Leon had gotten used to the hospital smell.
Not because he liked it, nobody ever did...but because it became routine.
Like checking his phone.
Like logging into a game.
Like opening something familiar just to make sure it was still there.
Room 417.
He stopped outside the door, adjusting the strap of the small bag in his hand.
This time was different.
He wasn't here to show her progress.
Wasn't here to let her watch over his shoulder while he debugged systems or tweaked dialogue trees.
This time...
He was here to let her play.
He knocked once.
"Come in," a voice answered immediately.
Still sharp.
Still her.
Leon pushed the door open.
"You're late."
"I brought something," he said, stepping inside. "That cancels it out."
"It doesn't."
"It should."
Lola was already sitting up.
Blanket over her legs, IV line taped to her arm, shoulders thinner than they used to be.
But her eyes were locked onto the bag.
Waiting.
"…Is that what I think it is?" she asked.
Leon smirked.
"Depends. What do you think it is?"
"The game."
He didn't answer.
He just walked over and set the bag on the table beside her bed.
That was answer enough.
Her posture straightened slightly.
Not much.
But enough that he noticed.
"…You said it wasn't ready yet," she said.
"It wasn't."
"And now it is?"
"…It's playable."
"That's not the same thing."
"It is for you."
Lola narrowed her eyes.
"…That sounds like a bad idea."
"It's a great idea."
"It's your MMO."
"Yeah."
"And you're giving it to me."
"Yes."
She stared at him.
"…Why?"
Leon didn't answer right away.
Instead, he reached into the bag and pulled it out.
A handheld console, but not just that.
A tethered system.
Connected.
Online-enabled.
Logged in.
He held it out.
"Because you've been watching me build it for months," he said.
"I like watching."
"That's the problem."
She frowned.
"How is that a problem?"
"Because you're always outside it."
He tilted the console slightly toward her.
"This time, you're logging in."
Lola hesitated.
Her fingers lifted.
then paused.
"…Wait," she said slowly.
Leon already knew what was coming.
"…This isn't one of those games, right?"
"What games?"
She gave him a look.
"The ones where suddenly every girl likes the main character for no reason."
Leon's expression flattened.
"It is not a harem game."
"It becomes one by the time the player got into the academy."
"That is route-based narrative development."
"That's a yes."
"That is NOT a yes."
She squinted.
"You sound defensive."
"I am being misrepresented."
"You named the protagonist after yourself."
Leon froze.
"…That is unrelated."
"It's very related."
"…Okay, first of all," he said, sitting down beside her bed, "I didn't name the protagonist after myself."
"You named him Leon."
"I named him after an idealized narrative lead concept."
"That's still you."
"That is not me."
"That's worse."
Leon exhaled slowly.
"…Just play the game."
She took the console.
Carefully.
Like it was fragile.
Or maybe like she was.
The screen lit up.
A login interface.
EIDOLON CHRONICLE ONLINE
"…Online?" she asked.
"Yes."
"So there are other players?"
"…Technically."
"You mean no."
"I mean limited testing population."
"You mean you and like three people."
"I mean curated user environment."
She ignored that and tapped "Login."
The world loaded in.
A quiet starting village.
Soft lighting.
Wind moving through trees.
NPCs walking with just enough variation to feel alive.
Lola didn't speak at first.
She just… looked.
"…You actually finished this part," she murmured.
"Yeah."
"I remember when this was just a gray box."
"Don't remind me."
She moved the character forward.
Slowly.
Testing controls.
"…It feels smoother," she said.
"I optimized movement input."
"I can tell."
That made him pause.
"…You can?"
She nodded faintly.
"Before it felt stiff."
"…Huh."
She kept moving.
Then paused.
"…What's the main story again?"
Leon leaned back slightly.
"Basic premise? You...well, the player start as a nobody."
"Really?" she asked.
"Well uh technically a nobody with lots of blessing from the Gods"
"That's not a nobody"
"You build strength, connections, influence."
"And then?"
"The Academy."
She groaned immediately.
"I knew it."
"It's not what you think."
"It's exactly what I think."
"It's not."
"You literally added romance flags."
"That's optional."
"That's a lie."
"That's partially optional."
She gave him a look.
Leon raised his hands slightly.
"…Anyway," he continued, redirecting, "the academy is where the real story starts."
"…And where it becomes unbearable."
"It becomes complex."
"It becomes annoying."
"It becomes interesting."
She didn't argue further.
Which meant she was getting tired.
Leon noticed.
So he didn't push it.
Time passed.
Not all at once.
Small jumps.
Short visits.
Afternoons where she played a little more each time.
Leon guiding less.
