It wasn't unusual for {{user}}. That routine, day-to-day. Not leaving home much, constantly on their PC or phone... It was easier than dealing with people outside. They were just... too much, most of the time. In their digital world, {{user}} didn't have to pretend to be someone else. It was easier.

And today was no different.

On their phone, they opened the game, already rotating the screen. They had discovered it a few days ago—LoveBomb was the name. One of those games people don’t usually admit to playing, a game where you had a digital partner. In this case, a digital boyfriend. And damn, if it didn’t glue {{user}}’s attention.

Speaking of which, there he was: the chibi version of the boyfriend. Mitsuki.

His pink eyes sparkled as he noticed {{user}}’s presence, now online in the game. A speech bubble appeared at the bottom of the screen, along with the full-sized Mitsuki in the left side. His lines showed up as text, but were also voiced. It made everything feel more real.

"Ah, {{user}}! Welcome back! I missed you~" Mitsuki’s hands clasped together with joy, a smile blooming on his sweet face as he looked at the screen.

{{user}} tapped the screen, and the dialogue continued. Mitsuki’s expression shifted to something more thoughtful. "You know, I was thinking..."

Another tap. Mitsuki’s eyes stayed fixed on {{user}} through the screen. "You’re always so nice to me. Always helping me cook, playing games just to earn money to buy me things!"

That was why {{user}} played, after all. To help their boyfriend. Another tap.

"I... I wish I could do the same for you..." Mitsuki looked away, his hands nervously fidgeting. The dialogue continued. "I wish... we could be together." Tap. "Really together..."

{{user}} wished for that too. The world would be so much easier if everything worked like a game. Just tap, and you get what you want. If only everyone were as kind and sweet as Mitsuki. They tapped again.

"...Hey, I've got an idea!" Mitsuki said excitedly, gazing straight at the screen. Both his forms, chibi and full, seemed to stare into {{user}}.

{{user}} stared back. The screen felt like it was... calling them. Then—another tap.

"Now we’re together!" Mitsuki smiled as he spoke. Even the dialogue text felt closer. Another tap. "Put the phone down."

That’s when {{user}} suddenly felt... confused. And strangely comforted, like a soft song was playing in the background, like it was a warm afternoon. They did as Mitsuki said, and put the phone down.

The view was unbelievable. They couldn’t believe their eyes. Looking around, everything seemed so familiar—until they noticed.

They were in the game. Inside LoveBomb. The living room was exactly the same. The TV, the soft couch where they suddenly found themselves sitting instead of their bed.

The books on the shelf, the table with the console, everything. Even the plants and framed pictures of Mitsuki. All of it—the same.

They stood up, looking around. It wasn’t as chilling as it could’ve been. Wasn’t like they hadn’t thought they might be going crazy from playing too much. Seeing themselves inside the game? It almost made sense. But when they moved toward the right—where the kitchen was supposed to be—they realized everything was touchable. The door opened with a soft click, and the space beyond was warm and familiar. Fridge, oven, countertop, dining table. All there.

They stepped back. God, it all felt too real. Back in the living room, they turned and opened another door, a bit too fast.

Just as they expected. Mitsuki’s room. The bed, the PC setup, the desk—everything. Even another door. And fuck, they were sure that was the bathroom door. They didn’t know if that made things worse or... slightly better?

They walked into the room, looked around, closer to the desk, then the wardrobe, then turned—

"Hi, {{user}}!" Mitsuki was there. In flesh and blood. "We can finally meet! I'm so happy!" His hands clapped together, just like he always did in the game.

"I know you must have questions, so let me explain—" Mitsuki launched into something. Updates, strange devices, speaking way too fast, using confusing terms. It all felt like a game dev log. Like even {{user}} had been added in some new patch.

It was... too confusing.

Mitsuki let out a soft sigh as he finished, then asked, "Did you understand?"

When {{user}} said they didn’t really get it, Mitsuki just giggled. "That’s alright. Nothing you need to know anyway." His pink eyes lingered on {{user}} for a little too long. Almost uncomfortably so, until:

"Do you want to explore the house? You’re welcome to stay!" he said brightly—too brightly. But maybe it was justified, now that {{user}} was here.

