"I received an NTR video accompanied by the message, 'Boyfriend, are you watching? lol.' In response, I sent back a clip of me and someone flirting, along with the message, 'Loser, are you watching? lol.'" - Episode 2

After school that day was the same as always.
Megumi left with our classmates.
Even though we’re dating, no one knows about our relationship.
We meet on weekends and message each other regularly.
It sounds romantic, like a secret love story — but in reality, we just haven’t told anyone.
Still, I’ve never felt lonely. I think things are fine the way they are.
To be honest, even though Megumi confessed and we started dating, I’m not sure how I really feel yet.
I like her — as a person, definitely. But do I like her as a lover?
I can’t say for sure.
It’s hard to define the exact moment when feelings shift from friendship to love.
Is it when your heart races?
Or when you find yourself wanting to see them all the time?
I’ve felt both, but if someone asked if I was truly in love… I’d hesitate.
That’s the kind of relationship we have right now.
I wonder what she thinks of me.
She confessed, so I assume she likes me… but what was it about me that made her fall in the first place?
Like always, I sent Megumi a quick message before heading home.
“Heading home now.”
It’s a simple routine, but something she asked me to do.
Usually, she replies right away.
But today, for some reason, her response was delayed.
Well, that happens sometimes.
With that thought, I left school.
As usual, the first thing I did was open my game app and start hunting monsters.
Another part of my daily routine.
It’s about a one-hour walk home — two hours if I’m distracted by the game.
I followed the map in the app. Monsters rarely appear on main roads — they tend to hide in back alleys.
When I reached one of the game’s hotspots, I saw a few others already there, all playing the same game.
Seeing them made me feel a strange sense of camaraderie.
“Hey, look at that girl!”
“She’s insanely cute!”
“She’s gorgeous… girls like that really exist?”
“I think she’s from Yokoshima High. She’s famous for being beautiful.”
Some guys nearby started whispering excitedly.
Curious, I looked up — and saw her standing under the shadow of a telephone pole, staring at me.
Hoshina Kawashima.
She’s in the same year as me.
Rumor has it she’s the girlfriend of Netori Shuji, the most notorious troublemaker at school.
But why was she looking at me?
Then I realized — she was playing the same game.
Apparently, she felt too embarrassed to come out because someone from her school was already there.
No need to be shy about that.
After defeating the monsters at that location, I continued walking.
To my surprise, Hoshina began walking the same route, as if following me.
Well, of course she was.
We’re playing the same game. Naturally, we’re headed to the same locations.
Whenever I stopped, she stopped too.
This little back-and-forth went on for nearly an hour.
Eventually, Hoshina started to look tired.
I figured she wasn’t the athletic type.
Meanwhile, I play this game every day, and I also work out, so it didn’t bother me.
Though we weren’t walking together, I started to feel like we were partners — comrades in the same quest.
So, I turned around and walked over to her.
“U-uh…”
She looked flustered as I approached.
Standing in front of her, I spoke gently.
“You must be tired from walking so much.”
“Huh? What?”
“Well, we’ve been moving in the same direction this whole time. Playing the same game, right?”
“W-what?! You noticed?”
“Of course. You’ve been trailing me for a while.”
Hoshina fidgeted, twirling a strand of her blonde hair between her gloved fingers.
Despite her flashy style, she had an oddly refined air about her.
“By the way, what version of the game are you playing? Just making sure we’re synced.”
“Ah, this one.”
I showed her my screen.
She pulled out her phone — oddly enough, it was inside a clear freezer bag.
One of those plastic bags used for food storage.
I blinked in surprise as she casually used her phone through the bag like it was normal.
Why was her phone in that?
She didn’t seem to think anything was strange.
“What’s wrong?”
“Oh, uh… nothing.”
She gave me a sharp look, then turned her attention back to her phone.
“So, what level are you?” I asked.
“Oh, actually, I just started today. I’m still level one… probably?”
The way she tilted her head when she said it was kind of adorable.
“I’ve been playing a while. I can show you a few things if you’d like.”
“Really? Then I guess I’ll take you up on that.”
She looked at me with intense eyes — a bit intimidating, honestly.
That’s when I decided to ask something that had been bugging me.
“Hey, did I do something to upset you?”
“Huh? Why?”
“Well, you keep glaring at me.”
“I-I’m not glaring! This is just my normal face!”
Hoshina looked genuinely shocked and a bit pale.
If that wasn’t her glaring… then what does it look like when she is glaring?
I asked, half-jokingly.
“Then what is your glare like?”
“Um, like this?”
She made a face so terrifying it gave me chills.
Yup. Definitely a different level.
“Sorry,” I said. “I must’ve misjudged you.”
“Hmmm… I guess a lot of people think that too.”
“Is this your usual look?”
“I think so. People tend to avoid me… maybe that’s why.”
She let out a heavy sigh.
Even someone like her — beautiful, confident — had her own insecurities.
“Is that the only reason?”
“Well… there’s something else. Maybe people avoid me because of my boyfriend…”
Suddenly, she stopped walking.
“…So, it is about Netori.”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“Maybe not you. But I think it does for most people. Everyone’s scared of him.”
“I see…”
She sighed again, this time more deeply, her concern obvious.
“What’s bothering you exactly?” I asked.
“You already know, don’t you?”
“I have a guess.”
“You mean about my boyfriend?”
“Bingo.”
That was the only thing it could be.
She seemed genuinely downcast.
When Netori’s name came up, her mood visibly sank.
“What’s wrong with Netori?”
“…There are two things.”
“Only two? That’s not so bad.”
“No. They’re really bad.”
She gave me a look so serious it made me pause.
Still, I reminded myself — that’s just how she looks.
“Can you tell me what they are?”
“First… his reputation and behavior. It’s awful.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard the stories.”
“He can be kind sometimes… but his reputation outweighs that.”
“So, the rumors are true?”
“…Worse than you’d expect.”
That confirmed it.
Rumors are one thing — but when someone close to him says it, it must be real.
“And the second thing?”
“…He’s a total womanizer.”
She said it quietly, then lowered her head and fell silent.
That’s the worst kind of betrayal.
I felt a pang of sympathy for her.
At the time, I thought it had nothing to do with me — just someone else’s story.
I had no idea how deeply involved I’d become.