“Hmph, it seems curly hair truly suits this young lady.”
Qing Bai raised her right hand, her slender, fair fingers twining around the fiery red curls draped over her shoulders.
Gazing at her reflection in the coffee shop’s window, she remarked with a touch of narcissism.
“Huh? Those two aren’t online?”
Perplexed, she glanced at the two grayed-out IDs in her party list.
“Leaving aside little Tian Jiu for a moment, it’s truly rare for Yan, that gaming addict, to be offline during such prime gaming hours, between four and five in the afternoon.”
As she pondered, she instinctively pulled up her friends list.
[Yan: Last Online: Five minutes ago.]
[Tian Jiu: Last Online: Five minutes ago.]
“Huh? These two actually logged off at the same time?”
Qing Bai’s brow furrowed in confusion, her keen senses immediately picking up that something wasn’t quite right.
‘Something’s fishy.’
Just as she was lost in her conjectures, Yan’s ‘Last Online’ status updated first, changing to six minutes ago.
****
After a prolonged internal struggle, Yan finally settled on a gift and now stood before the home of Liu Xuerou and her grandmother.
He nervously swallowed, attempting to quell his wildly pounding heart, before gently rapping on the slightly weathered wooden door.
“Knock, knock, knock.”
“Creak!”
The wooden door was abruptly flung open, as if someone had been waiting just behind it.
Yan was startled, finding himself speechless as he gazed at the petite figure beyond the threshold.
Leaning against the doorframe, Liu Xuerou’s face was flushed crimson as she parted her lips, seemingly on the verge of speaking, yet no sound escaped her.
She lowered her head once more, burying her face, unable to meet Yan’s gaze directly.
“Ah… well, you know…”
Yan scratched the back of his head, appearing utterly at a loss in the face of such an awkward situation.
After all, it had been several years since the two of them had managed to speak normally.
Liu Xuerou subtly raised her eyes, stealing a quick glance at him.
“Um… Liu Xuerou, I believe today is your eighteenth birthday.”
As he spoke, he produced a small box from behind his back.
“This is for you…”
Yan extended his hand, nervously presenting the small box to her.
“If you would, please accept it.”
He unconsciously lowered his head, his right hand, holding the gift, trembling ever so slightly.
Perhaps he was truly terrified of being rejected by Liu Xuerou, for no one wished to be disliked by a childhood friend they had grown up with.
Yet, ever since Liu Xuerou had secluded herself in that dim room, locking away her inner self, he had never again found the courage to speak to her, let alone offer comfort.
Had his own weakness and helplessness caused her to resent him? He felt utterly uncertain of the answer to that question.
“Tha…”
Liu Xuerou struggled to part her tightly sealed lips, her petite frame trembling slightly from nervousness, much like Yan’s, yet she managed to force out a sound.
“Tha… thank you.”
She extended both hands, taking the gift box from Yan’s trembling palm.
A sigh escaped him.
As the weight vanished from his hand, a long breath of relief escaped Yan’s chest.
‘At the very least, Liu Xuerou didn’t hate him.’
“Then… um…”
Liu Xuerou’s voice grew increasingly faint, the latter half of her offer, ‘would you like to come in and sit down,’ caught in her throat, unable to be uttered.
‘Perhaps, as she was now, only within the full-dive virtual game world could she muster the courage to interact with others.’
‘No, perhaps even within the game, she couldn’t naturally interact with others.’
‘The only one she could manage it with was ‘Yan’.’
Lost in her thoughts, she fell silent; countless words lay heavy in her heart, yearning to be spoken to Yan, who stood before her, yet none could escape.
She clenched her fists in distress, her not-so-long fingernails pricking faintly at her fair palms.
“Liu Xuerou, happy birthday.”
Yan made an effort to calm his nervous heart, smiling as he wished Liu Xuerou well.
His smile was identical to the sunny, warm smile of ‘Yan’ in the game, and as Liu Xuerou watched him, now smiling before her, she couldn’t help but be momentarily entranced.
It seemed that this smile had remained unchanged since a very long time ago; she recalled her childhood days, their innocent playfulness, and the pure, warm smile on his face.
“Mm… thank you.”
Her face flushed, and she averted her gaze.
“And also, if you don’t mind… if there’s anything painful or upsetting that’s happened these past few years, please tell me more about it in the future…”
“The truth is, I’ve always been worried about you…”
Yan gathered his courage, looking earnestly at the bowed head of Liu Xuerou.
“From now on, if there’s anything I can help with, don’t hesitate to call on me, alright?”
“Oh… mm.”
Liu Xuerou seemed not to have anticipated such words from him; she paused, momentarily stunned, and ripples of tenderness stirred in her downcast eyes.
“Don’t… don’t worry, I’m already fine…”
She lifted her face, striving to offer a smile.
“Well, if that’s the case…”
It seemed the courage he had just mustered had been fully expended, and Yan could no longer bear the tension and awkwardness of standing before her.
“The birthday gift has been delivered… so I’ll be going now.”
