Luca and Marc slipped out of the classroom as soon as lunch ended, dodging curious stares and Aiden's sharp glare. They walked until the hallway emptied, then slipped into a quiet garden behind the gym—a place Hana said most students didn't visit unless they needed air.
Silence settled around them.
For the first time since arriving in this world, they were completely alone.
Marc exhaled hard. "Okay. We need to talk."
Luca nodded, leaning back against a tree. "Yeah. What the hell happened to us?"
Marc folded his arms. "We opened a game called Love Reloaded. Then we woke up in a high school anime world. That's the summary. Now the question is: how real is this?"
Luca flattened a leaf under his shoe, eyes unfocused. "Feels real. Smells real. Everything sounds real."
"We felt the ground when we landed," Marc added. "We got hungry. We got tired. That's not a dream."
Luca rubbed the back of his neck. "So what are we saying? We got sucked into a dating sim?"
Marc looked him dead in the eyes. "I don't think it matters what this is. We're in it."
Luca swallowed. "…And no exit button."
Marc sat beside him in the grass, pulling his knees up. "We need goals. Real ones."
"Alright." Luca nodded. "Goal one: make sure neither of us dies."
Marc smirked. "Safe. Continue."
"Goal two: don't piss off Aiden more than we already did."
"That one might be impossible."
They both laughed quietly, tension loosening just a little.
Marc leaned back on his elbows. "Bro… did you see how Aiden looked at you? Like you stole the spotlight from his own anime."
"He's mad I exist," Luca muttered. "Dude sees me as a threat."
"And Ryo is watching me," Marc said. His tone sharpened. "Not in a friendly way either."
Luca glanced over. "You worried?"
Marc shook his head. "Not worried. Just preparing."
Silence drifted between them before Luca spoke again, voice lower.
"Marc… do you think we're stuck here?"
Marc didn't answer right away.
"…I don't know," he said finally. "But if this world is built like a visual novel, then there's probably a way out."
Luca frowned. "Like what? Clear a route? Beat the game?"
Marc tapped the grass nervously. "Maybe. But we can't even think that far yet. Right now we have the festival tomorrow."
Luca groaned. "Right… the festival."
Marc looked very serious now. "And Luca… you heard Hana. The festival decides relationships. That means it decides ROUTES."
Luca blinked. "Routes… meaning the girls pick based on performance."
"Exactly. This festival is the first major event in the game. Aiden and Ryo always win it. That locks their routes. If they win again, we get nothing."
Luca took a deep breath.
Marc continued.
"So we need a plan. A real one. We go into tomorrow prepared."
Luca nodded. "Okay. So what's the plan?"
Marc stared at him.
"You and I stick together. Always. No splitting up. This place feels too perfect, too fake—like it's watching us."
Luca agreed instantly. "I'm with you. I'm not letting this world separate us."
"Good." Marc thrust out a fist.
Luca bumped it without hesitation.
Marc continued, "Tomorrow, during the festival, we play smart. We don't try to win everything—"
"We just stop Aiden from taking everything," Luca finished.
Marc smirked. "Exactly."
A breeze rustled the garden as the sun dropped lower, casting warm orange over the scene.
Luca stretched his legs. "So… what do you want out of this world? Girlfriend? Power? A route?"
Marc looked down. His face softened in a way Luca rarely saw.
"I want us to get home," Marc said quietly. "Together."
Luca felt something tighten in his chest.
Marc almost never talked like that.
Luca reached over and punched his shoulder lightly. "We will, bro. No matter what this world throws at us."
Marc grinned faintly. "Let's test that confidence tomorrow."
Luca stood up and dusted off his pants. "Alright. Tomorrow's the festival. We'll figure out the rules, find out Aiden's weakness, stay together, and—"
He stopped.
Because the bell rang overhead.
Marc stood too, stretching. "Time for afternoon classes?"
"Yeah… but tomorrow is what really matters."
Marc rested a hand on Luca's shoulder. "No matter what happens at that festival—we don't back down."
"We don't quit," Luca added.
"We don't lose."
"We don't loop."
They paused.
Neither of them fully understood the last line, but somehow… it felt important.
Like fate was listening.
Marc bumped his fist against Luca's again. "Tomorrow, we start playing for real."
Luca smiled.
"Let's get ready to beat the main character."