Without any caution, she all of a sudden approached Midnight by storm.
And yes, slamming her hand, pinning him into the wall. Kabedon-style.
As if she was about to confess her love or something important
However, what came next definitely wasn't on Midnight's 2035 bingo list.
"Be honest with me..."
"You are a girl, aren't you?"
He froze, turned into stone.
No witty comeback. No deflection.
Just deafening silence.
A few seconds had passed.
He still didn't say anything.
Not because he was shocked.
Not really.
It was more like his brain had to buffer for a full second — like...
Is this really happening? Seriously? Out of all people, 'she' was the one who doxxed me?
But yeah. The truth is...
She was totally right.
Yes, I am that girl.
The Midnight herself.
Surprised? Yeah, me too.
Didn't expect to get exposed this early. Not before the game even started.
Which sucks, honestly.
I had way more tricks saved up in my sleeve before this crap happened.
I mean, I wasn't scared. But that never meant I was ready either.
Anyway, she was still staring. Waiting for the truth to come out of my mouth.
The way she said it — not accusing, it was just... certain.
As if she already knew. Like she was doing me a favor by saying it out loud.
I hated that. I hated how a part of me almost felt relieved.
So, what should I do? Telling this blonde chick the truth?
No way.
However, she kept looking at me, as if she was buying me some time.
Or more like enough rope to hang myself in an unlikely suicide.
To be honest, I could lie, too.
Plan A: Laugh it off, make a dumb joke, redirect. Pretend I didn't hear her correctly. Pretend she didn't mean it. Pretend like I hadn't rehearsed this exact scenario a hundred different ways in my head, every single one ending in silence.
Yes, all of these were more than possible to do.
But she didn't look like she wouldd buy it either.
No, she definitely wouldn't want to, seeing her eyes.
And I didn't feel like playing that so-called "Midnight" role right now.
So what was left?
Tell her the truth?
Drop the act entirely?
Hand it over, easily just like that?
No.
Too easy. Victory wouldn't be mine that way.
If she wanted an answer, she needed to earn it.
I looked at her hand against the wall, holding me there like I was something she needed to confirm.
Her face was calm. Cold. Collected.
The funny thing was, I didn't hate her anymore.
And that made it even worse.
Hold on—
Why wouldn't I?
Ah, forget it.
I mustered a voice so low, enough to pass her vibe check.
"And… what if I am?" I said, voice low.
Not quite a confession. Just a bluff to distract 'her.'
Or should I just go full all-out, dealing with the hard blow?
Heh, that would be hilarious.
"I'm not gonna tell anyone."
Oh, good.
Here comes a situation where you're not supposed to fight fire with fire.
Because you're supposed to extinguish it.
Or better yet...
Make it lit.
"Yes, I am. And well, what are you then? A femboy?"
The fire's already on the rooftop now.
I got you, you nerdy blonde chick.
Now go ahead — fire every weapon you've got.
I said it deadpan, with a smile just sharp enough to cut.
If she flinched, I didn't catch it.
I was too busy holding my ground as if I wasn't two seconds away from evaporating.
Her — or should I say his? — expression turned sour. She curled her lips.
"Said the desperate virgin gamer."
Wow. What's with that response?
So funny, I almost got cringed.
And you called that a comeback?
That was a 0/10 rage bait, dude.
"Try harder next time, Velvet."
A bluff slipped from my mouth. Smooth, but laced with something deadly.
Mind games are boring—maybe because I've already got them down to a science.
Even what Velvet-kun was doing right now… it's way too basic.
Childish, even. Wait—don't tell me he's underestimating me?
"Okay, so we're even now… interesting."
His lips curved, a faint smirk dancing on his face.
"How did you know?"
"Long story."
He leaned in toward my face—gracefully crossing into my personal space.
"Well then, I'd love to hear it," he said, once again in that maddeningly calm tone.
And wait a second—
Did I just forget something so painfully obvious in this whole interaction?
Oh right, of course. I never asked about the room. And if I were right about this...
I swear I'm gonna fry that dummy bear alive.
"Maybe next time. By the way, is this your room?"
I asked, pointing at the door—specifically at the number plate hanging there.
Room no. 037.
Akuma said there were 50 rooms in this hotel-like maze. Yeah, something like that.
The walls were yellow with brown batik trim near the base.
Honestly? A surprisingly tasteful aesthetic.
"Yeah, room number 37. Why?"
That's it. I'm roasting that shitty bear alive.
This coincidence was way too much of a coincidence.
Or no—more like, it was rigged from the start.
I let out the deepest sigh possible and said,
"Alright, guess there's nothing we can do. Let's just head in."
"And don't even think about touching my stuff—not even me.
Respect people's privacy."
I warned, tone low but flat.
He just rolled his eyes and muttered, "You say that as if I was raised without manners."
I didn't respond. Just turned away.
Then, without another word, I reached for—
Oh right. I didn't have a key.
"You don't need one," he said. "There were instructions. Just say 'open door' and—oh."
Suddenly, the door swung open.
And just like that, both of us—no, I—was left stunned.
Internally, I was screaming: God, I'm such an idiot, for not reading the screen instructions, only did right after he said that.
Without another word, we both stepped into the room.
It was dimly lit, with two royal king-sized beds inside.
Too big, too luxurious—definitely an overkill for a VR game.
"Close the door,"
Velvet-kun muttered as he slowly walked toward his bed and sat down.
"What are you standing there for? Waiting for an invite?" he said, catching me wide-eyed in disbelief as he casually flopped onto the mattress like it was nothing.
Snapping out of it, I walked toward the bed with a tag that read, 'This is for Midnight', and sat down.
Without any small talk, he cut right to the chase.
"Alright. Let's talk about something important for a second."
"Would you be willing to cooperate with me?"