Mirae ran through the hallway and up the stairs, her footsteps echoing loudly.
She had only read Jun Rui's message sent last night this morning when she woke up. By the time she checked the clock, it was already 9:00 AM—only an hour left before their meeting.
'Really… I've only been living in the City for several months and I've already picked up bad habits like waking up late,' Mirae scolded herself as she ran.
In her panic, she didn't bother to knock.
The clubroom door burst open.
"I'm sorry I'm late!"
Only then did her body catch up with her. Her heart was racing, her chest tight as she struggled to breathe.
Feeling weak, she bent forward and put her hands on her knees, head lowered, eyes squeezed shut—almost like she was bowing.
"Tsk."
"What a mess. If you'd just told me where you live," Castiel said as he walked over, "you wouldn't look this awful right now."
Before Mirae could respond, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the sofa, pushing her down onto it.
He sat beside her, then reached for the tea set Celestine had prepared for herself, on the center table.
Celestine, who had been calmly sipping her tea, paused.
Her eyes sharpened when Castiel grabbed her teapot and an unused teacup without much care and without asking permission. She didn't stop him but she spoke up anyway.
"Manners, Castiel."
He froze.
At his twin's calm voice, Castiel slowed down immediately. He adjusted his grip and carefully poured the tea, following the rules their etiquette teacher had drilled into him.
"Thank you," Mirae said softly, taking the cup with both hands and sipping slowly.
Celestine's eyes lingered on her—not on her face, but on how she drank. It wasn't very proper. Still, she didn't comment.
Castiel quietly let out a sigh of relief.
Once her breathing settled, Mirae finally looked around the room.
There were only three people there.
"The others?" she asked.
"Ryū isn't here yet, and Seojin's in the pantry," Castiel replied. Then he paused.
'—and the president is eating his snacks,' Mirae's mind filled in automatically.
"And the president," Castiel continued, "isn't here either."
"What?" Mirae blurted out, staring at him in shock.
Castiel glared at her, clearly annoyed that she didn't believe him right away.
"You can check for yourself," he said, turning away. "Hmph."
Mirae stood up to check and walked to the pantry, greeting Seojin with a quiet 'good morning,' which he returned with the same polite tone.
She checked the other rooms as well, peeking into each one carefully.
In the end, she had to accept it—she really didn't see the president anywhere in the clubroom.
This was the first time it happened. And it feels weird.
Did something happen to him?
***
Did something happen to Jun Rui?
If there was a starting point, it was probably the 'bait' he had casually thrown at Noa the night before.
[ "—I'll share my snacks with you, let you play with my hair, and you have the privilege to go wherever I go." ]
At the time, he hadn't thought much of it.
Now, he was simply reaping what he had sown.
Jun Rui didn't know when Noa had ended up on his back.
He didn't feel any real weight—only the warmth of her body, her arms loosely wrapped around his shoulders, her cheek resting against his neck. Her breathing was slow and even.
He had just arrived at school and was walking toward the clubroom building.
The lobby wall was made of glass. As they passed by, Jun Rui caught their reflection.
For a moment, he thought he looked tall. Really tall. Like he had suddenly grown to six feet.
Then he blinked.
The illusion vanished.
Even with Noa on his back, he was still his usual height—barely five feet, maybe three inches taller if Noa's sitting height in his back was added.
Well. She was shorter than him.
Jun Rui yawned and tilted his head slightly, nudging Noa where her forehead rested against his neck.
"Hey," he murmured. "You awake?"
Noa hummed softly in response, but her eyes didn't open.
"Since you're awake," Jun Rui continued, "do you still remember what I told you last night?"
"…About what?" Noa asked sleepily.
"About what you should do when we go to a strange world."
"What's a strange world?" she asked, her voice muffled against his shoulder.
"It's a foreign space," Jun Rui replied. "A place where strange things happen. It's where we play."
"How do we go there?" Noa asked.
"Answer me," Jun Rui said lightly. "I'm testing you."
"…First," Noa said after a pause, "someone needs a key. And there have to be seven members to activate Strange World Collections."
"What's Strange World Collections?" Jun Rui asked.
"It's a medium," Noa replied. "A book. It lets us enter strange worlds… and it records the worlds we've been to."
"If you don't want to play anymore," Jun Rui asked quietly, "what will you do?"
Noa shifted slightly on his back. "Playing is voluntary. But if you keep playing… I won't quit."
"Tsk. Flatterer," Jun Rui muttered. "Okay. Then how do we survive?"
"First, maintain SAN," Noa answered obediently. "Don't panic. Don't be afraid of weird things. The anomalies there are natives—we call them NPCs. We should do what the Romans do."
"Second?"
"Always follow the rules."
"Third?"
"Complete the mission."
Jun Rui nodded, satisfied.
"In the early stage," he said, "the system teleports us to random places. What happens then?"
"For a while, we survive alone," Noa replied. "Later, we can look for teammates."
"And during safe periods?" Jun Rui pressed.
"The group chat opens," Noa said. "We can contact each other and exchange information."
"You need to update me every time," Jun Rui added. "Remember that."
"Hmm…"
"As you know," Jun Rui continued, "we've only cleared six strange worlds since I found Strange World Collections three months ago. We could go twice a week in strange worlds—but because we keep losing 7th members, we spend more time recruiting."
Noa stayed quiet, listening.
"We'll talk about the rest after you clear your first world and reach Level 2," Jun Rui said. "You might get an awakening crystal as a reward."
"Okay…" Noa murmured. "Juri…"
Jun Rui paused mid-step.
But Noa had already fallen asleep again.
Why did the two of them look so tired, like they hadn't slept at all?
Well… it was Jun Rui's fault.
Last night, after he had prepared a room for Noa to sleep in, he had casually handed her a comic to pass the time. He hadn't thought much of it.
