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“No way… this has to be some kind of joke. There’s no way the game’s NPCs are actually real!”
Sarah stared in disbelief, her eyes darting back and forth between the computer screen and the little girl standing in front of us.
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Meanwhile, Coco stood there smiling sweetly, looking for all the world like a perfectly normal kid.
“Big sister,” she said, tilting her head innocently. “Did you find Coco’s favorite thing yet? It’s getting late, and Coco needs to go home. Hurry and tell me, okay?”
My hands started to tremble–not from fear, but from excitement.
I thought I’d never see them again–the friends who had been with me through the hardest five years of my life.
When Sword World shut down, it felt like losing a piece of myself. All the people, the stories, the memories I’d poured my heart into–they were gone in an instant. All I could do was sit by helplessly as years of effort disappeared overnight.
I remember the shock when I first heard the news. It was like my blood had turned to ice.
1 couldn’t stop replaying it in my head; I couldn’t stop panicking over what life might be like
without them.
But now… now they were back.
Sure, the situation was strange–terrifying, even–but I couldn’t help feeling a spark of joy.
Sarah’s voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
“Who the hell knows what she likes?” she said, glaring at Coco. “She’s just some random
NPC from the beginner’s village! She barely even has a role in the game.”
Then Sarah’s expression shifted. Her eyes lit up with an idea, and before I could react, she grabbed my arm and shoved me forward.
“She knows!” Sarah blurted out, pointing at me. “Ask her! She can tell you!”
And then, without a second’s hesitation, Sarah slammed the dorm door shut behind me.
Through the small glass window in the door, could see her smirking at me.
“I’m not perishing for this,” she said with a cruel grin. “If anyone’s meeting their end because of this eerie little creature, it’s you.”
Q A
She gave me a mocking wave. “Besides, isn’t this your thing? You’re always obsessing over NPCs and their stories. Time to put all that ‘research‘ to good use. Go on, Betty–this is your big moment!”
Her voice was dripping with malice, the same condescending tone she’d used so many times before. It was just like the way she’d told everyone I was “crazy” for treating NPCs like real people, the way she’d turned the entire class against me.
Fine, Sarah. If this is how you want to play, I’ll play too.
I turned to Coco, forcing myself to stay calm.
“Coco,” I said gently, “I know what your favorite thing is. But after I tell you, can you promise me something?”
She blinked, tilting her head curiously. “What is it, big sister?”
“You have to ask that big sister, too,” I said, nodding toward Sarah through the window.
“She really wants to answer your question as well.”
Coco’s eyes lit up. “Oh! Does that big sister want to play with me, too? Okay! But you have to go first! Once you tell me, I’ll ask her next!”
Behind the door, Sarah’s smirk vanished. Her expression twisted into panic as she realized what I was doing. She started banging on the door with her fists.
“Betty, you bitch! You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? Just answer her question and get it over with!”
She was practically screaming now. “You’re gonna get me in serious trouble! Darn it,
Betty!”
I ignored her. Leaning down, I whispered into Coco’s ear, my voice low enough that only
she could hear.
“Coco loves the butcher’s big cleaver, doesn’t she?”
For a moment, Coco’s eyes gleamed with something sharp and unnatural. Then, she let out a soft giggle.
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“Wow, big sister, you really know a lot!” she said, clapping her hands together.
Behind the door, Sarah’s banging grew even louder.
“What did you tell her?!” she shouted, her voice cracking. “Betty, what the hell did you
say?! You can’t just leave me hanging like this!
She sounded frantic now, her words tumbling over each other. “We’re roommates! You
can’t just let me go! Help me!”
But before I could respond, Coco’s cheerful voice cut through the chaos.
“Hmm… but you got it wrong!”
What?
I froze.
Sarah stopped yelling.
For a moment, everything was silent.
She let out a cold laugh, her voice dripping with disdain. “Wow, and here I thought you were actually good at something. Typical Betty useless and weird.”
“You couldn’t level up properly; you were trash at dungeons, and now you can’t even figure out a low–level NPC. Pathetic.”
Her smirk deepened as she delivered the final blow. “People like you–antisocial losers living in your little fantasy worlds–aren’t good for anything. Why don’t you just do everyone a favor and disappear already?”
A sudden chill shot up from the ground, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Startled, I looked down to see an icy column snaking its way up my legs, frost spreading fast. Within seconds, my legs were frozen solid below the knees, sharp crystals glinting in the light.
