The city streets were already getting busy.
Cars rolled past the intersections, students walked toward school, and shop owners began opening their stores for the day. The air carried the faint smell of morning coffee and street food from nearby stalls.
Rio walked slightly ahead, her hands tucked inside the pockets of her jacket.
Ryota walked beside her, occasionally glancing around like someone seeing the world for the first time.
Which, in a way, he was.
After several minutes of walking in silence, Rio suddenly spoke.
"Ryota."
He looked at her.
"Yeah?"
Rio kept her eyes forward.
"Are you actually going to help me?"
Ryota blinked.
"…Help you?"
Rio nodded slightly.
"With Evermount."
Ryota didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Rio stopped walking.
Ryota nearly bumped into her.
She slowly turned toward him.
"Let me make something very clear."
Her voice was calm but serious.
"You saying yes doesn't mean I'm going to go out with you."
Ryota opened his mouth.
"And it definitely doesn't mean I'm going to marry you."
Ryota sighed.
"I figured."
Rio crossed her arms.
"I'm asking if you're willing to help me."
Ryota nodded again.
"Yes."
Rio studied his face carefully.
"…Why?"
Ryota shrugged.
"Well…"
He scratched his cheek thoughtfully.
"If I'm helping you…"
"…then you have to tell me what happened with you and Royal Knights."
Rio's eyes narrowed slightly.
"That was your old guild, right?"
Rio looked away for a moment.
The memories came back.
Reina's message.
Arclight's betrayal.
Fifteen years thrown away.
She exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah."
Ryota waited patiently.
Rio continued walking.
"Royal Knights was the strongest guild in Evermount."
"I joined them during the early years of the game."
"At first, everything was great."
She glanced down at the sidewalk as they walked.
"We cleared raids together."
"Discovered new dungeons."
"Fought world bosses."
Her voice became quieter.
"I trusted them."
Ryota stayed silent.
Rio continued.
"Then Arclight got engaged."
"Her name was Reina."
Her expression hardened.
"She hated the attention I was getting."
"The Silver War Goddess."
"The strongest female player."
"Every time someone mentioned Royal Knights…"
"They mentioned me."
Ryota frowned slightly.
"So she got jealous."
Rio nodded.
"She convinced Arclight to kick me out."
Ryota blinked.
"Just like that?"
Rio gave a small bitter laugh.
"Just like that."
"Fifteen years."
"Gone."
They walked in silence for a few seconds.
Then Ryota spoke.
"Well…"
Rio glanced at him.
"Starting today…"
He smiled.
"I'll stick by your side."
Rio stared at him.
"…Seriously?"
Ryota nodded.
"Yeah."
Rio rolled her eyes.
"A few compliments aren't going to get you anywhere in my heart."
Ryota laughed awkwardly.
"…Was that a compliment?"
Rio continued walking.
"That was cringe."
Ryota scratched his head.
"…Yeah, that sounded better in my head."
Rio sighed.
"But…"
She glanced at him briefly.
"…Thanks."
Ryota blinked.
Rio looked forward again.
"I appreciate you helping."
Ryota smiled.
"I should be thanking you."
Rio raised an eyebrow.
"…Why?"
Ryota shrugged.
"I have a home now."
He looked around at the busy streets.
"In this weird world."
Rio paused for a moment.
Then continued walking.
"…Don't get sentimental."
Ryota laughed softly.
"Too late."
A few minutes later they reached the gaming district.
Large posters covered the buildings.
Bright advertisements flashed on giant screens.
Everywhere they looked there were banners showing the same title.
EVERMOUNT — THE NEXT GENERATION VR EXPERIENCE
Crowds gathered outside electronics stores.
People were already lining up even though the game released in a week.
Rio and Ryota entered one of the biggest game shops in the district.
The store was packed.
Gamers were everywhere, talking excitedly about Evermount.
Rio walked straight toward the VR section.
But the moment she saw the price tag—
She froze.
"…What?"
Ryota looked over her shoulder.
"What's wrong?"
Rio pointed at the display.
The price of the VR headset glowed brightly on the sign.
Her eyes widened.
"…That's double."
Ryota blinked.
"…Double what?"
Rio frowned.
"In my last life, the headset wasn't this expensive."
Then realization hit her.
"The hype…"
Ryota tilted his head.
"Hype?"
Rio nodded slowly.
"Evermount's popularity must have pushed the demand up."
More people wanted the headset.
So the price went up.
Rio clenched her fists.
"…Damn it."
She quickly counted the money in her wallet.
Her heart sank.
"…I can barely afford one."
Ryota looked at her.
"What about two?"
Rio shook her head.
"Not even close."
Ryota thought for a moment.
Then suddenly pointed toward the front of the store.
"Hey."
Rio looked up.
A crowd had gathered around a small stage inside the shop.
A staff member was holding a microphone.
"Attention everyone!"
The employee raised a VR headset in the air.
"To celebrate the upcoming release of Evermount…"
The crowd grew louder.
"We're holding a quick competition!"
Cheers erupted.
"The winner…"
He lifted the headset higher.
"…gets a FREE VR set!"
The crowd exploded with excitement.
Rio's eyes widened.
Ryota slowly smiled.
"Well…"
He rolled up his sleeves slightly.
"…Guess I'll try my luck."
Rio looked at him.
