C01

Chapter 1: The Best Way to Skip School

One hour of gaming a day.

Whoever first came out with that saying has definitely never played an MMORPG.

Daily quests that reset every day.

Limited-time events.

World bosses.

Raids.

Guild wars.

School is still happening tomorrow.

Game events won't wait for you.

No matter how you look at it, the priority is the game.

That's what I believe.

"...Alright."

6:45 AM.

Waking up before the alarm, I boot up the PC on my desk.

What projects onto the monitor is—Asterion Online.

Known as Asuon for short.

It's one of the country's largest MMORPGs celebrating its 5th anniversary, a game I've been playing since I was in middle school.

Today is the first day of the 5th-anniversary event.

"Quick and Easy Leveling"

Starting today, for one week, EXP gained is doubled, and item drop rates are doubled.

Next week, the 5th-anniversary event-limited guild all-out war will also begin.

Furthermore, the new map, "The Floating Continent of Oblivion," is unlocked, and a new equipment series, "Origin," is implemented.

Alongside the limited-time event, commemorative missions and limited avatars are running simultaneously.

It was a massive event that every player had been eagerly waiting for.

Upon logging in, the familiar guild home appears, and at the same time, the guild chat slowly starts to move.

The morning of the event's first day.

Members who woke up a little earlier than usual were spending a brief moment on Asuon before heading off to work or school.

◇

Koyori-chan: "Good morning~♪ It's the first day of the event~"

As if taking that single phrase as a signal, the usual faces gather in the guild chat.

Lord Gomez: "Everyone's early today. Figures, given it's the first day of the event."

Kahifu: "With double drops, a new map, and limited equipment, there's no way we can sleep♡"

Gonzaemon: "Dream chasers wake up early."

Koyori-chan: "What kind of dream is that~?♪"

Gonzaemon: "It's a job delivering smiles to children all over the world."

For a split second, the chat falls silent.

There was an atmosphere of "Here he goes again."

Lord Gomez: "That's admirable."

After replying with an air of admiration, he pauses for a second before continuing.

Lord Gomez: "...Good luck with your theater today."

Kahifu: "Gomez-chan, you're so sweet for actually playing along♡"

Koyori-chan: "Being a comedian sounds tough~♪"

Gonzaemon: "At least let me dream until the very end!!"

I couldn't help but chuckle.

Even though it was the morning of the event's first day, what started before any strategies were discussed was our usual idle chatter.

I can't help but smile.

It's the same old routine since morning.

I shift my gaze to the party list.

[Shigumin Logged In]

The clock reads 6:47 AM.

Less than an hour has passed since the event started, yet they're already holed up in a hunting ground. As serious as ever.

Shigumin: "Morn"

Leo: "Morn"

We've known each other for over three years.

We barely know anything about each other's real lives.

Even so, we've gone on raids, defeated bosses, and talked about stupid things.

All I know is that Shigumin is abnormally good at the game, and loves Asuon just as much as I do.

With it being the first day of the event, strategy talk begins to mix into the chat.

Koyori-chan: "Will Leo-kun be joining from tonight~?♪"

Leo: "I'll log straight in after school ends."

Gonzaemon: "Ah, students still have school even on the first day of an event, huh. If I were you, I'd be crying."

Kahifu: "Go enjoy your youth♡ ...Though I'd like to say that, for Leo-chan, raids are youth♡"

Leo: "It's weirder to have school on the first day of an event."

Gonzaemon: "I'll send a request to the management. A bug where logging in is delayed due to school lol"

Laughter immediately comes back.

These kinds of trivial exchanges were a regular occurrence in this guild.

Lord Gomez: "By the time Leo gets here, I'll have learned the layout of the new map. I'll secure any materials I pick up too."

Shigumin: "Gear upgrade."

Just a short phrase.

Even so, the meaning "I'll get preparations going" comes across loud and clear.

Leo: "I'll catch up by tonight."

Gonzaemon: "I feel like I hear that line every single event."

Lord Gomez: "Far from catching up, before you know it, you've overtaken us."

Kahifu: "Youth is a scary thing♡"

When night falls, everyone heads to the raid.

That was a promise understood by everyone without anyone needing to say it.

Koyori-chan: "Then everyone's gathering tonight~♪"

Kahifu: "Make sure you finish school properly before coming♡"

Suppressing the urge to keep going, I close the guild chat.

Truth be told, I wanted to participate in the event from the morning.