This skill… I knew it. There was no mistake. It had to be her–the mischievous Coco from the beginner village in Sword World.
“Coco!” I shouted, panic slipping into my voice. “Are you acting up again?”
Her head tilted slightly, her big, round eyes blinking at me in confusion.
“Didn’t I just tell you last night to behave and listen to your grandpa? What, you forgot already? If you keep this up, I’m not bringing you any more pork floss buns!”
Her expression froze. She stared at me, wide–eyed, as if trying to process what I’d just
said.
“Who…“are you?” she asked, her voice soft and hesitant.
I crossed my arms, lifting my chin. “What? You don’t recognize me anymore? Oh, Coco, you’re in big trouble now! I’m never helping you steal the butcher’s cleaver again!”
Her eyes widened and then sparkled with sudden recognition. In an instant, she canceled
the skill and ran toward me, throwing herself into my arms.
“It’s you! Mr. Handsome! Coco finally found you!”
She hugged me tightly, burying her face in my chest, her voice trembling with
excitement. “You don’t know how much Coco missed you! Coco waited and waited, but you never came back to visit.”
I patted her head gently, trying to suppress a smile.
But then she pulled back slightly, her innocent eyes scanning me from head to toe. Her
brow furrowed in confusion.
“But… Mr. Handsome, why are you a girl now? Did you… did you turn into a girl? Did you get a sex change?”
I froze, completely thrown off by her question.
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Her wide, curious eyes stared at me, waiting for an answer. I opened my mouth and then closed it again, unsure of what to say. God, why did I ever think it was a good idea to create
a male character?
Letting out an awkward laugh, I quickly changed the subject. “Uh, let’s not focus on that right now. What I do want to know is why you lied earlier. I didn’t get your question wrong,
did 1?”
Coco’s smile faltered. Her eyes darkened slightly, and she lowered her head, her voice muffled as she spoke.
“I didn’t lie,” she said softly. “You were right. That used to be my favorite thing. But it’s not anymore.”
Before I could process what she meant, she suddenly looked up at me, her eyes blazing with anger.
“Ms. Handsome!” she shouted, pointing angrily toward the door where Sarah had locked herself in. “It was her, wasn’t it? She hurt you! She was mean to you, wasn’t she?”
Her small hands clenched into fists. “Don’t worry, Coco will protect you! Coco will get of her for you!”
“Wait, Coco-”
But before I could stop her, dozens of thin, glimmering ice threads shot out from her hands, slicing through the air like needles.
rid
Sarah barely had time to react. She let out a choked scream, scrambling to run, but it was
too late.
The ice threads pierced through her body in an instant, blood splattering the walls as she collapsed to the floor.
She didn’t even have time to cry out. Her lifeless eyes stared blankly at the ceiling. Her body crumpled in a pool of red.
Coco turned back to me, her face lighting up with pride.
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“See, sister? Aren’t you happy now?”
I stared at Sarah’s body, my chest tightening painfully. My breath caught in my throat.
“Coco,” I said carefully, forcing myself to stay calm. “You can’t just go around harming people like that. You’re still a kid–you don’t understand. This world isn’t like the one you
came from.”
I crouched down to her level, trying to meet her gaze. “When people gone here, they don’t come back. They’re gone forever. Do you understand?”
Coco pouted, clearly unconcerned. But when she saw the seriousness in my expression, she hesitated and then reluctantly nodded. “Okay… I’ll listen to you, big sister.”
Before I could say anything else, the school’s PA system cracked to life.
“This is an urgent broadcast. Attention, all students. Sword World NPC Michael is
currently searching for a specific individual: a man in a black bathrobe, with multicolored
hair, a passion for gardening, and a large red flower on his head.”
“Anyone with information is requested to report to the nearest TV tower immediately. This is a priority alert. A significant reward will be given for any leads.”
I froze, staring at the speaker in disbelief.
Seriously, Michael?
Did you really have to describe my character in excruciating detail?
I sighed heavily, grabbing Coco’s hand. “Come on, Coco. Michael’s looking for me. Let’s go find him.”
But before I could take a step, Coco tugged on my hand, refusing to move.
“Do we have to go?” she asked, her voice small and hesitant. “Can’t we just stay here?
Just you and me?”
I crouched down, frowning slightly. “Why, Coco? Don’t you want to see Michael? Don’t you miss him?”
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