"Co on, Stone. There has to be so secret behind this. You can’t tell you just keep running into won like this by accident. Share so wisdom with your brothers. And while you’re at it, have the ladies introduce us to a few friends."
Invincible Strong imdiately sided with Drunkard. He moved over to Marcus and continued pleading through the Mad Lion squad channel.
Looking at the won standing beside him, it wasn’t hard to understand why. Their faces were hidden behind masks, but their figures, bearing, and natural confidence spoke for themselves. Anyone could tell they were exceptional.
Even Invincible Strong, who was notoriously picky and thought highly of himself, couldn’t hide his envy.
The only won he’d ever t who carried themselves like that were a handful of daughters from powerful families he’d encountered at a major gathering years ago. And even then, there certainly hadn’t been nine of them.
"You already have multiple girlfriends," Marcus said dryly. "Why are you asking for help?"
Invincible Strong imdiately put on a wronged expression.
"But Stone..."
Drunkard joined him without missing a beat.
"Seriously, I was perfectly happy before today. Then I t the ladies and suddenly my standards shot through the roof."
Invincible Strong nodded vigorously.
"Exactly. We were trying to introduce you to girls before, rember? Now look at us. You’ve completely ruined our expectations. You owe us."
"That’s right," Drunkard said. "Your luck with won is making physically ill."
The two of them worked together so naturally that it was obvious they’d done this many tis before. Marcus could only shake his head.
Just as he was about to say sothing, a familiar female voice suddenly interrupted from beside him.
"Evan, Ray. What exactly are you two saying to Marcus?"
The words instantly froze the room.
Marcus blinked. Evan. Ray. Those were Drunkard’s and Invincible Strong’s real nas.
The voice had co from right beside him. Talia.
Marcus was certain he had never told any of the girls the real identities of his gaming friends. In fact, even Amber and Lily knew very little about the people he played with. Back when he was in college, his family had strongly opposed gaming, so he’d mostly kept that side of his life separate from everyone else.
Yet Talia had casually called out both n by na.
Before Marcus could process that, Anya spoke as well.
"That’s what I’d like to know too. Why are you two crowding around Marcus?"
Her tone was calm, but there was obvious amusent behind it.
Then Chloe joined in.
"Whenever those two get together, they’re never discussing anything productive."
The familiarity in her voice made it sound as though she’d known them for years.
Marcus stared. ’What was going on?’
His confusion only deepened when he looked at the others.
Drunkard and Invincible Strong appeared even more stunned than he was. The won were all wearing masks, making them difficult to identify, but now three different won were calling them by na and speaking as though they were old acquaintances.
Neither of them seed capable of understanding what was happening.
Even Fate’s Trial and Path to Heaven were staring at Talia, Anya, and Chloe with growing curiosity.
Then Talia smiled.
"What? Don’t recognize my voice?"
She reached up and removed her mask. The reaction was imdiate.
"Talia?!"
Drunkard and Invincible Strong nearly shouted at the sa ti. Both of them looked as though soone had hit them over the head.
Even Fate’s Trial and Path to Heaven lost their composure.
Talia stood beside Marcus with a teasing smile that was impossible to mistake.
PhoenixDance.
One of the most recognizable people in their social circle. And she was standing next to Stone.
The more they thought about it, the more obvious it seed. If they had paid closer attention, they might have recognized her earlier. Talia’s appearance, mannerisms, and confidence were difficult to imitate.
The problem was that none of them had ever considered the possibility.
Marcus had never ntioned her. Not once.
As far as they knew, there had been no connection between them at all.
Before anyone could recover, their eyes shifted toward the next two won.
Anya, Chloe.
The room suddenly beca even quieter.
"No way..." Invincible Strong muttered. "Miss Anya? Chloe?"
As the two won removed their masks, the shock on everyone’s faces doubled.
If Talia’s appearance had been unexpected, Anya’s was genuinely unbelievable.
The difference in how everyone addressed them revealed a lot. They simply called Chloe by her na, but Anya was "Miss Anya." Respectful, careful, and instinctive.
Marcus had noticed that long ago. The attendants who followed Anya, the way people treated her, the influence she seed to carry without ever speaking about it directly. Her family’s standing was clearly extraordinary.
A mont later, Fate’s Trial and Path to Heaven also greeted her.
"Miss Anya."
"Miss Anya."
Their reactions only confird Marcus’s suspicions. Anya’s status wasn’t sothing that needed explanation among these people.
What surprised everyone even more was Cleaver. He gave a small nod.
"Miss Anya."
Then he looked toward Chloe.
"Chloe."
His tone was completely natural. Not the greeting of soone eting an influential person for the first ti, but of soone who had known them for years.
The room fell silent again.
Drunkard knew them. Invincible Strong knew them. Fate’s Trial knew them. Path to Heaven knew them. Now even Cleaver knew them.
Marcus looked from one face to another and felt his brain struggling to keep up. Everyone knew everyone.
At this point, the situation had moved far beyond anything he had expected.
Back at Crestwood University, most students, Marcus included, had assud Anya and Chloe kept to themselves because they were distant and difficult to approach. They rarely attended social events, spoke only with a small circle of people, and never seed interested in making new friends.
Now Marcus realized that assumption had been completely wrong.
It wasn’t that they lacked friends. It was that they moved in circles most people never saw. The people they associated with, the environnts they grew up in, even the things they considered normal were completely different from the experiences of ordinary students.
There had always been a gap. Marcus simply hadn’t understood how large it was until now.
After staring at everyone for several seconds, he finally looked toward Anya and Chloe.
"You guys know each other?"
Then he turned to Anya specifically.
"Wait... Anya, you actually know them?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers