I could say I had someone I really appreciated. Someone I shared three years of my life with, someone who could understand me when I didn't have the courage to be myself.

Even though it sounds like a cliché, that's how our story unfolded.

We both had an online friendship and only knew the appearance of our characters in the first version of Dungeon Valkyrie: an MMORPG video game.

Hitori Heyth. That was her nickname.

Even though I hid my true self in the real world, even though I wore a mask to avoid being bullied. Within this second life, I could express myself because she was with me.

She became my salvation after losing everything.

My friendships, my place in the band, even my position as a forward on the soccer team and the people who once admired me as the perfect student.

Each of them abandoned me when they found out I was an otaku. But that was just the beginning; my life became a living hell during the last two years of high school.

At that time, I remember some students found out where I lived, and that's why I received messages insulting me as if I were the scum of society.

If I were to take into account the hundreds of negative comments about my life, I would surely be dead by now, but my sisters decided we would move before I did something stupid. For this reason, when I finished my last year of high school at fifteen, I ended up moving to the city of Tokyo and transferred to a nearby preparatory school.

But that didn't matter right now.

When I built a new personality, Hitori was the only person I told everything about my true self, but now I'm confused about my actions.

Even though we were virtual friends, there was nothing external holding us together outside of the game. In fact, if I had known that Hitori was only using me, I would have thought a thousand times before telling her about myself.

"If she wanted to get rid of me, she should have ignored me from the beginning..." I said as I looked at myself in the mirror.

Although I mentioned having a friendship with her, we were actually married in the game. But it wasn't anything formal; we only did it to get exclusive rewards.

Our relationship was good in those three years; we even promised that we would reach the top ranking again in this new version of the game, but she never logged in again.

Hitori disappeared from the game.

I really tried to find her. I investigated all the data about her nickname. I even searched in other video games, but her data had been deleted.

There was no way to contact her.

Knowing that I would never see her again, I got angry with myself.

I didn't want to know anything, I didn't want to talk to anyone, and I just retreated to my room.

My freedom had escaped with her.

Like an hourglass that keeps timing despite being broken.

Actually, maybe she was tired of hearing my problems.

After all, when others abandoned me in June, Hitori was the only one who stayed with me.

Still, even if it was only until December, I suppose she got tired of me too.

Maybe our friendship meant nothing, and deleting her account was her way of telling me not to follow her anymore.

As the months passed, I gave up.

"And now that Hitori disappeared, I also have to end my friendship with Aoki..." I shouted, putting on my jacket.

And it was true.

This lie was the last thing I had left to bury the weak me of the past. After telling Aoki that these two years were a farce, I was determined to distance myself from the world of otakus.

I had already planned several scenarios for my speech, as many as possible. In many of them, the probability of Aoki hating me was so minimal that I could conclude with a farewell and a handshake.

"So there won't be any problems," I mumbled before leaving the house casually dressed.

With a black jacket, a gray t-shirt, brown shorts, and white sneakers, I headed to the station that led to Akihabara.

Once on the train, the minutes passed. I was a little worried. Because my alarm failed when I woke up, I was late for my meeting with Aoki.

So I started running when I arrived at Akiba.

I don't know if it was because of the insistence of my steps, or if I was still thinking about my words, but I still didn't pay much attention to the way.

Until I collided with a mysterious girl who was also running in the opposite direction.

We both ended up on the ground.

"Gyaaah...".

With a little pain, I watched her for a few seconds as I got up.

She had long blue hair accentuated with a small purple bow on the side of her head. Her eyes were a bright blue that emanated gray hues.

She wore dark glasses that added a touch of mystery to her gaze, and she also wore a long trench coat that, after the fall, only covered part of her sports top.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?!" she asked, covering herself again.

From the blush on her cheeks, I would bet she wanted to go unnoticed.

"Ah... It was my fault, I didn't mean to," I said approaching to help her. "I'm a little late for my appointment, I didn't mean to push you, I'm really sorry...".

She nodded.

"It's okay, don't worry...," she said accepting my apologies with a somewhat forced smile. "So... were you desperate to get to your date?" she said in a teasing tone. "Well, I understand... I think I know what you mean...".

For some reason, her expression bothered me a bit.

"No, it has nothing to do with what you're thinking," I said completely denying it. "It's not a date, just a meeting between two friends...".

Upon hearing me, she let out a small sarcastic laugh.

