Kaitlyn trudged up the last few steps of the freshman dorm stairwell, arriving at her floor slightly winded. Walking halfway across campus to get home was bad enough. Doing it for a useless, mandatory attendance class at 8 PM was even worse. The fact that the elevator was broken only a few weeks into the semester was the cherry on top, though. She really hated this.

At least it was over, though. Nothing to do now but take a nice break. Rummaging around in her backpack for keys, she crossed the short hallway and stopped in front of her room. Yet before she even pulled the small keyring out, she was frowning at the doorknob. A white twist tie adorned the base of the knob. It was a minor detail really, but one that dashed Kaitlyn’s hopes anyway.

Sighing, she turned around and plodded back to the common room. Sometimes she wished that she had a dorm all to herself. Haley was an alright roommate, but even with her there were still some pretty annoying issues to deal with. Like this one. Hopefully she wouldn’t be using the room for too long. In the meantime, she could at least relax on the couch for a bit. It wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the bed, certainly. But it would do.

Flopping onto the synthetic beige sofa, Kaitlyn glanced around. The common room was a relatively small affair, home to only a small gray table, a few metal chairs, and the single couch she sat on. Across the hallway from the space stood a narrow counter with an empty sink and two newish microwaves. Her rice cooker and a portable electric stovetop rested on the shelves above, graciously left for general use even if no one else seemed interested in them. The blue-gray carpet was free of obvious stains, but still dingy from years of regular wear and tear. While sparse, the place was pretty homey and well lit. 

It was surprisingly quiet today. It was a Friday, so Kaitlyn assumed the others were out partying or socializing or doing whatever else college students did. Well, most college students at least. She set her bag down and pulled her favorite game system out. 

The newest generation of portable console - the VaporSwap - kept her from being too bored between classes, but that only allowed her to play in short bursts. For the whole week she had been itching to just sit and let herself go for a long session. It was one of the reasons she was so excited to take a break tonight. Thankfully, she hadn’t left it in the room before leaving this morning.

Thumbing the switch on the top, the girl stretched out on the couch and settled in. The couch was just long enough that she couldn’t hang her feet off the edge, so she kicked her sneakers onto the floor. Tucking a strand of frazzled chestnut hair behind her ear, she flicked the joysticks with practiced motions. There was one particular game she’d been meaning to try for a while now.

Heartthrob University. It was a new dating sim, one she had heard good things about. Normally she was more into RPGs and the like, but well… She mentally shrugged. It doesn’t hurt to try new things sometimes. It had nothing to do with her being jealous of Haley and her boyfriend spending so much time together. Or her own lack of dating experience. Or anything else. Really, she just wanted to see what all the fuss was about.

Selecting the game’s icon, the screen faded to black before flashing into a riot of pinks and reds. An overview shot of a picturesque college campus appeared, with the game’s title following shortly after. The screen then transitioned into a flutter of flower petals and hearts. Five male characters flashed across the screen in quick succession. Naturally, they were all accompanied by plenty of effects as well.

A grinning bronze-skinned athlete, his dark hair swept back behind a red and gold sweatband. 

A shy, plain-looking guy in a hoodie, one hand scratching his chestnut hair.

A wiry ginger dressed in worn jeans and looking into the distance wistfully.

A broad-shouldered frat guy with styled blonde hair, a cocky grin adorning his face. 

A well-dressed student with a serious demeanor and severe features.

She couldn’t help but scoff a bit as the title screen went on. This was a bit over the top, wasn’t it? Already this game must’ve had every dating sim cliche known to man crammed in at once. The setting was pretty vanilla, nothing super fantastical or otherworldly about it, but she already knew that. Still, why had she even bought this thing? Even if it was supposedly good, maybe she was getting pulled into something that only fans of the genre liked. Still, she had already bought the game, so might as well give it a fair shot. She started a new file under her name and loaded in.

After just a few minutes of playing, Kaitlyn was already yawning. Not that the game was boring or anything, she was just exhausted. It had been a long week. Stubbornly pushing through, the girl continued through even as her eyelids drooped further and further. Before she knew it, she was asleep.

***

Sunlight peeked through from behind Kaitlyn’s closed eyelids. She muttered darkly and rolled over, pulling a blanket over her head. A blanket? Where did that come from?

Suddenly feeling a lot more awake, she opened her eyes and poked her head out. Above her was the familiar wooden underside of a top bunk, but that was where the similarities ended. The room was small, but not crowded. A pair of closets nestled against the wall next to her bunk bed. Two desks sat on opposite ends of the room, one near the door and one just across from the bed.The desk near the door was empty, clear of any decorations. The one nearer to her though was draped with fairy lights and already had notebooks, pencils, pens, and various books occupying neatly organized spaces. A corkboard hung on the wall nearby, standing guard next to the window and holding a single piece of paper. 

For all intents and purposes, the room looked like a college dorm. There was a problem though. 

