Kana listlessly shifts in her seat. It's been an hour since the final decision on her project should have arrived. An hour late, in fact.

"Ohhh whyyy Mr Lee is taking ages... I would have been home by now," Kana muses to herself.

Sitting at her desk, shared with a colleague, she had to keep a straight face and make herself look busy. Sometimes she wished she had a cubicle to herself; this way she would have a little bit more privacy to open up her phone and check messages from her various guilds.

I'm definitely going to be late to my raid. And this is second time in a row. I'm sorry Xueluan, I'm ruining your reputation even though you're me!

Kana's mind wandered off, thinking of most efficient way of getting herself dinner and making it home just in time for the second wave of the raid. Her competitor, online nickname Blackest Night, would definitely use her tardiness as a way to leverage himself into number one slot on the leader board.

Who the hell names themselves like that?? How old is this player? 12? Ugh, my luck with online friends is terrible.

Okay, to be fair, my online nickname doesn't really represent me either. I got stuck with that name at the beginning, when I was binge watching dramas.

Kana rubbed her temples, trying to soothe away the incoming migraine. True, the main character in the drama was a beautiful heroine who knew how to stand up to herself BUT...

... Its not an excuse for being such a weeb. Blackest Night can take my number one spot for all I care. I'll just grind harder on my days off. Pretty sure they have school to concentrate on, while my legacy will be eternal! Ahahaha! Hahahaha!...

"A hahahaha! You'll see what you sowed when your school report comes out with low grades!"

"... And may I know who is occupying your mind this intensely, Miss Sybil, for you to have made such a low grade project? Have you even spell checked it? Maybe you should ask... Your school friend to help you", a low voice smoothly shattered Kana's reverie.

CRAP, DID I SAY THAT OUT LOUD?

"Mr Simons! I- I haven't heard you approach! I-", she spluttered on her words, unable to give a comeback.

"I expect the rewritten project before you clock out, Miss Sybil. Or I will have to ask for the manager to review your performance."

Ohhhh no no no no, I need my bonus pay for the in-game event items!

"YES SIR, IT SHALL BE DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER, TO YOUR SATISFACTION, SIR!" Kana stood up from her spot and automatically bowed.

Omgomgomgomg I forgot people in Western society down bow often! SUGAR HONEY ICED TEA OH MY GOD

Mr Simons gave a sigh, after a moment of analysing frozen Kana.

"Just make sure it's top notch ready by tomorrow morning. You don't have to stay in the office to do it, but that means I won't be able to review it before Mr Lee starts the meeting with the raw project"

Kana nodded, firmly not meeting her manager's eyes. Mr Simons was well over 50; a family man with a wife and three kids. He knew that Kana was itching to leave the work - he assumed she had a date on her mind and couldn't focus all day. He had faith in her abilities to come through the crisis and saw a little bit of his oldest daughter in Kana. Seeing Kana eat lunch by herself every day and not mingle with the new recruits made him soften up a bit.

At least the kid is finally excited about something. She seems to be more energetic and animated today. Usually, she comes across more subdued and apathetic, he thought to himself.

"And don't forget to introduce the boy to Laura. My wife has a knack for picking out the problematic boyfriends from the good ones," Mr Simons said without looking back.

Kana dumbly stared at his back.

Did he assume... I have a date? Who am I eve-... oh my god, I've sank so low with love life, that even my manager is taking pity

Kana contemplated whether to stay back and be a good employee or just... run home, make it to the second wave of the raid, and then spend the entire night refining the project.

WHY am I even asking this myself, of course I know the answer!

_______________________________

"Sir, are you sure it's wise to let her go like that? She's the only one who isn't swamped with work to finish the project. Her performance isn't stellar either. If she doesn't finish it on time, I fear t-..."

"Mr Simons, are you questioning my judgement?"

"Of course not, sir, I'm... merely voicing my concerns..."

"Then that will be all. You're dismissed."

"Yes Mr Lee. Have a good night."

Finally found you, Xueluan...

Kana heaved a sigh.

She had been staring at the screen for the past 2 hours straight. And the project was nowhere near being completed.

Oh man, I can't let Mr Simons down! I gotta work harder!

But no matter how much she tried to psych herself up to finish up, the words just didn't come to her. The data on the sheet made total sense to her - it showed clear patterns only a fool would have problem noticing, let alone using as an effective tool. She brought up her knees to her chest and stuck the pencil in her messy hair bun, thinking.

I really do wonder why Mr Simons decided to let me go earlier today...

