The sound of tires rolling over gravel echoed outside the house.
Rio froze instantly.
Her pen stopped moving across the notebook page.
For a brief moment, the room became completely silent.
Then came the unmistakable sound of a car door closing.
The noise hit her like a critical attack.
Every muscle in her body locked up.
Slowly, almost mechanically, she lifted her head toward the window.
"...No way."
Ryota looked up from the couch.
"Hm?"
Rio turned toward him with the expression of someone witnessing the end of the world.
The color rapidly drained from her face.
"...My mom's home."
Ryota glanced toward the front door.
"Oh."
Rio stared at him in disbelief.
"...Why did you say that so casually?!"
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"Was I supposed to panic?"
"YES!"
Rio immediately grabbed both sides of her head.
"No—wait—don't panic!"
Her thoughts exploded into complete chaos.
Why today?
Why now?
Why did I bring him home before figuring out an explanation?
Why didn't I think about this?!
Footsteps approached outside.
Slow.
Steady.
Getting closer with every second.
The faint jingle of keys echoed through the front porch.
Rio felt her soul attempting to leave her body.
"Okay."
She began pacing in circles around the living room.
"Okay, okay, okay. New plan."
Ryota slowly raised a hand.
"Do we have an old plan?"
"SHUT UP!"
Click.
The front door opened.
A familiar voice drifted into the house.
"Rio? I'm home."
The words were gentle.
Warm.
Tired.
Comforting.
The voice immediately transported Rio back to memories she hadn't experienced in years.
Her mother.
In her previous life, she had spent years neglecting her family while focusing on work and Evermount.
Hearing that voice again made her chest tighten.
Unfortunately, it also made her panic even harder.
Rio immediately straightened her posture.
She looked exactly like a criminal caught in the middle of a crime.
Beside the couch, Ryota awkwardly stood holding one of the VR headset boxes against his chest.
He looked less like a guest and more like an NPC waiting for dialogue options.
A moment later, Rio's mother stepped inside.
She brushed dust from her sleeves as she entered.
Dark circles sat beneath her eyes, evidence of another exhausting day at work.
Despite her exhaustion, however, she still smiled.
"Dinner might be a little late tonight. I had extra—"
She stopped.
Her eyes landed on Ryota.
Silence filled the room.
Her mother blinked once.
Then twice.
Rio felt years disappearing from her lifespan.
"...Rio."
The single word somehow sounded more terrifying than a dragon raid.
Her mother tilted her head slightly.
"...Who is this boy?"
At that exact moment, every intelligent thought inside Rio's brain ceased functioning.
Nothing remained.
No strategy.
No planning.
No experience.
No wisdom from fifteen years in the future.
Just complete mental failure.
Fortunately—or perhaps unfortunately—Ryota reacted first.
He bowed politely.
"Hello, ma'am."
Rio's mother looked between the two of them.
She didn't look angry.
She didn't look suspicious.
She simply looked confused.
Somehow that made everything worse.
After a moment, she spoke softly.
"...Rio, can we talk for a moment?"
Rio nodded with all the enthusiasm of someone accepting a death sentence.
"...Y-Yeah."
A few minutes later, they were seated around the dining table.
Ryota remained standing awkwardly nearby, still holding the VR headset box.
At this point it had become emotional support luggage.
Rio couldn't even bring herself to make eye contact.
Her mother folded her hands calmly.
"Rio."
"...Yes?"
"...Why is there a boy inside our house?"
Rio opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Not a single word.
Her brain was completely blank.
Static.
White noise.
Error.
Loading failed.
Seeing her struggle, her mother continued gently.
"Does he need help?"
Rio hesitated.
"...Kind of."
Her mother nodded slowly.
"...Does he have somewhere to stay?"
Rio looked down at the table.
Then she slowly shook her head.
A quiet sigh escaped her mother's lips.
It wasn't a sigh of frustration.
Nor disappointment.
