Star/Rose 💕

➤ YOU BARELY REMEMBER FALLING ASLEEP, but you do remember logging off. Saying good night to everyone in the VC before closing discord. The light from your monitor flickering off as you turned your pc off. Everything just had you buzzing with excitement. Being invited to that guild, the raid clear, Gojo's laughter every time you wiped, and Choso never leaving your side. You don't think you've had as much fun playing Sins of Valor as you did tonight.

You carried that high the next morning you woke up.

You did regret staying up way too late last night, but that didn't stop the buzz in your body. You got out of bed way too quickly for someone who hates waking up in the morning. You threw your work uniform on and rushed out the door to your bus stop.

Your phone buzzes with discord notifications, but you don't check them until you get off the bus and inside the café, where you work. You pull out your phone in the break room while you check the messages in the new discord you were invited to.

There was a flood of @'s and replies to his announcement in the general chat. Some names you recognized from the raid last night, while others you didn't. Last Save Point wasn't a huge guild per se, but it did have a decent amount of people in the server. You smiled and sent out a quick thank-you message before tucking your phone into your apron pocket and clocking in for the morning.

"You seem extra giddy this morning. What happened in Sins of Violence last night?" Your coworker Nobara asks.

She started a few months after you and is still in high school, but she honestly carries herself like an adult. Working afternoons and weekends, balancing work and school.. somehow. You're still not sure how she does it. At first, you two didn't talk much, but you had your first real conversation when you were explaining a frustrating raid night to a now ex-coworker who played the game casually. Nobara, who didn't really play any other games besides The Sims and Mario Cart, was obsessed. Listening like it was a drama.

“So you died because your tank refused to take aggro?” she asked, jaw slightly dropped. “Yep,” you said, wiping down the espresso bar. “Instant wipe. Whole raid gone.” “That’s so toxic,” she said, dead serious. “I’d uninstall the whole game.”

From then on, Nobara would always ask about what's going on in your game.

"It's Sins of Valor" You corrected, "and uh, nothing much. Just got invited to a new discord.. and a guild. Cho and I also cleared that raid we've been struggling on, finally."

"Woah, that's huge! You've been mentioning how Cho and you have been looking for one, right?" Nobara replies quickly. You nod your head in reply, grabbing a clean rag and wiping down the tables while you chatted.

"Yeah, it was so cool. They invited us after we completed the raid with them." You explain.

Nobara starts wiping all the cups clean, "Sooo, you have to tell me about them then! Are they weird? Are they hot? Are you the main character in a drama now?" She wiggles her eyebrows at the last part like she already knows the answer.

You chuckle, pushing chairs into place at the front tables before heading behind the counter to help with prepping syrups and drink mixes for the day. "No, nothing like that. If they were weird, I wouldn't have joined."

"So you admit that they're hot?" She fires back immediately.

You laugh again, shaking your head. "I didn't say that either! I don't even know what any of them look like, only their characters."

Nobara lets out a dramatic gasp, "That is peak fan fiction energy."

"It's real life, not a story"

"Says the girl who got recruited into a guild after showing off her cracked gaming skills," She teases with a hip bump.

You shrug, "Okay, maybe it's a little like a story. For you, at least."

Nobara then sets down the cup she is wiping and turns around to fully face you, leaning against the counter like she is ready for some tea to spill, "Alright, Who's in the guild. I want details"

You laugh but give in. "Alright. Full party from the raid. There were eight people, including Cho and I." You start counting on your fingers, trying to recall who was all there. "Okay, first off. Satoruwu aka Gojo. He was the Raid leader. He is a celestial, plays a broken ranged DPS class and pulls aggro before the tank like.. constantly."

"So, basically a walking disaster."

"Exactly"

You raise another another finger, "Then there is Nanam1e—that’s Nanami. Super serious. Zero patience. I genuinely can’t tell if he enjoys the game or if he’s just here out of obligation."

Nobara nods her head excitedly.

"Off-tank is Dokt0rShok0—Shoko. She’s chill. Like... maybe too chill. Every time we took a pause between wipes, I swear I heard her snoring."

“Oh my god. Do you think she’s an actual doctor?”

You shrug. “Honestly? Kinda wouldn’t be surprised.”

"Then there’s Tea4T1me, Utahime. She’s one of the healers. She was super nice—after the raid. But during? She was micromanaging everyone like she was running an elite military unit." You joke.

Nobara lets out a laugh, "I'm sure someone has to step it up."

"Next up is GetLowGeto aka Geto. DPS. Had, like, all the boss guides and drop rates open mid-raid. Knew every mechanic before it happened. Also, constantly giving unsolicited advice—and plays a hot female elf. I didn’t even realize it wasn’t actually a girl until halfway through."

Nobara’s eyes go wide. “I totally forgot people still do that.”

You laugh. “Right? It caught me off guard.”

You pause, trying to figure out how to even begin describing the last member.

"Okay, lastly we have OniBabe69.. aka Toji. I.. I don't even know where to start with him."

"Hot mess?" Nobara asks

You wince. "Worse. His character is hot—like, genuinely—but he’s pretty much shirtless, plays a Demon DPS, and just charges in before anyone says a word. He either top DPS’s or dies immediately. There’s no in-between."

"Oh my god. I’m in love."

You cringe. "Don’t be. He moans into the mic when he crits."

She gasps, instantly horrified. "Jail. Straight to jail."

You both burst out laughing as you return to your morning tasks.

"So yeah," you say, wiping down the counter. "That’s the raid team."

Nobara slides next to you and gently bumps your hip with hers. "You’re really in for something with this crew, huh?"

You smirk. "I already know."

She grins. "You better give me every update. I want drama. Romance. Betrayal. Fashion."

You laugh. "What is this, a fantasy reality show?"

She winks. "Exactly. And you’re the main character."

Near the end of your shift, Nobara looks over at you. The café is dead, just leaving the two of you to finish up your closing tasks. She leans over the counter, watching you mop the floor and stack the chairs up on the tables.

"You know, Yuji and Megumi started playing last week after I told them about your adventures." You blink before looking over at her.

"Seriously?" You respond

"Dead serious. They’re terrible—like, dying-in-the-tutorial-level terrible—but they’re obsessed. Won’t stop talking about it."

You snorted, setting the mop aside. "That’s wild."

"I know! I was actually surprised they wanted to play," she said, hopping off her stool to grab some towels from the back. "They’ve been completely glued to this shooter game lately. Neon Six? Neon Riot? Something with colors and guns."