This is A college dorm, but not MINE. Kaitlyn rubbed her eyes and did a double-take. Did… did someone move me? I totally would have woken up if they did. Right? She shook her head. That wasn’t the important question right now. Where am I?

Eyes darting around the room, Kaitlyn’s gaze alighted on a red and gold pennant hanging above the decorated desk. Hartland University.

That’s impossible. Leaping out of bed, a closer look at her surroundings only confirmed those initial suspicions. This room looked almost identical to the protagonist’s dorm room in Heartthrob University. Even the color scheme matched, with pastel blue walls and a dark blue carpet that were both way too clean to belong in any real college.

Still uncertain, she glanced out the window for any other possible explanations. Outside stood a set of huge, traditional-style red brick buildings with dense green trees neatly arrayed along their bases. No way… Did I get isekai’d? Into a dating sim? 

The girl searched her memories. The last thing she recalled was playing Heartthrob University and falling asleep. No untimely death, no divine intervention, no dream sequence… Really, there was nothing she remembered between then and now. Certainly nothing that fit the tropes

That’s not to say that nothing happened, I guess. I mean, I SUPPOSE a truck could have come barreling through the 7th floor of the dorms and killed me without waking me up. I’m a pretty heavy sleeper sometimes.

Still, there there was no better explanation. She found herself grinning widely. This was… amazing. Sure, she had stuff at home that she’d probably miss soon enough. But getting transported to another world? That was exciting, a kind of adventure that didn’t honestly happen to her. This was new. This was interesting. And even better, it might mean she’d actually find a prince charming for herself.

Eager to dive in, she glanced around for a mirror and darted in front of it expectantly. Might as well take stock of all the changes before getting surprised by them. 

Grayish green eyes stared back. Frizzy chestnut hair fell to her shoulders, accompanied by skin a few shades darker than ghostly pale. Her height seemed below average, a fact not helped by her slightly hunched shoulders and neck. As for her face, it seemed just slightly too narrow, covered in small bumps that weren’t quite acne but still made her self conscious. She had a slight frame, but definitely didn’t look or feel athletic. It was… Decidedly average. And all too familiar.

Kaitlyn’s grin faltered, but didn’t completely fade. She had hoped for some sort of transformation, a change in appearance to more befit her role as a walking romance magnet. Yet she was still her own disappointing self. Well, it’s not the end of the world. I guess that means appearance isn’t important to these guys, right? Just like in any dating sim.

Grabbing what appeared to be a phone off the desk, she checked the calendar. It was a Sunday, and it looked like classes hadn’t started yet. Perfect. She had some time to do research. 

***

Kaitlyn was still browsing the web when she heard a knock at the door. Frowning, she stood to investigate, careless of her pajamas and still frazzled bedhead. 

On the other side of the door stood a tall, blonde girl with bright blue eyes and a cheery smile plastered on her face. She wore a cute white tank top paired with surprisingly short denim cutoffs that emphasized her long legs. A couple of bulging lavender suitcases flanked her like bodyguards. “Hi! Are you Kaitlyn?”

Kaitlyn blinked in surprise and nodded. The blonde’s smile grew and she extended a hand. “Awesome, nice to meetcha! I’m Heather!”

They shook hands. “Oh, um, hi. Come in, I guess.”

Kaitlyn stepped aside, letting Heather into the room. She had to squeeze back even further to make room for the taller girl’s suitcases, and glancing into the hallway revealed an assortment of furniture and decorations waiting to be brought in. I have a roommate here too. Guess that makes sense with the bunk bed thing. 

Heather whirled back towards the hallway to bring her other belongings inside. “Do you mind if I leave the door open? I have a lot more stuff, my parents are helping me bring some of it up right now, so I’m just gonna be going back and forth a whole lot, y’know?”

Kaitlyn barely had time to nod before she was off onto the next subject. “I’m just so excited! Being out on my own for the first time’s a big thing, y’know? Oh, what major are you? I’m in Political Science, I just love learning about how the world works, y’know? Oh, have you checked out the dining hall yet -”

It was all Kaitlyn could do to follow along - forget about actually answering any of Heather’s questions. Not only did she feel wholly unprepared for the sheer force of personality this girl was putting out, but the words coming out of her mouth felt more like covering fire than anything resembling conversation. 

Between her personality and how darn pretty the girl was, she actually reminded Kaitlyn of Haley a bit, just dialed up to eleven. At least Heather hadn’t mentioned a boyfriend yet. With any luck, she’d be able to actually use her room as a home base more regularly. Though with the blonde bombshell theme she had going, it likely wouldn’t be long until that changed.

 When Heather’s parents came up to help unpack, the resulting tornado of conversation was enough for Kaitlyn to excuse herself and hole up in the bathroom getting ready. Maybe I should go explore a bit. Get some breakfast too - haven’t eaten all morning.

As she stepped out of the dormitories, she couldn’t help but feel that initial excitement bubble up all over again. This is going to be so cool.