The atmosphere inside the Gaming Club had changed.
Only moments earlier, the room had been filled with the familiar sounds of practice. Controllers clicked rhythmically against desks, keyboards clattered beneath focused fingers, and the occasional groan of frustration mixed with laughter whenever someone made an obvious mistake.
"Retreat!" Ruko called while keeping his eyes fixed on the monitor.
Kana immediately backed away from the enemy tower.
"Okay!"
"Risa, rotate through the river."
"I'm already there."
As expected, Risa's response came before Ruko even finished giving the instruction.
Melodious slipped through the river brush and arrived just as the enemy jungler attempted to secure the objective.
Although her combo wasn't perfect, the timing was enough to force the opposing team to retreat.
"Nice," Ruko nodded.
"You were late on your second beat."
"I noticed," Risa replied calmly. "Approximately zero point three seconds."
"You'll get it."
She gave a small nod before making a note inside the notebook beside her keyboard.
Across the room, Hikari stretched her shoulders.
"I swear, every time I think we're improving, Risa discovers another mistake."
"I merely document reality."
Kana laughed.
"That's such a Risa answer."
Even Kazuha smiled.
For a brief moment...
The club felt peaceful.
Then—
The door slid open.
Everyone instinctively looked toward it.
Kazuha stood in the doorway.
She wasn't carrying her controller.
Instead, her phone remained tightly gripped in one hand.
Her expression alone caused the room to become quiet.
"...Everyone."
The smile disappeared from Kana's face.
"...President?"
Kazuha slowly walked into the room.
"I need everyone to stop practicing for a moment."
Even Ruko set his controller down.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The room fell silent.
Kazuha inhaled slowly before speaking.
"I just received confirmation from one of the teachers coordinating the exhibition match."
She hesitated.
"Our match against Ishika High..."
"...has become considerably more difficult."
Nobody interrupted.
Kana nervously asked,
"...What happened?"
Kazuha lowered her eyes toward her phone.
"Ishika High accepted a transfer student."
Ruko frowned.
"A transfer?"
She nodded.
"And..."
Her gaze shifted toward Ruko.
"...she'll be playing in the exhibition match."
Ruko's expression hardened.
"...Who?"
Kazuha answered quietly.
"Inori Nakai."
Silence.
Complete silence.
The room remained frozen.
Ruko's eyes widened ever so slightly.
"...Inori?"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
The name alone brought back memories.
Bright stadium lights.
Thousands of cheering fans.
The blue and silver jersey of Team Nerva.
Five players standing shoulder to shoulder before the World Championship Finals.
Among them...
A girl with vibrant orange hair wearing an effortless grin.
She always laughed before every match.
She always claimed the enemy marksman would regret queuing against her.
And somehow...
She always proved herself right.
"...You're serious?" Ruko finally asked.
Kazuha slowly nodded.
"I confirmed it twice."
Kana looked back and forth between the two.
"...Coach..."
"...Who is she?"
Ruko remained silent for several seconds.
Finally, he spoke.
"Inori Nakai..."
He folded his arms.
"...was Nerva's marksman."
Kana blinked.
"The Nerva?"
"The same one."
Ruko's expression became unusually serious.
"She wasn't just a professional player."
"She was one of the reasons we won the World Championship."
The weight of those words settled over everyone.
Hikari swallowed.
"...How strong is she?"
Ruko didn't answer immediately.
He searched for the right words.
"Inori doesn't play like most marksmen."
Everyone listened carefully.
"Most marksman players wait."
"They focus on farming."
"They avoid unnecessary risks until they have enough items."
He shook his head.
"Inori is different."
"She creates pressure without overcommitting."
"She knows exactly how much damage every hero on the map can deal."
"If you give her a tiny opening..."
"...she'll turn it into an advantage."
"If you give her an advantage..."
"...she'll turn it into control."
"And if she controls the pace of the game..."
He looked around the room.
"...you're already playing the match she wants."
Kana quietly gripped the edge of her chair.
"...She sounds terrifying."
"She is."
Risa adjusted her glasses.
"What are her weaknesses?"
Ruko became quiet.
That question...
Was much harder to answer.
He replayed dozens of matches in his mind.
Scrims.
Playoffs.
International tournaments.
Countless hours spent beside Inori.
He searched for a flaw.
Any flaw.
Finally—
He exhaled.
"...I honestly don't know."
That answer surprised everyone.
Hikari frowned.
"Not even one?"
Ruko slowly shook his head.
"I've played with her."
"I've practiced against her."
"I've watched her improve for years."
"If you asked me today how to beat Inori Nakai..."
He looked toward Kazuha.
"...I don't have an answer."
The room became quiet once again.
Kazuha remained seated in front of her monitor.
She understood exactly what Ruko wasn't saying.
Their marksman...
Would be facing one of the best marksmen he had ever known.
Ruko's thoughts drifted toward her.
Can Kazuha do it?
Can she stand against someone like Inori?
Before he could speak...
