Chapter 3

"No way… this has to be a joke. There's no way the NPCs in the game are actually real!"

Sarah stared at the screen in disbelief, her eyes darting back and forth between it and the little girl standing in front of us.

Meanwhile, Coco just stood there, smiling sweetly, looking like the most normal kid you could ever meet.

"Big sister," she said, tilting her head innocently. "Did you find Coco's favorite thing yet? It's getting late, and Coco needs to go home. Hurry up and tell me, okay?"

I felt my hands tremble-not from fear, but from excitement.

I never thought I'd see them again-the friends who had been with me through the toughest five years of my life.

When Sword World shut down, it felt like I lost a piece of myself. All the people, the stories, the memories I'd invested everything into-gone in the blink of an eye. I just sat there, helpless, watching everything I worked for disappear overnight.

I still remember the shock of hearing the news. It was like someone punched me in the gut. I couldn't stop replaying it in my head, couldn't stop panicking about how I'd go on without them.

But now… now they were back.

Sure, this situation was weird-terrifying even-but I couldn't help feeling that spark of joy deep down.

Sarah's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Who the hell knows what she likes?" she sneered, glaring at Coco. "She's just some random NPC from the beginner's village. She barely even has a role in the game."

Then, suddenly, Sarah's face lit up with a new idea. Before I could even react, she grabbed my arm and shoved me forward.

"She knows!" Sarah shouted, pointing at me. "Ask her! She can tell you!"

And without missing a beat, Sarah slammed the dorm door shut behind me, her smirk visible through the small glass window.

"I'm not dying for this," she called out, her voice dripping with malice. "If anyone's getting stuck in this creepy mess, it's you."

She waved mockingly. "Besides, isn't this your thing? You've always been obsessed with NPCs and their stories. Time to put that ‘research' of yours to good use. Go on, Betty-this is your moment!"

Her tone was all too familiar-the same condescending crap she'd fed everyone when she called me "crazy" for treating NPCs like real people, the way she turned the whole class against me.

Fine, Sarah. If you want to play it like that, I'll play, too.

I turned to Coco, forcing myself to stay calm.

"Coco," I said softly, "I know what your favorite thing is. But can you promise me something after I tell you?"

She blinked, tilting her head in curiosity. "What is it, big sister?"

"You have to ask that big sister, too," I said, nodding toward Sarah through the window. "She really wants to answer your question, too."

Coco's eyes lit up. "Oh! Does that big sister want to play with me, too? Okay! But you have to go first! After you tell me, I'll ask her next!"

Behind the door, Sarah's smirk evaporated. Her face twisted into panic as she realized what I was doing. She started banging on the door with her fists.

"Betty, you bitch! You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? Just answer her and get it over with!"

Her voice was frantic now, practically screaming. "You're gonna get me in serious trouble! Damn it, Betty!"

I ignored her and leaned down, whispering into Coco's ear, my voice low enough that only she could hear.

"Coco loves the butcher's big cleaver, doesn't she?"

For a moment, Coco's eyes gleamed with something sharp and unsettling. Then, she let out a soft giggle.

"Wow, big sister, you really know a lot!" she said, clapping her hands together.

Behind the door, Sarah's banging got louder, her voice rising in pitch.

"What did you tell her?!" she screamed. "Betty, what the hell did you say?! You can't just leave me hanging like this!"

She was losing it now, her words coming out in a panicked jumble. "We're roommates! You can't just leave me to deal with this alone! Help me!"

But before I could say anything, Coco's cheerful voice rang out, cutting through the chaos.

"Hmmm… but you got it wrong!"

What?

I froze.

Sarah stopped yelling.

For a split second, everything was silent.