Alice smiled as she came back to Sana, carrying breakfast.
Sana smiled to himself, thinking, Maybe I'm just overthinking. "You haven't eaten yet, Alice?"
Alice blushed when her stomach let out a loud growl.
Sana chuckled. "You're so cute."
They were enjoying breakfast when suddenly a man appeared. His face was dark, eyes heavy with stress.
Sana recognized him immediately—Leto, Alice's father. But Alice didn't seem to remember him; he appeared so rarely that her memory of him had faded.
Alice's voice turned sharp. "You're here again. I already told you—you misunderstood me!"
The man looked heartbroken, then turned his gaze to Sana. "Thank you for saving my daughter," he said quietly.
Sana didn't know how to react.
Alice crossed her arms. "I wish my father would say things like that," she muttered.
Her voice grew harsher. "Hurry up and leave! You're a stranger in our space!"
Sana was shocked at her cruelty.
Leto shook his head, then pulled out his phone. At the same time, Alice's phone rang. Her face froze.
Sana gently held her hand. "Your mind is all over the place. Rest a bit before facing more painful truths." He sent a single, meaningful glance toward her father.
Leto understood immediately. "Thank you. I misunderstood… I'm sorry for my intrusion. I'll take my leave." He walked away.
Alice stood frozen. A wave of unease washed over Sana. "Hey… what's wrong? Tell me, please."
Alice's voice trembled. "Is that man… my… father?"
Sana softened. "I don't know… Do you not remember his face?"
Alice remained silent, lost in thought.
Sana tried to ease her mind. "You need to rest, Alice. Want to play something fun?"
Her face lit up. "Really? I've never played video games with anyone before! You… want to play with me?"
Sana smiled. "Yeah, I've played a lot, but I usually get bored after a while."
Alice tilted her head. "Why do you get bored?"
She grinned confidently. "I'll make you fall in love with gaming again." She held out her phone. "See? Genshin Impact!"
Sana blinked. "No way…"
Alice smiled. "So… you've played it before too?"
Sana ruffled his hair. "Yeah… but I lost my old account. Wait, let me check."
After a quick search, Sana found his old account—and sure enough, his old player character was on Alice's server.
Alice grinned. "You don't remember, huh? Must be that accident affecting you, USER."