In an unknown year...
A girl jolted awake, sitting up in bed with a cold sweat clinging to her skin. She pulled off a futuristic VR helmet and wiped her forehead, breathing heavily. Her appearance was that of a girl with auburn-colored hair styled in a blunt bob cut. For accessories, she wore a green bow along with a hair clip shaped like a cat with cute eyes.
She sported a white shirt underneath a blue jacket with long white sleeves. Around her neck hung a black necklace holding a small glass bottle that contained dirt and a single sprout. She wore brown shorts with pockets, complemented by green and brown striped socks. Her outfit was completed with red shoes accented in white, as she continued to inhale and exhale repeatedly.
Before long, she stopped and grabbed the futuristic VR helmet, placing it back on her head as she laid down on her bed once more. Slowly, she closed her eyes, and in moments, her consciousness was transported into the vast and boundless expanse of the Virtual Net.
After a few moments later...
She materialized inside her personal Virtual Space, now appearing in her digital avatar—an unsurprising mirror of her real-world self. The only noticeable differences were in her clothing, color palette, and accessories. In the virtual world, her hair remained in a simple blunt bob cut, but with a neatly placed bow resting atop her head. She wore a crisp, white collared long-sleeved shirt with two buttons aligned in the center. Her outfit was completed with clean white shorts, ankle-length white socks, and polished black shoes that softly echoed against the sleek virtual floor.
Without hesitation, she approached one of the many floating bubbles hovering lazily in her space. This one was labeled "Virtual Paper School Server" in clear, glowing text. With a firm press, she clicked on it and waited to be transported there... any minute now...
Suddenly, five advertisements popped up around her, each one different in style and content but equally irritating in presence. She groaned, quickly swiping them away with sharp, practiced gestures. Just as she began to relax, two more ads materialized, blocking her view, followed closely by a captcha window. Her expression twisted in clear annoyance as she grumbled under her breath, reluctantly solving the captcha with practiced impatience.
—-----------------------
Meanwhile, in the Virtual Paper School Server...
Two individuals could be seen in the hallways, joyfully embracing each other in a warm and affectionate hug—one male and one female.
The female, whose username was simply Lana, appeared in her virtual avatar as a semi-pale, grey-skinned girl with long grey hair tied into a high ponytail, a curved cowlick standing out at the top. On both of her arms, she wore quirky sock puppets, each adorned with a pair of googly eyes that wobbled slightly with her movements. Her outfit consisted of a grey collared T-shirt layered over a long-sleeved black shirt. She wore dark-grey pants with black hems, visibly patched with a few stitches around the knees and hip dips. The look was completed with a pair of plain black shoes.
Meanwhile, the male—known by the username Abbie—had shoulder-length black hair, with a distinctive apple stem and leaf sprouting from the top of his head like a natural accessory. He wore a white, collared, short-sleeved shirt beneath a sleek, seamless black vest resembling a tuxedo, complete with a tucked-in tie. On the lower half, he sported white shorts, paired with clean white socks and classic black shoes. A faint sheen of sweat could be seen on his skin, and his eyes were small, slit-like black pupils that subtly reflected the light.
As their embrace lingered, Lana clung to Abbie with genuine relief, her arms tightening slightly as she looked up at him with a soft, happy expression.
"It's so good to have you back, Abbie," she said, her voice filled with emotion. "I still hate how long it takes... Twenty-five whole hours in the real world. It's just too long... You missed almost an entire day of lessons again."
In the Virtual Paper School Server, this delay wasn't a glitch but a strict system rule: any student who suffered a virtual death couldn't simply respawn. They were forced to wait a full twenty-five hours outside the virtual network before they could re-enter. It was a frustrating regulation, especially in an academic server like this one, where missing time often meant falling behind.
Abbie didn't say much in response, but his expression—though subtly drawn—was warm. A small, apologetic smile tugged at his lips. Though his face was slick with a faint sheen of nervous sweat, his slit-like black pupils held a glimmer of quiet contentment. The tension in his posture slowly eased within Lana's embrace.
Not far from them, just a short distance down the polished virtual hallway, two other students were quietly observing the heartfelt reunion.
One of them, known in the server by the username Engel, stood with a sheepish smile playing across his face. He rubbed the back of his neck, a slightly awkward but endearing habit of his. His virtual avatar had long, snow-white hair tied messily in a low ponytail, and perched on the right side of his head were two striking feathers—one a rich blue, the other a reddish-orange. His white collared shirt had two distinct stripes—one red and one blue—running along the left sleeve. Black overalls covered most of his torso and legs, blending seamlessly with the black coloration of his arms. His hands ended in four sharp, pointed fingers, and a small white tail swayed gently behind him. His legs were clad in blue-and-red striped leg warmers, and his black shoes had tiny, neat heels that clicked softly on the virtual floor.
