CHAPTER 3

The smell of whiteboard markers and cheap coffee lingered in the student council room as Alex Chen spun slowly in his swivel chair,the ever-relaxed student body rep, leaned back in his seat like it owed him rent, one sneaker hooked under the table, a pen lazily spinning between his fingers.

He was, as always, holding court—leaning back, smirking, half-leading the discussion while making it look like he was barely trying.

"Okay, so for the School Festival,” he said, gesturing to the whiteboard already covered in a wild assortment of bullet points and doodles, “we’ve got food stalls, music, maybe a dunk tank... I volunteer Zara for that one.”

“Excuse me?” Zara, a trusted member of the student council, shot him a look. “You’re the one who dunked the principal last year.”

“That was an accidental genius,”Alex said, grinning.

"...It also overflowed into the staff longue" Zara said with a palm face in case they had all forgotten about that chaotic moment

“An unfortunate side effect of enthusiasm,” Alex replied, deadpan

Alex spun around, scribbling a half-decent idea for the Festival on the board:

“Haunted Locker Escape Room!!”

The room was filled with impressed "ooo" while some nodded their head as if approving the idea.

 Before anyone could reply, the door burst open!

In marched Sophia Patel, clipboard in hand like a declaration of war. Her debate team flanked her like a unit trained for bureaucratic battle

"Good afternoon,” she said, politely, which somehow still sounded like a challenge. “We need to discuss the debate tournament. It’s been left off the updated festival proposal—and the funding line is, frankly, embarrassing.”

Alex didn’t look up right away. He was already smiling.

“Well, if it isn’t Debate Queen herself,” he drawled, leaning back. “Storming in with your army of logic and paperwork. Very on-brand.”

Sophia arched a brow. “Someone has to care about structure. You were proposing a zipline between the science labs last week.”

“Innovative structure,” Alex corrected, grinning. Alex didn’t move from his throne. He simply leaned back farther and smirked. “Ah, Debate Queen. Always fighting the good fight. But we’ve got to prioritize all the clubs, remember?”

Sophia narrowed her eyes. “That’s not true, and you know it ."

Sophia stepped closer to the table. “We brought home regional trophies three years in a row. Recognition, prestige, community pride. But sure—let’s prioritize... face painting and popcorn machines; and The Origami Club hasn’t folded anything but excuses.”

Snickers echoed across the room.

“I’m sure someone somewhere was deeply moved by a paper swan,” Alex replied innocently.

Her lips twitched, but she held her ground.“We’re not asking for anything crazy. Just enough for proper banners, travel prep, and maybe—God forbid—a new mic that doesn’t sound like a choking robot.”

The room stirred, council members and debaters exchanging amused looks as the temperature subtly shifted. The Alex-and-Sophia show had begun.

“I see you’re still trying to argue your way into more funds,” Alex said with mock solemnity.

“And I see you’re still relying on your smile to avoid answering real questions,” Sophia shot back, her tone sweet and lethal.

Someone coughed into a laugh. Zara whispered, “Honestly? I’d pay to watch this.”

 Their debate spiraled—half-serious, half-fun—as Alex tried to defend “balanced budgeting” and Sophia dismantled his logic like she was warming up for nationals. But beneath the fireworks was a strange rhythm: fast, clever, familiar. Almost like they'd practiced it.

Still, they were both stubborn, and neither was backing down.Just when the bickering reached a high point, a low, authoritative voice cut through the commotion.

“What exactly is going on in here?”

The principal stood at the door, arms crossed, clearly not amused. Silence fell like a dropped mic

Sophia straightened. Alex smoothed his blazer dramatically. “Just a lively brainstorming discussion, sir,” he said with a grin.

“Mm-hm,” the principal muttered. “Well, brainstorm more quietly. And maybe in next week’s follow-up meeting, we can avoid the sound of two clubs declaring war.”

 He passed out a printed schedule, lingering long enough to make everyone feel at least slightly guilty before exiting with the weight of a disappointed sitcom dad.

As the door closed, the room collectively exhaled.

Sophia shot Alex a sideways glance. “Nice save.”

“Thanks. I specialize in crisis control.”

“You caused half the crisis.”

“And yet here I am,” Alex said, collecting his binder. “Alive. Uncanceled.”

The tension melted the moment the door closed.

“I’m just saying,” Alex whispered to Sophia as he stood up, “you’d make an amazing lawyer. Ruthless. Calculated. Probably terrifying in cross-examination.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” she replied, adjusting her glasses. “And you? You’d make a decent politician. If by ‘decent’ we mean charming but evasive.”

“You wound me,” he gasped. “Truly "

Sophia couldn't help but roll her eyes.

Out in the hallway, their footsteps echoed side by side until the staircase split them toward different wings.

“So,” Alex said casually, “what exactly would you do with the extra funding? Giant holograms of famous philosophers? Live audience rebuttal battles?”

Sophia laughed, surprising them both. “No holograms. Just… good resources. A real mic that doesn’t squeak when I say ‘therefore.’ Maybe even matching folders.”

“Wow. Dream big, Patel.”

“Hey, some of us fight for the small wins.”

Alex turned to her. “You know… for someone who calls me infuriating weekly, you’re pretty convincing when you’re not trying to roast me.”

“I never said you were completely hopeless,” she said. “Just... structurally disorganized and mildly chaotic.”

He clutched his chest. “I’m touched.”

They both went their separate ways.

          ..............................................

Later That Night…

Sophia sat curled in bed, laptop on her lap and snack bowl dangerously close to falling. She exhaled and logged into Eternal Realms, already feeling the tension from the day melt away like butter on toast.

The instant she spawned in the game lobby, a message popped up:

Starlight: "Warrior Queen returns. Survived your IRL boss fight?"

She smiled immediately.

DarkEmpress: " Barely. Clashed swords with the student council king himself."

Starlight: "Yikes. He sounds like a menace!"

DarkEmpress: "A menace with good hair and too many snarky comebacks. The worst kind"

Starlight: "Classic villain arc. Want me to curse him with the Sleepy Sloth spell?"

DarkEmpress: "Tempting. Also... he had decent comebacks. I hate that."

Starlight: "The worst kind of enemy!"

DarkEmpress: "Exactly."

Starlight’s typing bubble appeared, then vanished.

Then reappeared.

Starlight: "If you ever need backup in those meetings, just say the word. I’ll bring the whole guild."

DarkEmpress: "A whole guild of fireball hurlers barging into the principal’s office? "

Starlight: "Who says we’re not already planning it?"

Their banter continued, easy and full of warmth. Onscreen, their avatars ventured into a moonlit desert to hunt sand wyrms. Offscreen, both players were quietly wondering why their favorite part of the day was always the same hour at night.

Sophia leaned back and smiled faintly at her screen. She didn’t know who Starlight was in real life, but she knew one thing for sure:

He made her feel understood.

Meanwhile, just across town, Alex was on his laptop and chuckled to himself. He hadn’t told anyone—he wasn’t even sure why he hadn’t—but there was something about DarkEmpress.

She made him feel... real.

Funny, he thought. If only Sophia Patel were half as fun to talk to.

They spent the next hour fighting off ogres in the Crystal Caves, syncing up attacks like telepaths. All while their real selves sat a few neighborhoods apart—thinking about the same hallway moment.

Neither of them knew how dangerously close they were to figuring it out.

And neither wanted the night to end.And just like that, both enemies-turned-allies-in-disguise went to sleep—completely unaware of the chaos, confusion, and feelings coming their way.

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***