I slipped on my shoes, leaving the house with a heavy sigh. Was I really doing this? Yuki had practically forced me into it.

The walk to the store was short. When I finally reached the grocery store. I stepped inside. Grabbing small premade meals and bags of chips.

"Hey, Wan!," the cashier greeted with a smile.

 He was a guy around my age. Always with a laid-back attitude. "How’ve you been?"

I replied. "Busy with school. How about you? Are you still working here?"

"Yeah, still at it." He scanned my items quickly, then leaned in a bit, lowering his voice. "Hey, have you heard about the new ATWT server starting tomorrow?"

"Of course," I said. "Everyone’s talking about it. It's going to be hardcore mode, right?"

"Yeah," he laughed. "To bad I’ll be working for the next few hours so I can't play at launch"

"Sounds like it," I muttered, thinking of the long nights I’d spent in the game world. 

"Guess we’ll see how it goes."

He handed me the receipt. A smile returned to his face. "Take care, man."

"Yeah, you too," I said, grabbing the bags.

The cool air hit me as I stepped back outside. I couldn’t wait to get home. I walked down the street. My mind wandered back to the game. The hardcore mode was definitely a step up. 

A woman suddenly crossed the road in front of me. Her purple hair was pinned up with a gold butterfly hair accessory. She was walking with purpose, not noticing the speeding truck heading her way. I rushed forward. Shoving her out of the way.

After getting a better look at her, I realize her hair is wet—it must have rained earlier. The tips of her hair are black, while the roots are purple.

The truck passed us. My heart pounded in my chest. The woman stumbled back.

"Are you okay?" I asked, catching my breath.

She looked at me and then quickly nodded. 

"I’m fine, thanks." Her voice was soft, but oddly calm.

"I should’ve been more careful."

"I didn’t think so. I just saw you and… well, that truck was moving too fast," I said, feeling a bit awkward.

She smiled at me. "I guess it’s lucky you were there. My name’s Tama, but my friends call me Pendant."

"Wan," I said, introducing myself.

I tried to keep the conversation light. "It’s good to meet you, Tama. But… you really should watch out for trucks like that."

She nodded, her expression growing a little more serious. "You should head home quickly, Wan. The time is nigh."

I raised an eyebrow, confused. "What do you mean? Is something happening?"

But she didn’t answer, just gave me a small, almost cryptic smile. "Take care, Wan. See you soon."

I stood there for a moment. Watching her walk off down the street. The feeling of unease lingering. Her words didn’t make sense. The way she said them gave me chills. Maybe it was just a weird encounter.

Either way. I shook off the feeling. Looking down at the groceries in my hands. I started heading home.