It was concern.
"I understand wanting to help someone."
Her voice softened.
"But Rio..."
She glanced around the house.
The old furniture.
The worn kitchen.
The aging walls.
Their modest home.
Their reality.
"...You know our situation."
Rio lowered her eyes.
"...I know."
Her mother's tired expression deepened.
"It's already difficult supporting you and your sister."
She hesitated before continuing.
"...Adding another person..."
"...I'm not sure we can afford it."
The words struck Rio harder than any boss attack she had ever received.
Because she knew her mother was right.
She knew exactly how hard her mother worked.
She remembered the late nights.
The overtime shifts.
The unpaid bills.
The exhaustion hidden behind every smile.
Rio had seen it all.
And yet—
The thought of sending Ryota away felt wrong.
Completely wrong.
She imagined him back on the streets.
Alone.
Homeless.
With nowhere to go.
Something inside her panicked.
Her survival instincts activated before her brain could catch up.
And then—
The worst possible sentence escaped her mouth.
"HE'S MY BOYFRIEND!"
The universe stopped.
Time froze.
Reality itself seemed to pause.
Rio's eyes widened.
The words echoed inside her own head.
Her mother blinked.
Slowly.
"...What?"
Ryota nearly dropped the VR headset.
"W-WHAT?!"
Rio's face turned bright red instantly.
Every instinct screamed at her.
Too late.
The lie had already escaped.
There was no recovering now.
Panic continued driving the vehicle while reason sat tied up in the trunk.
"H-He's transferring to my school next week!"
Rio pointed aggressively toward Ryota.
"He said he'll get a job!"
"He'll help pay for things!"
Ryota stared at her.
His expression looked like a man whose soul had briefly disconnected from his body.
Meanwhile, her mother looked genuinely surprised.
"...Your boyfriend?"
Rio nodded so quickly she nearly injured herself.
"Yes!"
"I just didn't tell you before!"
"I was keeping it secret!"
The explanation somehow sounded worse every time she spoke.
Her mother studied her quietly.
"...I didn't realize you had a boyfriend."
Rio lowered her head.
"...Sorry."
Silence filled the room.
Several long seconds passed.
Then her mother sighed.
"...Well."
She turned toward Ryota.
"You seem polite."
Ryota immediately straightened.
"Yes, ma'am!"
"And if you really intend to help..."
She paused.
"...Then you can stay."
Rio froze.
"...Really?"
Her mother nodded.
"But only if he seriously looks for work."
Ryota responded immediately.
"I will!"
A faint smile appeared on her mother's face.
"Alright, then."
She picked up her bag.
"I'll start dinner."
And just like that, she walked toward the kitchen.
The moment she disappeared from sight, silence returned.
Three seconds passed.
Then five.
Rio slowly stood up.
She pointed upstairs.
"...Room."
Ryota wisely decided not to question the terrifying tone in her voice.
The second they entered her bedroom—
SLAM!
The door shut.
Rio stood motionless in the center of the room.
For a brief moment, there was silence.
Then she collapsed face-first onto the carpet.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"
Ryota physically jumped.
Rio rolled across the floor while clutching her head.
She looked like someone suffering psychic damage.
"WHAT DID I JUST DO?!"
She repeatedly tapped her forehead against the carpet.
"WHY WOULD I SAY THAT?!"
Ryota crouched nearby awkwardly.
"...Boyfriend?"
Rio immediately pointed at him.
"DON'T USE THAT WORD!"
She curled into a ball.
"I JUST LIED TO MY MOTHER!"
"My hardworking, kind, trusting mother!"
The guilt was overwhelming.
In all her years of gaming, she had never faced a boss as terrifying as parental disappointment.
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"...It worked though."
Rio slowly turned her head.
Her eyes were completely lifeless.
"...That was the worst decision of my life."
Ryota shrugged.
"Well..."
"At least I'm not homeless anymore."
Rio buried her face into the carpet.
