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𝙶𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐...

"This is an invitation from the Japan Football Association for a Player Improvement Project. Nagi and Reo received one as well", Mika said.

"Oh, okay", you took a look at the paper. "Well, that's great! I bet you will learn a lot! How long will it last? There's no time specification..."

"We don't know either. Nagi doesn't really want to go, however Reo is trying to force him"

"Yes, he should! Nagi is a skilled player, this might open up new ways for him"

"I know right?", Mika laughed and you smiled at him warmly.

"I'm proud of you, Mika. And I'm sorry I made you feel like you couldn't tell me before"

"It's fine, (Y/N). I understand", he mirrored your warm gaze and for a moment the world felt peaceful again.

In the evening, Hyoma joined the two of you and told you that he had received an invitation as well. You realised just how many skilled soccer boys you knew and it made you feel a little jealous. You wished you could have been part of the soccer team as well...however you were still happy for your friends.

"You should congratulate him", Mika decided.

"Wait, what?", you replied stupefied.

"Nagi", both him and Hyo-chan replied.

The three of you laughed but you shook your head no. "This can wait until he tells me himself"

"Are you afraid?", Mika teased you.

"Of course not!", you replied a little bit too fast which evoked a grin on Hyoma's lips.

"It's just...", you continued, trying to talk yourself out of this mess, "...I will meet Choki on Friday and I'm trying to wrap my mind about that first. Didn't you actually come here to tell us the rest of your plan, Hyo-chan?"

Yep, that was great work, (Y/N). That switch of topic was amazing.

It actually did work and Hyoma told you the rest of his plan. Mika would play a great part in it: accompanying you to the date with Choki. Even though you already assumed that him and Nagi were the same person, it still would be important to make sure you're okay if they weren't. Mika would go as soon as he felt you're safe anyway.

"Thank you", you smiled at both of your friends and they smiled back.

"It's fine", Mika chimed. "Just treat us for cinema and some coffee in return"

"Alright", you grinned. "How about Sunday?"

"Yep", Mika replies instantly, a broad grin gracing his lips.

"Fits for me", Hyoma nodded as well.

"Great then", you exhaled. "Now let's talk about something else"

"So", Mika clapped his hands together, "I've been waiting for this moment"

Hyoma and you exchanged a surprised glance and then looked back at Mika, curiously.

"Look what I've found in the mall earlier today", the blond pulled a snow globe out of his school case.

"Wow, Mika, this is beautiful", you exclaimed.

"I know right?!", he looked so happy when he said these words, you couldn't help but feel warmth embracing your heart. Mika collected snow globes since elementary school and he was very passionate about their little details.

So, you and Hyoma found much joy in listening to his excited rant about the snow globes picture and structure. The evening went by in a hurry and you realised once again, how amazing your life was in these little moments.

It might seem dull and boring sometimes, however these seemingly daily experiences made it special and you were glad you and Mika had made up again.

When the boys had brought you back to your grandma in the evening, she had already prepared dinner for you and your friends.

"You can always stay for dinner, boys", she winked at them. "You better make sure my (Y/N) gets a partner who is as reliable as you are one day. Like that white-haired boy who took care of her wounds on the weekend"

Your grandma looked from the boys over to you, asking: "What was his name again, Honey?"

"Nana!", you simply whined, not wanting her to talk about such things. The tips of your ears started burning as Hyoma and Mika tried to hold back their laughter.

"Idiots", you grumbled and now even your Nana started laughing, causing the three of you to shut up and stare at her in disbelief.

Eventually, she wiped happy tears out of her eyes and looked at you with a warm smile. "He is the one you fell in love with, isn't it? I've seen it in your gaze"

You wanted to deny it, however your words were stuck in your throat. This was utterly embarrassing, however Mika gladly backed you up. "He likes her as well, doesn't he? I've seen it in his gaze"

"I agree", your Nana nodded, taking another bite from her food and you found yourself staring down at your own. Even though your face was burning due to the embarrassment, you couldn't help but smile.

"Can we come over at the weekend?", Hyoma changed the topic and you wanted to thank him forever for his rescue.

"Sure, you can always come over", Nana replied and the three started talking about something else. Eventually, you got into the conversation as well.

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When you laid in your bed later that night, you decided to message Choki.

You
I've beat your high score again

Since he didn't reply immediately, you decided to play some Mario Kart. But just when you opened the app, a message came in.

Goddamn he's still so fast.

