When Virtual Romance Turns into Real Love

────Short Story

Grrrrrrrrrrr!

The roar heard in the distance was enough to tell me, just by the sound of it, that it was a massive beast. I sprinted through the forest at full speed and pulled out my scope at the edge of a steep cliff.

There it was...! It was bigger than I had imagined. Dragons of this size are rarely seen. This must be the biggest catch of the day. I calmed my racing heart with the sound of a grenade being loaded. I switched the rifle scope from optical to digital zoom and aimed at the target's brow. In that instant, a human shadow crossed the scope.

“A dagger!?”
I gasped in surprise. I had never seen anyone fight a dragon with a dagger. I was left speechless as they dodged a sharp claw attack and ran up the dragon's right arm. Pure white shoes with crimson soles...

|The Red!!
I had heard rumors, but they were real. In an instant, Red slashed the tendons in the dragon's right arm. A thud shook the ground, and the massive right arm hung limp. Next, the tendons in the left arm, and finally, piercing the vital point between the eyes would end this battle. I had never seen such brilliant close-quarters combat.

Ping!

A response on the radar. Another dragon was approaching Red from afar. A master like that could handle two at once, but it would be a nuisance if they were in the middle of a time attack.

I switched my weapon to an ultra-long-range rifle and read the wind. I aimed, held my breath, and—fired. The dragon vanished from the radar without a sound. The next moment, a notification arrived in the chat.

凄いですね！
そんな長距離で急所を射抜くガンナーはじめて見ました！

When I turned my scope toward Red, the dragon, as large as a cliff, was already lying on the ground. This was the first conversation I ever had with her. The screenshot of this screen is still my treasure.

†

|JOKERNIGHT is an online game released three years ago. It is now a popular game with over 100 million active users. Beyond just the battle mode for defeating dragons, it has become an SNS platform that transcends the framework of a game, hosting events like artist concerts within the field. Half a year ago, a colleague introduced me to JOKERNIGHT, and I was instantly hooked. I poured all my time into it on my days off. It didn't take long for my six-tatami mat room to turn into a gaming room.

Red is the most famous charismatic player in JOKERNIGHT and the winner of the first world battle royale tournament held last year. The prize was a pair of shoes that tripled running speed. She customized them into white high heels. The crimson soles stood out against the white. Eventually, she became a legendary player known as "Red."

She was famous for only playing solo. Her chat was always set to closed. Her noble playstyle of not interacting with anyone only added to Red's charisma. And that charisma was right in front of me. Moreover, her chat was open. Flustered, I froze, not knowing what to say.

わたしとチームを組みませんか？

My hands trembled as I typed on the keyboard in response to her sudden words.

えｔ？　うぞ？？

I felt embarrassed for making a typo like a total internet novice.

ほんぞ

Perhaps I had been drawn to her from that very moment, when she intentionally made a typo.

†

It took less than 30 seconds from receiving the chat saying she was coming over to Red appearing. The avatar of Red that appeared before me was very simple. Amber eyes that shone as brightly as her light-colored hair. A pure white costume with a sparkling diamond pendant. And the one-and-only "Red Sole" in the world.

はじめまして、リサです。
みんなはレッドって呼んでるみたいだけど。

はじめまして、ユウトです。リサさんは……

リサ、でいいですよ

リサは、なんで僕に声かけてくれたんですか？

だって、あんな距離で打てるガンナーはめったにというか、
ぜんぜんいないじゃないですか！？

Her avatar smiled.

だから、わたしと一緒にミラアトラを狩りにいきませんか？

I see, so that's it. She wants to form a team to defeat the highest-difficulty dragon... I almost convinced myself of that before shaking my head.

ミラアトラって、まだ誰も倒したことがない
最終ステージのミラアトラのこと！？
先月、世界トップランクの五人チームでも失敗したって
ニュースで話題になってたし。
たった二人じゃ無理に決まってるよ！

Excited, I couldn't help but hammer away at the keyboard using casual language.

できるよ、わたしたちなら。

Her avatar smiled again.

†

The news that Red, the lone wolf player, had formed a team spread across the world in an instant. My followers, who had only numbered 200, exceeded 5,000 overnight. Every DM I received was about Red—asking me to introduce them to Red, or saying they wanted to talk to Red. Annoyed by the non-stop notifications, I changed my DM settings to [Mutual Followers Only].

Relieved by the quiet screen, I confirmed that Lisa was logged in and sent her a DM.

いつ狩りにいく？

The moment I pressed the enter key, I got a reply.