Standing next to him was Bubbles, a quiet presence with a name as whimsical as her appearance. Her fluffy, cloud-like white hair fell to her shoulders, shaped in soft tufts that resembled actual bubbles. True to her name, she seemed to float with an airy presence. Her face lacked traditional features—no nose or mouth—but her eyes were unforgettable: the bottom half of each iris was a bright, watery blue, while the top was a deep black, with vivid white star-shaped pupils glowing in their centers. Atop her head sat two peculiar accessories—a pale yellow rubber duck and a blue toothbrush—balancing perfectly among the fluffy strands of her hair.
She wore a white, collared short-sleeved T-shirt beneath a black overall dress with a generously sized front pocket. A black wristband circled her left wrist, and her look was completed with white socks and shiny black shoes. Behind her, a large, fluffy white tail puffed out like a swirl of soap bubbles, bobbing gently as she shifted her weight.
Engel glanced at her and gave a slightly embarrassed chuckle.
"Looks like Lana tackled him again the second he reappeared," he said lightly, watching the scene unfold with a grin.
Bubbles blinked slowly, her starry eyes focused on the hugging pair. She gave a slow, subtle nod, her fluffy tail twitching slightly.
"Well," she said softly, her tone gentle and neutral, "it's kind of sweet."
Suddenly, Bubbles' tone shifted, turning flat and deadpan as her half-lidded, star-pupiled eyes fixated on Engel with a slow, piercing stare.
"But don't change the subject, Engel," she said plainly, her words now cutting with quiet bluntness. "You got all worked up over nothing when Claire had her first death on this server. Seriously, you really do get lost in the moment, don't you? I mean, come on!, we can obviously respawn as considering this is the Virtual Net."
Engel's sheepish smile returned full force as he chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head once again.
"Okay, okay," he admitted, lifting both hands in surrender. "I'll admit it, I did get caught up in the moment earlier. But can you blame me? Everything here is so realistic... Especially the gore." He paused, his brow furrowing as a sudden thought occurred to him. "Speaking of which, why is gore even turned on in an academic server?"
Bubbles gave a slow, indifferent shrug, her fluffy shoulders rising and falling lazily.
"Don't ask me," she replied in her usual soft voice, eyes drifting elsewhere for a second. "I'm just a student, same as you."
But then, her tone shifted again—this time laced with a bit of dry sarcasm and a sharp edge of sass. Her posture straightened slightly, and her voice lifted just enough to be mockingly playful.
"And about that realistic part? Oh sure, super realistic," she said, rolling her eyes in exaggerated fashion. "What with us being paperized... me being a sentient cloud... three of our head teachers walking around with black claws... and yeah, the respawning. Super realistic. Totally immersive."
She crossed her arms, her large bubble-like tail giving a puff as it bounced behind her, clearly unimpressed as she let the irony hang in the air.
Engel let out a quiet sigh at Bubbles' sarcastic jab, his shoulders slumping just slightly. He didn't argue, he knew better by now. Instead, he went silent, slipping into a thoughtful expression as his eyes wandered off. His fingers tapped lightly against his arm as he seemed to ponder something, lost in a brief, private moment of mental spiraling.
Bubbles raised an eyebrow, watching him carefully.
"What are you thinking right now, Engel?" she asked, her tone curious but mildly suspicious, her voice still carrying that dry, almost deadpan edge from earlier.
Engel blinked, snapping out of his thoughts as if just now remembering she was standing right there.
"It's nothing to worry about, Bubbles," he replied with a slightly forced grin. Then, as if eager to change the subject, he pointed ahead with a nod. "Oh, look. How about we go interrupt them? Looks like they've been hugging for quite some time."
Without waiting for a reply, Engel began strolling casually toward Lana and Abbie, who were still completely absorbed in their embrace. Bubbles gave a soft exhale and followed behind him, her fluffy tail bouncing gently with each step, trailing like a soft cloud in the digital air.
Meanwhile, back in Claire's personal Virtual Space...
Claire was on the verge of meltdown.
Her virtual self was practically foaming at the mouth, rage bubbling like code-driven steam around her avatar's head as she glared furiously in front of her. She had just finished solving the twenty-third captcha in a row—twenty-three!—each one more irritating than the last.
Her hands twitched from the repetitive motions, her eyes wild and unblinking as she clicked the final checkbox with a shaky breath. Surely, now she'd finally be allowed into the Virtual Paper School Server. She waited.
Then—ding.
A new notification popped up in front of her with mechanical cheerfulness:
"You still have to wait approximately 18 hours, 17 minutes, and 12 seconds and counting down to zero.
Please wait until the timer reaches zero to spawn back into the server.
Thank you for your reading, and we hope this clears up any misunderstanding!"
Claire stared at the notification in stunned silence.
And then something inside her snapped.
"WHAATTTTTT?!" she screamed, the word bursting from her throat with such force it echoed across her private
virtual space like an explosion, reverberating through the walls of her personalized virtual server.