In the bustling and noisy atmosphere just before class started for Class A of the first-year students at Sakurakana High School, amid countless overlapping conversations, one voice stood out in sheer panic and disbelief.
"Huh? What the hell is this?!"
Clear and unmistakable, the words came from a boy named **Takamine Takane**, whose eyes were now stretched wide open, staring in utter disbelief at the glaring red words *"You Lost"* on his phone screen. His expression was one of complete shock, as if what he was seeing was some illusion. But it was undeniably real, forcing him to accept it even if he didn't want to.
Yet the moment didn't end there. It was immediately followed by joyous and triumphant laughter, the voice of someone who had just defeated him and was now celebrating like they had won a war.
"HaHa! I did it, I actually beat Takamine…! It was close, but I finally did it!"
That boy was Sasaki Arai, a new friend Takane had made since entering high school.
Arai stood up, shouting excitedly in a traditional victory pose, raising both hands with only his index fingers pointed out as if to say, "I'm number one!"
On the flip side, while Arai was bursting with uncontainable joy, Takane sat quietly, a cold expression spread across his face—the face of someone who had lost. Yet in all the noise and chatter, he silently began questioning the fairness of the result.
Five seconds, ten seconds passed. Unable to hold back his thoughts anymore, Takane finally spoke up, needing to clear the doubts in his heart and reclaim justice.
"…Hey, are you guys messing with me?"
His voice was soft and calm, yet sharp enough to pull Arai down from his high of victory.
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"Quit playing dumb. You used some kind of third-party software, didn't you? There's no way I could've lost like that otherwise!"
Takane said it without hesitation, eyes narrowing as he scrutinized every movement of Arai. His gaze was razor-sharp, as if trying to dig out the truth hiding beneath Arai's expression.
Unable to withstand the crushing, invisible pressure, Arai swallowed hard and quickly defended himself.
"W-What nonsense are you spouting? Is it really that hard to accept I won? To the point of making these baseless accusations…? I beat you with *skill*, fair and square!"
"Skill, huh?"
Takane raised an eyebrow at Arai's declaration, his tone clearly mocking.
What kind of crap excuse is that supposed to be?
Of course, Takane wasn't buying Arai's explanation at all—his suspicions only grew stronger.
If Sasaki Arai were a pro gamer or had been playing since the game launched, Takane might've accepted the loss. But Arai had never even heard of the game until last week. Yet somehow, after just a week of playing, he managed to beat Takane—ranked 9th on the global leaderboard.
Even ignoring the gap in experience, the difference in character levels, gear, and other factors was significant. Takane had intentionally removed all supporting gear to keep things fair, but a character created and played for a year would still naturally outperform one made in just seven days in terms of base stats—stats that couldn't be altered unless through cheats or interference from the developers.
Yet Arai still claimed it was skill. It was absurd. So much so that even outsiders could tell, but chose not to interfere.
Wait, is the game even capable of pulling off something like this? If so, this game's probably on its way out...
As Takane silently stewed in confusion and suspicion, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder and pulled him out of his thoughts.
"What's the matter? Can't accept you lost? What a sore loser, huh?"
"Minato… Of all people, you better shut the hell up."
"Ooh, scary~ Look who's talking big after getting their butt kicked."
Takane slapped the hand off and turned around to face **Miyazaki Minato**—the very guy who proposed the match and acted as its so-called "referee." They'd been friends since middle school, but this time Minato had clearly sided with Arai. So of course he looked absolutely delighted to see Takane humiliated.
Minato's grin was annoyingly smug as he started spewing words Takane least wanted to hear, deliberately twisting his tone to mock him.
"Alright, enough whining. A loss is a loss, right? And as agreed, the loser has to accept a punishment chosen by the winner… So instead of making excuses, maybe you should start mentally preparing yourself for it, Takane!"
There was a slyness to Minato's smile, and a mischievous glint in his eyes. But instead of exploding in anger, Takane just ignored him and sank deeper into thought. Based on everything—the inconsistencies, Arai's weird behavior, and Minato's smugness—Takane's suspicions reached their peak.
He suddenly remembered: it was *Minato* who had proposed the match between him and Arai. It was Minato who suggested giving Arai a week to practice. And now that cheating might be involved, Minato's face immediately popped up in Takane's mind.
"Hey Minato… You planned all this, didn't you?"
Takane stood tall and stared Minato down, voicing the suspicion aloud.
But Minato just laughed it off, unfazed.
"What now? Can't handle losing to a newbie, so you're making excuses to save face? I get it—losing hurts. But trying to twist it like this? Man, that's *really* pathetic."
Though his words were smug, Takane only responded with a dry chuckle, barely masking his irritation.
Yeah, I'm pissed. But I'm not that low. This is about my pride as a gamer. This is about the game I love.
"I know, and I'd gladly accept my loss if it were a fair one. There's no shame in that. But if this loss was rigged, that's a whole different story. You get that, right? I can't accept it."
He paused, locking eyes with Minato. Behind those seemingly harmless eyes, all he saw was deceit. He scoffed and let out a sentence that made Minato visibly uneasy.
"I don't want to say this, but… my gut's telling me something's off. And you *know* my gut is rarely wrong, don't you?"
Anyone who knew Takane well enough would know—his instincts were freakishly accurate, around 60 to 70 percent of the time. And Minato knew that better than anyone.