You knew the game she was talking about. Choso played it occasionally.

"Anyway," she went on, returning with the towels and placing them on the counter for the openers tomorrow, "I told them I’m an honorary party member until I can actually install the game myself."

"Oh?" you raised a brow, amused. "What’s stopping you?"

She gave you an embarrassed look. “Need to order an external hard drive first. My laptop is already screaming every time I open Chrome, so I’m pretty sure SoV would murder it.”

You laughed as you headed behind the counter to grab the keys for the front door. “Don’t worry. I’ll carry you through the starting dungeons and quests.”

Nobara smirked, following you to the front. “You better!"

You both then left, and you locked the doors, ending your shift at the cafe. You gave Nobara a wave and told her to get home safe before making your way to the bus stop. As you waited for the bus you opened discord to check the messages in it.

You let out a laugh as you see Nanami start typing, this was obviously going to start some sort of argument. It all seemed to be in good fun, though. The bus arrived, and you quickly got on, sitting down at your usual spot. It was empty around this time, only a few other people spread out inside it. As you look back down at your phone, you see Nanami has replied.

The chat goes silent while they wait for Toji. Then suddenly his message pops up as a spoiler. You have to click it to see the image, so you of course do.

Yeah, he definantly has abs.

You almost find yourself at a loss for breath as you look over the image. Toji is standing in the bathroom in front of a bathroom mirror, towel slung low on his hips and his phone half covering his face.

His black hair is damp and still sticking to his forehead. There are water droplets all across his skin indicating that he just got out of a shower. His jawline is sharp and dusted with a faint stubble. His eyes are barley visable behind his phone but you can tell they are dark, and his expression is a smug smirk.

And those abs?

He's got the stomach that people die for. Carved, Defined. There is even a scar that runs across his torso and one that peeks out from his hips. His arm is flexed just enough to show definintion but not too much. This man knows what he is doing.

You tried to hold back your laughter on the bus as you read all the messages on your screen. Soon another messaged popped up on your notifications. A smile spread across your lips as you read the username.

You quickly replied, sending him a selfie of yourself on the bus. Then as soon as it sent the stop for your bus arrived and you quickly rushed off of it. It’s been a long time since heading home felt this exciting—probably not since high school. You reached your apartment door and fumbled with the keys for a second before finally swinging it open. Stepping inside, you locked it behind you out of habit, then made a beeline for your room. Your bag hit the bed in one motion as you all but launched yourself into your chair, already reaching to power on your PC.

Logging into SoV was like second nature, your fingers flying across the keyboard as you entered your username and password. Your summoner spawned right where you left her, beside the koi pond at the guild house. Choso was already logged on waiting for you.

His avatar was sitting beside the water, his face lit by the floating lanturns in the cherry blossom tree beside the pond. When you appeared he quickly stood up and walked over to you without saying a word.

Then a trade request popped up.

You accepted it.

You recevied: Foxflame Earrings

Tiny red tassel earrings appeared in your gear inventory. Their color matched your mask perfectly. You grinned behind the screen as you clicked on an emote in game, sending Choso's character a kiss with a heart.

ch0s0 whispered to YOU: thought they matched your outfit You whisper to ch0s0: they're perfect.

Soon you hear your discord blowing up with notifications and you quickly open it to see an @ in the discord server. Everyone is getting ready for another raid it seems.

You quickly slide into VC, expecting everything to be chaos but it was surprisingly...chill.

"Hey" Gojo said, "Look who finally logged in, we were about to send a search party."

You chuckle in reply and roll your eyes, "If anything im early. You said ten mintues.. its been less than two." You tease back. You hear Gojo let out a soft chuckle before hearing the notfication sound of someone sending you a party invite.

satoruwu has invited you to join the party!

You accecpted immediantly. As you look around, you notice Choso is gone from your side in game, probably to prepare the the raid. Your eyes then scan the party and look through who is already here.

★Tank★ cr1tB4by ★Healer★ Tea4T1me ★DPS★ OniBabe69 ★DPS★ satoruwu ★DPS★ YOU

"Soooo... who is cr1tB4by?" You ask, raising a brow. "He wasn't here last night."

"He was supposed to be... but his power cut out right before the raid.. again" Utahime answers with a sigh.

"Again?" you ask

"Yeah. His setup's cursed or something." she adds with a sigh.

Toji chimes in, "I think his router’s just a cursed spirit at this point."

You laugh. "Okay, but seriously. Who is he?"

"No idea." Gojo says. "We don't know his real name. So we just call him Crit."

"We do know some details about him though! Like he is still in high school. He's a mute. Doesn't talk but always joins VC. Muted the entire time." Utahime explains.

"But he types in chat?" you ask

"Only uses macros during fights," she says. "They’re custom, too. Super detailed. Timing’s insane. Honestly? He could probably solo half the mechanics if we all dropped dead."

"He's our go too healer on raid nights, but he does also play tank when Nanami flakes out on us." Gojo adds on.

"Interesting..." You reply.

Send me an ask for any requests.

‎‎‎‎➤ THE BUS RIDE HOME SMELLS LIKE BURNT OIL AND CHEAP COLOGNE. You lean your head against the window, watching the city fly past you as you listen to your favorite music in your earbuds. You're running on four hours of sleep and a half finished sandwich you had three hours ago. Soon, you'll be home and at your computer. Ready to log into your newest obsession, Sins of Valor.

Sins of Valor is a popular MMORPG known for its hard raids and welcoming community. Not to mention the story for the game is actually amazing, worth playing through unlike other MMOs. Ever since the servers of your last favorite MMO shut down, your boyfriend Choso and you have been trying to find a new one to sink your teeth into. That's when you came across Sins of Valor. Ever since you started playing it a few months ago, you haven't been able to stop. Somehow catching up to the endgame content within those short months.

Now it's all you can think about, while you work, while you cook dinner, while you hang out with irl friends. Sins of Valor has infected your brain, and honestly it feels like a problem with how much you think about it. You wonder what kind of outfits you can make to match with Choso, or watch videos on the newest raid's coming out, or try hunting down cool weapons or figure out the best gear for each class.

The bus stopping at that familiar stop takes you away from your thoughts. You quickly grab your stuff and leave the bus, giving the driver a quiet thank you as you do. You then walk into your apartment building and walk up the stairs to yours.

