The MagiArtist Collection

I'm Right Here (Asahi Kuga x Reader)

It had been six years since you played an MMORPG. You were very reluctant to play and it took your friend's insistence for you to join. It didn't help that the game required a player to have a Sense, a special power that's unique to everyone. While yours isn't necessarily powerful, just being able to see past the Fog of War, the fact that there's a requirement means that you were going whether you liked it or not.

And needless to say, you hated playing this game, for it was a sequel to an old MMORPG you and a bunch of childhood friends used to play. No, it was not because of nostalgia bias. Far from it, as the game feels just like the old game. Rather, you lost something important in that game, something you could never get back.

"Yo, earth to [y/n]." You blinked and noticed your friend, Klein, in front of you. "You've been freezing up a lot since we entered the dungeon. Are you okay?" He asked. To be fair, no you weren't. In fact, you were nervous and there were plenty of reasons to be nervous. The most he could understand though is that dying in the game results in your account being deleted.

"Y-yeah. Just... We should keep going." You didn't want to tell him the truth, lest you want the party to freak out. You continued into the dungeon, keeping your distance from the front liners. That's when you could see two orcs in the fog. "Look out!" You shouted as the two orcs burst out and mercilessly attacked the front liners. Instantly, you remembered the time your previous guild, Subaru, took on a dangerous boss. The memory that played out caused you to go into fetal position and shudder as your friends effectively take out the orcs. As the battle was over, Klein looked to you.

"No... You're not okay..."

-_-_-_-_-_-

After raiding the dungeon, where your role was to basically alert the party of oncoming monsters, Klein arranged for you to stay at an inn. He asked you to wait in the room while he meets up with his Guild to talk about the dungeon. You would just log out and come back when Klein messaged you, but you liked the room you were given. It didn't help that the bed was a big and comfy in contrast to the futon you laid down on to play this game. You were about to take a nap...

"Mmmmoooou~! I'm bored!" You heard someone next door. You walked over and listened to the wall where the voice came from. There you heard the squeaking of a chair. You gave the wall a simple tap as you heard the voice freak, followed by a crash and a groan.

"S-sorry! I..." You spoke to the wall. You chuckled and looked around. "I couldn't help but hear your plight... Mind if I give you some company?" You asked her. A brief moment of silence later, and you heard the voice.

"Okay." She said. You definitely knew the voice belonged to a woman. You rested your back against the wall.

"I'm kinda stuck here waiting for a friend. You?" You asked.

"Yeah, me too." She said.

"Seems we have something in common then. Well, I'll be right here to keep you company." You tried to keep a smile, but your muscles forced it down into a frown. The memory still lingered in your mind. You knew a coping tactic is to just tell someone about it... but this girl's a complete stranger. Is she going to care? "Hey, you know that this game is a sequel to Union?" That was a stupid question. Re'Union was made from the foundation of Union, to the point where only players from Union can play Re'Union, as that is where you would unlock the Sense needed to play. "N-never mind, you probably know already. I mean, I've played Union before... Aaaah, what am I saying? Only Union Players can play Re'Union..." You sighed.

"Who did you play with?" An oddly specific question, but you got the conversation going and she gave you a huge question that could help you lead in to the grievance you had. You took a deep breath and let the pain out of your chest.

"You probably have heard of Subaru. It's a guild comprised of six players, each with powerful Senses. I wasn't a fully fledged member, but I helped them out whenever I could. One day, they asked me to accompany them on a quest to take on a massive, unbeatable boss." You took another breath. This was the needle in your heart that you had to pull. "There was a girl in the group that..." You huddled your knees. "I had a crush on. She was cheerful, optimistic, and her smile brings light to even the darkest of days... But... During that boss fight she..." You needed to word the next event carefully, lest you have her believe you were making a big deal over nothing. "She got a game over and soon her player," your body felt numb as you tried to bring out pain, "she died of heart failure. The game was shut down soon after. I... I never saw that guild again. And... I don't think I ever will..." You let out a few tears.

"... What was the girl's name?" One second passed as she asked that. The name, one that had been in your mind for six years, finally came out of your mouth.

"Kuga Asahi..." You heard nothing after that. Did you scare that person away? You knew Asahi was a popular player sought after by many different guilds, so perhaps you should have said her name with more tact. A piece of yourself was happy now that you had confessed that to her...

KNOCK KNOCK

That must be Klein. You got up and opened the door...

And saw a girl with long platinum blonde hair, bright blue eyes, a white coat, blue skirt, and...

The most beautiful smile you could ever see... A smile that you hadn't seen since...

"Asahi?" You asked her. She just nodded. You backed away a bit. "H-how can that be?" Your heart pounded. Is she actually a hacker trying to phish you out of information? "Y-you're..." That's when she hugged you.

"I'm not dead, though... I'm right here." As she held you, you reached with your arms to hold her. She felt so warm and soft in your arms. She giggled slightly as you squeezed. You let out a few tears. "It's okay... I'm right here..." She cooed you as she stroked your back. You had no idea whether or not she's real or not, but you wished this moment would last just a little longer. "Oh! Right! I'm waiting for Haruto. You remember Haruto, right?" The leader of Subaru. Yes, you remembered him... Is Subaru going to reunite? You broke out of the hug and looked intently at Asahi.

"Asahi... If you guys are bringing back Subaru, then... I want to be a member." She gave you the best smile she ever gave you and took you by the hand. As she took you to her room, you saw Klein approach your room.

"W-what the heck!?" Klein asked you.

"Sorry, I'm quitting the guild." You just said as Asahi took you to her room. There, you hung out with her and caught up with what you did over the six years of your life. Eventually, Haruto came over and Asahi explained the situation to him. You soon got the idea that Asahi was not dead, at least not right now. There was a lingering doubt in your head that this is just temporary and eventually, she'll leave for real... But... For now, you know she's right here and that's good enough for you.