Climbing the stairs, Liora came to a stop at the third floor landing.

  Without hesitation, she moved forward, opening the door labeled Room 35 and stepping inside without a word.

  She walked straight to her bed and let herself fall onto the soft mattress with a heavy sigh.

  "Liora Vernhart."

  The moment she heard her name called, Liora immediately spun around and leapt up.

  In a fluid motion, she caught the source of the voice—only to blink in confusion as she realized what she had captured.

  It was a plush polar bear.

  "Congratulations. You have been selected to participate in the Desire Battle,"

  the polar bear said nonchalantly, completely unbothered by the fact that it was currently being squeezed tightly in Liora's arms.

  "Desire Battle…?"

  Liora echoed the words she heard, frowning.

  "What the hell is that?"

  "Before I answer that,"

  the bear continued,

  "could you kindly let me go first?"

  Liora loosened her grip and set the plush down on the bed.

  She then sat down herself, arms crossed, staring at the strange creature in front of her.

  "First things first," she said sharply.

  "Who—or what—are you?"

  "Very well,"

  the bear replied with a courteous nod.

  "My name is Ursa. I am the overseer of the Desire Battle."

  "And what exactly is this 'Desire Battle'?"

  Liora asked, her tone suspicious.

  "It is a tournament held through Guide Rise,"

  Ursa explained matter-of-factly.

  "The winner is granted a single wish—absolutely anything they desire."

  "...Sounds fake,"

  Liora snorted, unimpressed.

  "Only an idiot would fall for a scam that obvious."

  "Besides,"

  she narrowed her eyes,

  "why me?"

  "Because you possess a Frontier Guide,"

  Ursa answered simply.

  "That alone grants you eligibility to participate."

  "Frontier Guide...?"

  Liora murmured, frowning.

  She reached into the pocket of her jacket and pulled out the card she had received earlier from the girl in the sailor uniform.

  "This one?"

  She held it out toward Ursa.

  "Yes,"

  the bear confirmed with a nod.

  "That is the Frontier Guide of the Enlightenment path."

  "I see…"

  Liora fell silent, her expression unreadable as she sank into thought.

  But then, without warning, she looked up—

  her once empty eyes now burning with a quiet, relentless flame.

  "In that case..."

  she said clearly, her voice steady.

  "I’m in."

  "Thank you for accepting the invitation, Liora Vernhart,"

  Ursa said, bowing slightly in midair.

  ***

  A bus came to a stop, and a handful of passengers disembarked.

  Among them was a man in his thirties, dressed in a typical business suit like any office worker returning from a long day at work.

  In his left hand, he carried a briefcase, and in his right, a basket filled with fresh flowers.

  Without rushing, he made his way toward a hospital located just a short walk from the bus terminal.

  He walked with a familiarity that suggested he had done this many times before.

  As he entered the hospital, he instinctively turned right. Along the corridor, a few patients and nurses greeted him warmly, and he returned their greetings with a gentle smile.

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  He stopped in front of a room and quietly opened the door.

  "Good evening. Sorry I'm late today, Lily,"

  he said softly, walking to the left side of the bed.

  There, on the small bedside table, stood a vase containing a white chrysanthemum arrangement.

  He carefully removed the vase, tossing the now slightly wilted flowers into the room's trash bin.

  Filling the vase anew with fresh water from the sink, he placed the new flowers he had brought inside.

  "It wasn’t anything serious,"

  he continued, speaking as if the sleeping girl could hear him.

  "Just a minor issue at work, that’s all."

  Placing the vase back in its spot, the man gently brushed his hand over the girl's head.

  The girl, Lily, lay motionless in her hospital bed, dressed in a patient's gown, with an oxygen tube fitted under her nose. Her eyes remained closed, as if peacefully asleep.

  "I'll come visit you again tomorrow, okay?"

  he whispered.

  Leaving the room behind, the man walked down the now-quiet hospital corridor.

  The sun had fully set just a few moments ago, casting the halls in a soft, melancholic glow.

  Pausing mid-step, he reached into his jacket.

  In his hand was a card—simple yet unmistakably distinct.

  "Anything I wish for... can come true, huh?"

  he murmured under his breath, staring down at the card with the unmistakable Guide Rise emblem engraved on its back.