“Mm…”
It wasn’t just him; Liu Xuerou, too, seemed to have reached her limit; her taut nerves gradually relaxed, and she lowered her head once more, her soft, short hair falling from either side to obscure her vision.
!
Feeling a sudden weight settle on her hair, Liu Xuerou’s previously relaxed petite frame abruptly trembled, and then a familiar warmth surged through her heart.
It turned out Yan’s right hand had, once again, naughtily settled on the crown of her head, giving it a gentle ruffle.
Realizing what was happening, Liu Xuerou offered no resistance; the warmth of Yan’s palm permeated through her hair, and as she basked in this warmth, a faint, relaxed curve appeared at the corners of her lips.
“Well… I’m leaving now.”
Yan reluctantly withdrew his hand, giving her a small wave.
“Goodbye, Liu Xuerou.”
“If you’re willing, we can still play together like we did when we were kids; you’re always welcome to come over to my place and find me~”
With those words, he turned and departed.
Liu Xuerou stood rooted to the spot, watching blankly as Yan’s tall figure gradually disappeared into the depths of the alley.
‘What foolish things to say… you idiot.’
Liu Xuerou’s rapidly pounding heart gradually settled.
She walked with light steps back to her room, her gaze falling upon the full-dive helmet on her bedside table.
‘Aren’t we playing together right now?’
As she thought this, a wave of happiness washed over her; she curved her lips into a smile, placing the small gift box she held in both hands into a nearby drawer.
Then, gently, she placed the full-dive helmet onto her head.
****
“Ah~ here she comes, here she comes!”
The moment Tian Jiu logged online, she was startled by an excited voice beside her, causing her to turn her head.
It was Qing Bai, standing right behind her, leaning slightly closer to Tian Jiu’s shoulder, her gaze filled with a touch of confusion.
“Little Tian Jiu, why did you log off for a bit and then come back online? Did something happen in real life?”
“N-nothing… nothing at all…”
Tian Jiu offered a helpless smile, quickly changing the subject.
“Speaking of which, Big Sister Qing Bai, didn’t you say you had something to do in real life this afternoon, and might not be able to log on? How are you here now?”
“Oh, that? This young lady has already taken care of it, no need to worry.”
Qing Bai put her hands on her hips and chuckled twice; before she could finish basking in her triumph, another burst of blue light appeared beside her.
Yan’s figure gradually materialized before the two of them.
…
Qing Bai glanced at Tian Jiu, noting her evasive gaze, then turned her attention to Yan.
‘Stare…’
“Why are you staring at me like that?”
The moment Yan logged into the game, he was greeted by Qing Bai’s mischievous, smiling eyes, which couldn’t help but make him jump.
“Speak! What did you do while you were offline?”
Qing Bai demanded, pointing at Yan.
“Hey… what I do offline is none of your business, is it?”
Yan inexplicably felt a pang of guilt.
“Besides, isn’t it a bit overly impolite to pry excessively into someone’s real life within a full-dive virtual game?”
He retorted, as if on the offensive.
“That may be true, but this young lady is simply curious!”
Qing Bai puffed out her cheeks in annoyance.
“You and little Tian Jiu logged off almost simultaneously and then logged back on almost simultaneously. Do you two know each other in real life?”
Hearing Qing Bai’s probing question, Tian Jiu’s heart skipped a beat in alarm.
“H-how could that be?”
She stammered defensively, though her somewhat weak voice went largely unnoticed by the two of them.
“Huh? What are you saying? Tian Jiu logged off too just now?”
Yan looked at Tian Jiu, puzzled, seemingly awaiting her explanation.
“Ah… actually, it’s because I suddenly got a bit hungry, so I logged off to eat something…”
She bravely spun a lie.
“Huh? Didn’t you just eat a ton of virtual food and say you couldn’t eat anymore?”
Clearly, Yan wasn’t so easily fooled.
As she met Yan’s increasingly puzzled gaze, cold sweat began to trickle down Tian Jiu’s temples.
‘It’s over; it seems I can’t hide it anymore! Should I confess? That I am Liu Xuerou?’
Just as Tian Jiu was caught in this dilemma, Yan’s tone suddenly softened.
“Well, never mind. Didn’t I just say it’s not good to pry too much into someone’s real life? If Tian Jiu doesn’t want to talk about it, then we won’t press the issue.”
‘Phew… saved…’
Tian Jiu relaxed.
“I logged off just now to deliver something to a friend. As for why I came online at the same time as Tian Jiu, that’s just a simple coincidence, isn’t it?”
Yan turned and explained to Qing Bai.
“Hmph, is that so…”
Qing Bai grunted, seemingly not entirely convinced, but she dropped the matter nonetheless.
Tian Jiu felt completely relieved, returning to her usual ‘Tian Jiu’ persona.
‘No matter what, she and Yan had reunited, hadn’t they?’
‘Whether in real life or in the game…’
She stole a glance at Yan, a faint smile gracing her lips.
‘Perhaps she would confess when Liu Xuerou was finally able to communicate normally with Yan?’
‘For now, she still wished for the unfamiliar girl named ‘Tian Jiu’ to remain by Yan’s side for as long as possible…’