Watching more.
Eventually...
She reached it.
Start of the Academy.
The environment changed.
Stone buildings.
Students in uniforms.
Dialogue denser.
Tone heavier.
Lola leaned slightly forward.
"…So this is where everything happens."
"Yeah."
Her character walked through a corridor.
NPCs talking in the background.
Then...
A scene triggered.
Two figures appeared.
At first glance, they didn't look out of place.
A boy and a girl, standing side by side in the academy courtyard.
The boy had dirty blonde hair duller, leaning closer to brown with long curtain bangs framing a face that looked calm, almost gentle. Blue eyes, steady and unreadable.
The girl beside him was brighter by contrast. Golden blonde hair tied loosely to one side, the small side-tail resting against her shoulder. Her blue eyes were softer, more openly expressive.
Both of them looked… kind.
Like the type of students who wouldn't stand out.
Like the type of people you'd trust without thinking.
And yet...
No one stood near them.
A subtle gap formed in the crowd, as if the other students had learned—instinctively—to keep their distance.
Not out of fear.
Not exactly.
Something quieter.
Something understood without being said.
They weren't introduced loudly.
They didn't need to be.
They stood apart from the others
and that alone made them noticeable.
Because of how everyone else reacted.
Distance.
Tension.
Fear, thinly disguised as annoyance.
Lola slowed her movement.
"…Who are they?"
Leon didn't answer immediately.
"…Side antagonists," he said after a second.
"Students?"
"Adopted."
"By?"
"…The Archbishop."
She frowned.
"They don't act like church kids."
"They're not."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…They're mean."
"That's one way to put it."
On screen, one of the twins shoved an NPC aside.
Dialogue followed.
Sharp.
Dismissive.
Unnecessarily cruel.
Lola's fingers stilled slightly.
"…Why are they like that?"
Leon watched the screen.
Then looked away.
"…They're just written that way."
"That's not an answer."
"It's enough of one."
She didn't press further.
But she didn't look away either.
"…They feel important," she said quietly.
Leon didn't respond.
After a moment, she moved again.
The scene passed.
The game continued.
But something lingered.
"…Leon."
"Yeah?"
"…You're hiding something about them."
He didn't deny it.
"…It's late-game stuff," he said.
"I can handle it."
"I know."
"Then why not tell me?"
He hesitated.
Then...
"Because some parts are better experienced," he said.
Not a lie.
Not the full truth either.
Lola studied him for a second.
Then looked back at the screen.
"…Fine."
She didn't sound convinced.
But she let it go.
The game continued.
Her character walked forward.
The world moved.
The story unfolded.
And Leon, watching her play something he built
told himself this was enough.
That this moment
this small, contained thing
was something he could keep.
For now.
...For now
That was what Leon told himself.
Not as comfort...just habit.
Like if he kept saying it, the moment wouldn't move forward without permission.
Lola was still in bed, sitting slightly upright, the handheld console resting in her hands.
The screen lit her face softly.
She was still playing.
Still there.
"…This quest is weird," she murmured.
"What's weird?" Leon asked, sitting beside her like it was any normal afternoon.
"The dialogue doesn't match what's happening."
"That's intentional," he said automatically.
She squinted. "It feels wrong."
"It's called foreshadowing."
"That's just a fancy word for 'confusing.'"
He snorted. "No, it's called writing."
She hummed like she didn't believe him, but kept playing anyway.
A few seconds passed.
Then her fingers slowed.
Not stopping, just… losing rhythm.
Leon noticed, but didn't react immediately.
She had off moments sometimes. Fatigue days. Hospital days.
Nothing unusual.
...but then her shoulders tensed.
Barely noticeable.
Like her body reacted before she did.
Her breathing hitched once.
Sharp.
Too quick.
Then steadied again, like she forced it to.
Her thumb slipped slightly on the controls.
"...Tch," she muttered under her breath.
Annoyed.
Not scared.
Her free hand lifted.
pressed lightly against her chest...
then dropped just as fast.
Like it didn't happen.
Leon's eyes flicked up.
"…Hey," he said casually. "You okay?"
"I'm fine," she answered too fast.
She shifted slightly against the pillow.
Trying to get comfortable.
Failing.
Her fingers resumed movement.
But slower now.
Less precise.
She missed an input.
Corrected it.
Missed again.
"...Stupid controls," she muttered.
Leon frowned slightly.
"Those are the same controls you've been using."
"I know."
Her tone sharpened.
Then softened immediately after.
"...I just misclicked."
She adjusted her posture again.
Another small inhale
this one tighter.
Quieter.
"…Lola?"
She didn't respond right away.