Your apartment greets you in silence. The same dark room. The same desk light, left on. Same hoodie tossed on the back of your chair and the pile of dirty clothes left on the floor that you have yet to get to. This used to feel so lonely a few years back, but knowing someone is already waiting for you makes it less so.

You boot up your PC, clicking through the login screen and watching as certain apps and programs boot up on start. Discord being one of them, you already have a few messages from your favorite person. You smile as you click on his DM's.

ch0s0: you home yet ch0s0: found a raid group that needs another person ch0s0: saved the spot for you, if you still wanna run it

You smile before typing away a reply.

you: be there in 5, work sucked. ch0s0: vc?

And before you know it, you hear the familiar ring of a discord call play through your headphones as you throw them on. You answer and then quickly start clicking away to load up the game and log in. You hear the soft background music of the main city play as you see Choso's character sitting on the edge of the fountain. The spot you always log out at and in. His character is wearing a matching outfit to yours, a fox-patterned kimono with a kitsune mask sitting at the side of his face. His character has pure white eyes and dark fluffy hair, two spike pigtails poke out at the top of his head. His character has light gray skin and long ears, he is an undead elf.

Your character was a fox race known as beastkin. There were tons of variants for it, cat people, dog people, bunny people, the list goes on. You were also wearing the same outfit as him, but your kitsune mask covered the face of your character instead.

"Hey," you say into the mic

"Hey," he replies softly. "You sound tired."

You chuckle softly, lord knows you are. Retail hell is real, and you find yourself wondering how common sense isn't as common every single day. You simply give him a hum in reply before Choso speaks up again.

"Let me send you that party invite for the raid."

You see the words "ch0so has invited you to a party!" pop up in the middle of the screen, you quickly accept and see the party list full of 8 peoples usernames pop up on the side of your HUD. The party chat is already going crazy with everyone tying there before one name in particular says something that catches your attention.

satoruwu: oh! satoruwu: is this the person you were waiting on ch0s0? ch0s0: yeah. satoruwu: perfect!! lets load into the raid then~

Your screen then darkens while the raid location loads in. Everyone is at the edge of a round battlefield, floating platforms and fractured sky pieces decorate the outside of the raid spot. The music softly transitions from the calm city music to the upbeat boss music. The boss is already standing in the middle of the battlefield, ready for the tank to force agro onto it. The chat then goes wild as you all load in.

[RAID: ★Tank★ Nanam1e has joined the party.] [RAID: ★DPS★ GetLowGeto has joined the party.] [RAID: ★Tank★ Dokt0rShok0 has joined the party.] [RAID: ★Healer★ Tea4T1me has joined the party.] [RAID: ★DPS★ OniBabe69 has joined the party.] [RAID: ★DPS★ satoruwu has joined the party.] [RAID: ★Healer★ ch0s0 has joined the party.] [RAID: ★DPS★ YOU have joined the party.]

satoruwu: hello helloooo~ 😘 you: o/ ch0s0: o7 GetLowGeto: oh we found replacements for milk and crit?👀 Nanam1e: Don’t scare them off in the first five seconds. Dokt0rShok0: LMAO too late satoruwu: actually forgot about this. satoruwu: would be easier if y’all join our discord—sending link now

A server invite pops up in party chat.

✧･ﾟ: Last Save Point :･ﾟ✧ — Join?

Choso hesitates, but you join immediately. Your eyes scanning the discord until you spot six people sitting in a VC titled "RAID OR DIE". You chuckle at the name before speaking to Choso.

"I'm going to join their VC, gonna be easier for call-outs on raid mechanics." Choso hums in reply, and you both join the VC.

Inside, it's loud.

Satoruwu's voice is unmistakable, he is already teasing someone else in the group about dying last pull. Dokt0rShok0 is already half asleep, you can hear her snoring a bit. Tea4T1me is yelling about food buffs, and GetLowGeto is explaining Phase 2 of the boss fight to everyone.

Your screen blinks, a ready check window pops up.

“Pulling in 5,” Nanam1e says.

"WAI-WAI-WAIT!!" Satoruwu shouts, causing you to immediately turn your headphones volume down.

"What." Nanam1e replies, clearing annoyed.. does he even like playing with these guys?

"Welllll, we don't know the newbies names! They don't know ours either! Might as well introduce ourselves to avoid confusion." He explains. Nanam1e lets out a sigh.

"I'll go first! I'm Satoruwu, but my real name is Satoru Gojo," he says, and you swear you can hear him wink behind the mic.

"Full name, just like that? Do you have no internet safety??" Nanam1e says. Gojo just laughs in reply. GetLowGeto also chuckles before going next.

"I'm GetLowGeto in game, but you'll either hear me called Suguru or Geto. Full name is just that" He replied, Nanam1e let out another annoyed groan. He goes next.

"Nanam1e in game. Call me Nanami, that's all you need to know. See, is that so hard?" He said, talking to the other two at the last sentence. You hear a yawn before the next person speaks up, a feminine voice.

"Dokt0rShok0 in game, you can just simply call me Shoko. I only raid for the cool tank drops." You chuckle, honestly glad to hear another female voice here. That's when the only other female speaks up after Shoko.

"I'm Tea4Time, you can call me Utahime though. I'm probably one of the few normal people in this guild.." she says. You hear a low chuckle before the last person introduces himself.

"OniBabe69. Im one of the not normal people she's referring too. You can call me Toji babes" He replies, and again.. you swear you hear another wink behind the mic. Choso lets out an annoyed grunt before speaking up,

"Choso, same as my username," he says

"That's your real name?" Geto asks

"Yeah." He replied. There are a few moments of silence before you speak up, telling the group your name!

"Now can we start the raid? I'd like to be done before midnight. Got work in the morning." Nanami says, annoyed.

"Sureee" Gojo replies, then that same ready check pops up on your screen again.

After hours of full party wipes, the boss finally goes down, exploding into a blaze of light (that honestly blinds you in your dark room). Text pops up onto your screen:

Victory! Raid Complete. Loot Unlocked.

There are a few moments of silence before a loud yell breaks out in the VC from Toji.

"LETS FUCKING GOOOO-"

"Andddd he's screaming again.." Shoko mutters. You let out a laugh at this. You then pan your camera, now actually being able to get a good look at everyone's characters as they all crowd around the chest in the middle, rolling on the loot inside.

Geto's avatar is a tall elven female, her long blonde hair and robes flowing behind her as she walks. She has bright, glowing golden tattoos that decorate her skin. She looks nothing like the guy calmly thanking everyone in the VC and checking the loot. Not that you know what Geto looks like, but from his personality and voice you never would have expected it.. But at the same time it also fits.