"Uh-huh... But your words don't match what you're doing to get there, right?".

"It's not like that...".

"Yeah, yeah... The lovestruck boy goes in search of his damsel, trampling anyone who gets in his way," she said again with little laughs. "Okay, okay. Even though I'm not a damsel, I wouldn't want to keep joking with a stranger either. You don't have to worry about me, you can go".

"Thanks for understanding".

With that, I headed towards Moonlight Maid Café, where I was meeting Aoki. It was located a few blocks from the previous incident. On a side street of Akiba, next to a computer accessories store.

When I stood in front of the entrance, fear held me back for a moment. Although I understood that I would meet Aoki, my heart kept beating fast.

If I keep this up, I...

That was my thought, but someone behind me touched my shoulder.

"May I pass...?".

When I turned to look, I saw a slightly short girl.

She had bright pink eyes, and she had long pink hair with bangs to one side. She was dressed in a beige trench coat, a long grayish dress, and a black face mask.

"Uh...? Yes, of course. I didn't mean to interrupt you".

Without even looking at me, the pink-haired girl walked towards the tables facing the windows.

It seems the Maid café isn't as full as I thought.

The place had a quaint appearance, but there was only a group of guys sharing the center table, other empty tables, and a group of maids sitting, waiting for customers to arrive.

When I took a step forward, one of the maids with brown hair and reddish eyes approached me.

"Welcome home, master. Please follow me, I'll escort you to your seat," she said with a slight smile.

So, the maid led me to table number four. Just the table number that was in front of the pink-haired girl.

"Once again, welcome home, master. I'm Azucchi, a maid of the house. Nice to meet you!" Immediately after introducing herself, the maid took out a heart-shaped menu and a small bell. "Ta-da! This is today's moe-moe menu! Any request you have, don't hesitate to ask me with the bell...".

I interrupted her speech before she could continue.

"Wait a second, please!" I said, waving my hands. "I'm really sorry, I'm actually waiting for a friend. Could you just bring me an iced coffee until he arrives?".

The maid nodded with an apology.

After that, I checked my phone several times for a message from Aoki. However, minutes passed without any response from him.

It was only after thirty minutes that I finally received his blessed message.

>(Aoki) Good morning, Reiri-chan.
>(Aoki) I've been waiting for quite some time at the Maid Café, where are you? (>_<).
>(Reiri) Um... Aoki... Are you really waiting for me? I've been here for about forty minutes and I haven't seen you at all.
>(Aoki) Yes. I swear I am. (╥ω╥)
>(Aoki) Although... Now that you mention it, I can't rule out that I might have gone to the wrong place, he-he.
>(Reiri) Uhm... Maybe there's another café with the same name?
>(Aoki) Maybe, but let's not worry about that. Is it okay if I send my location to see if there's any mistake?
>(Reiri) Sure, no problem.
>(Aoki) Ok! I'm here. (⌒_⌒;)
>(Aoki) [Real-time location].

When I checked Aoki's location, I was paralyzed for a few seconds. There was no mistake in our location; we were both in the same Maid Café.

Is he really here?—. That's what I thought, but it was impossible. Within the first floor, there was only the group of guys at the center table, then several empty tables, the pink-haired girl, and the maids sitting near the counter.

Could he be one of the guys from that group?

I tried not to think anymore. Sending another message to Aoki would clear up any misunderstanding.

>(Reiri) Hey... just to confirm... Are you perhaps with someone else?
>(Aoki) No, it's not like that. I came alone. I couldn't bring someone to these kinds of places, hehe.
>(Reiri) So, do you work at this place?
>(Aoki) Uuhm... Not that I remember.
>(Reiri) Maybe you paid for a VIP entrance?
>(Aoki) Eeeh? No... I don't think this place offers those kinds of services, Reiri-chan.
>(Aoki) Anyway, it'll be easy to find me. I'm near the windows facing the street. I'm wearing a beige trench coat and a black face mask.

After reading Aoki's last message, I understood what was happening. And no, it's not like there were flaws in my logic, but it didn't make sense either.

This is a joke, right?

After all, only one person in the Maid Café matched those descriptions.

But Aoki couldn't be that person.

Did Aoki lie to me too?

That was the last thing I thought before my body moved on its own to the seat of the person who matched Aoki's description. And when I was in front of her, I couldn't help but stare directly at her.

