Chapter 1: Patch Notes & First Impressions

Miyu’s POV

The soft hum of fluorescent lights buzzed overhead as Miyu Aoyama typed her final report of the day. Her fingers danced over the keyboard with practiced ease, but her mind was elsewhere. Outside the office window, Tokyo's skyline shimmered against the dusk, neon signs beginning to flicker to life like fireflies. Her stomach growled, but she ignored it. She always did. Work came first. And after that? Silence. Haruki would be late again.

She glanced at her phone. A single unread message: "Overtime. Rain check on dinner?"

Miyu exhaled slowly, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling. She didn’t cry. She hadn’t cried in months. Not since she learned how to smile with her eyes and nod with understanding even when her heart ached. Nine years. That was how long she had been with Haruki Sanada. Loyal. Reliable. Kind to her family. But when she brought up moving in together or marriage, he always dodged. Not cruelly. Not with malice. Just a quiet kind of evasion that left her floating in a relationship with no anchor.

Her co-workers had all left. She powered down her computer, slipped on her hoodie, and took the train home alone. The train ride was quiet, filled with the flicker of phone screens and hushed conversations. Her earbuds played a soft playlist—mostly acoustic covers and anime soundtracks. Music helped fill the empty space Haruki never did.

Later that night, Miyu sat cross-legged on her futon, guitar resting beside her, her fingers wrapped around a cup of hot tea. Her black-and-green ombre hair fell like an aurora over one shoulder as she booted up her PC. With a deep breath, she logged into Eclipsia Online, her only true escape.

Her avatar, HanaLune, materialized in the Moonlight Forest, a peaceful glade lit by glowing mushrooms and crystal ponds. The familiar soft orchestral music brought immediate calm.

"Party up for a raid? Need a bard!"

She smiled faintly and accepted the invite.

Within moments, she was standing next to a tall, armored knight character with a massive sword strapped to his back. His name tag hovered above: OblivionHeart.

"You new? Haven't seen HanaLune around before," the knight typed in the team chat.

"Been soloing a while. First raid with people."

"Ah. You're brave. Or stubborn. Or both."

"Stubborn," she typed back. Then, without thinking, added: "And tired."

There was a pause. Then OblivionHeart responded: "Same."

They cleared the raid faster than expected. Miyu sang softly into her headset to buff her party, her voice barely above a whisper, but crystalline and precise. OblivionHeart didn’t say anything until the final boss fell.

"You sing in real life too? Or just here?"

She hesitated. "Real life. Not that anyone listens."

Another pause. Then: "I listened."

Something about that hit her. Deeper than it should have.

They chatted casually while looting their gear. He asked about her build, her favorite spells, what time she usually played. She asked about his sword, his class, how long he’d been playing.

She didn’t ask his real name. He didn’t ask hers.

When the clock struck midnight, she yawned.

"Logging off. Work early."

"Same. Good game. You play again tomorrow?"

She stared at the message, then smiled. "Maybe. Depends if life lets me."

"Then I hope it does. Night, Hana."

She logged off. Her tea had gone cold.

For the first time in weeks, she felt warm.