"You rollin' on the staff, Shoko? You mentioned you wanted it for your healer," He asks

Shoko, the secondary tank, lounges near the edge. Her character is a human and has slick black hair that's cut into a bob, piercings, and heavy armor that still somehow looks lazy. You think it's because of the smoking emote she is doing right now.. You didn't even know that was an emote in the game??

"I'm passing," she says, yawning. "Too much work to level that class when my tank is already max level."

Utahime's character looks like a cottagecore dream. She is a cat Beastkin. She wears a big sun hat, flower patterned dress, and she's currently useing her parasol emote while she waits for everyone to roll on the loot.

"You two did good," she says. "Fill in parties can be a mess, but you actually listened." You gave a shy chuckle.

"Unlike some people" Nanami cuts in. His character is a human and has short blonde hair thats slicked to the side. He wears these interesting looking glasses and has hazel eyes. His character is sporting some large but nice looking heavy armor. Little do you know but he looks almost exactly like his character in real life. Something the other guild members who know what he looks like tease him about.

"Look its not my fault you walked on top of me with your tank buster!" Toji shots back. His character is a demon, large horns sprout from the sides of his head and a long tail from his lower back. His outfit.. if you can even call it that is very minimal. He has a top that barly covers anything and looks like a ripped shirt and his pants are shorts that cling too his body tightly. His character is currently flexing right next to the loot chest.

"You where out of position and the reason we wiped that time." Nanami shot back.

Gojo slides up next to you. His character is a celestial, with small wings for ears and large white wings on his back. He has bright blue eyes and fluffy white hair. Now his outfit, doesnt feel like it belongs in this game but somehow still works. He is in a beach shirt, flip flops, white swim trunks and a lei. He also has round sunglasses sitting on top of his head.

"You two always match?" He asks.

"Sorta" You say with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I usually match my girlfriend," Choso says.

"Girlfriend?" Toji says, now distracted from his argument with Nanami.

"Yeah!" you respond happily.

"For real? For how long?" Gojo asks curiously.

"Hmm, about two years now? We met in another MMO before it shut down." You explain.

"Shiii, they even have matching discord bios and icons," Shoko says. Your cheeks heat up.

"Damn, that's cool. Have you met in real life yet?" Gojo asked.

"Yeah! A couple of times over the years," You respond, why where they so curious?

"Man, that's wild," Geto says, "MMO love story. Kinda jealous not gonna lie."

"Right?" Gojo chimes in, "Kinda wanna find myself a gamer girlfriend or something."

"You'd scare them off in less than five seconds." Utahime teases.

"HEY—Yeah no you're probably right.." Gojo laughs before he suddenly stops as he realizes something. "Wait, how long have you two even been playing? I don’t think I’ve seen you in any of the usual guild circles.”

You glance at Choso's character who is still just standing next to you.

"Well, we're not in one yet. Kinda just been playing solo and with each other til we found a group that fit." You explain.

"Wait for real? You two cleared this raid and don't even have a guild?" Toji asks

“That’s insane,” Shoko mutters. “Y’all are cracked for no reason.”

“Honestly,” Nanami adds, sounding actually impressed for once.

“You guys should just join ours,” Gojo says, suddenly very serious. “I mean, if you're vibing with us.”

“Toji can be a lot,” Utahime says immediately. “But we’re mostly normal.”

“Hey!” Toji yells.

“We could use more consistent raiders anyway,” Geto chimes in. “And it’d be cute having the first couple of Last Save Point in here.”

Choso chuckles softly. “First couple, huh?”

“Don’t act like you’re not into it,” Gojo teases.

You smile. This game didn’t just give you a new obsession—it might’ve just given you a new digital home.

You glance at Choso’s character. “What do you think?”

“I’m down if you are,” he says.

“Then it’s settled!” Gojo shouts. “Welcome to Last Save Point, newbies!”

And that’s how you found the group you’d end up playing with every night.

1.

2.

To be continued. . .

➤ THE FIRST THING YOU FEEL IS COLD. It crawls up your body, waking you slowly. The surface beneath you is hard, and there’s a sterile scent in the air that pricks at your nose. Your head pounds, your limbs ache, and your body refuses to move.

Until your eyes suddenly flutter open.

They’re immediately greeted by the harsh fluorescent lights above you. You blink a couple of times, waiting for your vision to adjust before fully taking in your surroundings.

The ceiling is high… way too high. The walls are a blinding white, and the room you're in is huge. You’re lying on a thin cot—a blanket laid across your body. The walls are lined with beds, all stacked in massive towers that feel wrong. Some are empty, some still have sleeping strangers in them. You're all wearing matching outfits—teal jumpsuits with numbers printed on them. You glance down at yours:

Number 067.

You sit up slowly, your whole world spinning for a moment while you try to process where you are. This isn’t home. This isn’t your floor mattress, your flickering lights, the soft smell of cigarette smoke you could never get rid of, or your brother breathing softly in the other room. This is somewhere else. Somewhere you don’t recognize.

You shove your hands into the tracksuit pockets. Gone. No phone. No wallet. No ID. Fuck, you don’t even have socks on. The sound of metal scraping snaps you out of it. People are starting to stir—groaning, sitting up, climbing out of beds. You don’t recognize any of them.

Until you do.

Black hair tied in two pigtails, that familiar tattoo across his face, and those dark brown eyes that always softened when they looked at you.

Choso.

What the hell is he doing here? He looks older, more tired—drained. Those soft eyes seem sharper than ever now, and it breaks your heart. You used to tutor him in college. Back then, he was awkward but kind, asking questions he already knew the answers to just to spend more time with you. Now it’s hard to tell if he even recognizes you.

He’s standing near the bottom bunk, leaning against a frame with his arms crossed, silently watching the room.

You throw off your blanket. You have to talk to him. He’s not supposed to be here—he had such a promising future ahead of him. How the hell could he end up in a place like this?

But just as you take a step, a familiar voice speaks your name, sending a chill down your spine. You whip your head around and lock eyes with the last person you wanted to see here.

Sukuna.

He looks the same as the day you left him—that same shit-eating grin. His hair is still dyed a mess of pink and black, tattoos peeking out from under his tracksuit. His number: 218. This feels like some sick joke. You haven’t seen him since college—since everything blew up between you two. Sukuna is your ex—your toxic ex. He twisted your words, got pissed when you were upset about reasonable things, and turned everything you gave him into something to hold over your head.