"THIS IS A NIGHTMARE..."
Silence followed.
Then Ryota carefully spoke.
"...So I'm officially the fake boyfriend now?"
Rio's eye twitched violently.
"If you say fake boyfriend one more time..."
She pointed toward the window.
"...I'm throwing you out of it."
Ryota immediately closed his mouth.
Rio rolled onto her back dramatically.
She stared at the ceiling.
Her first day back in the past.
Not even twenty-four hours had passed.
And somehow she had already completely derailed her own life.
"...Unbelievable."
After nearly a minute of emotional suffering, Rio slowly sat up.
"...Okay."
Ryota blinked.
"...Okay?"
Rio suddenly grabbed her notebook.
Her expression became frighteningly serious.
"If we're doing this..."
She flipped it open with determination.
"...then we need rules."
"...Rules?"
Rio began writing rapidly.
A few moments later she turned the notebook around.
Written across the page in giant letters were three words.
FAKE COUPLE RULES
Ryota stared.
"...You're actually serious."
Rio pointed her pen at him like a sword.
"Rule One."
Her voice was absolute.
"No physical contact."
Ryota immediately nodded.
"Easy."
"Rule Two."
She continued writing.
"In front of my mother, we act like a real couple."
Ryota slowly raised a hand.
"...Define act."
Rio froze.
A second later, her face turned red again.
"...W-We improvise."
Ryota looked concerned.
"...That sounds dangerous."
"SHUT UP!"
She immediately wrote another line.
"Rule Three."
Her expression became deadly serious.
"You absolutely do not tell my little sister."
Ryota blinked.
"...You have a sister?"
Rio looked him directly in the eyes.
Her expression carried the same intensity she once used before fighting world bosses.
"If she finds out..."
She slowly dragged her thumb across her throat.
The gesture was completely unnecessary.
The message was perfectly clear.
Ryota swallowed.
"...Understood."
Rio slammed the notebook shut.
"Good."
She tossed it onto the desk and dropped into her chair.
Eventually her gaze shifted toward the two unopened VR headsets.
Instantly, her mood changed.
The embarrassment faded.
The panic subsided.
The strategist returned.
Excitement filled her eyes.
Determination followed.
"Evermount."
Ryota leaned back against the wall.
"You're still thinking about speedrunning it?"
Rio looked at him as though he had asked the world's dumbest question.
"Of course."
She immediately opened another page.
Notes began filling the paper.
"Early leveling routes."
"Hidden quests."
"Spawn manipulation."
"Rare class chains."
"Dungeon triggers."
Her pen moved rapidly.
The notebook began filling with plans.
Strategies.
Timelines.
Contingencies.
She looked less like a student and more like a military commander preparing for war.
Ryota watched quietly.
"...You really know all this?"
Rio didn't even look up.
"I know far more than this."
Her pen suddenly stopped.
A small frown appeared.
"...Wait."
Ryota immediately noticed.
"What?"
Rio leaned back in her chair.
"...This won't work."
"...Why?"
She folded her arms.
"In Evermount, your first skill determines everything."
Ryota blinked.
"Everything?"
Rio nodded.
"It's random."
"And depending on what you get..."
"...your entire future can change."
The room grew quiet.
Ryota scratched his cheek.
"So all these plans..."
"...could become useless."
Rio sighed.
"...Exactly."
Slowly, she closed the notebook.
No amount of preparation could account for the game's biggest variable.
Luck.
The very thing Ryota somehow seemed to possess in absurd quantities.
"We finalize our builds after logging in."
Ryota nodded.
"So we wait."
Rio followed his gaze toward the VR headsets.
One week.
Only one week remained.
A slow smile appeared across her face.
It was confident.
Excited.
Dangerous.
The smile of someone preparing to conquer a world.
"Evermount..."
Her eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"This time..."
A spark of determination flashed through them.
"...I'm taking the top spot before anyone realizes it's available."