Ren usually stayed away from the back of the class — it was gamer territory, headphone central.
And in the very last seat by the window sat Rika Minami.
Short silver-blue hair, oversized hoodie, huge… well, personality. She barely spoke, always watching game streams or tapping away on her handheld console.
But that morning, something was off.
Her desk was empty.
Strange.
After school…
Ren headed to the library to return a borrowed novel. The place was quiet — except for a faint clicking sound coming from behind the last bookshelf.
Curious, he peeked around… and found Rika.
Sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding a controller, screen propped up against a book stand.
Ren blinked. "This is where you hide out?"
She didn't look up. "Shh. Boss fight."
He chuckled and sat down beside her. "You're seriously playing now?"
"I'm speedrunning. Important stuff."
He watched her fingers fly with precision. The final boss's HP drained rapidly. She defeated it with ease.
Rika set her controller down and finally looked at him.
"You're weirder than I thought."
"Huh?"
"Most people ignore me or say I'm creepy. But you just sit down like it's nothing."
Ren smiled. "You're not creepy. Just… quiet."
She looked away. "And maybe a little obsessed."
They both laughed softly.
Then, after a moment, Rika said something that caught him off guard.
"…Do you like me?"
Ren blinked. "What?"
"I said, do you like me. Yui likes you. Haruka clearly does. And Tachibana-senpai? She's halfway to marrying you."
Ren panicked. "I—wha—wait, how do you even know all this?!"
"I'm a gamer. I have observation stats maxed out."
He chuckled awkwardly. "I mean… I don't dislike you."
Rika leaned in. "Then I'll say it. I like you, Ren."
His eyes widened.
"I've been watching you since first year. Not in a stalker way—okay, maybe a little—but you were always kind, always helping people. No drama. No showing off. I like that."
She stood up, stuffed her console into her bag, and adjusted her hoodie.
"That's all. Game over. You're mine now."
And just like that, she walked off.
Ren sat frozen for several minutes.
Yui. Haruka. Emi. And now… Rika.
Was this… still his life?
Or had he been secretly transported into a dating sim without realizing it?