“What the fuck do you want,” you spit. You’re not in the mood to deal with him. Not again. He chuckles at your tone.

“Jeez, cut the hostility, doll,” he says, shoving his rolled-up sleeves into his pockets. “Just surprised to see you here, of all people. What happened to that career of yours?”

You roll your eyes. The last fight you had with him, you told him you were going to make something of yourself. That he’d be the one begging for forgiveness someday.

Of course, that dream shattered the day your parents died. You were just about to accept a job in your field when it happened. Taking care of your brother and handling the funeral pushed everything back. Eventually, they gave your position to someone else. And when Hideki moved in with you, you needed a job fast.

That degree became a useless piece of paper.

“None of your business,” you snap, turning away and quickening your pace toward Choso. Your heart races, tears prick the corners of your eyes.

He still had such an effect on you.

As you get closer, Choso finally meets your gaze. His expression shifts from confusion to something softer—recognition.

And then he’s moving.

He pushes through the crowd to get to you. When he reaches you, he pulls you into a tight hug. That soft, familiar scent of his favorite cologne still lingers on him. You hug him back just as tightly, tears welling in your eyes. Why is he here? Why are you here? Where even is here?

Choso slowly pulls away, saying your name softly. He lifts your chin with his fingers so you’re looking into his eyes. God, he had such a crush on you back in college—but you were always dating that shitty stepbrother of his. Even now, after all these years, it’s clear he’s still head over heels. It feels so intimate. Your cheeks warm, and you gently pull away, placing your hands on his upper arms.

"Choso, what the hell are you doing here?" You asked, concerned.

"I could ask you the same thing," He replied. Touché. You look away, not sure you want to get into the details.

“I didn’t expect to see you again,” you murmur, trying to change the subject. Your eyes wander around the room, partly to ground yourself, partly to avoid his gaze. But Choso just watches you. His eyes scan your features, noticing how you’ve aged, how you’ve changed. He even sees a few stray grey hairs. His hand rises, thumb brushing gently against your cheek.

"You look tired," he finally responded. Your eyes dart back to his. His voice was just as soft as his expression was. He always looked at you like this.. you could never pin doen the reason why.

You let out a bitter laugh, brushing his hand away and crossing your arms across your chest. “Well… working two jobs does that to you.”

Choso’s jaw tightens, like he wants to say something else. But then his eyes shift past you, and his expression hardens.

"He's here too."

You follow his gaze. Sukuna, chatting with some other sketchy-looking people. His eyes meet yours across the room, that signature smirk spreading across his lips.

“I’m aware,” you mutter, turning your focus back to Choso. You glance at his number—052—before meeting his eyes again.

"You shouldn't be here," he says. You sigh.

"Neither should you."

And just like that you both fall into awkward silence, both unsure how much you want to unpack, if you even want to unpack.

A fight breaks out, drawing everyone’s attention. Your eyes widen when you see who’s involved.

Geto.

He looks exhausted. Older. His hair is long now, tied loosely behind him. He’s gripping someone by their jumpsuit—you can’t see who—and shouting, though the noise in the room drowns it out. Whatever it is, he’s pissed.

Geto was your childhood friend. You’d known each other since you were toddlers—your parents grew up in the same neighborhood, both families dirt poor. It was something you bonded over. Then one day in high school, his family moved away. You never saw him again.

He shoves the person he’s holding and storms off. You catch his number: 103. You sigh. You're not surprised to see him here, but it still hurts.

Then another voice says your name. You turn again and spot the mess of blond hair.

Nanami.

He used to come to your job at the café a lot. He was one of the few sweet people there. He would tip way too much and actually treated you like a person. It was always nice to see him walk through the door on a busy day. Then suddenly he stopped showing up. You always wondered what happened to him, now you could only guess as you saw him standing here...

“Nanami?” you ask, confused. He looks away, clearly embarrassed. “What are you doing here?” You glance down—Number 201.

"It's a...long story" He says softly. Choso grabs your wrist, and you turn your face to look at him.

"Who?" He asks confused, you then explain how you know Nanami. Choso's grip on your wrist tightens. What is up with him..? You give him a reassuring smile before looking around the room one last time to see if there is anyone you recognize. Now really searching.

And that's when you spot him. You don’t remember his name, but his face is familiar. He looks older—short black hair, a scar across his lips. He’s leaning against the wall, watching. His eyes meet yours, and a chill runs down your spine. You look at his number:

Number 367.

You'll remember that.

Then, a loud buzzer echoes through the room, and everyone looks toward the front. Two large metal doors open. The same masked men who took you step out, perfectly in sync. The room goes still as the one with a square on his mask steps forward.

"We would like to extend a heartfelt welcome to you all. Everyone here will participate in six different games over six days. Those who win all six games will receive a handsome cash prize." He says. Someone from the crowd speaks up.

"How.. how can we believe you! You kidnapped us, took our things and put us to sleep to bring us here? How do we know you are actually going to pay us if we play a few games?" The female voice asks.

"We had to take all those measures to mantain confidentiality as we brought you here. Everything will be returned once the games are over." He responds.

"Why do you have masks?" Another voice asks.

"We cannot disclose faces or other personal information of the staff to the participants. Its a measure to maintain a fair games and confidentiality. Please understand." He replies

"I.. I don't believe you! You kidnapped us, and now your making up excuses to not show your faces. Give me a reason why we should trust anything you have to say?" That same female voice from before speaks up.

"Player 113, Utahime Iori." Hey says, before pressing a button. The room goes dark and a TV plays, showcasing a video of her playing Ddakji with that strange man.

"Former educator. You racked up ₩312 million in debt trying to save a private girls’ school. Took out illegal loans to rebuild after a fire. Enrollment dropped. Donations dried up. You kept paying the teachers out of your own pocket... until there was nothing left to give.”

He pauses.

“All that effort. And they still shut the doors on you.”

He then lists several players— numbers, names, debts, video clips of them playing. The room falls into stunned silence.

"Everyone standing in this room is on the brink of finacial ruin. You all have debts you cant pay off. When we first went to see each of you, not a single one of you trusted us. But as you all know, we played a game, and as we promised, gave you money when you won. And suddenly, everyone here trusted us. You called and volunteered to participate in this game out of your own free will. So this is it. I'll give you one last chance to choose. Will you go back to living your old depressing lives or will you act and seize this last opportunirt we're offering you here?" Everyone in the room starts whispering amonst themselves.

