Critical Error in the Speaker System: The Delegate vs. The Administrator

For Sora, the day was becoming a complete disaster. Not only could he not concentrate on his classes because of the morning event, but he could also swear he saw Shiori and Mochi in the hallways, sometimes with a poster board and other times just waving at him.

"Ah! Where are you supposed to be, Airi? If you're my childhood friend, come rescue me!" Sora screamed inside his head.

With nothing left to lose, he devised a plan. Luckily for him, Tomoki, his best friend at the institution, was sitting behind him.

Sora took advantage of the teacher being distracted explaining on the blackboard to throw a paper ball at Tomoki. The paper had these words: "Let's escape 5 minutes early, I need to talk to you, at our usual hiding spot during recess."

Tomoki, not fully understanding the situation, simply extended his thumb in an OK signal.

However, the teacher saw Tomoki's movements and threw a piece of chalk that hit him directly on the head.

"Young Tomoki!" the teacher exclaimed with anger while adjusting her glasses with a murderous look. "If you have enough energy to make OK signals, surely you have the energy to come to the board and solve the following third-degree equation."

Tomoki let out a groan while rubbing his head, not taking his eyes off Sora. "You owe me a legendary-level lunch for this."

[Five Minutes Before Recess]

Sora didn't wait for the bell to ring. Taking advantage of the teacher writing homework on the board, he slipped out the back door. Tomoki followed seconds later, pretending to go to the nurse's office for the chalk trauma.

They met behind the old club building, a place where Wi-Fi and Mochi's instincts couldn't reach and, therefore, the only spot where they couldn't find him even with GPS.

"Sora, for the love of our Goddess Kaguya," Tomoki exclaimed, letting himself fall against the wall. "What the hell is going on? You haven't logged on since the new game launched, and I also saw a first-year girl with gray hair putting up 'Wanted' posters with your face on the lockers while I was coming here. And there's another girl who's scaring the second-years asking about her beloved husband while threatening them with a wooden spoon!"

Sora covered his face with his hands, letting out a sigh that seemed to drain all his stamina.

"Tomoki... the server of my peaceful life has been attacked from within," Sora responded with a broken voice. "Those two are... my ex-wives from the game. And now they live in my living room."

Tomoki stood petrified. The silence lasted long enough for a cat to walk by on the wall. He simply couldn't process those words.

"Live... in your house? Two SSR-level beauties?" Tomoki grabbed Sora by the shoulders and started shaking him. "Sora, that's not just any problem, that's a lottery event you won! Why do you look like you just got your game account banned?"

"Because one won't stop following me even when I go to the bathroom, and the other clings to my arm like a sea otter the moment I let my guard down!" Sora shouted, completely losing his composure. "I just wanted my life to be that of a boring, invisible NPC, and now I'm taking care of two completely beautiful girls in my house!"

However, the school speakers began to turn on, making Sora jump in fright. A familiar, overly sweet voice resonated throughout the campus.

"Attention to all users of Shinomiya Institution," Mochi's voice sounded dangerously sweet, filtered through the echo of the metallic speakers. "Player Sora Yamamoto is hereby informed that his lunch buff has been deployed on the rooftop. If he does not appear within three minutes, the Administrator will proceed to perform a manual scan of each classroom. The use of physical force is not ruled out. Thank you for your coopera—"

An interference noise and scuffle cut off Mochi's sentence. Sora and Tomoki froze under the building's shadow.

"But what do you think you're doing?!" Airi's voice burst into the announcement, sounding both indignant and embarrassed. "Let go of the microphone right now! This equipment is for official student council announcements, not for your wife delusions!"

"I'm just providing technical support to my beloved Sora!" Mochi was heard shouting in the background, moving slightly away from the microphone but still audible. "Let me finish the announcement, low-level delegate!"

"Low-level?! Listen here, you crazy spoon lady! Yamamoto is a normal student, and I won't allow you to turn this school into the private server of your house!" Airi seemed to be struggling with Mochi for control of the console. "And you, Yamamoto! I know you're listening to me from some hiding spot! Come to the council office right now before these two crazy girls dismantle the building!"

The speaker let out a beep before shutting off completely, leaving the campus in an awkward silence. Then, the murmur of hundreds of confused students began to rise like a tsunami.

Sora dropped his forehead against the brick wall, wishing the ground would open up and swallow him.

Tomoki, who was still beside Sora, could only pat him on the back a couple of times with a mix of pity and pure envy.

"Well, Sora... look on the bright side," Tomoki said, trying to hold back his laughter. "Now you're no longer an NPC. You're officially the final boss of this school. The delegate and the cleric are fighting over you live and in person."

Sora stood up, adjusting his uniform with trembling hands. He couldn't hide anymore. If he didn't intervene soon, Airi and Mochi would end up destroying the radio booth or something worse.

"I have to go... I guess," Sora sighed, starting to walk toward the main building. "If I don't go out now, Shiori will probably hack the fire sprinklers to flush me out with a flood."

Sora made his way at a brisk pace down the second-floor hallway while holding a can of cold coffee he had just gotten from the vending machine to try to calm his nerves. His mind was processing the Mochi vs. Airi conflict at 100%, leaving 0% available for peripheral vision.

"If I get there in less than a minute, maybe I can prevent Airi from calling the police or Mochi from turning the council desk into firewood," Sora thought while accelerating his pace more and more.

Sora turned the corner by the library at full speed, and suddenly, the world stopped.

Sora felt himself collide with something soft yet firm at the same time. The impact sent the coffee can flying from his hand, spinning in the air before landing and splashing the dark drink directly onto the immaculate uniform of a girl coming from the opposite direction.

"Ahh! What the hell is wrong with you, you idiot?!" a sharp voice full of absolute indignation echoed through the hallway.

Sora regained his balance and looked up. In front of him stood Mika Tamaki.

Mika managed to project an aura of superiority that made her seem much taller, even though she had to tilt her head slightly upward to meet Sora's eyes. Her hair was an explosion of color: brilliant platinum blonde that ended in tips dyed an intense pink, all gathered in a voluminous ponytail held by a disproportionately large ribbon. Her eyes were amethyst violet, as sharp as they were challenging.

She wore the white school shirt tied at her waist, leaving her navel and a neon orange top underneath exposed. An oversized beige cardigan hung from one shoulder, and her red and black plaid skirt was so short that her fallen white socks and platform shoes stood out even more.

"My clothes! Do you have any idea how much this costs?! It's a limited seasonal edition!" Mika shouted while pointing at the disaster with horror. "Hey, look at me when I'm talking to you! You just ruined my outfit and my entire day! What makes you think you can do this to the great Mika Tamaki?!"

Sora, however, barely had time to look at her, but he noticed something unusual. In Mika's hand, she held a smartphone with a small childish red dragon dangling from it. Sora recognized the keychain instantly: it was the basic level mascot that players of the Berserker class used to receive at the start of the game.

But there was no time for nostalgia.

"I'm sorry, really. Here," Sora said, pulling a pack of tissues from his pocket and placing them in her hand, right next to her shiny bracelets. "Clean yourself up before the stain dries. I have a problem at the council office, and if I don't get there now, the entire school is going to suffer a catastrophe. Talk later!"

Sora passed by her almost at a run, leaving the Queen of the school with the tissue pack in her hand and the words stuck in her mouth.

Mika stood frozen in the middle of the hallway, watching as the boy who had just completely ignored her walked away without even asking her name.

"Problem at the office...? Did he just... ignore me...?" Mika clenched the tissues, and a dangerous gleam appeared in her violet eyes. "That idiot... No one turns their back on the great Mika Tamaki and lives to tell about it!"