Kazuha gently smiled.
It wasn't the confident smile of someone certain of victory.
Nor was it the forced smile of someone pretending not to be afraid.
It was simply...
Determination.
"I'm sure..."
She looked around at everyone.
"...we'll find a way to beat her."
Her words weren't loud.
They weren't dramatic.
Yet somehow...
The tension inside the room eased.
Hikari smiled.
"...Yeah."
Kana clenched her fists.
"We've overcome impossible things already."
Risa closed her notebook.
"Then our probability of success remains above zero."
Kana laughed.
"That's your way of saying don't give up, isn't it?"
"...Correct."
The room slowly returned to practice.
Controllers clicked once more.
Strategies were tested.
Mistakes were made.
Corrections followed.
Outside...
The afternoon sun slowly dipped lower in the sky.
When practice finally ended, the hallways had already begun to empty.
Ruko slung his bag over his shoulder.
Beside him, Kazuha adjusted her own before smiling tiredly.
"...Let's head home."
The two of them walked through the school gates together.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
The cool evening breeze carried the scent of nearby restaurants as students dispersed in different directions.
Then—
Ruko suddenly stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
Across the street...
A familiar figure stepped through the entrance of a small café.
Orange hair.
He recognized it instantly.
"...No way."
Without another word—
Ruko broke into a run.
"Ruko?" Kazuha called in surprise.
He was already crossing the street.
Confused, Kazuha hurried after him, weaving through the crowd as they both raced toward the café.
Whatever—or whoever—Ruko had just seen...
It was important enough to make him forget everything else.
The small bell above the café door chimed softly as Ruko pushed it open.
The rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee drifted through the air, blending with the scent of baked pastries and warm bread. Soft instrumental music played through hidden speakers while conversations from scattered customers created a comfortable background hum.
Ruko's eyes immediately swept across the room.
He wasn't looking for an empty seat.
He was looking for one person.
A few seconds later, Kazuha hurried through the entrance behind him, slightly out of breath.
"R-Ruko..."
She rested a hand against her chest as she caught her breathing.
"You suddenly ran off..."
She looked at him with confusion.
"...What's going on?"
Instead of answering, Ruko quietly raised his hand.
"There."
Kazuha followed the direction of his finger.
Near the large window overlooking the street sat a group of five students wearing different school uniforms.
Three girls.
Two boys.
The embroidered crest on their blazers immediately caught her attention.
"Ishika High..."
Her voice fell into a whisper.
At the center of the table sat a young woman with striking orange hair tied into a loose ponytail.
She casually stirred her iced coffee while listening to the conversation around her.
Inori Nakai.
There was no mistaking her.
Even outside of the professional stage, she carried herself with the same relaxed confidence Ruko remembered.
She looked older than she had during their championship run.
More mature.
But her calm amber eyes hadn't changed.
Around her, the other Ishika players laughed loudly.
"I told you they'd never stand a chance."
One of the boys leaned back proudly in his chair.
"Our scrims this week were practically free wins."
A girl sitting beside him chuckled.
"I heard the rumors."
"They haven't won a proper match all year."
Another student snorted.
"And now they're supposed to play us?"
He laughed loudly enough that nearby customers briefly glanced in their direction.
"Poor guys."
"They're probably already preparing excuses."
The second girl crossed her arms with a confident grin.
"With Inori-senpai on our side, this exhibition won't even be interesting."
"We'll crush them before they know what happened."
The table erupted into laughter.
Only one person remained silent.
Inori.
She lifted her cup for a quiet sip but never joined the conversation.
She didn't laugh.
She didn't encourage them.
Nor did she stop them.
She simply listened in silence, her gaze wandering toward the café window.
"..."
Ruko stood motionless near the entrance.
His expression remained unreadable.
Kazuha looked toward him.
"...Ruko..."
He didn't respond.
His attention never left the orange-haired girl across the room.
Almost as if sensing someone watching her, Inori slowly turned her head.
Her eyes swept across the café.
For a brief moment...
They met Ruko's.
Time seemed to stop.
Her expression froze.
The cup in her hand remained suspended halfway to the table.
"..."
"..."
Recognition slowly spread across her face.
Her calm eyes widened ever so slightly.
"...Ruko?"
She spoke his name softly.
Yet in the suddenly quiet café, it was loud enough for everyone at the table to hear.
The laughter stopped.
Every Ishika player turned toward the café entrance.
Four pairs of unfamiliar eyes settled on the boy standing beside Kazuha.
The atmosphere changed in an instant.
The teasing smiles disappeared.
Curiosity replaced them.
Inori slowly stood from her chair, never taking her eyes off Ruko.
"...It's really you."
A faint smile, carrying equal parts surprise and nostalgia, appeared on her face.
"It has been a long time."
Beside him, Kazuha instinctively glanced between the two former teammates.
She had never seen Ruko look so completely caught off guard.
For the first time since joining the Gaming Club...
The past had walked directly into the present.