“Hey, Pinky,” Sukuna calls out, “how much do we get if we win?”

The guard presses a button. A massive piggy bank descends from the ceiling.

"Your prize money will all be accumulated in ther after every game. We will disclose the amount to everyone after the first game is over. If you don't wish to participate then please let us know at this time."

No one says anything.

Everyone signs the contract. You’re led out in a single file line. The halls outside are unreal—colorful stairs in impossible patterns, guards stationed at every intersection.

"This is kinda cool.." You heard Choso mutter behind you. You nod your head, it feels unreal, like a dream.. but it was kinda cool. Eventually you all stop at one spot, in front of a camera. You saw as one by one everyone got their photos taken, it reminds you of school all over again. When it was your turn you stepped in front of the camera. A robotic voice comes from then machine.

"Please look at the camera." "SMILE :)"

You look into the camera and gave it a soft smile.

You were herded up and down staircases that seemed to defy all logic, like something out of a warped funhouse. Left, right, spiral, double back—it was impossible to keep track. Just how the hell did these guards know their way around?

Eventually, the group began to spill outside into a strange courtyard. Towering walls surrounded the space, lined with wallpaper that mimicked an open field and a painted blue sky. But when you looked up, the real sky was there, the sun bearing down hot and unforgiving. The ground beneath your feet was packed tan sand, and across the wide expanse stood a single tree, two guards, and a… doll?

“As contestants enter the area, please stand behind the white line,” a voice echoed across the courtyard.

“What the hell is that thing…” Nanami muttered, suddenly reappearing at your side with Choso.

You stared at the doll—frozen, smiling, too still to be safe.

“No idea,” Choso said, voice low. “But it feels like it’s staring straight through me.”

A shadow appeared beside you. Another player, tall, lean. You looked up—and froze. He was… beautiful, annoyingly so. Striking white hair, and eyes so vividly blue they looked unreal. You blinked. Something in his expression shifted when his gaze landed on you. Shock.

And then, as quickly as it came, he masked it. He leaned in slightly, close enough for only you to hear.

“Red Light, Green Light,” he murmured. “Whatever you do… don’t move a muscle when it’s Red Light.”

A chill tore through your body.

How the hell did he know that?

Was he messing with you? Or was that really the game?

A thousand questions raced through your mind, but one stuck harder than the rest.

Who the hell was this guy?

‎‎‎‎➤ YOU EYE DOWN THE CREAM CARD IN YOUR HAND, flipping it over and reading the number over and over. Hideki is already asleep, his head resting in your lap. You picked up a nice hot meal in celebration of the money you won from that strange guy. You could win more money by playing games…

You sigh. That has to be too good to be true. You slide the card into your pocket and grab the nearby pillow to lay down on. There’s no way you could really win more money like that. You’d probably get trafficked or kidnapped by calling that number. So you close your eyes and slowly drift to sleep.

BEEP BEEP BEEP

You slowly open your eyes to the alarm on your phone going off. Hideki is already awake and shuffling around the small one-bedroom apartment you share. Hideki is always good at waking up. He never complains, throws a fit, or whines. Honestly, most days, you’re surprised to have such a well-behaved little brother.

No—Hideki is more than just your brother. He’s your kid.

You smile softly at that thought. Hideki is basically your son at this point with how you've been raising him.

Once Hideki has his uniform on, he leaves the bathroom and gives you a soft smile. He quickly throws a jacket on and grabs his bag, slinging it over one of his shoulders. As he slips his shoes on, he says one thing before he leaves for school.

"Don't work too hard today."

Fuck. That hurt.

You drag yourself out of bed and grab your uniform that’s hung up nicely against the hook on the wall. You have to leave extra early today to help open the café at your first job. It gets you 30 more minutes of time on the clock, so it’s worth it. It’ll add up… eventually.

Your first job is at a small but popular café on the edge of the city’s business district. You’re supposed to just be a cashier, but you end up doing the work of just about every title there is. Including—but not limited to—taking orders, running drinks, cleaning spills, bussing tables, replacing napkins and other supplies, and even helping with prep in the back when the line gets too busy.

Which it always is.

There is no time to rest. You’re on your feet for 6+ hours every day. You barely eat and only survive on leftover coffee and pastries the baristas let you snatch before they’re tossed out.

Your manager is also awful. She watches everyone like a hawk. No phones, no leaning, no bathroom breaks over five minutes long. You wear the same sneakers you’ve had since graduating college three years ago, and the soles are so thin now they’re just one sharp rock away from tearing completely. Hell, even the uniform you wear is slightly too big since it’s a hand-me-down from a past worker. You couldn’t justify the 40,000 won they’d deduct from your first paycheck for one that actually fits.

Speaking of pay, it’s honestly awful. You get paid less than minimum wage because they claim you make most of your money through tips. But the tips are split evenly—even with your manager…

Lastly, the customers. They have to be the worst. You’ve never been so mistreated in your life before this job. You get office workers with no patience (they expect 10 different coffees to be made in under five minutes), college students who snap their fingers at you when you can’t hear them over all the noise, and rich old men who call you “sweetheart” in a way that makes your skin crawl.But you smile anyway… you have to.

Once 1 PM hits, you clock out of your first job and take the bus across town to the next one.

It’s a cramped family restaurant tucked between a music store and a pharmacy. The place always smells like fried chicken and garlic, and once you open the doors and enter, it feels like you’ve stepped into a sauna.

You're the dishwasher— the only dishwasher.

Every night, you wash a mountain of dishes. Greasy pots, sticky spoons, plates covered in who knows what. Your fingers are always pruned, and you’ve burnt yourself on the hot water more times than you can count. There’s never any air conditioning back by the sink, so you’re soaked in your own sweat by the end of the night. Especially in the summertime.

Your apron is stained with food and oil. Your back and feet hurt from bending over the sink for so long, and lastly, the dishes just seem to be neverending.

The owners are kind enough, but they never pay you extra. They’re struggling to keep the business afloat as the town keeps expanding. People are less and less interested in supporting local spots when they can walk two blocks and get fast food that’s “just as good.”

Then one of the head cooks—the owners’ son—brings you another mountain of dirty dishes. He sighs before speaking.

"Just a heads up, we're cutting hours next week. You're off the schedule." He speaks softly.

You freeze.

"Is it... permanent?" You ask.

