Really like?

"Waaah…"

Emily's eyes widened in shock as she stared at Ethan in disbelief. At the same time, she let out a pitiful whimper, putting on an exaggeratedly aggrieved expression.

"Ethan, you jerk! Did you just hit me? You're bullying me!"

Ethan remained unfazed, casually raising his fist.

"Do you actually want to get punched for real?"

Emily immediately shivered, her whole body tensing up. She quickly put on a fawning smile.

"Nope! Not at all! You're the best brother ever!"

She instantly switched to looking as obedient as possible.

But deep down, she couldn't help but mutter to herself:

"What's up with my annoying brother today? Why the sudden change? Could it be because Sophie dumped him? Did the breakup hit him that hard? Oh no, this is bad… My poor brother…"

That being said, she was actually really happy inside.

No—more than happy. She was excited!

It had been so long since she and Ethan had been this close—just messing around and having fun together.

Ever since she got specially recruited into Harvard University, this was the first time in forever…

Waaah!

I need to keep it together!

I absolutely cannot cry!

Emily's cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly rubbed the corners of her eyes while Ethan wasn't looking. She pouted and mumbled under her breath,

"Ugh, why does it feel like I suddenly got dust in my eyes?"

This feeling… it was so nice.

As a prodigy at Harvard University—one of the most prestigious institutions in the world—Emily had already made a name for herself across the entire country six months ago.

Ever since Glory Lords X became a reality and integrated into Earth, everyone was allowed to enter the game world at the age of fourteen. Top universities had shifted their focus to cultivating gaming prodigies.

And Emily?

She had achieved insane progress in less than a year.

A white-tier Common Hero.

200 Tier-2 Pikemen.

80 Tier-3 Archers.

30 Tier-4 Sharpshooters.

3 Tier-5 Griffins.

That was top-tier talent.

Because of this, at just fifteen years old, she had been specially admitted into Harvard—one of the top ten universities in the world.

With that came the attention of powerful organizations, elite social circles, and an insane amount of wealth.

Take Ethan's current apartment complex, for example—it was one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Boston, where every square foot cost a fortune. But for Emily? That was nothing.

Of course, everything had its downsides.

Ever since Emily became a gaming prodigy, the person she had always been closest to—the one she relied on the most—her brother, Ethan, had started to feel more and more insecure.

As her status rose and her in-game strength skyrocketed, the gap between them only widened.

Maybe it was just instinct, but Ethan had started distancing himself from her.

And that… hurt.

When Emily was just ten years old, their parents had passed away in an accident, leaving only her and Ethan to depend on each other.

Over time, Ethan had become the most important person in her life.

But now, the person she cherished the most was drifting away from her.

That feeling was impossible to describe.

It was awful.

It was like a dull ache that never went away.

She had tried to fix it—being playful, teasing him, acting out—but nothing worked. If anything, it only pushed him further away.

Emily had been desperate to change things, but she had no idea how.

She didn't know how to bring him back.

But now, out of nowhere, the invisible wall that had been standing between them… was just gone.

And that made her so excited.

Practically bouncing with joy, Emily grinned as she followed Ethan inside.

"Wait for me, bro!"

Ethan sat down on the couch, giving her a scrutinizing look.

"Don't you have class today? You skipping?"

Emily's face turned red.

"W-What? No way! Of course not!"

Her voice grew more and more guilty as she spoke. Then, she stuck out her tongue playfully and clung to his arm, whining,

"Come on, bro~ You know our classes are literally just playing the game! I just heard you got dumped by Sophie, so I came to check on you!"

Sophie?

Hearing that familiar name again, Ethan felt a faint discomfort stir deep inside him.

Sophie was his girlfriend in this timeline—no, correction—his ex-girlfriend.

She had dumped him just yesterday.

Yeah… kinda pathetic.

Ethan muttered to himself internally, unsure how to describe what he was feeling.

Was he heartbroken?

That seemed a bit dramatic.

Completely indifferent?

Well… no. It did sting a little.

Seeing Ethan suddenly go quiet, Emily's heart skipped a beat.

Crap! I messed up!

Ugh, stupid mouth! Why did I have to bring that up?!

She quickly tried to fix it, flashing an awkward smile.

"Uh… Bro, you okay? You know what they say—out with the old, in with the new! If it really comes down to it, I guess I could just take one for the team and be your girlfriend instead!"

She said it half-jokingly, but there was a strange glimmer of expectation in her eyes.

Smack!

Before she could react, Ethan lightly flicked her smooth, fair forehead.

Emily immediately clutched her head, putting on an exaggeratedly pitiful expression.

"Oww! That hurt!"

Ethan raised an eyebrow.

"Quit faking it. I barely even touched you."

Seeing that he wasn't buying it, Emily huffed and let go of her head, puffing out her cheeks in frustration.

"Hmph! You're the worst! Such a mean brother! If I'd known you'd be like this, I wouldn't have come! This is what I get for being nice? Ugh!"