Riku Kisaragi was a man who had it all—at least, that's what he told himself every time he stared at his reflection. The school's golden boy: tall, handsome, top-tier gamer, effortlessly cool—there was nothing he couldn't get. Well, except one thing.
Aiko Tanaka.
It wasn't that Riku didn't try. Oh, he tried. He tried hard. After all, it wasn't every day that a guy like him had his ego bruised by the one girl who barely even looked his way. But there was something about Aiko that made his usual charm bounce right off her like a poorly aimed boomerang. Maybe it was the way she looked at him as if he were just another guy in the sea of high school faces, not some self-proclaimed gamer god.
"Hey, Aiko! Wanna join me for some lunch today?" Riku said, leaning against the vending machine in his usual cocky stance. "I know this great spot near school—perfect for getting away from all the, you know, chaos of the cafeteria."
Aiko glanced up from the book she was reading, barely acknowledging him. Her answer was as blunt as ever: "No thanks. I'm good."
And with that, she turned her attention right back to the pages, her expression as calm as if Riku were a fly buzzing in her ear. He stood there, frozen in mid-pose, still trying to look cool despite the complete and utter rejection.
Smooth move, Riku, he thought, biting his lip.
Riku wasn't used to rejection. In fact, he'd never really been rejected before. Not like this. Sure, there had been girls who played hard to get, or who pretended to be "too busy" for a date—but they were all just testing the waters, right? They always came around. Aiko though? Aiko was different. And that difference made Riku more determined than ever to win her over.
His friends had no idea why he was even trying.
"Dude, why do you keep bothering with her?" Kenta, his childhood friend, asked while they walked to class later that day. "You've got like ten girls all over you—way hotter than her."
"Shut up. You don't get it," Riku snapped back, running a hand through his messy hair. "Aiko's different. She's not interested in my looks or my skills—she's... independent." He sighed dramatically, staring at the ground as if lost in thought. "I want to get to know the real her, you know?"
Kenta snorted. "The real her? Dude, she's cold as ice. Don't you think she's the one who's not interested? Like, at all?"
Riku grinned smugly. "Exactly. That's why I need to win her over. I'm the best at everything I do. And I'm going to prove it."
Kenta groaned. "This is going to end badly."
Later That Afternoon
After school, Riku stared at his computer screen, fingers hovering over the keys. Aiko wasn't just any girl—she was a gamer. And not just some casual gamer. He'd heard rumors that Aiko had been destroying everyone in their school's online gaming community for years. And he, of course, was the top player.
A little friendly competition could definitely break the ice, right?
Riku cracked his knuckles, setting up a private gaming session. He sent her a message, trying to sound casual but also totally confident:
Riku: "Hey, Aiko. You up for a game tonight? I promise I won't go too easy on you 😉"
The seconds ticked by as he anxiously stared at the screen. Was she going to respond? Would she even see it? Or was he just another guy begging for attention?
And then, it happened.
Aiko: "Sure. Let's see if you can keep up."
Riku's heart skipped a beat. This was it. The perfect opportunity to show off his skills and impress her. He logged into the game and waited for her to join.
But when the match started, he was greeted with something he wasn't prepared for.
Aiko was an absolute beast.
It didn't take long for her to destroy him. Every move he made, every strategy he tried, was countered and crushed under the sheer force of her gameplay. At first, he thought it was just a fluke, but as the rounds went on, it became clear: she was better than him. Way better.
"Seriously?" Riku muttered under his breath as she knocked out his character in the game for the fifth time in a row. "How are you this good?!"
Aiko's reply came in the form of a cheeky in-game message:
Aiko: "Is that all you've got, Riku? I thought you were supposed to be the top player around here."
Riku stared at the screen, stunned. She was mocking him. Mocking the best player in the school.
It was at that moment that Riku realized: he wasn't just trying to win her heart anymore. He was trying not to make an absolute fool of himsel