今度の土曜日の夜、
“幻想の森” の入り口で待ち合わせで、どう？

The short journey for her and me to defeat Miraatra had begun.

"The Forest of Illusion" is the sanctuary of Jokanite and the final stage, accessible only to players ranked in the top 10,000 worldwide.

Hearing "top 10,000" might not sound like much, but the hurdle of being in the top 0.01 percent of 100 million players is quite high. By the way, I am ranked 8,572nd. Not bad. But since Lisa's ranking is 1st, she is, to put it mildly, a god. Forming a team with such a player feels like a dream, and it's a little scary.

At the meeting time, I made a suggestion to her as she appeared at the entrance of the forest.

これからチームを組んで戦うなら、
音声チャットをONにした方がいいと思うんだ。
バトル中にテキスト打つヒマなんてないだろ？

たしかにそうかも。OK！　今、リクエスト送るね。

Jokanite's voice chat is only available between mutual followers. Lisa is only following me. Knowing that out of 100 million players, I am the only one who can hear Red's voice, I couldn't hide my excitement.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

Her voice had a clarity that made me think she might be the best in the world in a beauty-of-voice ranking. Judging by the sound of her voice, is she in her 20s like me? I was captivated by Lisa's voice.

"Behind you! There!"

At Lisa's sharp voice, I hurriedly came to my senses, turned around, and pulled the trigger. A small dragon was shot through the forehead and blown away. I had forgotten. We are standing on the impregnable final stage. And there are only two of us.

†

Miraatra, the strongest enemy, is in the deepest part of the Forest of Illusion. The theory for clearing it is to head to the deepest part while avoiding contact with dragons as much as possible. The dragons here are not small fry. It is a dangerous place teeming with boss-level enemies from normal areas.

However, Lisa's strategy was different. Her primary goal was to defeat 50 dragons.

I had heard rumors about this too. Apparently, there is a secret item you can obtain by defeating 50 dragons in the Forest of Illusion. There has been no official announcement, but it is frequently discussed in underground communities and is considered highly credible. Lisa predicted that it might be an important item for defeating Miraatra.

The first dragon we encountered in the forest vanished from sight in an instant. Lisa's swordplay was incredible. Her movements were efficient, like a graceful, elegant dance. Her dagger sliced through the prey's vital points beautifully and sharply. Before I could even provide cover with my rifle, Lisa had already finished off the target. We defeated over ten dragons in three days. For an average party, one a day would be the limit. While my covering fire helped, the technique of the world's number one ranked player was far beyond anything I could have imagined.

“Shall we save here for today? Is your time still okay, Yuto?”
“Saturday nights are for pulling all-nighters, that's the default.”

After a brief pause, Lisa's avatar spoke to me.

“Do you want to have a drink together?”

†

We sat side by side on a small hill, one of Lisa's favorite spots, and watched the sunset. The sight of a flock of dragons flying through the crimson-dyed sky was fantastical, even though I knew it was just a game.

“Salud!Salud”
“Salud?”
“It's a toast in Spanish. I love sangria.”

Thinking that sangria was a Spanish drink, I opened a can of beer. Salud!Salud I toasted with Lisa, who was on the other side of the screen, connected only by voice. Am I the only one wishing this time could last forever? I thought about that while listening to Lisa's voice coming through the speakers.

Since I started hunting with Lisa, our ranking has been climbing day by day. While defeating strong dragons is one reason, the biggest factor is that I'm teamed up with Lisa. Just by being in a party with the number one ranked player, my followers increased and my own ranking went up. I really hated receiving praise beyond my actual ability.

“Yuto, your shooting skills are incredibly high. Rankings don't necessarily reflect true ability. The ranking is finally just catching up to your real skill!”

My heart softened at Lisa's words. At the same time, a sharp pain pricked my chest. Before I knew it, I had developed a complex about the ranking gap between Lisa and me. I knew Lisa didn't care about such things. My own petty pride was just creating unnecessary emotions.

“You know...”

The tone of Lisa's voice coming from the speakers changed slightly.

“Before we go to the final stage, there's something I want to tell you, Yuto.”

I could hear my heart thumping.

†

Even while at work, I was thinking about Journey Knight the whole time. To be precise, I couldn't get Lisa's words out of my head. I was absent-minded with my boss's instructions and kept making mistakes. My colleagues were worried, asking if I'd been dumped by a girl. Dumped? We weren't even dating. Besides, it's impossible to date someone you've never met and only know by voice. Alright! I told myself, drinking the cold canned coffee on my desk and getting back to the Excel sheet. But immediately, Lisa's words from Saturday night echoed in my mind, and I couldn't focus on work—

“Before we go to the final stage, there's something I want to tell you, Yuto...”