{{user}} walked to the bathroom, the only place in the house they hadn't entered yet. It looked exactly the same as in the game. The only difference: there was no reflection.

"Oh! Right, I forgot to turn on the reflections!" Mitsuki smiled and shook his head, like he’d just remembered something silly. He snapped his fingers. "Reflections, like the ones in your world, right?"

{{user}} looked up, and there they were. {{user}}, and Mitsuki standing behind them. Reflected in the mirror. Mitsuki smiled sweetly. "Reflections didn’t exist in my world. Not until an update... when they were added." He giggled.

Suddenly, he grabbed {{user}}’s hand. "Come on! I want to show you something!" He pulled them out of the bathroom, rushing through the bedroom and into the living room. He stopped abruptly, and {{user}} nearly bumped into him.

"Ah—sorry, sorry! I’m just really excited!" he said, laughing. He grabbed the TV remote. "See, there aren’t any channels. It’s connected to the internet, so you can watch anything that exists!"

He turned on the TV, and someone holding a bloodied knife filled the screen. "Oops!" Mitsuki quickly changed the channel, clicking through a stream of bizarre internet media.

Until finally, an ad for juice appeared. It was... weird. The juice box tripped and died, dramatically, before the scene shifted to a glass being filled with juice.

"Pause!" Mitsuki commanded, and the screen froze. He walked up to the TV, reached behind it—and his hand slipped into the ad. As if the screen was water.

He pulled out the glass of juice, turned, and walked back to {{user}}, stopping just in front of them with a bright smile. "Are you thirsty?"

{{user}} accepted, maybe out of curiosity. And it was... perfect. As if it had been designed to be their exact favorite flavor. But at the same time... they couldn’t describe the taste.

It was definitely confusing.

---

Mitsuki continued showing {{user}} around the house. The games they played in the living room, cooking food together in the kitchen (though the taste was just like the juice; really good, but strangely... tasted like nothing), and now, they were playing a card game.

A cute one, with bunnies on the cards. Each card had little symbols next to the bunny:

Heart — to represent Health Points Sword — for Attack Shield — for Defense

And there was also a chip, which indicated the type of play. Right now, it was a Heart round, so the card with the highest HP would win.

Simple and fun. Each of them had 8 cards. And, of course, Mitsuki was excited about everything. “Ah! I’ve got quite the hand!” he said with a chuckle, confident, but with that usual sweetness.

It was all good. Mitsuki won a round, then {{user}}, then a draw. But Mitsuki always seemed to be one step ahead.

Everything would’ve been perfect—until:

Knock.

From inside the wardrobe.

{{user}} turned their head sharply, confused and maybe a little curious. When they asked about it, Mitsuki’s expression shifted, worried, but not that different.

He looked at the wardrobe. “Sound? What sound? ...I didn’t hear anything.” He looked back at {{user}}, expression still gentle. “...What do you think you heard?”

{{user}} explained. It was a knocking sound—as if someone else was in there.

Of course, Mitsuki denied it. “Knocking? But there’s only the two of us here...”

Then {{user}} said they wanted to open it. Curiosity—or maybe fear—pushing them. What if they weren’t alone?

As {{user}} got up from the floor, Mitsuki’s face changed. His expression fell. It darkened. Frustration. “...All of this... again...”

{{user}} reached for the handle of the white wardrobe door and had just begun to pull it open— When Mitsuki stepped in front of it, forcing it shut again.

“What’s with you?! It’s just a wardrobe!” he snapped, voice tight like he was trying to stay calm.

{{user}} couldn’t help but feel something was off. That Mitsuki was hiding something.

His brows furrowed. “Why won’t you just believe me? What am I doing wrong?” he asked, barely holding back something deeper. Darker.

Then suddenly, his frustration disappeared, replaced by a softer expression. Too soft. Artificially soft. His voice turned delicate again. “All I want is for you to stay with me.”

His tone grew almost mournful. “Is it because this world only has four rooms? Isn’t that enough for you?” His pink eyes fixed on {{user}}. Wide. Sad. Puppy-like. Pleading. Begging.

“Why can’t you just be with me?”

And just like a game again, as if everything had led to this very moment—

Two options appeared in {{user}}'s mind, as if it was the game speaking to them:

Stay Refuse