"You're serious?"
Ryota nodded.
"Yeah."
He stepped toward the stage.
"If the odds are against us…"
He glanced back at her with a grin.
"…then I'll just beat the odds."
And with that—
Ryota walked straight into the competition line.
The crowd inside the game shop grew louder as more people gathered around the small stage.
Rio stood near the back, arms crossed tightly.
Ryota had already joined the line of contestants.
She watched him nervously.
What is he thinking…
There were easily thirty people participating.
Thirty competitors for one VR headset.
The odds were already terrible.
Rio sighed.
"This better not be something stupid…"
A staff member stepped forward with a microphone.
"Alright everyone!"
The room quieted slightly.
"For today's event, we're going to keep things simple!"
He gestured toward a table beside him.
On top of it were several small boxes and a large digital board.
"This will be a luck-based competition!"
Rio froze.
"…What?"
The employee continued enthusiastically.
"Each contestant will draw a number from the box! The highest numbers will advance to the next round!"
The crowd murmured excitedly.
But Rio felt a cold chill run down her spine.
Luck…
Her face slowly twitched.
It's a luck game.
Which meant—
Skill didn't matter.
Strategy didn't matter.
Everything depended on random chance.
Rio looked at Ryota standing calmly in the line.
Her thoughts screamed internally.
This is bad.
The odds are already terrible.
And now it's completely random.
She sighed.
The odds were already low…
Now they're basically nonexistent.
The contestants began drawing numbers one by one.
The staff member called them out.
"Twenty-two!"
"Seven!"
"Forty!"
"Fifteen!"
People cheered and groaned depending on their luck.
Rio tapped her foot impatiently.
Then—
"Next!"
Ryota stepped forward.
He casually reached into the box.
Rio held her breath.
He pulled out a small folded slip of paper.
The employee opened it.
His eyebrows lifted slightly.
"Thirty-nine!"
The crowd reacted.
"Whoa!"
"That's high!"
"Nice draw!"
Rio blinked.
"…Huh?"
The employee nodded.
"Thirty-nine advances to the next round!"
Rio stared.
Wait.
That's actually good.
The first round continued until all contestants had drawn numbers.
After the results were tallied—
The employee announced the finalists.
"Alright everyone!"
He pointed to the stage.
"The top four contestants will now move on to the final round!"
Rio leaned forward slightly.
Her eyes widened.
"…Wait."
Ryota was standing there.
Top four.
Rio blinked several times.
He actually made it…
She stared at him.
Out of thirty people?
Ryota casually waved at her from the stage.
Rio quickly looked away, pretending she wasn't impressed.
Don't celebrate yet.
The final round could still ruin everything.
The employee raised his microphone again.
"For the final round…"
He held up a small coin.
"We'll be playing a simple game of chance."
The crowd leaned in.
"Each finalist must choose Odd or Even."
He flipped the coin in the air.
"The result decides the winner!"
Rio almost choked.
That's it?!
A pure 50/50.
Her internal screaming returned.
This is terrible.
There's no strategy at all.
She glanced at Ryota.
He looked completely relaxed.
Rio mentally groaned.
The odds were already low…
The finalists made their choices.
Ryota thought for a second.
Then calmly said—
"Odd."
The employee nodded.
"Alright!"
The entire store watched as the coin flipped high into the air.
Time seemed to slow.
Rio stared intensely.
The coin spun.
Higher.
Higher.
Then it dropped onto the table.
The employee leaned forward to check the result.
Then he smiled.
"Odd!"
The crowd erupted.
"WE HAVE A WINNER!"
Rio's brain stopped.
"…What?"
Ryota blinked.
"…Huh?"
The employee raised his hand.
"Congratulations!"
"You've won a FREE VR headset!"
The crowd clapped.
Some people groaned in disappointment.
Ryota stood there processing what just happened.
Then he slowly looked toward Rio.
He raised the box containing the VR headset.
His expression was unbelievably proud.
Rio stared back at him.
"…You're kidding me."
A few minutes later the excitement died down.
Rio and Ryota walked to the cashier.
They now had one free VR headset.
Rio used her remaining money to buy the second one.
The cashier packed both boxes carefully.
"Enjoy Evermount!"
They walked out of the store carrying the large packages.
The afternoon sun shined brightly above the city.
Ryota walked beside her.
"…So."
He grinned.
"Did I beat the odds?"
Rio stared at him.
"…Yeah."
They walked home quietly.
When they finally reached Rio's house, she placed the VR boxes on the living room table.
Then she looked at him.
For a long moment she said nothing.
Ryota tilted his head.
"…What?"
Rio sighed.
"…I'm sorry."
Ryota blinked.
"Huh?"
Rio crossed her arms.
"I doubted your luck."
Ryota laughed.
"Well, you weren't wrong."
"That was pure luck."
Rio studied him quietly.
Maybe…
Luck like that could actually matter in Evermount.
She continued staring at him.
Ryota started to feel awkward.
"…Why are you looking at me like that?"
Rio opened her mouth to respond—
But suddenly—
CRUNCH
The sound of a car driving over gravel came from outside.
Rio froze.
Her eyes widened.
"…Oh no."
Ryota blinked.
"What?"
Rio slowly turned toward the window.
Through the curtains she saw a familiar car pulling into the driveway.
Her face went pale.
"…My mom's home."