"Reo—breakfast is ready—"

Mom's voice echoes from downstairs.

"Coming."

Reluctantly, I press the log-out button.

If only school didn't exist.

That wasn't a thought I've had just once or twice.

◇

Private Hoshigaoka Academy High School, Year 2, Class A.

The very back of the classroom, by the window.

That's my seat, Reo Tachibana.

I don't talk to my classmates.

No one talks to me either.

And I've never had any trouble because of that.

Lunch breaks, moving classrooms, after school—I'm basically always alone.

The friends I play with are on Asuon.

I have no desire to increase my social circle out here in reality.

Homeroom ends, classes begin, and before I know it, it's noon.

Every time I look at the clock, all I think about is how many hours, minutes, and seconds are left until I can go home.

That was all that ever crossed my mind.

◇

Lunch break.

Having finished my bento box, I was heading toward the sparsely populated special building.

There's nothing special to do even if I stayed in the classroom.

I'll kill time until the next class while reading strategy articles or something.

As I walked down the corridor thinking about such things, laughter suddenly spilled out from an empty classroom.

Normally, I wouldn't pay it any mind.

However.

"Tachibana Reo is fine, right?"

Only my familiar name lingered in my ears.

I involuntarily stop in my tracks.

(...Me?)

It caught my attention just enough that I couldn't simply walk past.

I turn my gaze toward the classroom.

The door is about halfway open, and inside, several boys and girls are gathered around desks.

They seem to be talking while laughing.

"But Kujo-kun, is Tachibana-kun really okay?"

It was a girl's voice.

There was a hesitant ring to it.

"Tachibana is fine."

A boy leaning back in his chair chuckled lightly.

"He's quiet all the time and not the type to make a fuss. We just date for a few days, and at the end we say 'It was a punishment game' and it's over. No need to think that deeply about it, right?"

It was an absurdly casual tone.

It wasn't a malicious resolve to hurt someone.

It was as casual as telling a joke.

At those words, small chuckles leak from the surrounding group.

"That... might be true, but..."

The girl still looks uneasy and trails off.

Then, another girl leans over her desk.

"If we're going to do it, wouldn't it be more fun to see it all the way through? Since Kokona decided to do a fake confession as a punishment game, we should definitely make it look like they're really dating—it'll be way more hype! It's much more youth-like if we can look back and laugh at it later!"

The atmosphere in the room brightens slightly.

A few people laughed, saying, "I get that."

They looked like they were having fun.

More important than how the other person feels is whether they are having a blast.

An atmosphere like that envelops the classroom.

"Besides, Tachibana doesn't think a beauty like Kokona would ever confess to him, right?"

This time it was a somewhat cold girl's voice.

"Naturally, if someone like that suddenly confesses to you, you'd be ecstatic. That's why it's funny, right?"

She says it while laughing.

There's no sense of awareness that she's saying something bad.

She's simply voicing her own thoughts as if it's completely natural.

"Well..."

The boy gives a wry smile.

"Honestly, I do have some curiosity about how it'll turn out. Since things are this hyped up, it'd probably be more interesting to see it through to the end."

There was no vibe of trying to stop anyone.

Nor did anyone have a strong enough will to oppose it.

At the same time, no one was eager to stand at the center and push it forward themselves.

They just seemed to be going along with the biggest current in the room.

"...Still,"

A modest voice cuts in.

"...isn't it better to call off a fake confession? It'd be pitiful if Tachibana-kun actually takes it seriously..."

That voice didn't make it to the end.

"Kaho, you really are a worrywart."

A bright burst of laughter cuts over her.

"There's no need to think about it so dramatically! Just date for a few days and it's over, that's all!"

Laughter breaks out once more.

Not a single person tried to stop it seriously.

The atmosphere of the classroom has already been decided.

Make one person the butt of a joke.

Get everyone hyped together.

That's all there is to it.

I listened in silence.

Normally, perhaps...

You'd feel terrible.

You'd get angry.

But.

Inside my head, I line up the conditions one by one.

A fake confession.

Lovers for just a few days.

The reveal.

The possibility of a commotion at school.

And—a reason to skip school.

Everything connected into a single line.

(...I can use this.)

The other side intends to make a joke out of me.

In that case, I might as well exploit that situation.

What I wanted was a reason to stay away from school.

If they're going to provide that for me from their end, I'll use it without hesitation.

I quietly turn on my heel.

"Thank you."

A voice heard by no one softly dissolved into the hallway.