"Dunno, just can't afford the labor costs right now, things have been rough. Hope you understand."

You nod your head slowly, "Yeah, right. I understand."

You don't understand, but what are you going to do? Cry in the back while you still have so many dishes to clean. The owners son looks at you with pity for just a moment before he walks away.

You finally clock out way past midnight. The fastest way home would be by train, but the last one’s already gone. The buses only run once an hour at this point. So the only real way home is walking, as always…

You used to jog home when you first started working here, but that’s no longer worth the energy. Your eyes wander from store to store, zoning out—it's the only way you survive the walk.

Then—sharp pain. You hiss and lift your foot. You tripped over your own feet and hit the ground hard.

"Ow..." You mutter. You check the bottom of your shoe. You’re lucky it was only a rock and not a nail that pierced through. You pull the rock out, revealing a fresh new hole.

Fucking, great.

You look up, brushing yourself off, and your eyes land on a small gacha capsule machine. The keychains inside are from various shows—one of them being your little brother’s favorite.

You glance at the price. 5,000 won.

You have the money… but if you want to eat for the next few days, you need to save it. Tears prick at your eyes. God, how you wish you could just give Hideki everything he’s ever wanted.

Eventually, you make it back home. You close the door behind you and toss your things to the floor next to the blankets—your “bed.” Hideki gets the apartment’s only real bedroom.

Just as you’re about to collapse after this soul-sucking day—

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

You groan, already having a guess who is at your door this late. You pad over to the door and open it to see your landlord there.

"Rents late again," He says with that same too-nice smile. Like this is just routine and not like your world is crumbling around you. You nod your head softly at his words.

"I can give you one more week, but after that, I can't anymore," he adds on

"Right.." You reply softly before closing the door.

You then collapse in front of the door, tears welling up in your eyes. A week? How the hell are you supposed to make this months rent up in a week..?

Your hands digs into your pocket, and something hard brushes your fingers. You pull it out.

That same cream-colored card.

“If you want to make real money… call the number. You’ll be invited to play more games.”

That strange mans voice echos in your head. You slowly flip the card over and look at the number. You then pull out your phone and dial the number on it. A few games couldn't hurt.. could it. You place the phone to your ear as it rings. When it picks up you speak,

"H-Hell–"

"Thank you for calling. To confirm your participation, please state your full name and date of birth." A voice cuts you off. You're caught off guard but give the voice said information.

There is a brief pause before the voice replies, "Thank you. A vehicle will arrive at your location within the hour. Please do not bring any personal belongings. This call never happened."

The call ends. You let out a shakey sigh before standing up. You make sure to leave a note out for Hideki and take the time to rest before leaving your apartment.

It's somehow even colder than it was before as you wait outside. You suddenly see a black car pull up in front of you. The car door opens, and you slowly crawl in. Everyone else in the car is asleep already. Your eyes look at the drivers, and your heart fills with dread.

They were dressed in pink hazmat suits, their faces hidden behind black masks marked with a white-outlined circle.

You were so fucked.

‎‎‎‎➤ YOU'RE BARELY SURVIVING. Everyday feels like you are running on fumes. You barely eat, work two part-time jobs that don't pay enough for one person to live, let alone two. You give up everything you have to make sure that your little brother Hideki can go to school and eat. Your parents are gone, died in a car accident, and all that left you with was your 12-year-old little brother and all the debt that they had accumulated.

You've tried everything you could think of. Applied to government programs, begged for extensions, sold off almost everything of value, and even called people you swore you never would again. None of it worked. So here you are, standing in the train station after a grueling shift at both of your jobs, honestly debating stepping in front of the next train that passes. Perhaps the insurance payout could give your brother a better shot than you could ever do.

"Would you like to play a game?"

Your eyes shot up to the man speaking to you. He's well-dressed, tall and a bit attractive. You roll your eyes. You're not looking to do sex work for money. You've certainly thought about it... but that's just not a path you wish to go down.

"I'm really not interested in sex work, sir." You reply, trying to sound polite, but you're just so tired your tone makes you come across snappy. The man looks a bit shocked that you assumed what he meant, but that expression quickly leaves his face as he shakes it and moves to open his suitcase.

"I promise It's nothing like that." He replies before pulling out two different colored sheets of folded paper and holds them up. You look at him confused.. what was this even about? "A game of Ddakji, do you know how to play?" He adds on. You shook your head no, a grin spreads across his lips.

He slaps his hand against his other, the sound echoing across the quiet station.

"You take one tile and try to flip mine over by throwing it at it. If it flips, you win. If not—"

SMACK

"I get to hit you. Like that, understood?" That same smile spread across his lips. Was this guy was fucking insane..? He then moves to pull something else out of his suitcase.

"But each win earns you on one hundred thousand won. Real money. Right here, right now.” He added on, pulling out said money. He then puts it away and holds the Ddakji tiles out again. "Are you sure, you're not interested?" You stare at the money, just a couple wins could feed you and your brother for a week..

"I am."

The man's smile grows wider, but it never reaches his eyes.

"Wonderful, pick a color."

Your cheek was bright red and stung with how much he smacked you. This guy really did never hold back. You lost count how many times you lost, but you kept track how many times you won. You won four times in total, each time paid one hundred thousand won. You stared at the money in your hands, was this a dream..? Did you really just win this money by just playing a game?

Who the hell was this man? You look up at him as he packs up the game back into his suitcase. He then turns to you, before pulling out a simple card. He holds it out to you before he speaks,

“If you want to make real money… call the number. You’ll be invited to play more games.”

You take the card and look over it, it's a cream color with three black shapes printed on it. A circle, a triangle and a square. When you flip it around, there is a phone number on it.

Your eyes quickly shoot up to look at the man.

But he is gone, like he was never there.

𖦹 CHAPTERS

1.

2.

3.

to be continued. . .

•❅───✧❅ Sukuna ❅✧───❅•

You met Sukuna recently at a college party he hosted. He doesn't even go to your college. He goes to the rival one across town, but his place his huge, and students and party goers from both schools know that when Ryomen Sukuna hosts a party... you best be there. So you were no different, putting on your best dress and dancing and getting drunk. It was your usual Saturday night.. but tonight you just so happened to catch the eye of the party host himself. After some chats and way too much grinding, you exchanged numbers. Sukuna was a well known fuck boy, never wanting anything too serious. That's just what you wanted.

