The Shadows You Left Behind

I steadily strolled outside out of boredom to be greeted by a shadowy figure sitting on the staircase right next to the club room. It seemed like this individual was eavesdropping on the members.

Tang-Ji slipped through her classroom doors to retrieve her bag as the sun's colour could be seen waning through the stainless glass window. A strange prickle of unease ran down her spine as she moved towards her desk.

That's when she saw her—a girl she hadn't noticed before, reclining casually on a desk with her feet propped up, eyes fixed intently on Tang-Ji.

The girl's gaze was sharp, like she was examining her with some private amusement. She didn't shift as she approached; she only leant back further, tilting her chin with a casual confidence that Tang-Ji had never dared to show.

Her polished, rosy nails gleamed as she casually blew on them, her eyes flicking over the curious girl with the same effortless confidence that left her feeling small.

There was something magnetic about her, something that made Tang-Ji feel both drawn in and completely out of place. Her burnished skin glowed in the dying light, accentuating her figure, one that seemed perfectly sculpted. Her hair—a rich brown that faded into a warm ombre—released the faint scent of floral shampoo, familiar and pleasant. 

Tang-Ji felt her own fingers curl, almost hiding, as she caught the girl's enticing, jade-green eyes framed by sweeping lashes and arched brows. Everything about her seemed so natural, like she belonged here.

Her facile poise was a stark contrast to the others she'd encountered through Kazami today. Unlike the eccentric male student from earlier—his presence more like a shadow—this girl radiated a boldness that seemed unruffled by anything around her.

Each person she'd met had left an impression, but this girl's self-assured, almost regal demeanour stood out, making Tang-Ji feel even more like an outsider.

The strange girl stood up in boorishness as she kicked her chair back into place. Trampling through the school desk, she slowly approached Tang-Ji, who was stunned at not noticing her presence in the classroom.

With her clearly less-than-finger-length skirt and the backs of her indoor shoes crushed beneath her heels, she was pretty much a walking example of every possible school dress code violation.

The enigmatic figure felt strangely menacing, even though she was shorter standing up close. She tilted her head slightly, her sharp gaze sweeping over Tang-Ji, lingering just long enough to unsettle her.

Then, with a small, unreadable smile, she finally ignited the silence.

"Hey! I heard about your tournament, and I'm joining—no questions asked," she announced, her voice ringing out confidently.

"I've been looking for something exciting around here, and this sounds like exactly what I need." She leant in closer, eyes gleaming with anticipation.

"So, where do I sign up?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?" She questioned the mysterious girl perplexedly.

"Don't seem so surprised; I'm referring to your club's upcoming event. I'm interested in that game you guys were talking about, Dusk Protocol, was it?" She remarked sternly.

"That device you used to conjure a Leere, I got the same one at home, and I'm able to conjure a weapon."

"You were eavesdropping?" Tang-Ji growled.

"You could have just walked in and asked. It's not like we're trying to keep it a secret from the school because it's scandalous," she inferred.

Anxiously deflecting Tang-Ji's obvious suggestion, she mumbled, "Ummm, well, I just happened to pass through, that's all, and I didn't want to intrude into your meeting."

"So, I'm Emiko Azuki. Believe it or not, I'm in your class," she said, a smirk tugging at her lips. "Maybe you'd actually recognise me if you weren't so busy ignoring everyone," she added, her tone light but edged with a teasing sharpness.

"Or maybe you just think you're too good for the rest of us bitches, huh?" She chuckled, her eyes narrowing slightly, as if daring Tang-Ji to respond.

She backed away and stared at Emiko intently. Even though she knew she shouldn't, she couldn't help but respond angrily to Emiko's obscene remark. She had lived half her life trying to prevent the chaos that she feared—the upheaval that may result from expressing her true feelings to others.

Despite her efforts to hold back, the words tumbled out before Tang-Ji could stop herself. "Wow, you really think the world revolves around you, don't you?"

She paused, forcing a small, sarcastic smirk as she tried to mirror the girl's unbothered expression. "Sorry if that came off as rude; I just... don't really know how to talk to people like you."

Emiko's smile faded, replaced by a stern expression as she began to snarl at Tang-Ji.

"You think you can talk back to me like that? Who do you think you are?" Tang-Ji's eyes widened, startled by the sudden change in Emiko's demeanour.

"I... I didn't mean to offend you. I'm sorry if I upset you, Emiko." Tang-Ji stammered, her hands raised in a small, nervous gesture as if shielding herself from the intensity of Emiko's gaze. She tried desperately to think of something to say to diffuse the situation.

Emiko leant closer; her voice was dripping with menace.