  ***

  Liora stood before the shop's entrance, quietly weighing her options.

  After a moment’s hesitation, she sighed and stepped inside.

  The shop was packed with hobby-related goods—rows of figurines from various franchises, booster packs for different trading card games, and shelves of miscellaneous collectibles.

  "Welcome to Minerva Hobby Shop! How can I help you today?"

  the shop clerk called out cheerfully.

  But as the clerk got a good look at Liora's face, her eyes widened in disbelief—like she'd just seen a ghost.

  "Liiia?!!"

  the girl practically shrieked.

  "...Long time no see,"

  Liora forced herself to respond, her voice a little rough.

  "Vio."

  The clerk—Vio, or Violetta Amoris—leapt over the counter and threw her arms around Liora, pulling her into a tight hug.

  "It's been so long,"

  Vio's voice cracked slightly, betraying the emotions she tried to hold back.

  "I thought... you might've ended things too."

  Despite her efforts, a few tears slipped down her cheeks.

  Vio and Liora shared a complicated bond.

  Both survivors of the infamous Virtua Death Game, they had once fought side-by-side through that harrowing ordeal—a battle where life and death were anything but virtual.

  "I'm sorry, I—"

  Liora started, wanting to explain her absence.

  But Vio cut her off gently.

  "You don't have to,"

  she said, stepping back and meeting Liora’s gaze with a warm, understanding smile.

  "You wanted to forget, didn’t you?"

  "I get it. Really."

  Her voice was so kind, it made Liora’s chest ache.

  "So, what brings you here today?"

  Vio asked, wiping her face quickly and switching to a lighter tone.

  "Not that I’m unhappy to see you! But... you went out of your way to avoid anything connected to that nightmare."

  "And this place..."

  Vio gave a sheepish laugh,

  "...used to be our guild’s unofficial gathering spot during the Death Game."

  A brief, awkward silence settled between them.

  There was so much to say—but neither of them knew how to start.

  "Guide Rise,"

  Liora said at last, breaking the tension.

  "I'm interested. I want to learn."

  At her words, Vio’s entire expression lit up like a child seeing fireworks for the first time.

  "In that case, you've come to the right place!"

  she said enthusiastically, grabbing Liora’s hand.

  "Come on, I’ll turn you into a pro in no time!"

  "H-Hold on, what about the shop? Aren’t you on the clock right now?"

  Liora asked, a little flustered.

  At the very least, she still had enough sense to worry about someone else's job.

  "Forget it! I own the place!"

  Vio declared proudly, pulling Liora toward a large table without a hint of hesitation.

  Liora could only sigh, realizing with a bittersweet smile that even in the real world, Vio hadn’t changed one bit.

  ***

  Lisa sat at her desk, furiously scribbling down answers to her homework.

  Her eyes darted between her textbook and the livestream of the Guide Rise tournament playing on her phone—all while her pen moved flawlessly across the page.

  "Have you made your decision, Lisa Solaris?"

  a voice called out.

  Turning around, Lisa found herself face-to-face with Ursa—the floating polar bear plush.

  "Desire Battle, right?"

  Lisa mused, tapping her pen against her chin in thought.

  "Honestly, I don’t have any wishes,"

  she said casually, swiveling her chair to fully face Ursa.

  "Anything I want... I can achieve with my own two hands."

  "Is that a refusal?"

  Ursa asked.

  Lisa shook her head.

  "I’m in."

  She stood up, picking up a Guide Rise card from her desk—protected by a crimson sleeve adorned with thorny rose patterns.

  Spinning around once with a carefree twirl, Lisa flopped down onto her bed.

  "For me, facing strong opponents is way more exciting. The prize is just a nice bonus."

  Her voice was light, almost playful.

  "Very well. Thank you for accepting the invitation to Desire Battle, Lisa Solaris."

  "You're welcome, Ursa~"

  Lisa chimed, her voice singing with excitement as she admired the card in her hand.

  It depicted a fearsome red dragon in vivid detail—blood rivers flowing beneath its massive frame, with scattered bones littering the ground around it.

  "Let’s have lots of fun together, okay?"

  she whispered fondly.

  "My beloved Guide."