So that leads you tonight. You're horny, alone, and your toys are just not cutting it the past few days. So you decide to text your new "friend" a picture of yourself in your cutest lingerie. Perhaps sexting will help.. or maybe you can convince him to come running over.

•❅───✧❅ Nanami ❅✧───❅•

You meet Nanami though work, but not directly. Maybe you're a freelancer for another firm, or maybe you're in marketing or publishing, and he is the finance guy who shows up once a month to fix everyone's spreadsheets. Either way, the two of you eventually run into each other and start chatting. He is the opposite of everything you'll ever be, and yet others notice how his stern expression softens when he is around you. He'll even go out of his way to buy your favorite pastries or snack while he gets his usual black coffee.

You two flirt, well, more like you flirt with him. Just to see his expression flicker and the ever so soft reddish hue that dusts his cheeks and ears when you do. But tonight, you're over it. You finished work and left early, but Nanami was still there. So you think of him, while dressed in something sinful. You snap a picture and send it, because you know it'll rattle him.

•❅───✧❅ Geto ❅✧───❅•

You and Geto met during your second year at university. It was honestly a bit of a shock how close you two got, but having a shared class, plus teaming up for a group assignment, does that. You two were complete opposites. You were loud, crazy, and always dragging Geto out to one place or another just for "the experience." So that leads you to dragging him out once again to a party your mutual friend invited you to. You two got there, drank a bit, all in all, it was your usual experience. But for some reason, you just didn't feel like going out that night. Geto caught onto this, and you both left early.

As you left, though, you couldn't help but notice how long his hand lingered on your waist as he guided you out of the party. He always teases you and calls you his troublemaker. But you two aren't official. So when you got home, you put on your cutest lingerie and send Geto the picture. Because you're way too tired of pretending the tension isn't thick enough to choke on.

•❅───✧❅ Gojo ❅✧───❅•

It started out casual, that's all it was supposed to be. Gojo was a walking disaster after all. But he had this annoying habit of constantly looking after you. Texting you good morning and good night, walking you to class even when he had none, and slipping his hoodie or jacket over you when he noticed you were even slightly cold. So somewhere between the 3 A.M face times and holding hands under the restaurant tables, it stopped feeling casual.

So you started dating and have been for a couple of months now. Things didn't change much, other than his protectiveness of you upped like crazy, and he would go and show you off and around to anyone who would listen. This weekend, you didn’t see him. He had some event for his job (he was a part-time model) in which he told you he would be "very busy looking hot professionally." You missed him. So you got a little bold. You were trying on a new lingerie set you bought on a whim and damn.. you looked good. Stupid good. Gojo had been blowing up your phone that morning, so you decided to send him a picture.. just to tease him.

•❅───✧❅ Toji ❅✧───❅•

You met Toji during the worst time in your life. During your "I'm done with men phase." You worked at a small boxing gym downtown. Something to just help pay the bills and to do while finishing school. You worked at the front desk. Toji walked in one day like he owned the place, tall, broad, and sweat drenched from a run. He already knew you were staring as he approached you, asking about a membership. You handed him the clipboard. He signed it, then looked up and said, “You always look this good when you’re bored?” You didn’t even respond. You just raised a brow and went back to your screen.

Toji started showing up more and more, sometimes at the end of your shift, other times when you're alone, always cocky but never pushy. So you asked him, "You come here to work out or flirt?" and he simply replied, "Who says I can't multitask?" So that lead to a couple dates, light night drives, etc. Nothing serious though. After one night of teasing, you decided to try and get back at him. So you put on your new lingerie set you bought for yourself and snapped a picture for him.

Send me an ask for any requests.

•❅───✧❅ Toji ❅✧───❅•

You knew better than to get involved with Toji. You knew it the second he looked at you in that club the night you meet him. The way he smirked at you told you everything. But of course you always wore those red tinted glasses and couldn't see any of his red flags... or at the very least, ignored them completely. Toji wasn't stable. He didn't always text back, didn't make promises, and didn't give you reassurance... but lord did he make you feel alive. You told yourself it was casual, but you lied. So that lead you're drunk and wrapped up in one of his discarded jackets at your place thinking about him.

So you texted him.

•❅───✧❅ Sukuna ❅✧───❅•

You knew from the beginning what he was. A man who didn't know how to be gentle even when he was trying. Sukuna wasn't romantic, he never tried to be. You soon started seeing each other for no reason other than to relieve stress. But Sukuna had a way of leaving his mark on you, embedding himself into your brain, consuming your thoughts. But when you pushed to be more, to be closer, he pushed you away. He was jealous when you tried to leave but angry when you tried to get to close. It drove you insane. So eventually you left, hoping he'd stop you. He didn't. Even then, he stayed on your brain, in your dreams, everything reminded you of him. It hurt so bad, so you drank to try and rid the thoughts. That only made things worse.

So you texted him.

•❅───✧❅ Gojo ❅✧───❅•

Gojo and you have always had a push and pull relationship. Teasing, flirting, nothing too serious... until you both caught feelings. Now it was serious, but neither of you wanted to take the next step, leading to an awkward situationship. Eventually, it got to a point where you both needed space from each other. So, you stopped talking as much. It should've been simple, but with him, it never was. So one thing lead to another, and you went out drinking with some new friends, only to be left drunk and alone with nothing but your thoughts.

So you texted him.

•❅───✧❅ Geto ❅✧───❅•

Fuck. You weren't supposed to get attached to Geto. He didn't promise you anything. He made sure to tell that you can't be more than friends with benefits. But he didn't keep you in check and let you fall for him. Every time you tried to pull away for your own sanity, he would reel you back in. It was torture, but you couldn't help yourself. He was just too much. You let it happen... Until you found out he was seeing someone else. He never told you directly, you found out the way people do when they’re not technically owed anything. Though a simple post with a tag and a caption. So now it's months later, you're not over him and drunkly scrolling through his page only to see all the posts of him and his girlfriend are deleted.

So you texted him.

•❅───✧❅ Nanami ❅✧───❅•

Nanami never wanted to drag you along. He knew he couldn't keep up a relationship while he was dealing with school and his part-time job. But even still, he did somewhat drag you along. He wanted you to be his, he wanted you so bad, but he knew himself. So before things could get more serious, before things crashed and burned forever between you. Nanami ended it. He was very sweet about it, explaining the reasons why you couldn't be together at the moment. But it didn't stop you from feeling hurt anyway. So while drinking alone after your roommate left to grab some more booze, your thoughts wander to him...

So you texted him.