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Chapter 23: Can I be selfish? Someone’s’s POV Looks like Harucchi won’t be livestreaming today. He announced it on all his socials. I wonder why? Scrolling through my phone while lying on my bed is so boring. Ugh. Should I just play SFO solo? Harucchi said in one of his streams that newbies like me should avoid PvP and boss fights. I should stick to farming weak mobs and leveling up. I picked the support class, by the way. I wanted to be the one to back him up someday. Honestly, I think it’s safe to say I have a crush on him—even though I don’t even know what he looks like. But he’s so kind and cool in his streams. I can’t help but imagine he’s just as amazing in real life. Feeling restless, I sat up, grabbed a soda from my desk, and stared at my PC. Should I check if he’s online? It’s afternoon now, and Harucchi always logs in around this time. I powered up my PC and opened the game. And yep, there he is. Playing. My heart started racing. Should I send him a party request? I hesitated for a good minute, debating with myself. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I really wanted to play with him. My nervousness didn’t win this time, though, so I hit the request button. Please accept it, Harucchi-sama! Haru’s POV We finally finished cleaning my aunt’s room this afternoon. I swear, if I don’t get paid for this, I’m never lifting a finger for her again. Now, it’s time to relax. Shiori-san and I promised to play SFO together tonight, so I made sure to announce on my socials that I wouldn’t be livestreaming. Hopefully, my followers won’t spam me. I logged in and was about to invite Shiori-san when a party request from Neko-chan popped up. "What’s up, Haru-kun?" Crap. Shiori-san caught me staring at the screen surprised. "It’s nothing!" I said quickly, declining the request before she could ask more questions. I felt a little guilty, but Shiori-san always comes first. If I prioritized someone else, she’d definitely snap at me. "Haru-kun! Focus on the game! Or are you thinking about another girl again?" she asked, her eyes narrowing. "I’m not!" I said, trying to focus on the screen, but my mind drifted back to Neko-chan. Someone’s POV Sigh. He declined my request. Is he playing with someone else? I stared at the screen, feeling conflicted. Should I just log off? But curiosity got the better of me. Who could he be playing with? I spent a few minutes fumbling with the game interface before discovering I could spectate my friends’ gameplay. My heart thudded as I clicked on Harucchi’s screen, and there it was. He was in a party with someone named Tria. I frowned. Is that a girl? Why are they playing alone? A tiny knot of jealousy started forming in my chest. I clicked on Tria’s profile, and wow, she wasn’t just some regular player. She was a top player in Japan, just like Harucchi. I slumped back in my chair. How can I even compete with her? The room felt quieter as I stared at the screen. I decided to search Tria’s name online, just to learn more about her. The results left me stunned. Harucchi and Tria weren’t just teammates. They were married in-game. Wait... you can get married in this game? My chest tightened. Is she his girlfriend in real life too? I shut my laptop, frustrated. What am I doing, falling for someone I’ve never even met? Someone who’s clearly already taken. Maybe I should just stop playing with him. Sigh. It’s your fault, Yuna. Falling for someone after just one day. Haru’s POV Shiori-san and I played for hours, diving into dungeon raids and boss fights. She was unusually focused today, barely teasing me like she usually does. We paused for dinner, mom ordered a takeout since neither of us felt like cooking, we’re all tired after all, except mom who’s just felt lazy to cook. We ate together in the room, sitting side by side on the floor. "Shiori-san, are you staying over again tonight? In my room?" I asked as we finished eating. "If Haru-kun insists... then" she replied, smirking. For the record, I wasn’t insisting. I was just asking. Still, something about Shiori-san’s mood felt... different tonight. She’d been quieter than usual, almost like she was lost in thought. And she’s glancing too much at me. Did something happen while I was out to buy some curtains earlier? Maybe she talked to my aunt. It’s probably one of those adult problems I wouldn’t understand. Even so, there was this weird feeling in my chest, like she was still troubled by something. After cleaning up, I stretched and yawned. "Shiori-san, good night." "Good night too, Haru-kun," she said, her voice softer than usual. I hesitated for a second. Even though we weren’t dating (yet?), being a little bold wouldn’t hurt, right? "Shiori-san?" "Hm?" "Winter’s pretty cold, isn’t it? So, uh... can I hug you?" Her face softened into a smile, even in the dim light of the room. "Yes, gladly." I wrapped my arms around her, feeling the warmth of her presence. For a moment, all the worries from earlier faded away. Too be honest, I’m a bit nervous doing this, buy if it’s the only thing I can do to ease Shiori-san’s worries, then I’ll do it. I don’t want to be dense, but there’s a voice in my mind that hinting me that Shiori-san’s acting is caused by my livestreaming. I should talk to her, tomorrow. Shiori’s POV I know it’s wrong, but I can’t help it. I want Haru-kun to stop livestreaming. I’m always so selfish, so possessive... even though we’re not even dating. But if I tell him how I feel, what if he hates me? What if he pushes me away? These thoughts kept swirling in my head as Haru-kun hugged me goodnight. I smiled at him, hoping he wouldn’t notice the storm inside me. "Haru-kun... you’re mine. Even if you don’t realize it yet."