She fished out a new pencil from the desk drawer and balanced it between her nose and her lip, making it seem like a fake moustache.

"HON HON HON, IMAH MISSTER LEE, UND I..." wait no, I don't think Mr Lee has an accent... Has that man even stepped out of his office, like ever? None of the employees even seen his face, unless it was to receive their dismissal letter... He always arrives before anyone else and leaves last...

Kana tipped her head back and stared at her ceiling. In the dark room, it glittered with little neon stars she painted on, each star connected with the other in form of constellations. You could see the swirls of black, blue, and purples surrounding the bursts of stars.

OH I KNOW! I JUST NEED TO MAKE A DIAGRAM OF THE DATA! Literally connect the dots! Then I wont need to write up a lengthy explanation to accompany it! Infographics, here I come~!

As she began typing on the work laptop, the gaming computer pinged a notification.

Looking up from her hunched up position over the laptop, she saw a private message pop up from one of the players. Squinting in the dark, she tried to make out the name of the player, but before she could focus, the chat immediately pinged again. And again. And again.

Gosh, who could possibly be this keen to talk to the Weaver Goddess Xueluan? I guess someone wants to request a craft...shouldn't be a problem, if they have the materials needed...

She shifted closer to the computer, keen to read why her private messages exploded in such a short amount of time.

BN: hey

BN: hey

BN: hey

BN: hey

BN: HEY, DONT IGNORE ME

BN: I KNOW YOU'RE STILL ONLINE, YOUR CHARACTER MOVED SLIGHTLY FROM IDLE POSE TO ACTIVE POSE.

Kana rolled her eyes and began typing out the response.

XL: I was busy... BUSY strategising how to kick your butt next raid!

BN: You said you lived in Kao City, right? I've got surgery there in 2 weeks, and wanted to meet you with your guild before it...

XL: That ugly, huh?... My dear nemesis, you must understand the true value of beauty - and its within. Which you still lack 😂

BN: HEY, WHO SAID IT WAS PLASTIC SURGERY??

Kana shifted again. It was one thing to playfully scold the younger player and pretend to tease each other... but to actually meet outside of the game...

Xueluan was a goddess. She was popular, witty, and always one step ahead of others. When she spoke, each word came with solid wisdom.

Because I know what I'm talking about in terms of the game! Socially, I'm pretty much a cucumber. Inept and green, with bumpy texture. Here I can just shut down my computer and go offline if I start to feel awkward, but irl meeting will be... Difficult to manage.

She scrunched up eye eyebrows, thinking of possible answers to look cool and still escape from the social gathering.

XL: Wait, what do you mean you've got a surgery? I don't wanna compete against a sick person! So you should alway stay healthy! Is there anything I can help you with?

Kana pressed Send before she could register what she actually typed.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA, I WAS JUST THINKING OF WAYS TO DODGE THE MEETING. XUELUAN WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?

She opened her eyes just a crack to see the inevitable death of her weekend freedom on the screen. Instead, Blackest Night's reply was... Unexpected.

BN: Actually, never mind. I suggested to meet, because I've always viewed you as my big brother. Which is why I rose up the ranks to quickly catch up with you and feel like your equal. Don't expect me to be this sincere in the future though! I just got sentimental for a sec here... Probably because you lost your number 1 Rank to me 😜

Wait wait wait wait. He thinks I'm a guy? But Wh- Oh. Oooh. My combat class is Diviner. Which is gender locked. So he assumed that I'm probably an unfit guy with hygiene issues behind the screen, who likes to ogle pretty 2d women. Wow, I'm not a guy, yet I feel thoroughly insulted!

XL: Hey, I hope your surgery goes well. I might not be able to meet with the guild, but if you need help getting around Kao City, you can always message me. I'll see what I can do! ^^

OH SHOOT, TOO CUTE, GOTTA UP-PLAY THE BROSHIP

XL: lmaaaaooo get unsick soon

There, perfect.

------------------------------------------------

XL: lmaaaaooo, get unsick soon

The screen flickered for a moment, before the computer shut down.

With the sound of the computer fans gone, a lithe black cat jumped on top of the table and stepped on the keyboard, to get to her companion.

"Well, she didn't say no. I didn't think she'd be willing to help to begin with," her companion said, while gently petting her.

"Are you sure it's her?" the cat's neon green eyes glowed in the darkness.

"Absolutely. And I cannot wait until she Awakens."

"Hmph. You waited and wasted last lifetime. I'm not sparing you with any more."

"i know, I know... Just a little bit longer..."