03 - The Name on the Enemy Team

"GGWP! Easy win!" Yuki's cheerful voice rang through the headset as the "VICTORY" screen flashed across Shouka's monitor. A chorus of happy agreement followed from Mina, Emi, and Akiro.

"You guys are a solid team," Shouka admitted, leaning back in his chair. He couldn't help but smile. The initial shock had worn off, replaced by a strange sense of camaraderie. It was still weird, but it was a good weird. "Alright, that was fun, but as I said, I've got to go."

"Aww, leaving so soon?" Mina (IHardCoreKiller) asked, her voice genuinely disappointed. "We were just getting to know you properly!"

"Yeah, don't go!" added Akiro (LovStarWar) softly.

"Hmph. Running away already? Don't tell me you're going to play that shooter game, Delta Strike," Emi (CatManiacLover) chimed in, her tone sharp and teasing. "My little brother is obsessed with it. Always talking about some pro player named... Spicarie."

Shouka froze for a second, an apple slice halfway to his mouth. The name hit a nerve, instantly reminding him of his sister's fanatical shouting from the living room. "Don't even start," he groaned. "My sister is a super-fan. I hear that name a dozen times a day. I'm just trying to get my Marshal rank before the season ends."

"Marshal rank? Wow, that's impressive!" Mina said. "That's the highest, isn't it?"

"Spicarie, huh?" Yuki's voice cut in, laced with an unreadable, almost mischievous amusement. "She's pretty good, I guess. I know her."

Shouka sat bolt upright. "You know her? Like, personally?"

His sister, Shita, who had been quietly listening by the door, gasped and rushed over to his side, trying to grab his headset. "What?! Yuki knows Spicarie?! Ask her! Ask her how!"

Shouka batted her hands away, trying to focus. "Yuki, what do you mean you know her?"

There was a slight pause on the other end of the line. "Let's just say we've... crossed paths," Yuki said evasively. "Anyway, Shouka, you should go get your rank. We'll play again soon. I'll message you."

Before Shouka could press for more details, the other girls said their goodbyes and one by one, their names disappeared from the party list, leaving only him and Yuki.

"Hey, Shouka," Yuki said, her voice now softer, more like the childhood friend he knew. "Don't worry about it. Just go play your game. And... good luck."

With that, she too logged off, leaving Shouka staring at the empty game lobby. The air in his room felt thick with unanswered questions. His sister was bombarding him with frantic whispers, but he barely heard her. Yuki knows Spicarie? How?

He shook his head, pushing the thought aside for now. He had a goal. With renewed determination, he exited League of Champion and double-clicked the icon for Delta Strike. The game launcher roared to life, and soon he was at the main menu, the adrenaline starting to pump.

"Alright," he muttered to himself, cracking his knuckles. "No more distractions. Time to become a Marshal."

He queued up for a ranked match. The system searched, the timer ticking up. His heart hammered in his chest—a mix of anticipation for the rank-up match and the lingering mystery of Yuki's words. After about thirty seconds, the alert sounded. A match had been found.

As he loaded into the pre-game lobby, he scanned the names on his team, then the names on the enemy's. His eyes moved down the list, and then stopped, widening in disbelief.

There, on the enemy team roster, was a name he had heard far too many times today. A name that was the source of his sister's obsession and his own budding curiosity.

"Spicarie!"