Choki56
I'll beat you before we meet

Right, Friday the two of you will meet. A tingling sensation spread throughout your gut when you thought about it. The thought of destroying your anonymity created a mixture of excitement, fear, and relief inside you. Yet, you forbid yourself to overthink it.

Choki56
I'm tired.
Can I call you for a good night?

Ahhhh why is he so cute?!

You

He called you immediately and just hearing his calm breath already made you happy.

"Hey", he murmured and you wanted to kick your feet and scream into your pillow. However, you simply smiled and replied with a calm and quiet voice.

"Hey"

"Your voice is cute", he said and you had to bite your lip to prevent yourself from squeezing in response.

His voice sounds sleepy.

"And yours is comforting"

A light chuckle sounded from the other side of the phone and you were relieved he didn't find your compliment weird.

"I'm excited for our date", he whispered. "I want to give you a kiss on your head"

Oh my god, he is so direct?! He really says what he wants, doesn't he?

You were thinking hard about what to reply, yet it rather felt as if your brain had stopped working. After a few seconds he spoke up again.

"Will you allow me to?"

"What?", you could have facepalmed yourself for this question.

"To kiss you...on the forehead"

"...Yes!", you whispered.

Your heartbeat was pounding so loud in your ears, you were afraid he could hear it.

"Good night, Nemesis", Choki murmured.

"Sleep well, Choki", you replied and after a few seconds you expected him to end the call, yet he didn't. You could simply hear his breath, although it sounded a little louder than before.

Wait...did he just fall asleep? On the phone?

...

Had he really been this tired? Did he just wait for me to message him so that he could say goodnight before going to sleep?

...

Would he really do that?

You couldn't bring yourself to hang up just yet. It couldn't be that wrong to listen to his calm breathing a little longer, could it? Listening to him made you sleepy yourself, somehow you just felt so safe.

Safe in your grandmother's and now your new home and safe with Choki by your side, even if he still was a stranger. At least in some way.

When you felt sleepiness overcome you, you quickly hung up the call and closed Discord. You knew he would see it in the morning, that the call lasted longer. Maybe he wouldn't remember though, how long you two had talked.

You fell asleep only seconds after these thoughts.

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The next day your grandma woke you with breakfast in bed. You assumed that she spoiled you because of the recent happenings.

"You'll go to school today, (Y/N)", she shouted over her shoulder as she left the room.

Wait, why does she say it like that? It almost sounds as if she knew...

"Yes, I know you didn't go yesterday"

You froze in your movement as you heard these words coming from the kitchen.

Fuck.

"Don't worry, I'm not mad. Just go there today"

How does she know what I'm thinking?!

You hurried, ate up, changed your clothes, and made yourself fresh. Your way to school was a lot shorter now - another advantage of your new home. Life couldn't be any better right now, could it?

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"(Y/N)-chan, how is your and Nagi's project going?", Reo asked when you sat down beside him in class. You had just put a straw into the box of your favourite juice, but as you heard this question, you accidentally crushed the whole carton, causing at least half of the drink to spill over your table.

"What are you doing?!", Mika asked, erupting in laughter.

"Let me help you clean it up", Reo said, pulling some tissues out of his school case.

Shit, the project. It is due soon and we have nearly nothing. That's uncommon for me...I should focus on school more. Where am I with my thoughts?

You actually knew exactly where your thoughts were and you decided to not let your private life affect your work life that much anymore.

As the days passed, you realised that it actually wasn't that easy. You had never been in love before and it surely was a strange feeling. You just could barely stop thinking about Nagi and Choki - it was annoying.

Yet, it made you happy to merely think about them. You had an even harder time focusing on school because Nagi was in your class and Choki insisted to call you every night.

That's why, on Friday morning, you decided to finally give up. The more you forced yourself to stay focused, the harder it actually became. And today was the day. Today you would meet him, Choki56. Your gaming rival, your donut date, your first and only true opponent and friend.

Okay, that wasn't true. You had other great friends. Mika, Hyoma, and even Reo and Nagi now. However, Nagi didn't come to school that day, which wondered you.

Eventually, you decided to simply message him about it.

You
Hey Nagi, are you sick today?

His reply came after a few minutes.

Nagi
I overslept and couldn't make it in time, so I decided to stay at home.

You couldn't decide whether you wanted to call him an idiot or a genius for that, however you were glad he wasn't actually sick.

You
Alright, have a great day then!

Nagi
Thank you. Likewise!

You put your phone away and tried not to think about your upcoming date with Choki which probed itself to be an impossible task.

You would see him today. Choki56. Finally. The day you awaited so patiently has finally come.

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𝙶𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚊𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐...