[It was. You were just too absent-minded to notice.]
"Yeah, right," I muttered.
Something's definitely wrong with me.
No matter how much I think about it, this isn't normal. Could this be a side effect of my memory being wiped? I keep losing focus, drifting between thoughts like I'm not fully tethered to reality.
[...]
'What's wrong? Cat got your tongue, you bastard?'
Silence.
"Wait... really?"
I knew it. This has to be a side effect of whatever they did to me.
Anyway.
The "Graphto Watch" wasn't all that impressive at first glance—at least, not superficially. It looked like just a watch. Kind of.
[It's more than a watch. It helps the collar transmit signals, tracks your location, contains your profile, power levels, personal data... and much more.]
'WHAT?!'
This small thing does all of that?
[Yes. That's why you can't take it off.]
I turned it over, searching for some way to remove it. Nothing. It was sealed tight, fused to my wrist like it had always been there.
"That's all for now! Oh, wait—there's one more thing!" The voice boomed through the speakers before bursting into manic laughter that lasted a full ten minutes. When it finally died down, he added in a crazed, gleeful tone: "EVERYONE—EXCEPT YOUR FELLOW TEAMMATES—IS FAIR GAME!"
The massive doors swung open.
No one needed further explanation. We all understood perfectly.
No one was safe.
Some people smiled at that.
Now, inside the building, I took a deep breath.
Damn. I wasn't expecting this.
Fluorescent lights lined the ceiling in strategic arrangements, bathing the entire space in cold, brilliant light. But that was just the beginning. Rows upon rows of what I assumed to be VR pods filled every inch of the room—sleek, black machines humming with barely contained energy. This was only the first floor, yet there were enough pods for the ridiculous number of students gathered here.
Impressive.
"Form your teams now," Wilston announced, his grin sharp enough to cut. "We won't interfere with the process." That grin gave me a bad feeling. "Afterward, register your team and proceed to your assigned pods, which will be linked to your ID number on the Graphto Watch. Now—begin."
Chaos erupted.
People scrambled in every direction, desperate to form alliances with anyone strong enough to keep them alive. Voices overlapped, deals were struck in seconds, and the weak latched onto the strong like their lives depended on it.
Because they did.
I froze in place.
Two figures were walking straight toward me—people I never expected to approach.
"Jayden...?" I raised an eyebrow.
"So... want to team up?" he asked with that easy grin of his.
But I wasn't focused on him.
No.
It was the girl behind him that caught my attention. Pink hair, lustrous and cut just above her shoulders. Blue eyes that looked innocent enough at first glance but carried something sharper underneath. She was petite, maybe a bit lacking in certain areas, but more than made up for it everywhere else.
And then it hit me.
OH MY GOD.
I can't believe it.
I CAN'T BELIEVE IT.
The answer had been staring me in the face this entire time, and I never saw it.
Anna.
This psychotic girl was the reason for my repeated deaths.
Pink hair. Blue eyes. She fit the description perfectly. This was the girl responsible for all my suffering—every single time I died in that loop, it was because of her. And why? Because I accidentally brushed hands with the protagonist a few times.
How foolish I've been.
Anna was Jayden's childhood friend. They'd known each other since their very first day at Terium Nexus.
But that's not the problem.
The problem is she's completely unhinged.
She has this tendency to snap whenever anything—or anyone—involves Jayden. In the game, she was behind several mysterious deaths, but she only targeted the weak. People who couldn't fight back. People no one would miss.
People like me.
I AM THE WEAK.
I SCREAM WEAK.
No wonder she kept coming after me. I was probably an easy kill in her eyes—disposable, forgettable.
I still can't believe it. I died just because I accidentally brushed hands with that idiot Jayden.
I'm not letting this slide.
I'll definitely get my revenge for all the trauma she's put me through.
But first things first.
"Sorry," I said, flashing a polite smile as I sidestepped Jayden before he could respond. "I've already made plans with someone."
I moved past them quickly, weaving into the crowd.
But I felt it.
That piercing gaze, drilling holes into my back like a blade pressed against my spine.
Damn.
Which one of them is it now?