Reina continued to stare at her lap with a solemn glance, playing with the button on her long-beige wool sweater. She then closed her eyes, trying to forget that the morning incident with her mother never happened. Tiger, sitting next to her on the couch, tried to make eye contact, but she turned away with crossed arms.

They sat in the Gaming Club room’s rest area, with two simmering green tea cups resting on the glass table. Across from them sat Toshiaki and an older man with long silky-blonde hair, slanted-blue eyes, and a stern expression. His long black trench coat, scarf, and leather gloves gave the impression he didn’t want to settle, but a resonating smile grew on his lips as he finally spoke.

“Reina. I’m glad you transferred to Seya Academy at the discretion of your mother. We saw your talents being wasted in your prior district and couldn’t afford to leave such potential untouched.”

Reina uncrossed her arms and bowed her head with a smile. “Of course, chairman. The council and professors have been very accommodating. It already feels like I fit in here.”

“That’s good news, but please, call me Chairman Homura. No need for titles, especially since you’re out of the eastern district, and we’re practically family.”

Toshiaki chuckled and took a sip of his tea. “Please father, you know she’d never do it even if you wanted to. She’s a very respectful woman and believes in honoring customs.”

“Yes, I suppose not. She’s stubborn, just like her mother.” Chairman Homura said, then looked over at Tiger. “And as for you, I’m surprised you convinced the council to host a club like this. I’m glad we convinced your father to send you to our institution. Aren’t you glad to be out of the lower brims?”

“Yeah, sure. My father and I are grateful for the opportunity.” Tiger said.

“I’m sure he is.” Toshiaki said with a sneering face.

Reina raised an eyebrow while glancing between them.

Now she definitely knew something happened between them. Now that she thought about it, there was even a bit of hostility when she assumed they first met in the council room. However, it was all going to be left to mere speculation, as she wasn’t one to pry, nor did she care at the moment.

Paige, sitting in a lounge chair at the long side of the table, yawned with her eyes barely open. Chairman Homura glanced over at her, and she bashfully threw her head down with scrunched eyes.

“I’m… I’m sorry, sir!”

Chairman Homura crossed his legs, resting both hands on his knee with a tightening scrunch of his glove. “As students, I would assume you’ve wanted to spend your time in leisure. However, expressed my urgency in speaking with this club to Tiger and he felt the same, so please bear with me. Now, about this game…”

“It’s called Callixtus, father.” Toshiaki sneered in between sips.

“Right, Callixtus. The game has become an overnight sensation amongst Yenagree and several other bordering districts. I’m sure you’re all caught up on what the news outlets are saying.”

Reina closed her eyes as she spoke. “The holding company, NAVE, plans to stream game play across the world, which is why companies are investing in V-streamers to provide entertaining content for profit. Besides the fact that in-game currency can be exchanged into credits, they have also included several artifacts and puzzles hashed with cryptographs that players can exchange for currency as well.

Tiger glanced over in surprise at her thorough report. Whenever he felt she had given up on the game, she’d surprise him with her thoroughness or quick-wit. He had to admit: Even though she didn't want to be involved, she still surprised him with her thoroughness or quick-wit.

“I’m contented with Toshiaki put you in charge of this club, Reina.” Chairman Homura said with a grin. “Everything you said was correct, but there’s more. NAVE has introduced a new experimental policy that allows us pension to use their Nexern Rigs for educational purposes. Essentially, they want us to instruct classes in this metaverse.”

“Both professors and students will be inside the game for the entire school day?” Tiger asked.

Chairman Homura nodded. “While lectures will be held in the metaverse, we will be enforcing an exercise and meal regiment that will accommodate our students so they stay fit and healthy. That brings us to why I wanted to meet with you all today.”

He then snapped his fingers, causing several holo screens to flash in between them.

“I have a few tasks I want to ask of you today. Firstly, I would like you to assist the council in formulating exercise and meal regiments for students in between lectures. Since you’ve all been accustomed to this game, you should have experience with the toll it takes and when breaks are needed.”

Toshiaki laughed while setting down his cup. “Father, there’s no need for their help. The council and I will—“

Chairman Homura tilted his head slightly, his icy-blue eyes as sharp as daggers. “I heard what happened during the initial council meeting, boy. If you’d vetoed the club, we wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity from NAVE in the first place. Hold your tongue, or I’ll dismiss you from this meeting. Your only relevance here is that you’re hearing everything I say from my own mouth, so you don’t disappoint me later.”

Reina watched as Toshiaki nodded his head and slouched in his seat.

The Homura Clan was the most successful tech-consulting firm in the four surrounding districts. Chairman Homura Shin, the company’s CEO and chairman of Seya Academy, had three daughters, and it was expected for Toshiaki to lead the clan once he graduated. That’s the gist of how much Toshiaki would talk about his family to her, but from this relationship, she could tell his father was hard on him.

“Right, and what are the next two things?” Reina asked.

Chairman Homura took a sip of tea, the saucer clacking as he set down his cup. “Second, I want to offer this club sponsorship under the Homura Corporation. Any additional expenses will be taken care of, and you’d be paid on top of that. All you need to do is create a guild name or emblem similar to the company’s and clock in a minimum set of hours in-game per week.”

Paige, gawking with widened eyes, set her cup down and glanced over at Tiger, who was deep in thought with crossed arms. Reina looked over at him, then back at the chairman.

“And how will the club members’ course load be accommodated if they’re needed to play several hours a week?” Reina asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re all on the honor’s track. I’ll inquire about a specific academic agenda for club members, similar to that of sports and recreational teams, that allows you longer free-study periods. You’ll also have the freedom to exempt yourself from classes and exams if need be, like those of the genius society program here at Seya. Will that suffice?”

Reina glanced back over to Tiger, still with his eyes closed. “Okay… What about access to the clubroom? I’m assuming that will be 24/7, including weekends.”

Chairman Homura nodded. “That is correct.”

“Well how about—“

“Are we boring you, Tiger?” Toshiaki interrupted. “While Reina is doing a great job of preoccupying the Chairman, I must ask since you seem disinterested in what he has to say.”

Tiger raised his head with a grin. “No, not at all. However, while all the perks seem adequate, I have a few requests if you want me to accept this deal. You see, not only will you be gaining exposure and influence from this, but revenue. With over seven billion expected viewers worldwide, on Earth alone, even a company as big as Homura could benefit.”

Toshiaki’s nose wrinkled as he clicked his teeth. Chairman Homura raised his palm toward Tiger with a smile.

“Of course. What did you have in mind?”

“Since you have three demands, I’ll lay out three requests. First off, I have two students from the Mintgrove district I want transferred to Seya to join the club — Chase Winchester and Evelyn Monroe.”

Chairman Homura glanced to the side, then sharpened his eyes. “Background checks and decent transfer grades will be a must. However, that isn’t a problem. I can grant that request.”

“Next, we will ensure that my club's experiences are not treated as a show or sport for viewers. No outside influence from Homura or NAVE on how we play the game, or giving up earnings from dungeons or loot. That includes giving us tips or guides on how to play. We’ll figure it all out through hard work and dedication to the game.”

“Granted. And your last request?”

Tiger grinned, took a long sip of his tea, then set it back down. “I want all current High Royal club members to receive honors into Seya U upon graduation from the academy, and be given priority to Homura Corporation in any division they specialize in.”