Her serious tone made my body tense up.

“I'm planning to retire once I clear the final stage.”
“What!? Retire? You mean you're quitting Journey Knight...?”
“Yeah. I'm planning to delete my account too.”
“No way!! You're going to delete the world's number one ranked account??”

Joknight estimates emotions from the player's voice and changes the avatar's facial expressions. A strong will is conveyed through the expression on Lisa's avatar as she looks at me.

“Being ranked number one is nice, but it’s not fun.”

Lisa’s eyelids closed sadly.

“Every time my ranking went up, the number of people I played with increased too. Joknight is fun for events and socializing outside of hunting, isn't it?”

I nodded, and my avatar nodded along with me. A secret to Joknight's popularity is that it also has rich non-verbal communication using image analysis.

“That changed after I won the world tournament. I had over a million followers, but the only time I was happy was that first moment.”
“I can’t imagine a world with a million followers.”
“No matter what I did, people would say, ‘Amazing!’ Even if I just picked an apple from a tree, dozens of comments like ‘Great,’ ‘Excellent,’ and ‘Wonderful’ would pop up.”
“That sounds a bit annoying.”
“Right?”

For the first time in this conversation, Lisa smiled.

“I started to feel like I was being watched by my followers. So I changed my chat settings to ‘Mutual Followers Only,’ but then I started getting more weird requests.”
“Weird ones?”
“There were so many people saying, ‘Someone wants to talk to Red, so can you follow my friend?’ When I politely refused, they’d start attacking me, saying things like I was acting stuck-up...”
“People like that would probably say, ‘You’ve changed,’ wouldn't they?”
“Exactly! The people who weren't even that close to me were the ones who said it the most. People who judge my value based on rankings and follower counts.”

I think to myself that even charismatic people have troubles that ordinary people don't understand.

“After dealing with that, it became painful to log into Joknight. So, I unfollowed everyone, brought it down to zero, and made it so no one could send me messages. It was like a sudden, impulsive urge.”
“Ah, I get that. I sometimes feel like making a separate account and starting from zero, too.”
“Socializing on the internet is difficult, isn't it? Some people call me a ‘solitary solo player,’ but I never wanted to be solitary.”

Lisa’s avatar looks down sadly.

“That’s why I wanted to defeat Miraatra at the end and retire with a sense of accomplishment. But I knew I couldn't do it alone. So, when I saw Yuto’s marksmanship, I thought, ‘He’s the only one I can team up with!’”

I ruminate on the words “He’s the only one” in my head and grin. I worried if my avatar’s face was turning red.

“Yuto, thank you for teaming up with me. Let’s definitely defeat Miraatra!”

I answered with a nod, but this had become a troublesome situation. If we defeat Miraatra, Lisa’s dream will come true, and I’ll be happy too. But if Lisa deletes her account, I’ll never be able to see her again.

†

It’s the 15th day since entering the Forest of Illusion, the final stage of Joknight. Finally, Lisa and I reached the 50th dragon. If the rumors are true, we should be able to get a special item if we defeat this dragon.

“Wow, this is definitely going to be a tough fight.”

Contrary to the words she mutters while taking out her telescope to look at the giant dragon in the distance, Lisa is smiling happily.

“Shall we go with our usual strategy?”

Lisa nodded at my words. We both raised our right hands slightly and called out to each other at the same time.

Salud!

The word Lisa taught me had somehow become our battle cry. It was like a secret code between the two of us, carrying the meaning of good luck.

Lisa took off with great momentum. She ran down the gentle hill, dashed through the trees of the forest at top speed, and closed the distance from the dragon's blind spot. I prepared for a long-range shot and checked the positions of Lisa and the dragon on my radar. Soon, Lisa would enter the dragon's combat zone.

From afar, I heard a roar that shook the earth. If I missed the first shot, the entire battle plan would fall apart. I took a deep breath and held it. The moment the dragon shook its head and entered its attack stance, I aimed for the vital point between its eyes. A dragon of this class could not be taken down by a single shot to a vital point from a distance. It would only be stunned for a moment, and that duration was five seconds.