Who would've guessed it was Noa's first time reading a comic?
She got hooked almost immediately—and once she started, she didn't stop. One volume turned into two, then three, until she ended up binge-reading the entire series.
Jun Rui sighed softly and yawned, finally arriving at the clubroom.
When Jun Rui entered the clubroom, he saw that all his members were already there.
Celestine was seated alone on the single sofa, quietly reading.
Mirae and Castiel sat close together on another sofa, both focused on their phones—no doubt Castiel had dragged her into playing a MOBA game with him again.
Ryū was doing push-ups in the corner while Seojin sat at the other sofa, furiously typing away on his laptop.
"You're finally here, Ju—"
Celestine stopped mid-sentence.
She straightened slightly and lifted her gaze to Jun Rui, her expression turning sharp and serious. The look on her face clearly said, 'Who are you? And how dare you pretend to be Jun Rui?'
The first to notice her strange silence was Seojin.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, and when he saw a crack appear on her usually aloof face, curiosity got the better of him. He looked toward the door—
And froze.
"…What?"
"Hi, guys~"
Jun Rui didn't seem to care about their reactions at all. He walked straight toward his desk.
Ryū stopped his push-ups and stood up when Jun Rui passed by—but then he, too, froze in place.
"Hey, Noa. Sit on my lap," Jun Rui said casually as he sat down.
Celestine blinked.
In that single blink, the girl who had been on Jun Rui's back was now sitting on his lap.
She yawned, rubbed her eyes, and slowly looked around the room with quiet curiosity.
Her gaze met Mirae's.
Mirae had only looked up because she heard the words 'sit on my lap' and wanted to confirm she hadn't misheard.
And then she saw her.
Her mysterious best friend.
On the president's lap.
"No—Noa?!"
"Hey, focus! Use your ult on me—"
Castiel's words fell on deaf ears as Mirae suddenly sprang up and rushed to Jun Rui's side.
"You're Noa, right!" Mirae cried, grabbing Noa's hands. "I.. I finally remembered you! Is.. is this for real?"
She pulled Noa into a tight hug.
"There, there," Noa said softly, patting Mirae's hair.
Mirae hugged her even tighter.
"Oh," Noa said, eyes widening slightly. "Soft."
Castiel's ears practically perked up.
His eyes snapped toward them, burning.
"Who is she?!" Castiel roared, as if he had just caught his girlfriend cheating on him. "Why are you hugging her?!"
"Hello! I'm Noa—"
"I'm not talking to you!"
"Oh."
"Castiel Roux!"
Mirae turned sharply, baring her fangs for the first time. She pulled Noa behind her back, shielding her like a mother hen.
"Don't you dare speak to her like that!"
Castiel stared at Mirae in disbelief.
His expression clearly said, 'How dare you talk back at me like this? And for that girl? So, you're choosing her over me?'
Ryū, Celestine, and Seojin silently watched the chaos unfold. Their gazes bounced between the two girls clinging to each other and Castiel, face pale, and eyes blazing with complex emotion.
And lastly, Jun Rui, who was calmly eating his snacks while also watching Castiel with open interest.
"I never thought he could have this much emotion," Celestine whispered to the person beside her, Seojin.
Then, as if suddenly remembering something far more important, she added, "By the way, do you have anything to eat?"
Seojin glanced at her. Without a word, he reached into his bag, took out a few snacks, and handed them to her.
Almost at the same time, Ryū stepped forward and offered her some of his as well.
Celestine smiled at him in thanks.
Once her attention shifted fully to the snacks, Ryū and Seojin exchanged a sharp glare.
Celestine, meanwhile, watched her twin from the corner of her eye. She waited patiently for what Castiel would say next.
But he didn't say anything more.
He just stared at Mirae.
But his expression screamed everything he refused to put into words.
'How could you betray me? I thought I was the only one. Then who is that girl in your arms?'
Mirae didn't back down. She also stared at him defiantly and it's her first time she did this to him.
Castiel suddenly wants to burn the world because, 'if I can't have her no one can.'
"Okay. That's enough."
Jun Rui's calm voice cut through the tension.
He placed a plain white book on top of his desk.
It's the Strange Worlds Collection!
The moment they saw it, everyone moved instinctively toward him.
For Jun Rui to take it out now could only mean one thing.
They were finally going to challenge the next strange world.
So the mysterious girl he had brought back—
"Remember this," Jun Rui said. "Her name is Noa Ark. From now on, she's our final 7th member."
'Final?'
The word immediately caught their attention.
Their gazes shifted to Noa again, quietly studying her, trying to see what had made the president so confident that she wouldn't be like the former 7ths.
"Noa," Jun Rui said, "put your hand on the Strange World Collections."
Noa did as told.
"Close your eyes," he continued. "Did you see it?"
Noa nodded.
[ The Strange World Collections detected your desire to bind. Qualification Test initiating… ]
[ Sanity: 100
Willingness: 100
Survivability: 50
Compatibility: 100
Spirit: 100
Evaluation: Perfect. Ready for binding. ]
[ Binding Complete. ]
[ Player Profile Creating… ]
[ No#: 7
Name: Noa
EXP: 0/100
LVL: 0
SAN: 100/100
HP: 100/100 ]
[ Welcome to Strange Worlds! ]
[ New Player Gift: Key *1, Awakening Crystal *1, Mysterious Book *1 ]
[ Loading… ]
[ Strange Club members: 7/7
Keys: 7/7 ]
[ Strange World Portal requirements have been met for activation. Do you want to activate the Portal? ]
An option of Yes or No appeared in front of Jun Rui.
[ Yes. ]
[ Loading… ]
[ A random Strange World has been chosen. ]
[ Strange World: Frozen Kingdom ]
[ Teleporting in three… two… one. ]