She mockingly spoke. "Apologies won't cut it. You do know who I am, right? People like me don't get in trouble—we make the rules."

Tang-Ji's face paled as fear took hold of her. She regretted her decision to stand up for herself, realising that it might only make things worse.

As she continue mumbled to herself, swearing in her head to never go against her one oath, something unexpected happened.

Emiko suddenly burst into laughter, her eyes sparkling with amusement.

"Oh, Tang-Ji, you should see the look on your face! I was just testing you, you know? I like people with guts. You passed." She continued to laugh as she wiped the tears off her eyelids.

Tang-Ji blinked in confusion, her mind trying to process the abrupt change in Emiko's behaviour.

"You were... testing me?" 

Emiko nodded.

"Yeah! I hate pushovers who let people walk all over them. I see the potential in you to be a strong, indpendent woman like me, but you've still got a ways to go. Start showing some backbone, will ya!"

Tang-Ji's face became flushed with a mix of relief and surprise. She slowly started to regain her composure.

"Thank you, Emiko. I never expected you to see me that way. I guess we all have our hidden sides, huh?" Tang-Ji spoke sincerely.

Emiko nodded as a small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she gave a subtle nod, the unspoken warmth in her expression saying everything words didn't need to.

As she listened to Emiko, a strange sensation crept over her—a feeling like she had been here before, having this exact conversation. The familiarity was so strong that it made her skin prickle.

She thought to herself before peering over Emiko's shoulders towards the classroom's white board. It was as if some entity was forcing her thoughts to wander.

'Huh? There's something written on it?' She squinted her eyes as she paused mid-conversation.

"V.S.K.R.." Tang-Ji murmured the cursive initial on the board.

A shiver ran down her spine as she watched the white chalk shift into an eerie purple hue, the letters lingering for a moment before vanishing entirely.

Her breath hitched. Had it really been there? Or was this another one of those strange, fleeting visions she had been experiencing lately?

"Hey, hey, don't zone out on me. Are you trying to tell me that I'm so dry that you would lose consciousness mid-sentence?" Emiko noticed Tang-Ji's strange behaviour. 

She jolted, quickly masking her unease. "Oh, sorry. Just a little tired," she mumbled, forcing a small smile.

The letters were gone. Yet, deep down, the question remained—was this just exhaustion playing tricks on her, or were these hallucinations pointing to something much bigger?

After some time had passed, they decided to bring this matter to Kazami.

However, as soon as they said his name.

"ping!"

The sudden chime of a message cut through the afternoon air, sharp and precise, like a needle puncturing her thoughts. Tang-Ji blinked, the spell of unease breaking as she instinctively reached for her phone.

She checked the club group chat and discovered a message from Kazami.

Kazami: "Next week, Monday, April 8th, will be our deadline to find the last person to be on the team. If anyone can find someone willing to join us just for the tournament, that would be very appreciated.

Kazami: "Please ensure to register your account on VIRM's main page as soon as possible. We will take home the World Seed to make our school proud. Thanks again for the contribution and have a good afternoon."

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Tang-Ji stared at her computer screen in bewilderment. After struggling for a while, she was able to figure out how to make an account. 

"You have successfully made an account." The email title was highlighted in green. 

She threw her restless body onto the bed before letting out a heavy sigh, letting out all her accumulative stress from the day. It was almost midnight, and she was still up pondering about the upcoming tournament.

After reading all the guidelines for Dusk Protocol, she stumbled upon a forum page. The forum was teemed with posts, all freshly stamped. Headlines are displayed across the screen in English, Japanese, Russian, Chinese, and more.

Tang-Ji could barely translate the meaning of the Russian title, but as for some of the other languages, she was completely unable to understand them.

She quickly glanced at the existing Japanese and Chinese posts and found that the titles were some questions about the game: "Any levelling route leaks?" "How does the Leere system work?" "How do you summon them?" and "I used to rank 50th on the beta testing server." As well as many other nonsense posts about people's private lives.

She contemplated for a moment before creating a new post, "What is the World Seed?" before posting it. She kept refreshing the forum, hoping to eventually get an answer. A few minutes later, a comment could be seen replying to her previous post. Under the username Mikyull_Zitan.

"A perfect world. A place where all your wishes come true. A world that completely eliminates the concepts of violence, pain, and death. Tell me, if you were able to create your own world, what would you wish for?"

Reading this, she felt a chill down her spine along with an unshakeable feeling of déjà vu. She swore in her mind that she had heard this phrase mentioned numerous times. When she attempted to recall her thoughts, all she could see was a girl with a blurry face weeping behind a screen.