During those five seconds, Lisa closed the distance to the dragon by 50 meters. There was less than 200 meters left. She jumped to dodge the fire breath released from its mouth and kept running at top speed. I switched my rifle to rapid-fire mode and shot down the dragon's needles, which were raining down like a downpour, one after another. A path like a game trail, where the rain of needles was weaker, emerged in the field. While deflecting the remaining needles with her dagger, Lisa continued to run toward the dragon.

Lisa's right foot caught on the dragon's claw. This was where the real battle began. We could only stun the dragon three times per attack. Whether Lisa could pierce the dragon's vital point depended on my covering fire. For the next few minutes, I had to concentrate so hard that I wouldn't be able to hear the sounds around me. I blew a short breath onto my fingers, gripped the controller again, and followed Lisa as she approached the dragon through my scope.

†

Lisa, stroking the head of the lying dragon, looked like a beautiful saint. That is, if you ignored the blood-stained dagger stuck between the dragon's eyes.

Man, that was tough as expected. But it was incredibly fun!

There was a small cut on Lisa's cheek, with blood faintly seeping out.

Huh? Lisa, don't you have damage effects turned off?
Yeah, it adds more tension, doesn't it? I rarely get hit anyway.

As expected of the world's number one ranked player, she says things differently. Damage effects depict scenes where your avatar bleeds or parts of your body are destroyed depending on the attack you receive. It's a popular feature for players who pursue realism, but I have it turned off because I feel sick even from blood tests.

Lisa, by the way, were you able to get the secret item?

Smiling, Lisa took a glass bottle containing a blue liquid out of her equipment bag. Judging by the color, it looked like a recovery item.

It seems to be a recovery potion that lets you stay active for five minutes after taking fatal damage.
Amazing! That means you'll be invincible for five minutes, right?
It seems so. Though it looks like my health will drop to zero and I'll automatically log out after five minutes, if we can manage to stay without using the potion until we've drained some of Miraatra's health, we'll definitely win!

We jumped for joy, having obtained the item that could defeat Miraatra, which no one had ever cleared before. It was a long way around, but the strategy of defeating 50 dragons in the Forest of Illusion was the right one.

It's finally time. Tomorrow, we can finally defeat Miraatra. Thank you for coming this far with me.

Lisa's avatar, holding both of my hands, is incredibly cute. I seem to have truly fallen in love with her, even though I only know her voice. But once we defeat Miraatra, Lisa intends to delete her Joaknight account as well. If that happens, I will never be able to see her again.

Then, let's log in at the same time tomorrow.
Yeah...

My weak response hit the PC screen and fell silently. Is it possible that to Lisa, I am nothing more than a game partner? I stood alone in the field where Lisa had logged out of her Joaknight account.

†

Lisa was beautiful that day, too. The pendant shining with rainbow colors stood out against her pure white costume. And her shoes, with their crimson soles on a snow-white body. I don't know how many times I've been captivated by this avatar. Thinking that this might be the last time, I couldn't find the words to express my feelings.

"Haaah, I'm kind of nervous."

Lisa's smiling voice as she spoke to me was painful to hear right now. I decided to ask her the question I had wanted to ask for so long but never could.

"This is just a 'what if we win this battle' scenario, but... has your mind changed about retiring from Joka Knight?"

Lisa's avatar didn't move an inch. The wind ruffled her hair, hiding her expression. I couldn't read her feelings from the screen.

"Let's win!"

Her voice, filled with determination, made me steel myself. I decided not to think about what would happen after until this battle was over. We walked side by side through the forest. The deepest part of the forest opened up into a meadow that stretched to the horizon. In the center stood a colossal dragon, looking like a towering thunderhead.

"No tricks. Please provide full support until I reach its feet. I'll handle the rest."

I nodded and raised my rifle.

"Salud!"

At the signal, Lisa started running. She sprinted across the meadow at full speed. Miraatra noticed her and let out a roar that shook the ground. Needles filled the sky, and flames hot enough to burn the meadow attacked Lisa. I gripped my controller tighter, knowing this attack was on a completely different level than anything we had faced before.

It was a miracle that Lisa managed to reach Miraatra's feet. My covering fire and her movements were all divine. If someone asked us to do it again, we would both say in unison that it would be impossible. Lisa circled around from Miraatra's hind legs and moved onto its back. Then, a brutal attack rained down on her. I finally understood. This was an enemy you couldn't defeat without being prepared for a mutual kill. Perhaps Lisa had known that from the start. That was why she had chosen the plan to defeat 50 dragons and obtain the 'secret medicine that allows you to fight for 5 minutes while in a near-death state.'