Now under that piercing stare, Minato averted his eyes. Then Arai, nervously trying to ease the tension, butted in—clearly unaware he was making things worse.
"Y-You just don't know this, but I practiced day and night all week! And people used to call me a *natural learner* when I was little. I absorb stuff I'm into super fast. That's why my skills improved so quickly!"
Oh boy… what is he trying to pull now?
Rather than easing Takane's doubts, Arai's explanation only made them worse.
Meanwhile, Minato was already rubbing his forehead with a strained smile, knowing the lie had been exposed by Takane's sharp observation. And Takane drove the nail in.
"I could check your playtime to see how much you practiced… but more importantly, isn't your tone kinda off compared to before? Since when were you this timid? Just moments ago, you were celebrating like you won a championship."
"W-Was not! You're just imagining things!"
"Oh really…? So I'm just overthinking it now?"
Takane smirked, half-joking, but clearly full of confidence—he knew exactly what had gone down.
He didn't need any more guessing. Arai had definitely cheated. He didn't know *how* yet, but if he could check Arai's phone, he'd probably find the truth.
But what's the point?
Takane sighed, laughing bitterly at himself for even caring this much.
After all, this was supposed to be a fun match between friends, with a silly punishment for the loser. Was it really worth risking friendships over cheating?
No. Definitely not. Takane convinced himself to let it go. He wasn't happy, but he had to accept it—bit by bit.
He looked up, faking a smile as he asked,
"Whatever. So what's my punishment?"
"Oho, our Takane is taking the loss much better than expected."
"Shut up! I may not like it, but I said I'd follow through. Call it saving face or whatever—but my word is my word!"
There was confidence and resolve in Takane now.
Facing him, Minato gave a devilish smile, as if saying Takane had already walked into his trap.
"Good, good. Then let us think of a proper punishment. It's not every day we get this chance, right?"
But then Takane immediately frowned as he picked up on something odd.
"Wait a sec—*us*? What do you mean *us*? Isn't the punishment supposed to be decided by the winner? Who gave *you* the right to say *us*?"
"Oh right, forgot to mention. Arai only wanted to win. He didn't care about the punishment, so he left that part to me. On the condition that I help him win. Right, Arai?"
Takane put aside Minato's smirk and that bombshell of a confession.
"You just admitted to being involved."
"Nope, you misheard!"
Minato denied it instantly, but it was too late.
Takane turned to Arai for confirmation, and Arai sheepishly scratched his head.
"Y-Yeah… I did say that to Minato."
"…Seriously?"
"Sorry, but we agreed on it, so maybe you guys can talk that out?"
"Damn it—I walked right into this!"
Takane clicked his tongue and slapped a palm to his forehead. He slumped over the desk, completely defeated, while Minato stood there looking like the true victor.
His smug smile was the first truly satisfied one—and it hit Takane right in the gut.
"Well, well… This is gonna be fun."
"Screw you, Minato!"
"Say what you want. Just remember—your punishment will scale with the trash you talk."
With that threat, the curses and grumbling fell silent. The classroom returned to its earlier, noisy-but-normal state. Minato nodded, satisfied.
"Good boy. If only that big mouth of yours was always this obedient."
Takane was fuming inside, but he had no choice. He'd spoken his word—now he had to face the hell Minato, his so-called best friend, was about to unleash.
But to be fair, Miyazaki Minato and Takamine Takan had known each other for over three years, ever since middle school. Outsiders might call them *best friends*, but behind the friendly exterior was a brutal rivalry full of pranks and traps. One's pain was the other's joy.
And after all this time, Takane knew exactly who Minato really was. That behind the innocent look was a vengeful mastermind.
Not that Takane was worried. This kind of punishment was basically a daily routine. These ridiculous "games" had been happening for years.
The rules changed, but the goal stayed the same: to make the other suffer through absurd challenges. Last time, Takane had won—and Minato's wallet had been drained in the most *creative* ways imaginable.
So now, Takane figured this punishment was Minato's way of 'getting even'.
And Minato, knowing Takane had no way out, let the smugness wash over him. He looked at Takane with a satisfied smirk, which made Takane scowl even harder.
But there was no way Takane would just sit there and take it. So instead of bowing his head, he tilted it up arrogantly and snapped:
"What are you staring at? It's just a punishment—how long are you gonna take deciding? Hurry the hell up already!"
"Oho, still got that big mouth, huh? You sure you don't wanna end up sneaking into the girls' locker room or something?"
"Cut the crap! I didn't see this punishment transfer coming, but we both know the rule: no forcing the loser to do anything too extreme or perverted. If you do, I have the right to refuse!"
"Tch. Still remember the rules, huh?"
"Just because I lost doesn't mean I have amnesia. So stop stalling. We've got class soon!"
"What's the rush? You're getting punished anyway."
Minato clicked his tongue and kept brainstorming. Takane leaned back, relaxing a little while waiting.
But little did he—or anyone—know, those brief moments of peace were about to end abruptly.
Because she arrived—the girl who would throw his peaceful life into chaos.
"Hey! The Goddess is here!"
She was the girl who made all the boys stop what they were doing and turn to stare—because of her ethereal beauty. "The Goddess" was the nickname they had lovingly given her, simply because she was too stunning to be real.
...