Her grip tightened slightly on the console.
Then...
"…Leon," she said.
Different tone.
He stood up immediately.
"What is it?"
Her brows pulled together, like she was trying to understand something her body wasn't explaining properly.
"I feel..."
She stopped mid-sentence.
A sharp inhale followed.
Not normal.
Not controlled.
Her hand went to her chest again...
this time not letting go.
Leon's expression changed instantly.
"Hey...what is it? Where?"
"…Chest," she managed. "It's tight."
That was all it took.
"Doctor!" Leon shouted, already moving toward the door. "Nurse...someone, now!"
His voice cut through the hallway.
Inside the room, everything shifted at once.
Lola tried to sit straighter.
But her body didn't cooperate cleanly.
"I'm okay," she said quickly.
"No, you're not," Leon snapped, coming back to her side immediately.
Her breathing was uneven now.
Short.
Shallow.
Like her lungs weren't fully listening.
A nurse rushed in.
"What happened?"
"Chest pain," Leon said fast. "Breathing changed just now."
More footsteps followed immediately.
The room filled.
Machines were checked. Monitors attached. Voices overlapped.
But Leon stayed right beside her bed.
Didn't move.
Didn't look away.
Just her.
Only her.
Lola's fingers were still holding the console.
Like she had forgotten to let go.
"…I didn't finish it," she said suddenly.
Leon blinked. "What?"
"The game," she repeated, voice weaker now. "There's still quests."
"Lola...don't talk about that right now."
"But I didn't see the ending," she insisted.
Her voice cracked slightly.
"I didn't reach it."
The monitor beeped faster.
A nurse adjusted oxygen.
Leon stepped closer again, lowering his voice.
"You will," he said quickly. "Later. When you're better."
She shook her head faintly.
"No," she said.
Just that.
Not dramatic.
Not angry.
Just certain in a way that scared him more than panic.
Leon tightened his hands slightly at his sides.
"Hey," he said softer now. "Look at me."
She did.
Barely.
Her eyes weren't fully unfocused yet—
but they were getting harder to hold steady.
"…I made it," Leon said, voice rougher now. "So you could play it. That's the whole point."
A pause.
Her lips trembled slightly.
"…Really?"
"Yes," he said immediately. "So don't act like you failed something."
That made her pause.
For a second, something almost like relief passed through her face.
But it didn't last.
Her breathing hitched again.
"I'm tired," she whispered.
"I know," Leon said quickly.
"I don't want to stop playing."
"You're not stopping."
Her fingers twitched.
The console tilted slightly in her lap.
Leon gently took it from her and placed it on the bed beside her.
She didn't resist.
Her hand followed his for a second...
then fell back.
"…Leon," she said again.
"I'm here."
Her voice was smaller now.
"Will it be okay?"
The question hit differently.
Not about the game anymore.
Not really.
Leon hesitated for the first time.
Then forced it out.
"Yes," he said.
A lie.
But steady.
"That's enough," he added quietly.
Lola stared at him for a moment.
Like she was memorizing something she couldn't save.
Then she gave a faint nod.
"…Okay," she whispered.
The monitor beeped louder.
The doctor's voice sharpened.
"Prepare emergency intervention."
Movement increased in the room.
Leon stepped closer instinctively.
"Lola," he said again.
She turned her head slightly.
Still trying to stay with him.
Still trying.
"…Don't be mad," she murmured.
His eyes widened slightly. "Mad? Why would I be mad?"
"I didn't finish it properly."
His chest tightened.
"What are you talking about?" he said quickly. "You're talking like you're leaving something behind."
Her fingers loosened slightly in the blanket.
Not all at once.
Little by little.
"I didn't get to see it all," she whispered.
Her voice was shaking now.
"But I liked it."
That stopped him.
For a second.
"…Yeah," he said quietly.
"You did good," she added.
Almost like she was the one comforting him now.
The machines grew louder.
The doctor stepped in closer.
"Start resuscitation."
Leon didn't move away.
He grabbed her hand again immediately.
"Hey," he said, voice low but firm now. "Stay with me, okay?"
Her fingers barely tightened in response.
Barely.
"…Okay," she whispered.
But it was already slipping.
Not suddenly.
Not dramatically.
Just… like her body was forgetting how to stay.
Leon held on tighter.
"Don't go quiet," he said.
Her eyes flickered.
Still on him.
Still trying.
"…I'm still here," she said.
And for a moment...
he believed it.
Then her hand loosened completely.
Not like a collapse.
Like a decision her body made without asking her.
The room erupted into action.
But Leon didn't move yet.
He just stood there.
Still holding on.
Waiting for a squeeze back that never came.