Lisa raced up Miraatra's back at an incredible speed. Needles, claws, lightning—every kind of attack assaulted her. Even with her agility, she couldn't dodge everything. Her pure white costume was stained with the color of blood as she took hit after hit. Just 100 meters from its head, the tip of its long tail pierced her body from behind.

Fresh blood enveloped her body, and her health gauge hit zero. Normally, this would be game over, but thanks to the secret medicine, Lisa could still move. Green numbers appeared on the screen, and a countdown from 5:00 began. I watched in a daze as Lisa, her white costume dyed crimson, raced up Miraatra's back.

Beautiful—

As those out-of-place words spilled from my throat, Lisa's dagger pierced the center of Miraatra's forehead.

†

Miraatra lay still, looking like a mountain. In front of it, Lisa, her costume stained bright red, was waiting for me.

"We did it! We did it, Yuto! We defeated Miraatra!"

When Lisa's avatar hugged me, the screen filled with both joy and sadness. I couldn't help but be bothered by the green numbers continuing their countdown.

"Lisa, the medicine's effect will wear off in one more minute!"

The numbers were steadily decreasing: 50... 40 seconds. Lisa probably wouldn't log in ever again once the game was over.

"Yuto, thank you. Thank you so much. The time we spent hunting together was the best time I've ever had in Jokanite."

My face was a mess of tears and snot. Even when I tried to speak, only sounds like sobbing came out.

"Lisa! Don't quit Jokanite. I want to hunt with you more!"
"I'm sorry... Yuto. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
"Lisa! I want to see you again! It doesn't have to be here, anywhere is fine—"

As if to cut off my words, Lisa's avatar vanished with a 'whoosh' sound effect. I was left behind in the middle of the plains stretching to the horizon, alone with the dragon's remains.

--*--

The news that the final stage of Jokanite had been cleared spread across the world in an instant. With the disappearance of the charismatic player 'Red's' account, the news spread at an astonishing speed along with various speculations. My followers were increasing at an abnormal rate.

That was only natural. Now that Lisa's account was gone, I was the only player who had cleared the final stage. My followers surpassed one million, and I had entered the top 10 in the world rankings. The scene I had dreamed of when I first started Jokanite was unfolding before my eyes.

But it was just empty.
My heart was hollow.

Follower counts and rankings were just numbers to me now. I realized that a world without Lisa was a fiction. The online world where Lisa existed was my true reality.

†

The news about Jokanite flared up like the chirping of cicadas and faded away with the end of summer. It seems some bored people are still continuing to slander my account, but I didn't care. I don't feel like playing Jokanite right now. I might never log in again. After winning the world tournament, I now understand the emptiness Lisa must have felt. I even felt pity for those who could only compare themselves to others, boasting, envying, or belittling them.

Even a month after Lisa's account disappeared, I was still in the midst of that emptiness. It felt hollow to be in the gaming room I had built by pouring in bonuses, so I wandered the streets aimlessly on my days off.

I would gaze at products I had no intention of buying or read books standing up in bookstores. Just waiting for time to pass, I was a virtual existence that didn't enter anyone's field of vision. That day, too, I was walking the streets without a destination. I let myself be carried by the crowd, continuing to walk without purpose. When I stopped at a traffic light, I spotted the word 'Jokanite' across the intersection. Inside a shop window was a poster for a 'Jokanite Collaboration Exhibition.' After gazing for a while at the display case of a high-end jeweler that felt out of place for me, I entered the store. After walking a few steps, a clerk approached me without a sound.

"Are you looking for something?"

A tall man with a baritone voice spoke to me with a smile. Why do jewelry store clerks always say that? I returned an ambiguous smile, waved my hand, and started walking toward the opposite exit.

I really don't like places like this. As I walked with my head down to avoid being spoken to by the clerks, a familiar pendant caught my eye. A large, iridescent diamond. Just as a feeling of nostalgia and sadness welled up at the same time, a different clerk spoke to me.

"Are you looking for something?"

For a moment, I doubted my own ears—there was no way such a coincidence could happen. But I didn't think my ears could mistake her voice. I slowly looked up, met the clerk's eyes, and spoke.

"I've been looking for you."

If I had mistaken her for someone else, I was saying something terrible. I might be dragged out of the store by security. The sound of my own heartbeat was so loud it made it hard to breathe. A heavy silence enveloped us. The clerk's expression shifted from confusion to a smile. As if confirming something, she gave a small nod. Then, she raised her right hand and said to me:

"Salud!"