"So, you're..."

Even though she heard my words, the pink-haired girl seemed to ignore me  while crossing her arms..

"Hey... Can you give me a second?" I asked, getting closer.

With this last question, she diverted her gaze toward me.

"Don't worry, I already talked to your colleague about my order," she said, apologizing. "I'm still waiting for a friend, but you can bring me another iced coffee until she shows up.

"I'm not a servant! You... You're Aoki, aren't you?!"

As I said this almost yelling, the pink-haired girl's face turned pale for a few seconds.

"R-Reiri-chan...?"

I nodded, confirming my suspicions.

Though Aoki had lied to me, I felt relieved knowing I wasn't the only one.

But this didn't seem to please her.

"This is a joke, right?" Aoki quickly asked nervously. "It can't be... You can't be Reiri. Reiri is a cute girl. An excellent person, kind and understanding. Is this a hidden camera? Is there a camera recording this? Are you an actor or something? Did Reiri hire you? Where is she?"

Despite her questions, I tried to be as clear as possible.

"There's no camera, Aoki," I said, trying to reassure her as I placed my hands on the table. "And it's not like Reiri was that important. She doesn't exist; she was just my invention. Reiri was just me with a female character. I was just playing as her. You can't be mad at me when you did the same."

When I said the last part, Aoki seemed like she was about to faint.

“So... So everything was a lie?” she asked, showing a confused expression.

“If you're referring to Reiri, my character was just a pastime for me. I didn't want to lose my stats from the previous version, so I used that character for that reason. In any case, both you and I are liars. We both lied about our identity, so you shouldn't be upset with me, right?” I asked, sitting across from her.

As I said this, I kept thinking the same thing.

If Aoki was lying, there was no reason for her to be upset about my true identity. After all, the lie she had was similar to mine.

Aoki (she) was a girl, and Reiri (me) was a boy. This reminded me that this problem was common.

People often create characters they can identify with or because they have a cute design. If you add that Dungeon Valkyrie is a game that creates the character based on one's own thoughts... It's obvious there will be more than one person with a character of the opposite gender!

That's what I believed.

Until I heard her words.

“Do you think this is normal?!” Aoki yelled, picking up her small purse from the seat. “Do you think I would act normal knowing that I told you everything about me?! I told you about my fears! About my problems! I talked to you about the issues with my father and my family! We even had a shared secret! Everything I told you was true! I just hid that I was a girl... but Aoki really reflects my reality. I always trusted Reiri-chan! I thought I could show her my true self... I thought Reiri-chan could trust me,” as she said this, several tears fell on her cheeks.

Aoki lowered her gaze and got up from the seat instantly before continuing to speak.

“And now you come out... Saying that Reiri doesn't exist. That she was your invention. That she was a pastime for you. That she doesn't exist and that you were just pretending to be a girl. Did you enjoy trampling on my feelings? Did you think you could mock me?”

“No... Aoki, I didn't mean that. I didn't mean to mock you, I really cherish my memories with you. I really am Reiri,” I replied, trying to stop her.

“If that were true, then why did you lie so much?” she asked, staring me straight in the eyes. “Not only did you lie about being a girl when you weren't. You lied about being a foreigner. You also lied about being a model for a famous magazine. You lied about your parents forcing you to hide your hobbies. You lied about being bullied. You lied when you said we would be friends forever. You lied about our secret. So, if our situation is the same, tell me, what part of Reiri is yours? What part of you is true?”

I remained silent for a few seconds.

Although Aoki's arguments seemed like sharp daggers that would shred anyone, she was right. Her speech about my lies was justified.

“So everything was a lie. I understand, I have completely understood it. You know, I actually thought there was a small part of Reiri in you. When you said you cherished our memories, I thought maybe I was wrong. But now I understand that there's nothing true inside you. I... I really don't want to see you ever again. I hope you can forget everything we once shared. From now on, you and I don't know each other. Yes... I'm sure it would have been better never to have met you,” she said as she headed towards the exit.

Aoki left the Maid Café.

I remained pensive about her words. Although everything was a lie, within the farce that was Reiri, there was also a part of me that was authentic.

I didn't have time to explain it to her.

After thinking about it for a few seconds, I left the payment for my bill on the table and walked through the entrance of the Maid Café, with the firm determination to catch up with Aoki.

But she was no longer there.