh?"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "Oi oi, is this a joke?"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "That can't be right. You're online all day. How could you be only sixteen?!"
[Kanikou (Shield Warrior)]: "I dropped out of school for... reasons."
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Oho~ a mystery girl with a past? Sounds like a character from my next novel. (゜ー゜〃)"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Well, I guess it's not too surprising. I'm 14 and not in school either."
Unlike someone who might shy away from such a confession, Yamada Elf said it with full confidence, even puffing out her chest with pride.
After all, she was a published author! At 14, she paid taxes and owned a house—she was basically a prodigy!
[UMR (Assassin)]: "???"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "What even is this group?"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "Are we still in the same reality?"
[Gabriel (Priest)]: "I get it. High school is boring. I'm skipping today too. Just chilling at home, gaming."
[Shining (Warrior)]: "EHHHH!?"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "Wait, for real?!"
[Kanikou (Shield Warrior)]: "Gabriel-senpai, you're also a high school student? |д)!!"
[Gabriel (Priest)]: "Yup, full-on high school girl here~ (^_−)☆"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "She's even a girl!?"
Yamada Elf nearly flipped her chair.This NEET-looking gamer, online 24/7 like she was sponsored by energy drinks and despair, was actually a girl and a high schooler!?The shock was so real she nearly wrote a light novel about it right then and there!
[UMR (Assassin)]: "Fine then! I'll reveal mine too!"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "What now...?"
[UMR (Assassin)]: "I'm also a high school girl! But a totally normal one compared to you people!"
In a dim room, wrapped in her hamster-themed pajamas, an adorable 40cm-tall girl sipped soda while typing indignantly on her keyboard."..."
[Shining (Warrior)]: "This escalated fast. When did this become a high school girl reveal party!?"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "And you're also a high school girl!?"
Eriri was on the verge of losing it.All this time, she thought she was gaming with your usual group of hopeless otaku dudes, probably in their 30s.Turns out? Nope.All girls. High school girls even.And Yamada was younger!
Eriri stared blankly at her screen.
"…"
"Achoo! Achoo!!"
Meanwhile, in a dark little room filled with junk food and glowing monitors, Gabriel sneezed twice."…Someone's talking smack about me…"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "Fine, I'll confess too. I'm a high school girl. End of story. Don't @ me."
Her life as a doujinshi artist had to remain secret! (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻!
She had her pride, okay!?
A quiet storm of ellipses flooded the guild channel.
[UMR (Assassin)]: "This is too much… Like, actually too much…"
[Kanikou (Shield Warrior)]: "Right!?"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "I can't believe it. Five members, all girls. Four of us play male characters. It's like a gender-bender anime!"
[Shining (Warrior)]: "Disappointed, Yamada-senpai?"
[Yamada-sama (Archer)]: "Hmph! As if I'd be disappointed!"
[Kanikou (Shield Warrior)]: "Yamada-sensei, do you happen to remember the person I mentioned before?"
Kani Nayuta typed her message respectfully, with a hint of tension in her heart.
Yamada-sama (Archer): "Nope, not ringing any bells."
Yamada-sama (Archer): "I only just moved here a few days ago, and I've pretty much been holed up at home gaming non-stop. Haven't had much social interaction, to be honest…"
Yamada Elf stared at her screen, pouting slightly. Still, the question echoed in her mind. Who had seen through her identity online so easily?
"Male high school student, Winter…"
Putting together the scarce clues she had, the detective instincts of Sherlock Elf activated.
Yamada-sama (Archer): "There's a high school student named Touji living next door to me, but I'm not sure if he's the food and music blogger you're talking about..."
The chat went silent for a moment. Then, surprisingly, it was Shining who reacted first—with a burst of energy that felt more than a little flustered:
Shining (Warrior): "Touji!?"
Yamada-sama (Archer): "Eh? What's wrong?"
Shining (Warrior): "There's a Kasumigaoka Touji in my class too, but maybe it's just a coincidence. Probably?"
Shining (Warrior): "Although... he did stir up some drama a couple days ago. Caused quite the commotion, really."
UMR (Assassin): "Kasumigaoka Touji… that surname's kinda rare, isn't it?"
Even Doma Umaru tilted her head at the name. It wasn't one she'd heard before either.
Kanikou (Shield Warrior): "Same here… Shining, can you spill the tea about the Touji in your class?"
A peculiar glint flickered in Kani Nayuta's eyes. Her heart thudded as if something important was clicking into place. Could it be…
She'd found him.
The Touji that both Yamada Elf and Shining were referring to—was he the same Touji she knew? Her Winter-sensei…
Her breath caught. A flush crept up her cheeks as her fingers trembled slightly over the keyboard. Excitement, anxiety, and anticipation blended into a single overwhelming emotion.
She pressed enter.
Kani Nayuta: "Winter-sensei, is your real name... Touji?"
"…"
Touji chuckled softly. He wasn't shocked. He had pieced together Yamada Elf's identity from subtle cues, so it wasn't surprising that she—or Nayuta—had done the same in reverse.
Touji: "You overstepped, Kani Nayuta-sensei. The moment you uncovered the truth… you sealed your fate. (-ω?)︻┻┳═━ …In this new world, there's no place for those who question me."
Kani Nayuta:"Go on then, Touji. Kill me if it makes you feel powerful. I'll even smile for you.
♡"
Touji: "Oi! Where's your shame? At least try to resist a little!"
Kani Nayuta: "Will resisting turn you on more, Touji-kun?"
Touji: "It really will… Baka."
...